Another mystery car
Discussion
Yertis said:
Who else has tried RAF 33 on the DVLA doo-dah?
As to be expected.
I've just read all the above by Alf - for a body to be made in ally that takes some skill. (And 'time').
There was of course, re the RAF, another guy who did his national service in the 50s and then joined the RAF and got into cars and specials in a big way around this time - the late John H Haynes (of manual fame).
I would have thought this mystery car RAF 33 might have shown up somewhere?
Re the Nash windscreen, that's feasible. Well, they were built here in the UK by Austin for the Americans - I remember several of them when I was a kid around Oxfordshire. Many sold here in the UK were only to American servicemen based here initially, probably how parts etc ended up in hangers at Mildenhall as production of the Metropolitan ended here in 1961 - who would want remaining parts for a car now ended?
Should add of course that later models were allowed to be bought by UK customers. They had Austin chassis plates but the Austin name was dropped to plain just plain old 'Metropolitan' (some even called it the Austin 'Metro' at the time - the name was of course later used in 1980 for the BL Austin Metro.
The story sounds very feasible, it's the aluminium body that's making me 'hmm'. But some people are bloody clever. I still believe if it had been used over that time period 'someone' would have spotted it.
The puzzle continues...
Edited by dandarez on Monday 21st June 19:05
Seems rather unfortunate that it is so hard to track down this Bowers guy and his family. We know that his name is not Clive, but not what it is. He has no direct descendants and any nephews or nieces are via his sisters and so would not share his surname. Almost seems like it is deliberately difficult. I hope not.
I would have thought that if the car was still immaculate when the chap died, only 20 years ago, then it would probably have resurfaced at that time, or at least the registration would have found its way onto something else and would still be current on DVLA. It could perhaps be on retention, if so it would not show up on the normal search.
uk66fastback said:
MarkwG said:
I live just outside Bournemouth...
- could spend the rest of eternity hunting through old out buildings around here though...
Well get on with it then! - could spend the rest of eternity hunting through old out buildings around here though...
Yertis said:
Back then cars were totally knackered after a surprisingly small number of years though. In 1982 I was given a nine-year old Viva to trundle around in and that was virtually scrap.
Certainly was when I’d finished with it
I suspect I may have been the next owner Certainly was when I’d finished with it
- was mainly a mix of newspaper, chicken wire & tears by the time I'd finished with it...If Alf is the real deal, then why doesn't one of the the guys on PH get a bank account and we all chip in a pound or two, THEN ask the Bournemouth Echo or what ever the local rag is as well as the regional TV progs to run the pic with the story of how long this car has stumped most UK car enthusuasts for 10 years and offer a reward of the cash raised for positive proof that it exists or pics of it or known with evidence knowledge etc etc
For all we know there could be an old boy with no PC with it sitting in his garage but watches TV and could do with a couple of hundred in his back pocket
If anyone has a sort of dormant account that could be used and would put updates on a thread every time cash was put in. After all no money will be lost be anyone with electronic BACS etc..we could be so near on this.
For all we know there could be an old boy with no PC with it sitting in his garage but watches TV and could do with a couple of hundred in his back pocket
If anyone has a sort of dormant account that could be used and would put updates on a thread every time cash was put in. After all no money will be lost be anyone with electronic BACS etc..we could be so near on this.
Hawkshaw said:
Tre Zero said:
"I don't usually post on the internet " he said .
Doubtful his post count is going to overflow any time soon .
I suspect he is too busy laughing. Doubtful his post count is going to overflow any time soon .
And he only read the first page and the last page? Yeah, right ... this is a car you haven't seen since at least 1964 and you don't want to read from first page to last, the intriguing story about what people think it is ... doesn't compute really.
Hawkshaw said:
Lily the Pink said:
According to Wikipedia it's 78".
And the front screen certainly looks like the rear from a Metropolitan.
On this rare occasion Wikipedia is wrong.And the front screen certainly looks like the rear from a Metropolitan.
All the small side valve Fords were either 90" or 94" wheelbase. The 7Y Eight became the E93A Anglia and then the 103E Popular, all on basically the same chassis with 90" wheelbase.
It isn’t absolutely obvious to me that the Nash Metropolitan screen matches up with the image we have, but it is possible.
silverfoxcc said:
If Alf is the real deal, then why doesn't one of the the guys on PH get a bank account and we all chip in a pound or two, THEN ask the Bournemouth Echo or what ever the local rag is as well as the regional TV progs to run the pic with the story of how long this car has stumped most UK car enthusuasts for 10 years and offer a reward of the cash raised for positive proof that it exists or pics of it or known with evidence knowledge etc etc
For all we know there could be an old boy with no PC with it sitting in his garage but watches TV and could do with a couple of hundred in his back pocket
If anyone has a sort of dormant account that could be used and would put updates on a thread every time cash was put in. After all no money will be lost be anyone with electronic BACS etc..we could be so near on this.
Ahh, but how many more 'Alf Garnetts' would suddenly appear if you did that . . . . . .For all we know there could be an old boy with no PC with it sitting in his garage but watches TV and could do with a couple of hundred in his back pocket
If anyone has a sort of dormant account that could be used and would put updates on a thread every time cash was put in. After all no money will be lost be anyone with electronic BACS etc..we could be so near on this.
Let's just keep an open mind for the mo . . . . .
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