A line of redundant Class 76s is seen in the shed yard at Reddish in August 1981. The view was taken from the nearby Station Road overbridge on the Gorton to Trafford Park freight line (the 'Fallowfield Loop'). The dumped bodyshell of 76043 lies in the undergrowth in the foreground - this was later re-united with its chassis for the final trip to the breaker's yard.

An improved scan of an image previously uploaded.

EUROPE: Designed to meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15227, Bombardier’s Talent 2 is the latest entrant in the competitive European market for regional EMUs. Dr Harry Hondius reports.

Formally unveiled at the InnoTrans 2008 fair in Berlin last September, Bombardier’s Talent 2 EMU is currently undergoing commissioning and acceptance trials before entering service with DB Regio in Germany.

Talent 2 is the latest in a series of new regional and suburban trainsets designed to meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15227. As such, it forms part of the second generation of EMUs to be designed by the manufacturers rather than the railway operators themselves. Talent 2’s main competitors are Alstom’s Coradia Continental, Siemens’ Desiro ML and Stadler’s Flirt designs.

Talent 2 has a strong heritage. The Talent 1 DMU was developed by Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen, just before Bombardier purchased the company in 1995. Unveiled in the spring of 1996, the regional diesel train was a completely new and striking design. Talent 1 proved very successful, with 223 diesel-mechanical and 63 diesel-electric sets built. In addition, 198 ‘Elektro Talent’ EMUs were built with Elin in Austria, of which 20 were for use in Hungary, making 484 trains in all.

Bombardier’s NINA EMUs for BLS have many similarities with Talent 1, including the Flex-Compact bogies, albeit with electrical equipment from Alstom; this family comprises 37 RABe525 S-Bahn sets and 13 RABe535 regional sets for the Lötschberg route. In Scandinavia Bombardier has delivered 90 Regina wide-bodied EMUs to Swedish operators. The company’s biggest success came in France, where 698 AGCs have been ordered along with 172 Spacium wide-bodied suburban EMUs for the Paris region. These two designs also use bogies from the Flex-Compact (formerly Wegmann) platform.

So why, with so many trains in production, has Bombardier developed another new design? Changing demands from operators and leasing companies and the new crashworthiness norms are the main reasons, along with the desire for greater flexibility to meet differing customer requirements over the lifetime of the train, especially regarding the number of doors and the entrance height.

Crashworthiness norms

From August 1 2008 any new rolling stock designs in the European Union must meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15277. These demand a survival space for the driver, and the train must remain structurally intact, safeguarding the passengers, in three specific scenarios:

* in a collision between two similar trains at 36 km/h,

* in a collision with a 90-tonne freight wagon at 36 km/h,

* in a collision on a level crossing with a 15 tonne lorry at 110 km/h.

Although the rules came into force in August there is provision for local safety authorities to allow a four-year transition period. So far the Dutch have taken the lead in demanding full application, with the latest Sprinter EMUs (RG 3.08 p180), 82 out of 437 GTW trainsets and the Protos EMUs all compliant. Alstom’s Coradia Nordic was also built to meet the crashworthiness criteria from its inception, but so far the Coradia Continental sets for DB do not (RG 5.08 p321). Whilst the ET 422 S-Bahn units are compliant, DB placed framework contracts in July 2008 for 120 Coradia Lint, 60 RegioShuttle and 60 Desiro Classic DMUs, which do not meet EN 15227; these will be ordered as and when DB Regio AG wins regional operating concessions.

Bombardier’s AGC and Spacium designs, as well as the Desiro ML from Siemens do meet the EN 15227 requirements. The NINA does not, nor do the 614 Flirts from Stadler, although a crashworthy Flirt variant has been prepared for future orders.

Among the second-generation competitors, Alstom has won orders for 150 Coradia Lirex Nordic and 141 Coradia Lirex Continental units, Siemens is supplying 17 Desiro Main Line EMUs in Germany and 305 for Belgium, and Stadler has 186 German orders out of 614 Flirts in total.

Framework contract

In February 2007 DB AG signed a framework agreement with Bombardier for Talent 2, providing for up to 321 trainsets to be supplied between May 2009 and December 31 2014. These will be converted to firm orders as and when DB wins regional or S-Bahn concessions which require new electric trainsets.

So far, firm orders have been placed for 76 sets:

* S-Bahn Nürnberg: 42 four-car sets of Class ET 442;

* Moselbahn, Koblenz – Trier/Perl: eight four-car and five two-car units;

* Cottbus – Leipzig: three four-car and three two-car units;

* Rhein-Sieg regional express, Aachen – Köln – Siegen: three three-car, 10 four-car and two five-car units.

This last order was valued at €60m, which equates to just €19 000/m²; this is a very competitive price indeed.

All-steel bodyshell

Developed in Hennigsdorf, Talent 2 is planned as a platform offering trainsets of two to six cars, varying from 40 m to 104 m in length (Fig 2). It is an all-steel welded car, with the bodies fabricated at Ceska Lipa. The principal concept behind Talent 2 is to offer the greatest operational flexibility terms of seating arrangements, toilets and door positions. The window panels have the same dimensions as the door panels, so that doorways can be added, or even removed, at a later date.

The end cars have entrances at 800 mm above rail. The floor height in the intermediate cars can vary depending on customer requirements. The option selected for the Nürnberg units was shown at InnoTrans: a small ramp links the floor at 695 mm above rail with the entrances at 773 mm. A Bode sliding step at 573 mm (Fig 3 left) serves 550 mm high platforms. An alternative arrangement (Fig 3 right) would have a ramp down from the 695 mm floor to a doorway at 598 mm, still only 50 mm higher than a 550 mm platform and a sliding step at 360 mm for lower platform heights.

To meet EN 15227, the end cars have hydraulic energy absorbers at two levels, in addition to the energy absorption qualities of the automatic Voith Scharfenberg coupler. A steel cage around the cab provides the survival space for the driver, enclosed by a GRP nose from Stratiform. Reinforcement of the articulations prevents damaging energy levels being transmitted to the inner coaches. The Hübner corrugated gangways provide an inter-car walkway 732 mm wide.

Talent 2 also runs on bogies from the Flex-Compact family like those used on AGC or Spacium which have H-frames with a degree of in-built flexibility. The primary suspension and axle guidance acts as a linkage to the axle boxes, connected to the frame via rubber bushes on the inner side and via steel primary springs with a vertical shock absorber on the outer side. Secondary suspension is by air springs, with rubber/metallic auxiliary springs on each side complemented by a vertical shock absorber, and two torsion anti-roll stabilizers, two yaw dampers and one horizontal damper. A central connection transmits traction and braking forces. Knorr electro-pneumatic wheel brakes act on 10 wheels, and spring-loaded parking brakes are applied to 12 wheels. One of the end bogies is equipped with electromagnetic track brakes and both end bogies have Delemon flange lubrication equipment.

A single pantograph feeds the electrical equipment which was designed at Västerås. Skoda asynchronous four-pole forced ventilated motors drive the two end bogies and the central articulation bogie. They have a maximum power of 505 kW and a continuous rating of 380 kW, with a maximum speed of 5 614 rev/min. The motors are fully suspended, and drive through a toothed coupling and 1:5·05 single-reduction Watteeuw gears which are suspended from the frame on one side and rest on the axle. Two-stage gearing is provided for the powered articulation bogie because of the limited space.

All of the equipment is mounted on the roof with the exception of the two transformers and the 110 V, 105 Ah batteries, which are slung under the floors of the end cars. The two transformers deliver 6 x 428 kVA. Each motored bogie has its own inverter, of which two include auxiliary inverters. A separate 500 W inverter feeds the 24 V DC circuit.

To meet DB Regio’s design requirements, the trains are fitted with Kiel’s Match type seats. The single-glazed windows come from Securit in Poland. Bode has also supplied the electrically operating sliding-plug doors. Because of EBA’s latest safety requirements, the closing of the doors is monitored by optical sensors in two dimensions and the doors are fitted with highly-sensitive rubber edging strips incorporating Mayser electronic sensors. The fully-accessible toilet compartment has a shell from Bahrain and fittings from Denmark.

Air-conditioning is provided on all vehicles. Each unit is rated at 2 900 m³/h when air is being recirculated, or 1 900 m³/h with fresh air. The end cars have provision for 31·75 kW of heating, compared with 33·4 kW for the intermediate vehicles, cooling rate for all cars is 27 kW. Warm air is fed into the saloons from below, cool air from the roof. The driving cabs are equipped with separate air-conditioning units, rated at 5·4 kW heating and 4·5 kW cooling. These can recirculate at 550 m³/h or add fresh air at 400m³/h. Overall train design is by Michel Sohn at Hennigsdorf.

A versatile family

Although we have not yet had the opportunity to sample the riding qualities of Talent 2, Bombardier seems to have made a serious effort to develop a largely-standardised steel-bodied trainset with the flexibility to deliver a variety of functional interior layouts without incurring heavy engineering costs. As well as the established Flex-Compact bogies, Talent 2 uses several elements that are well-proven in other DB series. The cab layout, for example, is identical to that of the Class ET 422 units.

In the private operator market, the closest competitor to Talent 2 is the Flirt, which does not yet meet EN 15227, is 1·8 m shorter, and carries 51 fewer passengers. The Flirt has 5·2% less power, and only four driven axles, but is 8·6% lighter.

This text is from railway gazette

VNC-1 (93-KE-1919)

Volvo B6BLE / Northern Counties Paladin.

Resin body shell and 'concocted' interior

Notes:Mirror Image Models NCME Paladin bodyshell, rebuilt front details, considerably modified rear profile and second door added. Interior constructed from EFE Wright interior cut up and mounted on scratch built floor and chassis cut to length. Additional details are MIM etched wipers, mirrors and window frames. Transfers are all home produced.

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 130.000 - 180.000

Sold for € 143.750

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2018

- Delivered new to Germany

- Early short-wheelbase car

- One of the first 911S models

- One of only 523 produced

- Matching chassis, engine, and transmission numbers

Now well into its sixth decade of production, the Porsche 911 defines its maker in way that few cars have: think 'Porsche' and you inevitably think '911'. Porsche's long-running and much loved sports car first appeared at the Frankfurt Show in September 1963, with deliveries commencing in 1964. The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.

The first of countless upgrades to the perennial 911 came in 1966, two years after production had commenced, with the introduction of the 911S. Easily distinguishable by its stylish Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels, the 'S' featured a heavily revised engine producing 160 bhp, and was capable of a top speed of 225 km/h.

The Porsche 911S offered here, chassis number '307205S', is one of the early, short-wheelbase type much favoured by the historic rallying fraternity, a situation that has led to unmodified examples such as this one becoming a great rarity and consequently much in demand. Noteworthy features include the dashboard instruments with green figures (correct for the 1965-1967 model years), and the very rare and expensive, Fuchs deep-dished five-spoke alloy wheels.

This car was delivered new via the Volkswagen and Porsche dealer Rittersbacher of Kaiserslautern, Germany on 24th February 1967, and was registered on 1st July of that year to its first owner, Wilfried Holzenthal of Weidenhahn, Germany (delivery certificate available). History relating to its time with three further collector owners (2001-2011) is available also.

The current owner purchased the Porsche in 2011, at which time it was still in its original and rare Sand Beige colour (albeit an older repaint) and otherwise was un-restored and original. A Technical Inspection was carried out in May 2012 by TüV Rhineland (Classic Data report available) and later that year the car was extensively refurbished by one of Germany's most respected restorers, Thomas Grohmann of Classic Car Workshop in Pruem. As well as routine servicing, these works included renewing all the body's rubber seals; re-upholstering the seats in black leather and fitting new carpets; re-plating the brightwork; replacing the brake hoses; overhauling the carburettors; clear re-waxing the under-body; and fitting a new silencer and a new battery. The engine and gearbox are described as in top condition, and the car comes with cancelled German Fahrzeugbrief and fresh TüV valid until January 2020. All invoices are available. A wonderful opportunity to acquire a stunning and very rare early 911S with the desirable short wheelbase.

Coachwork by Henri Chapron

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Estimated : € 240.000 - 320.000

Sold for € 425.500

Zoute Grand Prix 2018

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2018

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering.

The project had been initiated in the 1930s by the company's managing director, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, and would be brought to fruition by designers Andre Lefebvre, previously with Voisin and Renault, and Flaminio Bertoni, who had worked on the styling of the pre-war Traction Avant. Part of Boulanger's brief had been that the proposed 'VGD' (Voiture de Grand Diffusion or Mass Market Car) should be capable of affording a comfortable ride over sub-standard rural roads while remaining stable at sustained high speeds on the Autoroutes. The solution to these seemingly incompatible requirements was the famous hydro-pneumatic suspension, suggested by Citroën engineer Paul Mages. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in present-day top-of-the-range models.

In September 1965 the DS's original 1,911cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine – inherited from the Traction Avant - was replaced by a short-stroke 1,985cc unit, also available in 2,175cc and 2,347cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection and a five-speed gearbox. Other models offered alongside the original DS were the ID (a simplified, cheaper version), the cavernous Safari estate and the two-door Décapotable (convertible), the latter boasting coachwork by Henri Chapron. Chapron's first convertibles had been produced independently of Citroën but the factory eventually gave the project its blessing. Citroën's own Décapotables were built on the longer, stronger chassis of the ID Break (Estate) but the model was never produced in England, where Citroën's right-hand drive cars were assembled at its Slough factory up to 1966. In total, 1,365 usine (factory) convertibles were made with either the DS19 or DS21 engine between 1960 and 1971, while Chapron built a further 389 of his own, the last in 1973.

The beautiful Citroën convertible offered here is the first of three DS23 IE cars built by the Chapron factory for 1973, and one of only four such examples with the 2.3-litre IE (fuel injected) engine. It was originally ordered by eminent Parisian Raoul d'Iray in October 1972 through the Citroën dealership in Paris 18th, 6 rue d'Oran. Carrying the Chapron build number '9414', this exceedingly rare car was finished in December 1972 and first registered in March 1973 under the Parisian number '3304 ZB 75' to Mr Raoul d'Iray, 148 Avenue Louis Roche, Gennevilliers/Seine, France.

At that time, Henri Chapron's cars were no longer sold through the Citroën dealer network, and every car that Chapron transformed had to be approved by the French licensing authority (the 'Service des Mines') before it could be registered. These papers accompany the car. The DS remained in Raoul d'Iray's ownership for a decade. It then passed to a Mr Van Houten, remaining with him for a further decade before passing to Mr Jaap Knap, a Citroën dealer.

Last publicly offered for sale in 2006 at Rétromobile, this rare Citroën DS23 IE Décapotable was purchased by the car collector and hugely successful fashion entrepreneur, Mr Kevin Stanford, who registered it in the UK with his personal registration plate, '56 KS'.

For the next 12 years the car was enjoyed by Mr Stanford and his family before being purchased by a UK car collector. Since then it has received a detailed mechanical overhaul at the hands of the widely respected UK-based Citroën specialist, Olivier Houiller of French Classics Ltd. Recent receipts totalling over £15,000 accompany the car, as does the extensive Chapron build documentation that was provided by Noëlle-Eleonore Chapron, Henri Chapron's daughter.

This magnificent and very rare piece of French motoring history is 'on the button' and ready to be enjoyed. An eye-catcher at any gathering, it comes with the aforementioned documentation and is currently registered in the UK.

In 1970 Ford Australia hand built two Super Falcons , at a cost of about $125,000 each , as a response to Norm Beechey's Monaro . They wanted to compete against it in a locally built car .

It was powered by a NASCAR 351 ci V8 with Lucas fuel injection producing 600bhp. and had a lightweight bodyshell , the overall weight of the vehicle being 1185 kg compared with the GT HO Ph III 1500kg.

They were quite unreliable and although they practised both the Super Falcon and their respective Mustangs Geoghegan and Moffat usually elected to race the still faster and more reliable Mustang , however at the 1972 Easter Bathurst meet Geoghegans Super Falcon beat Moffats Mustang by 6/10ths of a second with the lead changing 6 times in 13 laps !

For 1961, Mercury underwent a major transformation of its model line. In a transition from 1957 to 1960, Mercury again shared a bodyshell with a divisional counterpart, shifting from Edsel to Ford, with the Monterey becoming the equivalent of the Ford Galaxie. The Montclair and Park Lane were discontinued, shifting the Monterey from the base-trim Mercury sedan to its flagship, slotted above the newly introduced Mercury Meteor (as with the Comet, intended as an Edsel before the discontinuation of the division). One of the first examples of downsizing, by adopting a common chassis and body with Ford, the Monterey lost six inches of wheelbase, nearly two inches of width, and over 4 inches of length; dependent on powertrain, the 1961 Monterey shed over 300 pounds of curb weight. At 120 inches, the Monterey was given a 1-inch longer wheelbase than the Galaxie.

The Monterey was offered in four bodystyles, including two and four-door hardtops, a four-door sedan, and a two-door convertible. Sharing its roofline with the Galaxie (except for the Starliner fastback), the Monterey differed primarily by its grille; in place of two large taillamps, Mercury used six small taillamps. While slightly more adorned than its Galaxie counterpart, the Monterey continued to adopt more subdued styling, shifting chrome trim nearly entirely to the front and rear fascias and the roofline.

Shared with the Ford Galaxie, the Monterey again received the 292 cubic-inch Y-block V8 (175 hp), with the option of 352 and 390 cubic-inch FE V8s (220 hp and 300/330 hp, respectively). As before, 3-speed manual and 3-speed automatics were offered, with a 4-speed manual becoming an option.

The GT 1300 Junior Zagato was a limited production two seater coupe with aerodynamic bodywork by Zagato (Ercole Spada) of Milan. The model evoked the earlier, race-oriented Giulietta Sprint Zagatos which featured aluminium bodywork and had a very active competition history. However, the Junior Zagato featured a steel bodyshell with an aluminium bonnet and aluminium doorskins (on the earlier 1300 JZ's). The 1300 JZ was not specifically intended for racing and did not see much use in competition. The 1300 JZ was first seen in public at the Turin Motor Show of 1969. In total 1,108 units were constructed of which 2 were destroyed during production because the bodyshells were not within specification. The 1300 was based on the floorpan, driveline and suspension of the 1300 Spider. However, the floorpan was shortened behind the rear wheels to fit the bodyshell. The last 1300 Junior Zagato was produced in 1972 although in 1974 2 more cars were built according to the records.

In 1972 the 1600 Zagato came out of which 402 units were produced. In this case the floorpan was unaltered from the 1600 Spider, so that the normal fueltank could be left in place. As a consequence, the 1600 Zagato is approximately 100 mm (3.9 in) longer than the 1300 JZ. This can be seen at the back were the sloping roofline runs further back and the backpanel is different and lower. The lower part of the rear bumper features a bulge to make room for the spare tire. The 1600 Zagato has numerous differences when compared to the 1300 Junior Zagato. If you ever see two side by side, have a look at the details. The last 1600 Zagato was produced in 1973 and the cars were sold until 1975.

(Wikipedia)

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. Officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 it was an all-new redesign of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model ranges were sold concurrently until the Series III was discontinued in 1992. The XJ40 used the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement, and featured a number of technological enhancements (such as electronic instrumentation)

Development:

Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40", which was an all-new model intended to replace the original XJ6. Scale models were being built as early as 1972. Due to the 1973 oil crisis and problems at parent company British Leyland, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from both Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production and, in February 1981, the British Leyland board approved £80 million to produce the new car.

Jaguar historians claim that the XJ40 was the last car which company founder Sir William Lyons had contributed to during its protracted development phase. The previous generation XJ had been the final Jaguar to be developed wholly under Lyons' leadership - although he continued to take an active consultative role within Jaguar design, long after had retired from the day to day management of the firm following its merger in 1966 with the British Motor Corporation.

During development, the XJ40 pioneered significant improvements to the way Jaguar designed, built, and assembled cars. Among these improvements was a 25 per cent reduction in the number of bodywork panels required per car (e.g. three pressings needed for a Series 3 door compared with one for a XJ40 door), resulting in not only a more efficient assembly process, but also a weight saving and a stiffer structure. Greater attention to panel gaps improved the drag factor (reduced from 0.849 Cd to 0.762 Cd), while also improving the fuel economy and lowering wind noise inside the cabin.

Mechanicals:

AJ6 4.0 L engine (in a 1990 Daimler)

Initially, only two engines were offered across the XJ40 models: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L version of the AJ6 inline-six. In 1990, these were changed to 3.2 L and 4.0 L versions. In 1993, the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six (both equipped with the Jaguar V12 engine) were added to the available models.

During the development of the XJ40, British Leyland had considered providing the Rover V8 engine for the car, which would have eliminated the need for future Jaguar engine production. The XJ40 bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent fitting V-configuration engines such as the Rover V8; this delayed the introduction of the V12-powered XJ12 until 1993.

The automatic gearbox used in the 2.9 L, 3.2 L and 3.6 L six-cylinder cars was the four-speed ZF 4HP22. On the 4.0 L, the four-speed ZF 4HP24 was used. A stronger automatic gearbox was required for the V12-equipped cars, and the four-speed GM 4L80-E was selected. The manual gearbox fitted to early cars was the five-speed Getrag 265, while later cars received the Getrag 290.

The automatic transmission selector was redesigned to allow the manual selection of forward gears without accidentally selecting neutral or reverse. This new feature was dubbed the "J-Gate" and has carried over to more recent Jaguar models.

Exterior:

The curvaceous lines of the outgoing Series XJ were replaced by the more angular, geometric shape of the XJ40. The nose of the car would accommodate either matched pairs of round headlights, or rectangular single units; the latter were fitted to the higher-specification Sovereign and Daimler trim levels, and also to all cars for the US market.

The bumper is a visually distinct black-rubber-covered bar that runs the full width of the car and incorporates the sidelights and indicator lights. The bonnet is hinged at the front. Window frames are either chromed or black, depending on model. Rain gutters, door mirrors, and door handles are also finished in chrome. All XJ40s have a chrome surround for the windscreen and a single windscreen wiper.

Early low-specification cars were fitted with metric-sized steel wheels and plastic wheelcovers. From 1991, the wheels were changed to non-metric sizing.

[Text from Wikipedia]

This Lego miniland-scale 1986 Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts 85th Build Challenge, - "Like, Totally 80s", - for vehicles created during the decade of the 1980s.

Ford Escort (5th Gen) LX Estate (1990-97) Engine 1800cc S4 Diesel

Registration Number M 195 UCP

FORD (UK) SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181...

The Escort Mark V Hatch and Estate and sibling the Ford Orion Mark III Saloon arrived in September 1990 with an all-new bodyshell and a simplified torsion beam rear suspension. Initially the 1.3 L HCS, 1.4 L and 1.6 L CVH petrol and 1.8 L diesel units carried over from the earlier models. The new car was not well received by the Motoring Press critised for its mediocre handling and poor refinement.

In early 1992, an all new Zetec 16-valve engine was launched bringing improved driveability, while also marking the return of the XR3i Specifications were improved and the Escort was now available with items such as power steering, electric windows, central locking, electronic antilock brakes, and air conditioning..

Stung by the critiscm of the original Mk.V Ford facelifted the Escort and Orion in September 1992, giving the revised cars a new grille, bonnet and, in the Escort hatchback's case, a new rear end. A new 1.6 L 16-valve 90 bhp (66 kW) Zetec engine was introduced, replacing the previous CVH. Fuel injection was now standard on all petrol models, Also new for 1993 were 1.3 L and 1.4 L CFi petrol engines and 1.8 L diesel engines. Ford introduced a four-wheel-drive variant of the RS2000, offering much improved handling over its front-wheel-drive cousins. A first for the Escort also saw the introduction of all disc brakes on all four wheels as standard on all RS2000 and XR3i models.

The crash structure was also improved, featuring side impact bars, a reinforced safety cage, improved crumple zones, front seat-belt pretensioners and airbags..

In September 1993, the Orion name was dropped, with the saloon taking on the Escort badge. The XR3i was discontinued a few months later.

Many Thanks for a fan'dabi'dozi 27,096,500 views

Shot 25:07:2014 at Tesco Superstore, Shirley REF: 102-1123

Morris Six MS (1949-54) Engine 2215cc S6 OC Production 12,400

Registration Number JWV 833 (Wiltshire)

MORRIS ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157623690377489/

Announced in a major press release by Morris Motors, on 26th October 1948, along with the Morris Minor, MO Series Morris Oxford and its sister car the Wolseley 4-50, the Morris Six was Morris' first Post War six cylinder car, all of the new range were of integral construction of chassis and body and rode on independent front suspension with torsion bars. At launch the car was priced at £607 (including tax) on the UK market though the price went to £671 on 1 March 1949. Its engine rated under the old system, which was dropped that year, at just over 20hp and with a clear external likeness to its pre-war 25hp predecessor the car was also very similar to the Issigonis designed Morris Oxford MO sharing the Oxford's bodyshell from the scuttle backwards, and his Minor MM. The bonnet was longer than the Oxford's to take the overhead camshaft, single SU carburettor, 2215 cc six-cylinder engine which produced 70 bhp. The whole car was longer than the Oxford with a wheelbase of 110 inches against the Oxford's 97 inches. Suspension was independent at the front using torsion bars and at the rear there was a conventional live axle and semi elliptic springs. The steering was not by the rack and pinion method fitted to the Oxford but used a lower geared Bishop Cam system. The 10 inches (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. Production was delayed until March 1949 because of difficulties with metal fatigue in the bulkhead or scuttle's link to the front suspension. Suspension was independent at the front using torsion bars and at the rear there was a conventional live axle and semi elliptic springs. The steering was not by the rack and pinion method fitted to the Oxford but used a lower geared Bishop Cam system. The 10 inches (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system. Aside from the grille and identification marks the whole car was shared with Nuffield Organisation more luxuriously finished stable-mate Wolseley as the 6/80.

Diolch am 97,485,337 o olygiadau gwych, mae pob un ohonynt yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 97,485,337 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 21.08.2022, at Lupin Farm, Kings Bromley, Staffordshire REF 163-243

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Estimated : € 260.000 - 300.000

Zoute Grand Prix 2017

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2017

Porsche's first take on a convertible 911 had been the Targa model of 1965, a 'halfway house' design chosen because of fears that a genuine soft-top would not meet US Federal safety regulations, but by 1981 the company felt able to proceed with the genuine article. Introduced in normally aspirated 3.0-litre form in 1982, the 911 Cabriolet lost little, if any, rigidity with the deletion of the Targa roll-over bar, while its speedily raised/lowered top featured a detachable, zip-fastened rear window. The 911 Cabriolet proved a hit from the moment of its debut at the Geneva Salon in March 1982 and by the end of the 1983 model year had sold over 4,000 units, a total some 50% higher than that achieved by the cheaper Targa version.

Completing the soft-top 911 line-up was the Speedster, which revived a charismatic model from Porsche's past when it arrived for 1989, the name previously having been applied to that most stylish of the many Type 356 variants. Based on the 911 Turbo Cabriolet, though normally aspirated, the 3.2-litre Speedster was launched immediately prior to the introduction of the new Type 964 bodyshell and thus was the last 911 model to feature the old-style body based on the original design of 1963.

The latter was reworked by chief stylist Tony Lapine, incorporating numerous references to the original 356 Speedster as well as a pair of controversial 'camel hump' cowlings behind the seats that concealed the stowed-away manual hood, a simplified affair described by the factory as for 'temporary' use. From 1984 Porsche offered the 'Turbo Look' body style - flared wheelarches, large rear wing and deeper front spoiler - on its normally aspirated models including the Speedster, the vast majority of which were ordered with this option. One of the rarest of the 911 family, the Speedster was built for the 1989 season only, a mere 2,065 cars being completed.

The Speedster was collected from the factory in August 1989 and shipped to the USA where it was registered in the Porsche Berkey dealership's name. However, first owner Heinrichs did not drive the car, which had covered only 60 miles by 2008 when he sold it. In 2008 this little-used Speedster returned to Europe and was bought by a Switzerland-resident French citizen, who kept the car (French registered) in Paris. ON the Porsche's return to Europe the speedometer was changed from miles to kilometres per hour by an official Porsche dealership. Of course, the original mph odometer has remained with the car as a proof of its ultra-low mileage. At the same time the Speedster was brought up to European specification (the third stoplight and US rear bumper come with the car).

Its owner registered the Porsche in 2008 and it is only then that the mileage started to increase, albeit slowly, from 800 kilometres in 2008 to 1,600 now. Although only driven infrequently, the car has been serviced on a regular basis:

The second Class 91 to return to service; a sparkling, recently ex-works 91111 'For the Fallen' ducks under Askham Tunnel, leading today's Neville Hill to Peterborough test run, running as 5Z20. Due to the recent discovery of cracking in the bodyshells of the IET fleet, the plans to re-introduce IC225 sets to the ECML have been accelerated; one diagram has already been given over to Class 91 power, with 91111 + Mk4 set NL13 likely to begin a second diagram later this week. I'm going to have a 'cracking' time photographing these!!!

Of note is that 91111 and set are in reverse formation, presumably they will be turned before re-entering traffic.

Three stages in the development of my resin Movano bodyshells. The grey one is the original metal master modified from the ambulance kit, from which a mould was made. In the centre is one of the resin castings as it came out of the mould and before any cleaning up, and on the right is the finished product. All of the initial batch of 15 have already been sold but I am taking names for a second run - these are only suitable for experienced modellers though as they are supplied as bodyshells only and it is the buyer's responsibility to provide their own running gear, interior and glazing.

Collection d'un amateur d'automobiles Anglaises

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

Estimated : € 15.000 - 20.000

Sold for € 10.350

To many - its designer Alec Issigonis included - the notion that the Mini might have a future as anything other than basic transport was anathema, and the idea of a high-performance version was laughable. One man, though, saw it quite differently. Racing car manufacturer John Cooper already knew a lot about tuning BMC's A-Series engine, and a test drive in a prototype Mini convinced him of the car's competition potential. The result, launched in September 1961, was the Mini Cooper, a car that offered a size/price/performance package that was nothing short of miraculous. Enlarged to 997cc and suitably tweaked, the revised A-Series engine easily met its 55bhp target. The extra power endowed the Mini Cooper with an 85mph-plus top speed, and to cope with this increased performance Lockheed developed special 7"-diameter disc brakes for the front wheels. The new car soon established its credentials as a rally and race winner, and the stage was set for even faster versions.

According to the vendor, this is a completely rust-free car retaining its original bodyshell and engine. Featuring the 998cc engine first introduced in 1964, this Mini was first registered in 1969 and was bought by the present owner in 1998. A 'last nut and bolt' restoration was then commenced that would take two years to complete. Since the restoration's completion, the Mini has covered approximately 2,000 kilometres and has been regularly serviced and maintained. Described by the vendor as in very good condition, the car is offered with Greek registration papers.

Some model manufacturers opt for one-piece body castings incorporating bumpers, particularly on more recent subjects with moulded plastic items. To enable more variants using the same basic bodyshell, Corgi have kept the bumpers separate.

56086 is stabled at Shirebrook on a Saturday afternoon, 20th June 1981.

Locomotive History

56086 was built at Doncaster works and entered traffic in December 1980. After eighteen years service it was stored in August 1999 at Immingham where it would spend the next eight years until it was sold for preservation in 2008 and moved to the Battlefield Line at Shackerstone where it was returned to traffic. However in July 2012, Europhoenix purchased 56086 from the Battlefield Line for use in Hungary but decided to strip the locomotive for spares instead and the bodyshell was broken up by EMR, Kingsbury in March 2013.

The CL Series Valiant was introduced in November 1976. Although it used the same bodyshell as the previous VK range, the front and rear ends were restyled. The front end used horizontally arrayed quad round headlamps flanking a central grille. The front guards and bonnet were also reworked accordingly. The new bootlid's curved leading edge flowed down to new taillights that sandwiched a simple centre garnish panel. The bumpers, however, were the same units as had been used on the 1969 VF series Valiants.

The 3.5 L (215 cu in) Hemi-6 and 5.9 L (360 cu in) V8 were dropped, and the only engine options were low- and high-compression versions of the 4.0 L (245 cu in) Hemi-6 and the 5.2 L (318 cu in) V8. The CL's introduction had closely coincided with that of the strict exhaust emission regulations contained in ADR 27A. With the 318 engine, a new emissions control system was introduced: Electronic Lean Burn.

Valiant and Regal sedans also benefited from the 1978 introduction of Radial Tuned Suspension in response to Holden's having marketed their suspension as particularly suited to radial tyres.

36,672 CL Valiants — including the last-ever Chargers — were built.

This Valiant wagon is created for the #mocaround49 challneg #vacationwagon

Ford Lotus Cortina Mk.1 (1963-66) Engine 1558cc S4 DOC Production 4012

Race Number 79 Mark Martin + a n other

FORD UK SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181...

The history of the Cortina Lotus began in 1961. Colin Chapman had been wishing to build his own engines for Lotus, mainly because the Coventry Climax unit was so expensive. Colin Chapman's chance came when he commissioned Harry Mundy (a close friend and designer of the Coventry Climax engine and technical editor for Autocar) to design a twin-cam version of the Ford Kent engine. Most of the development of the engine was done on the 997cc and 1,340cc bottom end, but in 1962 Ford released the 116E five bearing 1,499 cc engine and work centred on this. Keith Duckworth, from Cosworth, played an important part in tuning of the engine The engine's first appearance was in 1962 at the Nürburgring in a Lotus 23 driven by Jim Clark. Almost as soon as the engine appeared in production cars (Lotus Elan), it was replaced with a larger capacity unit of 1557cc

Whilst the engine was being developed, Walter Hayes (Ford) asked Colin Chapman if he would fit the engine to 1,000 Ford saloons for Group 2 homologation. The Type 28 or Lotus Cortina or Cortina Lotus (as Ford liked to call it) was duly launched. Ford supplied the 2-door Cortina bodyshells and took care of all the marketing and selling of the cars, whilst Lotus did all the mechanical and cosmetic changes. The major changes involved installing the 1,557 cc engine together with an Elan close ratio gearbox, he rear suspension was drastically altered and lightweight alloy panels were used for doors, bonnet and boot. Lightweight casings were fitted to gearbox and differential. All the Lotus factory cars were painted white with a green stripe (although Ford built some for racing in red, and one customer had a dark blue stripe due to being superstitious about green). The cars also received front quarter bumpers and round Lotus badges were fitted to rear wings and to the right side of the radiator grille.

Initially, the engines were built by J. A Prestwich of Tottenham and then Villiers of Wolverhampton. In 1966, Lotus moved to Hethel in Norwich where they had their own engine building facilities

To homologate the car for Group 2, 1000 were required to be built in 1963, and the car was duly homologated in September 1963. In the same month, in the car's first outing, in the Oulton Park Gold Cup, the car finished 3rd and 4th behind two Ford Galaxies, but beat the 3.8-litre Jaguars which had been dominant in saloon car racing for so long. Soon Ford were running cars in Britain, Europe, and the USA, with Team Lotus running cars in Britain for Ford, and Alan Mann Racing running cars in Europe, also on behalf of Ford. The Cortina Lotus was able to beat almost anything except the 7-litre V8 Ford Galaxies, and later, Ford Mustangs.

This car raced at Donington in the HRDC Celebration of the BTCC race for Touring Cars

A Big thankyou for an incredible 24 Million views

Shot 04:05:2014 at the Donington Historic Festival REF 102-148

Showing the uniquely Irish bodyshell, 5607 is a Mark 2 Electric Generating Vehicle. The Irish tend to have used separate engines for heating and lighting stock, avoiding many of the issues that arose when BR went to put ETH onto locomotives. It is seen in the formation of the 1335 Connolly - Sligo

Scanned from a print at 1200dpi

Formosa 120GR (1963 donor car) Engine 1147cc Triumph S4

Registration 56 SC

This is an interesting one, and one i had not seen before, although i had a long chat with the builder/owner of another example i saw over the 2026 Spring Bank Holiday (nice chap)

Formosa 120GR, inspired by the racing cars from the 1950's. this car is not a replica but captures the style of the era. The design does not replicate any particular marque or model, (although the badging on this one makes it look very much like a mid fifties Maserati sports/racer) therefore avoiding any copyright issues that some replicas have fallen foul of. The result is a stand alone classic looking 50's race car.

The Formosa was the brain child of hot rodder, Gary Jane, and resembled his earlier similar kit car the Sammio. The Formosa was begun under a different operation called Mid Century Re-Creations. The idea was for an enthusiast to find an old Triumph Herald or Vitesse, get rid of the bodyshell, add Gary Janes’ metal support perimeter frame (which was offered at a cost of c.£1000) and his one-piece bodyshell (plus boot, doors and flip-front) for c.£2900 and you had a period-looking two-seater that was IVA exempt and utilised an unmodified chassis.

There were two versions of the Formosa 120GR. The long nose is based on a Reliant Scimitar SE5/5A, and the Short Nose uses a Triumph Herald or Vitesse Chassis as a donor. Mid Century Recreations could supply more parts of the car, such as seats, dashboard, front bulkhead panels, wire wheels, windscreen and much more.

It certainly looks a barrel of fun, and those dusters speak volumes about the pride of ownership

Diolch am 98,892,241 o olygiadau gwych, mae pob un ohonynt yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 98,892,241 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 09.10.2022, at Bicester Heritage, Autumn Scramble, Bicester Aerodrome, Bicester, Oxon 166-260

Lotus Elite Type 75 (1974-80) Engine 1973cc S4 DOC Production 2398

Registration Number MPC 109 P (Guildford)

LOTUS SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671671113...

First of the new generation cars from Lotus, still built around a backbone frame but now with a 98 inch wheelbase. Glass fibre body with concealed headlights and large glass hatch back.

The Elite type 75 was a larger and more upmarket car than its forbearers, intended to move the company away from its kit car past. and a replacement for the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2. The Elite was configured as a small shooting brake with a glass rear hatch opening into the luggage compartment. It was front-engined with rear wheel drive. The Elite's fibreglass bodyshell was mounted on a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa. It had 4-wheel independent suspension using coil springs. The Elite was Lotus' first car to use the 907 aluminium-block 4-valve, DOHC, four-cylinder engine of 1973cc which had previously been used in the Jensen Healey. The Elite had a claimed drag co-efficient of 0.30 and at the time of launch it was the world's most expensive four-cylinder car. The Elite's striking shape was designed by Oliver Winterbottom. He is quoted as saying that the basic chassis and suspension layout were designed by Colin Chapman, making the Elite and its sister design the Eclat the last Lotus road cars to have significant design input from Chapman himself. The Elite went on to be the base for the Eclat, and the later Excel 2+2 coupés. and were available in 4 main specification variations, 501, 502, 503, and later on 504

In 1980 the Elite type 75 was replaced by the Elite Mark 2 Type 83 powered by a larger 2,174 cc (132.7 cu in) Lotus 912 engine. and continued until 1982

Many thanks for a fantabulous 44,108,324 views

Shot at the Silverstone Classic 14-15 July 2015- Ref 109-568

In 1955 the FC Antofagasta & Bolivia railway ordered two all steel saloon coaches from the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co, Smethwick.

The end came for one of these coaches in some sort of accident with the bodyshell abandoned in the scrapyard at Uyuni.

A little piece of Birmingham awaits its fate on the Altiplano, joined by remnants of relics from several European locomotive builders. Interestingly the FCA diesel fleet in use at the time of this visit was mostly of Japanese origins.

TVR Grantura II Lightweight (1960-62) Engine 1588cc S4 OHV Production 400 approx (Grantura II and Grantura IIA 1960-62)

Race Number 197 Ivan Dutton

Registration Number Unkown

TVR SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623722776067...

The TVR Grantura was the first of the TVRs, debuting in 1958 and progressing through a series of evolutions until the Grantura IV ceased production in 1967. These coupés were hand-built at the TVR factory in Blackpool, England with varying mechanical specifications and could be had in kit form. All cars featured a cocktail of Austin-Healey brakes, VW Beetle or Triumph suspension parts and BMC rear axles. The Grantura bodyshell was made from glass-reinforced plastic and made use of a variety of proprietary components. The bonnet was front hinged. There was no opening at the rear but the boot could be accessed from inside the car - the spare wheel had to be removed through the front doors.

The Series II had BMC B Series MGA engines as standard and was launched in 1960 with the MG 1588cc version of the BMC B series engine, changing later to the MGA 1622cc unit or an optional or Ford 1340 cc engine with rack and pinion steering and front disc brakes

In mid 1961 the model was updated as a Grantura IIA and featured the newer 1622cc MG engine

Many thanks for a fantabulous 41,365,846 views

Shot at the Chateau Impney Hill Climb, Chateuu Impney, Droitwich 12 July 2015 - Ref 108-273

Coachwork by Henri Chapron

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Sold for € 218.500

Zoute Grand Prix 2017

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2017

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension; plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in top-of-the-range models until earlier this year. The DS's original 1,911cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine was replaced in 1966 by a short-stroke 1,985cc unit, also available in 2,175cc and 2,347cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection and a five-speed gearbox.

Other models offered alongside the original DS were the ID (a simplified, cheaper version), the cavernous Safari estate and the two-door Décapotable (convertible), the latter boasting coachwork by Henri Chapron. (Chapron's first convertibles had been produced independently of Citroën, but the factory eventually gave the project its blessing). Henri Chapron started his career in the motor industry as an upholsterer's apprentice, working for various coachbuilders in the Paris area. In 1919 he started his own business in the well-to-do Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine where his main activity was re-bodying cars that had been requisitioned in wartime by the French Government. Chapron moved to larger premises in Levallois-Perret in 1923 and became the official builder of coach and convertible models for Delage and Delahaye, going on to body many of the most elegant French and European automobiles of the inter-war period.

Despite a much-reduced demand for bespoke coachwork after WW2, Chapron survived thanks to his exemplary creations for Delahaye, Talbot and Salmson, switching to offering bespoke versions of unitary construction models when motor manufacturers began to abandon the traditional separate chassis frame. The arrival of the Citroën DS in 1955 presented Chapron with a fresh opportunity that would result in his name being forever linked with this remarkable car.

Citroën's own Décapotables were built on the longer, stronger chassis of the ID Break (Estate) but the model was never produced in England, where Citroën's right-hand drive cars were assembled at its Slough factory up to 1966. In total, 1,365 usine (factory) convertibles were made with either the DS19 or DS21 engine between 1960 and 1971, while Chapron built a further 389 of his own, the last in 1973.

According to the Henri Chapron Attestation on file, this car was built by Citroën in November 1966 and sent to the Charon Factory in Levallois Perret on the 24th of that month. Production number '9088', this car was built in the Chapron workshops as were all the convertibles marketed by Citroën at this time. It was completed on 28th February 1967 and returned to Citroën to be sold by one of the company's concessionaires. Citroën had introduced the superior green Light Hydraulic Mineral (LHM) fluid on all hydro-pneumatically suspended models in September 1966, making this car one of the first to benefit from this advance. Having the pre-facelift nose and the green LHM system makes this car particularly rare; indeed we are advised that only 42 DS21 Décapotable models were completed to this specification.

On 27th March 1967 the DS was sold new via the Citroën dealer in Nice to its first owner, Mr Jean Thore of Eze in the South of France. Mr Thore and Mme Dominique Thore enjoyed the car for 34 years. They always kept it at Eze and covered approximately 90,000 kilometres during their ownership.

In 2001, Australian Mr John Plooy was looking for a 'green fluid' DS21 Cabriolet and chanced upon this car. He wanted to keep the Citroën in the Netherlands and use it for annual trips to Italy. When the car arrived in Holland, Mr Plooy immediately sent it to marque specialist Bart Kocken; it turned out to be in excellent original condition, with no rust or evidence of past accident damage. Mr Plooy commissioned a mechanical overhaul of anything that required it, and had the car repainted and a new convertible top fitted.

This Décapotable retains its original chassis, body panels, interior, Jaeger dashboard, carpets and FM radio, and is in excellent original condition overall, something seldom encountered with these cars. Mr Plooy drove the DS only some 10,000 kilometres over the years, and in 2017 decided to sell it, having reached the age of 80 years. Offered with its original tools, jack, Chapron paperwork, etc, this rare and ultra-desirable soft-top DS is ready for the next owner to use and enjoy.

010116 41043 at Doncaster. 41043 is a spare Mark 3 TF bodyshell. Built after the Watford collision on 8th August 1996, as a replacement spare carriage as the only other spare carriage became part of 321420. It was painted into First Great Eastern livery to demonstrate how the livery would look on class 360's.

Originally conceived by British Leyland, the Metro was built to similar principals as those of the Mini it was intended to replace, with a small, practical platform with as much use available to the passenger as was possible. The car came under various initial guises, including the Austin Metro, the Austin miniMetro, the Morris Metro van and the MG Metro, a version of the car with a 1.3L A-Series Turbo Engine.

Although the car was launched in 1980, development of a Mini replacement had dated back to the beginning of the 70's. Dubbed ADO88 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 88), the Metro was eventually given the go ahead in 1977, but wanted to have the appeal of some of the larger 'Supermini' (what a contradiction in terms) cars on the market, including cars such as the Ford Fiesta and the Renault 5. Designed by Harris Mann (the same guy who gave us the Princess and the Allegro), the car was given a much more angular body for the time, but despite its futuristic looks did share many features of the earlier Mini, including the 675cc BMC-A Series engine that dated back to 1959, and the gearbox. Initial cars also included the Hydragas Suspension system originally used on the Allegro and the Princess, though with no front/rear connection. The car was also built as a hatchback, which would eventually be a key part of its success as the Mini instead utilised only a small boot.

The Metro was originally meant for an earlier 1978 launch, but a lack of funds and near bankruptcy of British Leyland resulted in the car's launch being pushed back. This delay however did allow the folks at Longbridge to construct a £200m robotic assembly plant for the new Metro line, with the hope of building 100,000 cars per year. Finally the car entered sales 3 years late and got off to quite promising initial sales, often being credited for being the saviour of British Leyland. The Metro was in fact the company's first truly new model in nearly 5 years, with the 9 year old Allegro still in production, the 1980 Morris Ital being nothing more than a 7 year old Marina with a new face, and the 5 year old Princess not going anywhere!

As mentioned, an entire myriad of versions came with the Metro, including the luxury Vanden Plas version and the sporty MG with its top speed of 105mph and 0-60mph of 10.1 seconds. Eventually the original incarnation of the car, the Austin Metro, went on to sell 1 million units in it's initial 10 year run, making it the second highest selling car of the decade behind the Ford Escort. However, like most other British Leyland products, earlier cars got a bad reputation for poor build quality and unreliability, combined with the lack of rustproofing that was notorious on many BL cars of the time.

The show was not over however, as in 1990 the car was given a facelift and dubbed the Rover Metro. The 1950's A-Series engine was replaced by a 1.1L K-Series, and the angular bodyshell was rounded to similar principals as those by acclaimed styling house Ital to create a more pleasing look for the 90's. This facelift, combined with an improvement in reliability and build quality, meant that the car went on to win the 'What Car?' of the Year Award in 1991.

In 1994 the car was given yet another facelift, with once again a more rounded design and removal of the Metro name, the car being sold as the Rover 100. Engines were once again changed, this time to a 1.5L Peugeot engine and more audacious colour schemes were available for the even more rounded design of the new car. However, the car was very much starting to look and feel its age. Aside from the fact that the design dated back to 1977, the new car was not well equipped, lacking electric windows, anti-lock brakes, power steering, or even a rev counter! In terms of safety, it was very basic, with most features such as airbags, an alarm, an immobiliser and central locking being optional extras.

Eventually the curtain had to fall on the Metro, and in 1997, twenty years after the initial design left the drawing board, it was announced that the car would be discontinued. Spurred on by dwindling sales due to lack of safety and equipment, as well as losing out to comparative cars such as the ever popular Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and Vauxhall Corsa, with only fuel economy keeping the car afloat, Rover axed the Metro in 1998 with no direct replacement, although many cite the downsized Rover 200 a possible contender. Stumbling blindly on, the next car to fill the gap in Rover's market was the 2003 CityRover, based on the TATA Indica, which flopped abysmally and pretty much totalled the company (but that's another story).

In the end only 2,078,000 Metro's were built in comparison to the 5.3 million examples of the Mini that it was meant to replace. The main failings of the Metro were down to the fact that the car was too big compared to the Mini, and the rounded old-world charm of the Coopers and Clubmans was replaced by the angular corners. Because of this the car simply didn't have the novelty that the Mini continued to claim even 20 years after the first ones left the factory, and the Mini would even go on to outlive the Metro by another 2 years, ending production in 2000, then going on to have a revival in the form of BMW's New Mini Cooper that's still being built today. Unlike the Mini, the Metro also failed to conquer the international market in the same way, scoring its 2 million units pretty much in Britain alone, although some cars were sold in France and Spain, but only to the total of a few hundred.

The Metro however survived only on fuel economy and its spacious interior, but by the early 1990's, whilst other car manufacturers had moved on leaps and bounds, Rover continued to be stuck in the past with not the money or the enthusiasm to change what was a terribly outdated and extremely basic car. Towards the end the Metro, which had only a few years earlier won awards for its practical nature, was ending up on lists for Worst car on the market.

Today however you can still see Metro's, later editions are especially common on the roads of Britain. Earlier models built under British Leyland have mostly rusted away and are apparently only down to about a thousand nowadays, but the Rover 100's and Rover Metros continue to ply their trade, a lonely reminder of how here in Britain, we can never ever seem to move on! :S

Jensen Interceptor III (1971-73) Engine 440cu (7212cc)

Production 3419

Registration Number CRY 44 K (Leicester)

JENSEN ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157624203748256...

The Jensen Interceptor is a sporting GT class car, hand built at West Bromwich, England with the body designed by Carrozzeria, Touring in Italy and powered by a US Chrysler V8.

The Interceptor broke with Jensen tradition by having a steel bodyshell rather than one of GRP.

The original specification included electric windows, reclining front seats, a wood rimmed steering wheel, radio with twin speakers, reversing lights and an electric clock. Power steering was included as standard from September 1968.

The Mark II (1969-71) shared the same Chrysler engine as the original Interceptor but offered revised front styling and ventilated disc brakes

The Mark III had a larger 440cu (7212cc) Chrysler V8 with four barrel carburettor. The Interceptor sold well until sales were hit by the OPEC oil crisis of 1974.

Diolch am 91,501,773 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 91,501,773 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 17.04.2022 Weston Park (Classic Car Show), Weston-under-Lizard, Salop 157-177

Island Line, a subsidiary of South West Trains runs a train service on the Isle of Wight, serving the towns of Ryde, Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin.

The British Rail Class 483 electrical multiple units were originally built as 1938 tube stock units for London Underground. They were extensively refurbished between 1989 and 1992 by Eastleigh Works, for use on services on the Isle of Wight's Island Line. Five of the original nine units remain in service - 483004 /6-9. The stock is around 76 years old, making it the oldest type in Great Britain to remain in regular service and South West Trains currently has no plans to replace them.

With passenger numbers falling and annual £3.5m losses, the Government announced plans to remove the service from the next regional train franchise.

However five new two-car Class 484 units are being produced at Vivarail’s Long Marston site using the bodyshells and bogies of metro cars which were previously used on London Underground’s District Line to enter service in March 2021. They will replace Island Line’s existing fleet of small profile ex-London Underground vehicles dating back to 1938, which are now the oldest trains on the national network

Island Line will close from 4 January 2021 until the end of March for track and platform upgrades, with rail replacement bus services running. The track upgrade will include a new passing loop at Brading and enhancements to improve ride quality

Laminátka is the nickname given to this style of Skoda electric loco, seen here in the final times of Czechoslovak Railways, numbered 230 094-5. They were so called owing to their bodyshell being made of laminate. Upon the division of the country, they became the class 489 with ZSR, the Slovak railway.

CSD also had the sightly later series 240 too which looked similar, and these were classed as 499s in Slovak service.

Brno, Moravia, Czechoslovakia

10th September 1992

Pentax MX, Kodachrome

19920910 44733 230.094.5 Brno crop clean

Land Discovery 6 wheel (1996) Engine 3940cc V8

Registration Number N 673 XBR

LAND ROVER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671619947...

Built from a 1978 six wheel Carmichel Commando Range Rover converted to a Discovery bodyshell.

For sale at £ 6000

Thanks for 16.1 Million views

Shot 12 Aug 2012 at the Astle Park Traction Engine Rally, Chelford Cheshire Ref:93a-582

As with the preceding 404, Peugeot had Pininfarina design a two-door coupé and cabriolet variant which were first introduced at the Geneva Salon in March 1969. Aside from designing them, Pininfarina also built the bodyshells. The two-door 504s have a 190 mm (7.5 in) shorter wheelbase and also a wider rear track. The shells were built in Turin and then sent to Peugeot's Sochaux plant for assembly.

Mechanically, the 504 Coupé and Cabriolet were largely identical to the saloons, sharing the 1.8-liter four (upgraded to two litres for 1970) with no additional performance enhancements. Once the 604 arrived, however, the sportier 504s finally got an engine to match their looks: the 2.7-litre V6 PRV engine, producing 136 PS (100 kW) was fitted beginning in September 1974 and the four-cylinder variants discontinued. This was also time for a facelift (2nd series), with redesigned bumpers and interior, and with single, wide headlights replacing the initial twin units. The triple taillights were also changed for wider, single units. The V6 was not a strong seller in fuel crisis Europe, however, and the 2.0 was reintroduced in October 1977, by which time about 27,000 examples had been built by Pininfarina. The V6 Cabriolet was discontinued but the V6 Coupé gained a five-speed manual transmission and Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, with power increased to 144 PS (106 kW).

Humber Hawk series 4A (1965-67) Engine 2267 S6 OHV Production 3754 (15539 all Hawks Ser. 1 - IVA (1957-67)

Registration Number JTR 205 D

HUMBER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665287863...

The Humber Hawk Series 1- 5A (1957-67) were of a completetly new unitary construction which it would go on to share with the Humber Super Snipe. The 2267 cc engine is common to all the series with detail change and a Borg-Warner Automatic was available. The body was styled in house by Rootes, a feature of the Estate is the split tailgate with the lower portion opening downwards to provide extra length and the quirky idea of the filler cap being concealed behind the reflector. There are sevral revisions in each of the series,

Introduced in 1957 the Series 1 had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would go on to share with the 1958 Humber Super Snipe. This was the biggest bodyshell for a saloon/estate car built in Great Britain at the time. The 2267 cc engine was carried over, though with modifications to the distributor mounting, and other details; The body was styled in Rootes' own studios and featured more glass than previous models, with wrap-around front windscreen, which gave it a considerable resemblance to a 1955 Chevrolet.

The 1959 Series 1A had changed gear ratios and minor trim changes.

The Series II launched in October 1960 had disc front brakes, servo-assisted. The automatic option was no longer available on the home market.

The Series III of September 1962 had a larger fuel tank and bigger rear window. The export model automatic option was also dropped.

More significant changes came with the October 1964 Series IV. The roof was made flatter, the rear window smaller and an extra side window fitted behind the rear doors. Synchromesh was fitted to bottom gear. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the rear

The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced, this time being the Borg Warner Model 35.

In March 1967 Rootes announced that production of the Humber Hawk, along with that of the Super Snipe and Imperial had ceased. and that their place in the range would be filled by Chrysler Valiants imported from Australia, though this never seemed to happen.

After Hawk production ended, Rootes came to concentrate on sectors offering greater volume, no longer featuring as a UK provider of large family cars. It had, in particular, been unusual for UK manufactured cars of this size to feature a spacious station wagon / estate car version; and, following the demise of the Humber Hawk, the UK market for large estate cars quickly came to be dominated by the Volvo 145,

Shot at Brooklands Bus Museum New Years Day meeting 01:01:2013 REF 90-193 .

The only Jaguar XJ220 in the world that lived up to its name, being fitted with a stunning V12 engine and making it the world's fastest production car. However, costs, setbacks, a recession or two and a myriad of other problems resulted in the dream becoming a nightmare, and the match of styling and power made in heaven being turned quickly into a BDSM session in hell!

The proposal for the Jaguar XJ220 seemed to come right out of nowhere. In 1986 the company was sold to Ford after ownership under British Leyland, and was producing a selection of strange luxury motors including the XJS and the XJ, which, although were very good and highly luxury machines, weren't exactly setting the world on fire.

But racing had been put forward to the company before, and racing team owner Tom Walkinshaw encouraged Jaguar to put one of their XJS's into the 1981 European Touring Car Championship, in which they succeeded in winning the competition in 1984. Jaguar had started to provide factory support to racing team Group 44 Racing, who were using the Jaguar-engined XJR-5 in the IMSA GT Championship, supplying V12 engines from 1983 onwards and supporting a Le Mans entry in 1984. Tom Walkinshaw and Jaguar agreed to entering the FIA Group C World Sportscar Championship and developed the XJR-6, which was powered by the Jaguar V12 engine; the car was launched during the 1985 season.

TWR took over the IMSA GT Championship operation in 1988 and one model – Jaguar XJR-9 – was launched to compete in both series. The XJR-9, which retained the Jaguar V12 engine, went on to win the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sportscar Championship in the same year. The poor fuel consumption of the Jaguar V12 combined with new rules restricting refuelling during races forced the replacement of the V12 engine in the XJR-9s successors, the XJR-10 and XJR-11. The normally-aspirated Austin Rover V64V engine, designed for the MG Metro 6R4 had recently been made redundant thanks to the Group B rally ban in 1987, and the design rights were for sale. The compact, lightweight and fuel efficient nature of the small-displacement, turbocharged engine was investigated by TWR, who considered it an ideal basis for a new engine to power the XJR-10 and purchased the design rights from Austin Rover Group.

Jaguar and their Director of Engineering, Jim Randle, felt these racing cars were too far removed from the product available to the general public, especially with the rule changes that mandated the replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine in the forthcoming XJR-10 and XJR-11 racing cars. Therefore a project was initiated to design and build a car capable of winning Le Mans "in house", just as the Jaguar C-Type and D-Type had done. The groundwork for the project was undertaken by Randle over Christmas 1987, when he produced a 1:4 scale cardboard model of a potential Group B racing car.

The cardboard model was taken into the Jaguar styling studio and two mock-ups were produced. One was said to be reminiscent of the Porsche 956, the other took elements of the then current Jaguar XJ41 project and Malcolm Sayer's work on the stillborn Jaguar XJ13 racing car.

The project still had no official support, leaving Randle no option but to put together a team of volunteers to work evenings and weekends in their own time. The team came to be known as "The Saturday Club", and consisted of twelve volunteers. To justify the resources consumed by the project, the XJ220 needed to provide meaningful data to the engineers on handling, aerodynamics, particularly at high speeds, and aluminium structures. These requirements, together with FIA racing regulations and various government regulations governing car design and safety influenced the overall design and engineering direction of the car.

The FIA Group B regulations steered the concept towards a mid-engine, four-wheel drive layout, with a Jaguar V12 engine as the power source. The concept car was designed and built at very little cost to Jaguar, as Randle called in favours from component suppliers and engineering companies he and Jaguar had worked with in the past. In return he offered public recognition for their assistance and dangled the possibility of future contracts from Jaguar.

The name XJ220 was chosen as a continuation of the naming of the Jaguar XK120, which referred to the top speed of the model in miles per hour. The concept car had a targeted top speed of 220 mph so became the XJ220. The XK120, like the XJ220, was an aluminium-bodied sports car, and when launched was the fastest production car in the world.

Jaguar and engine designer Walter Hassan had previously created a 48-valve variant of their V12 engine specifically for motorsport use. It featured a double overhead camshaft layout with four valves per cylinder, compared with the single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder of the production engine, which was used in the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XJS models at the time.

TWR and Cosworth had manufactured a number of these racing V12 engines during the 1980s and they had been raced competitively, with a 7-litre version of this engine featuring in the Le Mans winning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9. Five of these engines still existed, all of which were fitted with dry sump lubrication. These engines were chosen and considered to be especially useful as the dry sump would lower the vehicle's centre of gravity. The displacement of the V12 was set at 6.2L for the XJ220.

Jaguar had little experience with four-wheel drive systems at the time, having previously only produced rear-wheel drive cars. Randle approached Tony Rolt's company, FF Developments to design the transmission and four-wheel drive system for the XJ220, with Rolt's son Stuart running the project. Tony Rolt was the Technical Director of Ferguson Research, where he was heavily involved in the design of the four-wheel drive system used in the Jensen FF, the first sports car to be fitted with such a transmission. Tony Rolt also had a long involvement with Jaguar, winning the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans with the factory works team driving the Jaguar C-Type.

The mid-engine complicated the design of the four-wheel drive system, and an innovative solution was needed to get drive from the rear of the engine to the front wheels. The chosen design took the front-wheel drive from the central differential on the rear transaxle and sent it through the V in the centre of the engine using a quill drive, before joining an inverted differential. The clutch was a twin-plate unit designed by AP Racing.

The design brief for the exterior restricted the use of aerodynamic aids, and aimed for a stylish yet functional body similar to the Jaguar D-Type. Drag and lift were limited at the envisioned ground clearance for road use, but the design allowed for additional downforce when the car was set up for racing; the body produced around 3,000 lb of downforce at 200 mph. The design was also intended to have a variable rear wing that folded into the bodywork at lower speeds. Aerodynamic work was undertaken at the Motor Industry Research Association wind tunnel using a 1:4 scale model, as the project was unable to budget for a full-scale mock-up.

The bodywork for the concept car displayed in 1988 was hand built from aluminium by Park Sheet Metal, a specialist automotive engineering company that manufactures concept cars and low-volume, niche models for various manufacturers, including Bentley. QCR Coatings undertook final painting of the bodyshell in silver. The concept also featured electrically operated scissor doors and a transparent engine cover to show off the V12 engine.

The concept car had a Connolly Leather-trimmed interior produced by Callow & Maddox, and was fitted with front and rear heated windscreens, electric windows, air conditioning, heated electrically adjustable seats with an Alpine Electronics CD player. The dashboard was supplied by Veglia.

The concept car was completed in the early hours of 18 October 1988, the day it was due to be unveiled at the British International Motor Show, being held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

Jaguar's marketing department had allocated space on their stand at the motor show for the XJ220, but had not seen the vehicle until its arrival. Jaguar chairman John Egan and Roger Putnam, who was in charge of Jaguar's racing activities, were shown the vehicle the week before the motor show and signed off on the concept, allowing its unveiling. The car received an overwhelmingly positive reception by public and press, and a number of wealthy Jaguar enthusiasts handed over blank cheques to secure a purchase option should the XJ220 concept go into production. Ferrari displayed their F40 model at the same event; an estimated 90,000 additional visitors came to see the Jaguar and Ferrari cars.

The XJ220 was not initially intended to be a production car, but, following the reception of the concept and financial interest from serious buyers, a feasibility study was carried out by teams from TWR and Jaguar. Its conclusion was that such a car would be technically feasible, and that it would be financially viable. The announcement of a limited production run of 220 to 350 cars came on 20 December 1989. The list price on 1 January 1990 was £290,000 exclusive of value added tax, options and delivery charges, but by 1992 that had increased considerably owing to indexation of contracts. The offer was four times oversubscribed, and deposits of £50,000 exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) were taken from around 1400 customers; first deliveries were planned for mid-1992.

What Jaguar didn't reckon on was that the 1990's were going to get off to a very bad start, with a good old fashioned recession to usher in the new decade. This, combined with the various downgrades that would have to follow to make the car road legal, would result in the Jaguar XJ220 giving the company and the customers headaches in more ways than one.

In 1991, the company constructed a new £4 million factory at Wykham Mill, Bloxham, for the single purpose of building the XJ220, the plant being opened by the late Princess Diana. But, in order to comply with a variety of road legislation, engineering requirements resulted in significant changes to the specification of the XJ220, most notably replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine by a turbocharged V6 engine.This downgraded engine made that desirable rocket car more run-of-the-mill, and many pulled back their deposits.

At the same time the economy collapsed and when the first production cars left the factory in 1992, many of the original potential buyers who had put down their hefty deposits found that they couldn't afford it, and wanted their money back. Many of them cited the fact that the four wheel drive, V12 had been downgraded to a two wheel drive, V6, and thus they weren't getting what they paid for. The result was that Jaguar went so far as to take their customers to court, and forced them to buy a car they no longer wanted, the problem being exacerbated by the fact that in 1993, the McLaren F1 took the title of world's fastest production car, was available with the V12 and all things it promised, and was much smaller and more manageable than the bulky XJ220.

A total of just 275 cars were produced by the time production ended, 22 of their LHD models never being sold, each with a retail price of £470,000 in 1992, probably one of the biggest automotive flops in motoring history, right up there with the DeLorean and the Edsel. But this would later be advantageous for many, as this pedigree 'worlds-fastest-car' machine would go in later years for a much lower price. £150,000 mind you, but it's a lot better buying the one's that weren't sold at this reduced price, than at the initial asking price back in 1992. Therefore buyers were able to procure themselves a first-hand XJ220, for half the price, a representative saving of nearly £250,000.

Today the XJ220's are rare beasts indeed, rarely coming out to play due largely to their expensive upkeep, heavy fuel consumption and sheer size. But keep your eyes open in some of the more affluent neighbourhoods, be they Dubai, Beverley Hills, or the South of France, and chances are you'll be able to find one.

Not quite the first generation of minibuses, the Ford Transit must surely be one of the first of the genre to come to mind. This 1970 Mk I Transit had a South Hants body conversion based on the standard Ford bodyshell. In truth it was a 12-seat minicoach intended for private hire, rather than a true minibus of the types that were to follow in quantity.

OK Motor Services always had one or two small coaches in its fleet, typically acquired second hand and replaced on a short cycle. HHC 899J was new in 1970 to Regency Hire of Eastbourne. OK acquired it a year later and sold it to J Smith of Amble in 1973. It subsequently passed to various operators until final withdrawal in 1981.

Once again I'm unsure of the source of the base image, which may have been taken on an Omnibus Society visit to OK's Bishop Auckland depot (22-Sep-11).

STRICTLY COPYRIGHT: You may download a copy of any image for your personal use, but it would be an offence to remove the copyright information or to post it elsewhere without the express permission of the copyright owner.

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Estimated : € 70.000 - 90.000

Sold for € 55.200

Zoute Grand Prix 2018

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2018

'There are few who would argue - we included - that the 500 SL is one of the world's finest luxury sports cars; beautifully styled and superbly engineered. Its engine an automatic transmission set extremely high standards in terms of smoothness and refinement while in most conditions its handling and roadholding are of the highest order.' - Motor.

Introduced alongside the outwardly similar 380 SL roadster and SLC coupé models at the Geneva Salon in March 1980, the 500 SL and 500 SLC retained the Type 107 bodyshell first introduced in 1971/72 in virtually unchanged form, the most noticeable difference being the addition of a front spoiler. Built on a longer wheelbase, the coupé models accommodated two rear seat passengers and provided greater boot space than their open-topped siblings. The running gear followed Mercedes-Benz's established pattern, comprising all-independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes, while a new four-speed automatic transmission was standard equipment.

The 500 SL and 500 SLC featured the all-alloy 4,973cc overhead-camshaft V8 engine that had debuted in the 450 SLC 5.0 of 1977. Lighter, more powerful and less thirsty than the old 4.5-litre iron-block V8, the 5.0-litre produced 240bhp at 5,000rpm, an output sufficient to propel the luxuriously equipped yet lightweight 500 SL/SLC to 225km/h. With approximately the same amount of power on tap as the legendary 300 SL sports car, the 500 SL/SLC was both lighter and slightly quicker off the mark, though a little down on top speed when compared to its illustrious cousin.

Although shorter in the wheelbase than the superseded 450, the newcomers retained their predecessors' successful and long-established body style, which now featured aerodynamic spoilers at front and rear. The running gear too remained unchanged in essence, though improvements were made to the all-independent suspension and to the brakes, which gained larger pads and anti-lock as an option. As on the smaller models, four-speed automatic transmission was standard. The previous auto 'box had disappointed some, but Motor magazine found the new version 'equal in the smoothness of its changes to anything achieved by Rolls-Royce or Chrysler in America'. Depending on the destination market, the inventory of standard equipment included central locking, electric windows, cruise control, headlamp wash/wipe, power steering, a limited-slip differential, and alloy wheels. The 500 SL/SLC was not officially sold in the USA, though that did not stop would-be owners importing them privately. In 1989, after 17 years in production, the elegant Type 107 family was retired to the enduring regret of many Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts.

Presented in outstandingly original condition – down to the smallest detail - this 107-series Mercedes-Benz 500 SL retains matching numbers and matching colours, and has the very desirable factory-optional rear seat (code 565). The car was registered in Berlin in January 1989 by its first owner, and remained in Berlin until 1990 when it travelled to Monaco, staying there for 27 years. It is currently in the hands of its third owner, who purchased the car in 2017, and has covered only 25,710 kilometres from new, as verified by the accompanying service records. Services have been carried out as follows:

- 1,132 km: 16/5/89

- 6,173 km: 4/3/92

- 7,506 km: 26/7/93

- 10,556 km: 5/2/97

- 16,745 km: 28/1/03

- 17,855 km: 11/2/05

- 17,855 km: 23/6/06

- 21,307 km: 7/4/09

- 23,424 km: 30/5/12

- 24,516 km: 8/6/15

- 24,642 km: 8/9/15

- 25,300 km: 19/4/17

This beautiful 500 SL has retained its full documentation: the sales brochure; original upholstery brochure; original datacard; user handbook, original service handbook; and other Mercedes-Benz paperwork. It also has its three keys and its full and original tool kit. Factory options include a hardtop in body colour with heated rear screen; front heated seats; graduated tinted windscreen; alloy wheels; air conditioning; central locking; electric windows; and the aforementioned rear seats (full specification listing available). It also comes with the fully lined factory hardtop that makes this SL usable no matter what the weather.

Recent maintenance has included new suspension silent block buses, cradles, and tie rods; brake pads; tyres (x4); cylinder head gaskets; ancillary drive belts; distributor cap; battery; air conditioning recharge; and airbag diagnosis (OK). This car also benefits from a transferable warranty (parts and labour, valid until February 2019) issued by a Mercedes-Benz Classic dealer located in Paris. Finished in its original colour combination of Arctic White with blue leather interior, this beautiful 500 SL is worthy of the closest inspection.

Austin Allegro 1300SDL Mk2 (1976-80) Engines 1098cc. S4 Tr.

Registration Number MFK 935 V (Dudley)

AUSTIN SET

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The Allegro was designed as a replacement for the 1100 - 1300 models, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis the new car was launched in 1973. The Allegro used front-wheel drive, using the familiar A-Series engine with a sump-mounted transmission. The higher-specification models used the SOHC E-Series engine (from the Maxi), in 1500 cc and 1750 cc displacements. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300). Stylistically the car bucked the trend of the 1970's sharp edge look in favour of a rounded bodyshell Early Allegro models featured a "quartic" steering wheel, which was rectangular with rounded sides. This was touted as allowing extra room between the base of the steering wheel and the driver's legs. The quartic wheel did not take off, and was dropped in 1974

The updated Allegro 2 was launched at the 1975London Motorshow the Allegro 2 had the same bodyshells but featured a new grille, reversing lights on most models and some interior changes to increase rear seat room, Changes were also made to the suspension, braking, engine mounts and drive shafts.

The Allegro received its second major update, launched as the Allegro 3 at the end of 1979. The refreshed car used an "A-Plus" version of the 1.0 litre A-Series engine (developed for the forthcoming new Metro), and featured some cosmetic alterations in an attempt to keep the momentum going, but by then the Allegro was outdated and the Metro was due on stream in 1980. By 1980 the Allegro failed to dent the he top 10 best selling new cars in Britain, a table it had topped a decade earlier, though BL were represented by the fast selling Metro and the Triumph Acclaim. The Vanden Plas models were rebranded as the 1.5 and the 1.7, the 1.5 having a twin carburettor 1500 cc engine and a manual gearbox, while the 1.7 had a single carburettor 1750cc engine and an automatic gearbox. Some models of Allegro 3 (the early HL and later HLS models) were equipped with four round headlights, rather than the more usual two rectangular ones. The final Allegro was built in March 1982 with its successor the Austin Maestro going into production December 1982

Many thanks for a fantabulous 36,946,500 views

Shot at theBlack Country Car Show, Himley Hall 06.09.2015 Ref 106-815

The classic Edale shot from the station platforms sees 150220 departing Edale working 2S15, 07:12 Sheffield – Manchester Piccadilly past the signal box and heading for Cowburn Tunnel, 17th July 2013. The tunnel takes the Hope Valley line out of the Edale valley under Colborne (part of a 1,700 ft moorland link between Kinder Scout and Rushup Edge). It was built by the Midland Railway in 1891 and is 3702 yards long.

Unit History

150220 is one of the final batch of eighty five class 150 two-car units which were built at York in 1986/87 with front-end gangway. They had different interiors to the earlier class 150/1 units and were used on longer-distance services. The end gangways make them very similar in appearance to later batches of the electric class 317 units, also based on the Mark III bodyshell. 150220 was initially allocated to Neville Hill before migrating to Tyseley in the early 1990’s. Whilst at Tyseley the unit was split and the individual vehicles used to form three car 150/1 sets with 52220 formed with 150118 to become 150018 and 57220 formed with 150119 to become 150019. With introduction of the class 172 fleet in 2012 these hybrid three car sets were generally disbanded and 150220 was reformed and transferred to Newton Heath.

Chevrolet Impala (2nd Gen) 4 door Sports Hardtop (1959-60) Engine 235 cu in (3860cc) S6 Blue Flame

Registration Number 307 XUB (First registered in the UK 2006, on an age related number first allocated to Leeds)

CHEVROLET SET

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As part of a GM economy move the 1959 Chevrolet Impala was redesigned to share bodyshells with lower-end Buicks and Oldsmobiles, and Pontiacs. Using a new X-frame chassis the roof line was 3 inches lower, bodies were 2 inches wider, the wheelbase was 1-1/2 inches longer, and curb weight increased. Flattened tailfins protruded outward, rather than upward. The taillights were a large "teardrop" design at each side, and two slim-wide, nonfunctional front air intake scoops were added just above the grille,

he Impala became a separate series, adding a four-door hardtop and four-door sedan to the two-door Sport Coupe and convertible. Sport Coupes featured a shortened roof line and wrap-over back window. The standard engine was an I6, while the base V8 was the carryover 283 cu in (4.6 L), at 185 hp (138 kW). Optional were a 283 cu in with 290 hp (220 kW) and 348 cu in (5.7 L) V8 up to 335 hp (250 kW)

The second series Impala 1959-60 now available in five different body styles two and four door hardtops, a two door convertable, a four door sedan and a two door coupe. 1959 was the only model year that the Impala appeared without the trademark six tail lights instead using large teardrop style lights .

Many thanks for a fantabulous 35,804,000 views

3hot at the Enfield Pagaent N. London-25:05:2015 Ref 106-221

Bonhams : The Autumn Sale 2020

Estimated : € 120.000 - 180.000

Sold for € 143.750

Autoworld

www.autoworld.be

Brussels - Belgium

September 2020

"The Mercedes 220 SE coupé is a very fine engineering achievement. Not only does it provide fast and economical transports for four and their luggage, but outstanding roadholding and riding qualities make this a car which is a pleasure to drive hard, and one in which it is safe and comfortable to do so. Furthermore, it has superb brakes and a high standard of mechanical refinement." – Autocar.

Mercedes-Benz debuted four new models at the Frankfurt Show in 1959 - the 220 SEb among them - all of which shared the same basic unitary-construction bodyshell and all-round independent suspension. This new 220 family moved Mercedes-Benz's styling into the modern era; longer than their predecessors, these elegant newcomers featured a wider radiator shell, wrap-around windscreen, enlarged rear window and vertically stacked twin headlamps. The new 220 SEb retained the fuel-injected, single-overhead-camshaft engine of the previous 220 SE, though maximum power of the 2,195cc six was increased by five horsepower to 120bhp (DIN). Top speed was now 172km/h with 100km/h attainable in under 14 seconds.

Coupé and Cabriolet models appeared in 1960 and 1961 respectively, minus the already dated-looking tail fins of the saloon. More modern in style, the luxurious 220 SEb Coupé and Cabriolet were better appointed too, being equipped as standard with a rev counter, leather upholstery, and four-speed automatic transmission with floor-mounted gearchange lever. Girling servo-assisted front disc brakes were fitted from the start of production, a benefit not enjoyed by the saloon until 1962. By the time production ceased in October 1965, fewer than 17,000 220 SEb Coupé and Cabriolet models had been manufactured, of which only 2,729 were Cabriolets, and today these stylish and luxuriously equipped Grand Tourers are highly prized.

This superbly restored Mercedes-Benz 220 SEb Cabriolet was delivered new in Germany. A matching-numbers example equipped with the desirable manual 'floor shift' gearbox, the Mercedes was sold new to a member of the United States' armed forces, who, it is presumed, took the car to the USA.

The present owner discovered this 220 SEb Cabriolet while searching for rare spare parts for his Mercedes-Benz 300 Adenauer Cabriolet D. Visiting the classic car fair in Stuttgart in March 2015, he became enchanted by this Mercedes 220 SEb cabriolet, which he considered to be the most perfectly restored vehicle on show. Delivered new in Germany, retaining matching numbers, and restored to concours standard, it met all of the perfectionist owner's exacting criteria and duly became part of his private collection on 1st March 2016. Since then, some 1,000 kilometres have been covered, including a recent trip to the Coppa Classic Concours in Belgium where it won the award for 'Best Restored Car'. Finished in the attractive colour combination of Burgundy with tan interior, and guaranteed to turn heads wherever it goes, this quite exceptional soft-top 4-seat Mercedes is well-documented and offered with all its original books; M-B Datakart; a selection of restoration photographs; and Belgian registration documents.

Subject Description: Like the Union Pacific version, this image has been prepared with a fair slice of artistic licence. I believe that English Electric considered modifying the Deltic prototype for demonstration in the USA but the necessary structural changes (presumably headstock and draw gear) would have been too costly. I could not envisage English Electric succeeding in the American market so decided to finish this version in the colours of Victorian Railways of Australia. It isn't necessarily intended to represent a Deltic, simply a mainline diesel with a Deltic-style bodyshell.

AI Notes: This is a Gemini AI composition based on a locomotive created in Photoshop. Unlike the Union Pacific and the second Victorian Railways versions, there were no problems with relative loading gauges. AI’s choice of ‘Melbourne’ for the station nameboard is curious (03-May-26).

All rights reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, this means that it would be an offence punishable by law to post this image on Facebook or elsewhere (please post a link instead). Follow the link below for an explanation of the terms used to describe my images:

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Another day, another E-Type, and this example is one of what many consider the better cars, being the stylish and flamboyant Series I fitted with the powerful and reliable 4.2L Straight Six engine!

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

Hillman Avenger Tiger (1972-73) Engine 1498cc S4 OHV Production 600 approx

Registration Number NDV 285 M

HILLMAN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623789458598...

Limited production version of the Hillman Avenger intended for racing and rallying

Standard specification includes twin Weber carburettor engine, and alloy wheels. Up to 110 mph in favourable conditions, formed the basis of a successful race/rally saloon. Homologated as a Group 1 race car, winning the RAC Championships. A few competition cars fitted with 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines

All Avenger Tigers were assembled by the Chrysler Competitions Centre and production figures are vague but around 200 of the initial Mark 1 seems likely. In October 1972, Chrysler unveiled the more "productionised" Mark 2 Tiger. The Avenger GL bodyshell with four round headlights was used. Mechanically identical to the earlier cars, the bonnet bulge was lost although the bonnet turned matt black, and there were changes to wheels and seats. These cars went on sale at £1,350. Production was around 400. Red ("Wardance") was now available as well as yellow ("Sundance"), both with black detailing

A big thanks for 21.2 million views

Shot 20:04:2014 at Weston Park Ref 99a-253

Ford Cortina Mk.V (1979-82) Engine 1593cc S4 OHV

Registration Number KNY 680 W

FORD UK SET www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181

The Mark V was announced on 24 August 1979. A large update on the Mark IV, it was really a step between a facelift and a rebody. The Mark V differentiated itself from the Mark IV by having revised headlights with larger turn indicators incorporated (which now showed to the side too), a wider slatted grille said to be more aerodynamically efficient, a flattened roof, more glass area, slimmer C-pillars with revised vent covers, larger, slatted tail lights (on saloon models) and upgraded trim.

Improvements were also made to the engine range, with slight improvements to both fuel economy and power output compared to the Mk.IV, Ford also claimed improved corrosion protection.

The estate models combined the Mk IV's bodyshell (which was initially from the 1970 Ford Taunus) with Mk V front body pressings.

Variants included the Base, L, GL, and Ghia (all available in saloon and estate forms), together with Base and L spec 2-door sedan versions (this bodystyle was available up to Ghia V6 level on overseas markets).

Shot at Tatton Park, Manchester, Classic Car Show 18:08:2012 REF 88-122. .

Ford Escort (5th Gen) 1.8 litre LX Estate (1990-97) Engine 1753cc S4

Registration Number L 57 RPW (Norwich)

FORD EUROPE

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157623665118181/

The Escort Mark V (and Mark III Orion saloon) arrived in September 1990 with an all-new bodyshell and a simplified torsion beam rear suspension (instead of the Mark III's fully independent layout). This model however was poorly received by the motoring press, and was panned by journalists for its mediocre driving dynamics and unremarkable styling in early 1992, an all new Zetec 16-valve engine was launched bringing improved driveability, while also marking the return of the XR3i which was available with two versions of the 1.8 L Zetec

Stung by the criticism of the original Mark V, which had remained popular with the motoring public Ford facelifted the Escort and Orion in September 1992, giving the revised cars a new grille, bonnet and, in the Escort convertible and hatchback's case, a new rear end. A new 1.6 L 16-valve 90 bhp (66 kW) Zetec engine was introduced, replacing the previous CVH. Fuel injection was now standard on all petrol models, and Ford introduced a four-wheel-drive variant of the RS2000,

Diolch am 95,535,109 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 95,359,109 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 10.07.2022, at Walsall Classic Car Show, Walsall Arboretum, Walsall REF 161-266

Techno Classica Essen 2018 - It was born as an Auto-Union 1000 SP and received a body made by Devin Enterprises. It appears to be the SS bodyshell. Devins were sold as completed cars and you could also obtain kits.

Seen ambling away from a stop at Dawlish station is First Great Western Class 143, 143621, working a train from Exmouth to Paignton.

The Class 143's were built by BREL at the Derby works as a development of the Bus-Like Pacer units that had been pioneered by the earlier Class 141's. A very cheap and basic design, the Pacers are essentially Leyland National bus frames nailed to flatbed wagon bases fitted with Cummins engines. Earlier versions such as the Class 141's and 142's were built by British Leyland and heavily resembled their bus-ancestors, but later changes to the design for a much more robust bodyshell resulted in the 143. The 143's were later complimented by the Class 144's, a set of near identical units that were dispersed across the West and South Yorkshire regions, with their main distinguishing feature being that several are formed of three-cars.

Upon introduction in 1985, the Class 143's found themselves being dispersed in the North East around Tyneside and on the Valley Lines of South Wales, but are all now resigned to the South West.

W111

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 60.000 - 70.000

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2018

- Delivered new to France

- Automatic transmission

- Valid technical inspection

- Registered in the Netherlands

Introduced in 1965, Mercedes-Benz's new S-Class range was outwardly distinguishable from preceding models by a sleeker bodyshell with lower roof and waistlines, and increased glass area. All models featured similar all-independent suspension, as well as four-wheel disc brakes and power-assisted steering. The coupé and cabriolet, though, kept the timelessly elegant coachwork first seen back in 1960; longer than their predecessors, these elegant cars featured a wider radiator shell, wraparound windscreen, enlarged rear window, and vertically positioned twin headlamps, all of which were carried over to their 250 SE equivalents. As befitted top-of-the-range luxury models, the duo came equipped with air conditioning, electric windows, and stereo radio as standard.

The 250 SE employed a fuel-injected version of Mercedes-Benz's new, overhead-camshaft, seven-bearing 'six' displacing 2.496 cc and developing 150 bhp at 5.600 rpm. There was a choice of four-speed manual or automatic transmissions, while the rear suspension featured Mercedes-Benz's hydro-pneumatic compensating spring. Thus equipped, the 250 SE was good for 193 km/h, with 96 km/h reachable in 12 seconds, a substantial improvement on the superseded 220 SE's figures. Today all examples of these classic coupés and cabriolets are highly sought after.

The 250 SE coupé offered here was delivered new to France and comes with its original books and tools. Finished in brown metallic with Cognac leather interior, the car is described by the vendor as in generally good/excellent condition, and is offered with maintenance records, Netherlands registration papers, and valid technical inspection.