What local exotic classics did you know about as a kid?

[LotusOmega375D]

As a youngster back in early 1980s Market Harborough, there was an elderly gent with a Bentley 8 litre and another one with an Aston Martin International. We also knew a family with two Ferrari 246 Dinos in the garage.

I wonder what happened to all those now very valuable cars?

[imagineifyeswill]

When I was in primary school in late sixties, the plant contractor who lived next door to the school had a brand new Jensen Interceptor.

[P5Nij]

When I was at middle school in the '70s the old boy who lived opposite the side entrance had a dark blue F reg' Aston DB6 parked on his drive, about eighteen months ago it came up for sale and if memory serves it went for about £125k and was in need of some work.

At the other end of the exotic scale a neighbour's cousin had an orange Bond Bug for a while, which he replaced with a lime green S2 Lotus Europa.

[vixen1700]

Owner of a pub in Leytonstone had a bronze Interceptor that you'd often see in the High Road, the number plate ended with three number ones which he had to make like exclamation marks.

Also the local newsagent had a brand new turquoise Datsun 120Y Coupe which seemed very cool as I was a kid at the time.

This was East London in the early to mid '70s, so nothing exotic really.

[ian2144]

There was a Pink 59 Pontiac Catalina on our street back in the 60's......massive thing with huge fins and shiny blue/silver interior. The owner always parked it with two wheels on the pavement other wise no one would have got past.

[TR4man]

In the 1970s I lived in a place called Wolstanton which is a suburb of Newcastle under Lyme.

There was a backstreet builder who used a metallic blue Espada as his daily car. He came by it because of an unpaid debt from one of his customers who couldn't afford to pay the builder so gave him a car instead.

Down Park Avenue (still Wolstanton, not London) there was an old guy who had a Bristol again used daily in all weathers.

Not an exotic, but I shall always remember a Milf at my school who had a black TR6 with a permanently fitted matching hardtop. Looks soooo sexy (car and the lady)

Edited by TR4man on Tuesday 17th March 20:26

[MarshPhantom]

There was a Trident Clipper at a garage near my Gran's house, was there for a years.

Girl I went to primary school with her Dad had a new Ferrari 308 (made a fortune from computer related stuff in the 70s)

Daytona that I spied in the garage of a local house on the Saturday milk round I used to do.

[Classic_Tim]

When I used to do my paper round in about '68 a local chap had a TVR Grantura with a Buick V8.
That's why, nearly 50 years later, I have a Griffith. Got me hooked on TVRs.

[anonymous-user]

When I went to school in the 50's my Dad had a Singer Lemen roadster, and I remember sitting in the drivers seat of a his friendss D type. Problem was they were second hand bangers at the time, everyone wanted a new ford prefect.

[vx220]

Used to walk past a Dutton Phaeton on the way to my mates, does this count?

Mid '80s, I guess. Still waiting to get my first "Seven-style" car, wouldn't mind a Phaeton!

[Roy C]

Berw said:

Problem was they were second hand bangers at the time...

It was interesting hearing Quentin Willson on the Classic Car Show suggesting that there was never a time when Ferrari Dinos were not desirable, yet I remember a seeing a few in the early 1980s for sale cheap, rusting on the street. Maybe it was that Russian steel they were made from.

[Skyedriver]

When I were a lad, going up to Collingwood School in North Shields in the late 50's early 60's there was a Triumph TR2 (or could I have been a 3) I passed every day.
a 6th former at school had an Ariel 4 bike....
when I was 17 I wanted a "frogeye" sprite but over 2 years of searching and I never found a decent one. Bought a Midget instead.
Went to look at a frogeye last week (ebay in Darlington). that car was lovely, much better condition than the ones I looked at in the early 1970s but it had been totally restored.
Unfortunately I struggled to fit in and the thought of a 948cc engine and drum brakes made me decide against it. A 45 year old dream that will never now happen I'm afraid.

[Old Merc]

During the 70`s I was working at a garage near RAF Benson.We had a customer who regularly brought his 300SL Gullwing Mercedes in for servicing.In those days it did not mean much to me,it was just a huge thing that was horrible to work on, and those doors?? not the most convenient things in a cramped workshop.
If I saw that car today and it had been kept in perfect condition I would just stand and drool,and the owner would have a car that`s worth £1million plus??

[benjj]

I remember going back to my parent's house for the first time after I'd moved away to London.

The neighbour was always a bit of a petrol head - he'd had a brand new Porsche 944S2, a Quattro, an Alfa Sprint Speciale and more over the years.

As I was having a smoke in the back garden I heard his new toy fire up. Something unusual. He'd gone and got
himself one of these>



Quite a step up.

[Pet Troll]

An old chap who lives near my Grandmothers house had his garage open one day when I was walking past (I was about 10 at the time) and I got chatting to him. He had a lovely old Bugatti, a bit like the one in the picture but I forget exactly as it was a while ago now. I remember him telling me all sorts of stories about the car, but I have no idea how true they are. Firstly he said it was one of only 3 left in the world, secondly he said how it was badly damaged in an accident in France and the French government ended up paying for repairs as it was such a rare car.



He also had an old wooden car, I believe he said it was a Hispana Suiza or something. Google brings up the wrong shape of car when typing that in though so it might have been something different.

Anyway the old boy is still alive and still has his collection of cars

[mickyveloce]

Very little of interest in rural North Yorkshire in the 1970's.

I remember a trip to Chelsea in 1977 armed with a notebook and pencil to jot details down, where my eyes were out on stalks most of the time, especially my first Lamborghini sighting- a silver Urraco!

Any Ferrari resulted in a great deal of excitement in those pre-PCP days..

[alsaautomotive]

My parents neighbours in the 70's had an RR Shadow Series 1 (him) and a DB6 Auto (her).
Neighbours on the other side had a Bentley MK6 Standard Steel. (Sold to purchase a brand new SD1 V8 in circa 1979 ).

My father's MK1 Celica along with my mother's Imp signified pauper status

[MrHorsepower]

I remember plenty of classics from growing up, but as I'm young they were really just 'ordinary' classics as opposed to exotics. A few that always stood out, though, were a blue A40 Devon, a Mk. III Cortina with slots, Dralon, metalflake paint and murals of 'Streets of San Francisco', and a slot-magged sit-up-and-beg Pop with flip-flop paint which is now purple and pro-streeted. As I've not moved out, I still see these vehicles quite regularly.

My dad had a friend who had a Jag Mk. II and a Lancia Fulvia, and I know someone else who has memories of his days at a rah-rah public school. While his own parents' car history was comprised of Minors, B.M.C. Farinas and Marinas, his friend's cars included an Elan, an E-Type roadster and a Lamborghini 350GT!

[xtreme ant]

TR4 Man the Red Bristol is still been driven from the same address in wolstanton and remember the Espada and also another Espada in red in Hassam Parade on my papaer run and wish i had seen the milf at your school.

[Bob CD]

Used to walk to church in Fittleworth, West Sussex on Sundays in the late fifties/sixties and there was always a Facel Vega HK500 parked outside. I was very much taken with its spectacular wood-effect central console dashboard and always remembered the car's name.
When I met a guy twenty years later who had a Facel 11 for sale, I bought it and then a Facellia too. To complete the set, I bought an Excellence ten years after that. I've tried to find out who it was that owned that HK500; my wife would like to know too. He's got a lot to answer for...

My other classic memory was a friend's father at school who enjoyed high performance cars. I had a ride in his Maserati 3500 Sebring, an early memory.