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I paid £5 for a ford Anglia estate in 1980. It had 3 days mot and tax, I used it to go and collect my stage 2 rebuilt spitfire engine, from somewhere in west London.

I then parked in the University car park at Brunel shaking with fear about its condition. Within 2 weeks it had been picked down to a shell.

 

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

That's correct, and the A70 which was a sort of expanded A40. I think the A40 name was revived for a small estate car around the late '60s.

I thought that BMC's Coventry factories built Jaguars and Daimlers, whereas their Austins were made in Brum, their MGs in Abingdon and their Morrises in Oxford. Not so? Perhaps when "badge engineering" came in in the 1960s (Austin A60, Morris Oxford, Wolseley 16/60 and the like) there was some intermingling of building locations?

 

Correct,  but you ommitted Triumph and Rover/Land Rover plus Morris Engines, You also ommit (unforgivably!) Riley's which were made in Coventry until 1949 before Nuffield moved their production to the MG factory in Abingdon. Below is a photo of a Riley RMA almost identical to the one I owned and loved.
 

image.png.6eff73eeab9c8da28e334c2023d6f02f.png

 

 

I believe that the A40 Somerset Convertable bodies were made by an outside company in Coventry, which may hve led to the "Coventry's revenge", but AFAIK no Austin cars were actually manufactured in Coventry.

 


 

Edited by David Schweizer
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8 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Correct,  but you ommitted Triumph and Rover/Land Rover plus Morris Engines, You also ommit (unforgivably!) Riley's which were made in Coventry until 1949 before Nuffield moved their production to the MG factory in Abingdon.

 

I believe that the A40 Somerset Convertable bodies were made by an outside company in Coventry, which may hve led to the "Coventry's revenge", but AFAIK no Austin cars were actually manufactured in Coventry.

Omissions'R'Us!

Those were examples and weren't meant to be an exhustive list.

Non - BMC makes such as Humbers and what my Dad used to call Armstrong-Diddlies were also, I think, built in the city. A few years ago Mrs. Athy and i, while moored at Sutton's, took a 'bus into Coventry and went round the transport museum in the city centre. I think it contained examples of all those makes and more, and bikes too.

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37 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Correct,  but you ommitted Triumph and Rover/Land Rover plus Morris Engines, You also ommit (unforgivably!) Riley's which were made in Coventry until 1949 before Nuffield moved their production to the MG factory in Abingdon. Below is a photo of a Riley RMA almost identical to the one I owned and loved.
 

image.png.6eff73eeab9c8da28e334c2023d6f02f.png

 

 

I believe that the A40 Somerset Convertable bodies were made by an outside company in Coventry, which may hve led to the "Coventry's revenge", but AFAIK no Austin cars were actually manufactured in Coventry.

 


 

I have owned RMA, RME and RMB . All lovely cars. Nearly bought an RMD but divorce intervened and I bought a PROPER Jag S type instead. My second and present missus loved the S type, a much better car than the more liked mk2. The great plus point of the S type was irs as on the e type ( Ive had 3 of those ) I had 23 cars just prior to first deevorce lol but several were in boxes!!

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4 hours ago, MtB said:

 

 

Ah I see. After reading the first few posts of his I decided he had no idea of his subject and was just spouting stuff he'd found by googling. So I stopped reading his posts and I never saw his ramping of Liquid Molly oil products. 

Same here

2 hours ago, MtB said:

 

Blimey I paid £20 for my first car, an Austin A35 four-door. Looks like I was stitched up like a kipper! 

 

 

I had a 4 door A30. I understand that the 4 door was quite rare and I should have mothballed it in an airconditioned garage for 50 years, on hand painted it and buggered it abaout.

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3 hours ago, Athy said:

That's correct, and the A70 which was a sort of expanded A40. I think the A40 name was revived for a small estate car around the late '60s.

I thought that BMC's Coventry factories built Jaguars and Daimlers, whereas their Austins were made in Brum, their MGs in Abingdon and their Morrises in Oxford. Not so? Perhaps when "badge engineering" came in in the 1960s (Austin A60, Morris Oxford, Wolseley 16/60 and the like) there was some intermingling of building locations?

In about 1963 my 19 year old sister had an Austin A70 that she paid £40 for. (MtB note). My job at 15 was to keep it running as far as possible. My main tasks were ongoing replacement of the Polyfilla in the doors and an almost daily toping up of the front leaver shock absorbers  Oil changes were on the total loss principal with a strong dose of what I recall was called 'oil saver'. It lasted her a few months and only broke one half shaft. Amazingly she got a speeding ticket driving it. Sold it to two Irishmen for £38. They were highly impressed with the bouncy ride.

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6 minutes ago, Slim said:

In about 1963 my 19 year old sister had an Austin A70 that she paid £40 for. (MtB note). My job at 15 was to keep it running as far as possible. My main tasks were ongoing replacement of the Polyfilla in the doors and an almost daily toping up of the front leaver shock absorbers  Oil changes were on the total loss principal with a strong dose of what I recall was called 'oil saver'. It lasted her a few months and only broke one half shaft. Amazingly she got a speeding ticket driving it. Sold it to two Irishmen for £38. They were highly impressed with the bouncy ride.

Those front shocks were carried on for a long time to many of the BMC range, can't remember any that didn't leak.   A70 probably a Hereford, quite powerful in it's day.

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4 hours ago, bizzard said:

Those front shocks were carried on for a long time to many of the BMC range, can't remember any that didn't leak.   A70 probably a Hereford, quite powerful in it's day.

 I would have said "very powerful" My friend had an Austin A70, I can remember him driving out of London on the A40 and clocking over 80MPH going down the incline through Hanger Lane Underpass. That was before the National Speed limit!!

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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5 hours ago, Athy said:

Omissions'R'Us!

Those were examples and weren't meant to be an exhustive list.

Non - BMC makes such as Humbers and what my Dad used to call Armstrong-Diddlies were also, I think, built in the city. A few years ago Mrs. Athy and i, while moored at Sutton's, took a 'bus into Coventry and went round the transport museum in the city centre. I think it contained examples of all those makes and more, and bikes too.

 

You do know there is a canal that leads conveniently into Coventry Athy 😂? The transport museums good, the Cathedrals are too, especially poignant in some ways given the Ukraine war. 

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No ones mentioned a Bond Bug,my mad Scottish cousin had one of these ,and he claimed if it was on three wheels he was going too slow.........If you want to be really scared ,take a ride as a passenger in a Bond Bug over one of the high  bridges on a windy day.

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3 hours ago, john.k said:

No ones mentioned a Bond Bug,my mad Scottish cousin had one of these ,and he claimed if it was on three wheels he was going too slow.........If you want to be really scared ,take a ride as a passenger in a Bond Bug over one of the high  bridges on a windy day.

 

Aren't they a Reliant Robin in a pretty dress? 

 

Robins were always pretty quick vehicles having an 803cc OHV engine similar to the A30 IIRC, but in a bodyshell half the weight.

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4 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Aren't they a Reliant Robin in a pretty dress? 

 

 

Any colour dress you like as long as it was orange.

I used to see them around quite a bit but haven't spotted one for ages, suggesting that all their owners drove them into walls years ago.

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1 hour ago, Athy said:

Any colour dress you like as long as it was orange.

I used to see them around quite a bit but haven't spotted one for ages, suggesting that all their owners drove them into walls years ago.

 

This one sold for £11,750  last August.

 

https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1972-bond-bug-700es-OnYBK4

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Good grief you lot are soo old....

 

What's an A40? Other than a dual carriageway near Oxford 

 

As a teenager I had to keep my mums dilapidated minis going between mots. One of these included a lovely Riley elf , which being a positive earth was a rot box. 

Since most of these had tired engines and or gearboxes we invariably added a tin of STP at each oil change. Which was alleged to contain molybdenum. This was supposed to quieten down the whines and rattles.... 

 

Hmm wonder if it would work on our absent friend....

 

 

Edited by jonathanA
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21 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

we invariably added a tin of STP at each oil change. Which was alleged to contain molybdenum. This was supposed to quieten down the whines and rattles.... 

 

Added it to the engine, or to your mum?

 

 

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50 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

Good grief you lot are soo old....

 

What's an A40? Other than a dual carriageway near Oxford 

 

As a teenager I had to keep my mums dilapidated minis going between mots. One of these included a lovely Riley elf , which being a positive earth was a rot box. 

Since most of these had tired engines and or gearboxes we invariably added a tin of STP at each oil change. Which was alleged to contain molybdenum. This was supposed to quieten down the whines and rattles.... 

 

Hmm wonder if it would work on our absent friend....

 

 

Ahh, now the A40 was more than one beast, the earlier ones such as The  Dorset or Somerset were completely different to the hatch back, later, Farina bodied variants 🤪

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58 minutes ago, jonathanA said:

Good grief you lot are soo old....

 

What's an A40? Other than a dual carriageway near Oxford 

 

As a teenager I had to keep my mums dilapidated minis going between mots. One of these included a lovely Riley elf , which being a positive earth was a rot box. 

Since most of these had tired engines and or gearboxes we invariably added a tin of STP at each oil change. Which was alleged to contain molybdenum. This was supposed to quieten down the whines and rattles.... 

 

Hmm wonder if it would work on our absent friend....

 

 

 

My first car was a 1965 Riley Elf.

 

Brilliant little car. Very reliable considering the punishment it took from me.

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3 hours ago, jonathanA said:

Good grief you lot are soo old....

 

What's an A40? Other than a dual carriageway near Oxford 

 

As a teenager I had to keep my mums dilapidated minis going between mots. One of these included a lovely Riley elf , which being a positive earth was a rot box. 

Since most of these had tired engines and or gearboxes we invariably added a tin of STP at each oil change. Which was alleged to contain molybdenum. This was supposed to quieten down the whines and rattles.... 

 

Hmm wonder if it would work on our absent friend....

 

 

 

Austin A40 Devon

image.png.cfefac74a54adc1c774d715924a86301.png

 

 

Austin A40 Somerset

image.png.f65196733b9d6d3e89112c35f052ee48.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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Okay, now this has turned into great old car pictures, Ill add one of mine. 

 

My Father built this 'Fairthorpe' and using a Triumph Herald engine.  The black and white image shows it in build and I remember 'helping' and the smell of glass fibre and glue takes me right back!  The rather tatty picture shows the completed car, dated sometime in 1962. 

 

IMG_5929.JPG.a048df5844e25ee3eefd17d295668785.JPG

 

IMG_5930.JPG.67c7d7339db4684d762a2948d2fe06ae.JPG

 

 

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1 hour ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Austin A40 Somerset

image.png.cfefac74a54adc1c774d715924a86301.png

 

 

Austin A40 Devon

image.png.f65196733b9d6d3e89112c35f052ee48.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you have these around the wrong way David. The top pic is the Deon and bottom the Somerset.

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59 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

 

Then there was this one - 1951 Austin  A40 Devon with a body designed and built by Jenson

 

image.png.1ab2a06ce11077e9b3c7335e364acc59.png

I love this and the colour!  I also remember being with my Father and seeing the 'Jensen Interceptor'  in a showroom in London, we pressed our noses to the plate glass windows for nearly half an hour, what a fantastic name for a car!  Never forgotten it. 

 

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1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Ahh, now the A40 was more than one beast, the earlier ones such as The  Dorset or Somerset were completely different to the hatch back, later, Farina bodied variants 🤪

But they still had the same design of front shocks.

Sa me as my first car. A 1936 Fraud 8 Y Type which I had given to me.

OIP.cpVxGleqsPDlcE1HRu7MMwAAAA.jpg

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12 minutes ago, bizzard said:

But they still had the same design of front shocks.

Sa me as my first car. A 1936 Fraud 8 Y Type which I had given to me.

OIP.cpVxGleqsPDlcE1HRu7MMwAAAA.jpg

Lubbly jubbly. I had a 1946 Morris 8 series e that I used to go to work in for a laugh for a couple of years. Our oldest car which is still with a friend in Bristol, was a 1928 Standard 12, pre flying variant.

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