50 years of driving
Discussion
This day in 1964, i had my provisional licence, set of L plates and a 1946 Ford Anglia, and went driving for the first time on public roads
50 years later, with one endorsement, 2 parking tickets, 2 write offs, 3 collisions (inc an aforementioned writeoff) and 14 cars in that time.
i still 'enjoy' getting about.
Back then petrol was 4 bob a gallon, road tax about a tenner, ins for a 17yr old 20.00 TPFT, tyres 8 quid a corner, the Local scrappy was Jones at Waltham Cross, where you turned up with a toolbox and got on with it, no speed limit, no breathalysers, Trafpol who used to 'chat' to you for 20mins, so they delayed you enough to realise that you were just a whisker away from a ticket, parking on Clacton Front, flashing your headlights at the pirate radio ships. The radio was a portable stuck on the back shelf, Wake Arms at Epping being 'one up' over the mods on their scooters even though the car was a wreck! Tottenham Royal and the Dave Clark 5,Dances with real bands, Seeing the Stones,and Chuck Berry on the same bill for 7/6 front row stalls.
Bugger, i am getting dirt in my eye.....cant see properly!!
Yep it has been fun, now helping my lad rebuild two Dolly Sprints, whilst i get the Spirit ready for the summer.
50 years later, with one endorsement, 2 parking tickets, 2 write offs, 3 collisions (inc an aforementioned writeoff) and 14 cars in that time.
i still 'enjoy' getting about.
Back then petrol was 4 bob a gallon, road tax about a tenner, ins for a 17yr old 20.00 TPFT, tyres 8 quid a corner, the Local scrappy was Jones at Waltham Cross, where you turned up with a toolbox and got on with it, no speed limit, no breathalysers, Trafpol who used to 'chat' to you for 20mins, so they delayed you enough to realise that you were just a whisker away from a ticket, parking on Clacton Front, flashing your headlights at the pirate radio ships. The radio was a portable stuck on the back shelf, Wake Arms at Epping being 'one up' over the mods on their scooters even though the car was a wreck! Tottenham Royal and the Dave Clark 5,Dances with real bands, Seeing the Stones,and Chuck Berry on the same bill for 7/6 front row stalls.
Bugger, i am getting dirt in my eye.....cant see properly!!
Yep it has been fun, now helping my lad rebuild two Dolly Sprints, whilst i get the Spirit ready for the summer.
Legend. I hope I can reflect on such good memories.
Mine will be more like the time my overpriced and over engineered eurobox went into limp mode for no reason, leaving me turtling and at the mercy of a Shell garage whose attendant was pretending the toilet was out of order so he didn't have to clean it at the end of his shift.
Mine will be more like the time my overpriced and over engineered eurobox went into limp mode for no reason, leaving me turtling and at the mercy of a Shell garage whose attendant was pretending the toilet was out of order so he didn't have to clean it at the end of his shift.
Congrats on the 50.
It must be interesting/depressing seeing how things re. driving have changed over that time.
It will my 30th anniversary sometime this year.
In that time I've had 5 cars, 1 write off, 3 crashes, a 1year ban for being a stupid dick (drink & drive) and 2 speeding tickets.
It must be interesting/depressing seeing how things re. driving have changed over that time.
It will my 30th anniversary sometime this year.
In that time I've had 5 cars, 1 write off, 3 crashes, a 1year ban for being a stupid dick (drink & drive) and 2 speeding tickets.
silverfoxcc said:
This day in 1964, i had my provisional licence, set of L plates and a 1946 Ford Anglia, and went driving for the first time on public roads
50 years later, with one endorsement, 2 parking tickets, 2 write offs, 3 collisions (inc an aforementioned writeoff) and 14 cars in that time.
i still 'enjoy' getting about.
Back then petrol was 4 bob a gallon, road tax about a tenner, ins for a 17yr old 20.00 TPFT, tyres 8 quid a corner, the Local scrappy was Jones at Waltham Cross, where you turned up with a toolbox and got on with it, no speed limit, no breathalysers, Trafpol who used to 'chat' to you for 20mins, so they delayed you enough to realise that you were just a whisker away from a ticket, parking on Clacton Front, flashing your headlights at the pirate radio ships. The radio was a portable stuck on the back shelf, Wake Arms at Epping being 'one up' over the mods on their scooters even though the car was a wreck! Tottenham Royal and the Dave Clark 5,Dances with real bands, Seeing the Stones,and Chuck Berry on the same bill for 7/6 front row stalls.
Bugger, i am getting dirt in my eye.....cant see properly!!
Not far of 40 years for me. But funny enough in the same area. Is Jones scrappy still there?
Yep it has been fun, now helping my lad rebuild two Dolly Sprints, whilst i get the Spirit ready for the summer.
50 years later, with one endorsement, 2 parking tickets, 2 write offs, 3 collisions (inc an aforementioned writeoff) and 14 cars in that time.
i still 'enjoy' getting about.
Back then petrol was 4 bob a gallon, road tax about a tenner, ins for a 17yr old 20.00 TPFT, tyres 8 quid a corner, the Local scrappy was Jones at Waltham Cross, where you turned up with a toolbox and got on with it, no speed limit, no breathalysers, Trafpol who used to 'chat' to you for 20mins, so they delayed you enough to realise that you were just a whisker away from a ticket, parking on Clacton Front, flashing your headlights at the pirate radio ships. The radio was a portable stuck on the back shelf, Wake Arms at Epping being 'one up' over the mods on their scooters even though the car was a wreck! Tottenham Royal and the Dave Clark 5,Dances with real bands, Seeing the Stones,and Chuck Berry on the same bill for 7/6 front row stalls.
Bugger, i am getting dirt in my eye.....cant see properly!!
Not far of 40 years for me. But funny enough in the same area. Is Jones scrappy still there?
Yep it has been fun, now helping my lad rebuild two Dolly Sprints, whilst i get the Spirit ready for the summer.
silverfoxcc said:
This day in 1964, i had my provisional licence, set of L plates and a 1946 Ford Anglia, and went driving for the first time on public roads
50 years later, with one endorsement, 2 parking tickets, 2 write offs, 3 collisions (inc an aforementioned writeoff) and 14 cars in that time.
i still 'enjoy' getting about.
Back then petrol was 4 bob a gallon, road tax about a tenner, ins for a 17yr old 20.00 TPFT, tyres 8 quid a corner, the Local scrappy was Jones at Waltham Cross, where you turned up with a toolbox and got on with it, no speed limit, no breathalysers, Trafpol who used to 'chat' to you for 20mins, so they delayed you enough to realise that you were just a whisker away from a ticket, parking on Clacton Front, flashing your headlights at the pirate radio ships. The radio was a portable stuck on the back shelf, Wake Arms at Epping being 'one up' over the mods on their scooters even though the car was a wreck! Tottenham Royal and the Dave Clark 5,Dances with real bands, Seeing the Stones,and Chuck Berry on the same bill for 7/6 front row stalls.
Bugger, i am getting dirt in my eye.....cant see properly!!
Yep it has been fun, now helping my lad rebuild two Dolly Sprints, whilst i get the Spirit ready for the summer.
14 cars in 50 years! is that all!!! I had been driving for almost exactly 10 years when I bought my legnum and that was my 25th car!!50 years later, with one endorsement, 2 parking tickets, 2 write offs, 3 collisions (inc an aforementioned writeoff) and 14 cars in that time.
i still 'enjoy' getting about.
Back then petrol was 4 bob a gallon, road tax about a tenner, ins for a 17yr old 20.00 TPFT, tyres 8 quid a corner, the Local scrappy was Jones at Waltham Cross, where you turned up with a toolbox and got on with it, no speed limit, no breathalysers, Trafpol who used to 'chat' to you for 20mins, so they delayed you enough to realise that you were just a whisker away from a ticket, parking on Clacton Front, flashing your headlights at the pirate radio ships. The radio was a portable stuck on the back shelf, Wake Arms at Epping being 'one up' over the mods on their scooters even though the car was a wreck! Tottenham Royal and the Dave Clark 5,Dances with real bands, Seeing the Stones,and Chuck Berry on the same bill for 7/6 front row stalls.
Bugger, i am getting dirt in my eye.....cant see properly!!
Yep it has been fun, now helping my lad rebuild two Dolly Sprints, whilst i get the Spirit ready for the summer.
Congratulations on reaching such a glorious milestone! long may you continue to enjoy "getting about"
Indeed Heart congratulations. I reached 50 years of driving some 12 months ago and I am still enjoying every minute of it and managing my stable of cars happily. New Quantum RS Turbo just IVA'd and about to be christened with taxation and on the road which should be a real handful. Two Westfields (Redtop/Duratec) in build and several other KC's being fettled through the MOT. Plus a number of Classic Cars to get ready for the summer. Its all go. I was very nearly not here health wise some time ago so I an doubly lucky. But for a stalwart team of Doctors I would not be. Result of 60 years of personal madness but I have enjoyed every single minute of it. Keep it up and keep going. That is the plan and so far, Praise the Lord, it is working. Biggest problem is getting in and out of these Seven clones: someone seems to have made them lower and lower? Or maybe that's just how I remember them 
Well done sir
My first drive was 1970
BSM car Hillman Minx before taking test in a brand new Avenger
Looked for 2 years for a frogeye before giving up and getting a Midget
Rally driving/navigating/marshalling around Northumberland.
Beer at the Royal Sovereign in Tynemouth
Then the Sands Club or the Burgundy Cobbler in Whitley Bay
Nicked for parking on the pavement
Chased around town by the police at times.
Stopped and breathalysed while driving an ex police imp
Possibility of petrol rationing - still got the books
Breakers yard was Burky's in Shiremoor
All gone now.....
One memorable event that sticks with me: a mate was building a "special" in a lock up in Tynemouth and had been offered the use of electric from another lock up but he had to run a long extension lead over to his garage.
So there he was with the lead and a 3 pin plug, walking over garage roofs then crossing the electricity sub station as the police car went past....
Happy Days
My first drive was 1970
BSM car Hillman Minx before taking test in a brand new Avenger
Looked for 2 years for a frogeye before giving up and getting a Midget
Rally driving/navigating/marshalling around Northumberland.
Beer at the Royal Sovereign in Tynemouth
Then the Sands Club or the Burgundy Cobbler in Whitley Bay
Nicked for parking on the pavement
Chased around town by the police at times.
Stopped and breathalysed while driving an ex police imp
Possibility of petrol rationing - still got the books
Breakers yard was Burky's in Shiremoor
All gone now.....
One memorable event that sticks with me: a mate was building a "special" in a lock up in Tynemouth and had been offered the use of electric from another lock up but he had to run a long extension lead over to his garage.
So there he was with the lead and a 3 pin plug, walking over garage roofs then crossing the electricity sub station as the police car went past....
Happy Days
750turbo said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
silverfoxcc said:
4 bob
Congrats OP!
What we really need to see are some period photos of "driving gloves", "tweed caps", "accessories" and perhaps the odd "quartic steering wheel".
Ozzie Osmond said:
silverfoxcc said:
4 bob
Is that early text speak?Was the car hand-built by four blokes called Robert?
Ford Anglia - some sort of double-glazed Escort?
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