Early Childhood memories of Cars; good and bad

[steve_earwig]

Reading threads like this makes me feel like I was born in the wrong era. Cars are boring these days.

The earliest I can remember is my Mother having a 1992 Ford Orion GhiaSi...

Yawn We wanna hear about classic cars, not modern nonsense...

Only kidding Sam, I felt just the same reading Eric's and Dave's posts. The cars I was talking about were commonplace when I was growing up, they were everywhere, and then they were falling to bits... To me a pwoppa classic is anything that was already old when I was growing up, I guess that's probably the same for everyone (that takes an interest ) Btw when Dai says Humber Sceptre he means this http://www.classicandperformancecar.com ... /?see=3611 not this http://www.classicandperformancecar.com ... p?see=3612 (although that's almost as interesting )

Just think, one day you'll be able to tell your grandkids about the "classics" we're driving today, and they'll look at you with wide-open eyes and ask "Was everybody rich then?"

[Welly]

Steve, sounds like your Dad had loads of cars. This too made me think and I realised that back in the 70's/80's and even early 90's there was a high turn-around in used motors chiefly I suppose because they were sh*t, cheap and 'disposable'. You'd only really keep cars in-between MOT's and very rarely keep something longer than 12 months unless you *really* liked it.

I too used to change cars once a year in my younger days yet this current Volvo I've had (this month) 5 years that is unheard of for me but it was the lowest mileage used motor I've had and in the best nick, and the most expensive so I've kept it and it still does the same job of being a clean, dry, warm and reliable way of hauling my sorry ass to work every day. Perhaps cars really are much better now (albeit complex).

[Captain Jack]

Oh... er... Hello.

Yes... most of my memories stem from Russia in the late 80's and early 90's.

We had two Zaporozhecs 968s with the big ears on the rear panels (air intake for cooling). One red, one white. The red one was my dad's and started every time with a turn of the key. The problem it had was that it tended to get stuck in 2nd gear and no amount of wiggling and swearing freed the gear stick. My uncle had to remove the gearbox from the car and open the gearbox to flick some cog over. After a few times, he got tired of doing this and cut a flap on the side of the gearbox so he could "fix" it without removing it! Still - it never left us stranded. You could still drive in 2nd gear - slowly.

The white one was my grandfather's but also serviced by my uncle. This one never started. No amount of fiddling with carburettors, spark plugs and distributors fixed it. I remember it broke down 4 times on a 20km trip from the city to our dacha but got there in the end. It also had a top speed of 110km/h... I know this, because I witnessed its screaming and protests whenever it saw the speedo needle approach anywhere near 80km/h mark.

Other notables.. the 2101 Lada/Zhiguli was quite a reliable beast. Its only feather in the cap was utter refusal to start in colder temperatures (below -10C), so I always helped push it to the nearby incline in the mornings to push start it. And I don't mean the push button start

Another one we had was the 2106 model, which was also quite reliable. Its only problem was my uncle's wife who always hid keys to stop him from going anywhere. One time, my uncle, I and my grandmother were supposed to go to a forest to pick mushrooms. The wife was in a strop and hid the keys. A coat hanger opened the door and car was quickly "boosted" - no immobilisers in those days! Was a successful trip until it started raining. With wires dangling from the ignition barrel meant that a lot of electrical systems didn't work, including the wipers...

Ohhhhh, them were the days!!! Like Sam says, it's utterly boring now

[Rolebama]

An uncle who lived some distance away owned a Ford Prefect back in the 50s. Whenever we visited we had to leave by six o'clock to get train connections etc to get home before last bus. He told us we could stay later as he would give us a lift home. When the time came, there was him, his wife, and my parents in the car, so us kids had to travel home in the boot. It wasn't big enough so we ended up filling the boot with cushions making rear facing seats.
On another occasion, he volunteered to pick us kids up, and take us, along with his family, for a day out to Windsor Great Park. He turned up with a car full and a boot full of cushions. His eldest son was already travelling in the boot, and with my brother and sister there was no more room. He disappeared with the car and returned a little later with a roof rack with a dining room chair tied to it. I was nominated to ride in the chair as I was the eldest. I climbed up, and off we went, with me hanging on the chair for all I was worth.

[Doggy]

Btw when Dai says Humber Sceptre he means this http://www.classicandperformancecar.com ... /?see=3611 not this http://www.classicandperformancecar.com ... p?see=3612 (although that's almost as interesting )

That would be the first one, (tarted-up Hillman Super Minx), which I always liked, but never sampled.
My bro had the 2nd version, (tarted-up Hillman Hunter), which was long on standard equipment but short on build quality and rustproofing. Still had more class, (and oomph) than a 1600E Cortina.

- tarted-up 406 owner.

[steve_earwig]

I thought the Mk3 Minx (Hunter (Arrow)) was basic as basic can be. Mind you the were all rusting hulks by the time I was taking an interest

Look mum http://www.njuskalo.hr/oldtimer-auti/hi ... as-9822027

[DaiRees]

Btw when Dai says Humber Sceptre he means this http://www.classicandperformancecar.com ... /?see=3611 not this http://www.classicandperformancecar.com ... p?see=3612 (although that's almost as interesting )

That would be the first one, (tarted-up Hillman Super Minx), which I always liked, but never sampled.
My bro had the 2nd version, (tarted-up Hillman Hunter), which was long on standard equipment but short on build quality and rustproofing. Still had more class, (and oomph) than a 1600E Cortina.

- tarted-up 406 owner.

Yup that was the one, in this colour. Very similar to the Super Minx but a bit smaller and a lower roof line.


This was a mk2 which was basically a facelift mk1, the front of this was more like the Super Minx


The mk3 was the one that looked like a Hunter. A neighbour had one, always thought it looked shyte compared to ours

[Welly]

Is that man sitting on the bench the one we were warned about at School? something to do with sweeties and little Kittens?

[trufflehunt]

I once did some improvement work on a Hillman Hunter..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23771156@N00/4755779980/

[steve_earwig]

Is that man sitting on the bench the one we were warned about at School? something to do with sweeties and little Kittens?

My god, I think you're right!


(Took me bleedin' ages to spot him )

[lozz]

[Doggy]

[Yup that was the one, in this colour. Very similar to the Super Minx but a bit smaller and a lower roof line.


This was a mk2 which was basically a facelift mk1, the front of this was more like the Super Minx

I completely forgot the Mk1 / Mk2 update

Guessing the Mk1 would have been a 1600, IIRC the 1725 didn't appear until about 1965/6.

[steve_earwig]

I once did some improvement work on a Hillman Hunter..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23771156@N00/4755779980/

YOu turned it into a Plymouth Satellite?

She came from planet claire
I knew she came from there
She drove a plymouth satellite
Faster than the speed of light

[DaiRees]

Guessing the Mk1 would have been a 1600, IIRC the 1725 didn't appear until about 1965/6.

Yes it was a 1600 with twin Zenith carbs that just wouldn't stay in sync, the bloody thing was always either stalling or doing 4000 rpm.

I don't remember 1725s in the Sceptre, although I do remember the old man considering having his one bored out, he never did it though. Some friends of the family had a Sunbeam Rapier which had the 1725. I was well envious of that one

[Welly]

Mmmm, that Sunbeam is mighty fine the design doesn't look out of place today even.

See them there 'wing' mirraz - I've not never driven nuffin with mirrors like that but I'm guessing as a driver you'd see next to f*ck all by looking in them? they're too far away from your face?