COOL CLASSIC CAR SPOTTERS POST! (Vol 3)
Discussion
uk66fastback said:
Nice 924 on the streets of Bath this afternoon …
Rumblestripe said:
I think that "hate" has long since dissipated. The Vanden Plas has a loveable British eccentricity about it nowadays. No other country in the world would produce something so, well, useless and then tart it up like a mini-Rolls-Royce and expect it to sell. The shape of the Allegro... why did no one think this should be a hatchback? The rest of the package was no worse than contemporary Fords and Vauxhalls. And didn't rust anything like as badly.
But I rather like seeing these survivors nowadays, there's more love in someone running one of those than in any pampered supercar survivor.
I was only 17 so my bar was set low, but I had a graphic illustration once of how a good example of a bad car can be quite fun.But I rather like seeing these survivors nowadays, there's more love in someone running one of those than in any pampered supercar survivor.
While working as a valeter for a local Arthur Daley, I passed my test and was immediately put on the company insurance - meaning I got to drive a lot of different cars very quickly. One day I was tasked with taking some paperwork from one branch to another and the only car with Tax & MoT was an Allegro. Mid-range thing, with a 1275 engine, in blue. Nice enough car, but still an Allegro. My route was about 5 miles, on a winding country road, and I remember to this day how much I enjoyed the drive.
I believe it was one of those cars that had been maintained just right by an elderly, dedicated owner: correct tyre pressures, Hydragas level, recent engine tune-up etc. The thing was a pleasure to drive, even with the asthmatic A-Series. Comfy too, if a bit nylon in its trim.
To be clear, I'm not a fan - just saying that a good one can actually be quite decent. But I do agree with the poster above in that it should have been a hatchback - it may have had a very different image if that route had been taken. Seems inconceivable that they didn't do that, given that the Renault 16 had been around for 60 or so years by then.
Turbobanana said:
I was only 17 so my bar was set low, but I had a graphic illustration once of how a good example of a bad car can be quite fun.
While working as a valeter for a local Arthur Daley, I passed my test and was immediately put on the company insurance - meaning I got to drive a lot of different cars very quickly....
I was a car cleaner during my summer holidays as a student - we were paid per car and I teamed up with a mate. We blitzed through as many as we could and split the money - it was all cash in hand and proper money - keeping us in beer, petrol and crap holidays with plenty to spare! Anyway I digress - driving anything at that age was a treat and as every drive was approached like a qualifying lap at Monaco, mundane cars could be quite rewarding. My equivalent to your Allegro experience was with a 1.2 Nova on the backroads of Somerset - my blood runs cold thinking of the proximity to disaster of every journey but bloody hell, they were fun times! While working as a valeter for a local Arthur Daley, I passed my test and was immediately put on the company insurance - meaning I got to drive a lot of different cars very quickly....
Dapster said:
Turbobanana said:
I was only 17 so my bar was set low, but I had a graphic illustration once of how a good example of a bad car can be quite fun.
While working as a valeter for a local Arthur Daley, I passed my test and was immediately put on the company insurance - meaning I got to drive a lot of different cars very quickly....
I was a car cleaner during my summer holidays as a student - we were paid per car and I teamed up with a mate. We blitzed through as many as we could and split the money - it was all cash in hand and proper money - keeping us in beer, petrol and crap holidays with plenty to spare! Anyway I digress - driving anything at that age was a treat and as every drive was approached like a qualifying lap at Monaco, mundane cars could be quite rewarding. My equivalent to your Allegro experience was with a 1.2 Nova on the backroads of Somerset - my blood runs cold thinking of the proximity to disaster of every journey but bloody hell, they were fun times! While working as a valeter for a local Arthur Daley, I passed my test and was immediately put on the company insurance - meaning I got to drive a lot of different cars very quickly....
Blown2CV said:
so you're saying you were taking customer cars out for a razz without their knowledge, or am i misunderstanding
In my case, I'd be running errands or bringing sales/service guys back from dropping cars. I'd be in the boggo demo,all totally above board - Metro / Nova / Fiesta etc. So not an actual customer car but one that would eventually make its way to the forecourt. If we were seen treating a customer car like that, we'd be in trouble but the sales guys would always be showing off about their exploits in the serious stuff.
Dapster said:
Blown2CV said:
so you're saying you were taking customer cars out for a razz without their knowledge, or am i misunderstanding
In my case, I'd be running errands or bringing sales/service guys back from dropping cars. I'd be in the boggo demo,all totally above board - Metro / Nova / Fiesta etc. So not an actual customer car but one that would eventually make its way to the forecourt. If we were seen treating a customer car like that, we'd be in trouble but the sales guys would always be showing off about their exploits in the serious stuff.I did quickly discover the joy of trade plates, however, allowing access to cars that weren't taxed. Within 6 months of passing my test I'd already ticked off a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II, Capri 2.8i with a Turbo Technics conversion, Lancia Gamma Coupe and one of the first Sierra Cosworths.
My boss at the time had a brand new E30 325i Sport in Dolphin Grey: he'd often get comprehensively hammered at the local and I'd be asked to drive him home. The bonus was I got to keep the car for the weekend.
Casually parked up in the residents’ bays at the Royal Crescent in Bath, an immaculate AM Lagonda. These are something else in the flesh. It didn’t look as big as I remember them, I think I last saw one at the NEC show a few years back. Normal, everyday cars are now huge so this didn’t seem all that sizewise … but still stands out a country mile.
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff