If you aren't bothered about old cars click the little x in the box in the top right corner of the screen and come back another day!!!
The Wirral Historic Car Rally came past the end of our road last week so I took my camera out and captured a few
of them. I had anticipated them
trotting along at about fifteen miles an hour.
Led by a police car they managed to come along our 30 mph road at what
looked to me more like 40 mph as they strove to catch up with their timetable. In deference to the police I shall point out
that I always over-estimate car speeds. :-)
You may remember Richard Gardner’s 1907 Paterson 30 from a previouspost.
A Model T Ford from 1915.
A 1928 Rolls Royce 20 hp.
A Morris Oxford from the same year.
And a lovely little 1933 Austin 7.
I can remember lots of those Austin 7s still being on the road in my day. This one is from 1932.
Since Partner-who-loves-tea got a Hyundai the Merseyside Police
force have followed suit.
A 1936 Brough Superior owned by Nick Brough.
This superb 1948 Bentley Mark VI was one of my favourites.
The drivers and passengers were all enjoying the event as Peter
Madge and his passenger in this 1948 Alvis show.
There were plenty more cars but as I recalled them all being on
the road and had even driven a couple of them I shall save most of them for
another day when the description ‘historic cars’ doesn’t make me feel so old! There are a few exceptions though -
A Series 1 Land Rover with contemporary trailer from 1949.
One of the most beautiful cars ever made – the MG TD from
1951. And it is even the right colour
because that was the colour of the Matchbox Series toy version I had as a
child. I used to play ‘The Archers’
radio programme with cars assigned to each of the characters. John Tregorran was the lucky owner of this MG.
The girl he was in love with, Carol Grey, owned the more modern Austin Healey Sprite the model of which I bought as soon as it came out.
A 1954 Riley RME Cabriolet.
A 1962 Mark III Ford Zodiac.
We hired one for a holiday in the Lake District and I was delighted to
feel so posh going around in a car with four headlights.
If GB or I didn’t pick them up and carry them home from Mrs Judson’s shop, Mr Judson
delivered our groceries in this 1962 Morris Minor Traveller.
This is a 1963 Rover 110.
We had plenty of holidays in 'Uncle' Phil’s broadly similar Rover 90 which was
its predecessor.
My first car was an Austin Mini Countryman – Austin's version of this similar Morris Traveller from 1967. I used
to sleep in the back of mine while touring the Lake District or Scotland. In those days I could park it next to a river
or stream and wake up to the sound of water and birds at four a.m. By breakfast time I would be by a mountain cairn
looking down at the car in the valley.
This Morris Minor Traveller from 1971 could get you wet when it
rained. So did my 1968 Mini Countryman
because the floor leaked. If you went a long journey you made sure you packed a
spare pair of socks and shoes to wear at journey’s end.
And that is this journey’s end.
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Absolutely brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing all these cars on parade (at 40mph).....thank you CJ for posting.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fantastic vintage car rally, John, and your pictures turned out splendidly. Thanks for sharing info and personal experiences connected with them. That MG TD is indeed a classic. I can picture an Elvgren pin-up model posing in or on one. I remember seeing Morris Minors when I was a boy and my best friend in high school drove an Austin Healey Sprite painted British racing green. Have a super Monday, John!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post! I kept thinking "this is my favorite car"... until I rolled up on the next one in the list. Super!
ReplyDeleteI love old cars. Must say that I remember lots looking a bit like that from my childhood, except in those days they were all dusty and rusty, not yet the beloved playthings of collectors! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Great Dane would have been there for the whole thing! He has the carcass and innards to a 1957 TR-3, small mouth, in the garage. To call it a work in progress would be a huge exaggeration - it is a life's work, a puzzle and a huge annoyance to one who can see lots of other uses for the garage space!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! I love these classic, vintage cars and am so glad there are people willing to go to the time, trouble and expense to keep them running. That backdrop is fantastic for them - particularly for those first two very early models.
ReplyDeleteThe Mark IV was my favorite (love that color, too) until I saw the '51 MG!
I enjoyed reading your memories of some cars like these, and this post brought back a fun memory of my own, of being in Scotland in '98 and touring the Dallas Dhu distillery on a beautiful Sunday. A Rolls Royce club happened to be convening there (with a couple of Bentleys among them), and the one that caught my eye was the oldest. I approached its owner and asked him what year model it was and when he told me it was a 1929 Playboy, I said, "Oh, the year of the Crash!" And he said, "Miss, please do not use the word "crash" around my automobile." LOL!
You chose the perfect spot for your pictures, John - the beautiful timbered house is a great backdrop for the classic cars.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say that was, for me, a really interesting and enjoyable wander down memory lane. I was going to try and nominate a favourite but decided it just wasn't possible.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great arrangement of cars! My dad's second cousin had an MG of some 1950's vintage, which was already a classic when Wes got it. Somewhere there's a picture of it with my dad behind the wheel and me standing alongside, holding a tennis raquet. Wes also took me for a ride in it one day, and I was both breathless and speechless. What a cool car! And what a cool guy he was -- he looked like Gene Kelly, and he loved to dance too! Pity I was too young for him!! :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic round-up John! Needs that experienced eye to delve into all the classics! You must have had lots of fun with cars before. Very educational. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHank
My dad liked the MG and bought me a toy one of about that year in black in the mid 1950's. I remember driving so fast and recklessly over sofa mountains and along the edges of coffee table canyons. It was thrilling. Thanks for letting me see it again.
ReplyDeleteWhat gems! We just had a vintage car show here in Ashland but we missed it because of another commitment. When we got married my brother rented us a 1931 Rolls Royce! Great fun and super cool pics!
ReplyDeleteI've never been good at telling different kinds of cars apart but I do like looking at old ones like these. What a good spot you found for taking the photos too, with that old inn (or hotel perhaps?) in the background!
ReplyDelete