How about a 'period' classics pictures thread
Discussion
I envy you guys. Your knowledge of these old cars is superb. If you will forgive me the Birmingham Mail has today published some great pictures of Longbridge through the years.
The engineering dept in 1915:
2nd a stunning aerial photo of the factory in June 1938:
3rd King George VI & Queen Elizabeth touring the factory when it was used for aero assembly in 1939:
4th Cheif stylist Dick Burzi at work 1946
5th A colour pic of Austin A90 Westminster promotion at showroom [Can't pin down the car model, perhaps an early prototype?] circa 1954
6th Cars awaiting despatch 1960
7th Finally a promo pic of the Birmingham pop group "The Move" with their new Princess 1970
The engineering dept in 1915:
2nd a stunning aerial photo of the factory in June 1938:
3rd King George VI & Queen Elizabeth touring the factory when it was used for aero assembly in 1939:
4th Cheif stylist Dick Burzi at work 1946
5th A colour pic of Austin A90 Westminster promotion at showroom [Can't pin down the car model, perhaps an early prototype?] circa 1954
6th Cars awaiting despatch 1960
7th Finally a promo pic of the Birmingham pop group "The Move" with their new Princess 1970
hidetheelephants said:
manorcom said:
2nd a stunning aerial photo of the factory in June 1938:
Junction of Longbridge Lane and Bristol Rd? It doesn't look like that any more, the old west works and the north end of the main works have been flattened.aeropilot said:
Other way around, Longbridge Lane junction is just visible at top of photo. That's what is now the A38 in the foreground. That photo is looking in a north-east direction.
Of course! The modern pic is taken from 180 degrees - you can still work out that all the old works have been levelled.
uk66fastback said:
Who'd want to drive round in a '37 Cord when you could do so in a '55 Chevy?
No way did I want a '65 Anglia in 1980 when I passed my test, I wanted something more modern!
I guess "want" and "afford" are two different things, maybe. I didn't want to drive a twenty-year-old Morris Marina but it was all I could afford (and ironically, has since proved to be the most reliable car I've ever owned No way did I want a '65 Anglia in 1980 when I passed my test, I wanted something more modern!
Not many who can say that!) but at the time older cars had a kinda retro chic about them. Most of my mates were in shabby old Avengers or Cortinas or whatever, and they were sorta cooler because of it than those who chased the latest releases every year. I suppose it was different in the States when new cars were so much more affordable and the manufacturers were very good at selling the "New model year or you're nothing" mentality.uk66fastback said:
No way did I want a '65 Anglia in 1980 when I passed my test, I wanted something more modern!
I wanted a Mk2 Zodiac in 1980 when I passed my test, but my Dad 'advised' me 
not to be bloody stupid, and get the cheapest and newest car I could afford, as I needed it for work and to get to college for my day release course.He was right of course in the grand scheme of things.....as a mate bought a Mk2 Consul, and was forever breaking down etc. Mind you he's still a bloody good self taught mechanic 30 years later, as a result.
In about 1982 I had a mate with an old '58 Zodiac I think it was - 27 TMV - and it just kept breaking down so much when it looked terminal one day on the M4, he just left it there and never went back. Bearing in mind I thnk he paid about £130 for it back then, it wasn't worth that much. Can't remember what he replaced it with but it would have been something from the 70s at least, so 'modern' ...
Someone must have loved it cos it's not been taxed since 1989 ... running a 20-year-old car nowadays would have its pitfalls, but running a 20+ year-old car in the early 80s was, well, you had the AAA on speedialn on your non-existent mobile phone.
Someone must have loved it cos it's not been taxed since 1989 ... running a 20-year-old car nowadays would have its pitfalls, but running a 20+ year-old car in the early 80s was, well, you had the AAA on speedialn on your non-existent mobile phone.
I keep meaning to grab my mum's photo albums from back in the day and scan in all the old car pics. We were quite unusual in that the old man had not only a car (cos he worked on call) but also a camera. I distinctly remember being one of only about five or six families on the street who had a car. Loads of pics of old Beetles in those albums to get hold of... we always had Beetles cos they were cheaps and the only diversion was a terrible old Wolseley that was like a tank. Slow as one, too.
Only pic I can find right now is this of my mum, one of the Beetles and my brother and sister as chubby cherubs circa 1968
Only pic I can find right now is this of my mum, one of the Beetles and my brother and sister as chubby cherubs circa 1968
GT6 Jonsey said:
Another one I found in the album. Had a word with the old man and he thinks the pic of the white TR was taken around 1972. This is another pic of him and the Tr4a he owned prior to the white car taken around 1969
Jonsey....Must have been the photo fashion in '69, here I am with my sprite:
And I will enter the girlfriend (Later my Ex-Wife) in the shortest skirt competition. Taken the same day:
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