Practically Classics Forum

Rover P6 3500s lovely car.

I remember crying when my Mum's FB Victor estate went, had a wood dashboard and possibly leather seats, but I think my Dad's 3500S HJM113N which is the one I liked the best.

Bit of a lame link to a pic and vid below, but we used to have 4 avengers and 2 hunters among others.Loved them and still do have a soft spot for them.Its on these cars that I learned my trade, (well I am not in the trade , but I gained an interest in cars generally ).We were horrified when my father saw an austin maxi and were thinking of buying it.We were a bit short of money, our last car, a renault 12 which constantly broke and had to be repaired alot was just repossessed so needed a car for my father to go to work, hence the potential purchase of the maxi.We didnt buy the maxi but bought a 1971 (same age as me ) hillman avenger that was stained of smoke in the interior.We used to have to start the car with the little button on the starter solenoid.The block finally cracked in the snow cause someone did not let out the water .( we usually did this cause we couldn't afford or not bothered to put in antifreeze, I think).

I found this mint car on a number of sites, so I thought I would share.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh33 ... /005-2.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh33 ... /002-3.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG0PE3KyshQ

That youtube video has to be the funniest I've seen in ages. Never imagined laughing so much at such a dreadful John Shuttleworth impression.

My mum and dad could not drive but my brother had a mk1 capri 1600L RDU 105H still remember to this day looking at it at the globe garage holbrook lane in coventry i think it got scrapped some years ago i loved that car

I loved the N-reg maxi my father owned in the early 80s, so comfortable. Unfortunately it wasn't really the best example you've ever seen and it was pretty unreliable, although in fairness it wasn't very well looked after during its short life. It probably didn't help matters when my father forgot to check the engine oil level at the day of the viewing, only after buying it did he notice that the no oil was present on the dipstick! Still, many fond memories of that car. After a series of 'bangers' I was pleasantly surprised by the car my father brought home in 1986. It was a three year old Triumph Acclaim HL in metallic silver, such a step up from the rather beaten up Cortina mark 4 he had previously. Never failed to complete a journey, nothing fell off, not a spec of rust anywhere, loved that car.

Steve

My old fellah had, during my younger years:
Ph1 Vangaurd
Ph3 Vanguard - SXB 142
Rover P5 3.0Ltr Coupe PMB 332 D
Wolesley 6 VRA 758K
Chrysler 2.0Ltr Auto HKV 846 N (I got to drive this one)

The Rover was my fave. Leather 'bucket' seats all round, picnic table front & rear. A radio. One speaker fore, one aft too!
Silky smooth, wafting down the M1 to see my grandparents, lane 3 and everything seemed to move left and let it go by........

The only car I did not bond with was my Dad's 1958 Riley 1.5 (VHO484). It was so draughty in the back that my brother and I used to freeze in the winter and get chilly even in the summer. His first car was the one I loved the most, despite its lack of a heater, leaky sunroof and top speed of around 35mph. Every journey lasted for ages and the sound of its whining back axle is hardwired into my memory. AGX423 was an Austin 7, bought in 1954 for £15 on our return from Malta - dad was in the RAF. It was sold in 1959 to an American serviceman for £25 and he crashed it shortly afterwards. Next was a 1954 Hillman Minx saloon OYH420 in superb condition and with cheery bright red seats. My brother and I found the roly-poly handling hilarious. The Riley came and went, followed by a smart 1963 Victor FB estate NML925. This car was efficient and reliable, carrying us plus an aunty to the South of France for a camping holiday in 1965. Whilst trying to catch the ferry home, dad went flat out and at one point my brother and I were thrilled to see an indicated 101mph on the speedo. The aunty was having kittens. Dad's last car before I left home was bought in Germany. The FB was sold and we had a sleek 1966 Ford Taunus 17m estate, unusual because it had RHD. I loved the V4 beat when cruising but its column change defeated my mum's attempts to learn to drive and the 6volt electrics were fun, especially when Dad bought a caravan. The tail end lights were seeing 4.5volts but no one could see the lights except after dark. The Taunus survived for a while after Dad sold it in the UK, carrying the reg. ALM505H, having been registered with a British Forces Germany number beforehand.

That must be an Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2.0 Quadrofoglio somewhere in the early eighties. The sound and character were fabulous.
Problem was the car was totally unreliable and started rusting almost immediately after it left the showroom.
So after less than a year my father traded it in for a BMW 5-series.

All the cars my father owned when I was a child were rubbish:

1955 Hillman Minx BH 4113 (bought early 1976)
1976 Toyota Corolla Eastate HQ 2406 (bought new later that year when said Hillman became inoperable)
1974 Holden Kingswood SW, manual with the 202 engine HG 834 (bought 1980)
1982 Datsun Bluebird automatic, which was ok when he got it but allowed to get into a dreadful state KU 4810 (bought 1988)
1985 Ford Telstar automatic (number plate not known, because I moved to the UK soon after he got it)

Mother never drove but used to sit in the passenger seat barking orders.