The best car your Dad had....
Discussion
Had a couple of Capri's prior to it but the old man was riding around in the this when I was born (his had spotlights though). I love these...
Traded it in not long after for a more family friendly A reg Orion Ghia before going down the company car route for the next 15 or so years. Nothing you'd class as exciting in that period (although he did have one of the very first of the latest shape S40's, which coincided with me hitting 18 & being allowed to drive it on his work's policy). Hours of fun making up site visits he'd apparently been on in order to claim back on the fuel I'd gone through on weekend trips to South Wales & such!
He now has the following (with blue leather). Not my cup of tea in fairness but he's happy enough with it (when he drives it). Less than 10,000 miles in 3.5 years...
Traded it in not long after for a more family friendly A reg Orion Ghia before going down the company car route for the next 15 or so years. Nothing you'd class as exciting in that period (although he did have one of the very first of the latest shape S40's, which coincided with me hitting 18 & being allowed to drive it on his work's policy). Hours of fun making up site visits he'd apparently been on in order to claim back on the fuel I'd gone through on weekend trips to South Wales & such!
He now has the following (with blue leather). Not my cup of tea in fairness but he's happy enough with it (when he drives it). Less than 10,000 miles in 3.5 years...
Johnnytheboy said:
What about your mums?
My mum ended her driving career in a (1990s) RS2000. Great car.
Vauxhall Chevette with RS stripes she tried to peel off as she thought them 'too showy', a beige-with-brown Metro that fell apart on a regular basis and even when bought had mould growing in the window-runners, and a much-abused Fiat Punto. Nothing special at all.My mum ended her driving career in a (1990s) RS2000. Great car.
My Old Man had many great cars when I was a kid, being a true petrolhead; Lancia Fulvia, Alfa Romeo's, Golf GTi, Rover P6 3500, Renault 5 Gordini... but the one that I loved the most was a car I have never seen since on the roads, and would dearly love to own one day. When I spotted it in a traders showroom in East London, I just couldn't keep my eyes off it. The wideboy salesman was a right Delboy - right down to the greased-back pomaded hair and the pencil 'tache. My dad loved it too, although mum thought it a little bit 'loud'... it was bright orange with black racing stripes on, of course it was loud!
When my dad opened the back to look at the engine there was a bottle of whisky sitting in there! The car was, though, immaculate. I used to sit for hours in it in the garage pretending to drive up to scotland and back, snuggled into the black vinyl bucket seats - I can still remember the smell of the interior now.
It was such a bright colour and so loud, such an odd thing for my very conservative father to own, but he loved that car as much as I did. I think it finally went as a trade in on a metallic green Audi 100 GL5e, another great car. But no other car came close to the Simca... it was a kids dream!
Ours was exactly the same, down to the leaping deer on the side, and I would love to see another one day.
When my dad opened the back to look at the engine there was a bottle of whisky sitting in there! The car was, though, immaculate. I used to sit for hours in it in the garage pretending to drive up to scotland and back, snuggled into the black vinyl bucket seats - I can still remember the smell of the interior now.
It was such a bright colour and so loud, such an odd thing for my very conservative father to own, but he loved that car as much as I did. I think it finally went as a trade in on a metallic green Audi 100 GL5e, another great car. But no other car came close to the Simca... it was a kids dream!
Ours was exactly the same, down to the leaping deer on the side, and I would love to see another one day.
That is a clean car! Even though they are only 1000cc, they had a very revvy, willing little engine and went well .
There are a handful of Simca Rallyes in existence, from what I can gather, but try finding a RHD one! I wonder if there is even one left? Would love to know what happened to my dad's old one. Thanks for the photos though, it's lovely to see one again.
There are a handful of Simca Rallyes in existence, from what I can gather, but try finding a RHD one! I wonder if there is even one left? Would love to know what happened to my dad's old one. Thanks for the photos though, it's lovely to see one again.
'73 Audi 100GL was my favourite, in exactly the same colour as the picture below (though with a black vinyl roof and Webasto sunroof, natch). We always had to "hit the ton" on our annual holiday pilgrimage.
My uncle however, who was young enough to effectively be an older brother, had a much more interesting collection:
- Mini Cooper S
- Mk1 Escort Sport
- Mk2 Lotus Cortina
My uncle however, who was young enough to effectively be an older brother, had a much more interesting collection:
- Mini Cooper S
- Mk1 Escort Sport
- Mk2 Lotus Cortina
Johnnytheboy said:
What about your mums?
My mum ended her driving career in a (1990s) RS2000. Great car.
My mum would always get my Dad's old car. My mum ended her driving career in a (1990s) RS2000. Great car.
Dad would drive for a year - 18 months, usually lots of miles, then he would hand the car down to mum so that when it got sold on it looked like a lower milage one owner
Crafty bd
Mk3 2000E Cortina, Brooklands 280 when I was younger, the latter he had when I was learning to drive and it was one of the first cars I drove.
Post me leaving home he went onto barges and a couple of highlights are a 24v Senator in dark blue which he never had anyone get in his way on a motorway!
He also had one of the very last E32 750i's which was probably the most comfortable car I have ever driven. The 750 always sticks out in my mind as it was the first car I ever drove in Germany flat out on the Autobahn, on a road trip dad and I had to CeBIT in 95' ahhh good memories..
Post me leaving home he went onto barges and a couple of highlights are a 24v Senator in dark blue which he never had anyone get in his way on a motorway!
He also had one of the very last E32 750i's which was probably the most comfortable car I have ever driven. The 750 always sticks out in my mind as it was the first car I ever drove in Germany flat out on the Autobahn, on a road trip dad and I had to CeBIT in 95' ahhh good memories..
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