The red Princess has found a new owner and we've got an unconventional arrangement sorted that will see her sorted and with him next year. All being well, by next weekend I'll have the better interior installed and some more stuff binned that's no good. I'll also be putting the MoT-legal wheels-with-tyres on from the HL, sorting out the head, overhauling the brakes and getting that spare sphere I have installed into the arm I took off the HL before doing whatever else needs doing to get the HLS ready for an MoT sometime in, hopefully, Jan-Feb time. This means I should at least be able to give the red car a bit of a shake down before moving it on and I'll get to experience a 2ltr Princess with PAS and halogen headlights.
I've been on the lookout for a suitable Happy Shopper car, so far on the list have been Triumph TR7, Austin Allegro, Morris Marina, Austin Maestro, SAAB 96, Triumph Acclaim, Rover 213, Mk1 Renault Clio, and totally out of the blue, Renault 6. I wasn't planning to buy another car yet, much less a project, I was going to wait until I was ready and buy when the red Princess was rehomed because where on earth am I going to put another car? Where am I going to find the funds? Where am I going to find the TIME?
But when I car turns up for less than the cost of few drinks and a meal for two and someone can store it and start working on it you find a way to make it happen. The car is presently in Wales and will be staying in Wales until the red Princess is moved on. It's been off the road since '93 and I've agreed to purchase it on the strength of a few photographs illustrating a surprisingly solid set of sills, arches and floors and a tidy engine bay.
It's not without problems, the roof needs bashing back into shape on a couple of edges, a door is badly dented, the paint has seen much better days... but it's complete and has great promise. With it being on a chassis which is itself a very simple looking construction, it should be easier to restore than most of the cars I'd considered as it can be taken apart easier. Additionally, it's tiny so the scale of the work is much reduced compared to something larger, it should be more akin to the Mk2 Polo that I used to have which was ultimately a very managable little package.
I want to say I'm expecting it to come out of the field it's in (apparently, it's been in dry storage until about a year ago), tip some fuel in and put a new battery on and off I go. What I actually expect is all the brakes to be fully seized on and the engine to need gentle persuasion to turn over while the chassis will have big holes in it that will need welding up. I just don't know, and I'm actually excited at the prospect of finding out.
Initially, my plan is to get it structurally and mechanically sound and worry about the cosmetics later. Eventually, I want to return it to the original pale metallic green it should be, but to start with I want to run it for a year or so looking as close to how it does now as possible. Many of the mechanical components are shared with the Renault 4, parts are plentiful and cheap thanks to the large surviving number on the continent and given that the bodyshell appears to be largely filler-free and it looks to have all its trim intact as well as a very clean looking interior, I reckon it could be a surprising little thing once I get into it.
I will keep you updated on this little gem, but it may not be until the new year, it all depends how long it takes to get the car paid for and moved to its new, less field-y home in a top secret location.
- I was going to suggest that you're mad 
but I'm sure you know what you're doing . . . looking forward to seeing the progress on both the Princess and the 6
Just the one for now though, 'cos I can't remember ever having worked on a 6; does the 6 have a mahoosive separate chassis like the 4 does or is it a unitary like the older 5?
let me know if you want some translations, it will give the missus a headache 