Cars have appeared before on my blog but not for some years.
Recently a motor museum called ‘Great British Car Journey’ has opened at Ambergate in Derbyshire.
Superbly located in what were industrial premises, the story of the British car industry is told in a display of almost 100 vehicles.
There are another 40 cars in reserve and the display is sometimes changed.
For further information, Google ‘Great British Car Journey’.
Well worth a visit, I do not think you would be disappointed.
I have illustrated only a few cars. Five of which are types I have owned and one gem (out of many) that I wish I had owned.
464 LHT Morris Minor.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Mine was a beige 1000 model for which, in 1968, I paid £30.
My very first car!
UVS 828 Ford Anglia.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Mine was cream with a three speed gearbox with a very long gear lever which made changing gear a bit like stirring a pudding with a garden fork.
The windscreen wipers were powered by some sort of vacuum arrangement that meant the the faster the car went, the slower were the wipers.
At approximately 45 mph, which it did not manage very often, the wipers stopped completely.
The price I paid had gone up considerably to £35.
XUP 149L Vauxhall Viva.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
I was now into 3 figures paying just £100.
I got about 4 years out of it.
Mine was a shade of brown that resembled freshly deposited horse manure.
Mind you with a wife, two kids and a mortgage, I couldn’t be too choosey.
ARO 848 Ford Escort Estate.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Mine was bright yellow and affectionately called the ‘yellow peril’.
It was so light and being rear wheel drive was almost uncontrollable in snow and ice.
So I lined the floor at the back with two inch thick concrete slabs which helped.
The person I eventually sold it to finished up parking it on its roof.
TGW 864X Vauxhall Cavalier.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
Mine was fire engine red. I think the GL model.
All the previous cars had been ‘pre owned’. (Modern day parlance for ‘second hand’).
This was my first new car.
Thoughtfully provided by my then employer.
Unfortunately, Vauxhall did not provide it with power steering.
At speed it was beautiful to drive.
When parking, it was as manoeuvrable as a Centurion tank.
GK 9636 Austin Seven Swallow.
on Dennis Basford’s railsroadsrunways.blogspot.co.uk’
There are many cars on display that I wish I had owned but this was my favourite.
Dating from 1930 and, like many other Austin Sevens on display, a four seater.
How, these days, would you get four average sized people into this ?
Beautiful!
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