Favourite car your dad had
Discussion
My dad was a bit of a car nut in his day and had all sorts of cars, but the one I remember best was his Jag 3.4 Mk1. Registration Number XCD 88 Dove grey with red leather interior. My mother used to say the only car that overtook him when he had it was an Aston Martin. He even dressed like Mike Hawthorn in those days , always wearing a bow tie! No pictures, sadly, but there is one on Francis Frith website of the car parked outside the local pub -alongside a Ford Zodiac that belonged to a friends father - a picture I bought and have displayed on one of my walls. I contacted DVLA about the plate recently, but they were not helpful - it is no longer "on the books"
My dad had one of these, early one on a b plate with digital dash
Widely regarded as crap these days but to an eight year old a talking dash and acceleration that used to scare my friends in the back it was just awesome - it eventually rusted away I guess but I have always loved the montego to this very day because of it - it was also supremely reliable and dependable giving him a good 5odd years of trouble free motoring I think the worst it ever needed was a new water pump and a fuel pump
Chopped in for a peugeot 405 GLD Turbo and it just wasn't the same
Widely regarded as crap these days but to an eight year old a talking dash and acceleration that used to scare my friends in the back it was just awesome - it eventually rusted away I guess but I have always loved the montego to this very day because of it - it was also supremely reliable and dependable giving him a good 5odd years of trouble free motoring I think the worst it ever needed was a new water pump and a fuel pump
Chopped in for a peugeot 405 GLD Turbo and it just wasn't the same
Come to think, there were a number of "trinkets" apart from the 944.
3 x E30's , a 316, 316i touring and a 320i.
Volvo 480
Volvo 740 (which I managed to snap the kick-down cable on..)
Citroen BX gti, got it new, wrote it off under a lorry on the way back to the garage for its 1st service!
His last car was an x-type. He bought the full jag body kit for it which he fitted himself. Again my old dear had no clue, until she saw it in a car park with a primer grey front spoiler during a "test fit and run".
Also various escort vans, with cut down deckchairs in the back to act as rear seats me and my little sister.
3 x E30's , a 316, 316i touring and a 320i.
Volvo 480
Volvo 740 (which I managed to snap the kick-down cable on..)
Citroen BX gti, got it new, wrote it off under a lorry on the way back to the garage for its 1st service!
His last car was an x-type. He bought the full jag body kit for it which he fitted himself. Again my old dear had no clue, until she saw it in a car park with a primer grey front spoiler during a "test fit and run".
Also various escort vans, with cut down deckchairs in the back to act as rear seats me and my little sister.
Only one of note amongst the metro's and 205's (not a GTi in sight!)
Mum's White XR3i. I loved that thing, learnt to drive in a field in it aged 8 and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Got chopped in for a POS 1.2 Clio which was nothing but problems, only just forgiven her for that!
E385 UYD, if you were still alive I'd try and find you
Mum's White XR3i. I loved that thing, learnt to drive in a field in it aged 8 and thought it was the coolest thing ever.
Got chopped in for a POS 1.2 Clio which was nothing but problems, only just forgiven her for that!
E385 UYD, if you were still alive I'd try and find you
F896OAS. A 1989 Toyota Corolla estate with the 12v 1.3 engine. Had from new for 13 years and 100,000 miles. I remember my dad seeing how fast he could get it up certain hills, and replacing the radiator, then fibre-glassing the wheel arches and other frilly parts of the bodywork as rust took hold. It started to drink an impressive amount of oil laterly but was very reliable.
Showing my age here, but one of these :
Followed by one just like this :
Surprisingly enough, despite being in the car business Dad didn't have many interesting cars. I remember rides in 3.5V8 P6's & R107's belonging to his customers, and sitting in an original diahorrea coloured Rangey outside the garage one day & thinking it was the dog's danglies, but his own rides were pretty tame. Lowest point for him was a blue 1975 Austin Princess 1700HL with black vinyl roof. This was replaced by a burgundy metallic Mk4 Cortina 1.6GL estate. He really wanted a Mk1 Scirocco, but a test drive brought it home that it was just going to be too small for his burgeoning family. He recaptured his youth some years later with a Mk1 Hyundai S Coupe and a Celica.
Followed by one just like this :
Surprisingly enough, despite being in the car business Dad didn't have many interesting cars. I remember rides in 3.5V8 P6's & R107's belonging to his customers, and sitting in an original diahorrea coloured Rangey outside the garage one day & thinking it was the dog's danglies, but his own rides were pretty tame. Lowest point for him was a blue 1975 Austin Princess 1700HL with black vinyl roof. This was replaced by a burgundy metallic Mk4 Cortina 1.6GL estate. He really wanted a Mk1 Scirocco, but a test drive brought it home that it was just going to be too small for his burgeoning family. He recaptured his youth some years later with a Mk1 Hyundai S Coupe and a Celica.
Edited by rsv696 on Wednesday 25th March 20:39
He went through a Volvo 360 GLT period in the late 80's / early 90's, first a silver 3dr hatch, then a white four door, then a black four door saloon. Grunty engines (for the time), rear wheel drive and proper survive anything bodyshell.
He managed to write all three off, but walk away uninjured each time.
Lambda sond.
He managed to write all three off, but walk away uninjured each time.
Lambda sond.
morgrp said:
My dad had one of these, early one on a b plate with digital dash
Widely regarded as crap these days but to an eight year old a talking dash and acceleration that used to scare my friends in the back it was just awesome - it eventually rusted away I guess but I have always loved the montego to this very day because of it - it was also supremely reliable and dependable giving him a good 5odd years of trouble free motoring I think the worst it ever needed was a new water pump and a fuel pump
Chopped in for a peugeot 405 GLD Turbo and it just wasn't the same
My dad had one of these in British Racing Green. It was a pile of sWidely regarded as crap these days but to an eight year old a talking dash and acceleration that used to scare my friends in the back it was just awesome - it eventually rusted away I guess but I have always loved the montego to this very day because of it - it was also supremely reliable and dependable giving him a good 5odd years of trouble free motoring I think the worst it ever needed was a new water pump and a fuel pump
Chopped in for a peugeot 405 GLD Turbo and it just wasn't the same
t!He also had a 1986 Rover 820 saloon, 1997 Rover 216i, 1970s Passat, 1978 Renault 18 estate auto.
Oh for rear privacy glass!
1968 Vauxhall Ventora 3.3 straight 6
Use to pick my mates up in it at weekends to go to the pub. They couldn't believe the size of the thing.
Even now he regrets part-exing it for a Base 1.6 Sierra. That car was a heap of sh!t! We're talking base edition, not even an L, it was below the spec of an L.
Use to pick my mates up in it at weekends to go to the pub. They couldn't believe the size of the thing.
Even now he regrets part-exing it for a Base 1.6 Sierra. That car was a heap of sh!t! We're talking base edition, not even an L, it was below the spec of an L.
After an Alfa Sud and Sprint, then a couple of other cars, my dad stuck with VW - a MK1 Golf GTI, Mk2 GTI 8v, Mk2 GTI 16v, Corrado G60, Corrado VR6 (in an unusual blackberry colour - written off by my younger brother somewhere on a back road between Daventry and Northampton, who subsequently hid in his room for about 3 days!) then a replacement Corrado VR6 in white (the last time the colour was fashionable!) Either VR6 was my fave, the engine sounded great! This thread got me thinking that my last couple of cars, a VW Sciirocco (in White!) and my new MK7 Golf R are probably what he would have chosen had he still been around - like father, like son!
My old man? Nothing very much of great interest - lots of company Cortinas when I was little - except for a Pug 604GTi.
My mother, though... Brand new Triumph Spitfire in the '60s, before my time. Couple of Dolomite Sprints when I was little. Mk1 Astra GTE when her Cavalier Sportshatch was written off... Hell, I wouldn't say no to her first car - a Fiat 600.
My mother, though... Brand new Triumph Spitfire in the '60s, before my time. Couple of Dolomite Sprints when I was little. Mk1 Astra GTE when her Cavalier Sportshatch was written off... Hell, I wouldn't say no to her first car - a Fiat 600.
My father's cars ranged were predominantly Ford, Hillman or BL ranging from an Anglia, Corsair, several Cortinas, a couple of Hillman Hunters and even a crap Morris Marina. I really can't say which was his favourite but mine was a 1978 all black one of these:
I used to find all manner of excuses to borrow the car so I and my mates could go for a hoon which normally involved stretching its legs down the fairly recently opened M27......
I used to find all manner of excuses to borrow the car so I and my mates could go for a hoon which normally involved stretching its legs down the fairly recently opened M27......
My poor old Dad only had three cars of his own and they were all years old when he bought them. A couple of Hillman Minxes and a Humber Sceptre. He was laid off and it sat in the driveway for a long time. Still,he did his very best for us with what he had which is the best memory.
Some interesting pics in the thread though!
Some interesting pics in the thread though!
caiss4 said:
My father's cars ranged were predominantly Ford, Hillman or BL ranging from an Anglia, Corsair, several Cortinas, a couple of Hillman Hunters and even a crap Morris Marina. I really can't say which was his favourite but mine was a 1978 all black one of these:
I used to find all manner of excuses to borrow the car so I and my mates could go for a hoon which normally involved stretching its legs down the fairly recently opened M27......
I can't get over how great those cars look now, when I was younger I just saw them as boxy and boring because of their ubiquity I suppose. I used to find all manner of excuses to borrow the car so I and my mates could go for a hoon which normally involved stretching its legs down the fairly recently opened M27......
caiss4 said:
My father's cars ranged were predominantly Ford, Hillman or BL ranging from an Anglia, Corsair, several Cortinas, a couple of Hillman Hunters and even a crap Morris Marina. I really can't say which was his favourite but mine was a 1978 all black one of these:
I used to find all manner of excuses to borrow the car so I and my mates could go for a hoon which normally involved stretching its legs down the fairly recently opened M27......
Always had a soft spot for these, remember as a kid spotting the Ghias and Ghia Xs by looking for the pointy headrests, always thought that was a sign of a quality car, remember some Mercs had them, did BMW 5 and 7 series too? What was the last car with pointy headrests I wonder??I used to find all manner of excuses to borrow the car so I and my mates could go for a hoon which normally involved stretching its legs down the fairly recently opened M27......
Spanglepants said:
I used to go in the truck with my Dad as a youngster as well. As you mentioned two stroke diesels I'm guessing your Dad had a Bedford TM? I remember them being the fastest trucks back then
Yes, I posted a pic of one of the sister trucks earlier in the thread (the one in the pic had a Cummins E290 motor though).Dad's was an early wide-cab before Bedford sold the sleepers so it was extended by Locomotors who also converted the securicor vans.
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