I was contemplating a post on a current news topic but decided that that would require brainpower and could be a bit controversial so I decided to return to the theme of my transportation starting with my first car and my subsequent three cars.
The first car is a Standard Ensign WNE 193 bought when I was 20 or 21 with a loan from my Grandmother. Apart from the opportunities she afforded for taking my Grandmother out (we were great pals as well as Grandmother and Grandson) it also enabled me to do my London trips, formerly undertaken on the Hippogryph, in comfort. This photo was taken when the family went to visit a relative in North Wales. (For my records, thanks CJ, it was Flora Scott, née Jarvis, my Mother's first Cousin, daughter of Aunt Edie, my maternal grandmother's - Nana's - sister).
The second car was a Singer Vogue picture here on the banks of Loch Ness.
I think that I decided after a while that I should stop being an old man and get a car more suitable for my age. So I acquired an MG Midget Mk I. Oddly I have very few photos of it that I can find so this was provided by my brother CJ from his archives.
My fourth car came after I'd married and decided that we needed a car more suited to married life than to courtship and weekend excursions to the Lake District (where the Midget took us to our honeymoon staying at Riggside with the Roscamps at Grange-in-Borrowdale).
The car was a Volvo 221 Estate. When we had done the deal we noticed that the letters on the bonnet said VOOVO and not VOLVO. The dealer was mortified but the deal had been done and we refused to have it changed. It was sold 80,000 miles later and was still known as The Voovo, The picture was taken at the top of Honister in the Lake District. The person shown is my Dad. I think we were all on holiday together.
The cars I've share my life with have been...as follows...
ReplyDeleteA Goggomobil Dart, Austin Healey Sprite, VW Beetle, EH Holden Wagon, Volkswagen Passat, EH Holden Wagon (second one), Ford Cortina, Hyundai Excel, Ford Festiva...and nowadays, a little Toyoto Echo..."Lady Echo" when introduced! :)
Not all cars were mine alone...some were shared with my two husbands...(not simultaneously!) :)
Gosh, Lee, a Goggomobil Dart! I had to look that one up. At 340kilos that must be one of the lightest four-wheel cars ever produced. They seem to be quite a collectors' item now. I'm glad that you added the "not simultaneously!"
DeleteThe Goggo was very light, Graham. It's body was fibre-glass. It's motor, two-stroke. Driving along the highway between Gympie and Brisbane, when a large truck passed us, or vice versa, the little darling car would lift. lol I was was going out with Randall at the time (we later became engaged...and even much later, married)...it was Randall's car, and when he arrived in town to take up a position as a radio announcer at the local radio station, he caused quite a stir.
DeleteIt was such a fun little car. We both loved it. It had no doors....and was a two-seater. To get into the Goggo...the seats had to be moved...up and back...allowing for "easy" access...same for egress. And those were the days...early 60s when straight, tight skirts were fashionable with we young ladies! lol
Randall traded in the Goggo for the Austin Healey Sprite. It was a sad day, and a happy day...mixed emotions. The Sprite was lots of fun, too. Randall had always wanted a bug-eyed Sprite...but could find none available at the time.
Fun! Fun! Fun! :)
And, here I am in the middle of the night unable to sleep because suddenly I remembered something most important. The car I loved so very dearly, I forgot to add to my list above!! As the thought kept playing in my mind, I just had to climb out of bed and set the error of my ways, and my mind at rest....How could I not mention my MG Magnette Varitone????? How I loved that car...it was black and grey....wooden dashboard and leather upholstery!
DeleteNow I might be able to go to sleep!! :)
Lee, I did see your comment in my mail but forgot to come and respond. How could you have forgotten such a lovely car? When the Magnette was in vogue I was torn between that and the Riley Pathfinder as my "must have" car. In fact I never managed to own either.
DeleteA VOODOO car? Was it manufactured in Haiti? I never realised they had a car plant there. Were you tempted to stick pins in it?
ReplyDeleteWhatever else got stuck in it, YP, and there were plenty of things, pins didn't figure. She was far too staid an old lady to tolerate such things.
DeleteGreat story. I don't have any photos of any of my first 4 cars.
ReplyDeleteRed, I sometimes think I lead my live via photos.
DeleteThe craziest car I owned was a Rover SDI 3.5. It was like driving an uncontrollable rocket. Far too powerful, and dangerous.
ReplyDeleteCro, that certainly was quite a vehicle in its day.
DeleteI got an Amazon once. Needed a proper amazon to drive it. What a tank it was. I swapped it for a Renault 4 van. I'd forgotten about The Sceptre that was an elegant car.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, was that the Volvo Amazon? I Googled 'Amazon car' and had to trawl through thousands of pictures related to a certain on-line sales organisation until I eventually found one. Looked a bit hairy.
DeleteYes the car, I had a left leg like a weightlifter. I think your Standard shared it's engine with the Grey Ferguson tractor.
DeleteBeautiful cars! My first car was a 1971 viva and it was a manual but my grandad had a car similar to the one in the second photo. Brings back some good memories.
ReplyDeleteYes, Amy, I recall you mentioning that in a blog post about a street in Auckland.
DeleteMy first cars were a very old, second hand Vauxhall Viva (broke down just after I got it home) then a second or third or fourth hand Hillman Imp, also not particularly reliable.
ReplyDeleteI had a couple of Imps, I really enjoyed them. The engine was almost bomb proof being a development of a Coventry Climax fire pump unit.
DeleteI had to carry a hammer with me. Every time the engine conked out I had to run around the back and give the starter motor a whack to get it going again.
DeleteIt just needed a new starter.
DeleteJayCee, the curate in the church where I got married had a Hillman Imp (as did the person I nearly married but didn't - irrelevant snippet). His was the 'estate' version. It was red. They all seemed to be. The reason he had it, so he said, was because it was the only car in which he could wear his funereal top hat.
DeleteI know this is about cars but the first thing I thought to say is that I think your brother looks like your Dad!
ReplyDeleteYour MG reminded me... My brother decided as a teenager he liked MG's. He bought a book on repairing them and began buying them very cheaply and restoring them! So, I saw more MG's than most people in our little county in Georgia! He still has one and drives it!
Oddly, Kay, I am usually hopeless at telling likenesses. Is your brother's MG one of the really old ones? They were lovely cars.
DeletePS, Kay, a blog post is just a vehicle (no pun originally intended) for a conversation about anything that it reminds one of.
DeleteHave you read 'The Man Who Was Ove' by Rolf Lassgord? It charts the life to two men by the cars they drove, SAAB v Volvo.
ReplyDeleteWell, Lucy, you sent me on some trail there. I Googled 'The Man Who Was Ove' and couldn't find a book although there was a book with a similar name by Fredrik Backman. I then discovered that Rolf Lassgord was in a film of the book (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Man_Called_Ove). However I couldn't find any Volvo/Saab reference. I have to say the book/film looks interesting. I had a Saab (probably in a future post) that saved my life.
DeleteOh, sorry Graham. I've got the details of the film and the book muddled. This is it on Kindle https://tinyurl.com/ybepgt4t . I've read the book twice and seen the film once. The film is fine but the book is brilliant. They don't make anything of the Saab / Volvo thing in the film but it's very important in the book. How the lives of the two men are reflected in the cars they chose and how their relationship is reflected in the conflicts over which make is best. They are arguing about cars . . . but not really, it's what underlies their choices. They could have made a completely different film from the same book!
DeleteThanks, Lucy. The book looks very much like one I would enjoy. It's on the list!
Deletelove the volvo, very nice
ReplyDeleteIt was, Andrea, probably my most memorable and much-loved car after the Nighthawk.
DeleteThe Vooto is a favorite.
ReplyDeleteMaywyn, it was with me too.
DeleteMuch more interesting than current news topics. Though the relative merits of M G Midgets versus Triumph Spitfires could cause controversy!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right, CJ. Triumph Spitfires were for the flamboyant extroverts who couldn't yet afford a proper sports car. We MG owners became devotees or bought an MX-5.
DeleteBesides the MG Midget, the rest of those cars could only be described as sturdy. But frankly, when one simply wants to get from one place to the next, sturdy isn't a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteMary, those who know me would expect nothing less than a 'sturdy' car. Many years ago (44¾ to be precise) a friend called me a 'boring old fart'. I think he was surprised that I took it as a compliment.
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ReplyDeleteFirst, Graham, my thanks for deciding not to comment on world events which doubtless would be time consuming and controversial. There are always many sides to what's going on in the world and everyone has his/her opinion. I much preferred this post about the cars in your life. The story about the missing "L" in Volvo was amusing. I wasn't familiar with the other vehicle names, aside from the MG Midget.
ReplyDeleteMy first car was a Mercury Comet, followed by a newer Comet, then later a Honda Accord, Cutlass Oldsmobile, GM Grand Prix, and currently a 2007 Jeep Liberty
Beatrice, as a general rule I avoid any controversial topics although sometimes people can manufacture controversy out of nothing. Having said that occasionally these days I venture out into the great unknown.
DeleteI will eventually post about my other cars and the car I had the longest and which was one of my favourites was a Honda Accord Tourer called The Nighthawk. I'm sure I've blogged about her before.
Unreal - These Are Fabulous Photos From Such Memorial Moments In Time - Thanx A Million For Sharing These - Way Cool - Also, Its Been A Real Hoot Ever Summer When The MG Club Rolls Through Town - Good Group Of Folks - Excellent Gathering Of Automobiles - Take Care And Stay Strong - Like The All Blacks
ReplyDeleteCheers
Thank you Padre.
DeleteGraham, I've tried and tried but can't get my comments to publish. Wish I knew what I'm doing wrong.
ReplyDeleteWait! Success at last. You got me thinking about my first ever car. Life is so quiet, I think I will do a post about it.
DeletePauline, one of the common causes of not being able to comment is if you are not signed into your Google account. Anyway I'm glad you sorted it. I look forward to seeing your first car.
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ReplyDeleteOooh, I love cars, and yours were beauts!! I'm going to grab that photo of you and CJ and fix it up and email it to you.
ReplyDeleteMy first car was a 1978 Ford Mustang. Black on the outside, baby poop tan on the inside. Got it for $300, used, to get me to and from my waitressing jobs. Was on my way to college one day and someone ran a red light and smashed it up. Luckily, I was not smashed up along with it.
Next up was a primer grey 1970 Chevy Nova. Engine wasn't much to brag about, but it looked like a beast. Loved that car. Basically drove it until it dropped, and I dropped her off at a junk yard. I was so sad, leaving her there like that. Felt like a betrayal.
The only new car I've ever owned was a 1987 IROC Z. Fast, fast, fast. Black, with a stereo that could launch you to the moon. I owned it for less than a year, because someone stole it. While I was working. As a police officer. Brought my police cruiser back to the checkpoint (it was a fire station parking lot) and my car was... gone. Someone just stole it and left me with no way home. NICE.
Then it was a Mustang LX - red. Forget the year, but damn that car was FAST. Bought her from my dad, who was always buying and selling his cars. Had a 5.0 engine and could really get out of her own way. Drove that one into the ground, too, and sold it to a guy for his kid's first car. Everyone was happy with that.
I had a 1983 Harley Davidson Sportster (1000cc) that I bought from a fellow officer, but I didn't ride that as my main transportation - that was purely for fun.
For a while I drove a semi-tired Ford Explorer SUV that my dad gave me, and then my mom gave me a neat little burnt-orange colored Ford Ranger pickup truck. That was an awesome vehicle. Small, but had a great plastic-lined bed that I could put stuff in. I'm a great one for picking up roadside offerings, like random antique furniture that people get rid of, but I can fix it up and make it look fab. Sadly, another person ran another red light and that little truck was done. Cried my eyes out when I left her... that truck took me to my wedding, my honeymoon, and many other wonderful trips.
Now I've got my crazy lifted Jeep Wrangler, Squat Betty! She's big, she's gorgeous, and she's mean. 4WD, way up in the sky, and she'll go anywhere. Easy to remove roof panels for cruising in fine weather. Love is not even a strong enough word. If only I could get that CD un-stuck from the CD player, she'd be perfect.
Well, Marcheline, you are certainly a lot less conservative in your car choices than I am. Thanks for the updated photo. I tried to alter it and remembered that the car images are in sets of two using a collage program and I haven't got time just now to do the necessary. I'll do it after dinner and my scheduled evening video chat.
DeleteNostalgia indeed. I never had a car of my own but back when I got my driving license we had two cars in the family, usually just called the Big One and the Little One (although in colloquial Swedish). The big one was dad's Volvo, and the little one was mum's Renault (4, I think). While in driving school and the test for my license I drove a Volvo, for some reason I can't recall I was ever offered to use our Volvo, only the Renault. Also, my getting the license happened to coincide with the oil crisis and rationing of petrol, so the first few months of being officially allowed to drive, I was not actually allowed to drive much at all!
ReplyDeleteMonica I love the idea of calling the family cars Big One and Little One.
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