Favourite car your dad had
Discussion
My dad has had some right old dogs, he had a crappy Volvo 340 for a while, then when my uncle & aunt upgraded to a BMW 3 series my dad their old Ford Orion Ghia. It was quality, trip computer, amp thing for the sound system and felt quick (for a 10 year old in the back seat) 
Looked just like this
After the family mans XR3i he binned it off for an A4 (1.8 SE, keeping up with the Joneses I think) then he split with my mum and bought lots of crap unitresting cars.
Looked just like thisAfter the family mans XR3i he binned it off for an A4 (1.8 SE, keeping up with the Joneses I think) then he split with my mum and bought lots of crap unitresting cars.
CaptainMorgan said:
My dad has had some right old dogs, he had a crappy Volvo 340 for a while, then when my uncle & aunt upgraded to a BMW 3 series my dad their old Ford Orion Ghia. It was quality, trip computer, amp thing for the sound system and felt quick (for a 10 year old in the back seat) Looked just like this
I'd love to own one the same one day.
After the family mans XR3i he binned it off for an A4 (1.8 SE, keeping up with the Joneses I think) then he split with my mum and bought lots of crap unitresting cars.
Looked just like thisI'd love to own one the same one day.
After the family mans XR3i he binned it off for an A4 (1.8 SE, keeping up with the Joneses I think) then he split with my mum and bought lots of crap unitresting cars.
My Dad's best ever car was his last, a 1970 Fiat 125 in Olive Green that he bought in 1972. For a boxy saloon it was pretty quick in it's day with a twin-cam engine (the first production engine with twin-cams driven by a belt), 4-wheel disc brakes and a twin-choke carb. I'd hoped he might have bought the red 125S on the same bomb-site used car-lot in Balham as that also had a 5-speed box and cloth inserts on the seats, but he was always "careful" with his spending! Shame really as there was a 1971 Ferrari Daytona for sale on the other side of the road for £5,950!! And I later found out he had more than that sitting in the building society at the time - something of a missed opportunity!
Still I'll always remember going with him when he decided to "test" his Fiat on the A3 as he wasn't convinced the 2nd choke on the Solex carburettor was opening - I think he was convinced it was OK when he was able to keep up with an MGB.
Sadly 3 years later he had a stroke and could never drive again, but Mum kept it just in case so luckily after a couple of years it became my 2nd car and spent a couple of years being ragged to death in the company of Cortina GTs, etc. But it also meant even Dad couldn't drive it he got to go out in it. Anyway I've added a link to a photo, although obviously that isn't his one as his was RHD!
https://thumbsnap.com/sc/H7M7elag.jpg[/img]|https:/...
The Rover was followed by a 1978 Strato Silver MK2 Granada Ghia like the one further on in this thread! I took my Dad out quite a few times in both of those, and I think he preferred the Rover as he did like to "press on" when he was driving and he never once told me to slow down! Well the Rover could do 90 mph in 3rd gear (according to contemporary road tests, obviously)!
Some great memories here!
Still I'll always remember going with him when he decided to "test" his Fiat on the A3 as he wasn't convinced the 2nd choke on the Solex carburettor was opening - I think he was convinced it was OK when he was able to keep up with an MGB.
Sadly 3 years later he had a stroke and could never drive again, but Mum kept it just in case so luckily after a couple of years it became my 2nd car and spent a couple of years being ragged to death in the company of Cortina GTs, etc. But it also meant even Dad couldn't drive it he got to go out in it. Anyway I've added a link to a photo, although obviously that isn't his one as his was RHD!
https://thumbsnap.com/sc/H7M7elag.jpg[/img]|https:/...
Phil303 said:
EIther one of these...
...which can just about recall being in on a smooth drive from the UK to Germany. The only specific feature I can rememember were the little spikes abouve the headlights that lit up when the lights were on. Sadly written off by him (as were all our cars).
And now it's obvious I'm getting on a bit, my next car in 1979 was a Rover P6B 3500S in Mexico Brown on an "L" plate just like in Phil303's photo, but the little spikes were actually above the sidelights! They also had a "reserve" feature on the fuel tank when you got down to your last 2.5 gallons - you just pulled a toggle that was twinned with the choke. And as the Met Police had loads of them in the 70s most people got out of the way when you flashed the headlights, which was handy if you were in a hurry - as I always was back then. ...which can just about recall being in on a smooth drive from the UK to Germany. The only specific feature I can rememember were the little spikes abouve the headlights that lit up when the lights were on. Sadly written off by him (as were all our cars).
The Rover was followed by a 1978 Strato Silver MK2 Granada Ghia like the one further on in this thread! I took my Dad out quite a few times in both of those, and I think he preferred the Rover as he did like to "press on" when he was driving and he never once told me to slow down! Well the Rover could do 90 mph in 3rd gear (according to contemporary road tests, obviously)!
Some great memories here!
I only remember a couple of my dad's cars.
An old white Bedford van from when I was very very young
A blue Vauxhall Senator
A Green Omega (I actually bought a couple of years ago off my uncle)
His current E39 530d.
The E39 is by far my favourite. Looks good, was comfy and had loads of space inside
An old white Bedford van from when I was very very young
A blue Vauxhall Senator
A Green Omega (I actually bought a couple of years ago off my uncle)
His current E39 530d.
The E39 is by far my favourite. Looks good, was comfy and had loads of space inside
My parents couldn't afford a car for a few years after my sister and I were born but my grandfather won a £1000 (how I can't remember) which was a lot of money in the early 60's and bought them a 1959 Anglia 100e. My main memories of this are of it being push started down the road in the morning as the parking light (you need to be of a certain age to remember these) had flattened the battery. This was back in the days when a car parked on the road had to show a white light to the front and a read light to the rear even in a 30mph area with streetlamps. An Austin A40 Farina which was blue with a black roof replaced the Anglia but proved too small to carry the gear for the camping holidays we had started going on so was part exchanged for a MK1 Cortina in Goodwood Green. The Cortina was kept for many years before being replaced with an HC Viva estate. My parents separated in 1976 and I lost touch with my father so have no idea what followed the Viva.
My dad tends to keep his cars for a while so there's not a lot to remember.
I'm too young to have any other than a vague memory of his white Skoda.
I remember his Astra a little better. It would have been a mid-late 80s model and the main thing I remember is having to wait 5 seconds before running to the car in the rain to allow dad enough time to get my door unlocked before trying to get in.
This got replaced by my favourite, the Sierra. It was a 2.0 in white, possibly a GL. It was bought as a tow car for our 1st caravan and gave many years of happy memories touring all over Ireland, usually with a cassette tape with The Eagles on 1 side and Meatloaf on the other. It even bought me my 1st car in a round about way, as I got a small bit of compensation from the accident where it got hit from behind and written off.
The Laguna that replaced it wasn't bad but there's been nothing of note since.
I'm too young to have any other than a vague memory of his white Skoda.
I remember his Astra a little better. It would have been a mid-late 80s model and the main thing I remember is having to wait 5 seconds before running to the car in the rain to allow dad enough time to get my door unlocked before trying to get in.
This got replaced by my favourite, the Sierra. It was a 2.0 in white, possibly a GL. It was bought as a tow car for our 1st caravan and gave many years of happy memories touring all over Ireland, usually with a cassette tape with The Eagles on 1 side and Meatloaf on the other. It even bought me my 1st car in a round about way, as I got a small bit of compensation from the accident where it got hit from behind and written off.
The Laguna that replaced it wasn't bad but there's been nothing of note since.
Great thread resurrection!
In 2003 the old boy bought a 1987 Lotus Esprit Turbo HC with 7,000 miles, pearly white with the one previous owner being the King of Jordan. Probably the best one in existence. I think he paid 22 grand for it. Sold it to Paul Matty for the same about 5 years later. God knows what it's worth now.
Took it for a joyride when I was 17, the combination of visceral performance (at 17!) and the fear of crashing his pride and joy un-insured means it's probably my most memorable drive ever even now!
In 2003 the old boy bought a 1987 Lotus Esprit Turbo HC with 7,000 miles, pearly white with the one previous owner being the King of Jordan. Probably the best one in existence. I think he paid 22 grand for it. Sold it to Paul Matty for the same about 5 years later. God knows what it's worth now.
Took it for a joyride when I was 17, the combination of visceral performance (at 17!) and the fear of crashing his pride and joy un-insured means it's probably my most memorable drive ever even now!
Sorry for the library pic, I've got some of the actual vehicle somewhere but can't lay my hands on them at the moment.Again, not quite a car, but definitely my favourite of my Dad's vehicles when I was a young boy. My Grandad bought it not long after WW2 to pull timber out of the woods and it stayed in daily use well into the 70's.
My dad had this in the 70's. The boot stank of petrol which came through to the cabin, he never had it fixed. It was probably a huge fire risk!
The only auto I knew he drove and when we went to the caravan on our holidays it was awesome coming out of hairpin uphill turns.
My sister and I threw up all the time in it though.
Sold this and went on to have 4 Volvo estate 240's.
The only auto I knew he drove and when we went to the caravan on our holidays it was awesome coming out of hairpin uphill turns.
My sister and I threw up all the time in it though.
Sold this and went on to have 4 Volvo estate 240's.
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