Ordinary Cars That Have Disappeared Off The Radar
Discussion
ScoobyChris said:
I had a yellow Matra Rancho Corgi car as a child. 
Judging by the prices on ebay, I should have kept hold of it!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VEHICLES-TALBOT-MATRA-RA...
Chris
I still have my red one, it's in "played with" condition though!Judging by the prices on ebay, I should have kept hold of it!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VEHICLES-TALBOT-MATRA-RA...
Chris
TooMany2cvs said:
No, they aren't, whatever the press stories say.
They disappeared because none of the users actually owned them - they were all provided by the gov't. When they were withdrawn, they were just rounded up and squished. The odd survivor was, basically, stolen... Apart from that, they're perfectly legal to use.
Sorry, but they were banned. Whether or not some survive, and whether or not some of those have V5s is as maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that they were banned for being unsafe.They disappeared because none of the users actually owned them - they were all provided by the gov't. When they were withdrawn, they were just rounded up and squished. The odd survivor was, basically, stolen... Apart from that, they're perfectly legal to use.
You may be correct, but so am I
One of my old cars which you really don't see any more - any Fiat Uno that isn't a Turbo.
Mine was just like this, a metallic green 5-door 70S on an A plate which I had from new. Such a good car, except it really did show wear and tear after having been thrashed unmercifully for 50,000 miles over two and a half years.
Mine was just like this, a metallic green 5-door 70S on an A plate which I had from new. Such a good car, except it really did show wear and tear after having been thrashed unmercifully for 50,000 miles over two and a half years.
austin said:
Lots of this data is from back when it was all done by hand, at one point it would have been re-entered to computers, typos galore!
Typos and no proper database control - because there was no database to start with. You've only got to look at the list of classic cars traded in during the old scrappage scheme to see how many different variations of the same car are present in the database, because when applying for a new registration the form was filled in by hand. And I think it continues - I was looking at a list of modern Audis from the DVLA information a while back, and you can see that although there are many variations on the same model (A4 for example) clearly several of them are the same model listed differently - A4 1.6 S-Line, A4 S-Line 1.6, and so on.Were "Matra" the same company that made the "Bagheera" and "Murena"?.
Anyway, I haven't seen an Austin Maestro on the road since one I saw 2 years ago on the A12 which was on a 51 plate. To make sure I wasn't seeing things I sped up, it was indeed towing a caravan and it was on a 51 reg. Somewhat aghast Google and wiki turned up the answer as to why.
There's a couple of G reg Sierras at work, one really tidy blue sapphire Ghia and a diesel estate. When we consider the numbers they were built in its surprising we don't see more of them .
Anyway, I haven't seen an Austin Maestro on the road since one I saw 2 years ago on the A12 which was on a 51 plate. To make sure I wasn't seeing things I sped up, it was indeed towing a caravan and it was on a 51 reg. Somewhat aghast Google and wiki turned up the answer as to why.
There's a couple of G reg Sierras at work, one really tidy blue sapphire Ghia and a diesel estate. When we consider the numbers they were built in its surprising we don't see more of them .
Pah, that's nothing. Once upon a time Mrs LT had a mighty, throbbing 1300 Capri, a car which I remember vividly as being one of the few things listed in the back of Autocar with worse performance stats than my dad's 50 hp 1500cc VW Diesel Golf mark 1.
Anyway, she blew up the engine, had no money, cheapest available fix was for her local garage to drop in a spare old 1100 crossflow that they had lying around in the back from some local lad who had upgraded his Escort.
At that point I think it was just about capable of 70 mph absolutely flat.
Anyway, she blew up the engine, had no money, cheapest available fix was for her local garage to drop in a spare old 1100 crossflow that they had lying around in the back from some local lad who had upgraded his Escort.
At that point I think it was just about capable of 70 mph absolutely flat.
Doofus said:
TooMany2cvs said:
No, they aren't, whatever the press stories say.
They disappeared because none of the users actually owned them - they were all provided by the gov't. When they were withdrawn, they were just rounded up and squished. The odd survivor was, basically, stolen... Apart from that, they're perfectly legal to use.
Sorry, but they were banned. Whether or not some survive, and whether or not some of those have V5s is as maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that they were banned for being unsafe.They disappeared because none of the users actually owned them - they were all provided by the gov't. When they were withdrawn, they were just rounded up and squished. The odd survivor was, basically, stolen... Apart from that, they're perfectly legal to use.
You may be correct, but so am I
Back on topic, almost any Ford from the 70s/80s and early 90s fits the criteria, as does any BL car, and most others. A large part of that was down to the scrapage scheme which saw off lots of cars from 1998 and older (if I remember the date correctly).
A long time ago, I had a Hillman Hunter - there aren't many around now- but the point of the story here is that the Chrysler dealer in Aberdeen where I went for often cheap as chips bits for it tried to sell me a secondhand Talbot Tagora- I've never seen another. On a more modern note, my elderly in-laws have a Nissan Tiida, whatever that is, and that's the only one of those I've seen!
How about the taxi driver's favourite: The Nissan Bluebird?
(Allegedly) From 158,662 on the road in 1994, to 625 still on the road plying for trade, and 771 taxi drivers who just can't let her go! (SORN).
"Back in the day" I had a mate a work (Ray) who owned a four door saloon Bluebird and I used to joke with him all the time about how he drove a taxi cab.
One Monday morning he came into work and every time I saw him, he couldn't stop laughing so I asked him what was so funny.
Turned out he was parked down Town waiting to pick his wife up on the Saturday evening when this total stranger just climbed in the back and asked to be taken to the train station.
Ray tried to explain that it wasn't a taxi but the guy in the back said: "Yes you are! - I recognise the car!"
Ray's response was: "Yes, they are used for taxi's, but this isn't a taxi!"
The guy in the back wasn't having it and so Ray gave up, drove him to the railway station and charged him £20!
He got back to find a very annoyed wife waiting at the roadside who was fuming at him until he explained what had happened. Apparently she burst out laughing and told Ray that he'd better not tell Me what had happened or I'd never let him live it down!
Ray had been trying not to say anything to Me all Monday morning but in the end he had to tell Me because it was cracking him up!
And My response? - I burst out laughing and said: "I knew it would it happen sooner or later"
(Allegedly) From 158,662 on the road in 1994, to 625 still on the road plying for trade, and 771 taxi drivers who just can't let her go! (SORN).
"Back in the day" I had a mate a work (Ray) who owned a four door saloon Bluebird and I used to joke with him all the time about how he drove a taxi cab.
One Monday morning he came into work and every time I saw him, he couldn't stop laughing so I asked him what was so funny.
Turned out he was parked down Town waiting to pick his wife up on the Saturday evening when this total stranger just climbed in the back and asked to be taken to the train station.
Ray tried to explain that it wasn't a taxi but the guy in the back said: "Yes you are! - I recognise the car!"
Ray's response was: "Yes, they are used for taxi's, but this isn't a taxi!"
The guy in the back wasn't having it and so Ray gave up, drove him to the railway station and charged him £20!
He got back to find a very annoyed wife waiting at the roadside who was fuming at him until he explained what had happened. Apparently she burst out laughing and told Ray that he'd better not tell Me what had happened or I'd never let him live it down!
Ray had been trying not to say anything to Me all Monday morning but in the end he had to tell Me because it was cracking him up!
And My response? - I burst out laughing and said: "I knew it would it happen sooner or later"
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