Here we are, one of the rarest Rolls Royces and indeed cars to ever trundle down the roads, the last of the mighty Corniche. Although sold only as the Corniche, it is often dubbed the Corniche 2000 or the Corniche V, depending on your preference.

The last of the original Silver Shadow based Corniche's of the 1960's were built in 1995, and for three years Rolls Royce only sold the Silver Spirit and Spur until these were replaced by the Silver Seraph in 1998 following acquisition of the company by both Volkswagen and BMW.

Volkswagen was contracted to build Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles between 1998 and 2003, whilst BMW supplied the engines to replace the original Rolls Royce V8 that had been handed down since the introduction of the Silver Shadow in 1965. In the end BMW were only able to supply their own V12 to the Silver Seraph, whilst the original RR V8 continues to be used even to this day, with a 6.75L version ending up in the Corniche V.

Either way, to compliment the new Silver Seraph, plans were launched to create a convertible two-door saloon version with the revived Corniche name. However, instead of taking a regular Silver Seraph, removing the rear doors and cutting off its roof, Rolls Royce instead went to long time partners Bentley for design assistance, with the result that the Corniche V is in fact built on the platform and with the bodyshell of the Bentley Azure,with Rolls Royce grille and badging, as well as Silver Seraph styling added instead. This was the first, and only Rolls Royce car to be derived from a Bentley product, instead of the usual tradition where Bentley cars were derived from Rolls Royce models.

In January 2000 that car was launched and became the company's flagship motor, with a base price of $359,900. As mentioned, the car is powered by a 6.75L Rolls Royce V8, providing 325hp and whisking the car to a top speed of 135mph at a rate of 0-60 in 8 seconds, which is pretty good going for a 6,000lb luxury saloon!

Inside the car came outfitted with every luxury and refinement characteristic of a Rolls-Royce. The car has a Connolly Leather interior, Wilton wool carpets, chrome gauges and a wide choice of exotic wood trims. Dual automatic temperature control, a six-disc CD changer, automatic headlamps and automatic ride control are standard.

Vehicles were built to order, but the heavy base price made them not as easy to purchase as the technically similar Bentley Azure, which meant that eventually only 374 of these cars were built between 2000 and 2002 when BMW took full control of Rolls Royce.

The Corniche V has the distinction of being the last ever Rolls Royce to be built at their traditional Crewe Factory, which had housed the company since 1946. On August 30th, 2002, a Corniche with chassis number SCAZK28E72CH02079 left the factory as the final Rolls Royce product of their home base, leaving in the company of a classic 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Following the departure of Rolls Royce, the company set up shop in Goodwood near Chichester in the south of England, where the next car to be built was the 2003 Phantom. The spiritual successor of the Corniche V is essentially the Phantom Drophead Coupe, but this is a point of conjecture. Production at the Crewe factory was turned over entirely to Volkswagen and the construction of Bentley automobiles. The Bentley Azure continued in production until 2009, bringing an end to the 14 year old design that had helped spawn the last of the Corniches.

Originally the name was meant to be revived on Rolls Royce's latest car, but in the end was dubbed the Wraith.

Today you'd be very, very hard pressed to find one of these cars. Although many forget about the Corniche V and indeed the Silver Seraph, the surviving examples can still fetch a hefty price of up to £250,000 and more.

Here we are, one of the rarest Rolls Royces and indeed cars to ever trundle down the roads, the last of the mighty Corniche. Although sold only as the Corniche, it is often dubbed the Corniche 2000 or the Corniche V, depending on your preference.

The last of the original Silver Shadow based Corniche's of the 1960's were built in 1995, and for three years Rolls Royce only sold the Silver Spirit and Spur until these were replaced by the Silver Seraph in 1998 following acquisition of the company by both Volkswagen and BMW.

Volkswagen was contracted to build Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles between 1998 and 2003, whilst BMW supplied the engines to replace the original Rolls Royce V8 that had been handed down since the introduction of the Silver Shadow in 1965. In the end BMW were only able to supply their own V12 to the Silver Seraph, whilst the original RR V8 continues to be used even to this day, with a 6.75L version ending up in the Corniche V.

Either way, to compliment the new Silver Seraph, plans were launched to create a convertible two-door saloon version with the revived Corniche name. However, instead of taking a regular Silver Seraph, removing the rear doors and cutting off its roof, Rolls Royce instead went to long time partners Bentley for design assistance, with the result that the Corniche V is in fact built on the platform and with the bodyshell of the Bentley Azure,with Rolls Royce grille and badging, as well as Silver Seraph styling added instead. This was the first, and only Rolls Royce car to be derived from a Bentley product, instead of the usual tradition where Bentley cars were derived from Rolls Royce models.

In January 2000 that car was launched and became the company's flagship motor, with a base price of $359,900. As mentioned, the car is powered by a 6.75L Rolls Royce V8, providing 325hp and whisking the car to a top speed of 135mph at a rate of 0-60 in 8 seconds, which is pretty good going for a 6,000lb luxury saloon!

Inside the car came outfitted with every luxury and refinement characteristic of a Rolls-Royce. The car has a Connolly Leather interior, Wilton wool carpets, chrome gauges and a wide choice of exotic wood trims. Dual automatic temperature control, a six-disc CD changer, automatic headlamps and automatic ride control are standard.

Vehicles were built to order, but the heavy base price made them not as easy to purchase as the technically similar Bentley Azure, which meant that eventually only 374 of these cars were built between 2000 and 2002 when BMW took full control of Rolls Royce.

The Corniche V has the distinction of being the last ever Rolls Royce to be built at their traditional Crewe Factory, which had housed the company since 1946. On August 30th, 2002, a Corniche with chassis number SCAZK28E72CH02079 left the factory as the final Rolls Royce product of their home base, leaving in the company of a classic 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Following the departure of Rolls Royce, the company set up shop in Goodwood near Chichester in the south of England, where the next car to be built was the 2003 Phantom. The spiritual successor of the Corniche V is essentially the Phantom Drophead Coupe, but this is a point of conjecture. Production at the Crewe factory was turned over entirely to Volkswagen and the construction of Bentley automobiles. The Bentley Azure continued in production until 2009, bringing an end to the 14 year old design that had helped spawn the last of the Corniches.

Originally the name was meant to be revived on Rolls Royce's latest car, but in the end was dubbed the Wraith.

Today you'd be very, very hard pressed to find one of these cars. Although many forget about the Corniche V and indeed the Silver Seraph, the surviving examples can still fetch a hefty price of up to £250,000 and more.

Though filled with promise, sadly Triumph's tenure in cars was not meant to be after it had been ransacked by British Leyland and its poorly built TR7's. Here we have the end of their legacy, a 1984 Triumph Acclaim which slipped silently off the production line, no pomp, no ceremony, it disappeared out the door, taking the Triumph name with it.

Towards the end of the 1970's, British Leyland was in a state of absolute despair. Shoddy and dated car designs married to biblical unreliability meant the company was facing near meltdown, and obviously came to the conclusion that they needed someone else to take the helm before the ship properly sank. Enter the Japanese, more to the point, Honda!

Since the 1960's, the Japanese had shown the world that they can mass-produce reliable cars, and thus were raking in sales by the million as people turned from their flaky European models to the highly efficient Japanese alternatives. Desperate to stop their market being swept out from under them, European Manufacturers imposed heavy import taxes on Japanese imports so as to try and price them out of the market, which meant builders such as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi were losing a fortune. The alternative past this blockade was to combine their efforts with some of the more struggling car companies of Europe so as to create hybrid cars.

And thus the Triumph Acclaim was born!

Based almost solely on the Honda Ballade, essentially all that differentiated it was the Triumph badge, and the fact that the car was built at the Cowley Plant near Oxford using the former production lines of the Austin Maxi. The intention largely was to replace the 10 year old Triumph Dolomite as the 4-door saloon of the company. Unlike the Ballade however, the car did come with much more luxury features as with a Triumph badge, the car was intended to be more higher market than the conventional Japanese equivalent. But most importantly, the car has the distinction of being the first truly reliable British Leyland car (and it only took them 12 years to get it right!)

Basically, the car's major components were built in Japan and shipped to Cowley, where they were placed into the locally built bodyshells. Build quality was very good too, with the leaky panels and rough ride seemingly absent, and holds the record for the fewest warranty claims on a British Leyland car. However, Japan may have shown Europe how to build a reliable car, but they didn't know how to build a car that didn't rust. Much like it's Japanese counterparts, the Acclaim rusted like crazy. In Japan this was seen as planned obsolescence, with the intention being that a new model would replace it in two or three years time. But in Britain, cars are built to last, with models going unchanged almost completely for years and even decades. Examples being the Mini, which didn't change in any way, shape or form between its launch in 1959 and its demise in 2000!

But still, despite the terrible rusting problem, the car's reliable nature resulted in 133,000 cars being sold, and became the first Triumph to be within the Top 10 highest selling cars since 1965. However, in the end the Acclaim's show of being a good, reliable car was merely a testbed for the variety of other Japanese style products British Leyland intended to push in the near future. After only 4 years of production, the Triumph Acclaim was shelved in 1984 along with many other British Leyland products such as the Austin Ambassador and the Morris Ital so as to rationalise the company into a small number of highly reliable machines based off the Triumph Acclaim's Japanese based success. From the Acclaim, the Rover 200 was a direct descendant, being based heavily on the next generation Honda Ballade, but also spurring from this plucky car was the mechanicals of the Austin Maestro and Montego.

The ending of Acclaim construction in 1984 also brought the end to the Triumph badge itself on motorcars. Although Triumph still exists on motorbikes, the car division has long since perished, together with Austin and Morris. As for the Acclaim itself, it is truly one of those rarities you won't find everyday. Today only 488 are left, which, although much more than the remaining Ital's and Ambassadors of the same period, is still a very low number. But even so, the Triumph Acclaim did show British Leyland how to make a reliable machine, even though it technically wasn't a British machine in the first place!

DB Schenker's class 92 number 92037 named "Sullivan" in two tone Railfreight grey with large EWS logo and three 'O' shaped channel tunnel rings (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12700569283/in/photost...) hauls 42 Cargowaggon 4-wheeled vans semi-permanently coupled in pairs with shared a running numbers from Dollands Moor sidings to Wembley on 26 February 2014. 92037 was last photographed here on 24 February 2014 on the same service (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12743021204/in/photoli...), and before that on 22 February 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12700392645/in/photost...) working in the opposite direction from Daventry Int Rft Reception Rfd to Dollands Moor sidings and again on 13 January 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/11925824505/in/photoli...) from Dollands Moor to Wembley.

92037 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1995, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.

Taking part in the annual open weekend at the Bridgeton depot of Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, Western Scottish Leyland Leopard JL2631/OSJ631R with 53 bus seats in the coach bodyshell.

Often described as Britain's first supercar (a little late, Italy beat us to that like 5 years earlier!), but the Aston Martin V8 and the derivative Vantage helped keep the company afloat during those dark years of bankruptcy and recovery, even though it almost committed corporate suicide by developing the overly complicated Lagonda!

The original Aston Martin V8 was a coupé manufactured from 1969 to 1989, built to replace the Aston Martin DBS, a more angular car that killed off the DB6, and by extension the iconic design that had eminated through the James Bond DB5. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt, with each car requiring 1,200 manhours to finish. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the other hand took the original bodyshell of this 60's sports coupé, and completely re-engineered it to create something that was not of this earth! The first series had 375hp, and series specific details such as a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler, of which 38 of these were built.

The Vantage name had previously been used on a number of high-performance versions of Aston Martin cars, but this was a separate model. Although based on the Aston Martin V8, numerous detail changes added up to a unique driving experience. One of the most noticeable features was the closed-off hood bulge rather than the open scoop found on the normal V8. The grille area was also closed off, with twin driving lights inserted and a spoiler added to the bootlid.

Upon its introduction in 1977, the car's incredible speed and power was taken up with acclaim, and, as mentioned, was dubbed 'Britain's first supercar', with a top speed of 170 mph top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

The Oscar India version, introduced in late 1978, featured an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge. Inside, a black leather-covered dash replaced the previous walnut. The wooden dashboard did find its way back into the Vantage during the eighties, giving a more luxurious appearance. The Oscar India version also received a slight increase in power, to 390hp. This line was produced, with some running changes, until 1989. From 1986 the engine had 403hp.

1986 saw the introduction of X-Pack was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A big bore after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp, the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch wheels were also now fitted. A 450hp 6.3L version was also available from Aston Martin, and independent manufacturers offered a 7L version just to up the ante.

In 1986, the Vantage had its roof cut off into what would become the convertible Vantage Volante, basically identical. In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory.

The Prince was obviously very specific about his motorcars!

304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built, including 131 X-Packs and 192 Volantes. Volante's are often considered the most desirable of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage range. In all, 534 V8 Vantages were constructed during its 12 year production run, with the car being replaced in 1989 by the Aston Martin Virage, as well as a new generation V8 Vantage which remained somewhat faithful to the original design of the 60's (if not a little more bulky) and was the last Aston Martin design to incorporate a traditional style before changing to the style laid down by the DB7 in 1993.

However, the Vantage did find its way into movie fame as the first Aston Martin used in a James Bond movie since the DBS used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. In 1987's 'The Living Daylights' (the first film to star Timothy Dalton as 007), Bond was treated to Q-Branch's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, complete with missiles, lasers to separate pesky Lada's from their chassis, and a heads-up display to assist in warding off evildoers. It also came with a 'Winter Pack', which included skis, a rocket propulsion and spiked tyres for better grip. The car however met an unfortunate demise after getting stuck in a snowdrift, forcing Bond to activate the self-destruct, engulfing the car in a fiery explosion. But at least everyone's favourite secret agent had finally been reunited with his faithful Aston Martin once again!

There is some slight incongruity with the film though, as at the beginning of the movie, the car is a convertible Volante, yet for the rest of the movie it's a hardtop regular Vantage. This confused me somewhat, or perhaps whilst Bond had the car shipped he had a roof welded on in the meantime!

Today there are a fair number of Vantages roaming the countryside, their popular design, pedigree Bond Car status and sheer raw power keeping them truly afloat. In fact, these cars are much more prominent than the Virage that replaced it, of which you barely see any!

Nº 29d.

(Austin) Racing Mini Mk II (1967-1970).

Red color, Green,Yellow,Black "29" sticker, White interior, Clear windows and Unpainted Metal base.

Escala 1/53 .

Matchbox Superfast.

Lesney Products.

Made in England.

© 1970.

Racing Mini [ Matchbox ]

Debut Series

Matchbox Superfast 1 - 75

Produced

1970 - 1975

Number

29

More info:

matchbox.wikia.com/wiki/Racing_Mini

-------------------------------------------------------

Mini Racing - 29d

"The Racing Mini is a model of a Mini MkII with the bumpers stripped off for competition.

It was first released in 1970 in metallic bronze with racing number 29, the Lesney racers frequently got their model number as racing number. The number stickers on the bronze cars are yellow, edged with orange and have black script.

From 1972 to 1976 the mini changed to orange and the stickers can have orange edges or green edges.

In 1976 the colour of the car changed again to red and these have the green edge stickers or a new design of round sticker, which is a plain white disc with a black three printed on it. A number of red cars have no stickers at all.

In 1981 after a spectacularly long run of 11 years the Racing Mini was withdrawn from the range.

There is quite a spread of values based on the colour/sticker combination. Most sought are the red ones with round RN3 stickers, Next come the red ones with RN 29 followed by the bronze ones."

Source: www.chezbois.com/non_corgi/matchbox/Model_3942.htm

More info:

www.bamca.org/cgi-bin/single.cgi?id=SF29b

www.bamca.org/cgi-bin/vars.cgi?mod=SF29b

www.bamca.org/cgi-bin/vars.cgi?mod=SF29b&var=08

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mini

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Mini is a small economy car produced by the English based British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000.

The original is considered an icon of 1960s British popular culture. Its space-saving transverse engine front-wheel drive layout – allowing 80 percent of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage – influenced a generation of car makers.

In 1999 the Mini was voted the second most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T, and ahead of the Citroën DS and Volkswagen Beetle.

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, the Victoria Park/Zetland British Motor Corporation (Australia) factory in Sydney, Australia, and later also in Spain (Authi), Belgium, Chile, Italy (Innocenti), Malta, Portugal, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela and Yugoslavia.

The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates – the Mark II, the Clubman and the Mark III. Within these was a series of variations, including an estate car, a pick-up truck, a van and the Mini Moke – a jeep-like buggy.

The performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S," were successful as both race and rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967. In 1966, the first-placed Mini was disqualified after the finish, under a controversial decision that the car's headlights were against the rules.

On introduction in August 1959 the Mini was marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor.

The Austin Seven was renamed Austin Mini in January 1962 and Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969.

In 1980 it once again became the Austin Mini and in 1988 the Rover Mini.

BMW acquired the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) in 1994, and sold the greater part of it in 2000, but retained the rights to build cars using the MINI name."

(...)

----------------------------------

Mark II Mini: 1967–1970

"The Mark II Mini was launched at the 1967 British Motor Show, and featured a redesigned grille, a larger rear window and numerous cosmetic changes.

A total of 429,000 Mk II Minis were produced.

A variety of Mini types were made in Pamplona, Spain, by the Authi company from 1968 onwards, mostly under the Morris name.

In 1969, a fibreglass version of the Mini Mark II was developed for British Leyland's Chilean subsidiary (British Leyland Automotores de Chile, S.A., originally the independent assembler EMSSA). The bodyshell mould was created by the Peel Engineering Company. Production began in 1970 and continued for a few years; these fibreglass Minis can be recognised by the missing body seams and by larger panel gaps. The Chilean market was never very large and the hyperinflation and political and social collapse led to the 1973 coup The Arica plant was closed in 1974. The reason for the fibreglass body was to enable Leyland to meet very strict requirements for local sourcing, increasing to 70.22% in 1971."

-------------------

Mini "Mark II"

Also called

Morris Mini

Austin Mini

Production

1967–1970

Assembly

Longbridge, Birmingham, England

Cowley, Oxfordshire, England

Seneffe, Belgium

Arica, Chile

Petone, New Zealand

Setúbal, Portugal

Cape Town, South Africa

Pamplona, Spain

Novo Mesto, Yugoslavia

Shah Alam, Malaysia

Body style

2-door saloon

2-door estate

2-door van

2-door truck

Engine

848 cc (0.8 l) I4

998 cc (1.0 l) I4

1,275 cc (1.3 l) I4

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini

More info:

www.automobile-catalog.com/make/morris/mini_m/mini_ii_coo...

www.topspeed.com/cars/mini/1959-2006-the-history-of-mini-...

1. Giant House Spider (Tegenaria Duellica), 2. Gentleman Drivers, 3. Masters Historic Festival '10, 4. E-Types, 5. Ferrari 430 GT3, 6. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 7. Ferrari 430 GT3 - Brands Hatch 15th Nov '08, 8. Ford Escort Mexico Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08,

9. 1:43 Porsche and BMW Jägermeister Cars, 10. VW Bus, 11. Fire Damaged 246 Dino GT, 12. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 13. No.40 - Brands Hatch Rallycross GP - Late 80s, 14. Mini Bodyshells, 15. Rally Day '10, 16. Brabham BT42,

17. Bluebells, 18. Austin A35 Countryman, 19. Goodwood Revival '09, 20. Silverstone Classic 25th July '09, 21. 993 RS, 22. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 23. Ford Escort Mkll - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 24. Ford Escort Mexico,

25. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 26. Prescott Speed Hillclimb '90 - Hillman Imp, 27. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb '90 - Mini Cooper, 28. My old 6R4 - G610HFV, 29. Ferrari 250 GTO, 30. Prodrive Open Day '07, 31. Race Retro Show '07 Stoneleigh Park 24th March '07, 32. FIA F2 - Brands Hatch 23/07/11,

33. Ford GT40's @ Goodwood Revival '09, 34. '64 Karmann Cabriolet, 35. AC Cobra, 36. Blackpool Rocket, 37. Clockwork Orange, 38. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 39. QE2, 40. Britcar 24Hr - Silverstone 20th & 21st Sept '08,

41. Classic Group 1 Touring Cars, 42. Coke Cans, 43. Audi Sport Quattro E2 - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 44. Ford Escort Mexico Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 45. Ford Escort Lotus Twin Cam - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 46. James Hunt's Texaco McLaren M23, 47. Jimmy McRae's Rothmans MG Metro 6R4 - Prodrive Open Day '07, 48. Masters Historic Festival 2011,

49. R90 Alloys, 50. Dueling Cortinas, 51. A1GP - Brands Hatch 2nd May '09, 52. Alfa Romeo GTV, 53. Classics on the Common '08, 54. VW Bus, 55. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 56. Porsche 935 - Silverstone 1987,

57. Renault 5 Turbo - Race Retro '08, 58. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb '90 - MG Metro 6R4, 59. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 60. TVR V8 powered Mk1 Ford Escort, 61. Mini Sprint, 62. Jowett Jupiter, 63. Race Retro 13th March '10, 64. Porsche 911 RSR,

65. Porsche Carrera RS 993, 66. Going Home, 67. Jack, 68. John Cooper Works GP MINI, 69. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 70. 1:43 Group B Road Cars - Ford RS200, Aidi Sport Quattro and Lancia Delta S4, 71. Big Cats. XJ-R Jaguars., 72. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Prince Charles Metro launch 1980. At the Longbridge factory British Leyland on 20 October 1980, Prince Charles offically opens the New West Works, designed to make Metro bodyshells using the latest robot technology. Chatting to a group of women workers.

Collection: Longbridge

Date: 1980

Reference Number: L009874-5

To enquire about any of our images or for more information, please contact photo@britishmotormuseum.co.uk or visit our photographic website at www.motorgraphs.com/.

Chassis number under driver's seat. This should be a long VIN but in this case it has the word 'CHASSIS' and then quite a short number. A re-shell?

Fiat 131 Abarth Rallye (1976) Engine 1995cc S4 DOHC

Race Number 129 Neil Cotty (Colworth)

Registration Number N 84451 (Torino)

Production 400

FIAT ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665060711...

The first series Fiat 131 was introduced at the 55th Turin Motor Show in late October 1974 The 131 came with a choice of a 1,297 cc or 1,585 cc OHV inline-four engines, both from the engine family first introduced on the Fiat 124. Both engines were fitted with a single twin-choke Weber 32 ADF downdraught carburettor. A four-speed manual transmission was standard, with a 5-speed manual and a 3-speed torque converter automatic optional on the 1600 engine only. The initial range comprised eleven different models with three body styles 2 door and 4 door Saloons and an Estate car.

In 1976, 400 examples of the Fiat Abarth 131 Rally were built for homologation purposes These cars were built in a cooperation between Fiat, Bertone and Abarth. Bertone took part-completed two door standard bodyshells from the production line in Mirafiori, fitted plastic mudguards front and rear, a plastic bonnet and bootlid and modified the metal structure to accept the independent rear suspension. The cars were fully painted and trimmed and then delivered back to the Fiat special Rivalta plant where they received the Abarth mechanicals. The street version of the car used a 16-valve DOHC derivative of the standard DOHC engine, which equipped with a double Weber downdraught carburettor produced 140 PS (103 kW; 138 hp). The street cars used the standard gearbox with no synchromesh (Rally type regulations required the use of the same type of synchromesh on the competition cars as on the street versions) and the hopelessly underdimensioned brake system of the small Fiat 127. Competition cars used dry sump lubrication and eventually Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection. In race specifications, the engine produced up to 240 PS (180 kW) in 1980, being driven to World Championship status by Walter Röhrl.

The Fiat 131 Abarth was a very successful rally car winning the World Rally Championship 1977, 1978 and 1980 with Markku Allen, Timo Salonen and Walter Rohl at the wheel. Between 1976-81 the Fiat 131 Abarth won 18 WRC rally events.

Diolch am 82,799,995 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 82,799,995 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 17.07.2021 at Shelsey Walsh (Classic Nostalgia), Worcestershire 147-069

The Class 230 - D Train.

During November 2014, Vivarail purchased 150 driving motor cars and 300 carriages of London Underground D78 Stock, which had been replaced by S Stock before the end of their lifespan. The intention was to build a diesel electric multiple unit or battery EMU for the British rail network.

Vivarail stated that it planned to pitch the converted trains to a number of train operating companies (TOCs), especially those bidding for the Northern franchise, to be awarded in December 2015. The company positioned the D-Train as being a cost-effective alternative to buying brand new rolling stock, enabling TOCs to replace the Pacer railbuses in the North of England with upcycled Underground stock.

However, Arriva won the bidding for the Northern franchise in December 2015 and its rolling stock plan involved purchasing brand new stock, as well as taking on additional cascaded four-car EMUs. Thus the Class 230 D Train has lost its original intended market.

Nevertheless, a small number of British Rail Class 230 D-Train units have been constructed from converted old London Underground D78 Stock, which were originally manufactured in 1980 by Metro-Cammell. The conversion re-uses the D78's aluminium bodyshells with new interiors. The units run on the same bogies but these are rebuilt to as-new standard by Wabtec and fitted with brand new three-phase AC induction motors, sourced from Austria.

The initial build was for three vehicles for London Northwestern Railway, now known as West Midlands Trains.

During August 2016, a prototype was produced for testing and accreditation and it was announced that the prototype would be tested in mainline service on the Coventry to Nuneaton Line over a 12-month period.

During November 2016, main line testing of the units began, with a prototype unit being based at the Tyseley Locomotive Works. Unfortunately, while it was operating to and from Leamington Spa railway station in December 2016, one of the prototype units caught fire during testing, leading to the postponement of further trials.

At the present time 10, Class 230 units have been constructed. This includes unit 230002, which is an all battery unit, and is still being tested and evaluated at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway.

Unit 23001 is owned and retained by Vivarail.

Three units have been purchased by West Midlands Trains, nos. 230003, 04 and 05. The first of these, no. 230004, entered passenger service with West Midlands Trains on the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley, on 23 April 2019.

The remaining five units, nos. 230006 to 23010, one of which, no. 230008 is pictured here, are diesel - battery powered hybrid units, which have been purchased by Transport for Wales. Testing of these units began in spring 2020 on the Kidderminster Line but the intention is to operate all five units on the Borderlands Line from May 2022. Unit 230008 is seen stabled in the yard at Chester General station during testing on the Borderlands Line, which runs from Wrexham to Bidston.

1. Opposite Lock, 2. Ferrari Enzo, 3. Ferrari 250 GTO, 4. Tilt-shift fake (with genuine cars) - Ferrari 250TR & Maserati 300S, 5. Ferrari 250 GTO, 6. Ferrari 250 GTO, 7. GMW862D @ the Official Mini 30th Birthday Photoshoot at Silverstone 1989, 8. Jaguar E-Type Series 1,

9. Mini 4x4, 10. Low Flying Quattro, 11. 60s Mini Racing, 12. Westfalia Camper - VW T25, 13. Bill Sollis' Mini Miglia, 14. Ford Pop 100E, 15. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 16. Night Racing Tilt-Shift,

17. Maserati A6G Zagato, 18. IMG_4015, 19. Jaguar D-Type, Austin Healey Sprite and Ecurie Ecosse Transporter., 20. Britcar 24Hr Race @ Silverstone. 10:09pm 20/09/08, 21. Stumpy A1 GP, 22. VW Camper, 23. Morris Cooper S Mk1, 24. Wire frame Subaru Impreza WRC - Prodrive Open Day '07,

25. Britcar 24Hr Race @ Silverstone. 10:09pm 20/09/08, 26. Britcar 500 Night Race @ Silverstone, 27. Ferrari 250GTO - Tilt-shift fake, 28. 60s Mini Racing, 29. Mini Cooper 1.3i, 30. Tilt-shift fake - Mini 30 photo shoot @ Silverstone 1989, 31. Ferrari 430 GT3, 32. Mini,

33. "Pikes Peak" Audi Sport Quattro, 34. , 35. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 36. Britcar 500 @ Silverstone, 37. Lamborghini Miura - Norwich Union Classic Car Run 1987, 38. Bill Sollis' Union Flag Mini Miglia., 39. Ford Cologne Capri Mk1, 40. Mini Bodyshells,

41. Britcar Into The Night, 42. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 43. Mini Cooper 1.3i, 44. Driving home for Christmas., 45. Ford Zephyr Ute, 46. Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1, 47. Renault Alpine A110, 48. Audi Quattro A1,

49. Brabham BT42 - Grand Prix Masters - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 50. Greener than a green thing!, 51. Ferrari 250TR - 0716TR, 52. Wrong way up., 53. White Ferrari Testarossa - very Miami Vice., 54. Ferrari 250 GTO, 55. MINI, 56. Skoda S110R Spaceframe V8,

57. Ford GT40's @ Goodwood Revival '09, 58. Lotus Cortina @ Goodwood, 59. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 60. DoF, 61. Austin-Healey 3000 Mk1 @ Goodwood, 62. Ferrari 250 TDF, 63. Race Retro Show '07 Stoneleigh Park 24th March '07, 64. Ferrari 250 Testarossa,

65. Mustang GT350 @ Goodwood Revival '09, 66. Westfalia Camper - Volkswagen T25, 67. Ferrari 250 GTO, 68. Absolut Vodka - Original (with an added vanilla pod), 69. Prancing Horses, 70. Escort RS1800, 71. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 72. Jack

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The Alfa Romeo 105/115 series Coupés were a range of cars manufactured from 1963 until 1977. They were the successors to the celebrated Giulietta Sprint coupé and used a shortened floorpan from the Giulia Berlina car. These appealing cars were made in a wide variety of models over a period of 13 years, so they provide a lot of material for study by Alfa Romeo enthusiasts. The basic body shape shared by all models was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro for Bertone. It was one of his first major projects for Bertone, and borrowed heavily from his earlier design for the Alfa Romeo 2000 Sprint/2600 Sprint. The balance of glass and metal, the influence of the shape of the front and rear glass on the shape of the cabin, and the flat grille with incorporated headlamps were groundbreaking styling features for the era.All models feature the four cylinder, all-light-alloy Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine in various cubic capacities from 1290 cc to 1962 cc. All versions of this engine fitted to the 105 series coupes featured twin carburettors. Competition models featured cylinder heads with twin spark plugs. Common to all models was also a 5-speed manual transmission and disc brakes on all four wheels. The rear suspension uses a beam axle with coil springs. Air conditioning and a limited slip rear differential were optional on the later models. The 105 series coupés featured the GT (Gran Turismo) model description, which was common to all models in one form or another.The various different models in this range can be considered in two broad categories.On one hand were the various Gran Turismos and Gran Turismo Veloces. These were meant to be the most sporting cars in the Alfa Romeo range and sold very well to enthusiastic motorists around the world. The first model available was the Giulia Sprint GT (1963) which evolved into the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce (1965), the 1750 GTV (1968) and the 2000 GTV (1972–1976), with engines increasing in cubic capacity from 1570 cc (Giulia Sprint GT/GTV) through 1779 cc (1750 GTV) to 1962 cc (2000 GTV).On the other hand was the GT Junior range, which featured engines with smaller cubic capacities. GT Juniors sold in great numbers to people who wanted a sporting, stylish car that handled well, but either did not require the maximum in engine power, or could not afford the taxation on larger engine capacities in some markets - most notably, Alfa Romeo's home Italian market. Junior models began with the first GT 1300 Junior in 1966. The GT 1300 Junior continued until 1976 with the 1290 cc engine and various modifications incorporating features from the evolution of the GT's and GTV's. From 1972 a GT 1600 Junior model was also available, with the 1570 cc engine.Both categories were used to derive GTA ("Allegerita") models, which were specifically intended for competition homologation in their respective engine size classes. The GTA's featured extensive modifications for racing, so they were priced much higher than the standard models and sold in much smaller numbers. Practically all GTA's made were used in competition, where they had a long and successful history in various classes and category. These models included the Giulia Sprint GTA and GTA 1300 Junior.

The GT 1300 Junior was the entry model to the Alfa Romeo coupe range. It was introduced in 1965 as the replacement for the 101 series Giulia Sprint 1300, which was the final development of the Giulietta Sprint series.The GT 1300 Junior was fitted with the 1300 (1290 cc) twin cam engine (74 mm bore × 75 mm stroke), as fitted to the Giulietta series cars, but revised for the 105 series with reduced port sizes and other modifications. The smaller engine was introduced in order to allow buyers to choose an Alfa Romeo coupe while avoiding the higher taxes on the models with larger engine capacity, especially in Alfa Romeo's home Italian market.The performance was low-end compared to others in its model line, with a total of 89 bhp (66 kW; 90 PS). However, the GT 1300 Junior's top speed of over 100 mph and 0-60 mph time of 12.6 seconds were very good for a fully-appointed coupe with an engine of only 1300 cc displacement.The GT 1300 Junior was in production for over a decade. Throughout this period it was updated by the factory, incorporating many of the same revisions applied to the larger-engined models.The first GT 1300 Juniors produced were based on the Giulia Sprint GT, with a simpler interior. The major external identifying feature was the black grille with just one horizontal chrome bar. The same 9/41 final drive ratio was maintained, but with a shorter 5th gear ratio of 0.85, instead of 0.79 as on all the other 105 Series coupes.Together with the Giulia 1300 Ti, the GT 1300 Junior pioneered the use of ATE disk brakes as later fitted throughout the 105 series, replacing the Dunlop disks on earlier cars. The first few GT 1300 Juniors lacked a brake servo, and had the low rear wheelarches of the Giulia Sprint GT and Giulia Sprint GTV. From 1967, a servo was fitted as standard, together with higher rear wheelarches as adopted later on the 1750 GTV.In 1968, concurrently with the replacement of the Giulia Sprint GT Veloce by the 1750 GTV, the GT 1300 Junior was revised with many of the new parts from the 1750 GTV. This included the dashboard, the suspension and the new wheel size of 5½ × 14J instead of 4½ × 15J. This revised GT 1300 Junior, however, retained the early "step-front" body style, which, interestingly, makes it the most mechanically refined production "step-front" model. Another intriguing detail is that, just as on the 1750 GTV, the remote release for the boot lid, located on the inside of the door opening on the B-post just under the door lock striker, was moved from the right hand side of the car to the left hand side. This series of GT 1300 Junior was the only model with the step-front bodyshell to have this item mounted on the left hand side. All other step-front models - Giulia Sprint GT, Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, and early GT 1300 Junior with flat dashboard - featured this item on the right hand side.In 1970 the Junior was revised a second time, and received the same nose treatment as the 1750 GTV, without the step but with only two headlights.For 1972, new wheels featuring smaller hubcaps with exposed wheel nuts like those on the 2000 GTV were fitted. At the same time, the GT 1600 Junior was introduced alongside the GT 1300 Junior. From 1974 the GT1300 Junior and GT1600 Junior were both rationalised into a common range with the 2000 GTV. (©http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_105/115_Series_Coup%C3%A9s).

1. Ferrari 250 GTB Berlinetta Competizione SWB, 2. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 3. Rover P6 V8 5000cc - HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 4. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb 1990 - Maguire Mini, 5. Prescott Speed Hillclimb '90 - Ford GT40 Replica, 6. Loton Park Speed Hillclimb '87, 7. My old 6R4 - G610HFV, 8. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '06,

9. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 10. 250 Series, 11. Dodge Charger R/T - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 12. Ferrari 250TR and Maserati 300S, 13. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 14. Ford F150 @ Classics on the Common '08, 15. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 16. BMW M3 GTR - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08,

17. Mallory Park '90 - Lotus Cortina Mk2, 18. Skoda V8 Spaceframe - Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 19. Lotus Elan - Gurston Down Hillclimb '90, 20. Aston Martin DBR9 - Prodrive Open Day '07, 21. Classics on the Common '08, 22. Talbot Sunbeam Lotus - Chatsworth Rally Show 8th June '08, 23. Ford KA - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 24. Porsche 908 - Brands Hatch 26th May '08,

25. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 26. 6R4 Sales Brouchure - Page 8 of 8, 27. Prescott Speed Hillclimb '90 - Hillman Imp, 28. Colin McRae WRC Ford Focus - Race Retro '08, 29. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 30. Britcar 24Hr Pit & Paddock - Silverstone 20 & 21/09/08, 31. Ford Anglia 105E - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 32. Ford Angia - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08,

33. A Pair of Ferrari 250 California SWBs, 34. Audi Sport Quattro SWB - Race Retro '08, 35. Lancia 037 - Goodwood '97, 36. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 37. Lancia Stratos - The United Colours Of...., 38. Subaru Impreza WRC Bodyshell - Prodrive Open Day '07, 39. DBS V8, 40. Ford Capri - Masters Racing Series - Brands Hatch 26th May '08,

41. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 42. Gerry Marshall's Aston Martin V8 - Silverstone 1987, 43. Prescott Speed Hillclimb '90 - MGB V8, 44. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb '90 - Spaceframe Skoda V8, 45. Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 46. March - Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 47. Masters Racing Series '07 Brands Hatch 25th May '07, 48. Post Historic Touring Cars,

49. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 50. Lola 280 DFV - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 51. Ferrari 275 GTB, 52. Lydden Hill Sprint '90, 53. Gurston Down Hillclimb '90 - MG Metro 6R4, 54. My dirty Cooper S, 55. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 56. Prodrive Open Day '07,

57. Prodrive Open Day '07, 58. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 59. Alexandra Palace Fireworks, 60. TVR Tuscan Speed 6 @ Silverstone 20/09/08, 61. MG Metro 6R4 - Chatsworth Rally Show 8th June '08, 62. Audi Sport Quattro - Chatsworth Rally Show 8th June '08, 63. Ford Zephyr - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st July '08, 64. Austin Healey 3000s - Gentleman Drivers GTs - Brands Hatch 26th May '08,

65. Masters Racing Series - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 66. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 67. Lancia 037 - Race Retro '08, 68. Lotus F1 - Race Retro '08, 69. Porsche 911 Turbo Flat Nose @ Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 70. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 71. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 72. Ford Escort Mexico Mk1 - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08

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First generation DMUs in N gauge, both are Graham Farish models of classes 101 and 121 respectively.

On the right is the single-car 121 with the distinctive exhaust pipes up the front of one of the cabs and around the headcode box. Being a new model detail like those are intricately replicated, like the hook for the coupling (above the functional coupling) and the windscreen wipers.

On the left is the 101, one of the old '90s models made in Poole. This one's a two-car unit and the closest one to the camera is the business-end where the little motor is. For a while it had been broken but just today I got it back in working order, and while doing research on the possible fault I found some variations in these things to do with bogies and motors and gears. If I remember rightly from when I took it apart it had a 5 pole motor, but I know for sure it's the 8 wheel drive version with electrical pickup on all wheels and plastic gears. Here's hoping they don't split! Turned out my problem was the motor commutator, it was all dirty and greasy and one of the springs supplying electrical current to it had lost contact. While I was trying to coax it back into life, it sparked a bit (it had run 'sparkily' before it conked out) an then a load of smoke came pouring out.

Once I'd learned what the commutator did, I cleaned it and made sure the other moving parts were working (I had it all taken apart and rebuilt it a few times for testing). Electrical current one way flows through the metal chassis and the other way on to a copper strip running the length of the plastic frames - the connection between the holder for the spring for the commutator and the copper strip wasn't working, but I resolved it by putting a strip of tin foil on it. I had to have a few goes at reattaching the bogies as one of them kept being tilted, and then also the copper pickups from the wheels had to connect with the chassis block and the copper strip in the right places all of the time. Once everything was sorted out - the plucky 101 burst into life again, albeit the wrong way to the set direction, but it was working. A few teething problems were ironed out after some more tinkering, and then on to the direction issue. It turned out it couldn't be easier to fix. The magnet for the motor is exposed at the top of the chassis block when the bodyshell is unclipped, and to change the direction it just needs turning over.

After all that the 101 was in working order again, ready to trundle noisily up and down on my model railway occasionally derailing itself. It doesn't spark as much now the commutator is clean and the reason it is noisy, according to what I've read, is due to the extra stage of gearing at either end of the motor, making for a model that runs well at low speeds. Once it was going I put this to the test - and it does (mind you so does the 121, which by the way if you put it on full power will fly like no other N scale train - it is super speedy!)

Towards the end of the 1970's, British Leyland was in a state of absolute despair. Shoddy and dated car designs married to biblical unreliability meant the company was facing near meltdown, and obviously came to the conclusion that they needed someone else to take the helm before the ship properly sank. Enter the Japanese, more to the point, Honda!

Since the 1960's, the Japanese had shown the world that they can mass-produce reliable cars, and thus were raking in sales by the million as people turned from their flaky European models to the highly efficient Japanese alternatives. Desperate to stop their market being swept out from under them, European Manufacturers imposed heavy import taxes on Japanese imports so as to try and price them out of the market, which meant builders such as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi were losing a fortune. The alternative past this blockade was to combine their efforts with some of the more struggling car companies of Europe so as to create hybrid cars.

And thus the Triumph Acclaim was born!

Based almost solely on the Honda Ballade, essentially all that differentiated it was the Triumph badge, and the fact that the car was built at the Cowley Plant near Oxford using the former production lines of the Austin Maxi. The intention largely was to replace the 10 year old Triumph Dolomite as the 4-door saloon of the company. Unlike the Ballade however, the car did come with much more luxury features as with a Triumph badge, the car was intended to be more higher market than the conventional Japanese equivalent. But most importantly, the car has the distinction of being the first truly reliable British Leyland car (and it only took them 12 years to get it right!)

Basically, the car's major components were built in Japan and shipped to Cowley, where they were placed into the locally built bodyshells. Build quality was very good too, with the leaky panels and rough ride seemingly absent, and holds the record for the fewest warranty claims on a British Leyland car. However, Japan may have shown Europe how to build a reliable car, but they didn't know how to build a car that didn't rust. Much like it's Japanese counterparts, the Acclaim rusted like crazy. In Japan this was seen as planned obsolescence, with the intention being that a new model would replace it in two or three years time. But in Britain, cars are built to last, with models going unchanged almost completely for years and even decades. Examples being the Mini, which didn't change in any way, shape or form between its launch in 1959 and its demise in 2000!

But still, despite the terrible rusting problem, the car's reliable nature resulted in 133,000 cars being sold, and became the first Triumph to be within the Top 10 highest selling cars since 1965. However, in the end the Acclaim's show of being a good, reliable car was merely a testbed for the variety of other Japanese style products British Leyland intended to push in the near future. After only 4 years of production, the Triumph Acclaim was shelved in 1984 along with many other British Leyland products such as the Austin Ambassador and the Morris Ital so as to rationalise the company into a small number of highly reliable machines based off the Triumph Acclaim's Japanese based success. From the Acclaim, the Rover 200 was a direct descendant, being based heavily on the next generation Honda Ballade, but also spurring from this plucky car was the mechanicals of the Austin Maestro and Montego.

The ending of Acclaim construction in 1984 also brought the end to the Triumph badge itself on motorcars. Although Triumph still exists on motorbikes, the car division has long since perished, together with Austin and Morris. As for the Acclaim itself, it is truly one of those rarities you won't find everyday. Today only 488 are left, which, although much more than the remaining Ital's and Ambassadors of the same period, is still a very low number. But even so, the Triumph Acclaim did show British Leyland how to make a reliable machine, even though it technically wasn't a British machine in the first place!

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

Class 442. 2401. 'Wessex Electric'. Electric Multiple Unit. In Express livery. Operating the 1A61 1318 Brighton to London Victoria service. Seen departing Brighton Station.

These units were new to the South Western division of Network SouthEast operating services from London Waterloo to Weymouth. These were withdrawn from South West Trains and eventually transferred to Southern Railway to primarily operate the Gatwick Express services.

Direct Rail Services class 57/3 no. 57304 'Pride of Cheshire' sits in the thunderbird siding at Crewe on 07th September 2014 awaiting it's next turn of duty.

The first Class 57s were built in 1997 for Freightliner, a Class 47 bodyshell was taken, stripped, rewired and then fitted with an EMD engine. In 2002, 12 further Class 47s were converted to 57s for Virgin Trains, these were numbered 57/3 and fitted with ETH. In 2003, four additional locos were ordered for dragging Pendolinos, these were fitted with Dellner couplings from new and the remainder of the fleet was retrofitted with Dellners in the same year. DRS now operate the majority of the class 57/0 and 57/3. Network Rail operate some Class 57/3s, First Great Western operate the Class 57/6 fleet and West Coast Railways operate a fleet of 57/0, 57/3 and 57/6.

The final major facelift for the GT6 came in 1970, to make the MK3. This time the whole bodyshell was revised to match the changes made to the Spitfire Mk.IV; these included a cut-off rear end, recessed door handles and a smoother front end. Only detail changes were made to the mechanics, but in 1973 – close to the end of the car's life – the rear suspension was changed again, this time for the cheaper (but still effective) "swing-spring" layout also fitted to the Spitfire Mk.IV. This was a modification of the swing axle rear suspension used on the lesser Herald-derived models, with the transverse leaf spring mounted on a pivot, eliminating roll stiffness at the rear, and thus greatly reducing the jacking effect under cornering loads. To compensate for this loss of roll stiffness, a larger front anti-roll bar was fitted. A brake servo was also added in 1973, and seats were changed from vinyl to cloth. There was still a fairly comprehensive options list, but the "knock-on" wire wheels were no longer available. The unladen weight increased slightly to 2,030 lb (920 kg)

The GT6 proved to be a thoroughly pleasant, well-behaved sports car, certainly after the launch of the MK2. However it never sold in the numbers hoped for by Triumph, and was comprehensively beaten in the marketplace by the arguably inferior MGB. This seems a puzzle; the smaller-engined Spitfire sold better than the MG Midget, but this success eluded the GT6. Triumph always refused to release an official convertible version of the GT6 (although a number of owners successfully created one), and this may be partly responsible; the only likely explanation for this is their reluctance to offer any competition for their TR6 roadster, a strong seller in the USA. Whatever the reason, the GT6 was quietly dropped from the Triumph range at the end of 1973, although a few cars were sold the following year.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Mit dem Spitfire führte Triumph 1962 einen preisgünstigen Sportwagen ein. Der Konkurrent MG hatte damals von seinem MGB ein Coupé im Angebot, welches sich gut verkaufte. Triumph beauftragte daher den italienischen Designer Giovanni Michelotti mit einem Entwurf auf Basis des Spitfire. Das Resultat lieferte jedoch mit dem Spitfire-Motor aufgrund des höheren Gewichts nicht ausreichende Leistung. Das Problem wurde gelöst, indem man in das neue Spitfirecoupé den 2l-Motor des Triumph Vitesse einbaute.

Das Ergebnis wurde GT6 genannt und im Jahr 1966 vorgestellt. Aufgrund seiner hinteren Heckklappe gab es gewisse Ähnlichkeiten des GT6 zum Jaguar E-Type. Deshalb und wegen seines günstigen Preises erhielt er den Spitznamen Poor man's E-Type (Jaguar E des Armen Mannes). Konzeptionell allerdings geht der GTR6 eher auf die Sunbeam Harrington Alpine Coupés zurück, die das britische Karosseriebauunternehmen Thomas Harrington Coach Builders zwischen 1961 und 1964 auf der Basis des Sunbeam Alpine Roadsters hergestellt hatte.

(Wikipedia)

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

Estimated : € 200.000 - 300.000

Sold for € 173.833

'In rallying form its 4.2-litre engine produced at least 200bhp, which made it competitive with the Big Healeys, and there was a most impressive spread of torque. Had this car been properly developed, it should have had the Austin-Healey 3000 beaten.' – Graham Robson, 'A-Z Works Rally Cars'.

An ultra-rare works rally car of considerable importance, 'AHP 294B' was prepared by Rootes' Competition Department and first registered to Humber Ltd on 1st July 1964. Featured in Graham Robson's 'A-Z of Works Rally Cars' (page 155), it is one of only five surviving works Sunbeam Tiger rally cars constructed by Rootes' Competition Department.

Built in left-hand drive configuration, this extensively campaigned car made its international debut in the 1964 Geneva Rally driven by 'Tiny' Lewis and Barry Hughes, winning the GT Class and finishing 11th overall. Used by Andrew Cowan/Colin Turvey as a 'recce' car for the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally, 'AHP 294B' was driven in that event by Maurice Gatsonides and Albert Ilken, only to retire in the horrendous weather conditions encountered by the Paris starters.

Gatsonides then had the idea of using the Tiger to set some Dutch National Endurance records using the Zandvoort circuit, a successful attempt that culminated in new best marks for three, six, 12, and 24 hours, the latter at an average speed of 75.47mph (see press cutting on file). 'AHP' then went on to compete in the 1965 Tulip Rally driven by Peter Riley and Robin Turvey, being eliminated when it ran out of time after being slowed by un-seasonal snow when on racing tyres. Later in 1965, and again driven by Lewis/Hughes, the Tiger was forced to retire from the Alpine Rally when one of the rear brakes failed. The ensuing localised fire is almost certainly what led to the Tiger being rebuilt at the Competition Department around a new, later-type bodyshell to the latest international rallying regulations which required cars to match the silhouette of the production model.

The Tiger's next competitive appearance was in the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally, driven by Peter Harper and Robin Turvey, from which it retired on Stage 5 having posted some impressive times. Its final outing as a works entry was in the '66 Tulip Rally, serving as Harper/Turvey's recce car. 'AHP' was then sold by the Competition Department, via a well-connected Belgian intermediary, to racing driver Chris Tuerlinckx, who formed 'Sunbeam Tiger Racing' with former Rootes engineer, Vic Heylen.

Driven by Tuerlinckx, the car's first outing as a private entry was the 1966 Tour de Belgique, which 'AHP' won outright to secure only the second international rally victory by a Tiger (John Gott's in the International Police Rally had been the first). Then came an entirely new challenge: the Spa Francorchamps 1,000km. This first venture into endurance racing would end in a 'DNF', but at the following year's Spa race the Tiger won the GT Class and finished a highly creditable 13th overall despite being pitted against works prototypes fielded by the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, Lola, and Mirage. That year's Tour de Belgique saw 'AHP' win the GT category on its way to 3rd overall, and the car continued to be campaigned in Dutch and Belgian events until the early 1970s when it was sold to Hugh Chamberlain in the UK.

It appears that Chamberlain did nothing with Tiger, which he sold in 1988 to 'Big Healey' specialist, Ted Worswick. While with Ted Worswick, the car was restored by Jeff Goodliffe's GRV of Littleborough before being acquired by David Duncanson in 1991. An authority on Rootes Group works rally cars, David Duncanson ensured that 'AHP' was returned to as correct as possible 1966 specification. Subsequently, ex-rallying star Rosemary Smith campaigned the Tiger on several occasions in historic events, winning the Coupe des Dames category more than once (details on file).

Acquired by the current vendor in May 2014, 'AHP' was then treated to a full 'last nut and bolt' restoration by Hardy Hall Restorations of Thornbury, Herefordshire, while the engine has been rebuilt by Knight Racing Services of Daventry. Related bills on file total circa £100,000 (approximately €113,000) and the car also comes with a dynamometer test sheet (213bhp at the flywheel). On delivery from Hardy Hall, 'AHP' and its crew went out the next day and secured a class win in the 2015 Tour Britannia. In 2016, this famous ex-works Tiger successfully competed in the Monte Carlo Historique, and in 2018 led the Bromyard Motor Club's road trip to the Spa Classic, revisiting the historic Belgian circuit 51 years on from its last race there.

Prospective purchasers are urged to examine the most substantial history file, which contains the original buff logbook, period photographs, contemporary press cuttings, results sheets, expired MoTs, FIVA Identity Card, UK V5C Registration Certificate, and a Sunbeam Tiger Owners' Association Certificate of Authenticity. It also comes with the original factory hardtop, with various 1960s events stickers still in place, plus two sets of wheels shod with studded snow tyres. Possessing impeccable provenance and presented in superb condition, this historic works Sunbeam Tiger is ready to use.

Often described as Britain's first supercar (a little late, Italy beat us to that like 5 years earlier!), but the Aston Martin V8 and the derivative Vantage helped keep the company afloat during those dark years of bankruptcy and recovery, even though it almost committed corporate suicide by developing the overly complicated Lagonda!

The original Aston Martin V8 was a coupé manufactured from 1969 to 1989, built to replace the Aston Martin DBS, a more angular car that killed off the DB6, and by extension the iconic design that had eminated through the James Bond DB5. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt, with each car requiring 1,200 manhours to finish. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the other hand took the original bodyshell of this 60's sports coupé, and completely re-engineered it to create something that was not of this earth! The first series had 375hp, and series specific details such as a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler, of which 38 of these were built.

The Vantage name had previously been used on a number of high-performance versions of Aston Martin cars, but this was a separate model. Although based on the Aston Martin V8, numerous detail changes added up to a unique driving experience. One of the most noticeable features was the closed-off hood bulge rather than the open scoop found on the normal V8. The grille area was also closed off, with twin driving lights inserted and a spoiler added to the bootlid.

Upon its introduction in 1977, the car's incredible speed and power was taken up with acclaim, and, as mentioned, was dubbed 'Britain's first supercar', with a top speed of 170 mph top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

The Oscar India version, introduced in late 1978, featured an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge. Inside, a black leather-covered dash replaced the previous walnut. The wooden dashboard did find its way back into the Vantage during the eighties, giving a more luxurious appearance. The Oscar India version also received a slight increase in power, to 390hp. This line was produced, with some running changes, until 1989. From 1986 the engine had 403hp.

1986 saw the introduction of X-Pack was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A big bore after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp, the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch wheels were also now fitted. A 450hp 6.3L version was also available from Aston Martin, and independent manufacturers offered a 7L version just to up the ante.

In 1986, the Vantage had its roof cut off into what would become the convertible Vantage Volante, basically identical. In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory.

The Prince was obviously very specific about his motorcars!

304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built, including 131 X-Packs and 192 Volantes. Volante's are often considered the most desirable of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage range. In all, 534 V8 Vantages were constructed during its 12 year production run, with the car being replaced in 1989 by the Aston Martin Virage, as well as a new generation V8 Vantage which remained somewhat faithful to the original design of the 60's (if not a little more bulky) and was the last Aston Martin design to incorporate a traditional style before changing to the style laid down by the DB7 in 1993.

However, the Vantage did find its way into movie fame as the first Aston Martin used in a James Bond movie since the DBS used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. In 1987's 'The Living Daylights' (the first film to star Timothy Dalton as 007), Bond was treated to Q-Branch's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, complete with missiles, lasers to separate pesky Lada's from their chassis, and a heads-up display to assist in warding off evildoers. It also came with a 'Winter Pack', which included skis, a rocket propulsion and spiked tyres for better grip. The car however met an unfortunate demise after getting stuck in a snowdrift, forcing Bond to activate the self-destruct, engulfing the car in a fiery explosion. But at least everyone's favourite secret agent had finally been reunited with his faithful Aston Martin once again!

There is some slight incongruity with the film though, as at the beginning of the movie, the car is a convertible Volante, yet for the rest of the movie it's a hardtop regular Vantage. This confused me somewhat, or perhaps whilst Bond had the car shipped he had a roof welded on in the meantime!

Today there are a fair number of Vantages roaming the countryside, their popular design, pedigree Bond Car status and sheer raw power keeping them truly afloat. In fact, these cars are much more prominent than the Virage that replaced it, of which you barely see any!

Leyland Beaver Flat being loaded with Hillman Minx Bodyshells.

Peugeot 304 (1969-74) Engine 1288cc S4 OC Tr Production 1,178,425 (all variants)

Registration Number UUL 28 M

PEUGEOT SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690496925...

Launched at the 1969 Paris Motor Show to fill a gap in the mid sized car market. Based heavily on the Peugeot 204 sharing the same floorpan, running gear and bodyshell but with different nose styling and larger more powerful engines.

The Coupe and Cabriolet version replaced their 204 equivalents from 1970.

Tha 2 door Cabriolet was a two seater and is probably now the most numerous of the range, still running in the UK

Thanks for 17 Million views

.

Shot at the La Vie en Bleu meeting, Prescot Hill. 02:06:2013 Ref: 94-242

09.46: DVT 82226 heads north out of York behind 91132.

The Sub Class 822xx DVTs were built by Metro-Cammell for use on the ECML with Class 91 in the InterCity225 sets.

Weirdly, the bodyshells were manufactured in 1989/1990 under sub-contract by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda (usually just called Breda) in Italy and shipped to Washwood Heath for fitout.

Presumably Metro-Cammell were unable to undertake this bodyshell construction work at Washwood Heath.

They would have just been bought by Alstom at the time (1989) and all the bodyshells for the Mark 4 coaches on the IC225s were also outsourced (to both BREL & Breda).

With the run down of the Class 91 & IC225 sets in 2019/2020, a number of these DVTs have been sold, stored or scrapped.

DVT 82226 is a survivor having being bought by TFW - Transport for Wales for its Holyhead to Cardiff service.

Initially stored, it was overhauled and put into service in 2021.

The XR4Ti was the trim level given to the sportiest of the original release Ford Sierras. The XR4Ti differed from the other Sierra models principally in the adoption of the small side rear window of the 5-door liftback, in the 3-door bodyshell.

Apart from this excentricity, the XR4Ti displayed the usual go-faster styling of the period - big wheels, deep bumpers, red stripes and spoilers. One feature taken from the 'Probe' series of Ford concept cars was the use of a 'bi-plane' rear wing, the top section which biseced the rear window.

If all these styling diversions were not enough of a shock, the 1982 Ford Sierra range replaced the conservative, three-box, square-cut styling of the best selling Ford Cortina Mk V, with the new aerodynamic, slippery form, as pioneered by the Audi 100 of the same year. The media dubbed the styling 'jellymold' and were critical of the grille-less nose. This bold gamble would stand the Sierra on good stead toward the end of its product cycle, when it still looked modern, whilst many of its principle competitors were starting to look dated. At the time, however, it was widely reported (falsely) that Frd was readying to put the conservative Cortina back into production. The Sierra lost the Cortina's position as the top selling car in the UK to the Escort, but enabled Ford to be perceived as an innovative and contemporary company. The Sierra was replaced in 1993 by the dynamic handling Ford Mondeo, which returned Ford to a more conservative styling template for family cars in Europe.

This Lego Ford Sierra model has been created in Lego Difital Designer for Flickr LUGNuts 43rd Build Challenge - 'Plus or Minus Ten' - celebrating vehicles built ten years before or after the birth year of the modeller - in this case the 1982 Ford Sierra.

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]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJ

Often described as Britain's first supercar (a little late, Italy beat us to that like 5 years earlier!), but the Aston Martin V8 and the derivative Vantage helped keep the company afloat during those dark years of bankruptcy and recovery, even though it almost committed corporate suicide by developing the overly complicated Lagonda!

The original Aston Martin V8 was a coupé manufactured from 1969 to 1989, built to replace the Aston Martin DBS, a more angular car that killed off the DB6, and by extension the iconic design that had eminated through the James Bond DB5. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt, with each car requiring 1,200 manhours to finish. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the other hand took the original bodyshell of this 60's sports coupé, and completely re-engineered it to create something that was not of this earth! The first series had 375hp, and series specific details such as a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler, of which 38 of these were built.

The Vantage name had previously been used on a number of high-performance versions of Aston Martin cars, but this was a separate model. Although based on the Aston Martin V8, numerous detail changes added up to a unique driving experience. One of the most noticeable features was the closed-off hood bulge rather than the open scoop found on the normal V8. The grille area was also closed off, with twin driving lights inserted and a spoiler added to the bootlid.

Upon its introduction in 1977, the car's incredible speed and power was taken up with acclaim, and, as mentioned, was dubbed 'Britain's first supercar', with a top speed of 170 mph top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

The Oscar India version, introduced in late 1978, featured an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge. Inside, a black leather-covered dash replaced the previous walnut. The wooden dashboard did find its way back into the Vantage during the eighties, giving a more luxurious appearance. The Oscar India version also received a slight increase in power, to 390hp. This line was produced, with some running changes, until 1989. From 1986 the engine had 403hp.

1986 saw the introduction of X-Pack was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A big bore after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp, the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch wheels were also now fitted. A 450hp 6.3L version was also available from Aston Martin, and independent manufacturers offered a 7L version just to up the ante.

In 1986, the Vantage had its roof cut off into what would become the convertible Vantage Volante, basically identical. In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory.

The Prince was obviously very specific about his motorcars!

304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built, including 131 X-Packs and 192 Volantes. Volante's are often considered the most desirable of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage range. In all, 534 V8 Vantages were constructed during its 12 year production run, with the car being replaced in 1989 by the Aston Martin Virage, as well as a new generation V8 Vantage which remained somewhat faithful to the original design of the 60's (if not a little more bulky) and was the last Aston Martin design to incorporate a traditional style before changing to the style laid down by the DB7 in 1993.

However, the Vantage did find its way into movie fame as the first Aston Martin used in a James Bond movie since the DBS used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. In 1987's 'The Living Daylights' (the first film to star Timothy Dalton as 007), Bond was treated to Q-Branch's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, complete with missiles, lasers to separate pesky Lada's from their chassis, and a heads-up display to assist in warding off evildoers. It also came with a 'Winter Pack', which included skis, a rocket propulsion and spiked tyres for better grip. The car however met an unfortunate demise after getting stuck in a snowdrift, forcing Bond to activate the self-destruct, engulfing the car in a fiery explosion. But at least everyone's favourite secret agent had finally been reunited with his faithful Aston Martin once again!

There is some slight incongruity with the film though, as at the beginning of the movie, the car is a convertible Volante, yet for the rest of the movie it's a hardtop regular Vantage. This confused me somewhat, or perhaps whilst Bond had the car shipped he had a roof welded on in the meantime!

Today there are a fair number of Vantages roaming the countryside, their popular design, pedigree Bond Car status and sheer raw power keeping them truly afloat. In fact, these cars are much more prominent than the Virage that replaced it, of which you barely see any!

1. VW Bus, 2. A Pair of Ferrari 250 TRs, 3. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 4. Lotus Cortina @ Goodwood, 5. Ferrari 250 TDF, 6. Austin-Healey 3000 @ Goodwood, 7. Ferrari 250 Testarossa, 8. Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti Super,

9. Ford Thames Van - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 10. Porsche 935 - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 11. Race Retro Show '07 Stoneleigh Park 24th March '07, 12. Mustang GT350 @ Goodwood Revival '09, 13. Mini Bodyshells, 14. Ferrari 250 GTO, 15. Prancing Horses, 16. 911 Carrera RS,

17. Camaro Pro-Street Drag Car - Therapy, 18. Lambretta Rally Master - Race Retro '08, 19. flickr.com/photos/10184672@N06/5725979474/, 20. Interserie Revival (Race 2), 21. Jack, 22. Kawasaki ZX 10-R - Sheridan Morias, 23. Ferrari 250 GTB Berlinetta Competizione SWB, 24. VW Bus,

25. GMW862D, 26. Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, 27. Mini Ferrari 250 Breadvan, 28. Mr Bean's Mini 1000, 29. Ferrari Enzo, 30. Peugeot 205 T16, 31. Will Gollop - MG Metro 6R4 Bi-Turbo, 32. mini♥spares Rose Petal Alloy,

33. Tilt-shift fake - Brands Hatch, 34. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 35. Z-Cars Yamaha R1 Powered Mini, 36. Britcar 24Hr Pit & Paddock - Silverstone 20 & 21/09/08, 37. Ford Sierra Cosworth, 38. Ferrari 250TR and 250GT SWB, 39. Porsche RSR, 40. Porsche 911T,

41. VW Bus, 42. Porsche 935 - Silverstone 1987, 43. Swiftune Mk1 Cooper S, 44. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 45. Aston Martin AMV8 GT, 46. Driving Rain, 47. Peugeot 205 T16 - Race Retro '08, 48. Peugeot 205 T16,

49. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 50. Porsche 911 Carrera RS, 51. Nick Swift - Mini Cooper S Mk1, 52. Autumn Drive, 53. 4500cc V8 Escort Mexico Mk1 @ Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 54. Ex-Works Mini Cooper S - DJB92B, 55. Cooper S R56, 56. Mercury Comet Cyclone,

57. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 58. Goodwood Revival '09, 59. flickr.com/photos/10184672@N06/3206903994/, 60. Peugeot 205 T16 - Race Retro '08, 61. Gurston Down Hillclimb '90 - Audi Sport Quattro SWB, 62. WRC MINI - Explored 19/05/11 :o), 63. Juggling Balls, 64. Jensen Interceptor,

65. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '06, 66. BSB Tilt-Shift, 67. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 68. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 69. Mini at North Weald sprint - Late 80s, 70. Mini Camaro, 71. Sunbeam Tiger - Brands Hatch 2nd May '09, 72. Volkswagen T25 Westfalia Camper

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

1. Ferrari 250 GTB, 2. It's the Google Street View car!, 3. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 4. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 5. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 6. Classics on the Common '08, 7. Ford Capri - Masters Racing Series - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 8. Audi Sport Quattro S1 - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08,

9. Super 7 with Cosworth BDG engine., 10. Porsche 935 - Silverstone 1987, 11. Ferrari 250TR and Maserati 300S, 12. Dialynx Quattro, 13. Gentleman Drivers, 14. Ferrari 250 GTO, 15. Sauber Mercedes C9, 16. 1966-1973 GP Cars,

17. Matt Black 996, 18. Ford Focus RS Bonnets - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 19. flickr.com/photos/10184672@N06/2564167867/, 20. Ferrari 430 - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 21. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb '90 - Spaceframe Skoda V8, 22. Lotus Elan - Gurston Down Hillclimb '90, 23. Ferrari 250 GTO, 24. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe,

25. Classics On The Common 2010, 26. Nick & Glyn Swift's Mk1 Cooper S, 27. Going Nowhere, 28. Ferrari 250 SWB, 29. Opel Astra - Google Street View Camera Car, 30. Ferrari 430 GT3, 31. Opel Kadett GT/E, 32. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09,

33. Ford Taunus Transit - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 34. Porsche 908 - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 35. Ford GT40 - Masters Racing Series - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 36. Lancia 037 - Race Retro '08, 37. Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 38. AMV8 @ The Prodrive Open Day '07, 39. Jaguar E-Type Bodyshell, 40. Porsche 924,

41. Abstract, 42. Ferrari 355 F1 Berlinetta, 43. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 44. 911 Targa, 45. Ford Escort Mkll - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 46. Ford Capri - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 47. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 48. Lydden Hill Rallycross - Late 80s,

49. Ferrari 250 GT Nembo Spider - Norwich Union Classic Car Run 1987 - Ferrari, 50. Lydden Hill Sprint '90 - Mini Clubman, 51. Mini Cooper S Mk1 - Race Retro '08, 52. Lydden Hill International Rallycross '87, 53. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '06, 54. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '06, 55. Prodrive Open Day '07, 56. Renault R8 Gordini,

57. Ferrari 250 Testarossa, 58. Ferrari 288 GTO, 59. Mini Cooper S Mk1, 60. Porsche 911 RSR, 61. Pit & Paddock - Brands Hatch 23/05/09, 62. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 63. Going Home, 64. Alexandra Palace Fireworks,

65. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 66. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 67. Lotus F1 - Race Retro '08, 68. Keith Bird's MG Metro 6R4, 69. AC Cobra, 70. Audi Sport Quattro E2, 71. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '07, 72. Nick & Glyn Swift's Mk1 Cooper S

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Continuing the build of this model using a 3D printed bodyshell.

I have now added custom printed blinds to show the tram as it could have been around 1950, used on EX journeys to the Embankment.

The lifeguards etc are still awaiting paint. Transfers need to be fixed and final varnishing undertaken. Trolley poles will also have to be fitted.

This view shows the front of the car with doors closed and the step in raised position with the attached lifeguard lowered.

Shown here on my Kennington Cross layout.

Lada 1200, officially VAZ-2101 is a compact sedan car produced by AvtoVAZ from 1970 to 1989. VAZ was founded in the mid-1960s as a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet government, and the 2101 was its first product. The 2101 is a re-engineered version of the Fiat 124 tailored for the nations of the Eastern Bloc, but was widely exported to the West as a budget "no-frills" car. Known as the Zhiguli within the Soviet Union, the main differences between the VAZ-2101 and the Fiat 124 are the use of thicker gauge steel for the bodyshell, an overhead camshaft engine (in place of Fiat's OHV unit), and the use of aluminium drum brakes on the rear wheels in place of disc brakes. Early versions of the car featured a starting handle for cranking the engine manually should the battery go flat in Siberian winter conditions, and an auxiliary fuel pump. AvtoVAZ was forbidden from selling the car in competing markets alongside Fiat 124; however, exports to Western European nations began in 1974 when the 124 was discontinued in favour of Fiat's newer model. The 2101 was sold in export markets as the Lada 1200, Lada 1300 and Lada 1200S until 1989.

Veterán járművek találkozója Mindszenten, 2013. június 8-án. Barátom 40 éves autójával mi is részt vettünk a felvonuláson, előtte pedig megörökítettem a kiállított járműveket.

A veteran vehicle show at Mindszent, Hungary, on June 8, 2013. We participated in the parade with my friend's 40-year old van, but before that I made a series of pictures of the exhibited beautiful old vehicles.

DB Schenker's class 92 number 92039 named "Johann Strauss" painted in two tone railfreight grey with EWS logo and a three 'O' shaped channel tunnel logo hauling 6B20 06:46 42 Cargowaggon 4-wheeled vans semi-permanently coupled in pairs with shared a running numbers. Having started out in France and passed through the channel tunnel these vans are being used to transport Perrier and Evian bottled water from Dollands Moor sidings to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on 11 March 2014 just as this locomotive did on 28 February 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12830725195/in/photoli...) and 21 January 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12066664886/in/photoli...).

92039 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons were fire tested by BRUSH.

92039 was photographed by Nicolas B being dragged through Staple, France on 15 November 2015 by ECR 77 number 019 and by Chris Westerduin at Kijfhoek classification rail freight yard between Rotterdam and Dordrecht in the western Netherlands on 17 November 2015.

Estimated : € 6.000 - 10.000

Sold for € 44.548

The Renault Icons

Auction - Artcurial

Renault Manufacture

Flins-sur-Seine

Aubergenville - France

December 2025

- Replica inspired by the runner-up in the 1989 Supertouring Championship

- Displayed at the 1991 Bangkok Motor Show

Started in 1976, the Production, then Superproduction and Supertouring Championship quickly became very popular as the saloons competing looked similar to the standard production versions. In 1987, Renault decided to enter it with its newly introduced 21 Turbo. Totally modified, the car received a partly tubular chassis, a lighter body, four-wheel drive and an engine prepared by Sodemo, taking its power from 175 to 430 bhp. Driven by Jean Ragnotti and Jean-Louis Bousquet, the R21 brazenly dominated the 1988 season, Ragnotti winning the title and the two drivers together notching up six wins over the ten rounds that year.

The following year, changes to the regulations led to the engine being installed longitudinally rather than transversely. The car was no longer in Renault’s colours but those of Philips Car Stereo, and despite a difficult start to the season, it finished as the runner-up with 11 pole positions out of 14.

The car offered today is a display model inspired by car number 21 from the 1988 season, with a stripped-out steel bodyshell, roll cage, bucket seat and the running gear from a standard R21. It was displayed at the 1991 Bangkok Motor Show before joining the collection at a very early stage. With no engine, it represents an absolutely spectacular show car for any Supertouring fan.

The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. It was the first British five-door hatchback.

The Maxi (code name ADO14) was the last car designed under the British Motor Corporation (BMC) before it was incorporated into the new British Leyland group, and the last production car designed by famed designer Alec Issigonis. It was the first car to be launched by British Leyland.

The new chairman Lord Stokes decided to also change the hatchback's name to the Maxi in homage to the Mini of 10 years earlier. All Maxis were produced at the Cowley plant in Oxford, although the E-Series engines were made at a new factory at Cofton Hackett in Longbridge.

Underneath the Maxi's practical and spacious bodyshell lay an all-new front-wheel drive chassis, which was interlinked with an innovative five-speed manual transmission; the fifth gear was another rarity on family cars in 1969 and one which many manufacturers did not adopt until more than a decade later.

Despite the new platform, the Maxi's styling suffered from the decision to save tooling costs by re-using door panels from the Austin 1800 "Landcrab", which gave the Maxi an unusually long wheelbase in relation to its length, coupled with the fact that the carried-over doors made the Maxi resemble a scaled down version of the 1800 (and the Austin 3-Litre, which also used the same doors).

DB Schenker's class 92 number 92037 named "Sullivan" in two tone Railfreight grey with large EWS logo and three 'O' shaped channel tunnel rings (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12700569283/in/photost...) hauls 6O67 14:05 empty Cargowaggon 4-wheeled vans semi-permanently coupled in pairs with shared a running numbers from Daventry Int Rft Reception Rfd to Dollands Moor sidings as the light fades on 22 February 2014. When loaded these vans are used to transport bottled water from France through the channel tunnel. It was also photographed earlier on route passing Long Buckby by gridman2011 (www.flickr.com/photos/60476578@N06/12704966113/in/photoli...) and also by Andy Mason (www.flickr.com/photos/69274040@N07/12800044734/in/photoli...). 92037 was last photographed here by me working in the opposite direction from Dollands Moor to Wembley on 13 January 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/11925824505/in/photoli...).

92037 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1995, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.

Austin Healey Sprite (Frogeye) Mk.1 (1958-61) Engine 948cc S4 OHV BMC A Series Production 38999

Registration Number LSV 893

AUSTIN HEALEY SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759812996...

The first of the Austun Healey Sprite's, nicknamed Frogeye for obvious reasons (or Bugeye in the USA), with a one piece lift up bonnet-wing assembly. First announced to the press in Monte Carlo May 1958. just ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix and intended as a low cost sports car for the enthusiast. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken by Austin-Healey. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a tuned version of the Austin A-Series engine and as many other components from existing cars as possible to keep costs down, the car was produced at the MG plant in Abingdon.

It was originally intended that the headlights would be retractable and sit in the wings, facing upward when not in use, simular to the much later Porsche 928, but the flip up arangement was abandoned at the design stage to maintain low costs. The body was styled by Gerry Coker, with subsequent alterations by Les Ireland following Coker's emigration to the US in 1957. The car's distinctive frontal styling bore a strong resemblance to the defunct American 1951 Crosley Super Sport.

The problem of providing a rigid structure to an open-topped sports car was resolved by Barry Bilbie, Healey's chassis designer, who adapted the idea provided by the Jaguar D-type, with rear suspension forces routed through the bodyshell's floor pan. The Sprite's chassis design was the world's first volume-production sports car to use unitary construction, where the sheet metal body panels (apart from the bonnet) take many of the structural stresses. The original metal gauge (thickness of steel) of the rear structure specified by Bilbie was reduced by the Austin Design Office during prototype build, however during testing at M.I.R.A. (Motor Industry Research Association) distortion and deformation of the rear structure occurred and the original specification was reinstated.

The 43 bhp, 948 cc OHV engine (coded 9CC) was derived from the Austin A35 & Morris Minor 1000 models, but upgraded with twin 11⁄8" inch SU carburettors. The rack and pinion steering was derived from the Morris Minor 1000 and the front suspension from the Austin A35.

Thanks for 20.2 Million views

Shot at the Catton Hall Transport Show, 5:5:2014 Ref: 98-043

Here we are, one of the rarest Rolls Royces and indeed cars to ever trundle down the roads, the last of the mighty Corniche. Although sold only as the Corniche, it is often dubbed the Corniche 2000 or the Corniche V, depending on your preference.

The last of the original Silver Shadow based Corniche's of the 1960's were built in 1995, and for three years Rolls Royce only sold the Silver Spirit and Spur until these were replaced by the Silver Seraph in 1998 following acquisition of the company by both Volkswagen and BMW.

Volkswagen was contracted to build Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles between 1998 and 2003, whilst BMW supplied the engines to replace the original Rolls Royce V8 that had been handed down since the introduction of the Silver Shadow in 1965. In the end BMW were only able to supply their own V12 to the Silver Seraph, whilst the original RR V8 continues to be used even to this day, with a 6.75L version ending up in the Corniche V.

Either way, to compliment the new Silver Seraph, plans were launched to create a convertible two-door saloon version with the revived Corniche name. However, instead of taking a regular Silver Seraph, removing the rear doors and cutting off its roof, Rolls Royce instead went to long time partners Bentley for design assistance, with the result that the Corniche V is in fact built on the platform and with the bodyshell of the Bentley Azure,with Rolls Royce grille and badging, as well as Silver Seraph styling added instead. This was the first, and only Rolls Royce car to be derived from a Bentley product, instead of the usual tradition where Bentley cars were derived from Rolls Royce models.

In January 2000 that car was launched and became the company's flagship motor, with a base price of $359,900. As mentioned, the car is powered by a 6.75L Rolls Royce V8, providing 325hp and whisking the car to a top speed of 135mph at a rate of 0-60 in 8 seconds, which is pretty good going for a 6,000lb luxury saloon!

Inside the car came outfitted with every luxury and refinement characteristic of a Rolls-Royce. The car has a Connolly Leather interior, Wilton wool carpets, chrome gauges and a wide choice of exotic wood trims. Dual automatic temperature control, a six-disc CD changer, automatic headlamps and automatic ride control are standard.

Vehicles were built to order, but the heavy base price made them not as easy to purchase as the technically similar Bentley Azure, which meant that eventually only 374 of these cars were built between 2000 and 2002 when BMW took full control of Rolls Royce.

The Corniche V has the distinction of being the last ever Rolls Royce to be built at their traditional Crewe Factory, which had housed the company since 1946. On August 30th, 2002, a Corniche with chassis number SCAZK28E72CH02079 left the factory as the final Rolls Royce product of their home base, leaving in the company of a classic 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Following the departure of Rolls Royce, the company set up shop in Goodwood near Chichester in the south of England, where the next car to be built was the 2003 Phantom. The spiritual successor of the Corniche V is essentially the Phantom Drophead Coupe, but this is a point of conjecture. Production at the Crewe factory was turned over entirely to Volkswagen and the construction of Bentley automobiles. The Bentley Azure continued in production until 2009, bringing an end to the 14 year old design that had helped spawn the last of the Corniches.

Originally the name was meant to be revived on Rolls Royce's latest car, but in the end was dubbed the Wraith.

Today you'd be very, very hard pressed to find one of these cars. Although many forget about the Corniche V and indeed the Silver Seraph, the surviving examples can still fetch a hefty price of up to £250,000 and more...

...that is except for one. Not to lower the tone of things, but sadly a certain somebody did in fact once own a 2002 Corniche V, and once his illicit acts became known to the public in 2011, his £250,000 Roller is now well and truly worthless.

The owner who bought the car at an auction before the scandal came to light now can't even give away the car, and has never even driven it because they're too ashamed and disgusted of the vehicle's unfortunate past.

I find this particular story very sad because as is always the case, the cars aren't evil, but the owners can sometimes be...

Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk.2 (1983-92) Engine 1781cc S4 8v Production 6,000,000 (all Golf Mk.2's)

Registration Number J 785 NBA (Manchester)

VOLKSWAGEN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623738785355...

The second-generation Volkswagen Golf was launched in Europe at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show.and launched into the British marketplace March 1984. It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options than the Mark 1 and a more rounded style.

The successful hot GTi model was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback. , it featured a naturally aspirated Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injected 1,781 cc Inline-four engine developing 110bhp, joined in 1986 by the Golf GTi 16v with output increased to 137bhp the model was marked by discreet red-and-black "16V" badges front and rear In 1990, like the Golf, the GTI was given a facelift, and the "Big Bumper" became standard on all GTIs

1990 also saw the arrival of GTi G60 featuring the 8v 1.8 with a G60 supercharg

Many thanks for a fantabulous 35,664,800 views

3hot at The AMOC Meeting, Oulton Park, Cheshire 16:05:2015 Ref 106-154

When older batch Hot Wheels disappear from the usual retailers, the U.S. sourced long card versions appear in places like Poundland which makes getting stuff like this Morris Mini easier. Although not as well cast as its Matchbox equivalent, there is a great sporty look to this with its flared arches and seriously good livery. I'm not sure what the purpose of having a bodyshell which lifts off from the baseplate but maybe the kids like it! LOL.

Good to see the Morris marque used to. Mint and boxed.

Built in Solihull, England, now lives in New York City. No doubt it's a V8 model. Note the GB sticker! 1994 is when the 1st gen Disco made its debut in the US. Today, the Discovery has been renamed the 'LR3' because Americans stopped referring to this as a Land Rover Discovery and just as a Discovery.

Interesting to know how Land Rover were forced to economise on the 1st gen Disco. It used the basic bodyshell structure from the Range Rover, door handles from the Morris Marina, tail lights from the Austin Maestro van, and interior switchgear and instrumentation from the Rover parts bin, even the headlights were from the Freight Rover van.

Sheltering from the heavy rain under the overall station roof at Preston are two Northern Rail class 156 units 156420 and 156497, 5th February 2011. A hundred fourteen class 156 units were built from 1987-89 by Metro-Cammell at their Washwood Heath works in Birmingham. The vehicles are based on the Mark III bodyshell, and are powered by 6-cylinder Cummins NT855-R5 diesel engines through Voith T211r hydraulic automatic transmissions and Gmeinder final drive units.

Sheltering from the heavy rain under the overall station roof at Preston are two Northern Rail class 156 units 156420 and 156497, 5th February 2011. A hundred fourteen class 156 units were built from 1987-89 by Metro-Cammell at their Washwood Heath works in Birmingham. The vehicles are based on the Mark III bodyshell, and are powered by 6-cylinder Cummins NT855-R5 diesel engines through Voith T211r hydraulic automatic transmissions and Gmeinder final drive units.

Taken 27/04/23; According to Wikipedia the Class 455 "... was originally to be classified as the Class 510, at which point they were planned as a 750 V DC version of the Class 317. However, as the chopper control system at the time was not considered robust enough for the electrically rougher third rail Southern Region, they were fitted with second-hand camshaft control systems and thus classified as the 455 class.[

A total of 505 carriages were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Holgate Road carriage works and together with 43 existing trailers from Class 508s, formed 137 four-car sets. The 455s allowed the Class 405 and Class 415 to be withdrawn, as well as allowing the Class 508s to be transferred to the Merseyside network for which they were originally intended. They also allowed other stock to be cascaded to the North London and Oxted lines.

There were three batches of Class 455s, all consisting of four cars: driving trailer vehicles at each end, an intermediate trailer vehicle and an intermediate motorised vehicle (powered by four EE507-20J of 185 kW carried on the bogies of the MSO vehicle, some recovered from Class 405s), all originally built to the standard class 3+2 seating arrangement with 316 seats. Technically, they are formed DTSO+MSO+TSO+DTSO.[2] They have the same bodyshell as the Class 317 and Class 318, but as they were designed for inner suburban services they do not feature first class seating, air conditioning or toilet facilities and are restricted to 75 mph (121 km/h).[3] Like the Class 317/318, as well as the diesel Class 150, they are based on the British Rail Mark 3, with a steel construction, unlike the earlier PEP based Class 313, Class 314, Class 315, Class 507 and Class 508, which had an aluminium alloy body"

South Western Railway (SWR) is owned by FirstGroup (70%) and MTR Corporation (30%) that operates the South Western franchise. It operates commuter services from its Central London terminus at London Waterloo to South West London. SWR provides suburban and regional services in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire and Dorset, as well as regional services in Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire. Its subsidiary Island Line operates services on the Isle of Wight. SWR was awarded the South Western franchise in March 2017, and took over from South West Trains on 20 August 2017.

This model debuted in Europe in 1972 as the Audi 80, and in 1973 in Australia and North America (Canada and the USA) as the Audi Fox, and was available as either a two-door or a four-door saloon (sedan). It effectively took the place of several models that Audi had discontinued (the F103 series, which included the first model designated as an "Audi 80"), and provided the company with a viable rival to the Opel Ascona and the Ford Taunus (Ford Cortina in the UK), as well as more upmarket offerings including the Alfa Romeo Alfetta and Triumph Dolomite.

The Audi 80 B1 was only the second modern-era Audi product to be developed entirely under Volkswagen ownership - Audi chief engineer Ludwig Kraus had famously been disparaging about the outgoing F103 series, referring to it as the "bastard", owing to its Auto Union/DKW bodyshell and Mercedes-Benz engine. The B1 was a clean break from the Auto Union era, being equipped with.a range of brand new 1.3- and 1.5-litre SOHC inline-four petrol engines - the first appearance of the now legendary EA827 series of engines, whose descendants are still used in VW Group vehicles to the present day. The internal combustion engines were available in various rated power outputs. For the 1.3 litre engines, (identification code: ZA) was rated at 55 PS (40 kW; 54 bhp), code: ZF was rated at 60 PS (44 kW; 59 bhp). The 1.5 litre (codes: ZB, ZC) at 75 PS (55 kW; 74 bhp) for the ZB and 85 PS (63 kW; 84 bhp) for the ZC.

On the home market, two- and four- door saloons were available in base trim (55 or 60 PS, called simply Audi 80 and 80 S, respectively), as L models (LS with 75 PS engine) or as a more luxurious GL (85 PS only). In September 1973, Audi added the sporty 80 GT (two-door only) featuring a carburettor 1.6 litre engine (code: XX) rated at 100 PS (74 kW; 99 bhp).

The Audi 80 had a MacPherson strut front suspension, and a C-section beam rear axle located by trailing arms and a Panhard rod, and using coil springs and telescopic dampers.

Audi's design and development efforts paid off during the 1973 European Car of the Year competition where the 80 won ahead of the Renault 5 and the Alfa Romeo Alfetta.

A facelift in autumn 1976 brought about a revised front end in the style of the newly introduced Audi 100 C2 with square instead of round headlights, 1.6- instead of 1.5 litre engines (still of 75/85 PS) and a new 80 GTE model with a fuel-injected version of the 1.6-litre (110 PS (81 kW; 108 bhp)) replacing the former 80 GT.

The Fox had a 1.5 ltre engine rated at 55 hp (41 kW; 56 PS) attached to a four-speed manual transmission. Subsequent versions came with 1.6 litre engines rated at 83 hp (62 kW; 84 PS).

In certain markets a five-door "Avant" (Audi's name for an estate/wagon) variant was offered — effectively a rebadged Volkswagen Passat with Audi front panels. This version appeared in the United States, South Africa, and several other markets. The B1 platform was dropped from the European market in 1978, although it was sold into the 1979 model year in North America.

92003 "Beethoven" in British Rail two-tone grey with EWS Red & Yellow logo and three 'O' shaped channel tunnel logo hauls 31 Cargowaggon bogie vans from Dollands Moor Sidings to Wembley European Freight Operating Centre on 19 February 2014. 92003 is famed for being the last British Rail train to ever run, just as this one traveling from Dollands Moor to Wembley at 23:15 on 21 November 1997. 92003 was last photographed here by me on 9 December 2013 double-heading a similar train (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/11287032613/in/photoli...). Details on the aluminium works plate were engraved by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester.

92003 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.

Sold for £ 2.500

The Jaguar Land-Rover Collection

Brightwells Auctions

Bicester Heritage

Buckingham Road

Bicester

Oxfordshire

England

March 2018

Launched in 1958 at the Paris Autoshow, the new Humber Super Snipe was the first large Rootes Group car to use a monocoque bodyshell, replacing the pre-war design of its outmoded predecessor.

Losing its big separate wings of old in favour of a more modern unitised chassis and body, the new design was heavily influenced by the 1955 Chevrolet and was claimed to be the largest bodyshell built in the UK at the time – a strange boast but one which the marketeers thought significant.

Initially sold with a 2,6-litre 112 bhp straight-six, a year later the Series II arrived with an improved 129 bhp 3-litre unit which took the car’s top speed over the ton - not that its customers would have approved of such behaviour. Beautifully appointed with a build quality second to none, they were popular with bank managers and Government Ministers who needed to look sober and responsible - the Snipe couldn’t have fulfilled the task better.

Offered in a bewildering range of sub-models and face-lifts, these large Snipes were superbly engineered, but their rather formal image left them trailing in the wake of their more rakish competitors such as the Rover P5B and Ford Zodiac and they never proved as popular which is a shame as they are fine cars indeed.

This lovely mid-green Series II, with its luxurious leather upholstery has had 11 previous keepers according to the accompanying V5C. Its registration number is non-transferable and it has covered 4.200 miles since 2006 according to the DVLA MOT history. It’s most recent MOT expired in February 2013 and the car has covered only a handful of miles since then, the odometer showing a total of 82.792 miles with insufficient paperwork to prove its validity.

We have had the car running since its arrival onsite, although bidders are advised that the brakes are non-operational so we have been unable to drive the car.

Class 67 number 67019 in English, Welsh and Scottish Railway maroon with zigzag gold band leads 67012 named "A Shropshire Lad" in Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone silver and slate grey and DB Schenkers class 92 number 92039 named "Johann Strauss" on their way from Dollands Moor Locomotive Holding Sidings to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on the evening of 11 February 2014. 67019 and 67012 worked 4B45 from Wembley to Dollands Moor with another class 92 number 92031 the day before photographed by Ian Dyer (www.flickr.com/photos/95011660@N06/12435220314/in/faves-9...) passing through Wandsworth Road. 67012 and 67019 were last photographed at this location, also working together, hauling the British Pullman murder mystery lunch between London Victoria and Gillingham on 7 February 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12370298605/in/photoli...), both having been built in 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain. 92039 was last photographed here on 21 January 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12066664886/in/photoli...).

92039 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1995, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.

92039 was photographed by Nicolas B being dragged through Staple, France on 15 November 2015 by ECR 77 number 019.