Your cars "Story"
Discussion
Ok, I dont mean ones you leased last year and it went for a recall, older, more interesting ones, do you know much of the history, can be any car really.
My grandma was talking to my about her eccentric German boss Mr Gold, she worked in the rag trade and he owned the factory she worked in, he always had Rolls Royces and when he picked his new one up, he would, at the same time choose and specify his next model to be delivered in two years ! this is the same bloke who would get on a plane or train (first class, naturally) and go and tip the pilots or driver and ask them to drive/fly carefully. Always makes me think of all the history around something like a Rolls, who bought it originally and what did they do, what was around at the time. The Mr Gold I mentioned above lived a lovely lifestyle with his partner and died in the early eighties leaving, as far as I am aware no heirs, his much younger partner, Miss Von Kettler, sadly died of cancer a few months before.
-
My Uncle has had his Jowett Jupiter for 50 years now, he bought it off my dad in 1967.
Stuff like that, am sure you can come up with some good ones, famous owners, was used in an obscure sitcom etc.
Not sure if its been done before but it could make a really interesting tv programme.
My grandma was talking to my about her eccentric German boss Mr Gold, she worked in the rag trade and he owned the factory she worked in, he always had Rolls Royces and when he picked his new one up, he would, at the same time choose and specify his next model to be delivered in two years ! this is the same bloke who would get on a plane or train (first class, naturally) and go and tip the pilots or driver and ask them to drive/fly carefully. Always makes me think of all the history around something like a Rolls, who bought it originally and what did they do, what was around at the time. The Mr Gold I mentioned above lived a lovely lifestyle with his partner and died in the early eighties leaving, as far as I am aware no heirs, his much younger partner, Miss Von Kettler, sadly died of cancer a few months before.
-
My Uncle has had his Jowett Jupiter for 50 years now, he bought it off my dad in 1967.
Stuff like that, am sure you can come up with some good ones, famous owners, was used in an obscure sitcom etc.
Not sure if its been done before but it could make a really interesting tv programme.
A much shorter and less interesting one, but my 2008 Defender 110 utility has had a semi interesting short life so far.
It was purchased new by a guy in Ascot who poodled to the shops in it, got bored and sold it to "Mudstuff" a highly regarded defender aftermarkets parts supplier/manufacture. They kitted it out with lots of goodies and used it as their demo vehicle for a while.
Last owner then purchased it off mudstuff and he runs his own Defender forum and blog and my car was the guiniepig for all of the road tests and parts reviews.
To the point where my slave cylinder failed a month or so ago, so I googled "puma defender slave cylinder change" to see if it was something I could do myself, and the first result was the last owner, changing the slave on my very car in a tutorial video, so the part that failed I watched getting put in.
It was purchased new by a guy in Ascot who poodled to the shops in it, got bored and sold it to "Mudstuff" a highly regarded defender aftermarkets parts supplier/manufacture. They kitted it out with lots of goodies and used it as their demo vehicle for a while.
Last owner then purchased it off mudstuff and he runs his own Defender forum and blog and my car was the guiniepig for all of the road tests and parts reviews.
To the point where my slave cylinder failed a month or so ago, so I googled "puma defender slave cylinder change" to see if it was something I could do myself, and the first result was the last owner, changing the slave on my very car in a tutorial video, so the part that failed I watched getting put in.
sidekickdmr said:
A much shorter and less interesting one, but my 2008 Defender 110 utility has had a semi interesting short life so far.
It was purchased new by a guy in Ascot who poodled to the shops in it, got bored and sold it to "Mudstuff" a highly regarded defender aftermarkets parts supplier/manufacture. They kitted it out with lots of goodies and used it as their demo vehicle for a while.
Last owner then purchased it off mudstuff and he runs his own Defender forum and blog and my car was the guiniepig for all of the road tests and parts reviews.
To the point where my slave cylinder failed a month or so ago, so I googled "puma defender slave cylinder change" to see if it was something I could do myself, and the first result was the last owner, changing the slave on my very car in a tutorial video, so the part that failed I watched getting put in.
That is kind of freaky.It was purchased new by a guy in Ascot who poodled to the shops in it, got bored and sold it to "Mudstuff" a highly regarded defender aftermarkets parts supplier/manufacture. They kitted it out with lots of goodies and used it as their demo vehicle for a while.
Last owner then purchased it off mudstuff and he runs his own Defender forum and blog and my car was the guiniepig for all of the road tests and parts reviews.
To the point where my slave cylinder failed a month or so ago, so I googled "puma defender slave cylinder change" to see if it was something I could do myself, and the first result was the last owner, changing the slave on my very car in a tutorial video, so the part that failed I watched getting put in.
My first car was a Rover Metro 1990 which my piano teacher had had from new.
She died in 2006 and left the car to me (as much to my surprise as anyone elses as I hadn't had a lesson in 4 years) if I donated 1 days wages to a local cat charity. The car in 2006 had 600 miles on it fully backed up by the MOT's done by the garage next door.
In the back of the car were a number of music books left to me by her. The clutch was all but worn out when I got it, but I replaced that with my dad (first taste of spannering) and drove 28,000 miles in the car until rust unfortunately took over. Myself, my brother and my sister learnt how to drive in it. I very much regret selling it to buy a Citreon Saxo with headgasket failure for £50 which I fixed up and then sold, since then I haven't liked modern cars!
She died in 2006 and left the car to me (as much to my surprise as anyone elses as I hadn't had a lesson in 4 years) if I donated 1 days wages to a local cat charity. The car in 2006 had 600 miles on it fully backed up by the MOT's done by the garage next door.
In the back of the car were a number of music books left to me by her. The clutch was all but worn out when I got it, but I replaced that with my dad (first taste of spannering) and drove 28,000 miles in the car until rust unfortunately took over. Myself, my brother and my sister learnt how to drive in it. I very much regret selling it to buy a Citreon Saxo with headgasket failure for £50 which I fixed up and then sold, since then I haven't liked modern cars!
cheesesliceking said:
2gins said:
My first car was a 1987 Ford Escort 1.3L, after 30,000 miles and 4 years the bottom rusted out so I scrapped it.
Am I doing this right?
Yes, well i assume so. It's the most interesting story so far.Am I doing this right?
My Range Rover purchased when it was 3 years old by a chap called David Telling who founded MITIE, a FTSE 250 company which currently has a turnover in excess of £2 billion p.a.
He saw service during the Malayan Emergency, and he guarded Rudolf Hess at Spandau Prison in the 1960s (as someone who is really into WW2, I really like that last bit).
I'm told that the car was used on his estate in Bristol until his death in 2003. His wife then took ownership, but the car was kept facing nose-out of a barn for the next 10+ years, only ever being used to get a fresh MOT on it every year. I bought it from the fourth owner in June last year.
Sadly, I've yet to achieve quite so much in the 24 years I've been around but once it's finished being restored, I hope to take it to the Arctic Circle
He saw service during the Malayan Emergency, and he guarded Rudolf Hess at Spandau Prison in the 1960s (as someone who is really into WW2, I really like that last bit).
I'm told that the car was used on his estate in Bristol until his death in 2003. His wife then took ownership, but the car was kept facing nose-out of a barn for the next 10+ years, only ever being used to get a fresh MOT on it every year. I bought it from the fourth owner in June last year.
Sadly, I've yet to achieve quite so much in the 24 years I've been around but once it's finished being restored, I hope to take it to the Arctic Circle
My first Caterham was built by an engineering chap with his sons so they could experience building a car. I dug about and managed to find some contact details, mainly due to his unusual surname and gave him a bell. Once he'd realised I wasn't a scammer, we had a lovely chat about the car, what trips he and his wife had made, where I'd been and so on.
All this because I was selling it and needed to know if it was factory or self-build. Hardly headline stuff, but it's rare to actually connect with a previous owner.
All this because I was selling it and needed to know if it was factory or self-build. Hardly headline stuff, but it's rare to actually connect with a previous owner.
My first car was a 1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport, bought from a man 2 miles from where I lived. The original owner had the farm behind my Great Aunt, 230 miles away in Devon! When I went to visit her in it she recognised it when I pulled up!
My second car was a Sierra XR4x4 that had originally been on the press fleet and I ended up parking next to a Cosworth that was the consecutive number plate at a show (the cars were 10 years old at the time). I sold it to a friend when I bought my Cosworth and he sold it onto another friend from whom I bought it back a couple of years later. I then sold it a second time after another couple of years to a dealer and a few weeks later it turned up on a driveway down the road from another friend, 50 miles from where I live. I then got a phone call from another friend who had been sitting behind it in a traffic jam on his way into Brighton!
The Cosworth came from a friend along with every receipt making it easy to trace the history. In 1999 I drove it up to Cadwell Park where Tiff Needel stood in front of it to interview Keith Duckworth and Mike Costin for old Top Gear ( I was lucky enough to get them both to sign a photo of it). I still own it.
Other than generally keeping my cars for a long time, nothing else of note really, hope this is the sort of thing that you were looking for.
My second car was a Sierra XR4x4 that had originally been on the press fleet and I ended up parking next to a Cosworth that was the consecutive number plate at a show (the cars were 10 years old at the time). I sold it to a friend when I bought my Cosworth and he sold it onto another friend from whom I bought it back a couple of years later. I then sold it a second time after another couple of years to a dealer and a few weeks later it turned up on a driveway down the road from another friend, 50 miles from where I live. I then got a phone call from another friend who had been sitting behind it in a traffic jam on his way into Brighton!
The Cosworth came from a friend along with every receipt making it easy to trace the history. In 1999 I drove it up to Cadwell Park where Tiff Needel stood in front of it to interview Keith Duckworth and Mike Costin for old Top Gear ( I was lucky enough to get them both to sign a photo of it). I still own it.
Other than generally keeping my cars for a long time, nothing else of note really, hope this is the sort of thing that you were looking for.
My first car has a vaguely interesting story.
K reg Mazda 323. It started off life as a loan car for a Mazda dealer in Swindon (my home town) it retired from that life and I dont know what happeneed in the intervening 10 years but it ended up being for sale for £1300 at an independent dealer near Weston Super Mare. My Aunt had a farm near there and when I was 17 driving round in my dads car with him and L plates we stopped in the garage to see what they had as I was looking for my first car.
Liked it bought it brought it back to Swindon to carry on learning with.
I had a few driving lessons and my driving instructor thought he recognised the car. Turns out he used to be a mechanic at the Mazda dealer in Swindon where it was a loan car.
A year rolls on, I pass my test and finish college. Go job hunting. The one I get accepted for is as a driver for a Dick Lovett dealership in Swindon.
This dealership had taken over the old Mazda one so I was now using my car to commute to the same building that it started its life in.
Few years later I having had a lot of fun with the car I sell it to my best mate for £250 as I was buying an E30 325is and he had just gotten ris of his classic Mini and needed a commuter car.
He used it and abused it like I did for another year or so and was going to get rid as it was going to fail its MOT. So before that ran out I bought it back off him for £20! and took it back to my Aunt's farm where I used it to rag around the fields when I was there.
eventually got to the point where the clutch was going and so rather than fix it I gave her a final blast around the farm and then a good clean and sold her to another local farmer for £50. Only car I have made money on lol.
He bought it to go banger racing so she ended her days as a "race car" having been brutally abused for much of her life.
Here she is the day I finally said goodbye parked at the farm with my OHs first car. The Swift looks massive!
K reg Mazda 323. It started off life as a loan car for a Mazda dealer in Swindon (my home town) it retired from that life and I dont know what happeneed in the intervening 10 years but it ended up being for sale for £1300 at an independent dealer near Weston Super Mare. My Aunt had a farm near there and when I was 17 driving round in my dads car with him and L plates we stopped in the garage to see what they had as I was looking for my first car.
Liked it bought it brought it back to Swindon to carry on learning with.
I had a few driving lessons and my driving instructor thought he recognised the car. Turns out he used to be a mechanic at the Mazda dealer in Swindon where it was a loan car.
A year rolls on, I pass my test and finish college. Go job hunting. The one I get accepted for is as a driver for a Dick Lovett dealership in Swindon.
This dealership had taken over the old Mazda one so I was now using my car to commute to the same building that it started its life in.
Few years later I having had a lot of fun with the car I sell it to my best mate for £250 as I was buying an E30 325is and he had just gotten ris of his classic Mini and needed a commuter car.
He used it and abused it like I did for another year or so and was going to get rid as it was going to fail its MOT. So before that ran out I bought it back off him for £20! and took it back to my Aunt's farm where I used it to rag around the fields when I was there.
eventually got to the point where the clutch was going and so rather than fix it I gave her a final blast around the farm and then a good clean and sold her to another local farmer for £50. Only car I have made money on lol.
He bought it to go banger racing so she ended her days as a "race car" having been brutally abused for much of her life.
Here she is the day I finally said goodbye parked at the farm with my OHs first car. The Swift looks massive!
Edited by RB Will on Friday 27th November 14:13
J4CKO said:
cheesesliceking said:
2gins said:
My first car was a 1987 Ford Escort 1.3L, after 30,000 miles and 4 years the bottom rusted out so I scrapped it.
Am I doing this right?
Yes, well i assume so. It's the most interesting story so far.Am I doing this right?
As you were!
edited for mobile phone f
kwittery. Edited by 2gins on Friday 27th November 21:39
back when i was driving japanese stuffs i had a run of the Charade GTti's. Then i found a GTXx for sale - a "luxury" version of the GTti if you like. JDM (and possibly Asia-Pacific markets) only so i figured a grey import.
it was a bit ropey and had gone through a spectactular HG failure but i fixed it up and MoT'd it. Then i started going through the paperwork and found that it was a UK car - special order by the Daihatsu UK CEO for his wife.
declared new at first import and all that stuff.
not entirely sure but could have been the only, ever, UKDM GTXx
paul
it was a bit ropey and had gone through a spectactular HG failure but i fixed it up and MoT'd it. Then i started going through the paperwork and found that it was a UK car - special order by the Daihatsu UK CEO for his wife.
declared new at first import and all that stuff.
not entirely sure but could have been the only, ever, UKDM GTXx
paul
My old landord's first job was a valeter/driver at his local garage. His job when he wasn't valeting the stock was to collect parts and attend auctions with one of the sales managers so that they could bring cars back.
The garage pool car was a MK1 RS2000 and although he got to drive it almost every day, it was beyond the means of a young apprentice.
Fast forward many years and one of my work colleagues was showing me some old Polaroids from the 80's.One that stood out was an Olympic blue MK1 RS2000. He mentioned that it had been his dad's and then he had inherited it. However, he was sadly looking to sell it as it was in such a poor state and needed too much work to restore.
A few weeks later I checked my Facebook and there was a post from my old landlord saying that he had bought a rather unloved RS2000 that he was intending to restore as he was now in a position to own the car he had always wanted as an 18 year old.
I went to visit him a few weeks later and to my complete amazement there on his drive was the car that my colleague had shown me in his old Polaroids. The same car my landlord had driven as an apprentice.
I'm glad to report that after a painstaking restoration,the old girl is now a beautiful concours show winner
The garage pool car was a MK1 RS2000 and although he got to drive it almost every day, it was beyond the means of a young apprentice.
Fast forward many years and one of my work colleagues was showing me some old Polaroids from the 80's.One that stood out was an Olympic blue MK1 RS2000. He mentioned that it had been his dad's and then he had inherited it. However, he was sadly looking to sell it as it was in such a poor state and needed too much work to restore.
A few weeks later I checked my Facebook and there was a post from my old landlord saying that he had bought a rather unloved RS2000 that he was intending to restore as he was now in a position to own the car he had always wanted as an 18 year old.
I went to visit him a few weeks later and to my complete amazement there on his drive was the car that my colleague had shown me in his old Polaroids. The same car my landlord had driven as an apprentice.
I'm glad to report that after a painstaking restoration,the old girl is now a beautiful concours show winner
my car story goes like this, when I started university. first day making new friend blah blah, asked one of them where about he's from. the name of the town rang bell, so immediately I said ohh I've been there, bought my first car, Honda civic from xyz road,
straight away he said 'I live on that road'. what colour was this civic? pulled his phone out is it this one?
it was his brother who sold it me. this was roughly 3years after I brought the car it was long scraped by then.
straight away he said 'I live on that road'. what colour was this civic? pulled his phone out is it this one?
it was his brother who sold it me. this was roughly 3years after I brought the car it was long scraped by then.
I bought a Caterham road car to convert into a race car and use in the 'classics' series. Most of these cars were raced in their first years in the fledgling 'Caterham Scholarship' series which'd eventually evolve into the 'Academy' which produces about 50 new Caterhams and racing drivers every year.
Anyway as it turns out my Caterham was raced in the 1999 scholarship, with this information I found a dusty old website and on this website I found a number of photos of my car racing with it's first owner who built the car and he'd also written some race reports so I could see my car 10 years in the past and read first person accounts of how it's previous racing career had gone!
Mine was the red one. This photo explained some odd damage I'd noticed behind the back axle. According to the race report, the driver thought he'd gotten around the spinning car in front but had neglected to consider that the rear track was wider than the front!
Anyway as it turns out my Caterham was raced in the 1999 scholarship, with this information I found a dusty old website and on this website I found a number of photos of my car racing with it's first owner who built the car and he'd also written some race reports so I could see my car 10 years in the past and read first person accounts of how it's previous racing career had gone!
Mine was the red one. This photo explained some odd damage I'd noticed behind the back axle. According to the race report, the driver thought he'd gotten around the spinning car in front but had neglected to consider that the rear track was wider than the front!
This week's SOTW was originally a JLR engineering car, used for development of the powertrain calibration for the 2004.5MY facelift.
It was allocated to my team and once we'd finished with it, it was returned to standard and sold on through the dealer network as an approved used car.
It didn't have the NAS spec bonnet with the dreadful leaper on it though when I last drove it...
It was allocated to my team and once we'd finished with it, it was returned to standard and sold on through the dealer network as an approved used car.
It didn't have the NAS spec bonnet with the dreadful leaper on it though when I last drove it...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff