Chassis n° 1E1944

Coachwork by Lynx

 

This car started life as number 3 short nose D Type built by LYNX in 1977. The car was then converted by LYNX into a LYNX XKSS in the 80s.

 

Bonhams : The Autumn Sale 2020

Estimated : € 250.000 - 350.000

Sold for € 184.000

 

Autoworld

www.autoworld.be

Brussels - Belgium

September 2020

 

"The factory fire in February 1957 extinguished the career of the XK SS, a road-going sports car based on the D-Type. As a result of the hiatus in production, and dislocations of plans for new product lines as important as the 3.4 saloon, the XK SS was abandoned. It was a cruel fate for a car that was a true thoroughbred, made in the image of the Le Mans winner, and one of the classic might-have-beens of motoring history." – Eric Dymock, The Jaguar File.

 

One of the rarest Jaguars of all, the XK SS was a spin-off from the D-Type racing programme. To satisfy the FIA's sports car regulations, the D-Type had been built in numbers greatly exceeding the demand for such a specialised piece of racing equipment, and conversion to road trim was viewed as the best way of clearing unsold stocks, hence the XK SS. The idea of a road-equipped D-Type is credited to Jaguar works driver Duncan Hamilton, who fitted a windscreen and hood to his ex-factory 1954 Le Mans car ('OKV 1') in 1956.

 

Modifications to make the D-Type acceptable for road use included installing a seat and door on the passenger side; removing the division between driver and passenger; fitting a full-width wraparound windscreen; and heat-shielding the side-exit exhaust system. A mohair hood and detachable side screens provided weather protection, and, as twin fuel tanks and the spare wheel occupied the boot space, a luggage rack was provided on the tail. The 3.4-litre XK engine remained pretty much to racing specification, producing around 250bhp, which, in a car weighing just 18cwt (914kg), made for electrifying performance. Production commenced during the winter of 1956, but the loss of a number of bodyshells in the fire at the Brown's Lane works in February 1957 severely curtailed the XK SS programme, with the result that only 16 had been made when production ceased in November of that year.

 

Testing an XK SS in 1957, the esteemed American motoring journal Road & Track recorded figures of 5.2 seconds and 13.6 seconds for the 0-60mph and 0-100mph times respectively, which are none too shabby even by today's standards. With an estimated top speed in excess of 150mph, the XK SS remained the fastest catalogued Jaguar sports car for many years.

Like many other legendary sports cars, the Jaguar XK SS inspired a number of imitations. An acknowledged master in this highly specialised field is the Sussex-based firm of Lynx Engineering, which enjoys an international reputation for accuracy and quality second to none. The car we offer is the third chassis manufactured by Lynx and the first of the exclusive series of only nine such replicas built to Jaguar XK SS specification (see email correspondence on file from Lynx and the company's co-founder Chris Keith-Lucas). Its history is known from new; indeed, this XK SS served as Chris Keith-Lucas's wedding car!

 

Built in the late 1980s, this XK SS takes its identity from a 1967 Jaguar E-Type, chassis number '1E1944', which was registered in the UK as 'PEH 670F'. Of riveted aluminium sheet, the coachwork conforms to the original method of construction. Unlike the original, however, the Lynx XK SS is powered by a larger, 3.8-litre XK six fitted with triple-Weber induction and a stainless-steel sports exhaust system. (Its original engine was a 4.2-litre XK unit taken from a Series 1½ E-Type.) Finished in British Racing Green, the car also features competition wheels and a nicely patinated black leather interior.

 

Previously owned by Roland Urban, founder of the French Jaguar Drivers' Club, the XK SS was completely overhauled in the early/mid-2000s and was purchased by the current vendor in 2008. In 2009 the engine was overhauled by Paris-based Cecil Cars, while earlier this year the car received new tyres and the carburetion system was overhauled as part of a general check over (see invoice on file for €4,617 from Prestige Garage in Vence, South of France). Offering breathtaking performance with classic Jaguar style, this beautifully executed XK SS re-creation comes with valid French Carte Grise.

W113

 

Zoute Sale - Bonhams

Estimated : € 85.000 - 125.000

Sold for € 161.000

 

Zoute Grand Prix 2021

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2021

 

"Some cars don't change, they just get better. The Mercedes-Benz 280 SL, latest version of a line that began as the 230 SL in 1963, is the same as ever, just better," concluded Road & Track after testing a 280 SL in 1968. "For those who value engineering finesse and high-quality construction, it's alone in the field," enthused the highly respected American motoring magazine. At the same time, its manufacturer considered the 280 SL "a Grand Tourer in the traditional sense" and "a unique combination of sports car performance and saloon car comfort (a Mercedes-Benz saloon naturally)".

 

These attributes help explain the 280 SL's phenomenal success, particularly in the all-important North American market, where the optional automatic transmission was considered an essential feature by the majority of customers. The fact that it looked like 'sex on wheels' helped enormously too, of course. In addition, the 280 SL's essential user-friendliness broadened its appeal beyond the traditional sports car-enthusiast market, and many celebrities and film stars owned 280 SLs.

 

The last of a popular and highly successful line began with the 230 SL of 1963; the Mercedes-Benz 280 SL was introduced in 1967, powered by a new 2.8-litre six-cylinder engine that produced 180bhp, 20 horsepower more than the preceding 250 SL's. The 280 SL's 200km/h top speed was not more significant, but it was remarkably quicker off the mark. Its 0-100km/h time of 10 seconds is a whole second better than its predecessor's.

 

Autocar was full of praise for the 280 SL's effortless performance: "Those going abroad will be pleased to know that the 280 SL can sustain 160km/h with ease and still have a good bit in hand for surging up to 192km/h when traffic and conditions permit. All the time, the engine is smooth, and it has a sweet song to its exhaust note, which starts as a deep throb and builds up to a busy hum at maximum revs."

 

Christened 'Pagoda' after their distinctive cabin shape - devised by French designer and classic car enthusiast Paul Bracq - these SL models were amongst the best-loved sports-tourers and today remain highly sought after by collectors.

 

This superb manual transmission 280 SL Pagoda was ordered new by Mr John I. Clark from Winsconsin, USA, in April 1971 as a European delivery including US equipment from the Mercedes Factory in Sindelfingen for the total price of $7731 (invoice on file). Ordered in April 1971 in Germany, this Pagoda was registered in 1972 in the US for the first time and is believed to have stayed with its first owner for over 40 years. According to the US-Title, the 280SL remained with the Clark family until shortly after Mr. John I. Clark's death in 2014. After its return to Europe in 2016, this Pagoda has been converted to European specification with the correct headlights, taillights, speedometer, etc. Furthermore, it benefits from a complete, no-expense-spared restoration carried out in Belgium between September 2017 and September 2018 by renowned marque specialists, Top Classics. The car has been refinished in its original and highly desirable exterior colour of Dark Blue (904). The interior has been fully re-trimmed in contrasting natural leather (originally black) and features luxurious bouclé carpeting. The black Sonnenland three-layer soft-top is new, while additional insulation in the doors and floor make for an enhanced and more comfortable driving experience.

 

Once the car had been dismantled, the bodyshell was sand-blasted and any areas of corrosion repaired before applying the first coat of epoxy primer. The suspension and rear axle were overhauled and powder-coated, and new shock absorbers fitted all around. The braking system was renewed in its entirety, including the handbrake mechanism and a completely new fuel system installed (tank, pump, fuel lines, etc.). The exhaust system is new throughout. The original engine and gearbox likewise have been completely overhauled, a new cylinder head was installed at the same time we've been advised. All the brightwork has been re-chromed to the highest standard, while new colour-matched wheels shod with whitewall tyres complete the picture. The whole process has been nicely documented in the car's file together with some older correspondence, invoices including the original purchase invoice from new, MB-Datenkart. The car comes with the old US title dated 1972 from its first owner and current Belgian registration documents as well as recent technical inspection. An exceptionally well-restored Mercedes-Benz 280 SL 'Pagoda' with hardtop presented in beautiful condition and hardly 650 kms driven since its extensive restoration.

Taking a day off at Butterley is preserved British Rail Class 141 Pacer unit, 141113.

 

The Class 141 has often gone down in British Railway history as one of the worst trains to ever be used on the UK network, a cheap alternative to replace ageing stock that turned out to be more trouble than it was worth.

 

The concept of Pacer units goes back to a multitude of prototypes created during the late 1970's and early 80's through a partnership between British Rail and nationalised car manufacturer British Leyland. The concept was to create a set of diesel multiple units that would be based on the bodyshell of the highly successful Leyland National bus with the underpinnings of redundant 4-axle goods wagons fitted with Leyland engines.

 

The first mainstream prototype of the Pacers were early railbuses known as LEV1 and RB004. LEV1 was built in 1978, and was, for all intents and purposes, a Leyland National bus on train wheels. This was followed by several other LEV (Leyland Experimental Vehicles) derivatives until 1984, when single railcar RB004 was built, its external design matching that of the Class 141. At the same time, a boxy two-car prototype designated Class 140 was launched and operated between 1980 and 1981, being only a proof of concept and not intended for mass production.

 

The Class 141 was designed between 1983 and 1984, taking the external styling of the RB004 railbus and combining it with the two-car bodyshell and layout of the Class 140. The primary intention of the Class 141 was to replace the many ageing DMU's from the early 1950's, with their main area of operation being in the West Yorkshire region around Leeds, York and Sheffield. Seeing as British Rail were very short on cash, having suffered the lowest year for rail ridership ever in 1982, the Class 141 was deemed the only option for replacing their extensive fleet of increasingly tired trains.

 

The units were formed of semi-permanently coupled two-car sets, each powered by a Leyland TL11 engine producing 205hp, whisking the Class 141 to a top speed of 75mph. As mentioned, the units were built of lightweight bodies placed upon what were essentially repurposed four-axle chassis donated from redundant freight wagons. The trains had a total capacity of 94 passengers.

 

The Class 141 was launched on services out of Leeds to York, Huddersfield, Halifax, Doncaster, Wakefield and Sheffield from mid-1984, with an eventual 20 units being built for the task. Originally, units were outshopped in a tasteful version of the BR Blue and Grey, but, as sectorisation began to take hold, the units were repainted into a variety of colours, including the rather dreary Green and Buttermilk, before eventually being repainted into the West Yorkshire PTE (Passenger Transport Executive) Red and White.

 

However, almost immediately, the quality issues of the Class 141's did nothing to help the already very low opinion of the railways. These trains were noisy, slow, underpowered, uncomfortable and highly unreliable. Their four-axle design, with the axle attached directly to the chassis rather than on separate bogies like on other trains, meant that on jointed track the trains would bump violently up and down, making the train riding experience similar to that of a 8.5 earthquake!

 

The engines on these units made the carriages vibrate and resonate with an irritating humming, and the poorly fitted panels and other parts of the unit's interior meant that the train would squeak and rattle as it went along.

 

There were other issues too, primarily with the gearbox. These were prone to failure after only a few hundred miles of service, which meant that many of the units were out of service being repaired. The continuous unreliability of these mechanisms eventually saw the entire fleet stored in 1988, with units sent north to the Andrew-Barclay Ltd workshops in Kilmarnock for refurbishment. The refurbishment also included the addition of BSI couplers, so as to make the units more compatible with Class 142 and 143 derivative Pacers, as well as the newer Sprinter units such as Class 150's and 156's. The units eventually returned to work in 1989, but their careers weren't exactly long in the grand scheme of things.

 

By the mid-1990's, it was apparent that these units, that weren't even 10 years old, were in no way fit for purpose, and in 1997 all units were retired from operation, being replaced by the aforementioned derivative Pacer variants, the Class 142, 143 or 144, or by Sprinters such as Class 150, 153, 155, 156 or 158. One unit, however, was converted into a weedkilling train for Serco, its seats being removed and replaced with tanks to spray weedkiller onto the line so as not to be overgrown.

 

One would've hoped that the Class 141's were just quietly sent to the scrapheap like they deserved, but the trains did somehow get themselves a new lease of life in Iran of all places!

 

This wasn't the first time Pacer units had been considered for export, the original LEV1 had been offered for sale in the USA, and RB004 was sent to Canada for a while. One Class 141 was trialed in Malaysia in 1984 before being later sent to Thailand, but neither country was impressed by its performance.

 

12 units were eventually exported to Iran to work commuter trains out of the nation's capital Tehran, the first units being sent there between 2001 and 2002. Once these units had left our shores, little was known about what became of them. Two were noted to still be in service as of 2005, while another two somehow wound up in the Netherlands and are now in storage somewhere. It is largely assumed that the Iranian units have all been withdrawn and put into storage following the introduction of newer DMUs.

 

Here in the UK, 3 units are preserved; one at Butterley, one on the Colne Valley Railway, and one at the Weardale Railway, while the remains of another unit are also at the Weardale but has been stripped for spare parts. Two units are known to have been scrapped, one of which due to accident damage. 141104 was involved in a head-on collision with a Class 156 at Huddersfield in November 1989, resulting in 33 injuries. While the 156 was returned to work in 1990 after minor repairs, the lightweight 141 was apparently so badly damaged that it was written off and promptly scrapped.

 

So there we are, the Class 141, the pioneering Pacer that let lose a slew of underpowered, cheaply built little railbuses onto the UK network. There is nothing much redeemable about these trains, they were slow, unreliable and unpleasant to ride one. Perhaps as a novelty you can travel aboard the few preserved units, but for an everyday commute, these trains could induce seasickness the likes of which you'd never seen before!

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

Registration Number XNG 688 S (Norwich)

LOTUS SET

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

 

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

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

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

 

Many thanks for a fantabulous

44,257,715 views (adjusted and readjusted during FLICKR re-engineering, reduced by around 650,000)

 

Shot 23.08.2015 at Lupin Farm, Classic Vehicle Gathering, Orgreave, Alrewas, Staffordshire - Ref 109-940

   

Ford Escort Mk.II RS1800 (1975-80) Engine 1840cc Cosworth BDE S4

Production 631,828 all models. (in the UK - over 2 million worldwide)

 

Registration Number UCP 382 R (Huddersfield)

 

FORD of BRITAIN SET

 

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

 

The Escort Mk.II was launched in 1975, redesigned with a more square shaped body on the existing Escort underside and running gear. Built in Britain at Halewood and a number of other countries. Unlike the first Escort (which was developed by Ford of Britain), the second generation was developed jointly between the UK and Ford of Germany. Codenamed "Brenda" during its development, The car used a revised underbody, which had been introduced as a running change during the last six months production of the Mark I. Rear suspension still sat on leaf springs

 

The "L" and "GL" models (2-door, 4-door, estate) were in the mainstream private sector, the "Sport", "RS Mexico", and "RS2000" in the performance market, the "Ghia" (2-door, 4-door) for a hitherto untapped small car luxury market, and "base / Popular" models for the bottom end.

 

A cosmetic update was given in 1978 with L models gaining the square headlights (previously exclusive to the GL and Ghia variants) and there was an upgrade in interior and exterior specification for some models. Underneath a wider front track was given.

 

In 1979 and 1980 three special edition Escorts were launched: the Linnet, Harrier and Goldcrest.

 

As with its predecessor, the Mark II had a successful rallying career. All models of the Mark I were carried over to the Mark II, though the Mexico gained the RS badge and had its engine changed to a 1.6 L (1,593 cc) OHC Pinto instead of the OHV. A "Sport" model was also produced using the 1.6 L Crossflow. A new model was released, the RS1800, which had a naturally aspirated 1,833 cc. The works rally cars were highly specialised machines. Bodyshells were heavily strengthened and characterised by the wide wheel arch extensions, and fitment of four large spotlights for night stages. The Mark II Escort continued its predecessor's run on the RAC Rally, winning every year from 1975 to 1979 and racing in a variety of other events around the world.

 

Diolch yn fawr am 67,361,022 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel

 

Thank you 67,361,022 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe

 

Shot 02.09.2018 at Himley Hall, Wolverhampton Ref 136-074

      

Coachwork by Henri Chapron

 

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 180.000 - 220.000

Sold for € 201.250

 

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2018

 

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension; plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in top-of-the-range models until earlier this year. The DS's original 1.911 cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine was replaced in 1966 by a short-stroke 1.985 cc unit, also available in 2.175 cc and 2.347 cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection and a five-speed gearbox.

 

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

 

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

 

Citroën's own Décapotables were built on the longer, stronger chassis of the ID Break (Estate). In total, 1.365 usine (factory) convertibles were made with either the DS19 or DS21 engine between 1960 and 1971, while Chapron built a further 389 of his own, the last in 1973.

 

Equipped with the semi-automatic transmission, this beautiful DS21 was delivered new in Paris, France to its first owner, engineer Mr Gaston Westercamp, who had ordered it at the Quai André Citroën. The car cost 27.640 francs, and the original bill of sale is on file. Fastidiously maintained by Mr Westercamp, the DS had covered some 82.000 km when he sold it in 2000. The car was still in superb original condition, retaining its original dark green leather upholstery and original carpets, while the body - rust-free and undamaged - had been repainted in the original Carrara White in the 1990s.

 

In 1975, Mr Westercamp had moved to Toulon, which is where the DS found its next owner: Mrs Jeltske Homan van der Heide, who continued to pamper the car for the next 17 years in the same manner as its first custodian. Now displaying a total of some 128.000 km on the odometer, this DS remains outstandingly original and in superb order, and as such is an exceptional rarity and an unusual find today. Fully serviced, it comes with all books, tools, service records, invoices, old Carte Grise, and the aforementioned 1967 sales invoice plus, of course, the all-important Attestation Chapron.

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais 2020

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2020

 

Estimated : € 130.000 - 160.000

Sold for € 149.500

 

Few sports cars have proved as versatile as Porsche's perennial 911, a model that, for the past 50 years, has proved equally capable as a Grand Tourer, circuit racer or rally car. A 'modern classic' if ever there was one, the 911 first appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show as the '901', but shortly after production proper commenced in 1964 had become the '911' following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers. The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.

 

Manufactured in January 1966, this 1st Series (pre-A Programme) Porsche 911 was delivered new finished in Aga Blue with black leatherette interior, and left the factory equipped with a Webasto heater and radio loudspeaker, as confirmed by its accompanying Porsche Certificate of Authenticity. Chassis number '303509' is one of the very early, short-wheelbase cars of the type much favoured by the historic rallying fraternity, a situation that has led to unmodified examples such as this one becoming a great rarity and consequently much in demand.

 

In 2012 the car was imported into the Netherlands where the current vendor, a Porsche collector, commissioned a full restoration with no corners cut. Undertaken by Dutch specialists, the rebuild was completed in 2016 and was photographically documented (see history file). This restoration included a full engine and gearbox rebuild, a six-coat re-spray in the original Aga Blue livery, re-chroming of the brightwork, a new Pepita interior, and an overhaul of the instruments. The body restoration was carried out by Houvers of Winterswijk, while the matching engine and gearbox were rebuilt by Koban Tuning of Lichtenvoorde, Holland. Closest attention to detail was taken to bring everything back to original specification. In total, some €140,000 were spent to return the car to the effectively 'as new' condition it is presented in today, with many invoices available. Only a relative handful of kilometres have been covered since the restoration's completion and this beautiful Porsche 911 is presented in commensurately excellent condition.

310068 is a rare sight at Crewe as it passes through the station, 12th September 1981. In December 1975 came the first major change to the “Corporate Blue” policy when it was decided that suburban and local DMU’s and EMU’s will generally receive “blue/grey” intercity livery instead of plain corporate blue. This took time to implement and as late as 1981 many of the units that were plain blue in 1975 still had not been repainted. 310068 is recently ex works and has acquired blue/grey livery.

 

Unit History

The class 310 four car units were built at Derby Carriage works between 1965 and 1967. They were the first EMUs to be based on the Mark II bodyshell, which featured semi-integral construction. They were built for West Coast Main Line suburban duties from Euston (rarely operating north of Birmingham) and remained on these duties until displaced by class 317 EMU’s in 1987. They were then cascaded to the London Tilbury and Southend lines displacing class 302 EMU’s (built in 1958) until again displaced, this time by class 357 EMU’s between 1999 and 2002 and withdrawn.

 

50050 pauses at Reading with a westbound express, 1st January 1978.

 

Locomotive History

In 1965 British Rail needed a high-powered diesel locomotive to speed-up services on the West Coast Main Line (WCML) between Crewe and Glasgow prior to completion of the electrification work. At that time, English Electric had been experiencing great success with a private venture in the form of DP2. a 16CSVT engine test bed locomotive. As a result of its success, an order for a fleet of fifty locomotives was placed with English Electric based on the DP2 power unit and mechanicals but with a British Rail designed bodyshell and additional electronic systems. These systems included dynamic braking, wheelslip protection, electronic power control with automatic control of tractive effort and strangely for a passenger locomotive, slow speed control. The class were built at the English Electric Vulcan Foundry and the first of the class D400 entered traffic in October 1967. D400 became 50050 under the 1973 TOPS renumbering scheme. In 1973 with the completion of the electrification to Glasgow approaching it was transferred to Bristol for crew training duties prior to the transfer of the class 50 fleet for Western Region duties from 1974. 50050 was refurbished at Doncaster works in summer of 1983 and re-entered traffic on the 5th July 1983. It was withdrawn ten years later but retained until March 1994 for rail tour duty.

 

After withdrawal it was bought for preservation and is currently (November 2024) owned by Boden Rail and has been hired to Locomotive Services, Crewe for occasional main line railtour duty.

 

Praktica LTL, High Speed Ektachrome

Triumph GT6 Mk.3 (1970-73) Engine 1998 cc S6 OHV Production 13,042

Registration Number CWD 760 J (Warwickshire)

TRIUMPH ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623847263736...

 

Introduced in 1966 the first series of GT6 was introduced in 1966 as a six cylinder sports coupe based on the Spitfire. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti and based on the recently introduced Spitfire Mk. IV. The new body was a sleek fastback design with an opening rear hatch, In essence a two seater but with a small extra rear seat could be ordered, large enough for small children. The family resemblance to the Spitfire Mk II was strong, the longer 6-cylinder engine necessitated a new bonnet top with a power bulge and the doors were provided with opening quarter light windows and squared-off glass in the top rear corner. The 6-cylinder engine was, like the Vitesse 2 litre, tuned to develop 95 hp (71 kW) with a top speed pf 106mph

 

The Mk.II GT6 was launched in 1978 using a 104bhp version of the six cylinder engine, with optional overdrive as available on the Mk.1. Now fitted with lower wishbone independant rear suspension. The Mk.2 also got a new facia, better ventilation for both engine bay and cockpit and Rostyle wheels, though wires were a popular option. There were other changes for the Mk II; the front bumper was raised (in common with the Spitfire Mk 3) to conform with new regulations ecessitating a revised front end, and side vents were added to the front wings and rear pillars. Under the bonnet, the engine was the uprated Vitesse MkII unit developing 104 hp (78 kW) with a new cylinder head, camshaft, and manifolds Performance improved slightly to 107 mph

 

The third generation of 1970 was the GT6s last major facelift the entire bodyshell was revised to match the changes made to the Spitfire Mk IV: modifications included a cut-off rear end, recessed door handles and a smoother front end,and the deletion of the chrome stripes on top of the wings . Only detail changes were made to the mechanics, but in 1973 – close to the end of the car's production life – the rear suspension was changed again, this time for the cheaper "swing-spring" layout fitted to the Spitfire Mk IV. Engine output was simular to that of the Mark 2 but better aerodynamics led to a new top speed of 112 mph

 

Diolch yn fawr am 65,531,840 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel

 

Thank you 65,531,840 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe

 

Shot 06.05.2018 at Catton Hall Car Show, Catton Hall, Walton on Trent, Derbyshire Ref 133-600

  

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The Volkswagen Beetle (officially the Volkswagen Type 1, informally in Germany the Volkswagen Käfer, in Poland the Volkswagen Garbus and in the U.S. the Volkswagen Bug) is a two-door, four passenger, rear-engine economy car manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.

 

The need for this kind of car, and its functional objectives, was formulated by the leader of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for his country's new road network. Hitler contracted Ferdinand Porsche in 1934 to design and build it. Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalise the design. The influence on Porsche's design of other contemporary cars, such as the Tatra V570 and the work of Josef Ganz remains a subject of dispute. The result was one of the first rear-engined cars since the Brass Era. With 21,529,464 produced, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single platform ever made.

 

Although designed in the 1930s, the Beetle was only produced in significant numbers from 1945 on (mass production had been put on hold during the Second World War) when the model was internally designated the Volkswagen Type 1, and marketed simply as the Volkswagen (or "People's Car"). Later models were designated Volkswagen 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302 or 1303, the former three indicating engine displacement, the latter two derived from the type number. The model became widely known in its home country as the Käfer (German for "beetle") and was later marketed as such in Germany, and as the Volkswagen in other countries. For example, in France it was known as the Coccinelle (French for ladybug).

 

The original 25 hp Beetle was designed for a top speed around 100 km/h, which would be a viable speed on the Reichsautobahn system. As Autobahn speeds increased in the postwar years, its output was boosted to 36, then 40 hp, the configuration that lasted through 1966 and became the "classic" Volkswagen motor. The Beetle ultimately gave rise to variants, including the Karmann Ghia, Type 2 and external coachbuilders. The Beetle marked a significant trend, led by Volkswagen, Fiat, and Renault, whereby the rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout increased from 2.6 percent of continental Western Europe's car production in 1946 to 26.6 percent in 1956. The 1948 Citroën 2CV and other European models marked a later trend to front-wheel drive in the European small car market, a trend that would come to dominate that market. In 1974, Volkswagen's own front-wheel drive Golf model succeeded the Beetle. In 1994, Volkswagen unveiled the Concept One, a "retro"-themed concept car with a resemblance to the original Beetle, and in 1998 introduced the "New Beetle", built on the contemporary Golf platform with styling recalling the original Type 1. It remained in production through 2010, being succeeded in 2011 by the more aggressively styled Beetle (A5).

 

In the 1999 Car of the Century competition, to determine the world's most influential car in the 20th century, the Type 1 came fourth, after the Ford Model T, the Mini, and the Citroën DS.

 

HISTORY

THE PEOPLES CAR

In April 1934, Adolf Hitler gave the order to Ferdinand Porsche to develop a Volkswagen (literally, "people's car" in German, pronounced [ˈfɔlksvaːɡən]). The epithet Volks- literally, "people's-" had been applied to other Nazi-sponsored consumer goods such as the Volksempfänger ("people's radio").

 

In May 1934, at a meeting at Berlin’s Kaiserhof Hotel, Chancellor Hitler insisted on a basic vehicle that could transport two adults and three children at 100 km/h while not using more than 7 litres of fuel per 100 km (32 mpg US/39 mpg UK). The engine had to be powerful for sustained cruising on Germany’s new Autobahnen. Everything had to be designed to ensure parts could be quickly and inexpensively exchanged. The engine had to be air-cooled because, as Hitler explained, not every country doctor had his own garage (ethylene glycol antifreeze was only just beginning to be used in high-performance liquid-cooled aircraft engines. In general, radiators filled with water would freeze unless the vehicle was kept in a heated building overnight or drained and refilled each morning).

 

The "People's Car" would be available to citizens of Nazi Germany through a savings scheme, or Sparkarte (savings booklet), at 990 Reichsmark, about the price of a small motorcycle. (The average weekly income was then around 32RM.)

 

DEVELOPMENT

Ferdinand Porsche developed the Type 12, or "Auto für Jedermann" (car for everybody) for Zündapp in 1931. Porsche already preferred the flat-four engine, and selected a swing axle rear suspension (invented by Edmund Rumpler), while Zündapp insisted on a water-cooled five-cylinder radial engine. In 1932, three prototypes were running. All of those cars were lost during World War II, the last in a bombing raid in Stuttgart in 1945.

 

The Zündapp prototypes were followed by the Porsche Type 32, designed in 1933 for NSU Motorenwerke AG, another motorcycle company. The Type 32 was similar in design to the Type 12, but it had a flat-four engine. NSU's exit from car manufacturing resulted in the Type 32 being abandoned at the prototype stage.

 

Initially designated Type 60 by Porsche, the design team included Erwin Komenda and Karl Rabe. In October 1935, the first two Type 60 prototypes, known as the V1 and V2 (V for Versuchswagen, or "test car"), were ready. In 1936, testing began of three further V3 prototypes, built in Porsche's Stuttgart shop. A batch of thirty W30 development models, produced for Porsche by Daimler-Benz, underwent 2,900,000 km of further testing in 1937. All cars had the distinctive round shape and the air-cooled, rear-mounted engine. Included in this batch was a rollback soft top called the Cabrio Limousine. A further batch of 44 VW38 pre-production cars produced in 1938 introduced split rear windows; both the split window and the dash were retained on production Type 1s until 1953. The VW38 cars were followed by another batch of 50 VW39 cars, completed in July 1939.

 

The car was designed to be as simple as possible mechanically. The air-cooled 25 hp (19 kW) 995 cc motors' built-in oil cooler and flat-four engine configuration's superior performance was also effective for the German Afrika Korps in Africa's desert heat. The suspension design used compact torsion bars instead of coil or leaf springs. The Beetle is nearly airtight and will briefly float.

 

THE FACTORY

On 26 May 1938, Hitler laid the cornerstone for the Volkswagen factory in Fallersleben. He gave a speech, in which he named the car Kraft-durch-Freude-Wagen ("Strength Through Joy Car", usually abbreviated to KdF-Wagen). The name refers to Kraft durch Freude ('Strength Through Joy'), the official leisure organization of Nazi Germany. The model village of Stadt des KdF-Wagens was created near Fallersleben in Lower Saxony in 1938 for the benefit of the workers at the newly built factory.

 

The factory had only produced a handful of cars by the start of the war in 1939; the first volume-produced versions of the car's chassis were military vehicles, the Type 82 Kübelwagen (approximately 52,000 built) and the amphibious Type 166 Schwimmwagen (about 14,000 built).

 

The first Beetles were produced on a small scale in 1941.

 

WARTIME PRODUCTION

A handful of KdF-Wagen (Typ 60) were produced primarily for the Nazi elite from 1941 to 1944, but production figures were small because the factories were concentrating on production of the Kübelwagen (Typ 82), the beetle for the Wehrmacht (Typ 82 E), the Schwimmwagen (Typ 166), and a handful of other variants. The factory produced another wartime vehicle: the Kommandeurswagen (Typ 87); a Beetle body mounted on a 4WD Schwimmwagen chassis. The Kommandeurswagen had widened fenders to accommodate its Kronprinz all-terrain tires. 564 Kommandeurswagen were produced up to 1944, when all production was halted because of heavy damage to the factory by Allied air raids. Much of the essential equipment had already been moved to underground bunkers for protection, which let production resume quickly after hostilities ended. Due to gasoline shortages late in the war, a few "Holzbrenner" Beetles were built powered by pyrolysis gas producers located under the front hood.

 

POST-WAR PRODUCTION AND BOOM

In occupied Germany, the Allies followed the Morgenthau plan to remove all German war potential by complete or partial pastoralization. As part of this, in the Industrial plans for Germany, the rules for which industry Germany was to be allowed to retain were set out. German car production was set at a maximum of 10% of the 1936 car production numbers.

 

Mass production of civilian VW cars did not start until post-war occupation. The Volkswagen factory was handed over by the Americans to British control in 1945; it was to be dismantled and shipped to Britain. Thankfully for Volkswagen, no British car manufacturer was interested in the factory; an official report included the phrases "the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement of a motor-car ... it is quite unattractive to the average buyer ... To build the car commercially would be a completely uneconomic enterprise." The factory survived by producing cars for the British Army instead. Allied dismantling policy changed in late 1946 to mid-1947, although heavy industry continued to be dismantled until 1951. In March 1947, Herbert Hoover helped change policy by stating

 

There is the illusion that the New Germany left after the annexations can be reduced to a "pastoral state". It cannot be done unless we exterminate or move 25,000,000 people out of it.

 

The re-opening of the factory is largely accredited to British Army officer Major Ivan Hirst. Hirst was ordered to take control of the heavily bombed factory, which the Americans had captured. His first task was to remove an unexploded bomb that had fallen through the roof and lodged itself between some pieces of irreplaceable production equipment; if the bomb had exploded, the Beetle's fate would have been sealed. Knowing Germany needed jobs and the British Army needed vehicles. Hirst persuaded the British military to order 20,000 cars, and by March 1946 the factory was producing 1,000 cars a month (in Army khaki, under the name Volkswagen Type 1), which Hirst said "was the limit set by the availability of materials". During this period, the car reverted to its original name of Volkswagen and the town was renamed Wolfsburg. The first 1,785 Type 1s were made in 1945.

After World War II, it was officially designated the Volkswagen Type 1, but was more commonly known as the Beetle.Following the British Army-led restart of production and Hirst's establishment of sales network and exports to Netherlands, former Opel manager (and formerly a detractor of the Volkswagen) Heinz Nordhoff was appointed director of the Volkswagen factory in 1949. Under Nordhoff, production increased dramatically over the following decade, with the one-millionth car coming off the assembly line by 1955. During this post-war period, the Beetle had superior performance in its category with a top speed of 115 km/h and 0–100 km/h in 27.5 seconds with fuel consumption of 6.7 l/100 km (36 mpg) for the standard 25 kW (34 hp) engine. This was far superior to the Citroën 2CV, which was aimed at a low speed/poor road rural peasant market, and Morris Minor, designed for a market with no motorways / freeways; it was even competitive with more advanced small city cars like the Austin Mini.

 

In Small Wonder, Walter Henry Nelson wrote:

"The engine fires up immediately without a choke. It has tolerable road-handling and is economical to maintain. Although a small car, the engine has great elasticity and gave the feeling of better output than its small nominal size."

 

There were other, less-numerous models, as well. The Hebmüller cabriolet (officially Type 14A), a sporty two-seater, was built between 1949 and 1953; it numbered 696. The Type 18A, a fixed-top cabriolet, was produced by Austro-Tatra as a police and fire unit; 203 were assembled between January 1950 and March 1953.

 

The chassis became a technological and parts donor to Volkswagen Type 2 (also known as Bulli) and external coachbuilders like Rometsch, Dannenhauer & Stauss, Wilhelm Karmann, Enzmann, Beutler, Ghia-Aigle, Hebmüller & Söhne, Drews, Wendler.

 

On 17 February 1972, when Beetle No. 15,007,034 was produced, Beetle production surpassed that of the previous record holder, the Ford Model T. By 1973, total production was over 16 million, and by 23 June 1992, over 21 million had been produced.

 

DECLINE

Though extremely successful in the 1960s, the Beetle was increasingly faced with stiff competition from more modern designs globally. The Japanese had refined rear-wheel-drive, water-cooled, front-engine small cars including the Datsun 510 and Toyota Corona, whose sales in the North American market grew rapidly at the expense of Volkswagen in the late 1960s. Honda introduced the N600, based on the space-efficient transverse-engine, front-wheel-drive layout of the original Austin Mini, to the North American market in late 1969, and upgraded the model to the Honda Civic in 1972. The Japanese "big three" would soon dominate compact auto sales in North America. In 1971 Ford introduced its Pinto, which had some market impact as a low cost alternative. As the 1960s came to a close, Volkswagen faced increasingly stiff competition from European cars as well. The Beetle was faced with competition from new designs like the Fiat 127 and Renault 5, and more robust designs based on the Austin Mini layout such as the Superminis. German competitors, Ford and Opel also enjoyed strong sales of modern smaller cars like the Ford Escort and Opel Kadett. Volkswagen's attempts to boost the power of their air-cooled motor to meet the demands of higher highway speeds in the late 1960s, then comply with new pollution control regulations, caused problems for reliability and fuel efficiency that impaired the reputation of the aging design. Safety issues with the Beetle came under increasing scrutiny, culminating in the 1972 release of a rather scathing report. During the early 1970s, sales of the Beetle in Europe and North America plummeted.

 

There were other models introduced to supplement the Beetle in the VW product line throughout the 1960s; the Type 3, Type 4, and the NSU-based and larger K70. None of these models, aimed at more upscale markets, achieved the level of success as the Beetle. The over-reliance on a single model, now in decline, meant that Volkswagen was in financial crisis by 1974. It needed German government funding to produce the Beetle's replacement.

 

Production lines at Wolfsburg switched to the new water-cooled, front-engined, front-wheel drive Golf designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1974, sold in North America at the time as the "Rabbit". The Golf would eventually become Volkswagen's most successful model since the Beetle. The Golf would be periodically redesigned over its lifetime, entering its seventh generation in 2012, with only a few components carried over between generations, while the Beetle had only minor refinements of its original design.

 

The Golf did not kill Beetle production, nor did the smaller Polo which was launched a year later. Production of the Beetle continued in smaller numbers at other German factories until 19 January 1978, when mainstream production shifted to Brazil and Mexico: markets where low operating cost was an important factor. However, this shift in production did not completely end sales of the Beetle in Europe, although after this date sales of the Beetle in Europe were very low. Beetle sedans were produced for U.S. markets until July 1977 and for European markets until 1985, with private companies continuing to import cars produced in Mexico after 1985. The Beetle convertible/Cabriolet ended production (as 1979 models) as of January 31, 1980.

 

The last Beetle was produced in Puebla, Mexico, in July 2003. The final batch of 3,000 Beetles were sold as 2004 models and badged as the Última Edición, with whitewall tires, a host of previously discontinued chrome trim, and the choice of two special paint colors taken from the New Beetle. Production in Brazil ended in 1986, then started again in 1993 and continued until 1996.

 

The Beetle outlasted most other cars which had adopted the rear air-cooled engine layout such as those by Subaru, Fiat, and General Motors. Porsche's 356 series which originally used some Volkswagen sourced parts, continued to use the classic rear engine layout (which later became water-cooled) in the Porsche 911 996 series, which remains competitive in the second decade of the 21st century.

 

WORLDWIDE END OF PRODUCTION

By 2002, over 21 million Type 1s had been produced, but by 2003, annual production had dropped to 30,000 from a peak of 1.3 million in 1971. VW announced the end of production in June 2003, citing decreasing demand, and the final original Type 1 VW Beetle (No. 21,529,464) rolled off the production line at Puebla, Mexico, on 30 July 2003 65 years after its original launch. This last Beetle, nicknamed El Rey (Spanish for "The King" after a legendary Mexican song by José Alfredo Jiménez) was delivered to the company's museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.

 

To celebrate the occasion, Volkswagen marketed a final special series of 3,000 Beetles marketed as "Última Edición" (Final Edition) in light blue (Aquarius Blue) or beige (Harvest Moon Beige). Each car included the 1.6 engine, whitewall tires, a CD player with four speakers, chrome bumpers, trim, hub caps and exterior mirrors, a Wolfsburg emblem above the front trunk's handle, chrome glove box badge, body coloured wheels, tinted glass, a rear parcel shelf, and VW Última Edición plaque.

 

A mariachi band serenaded production of the last car. In Mexico, there was an advertising campaign as a goodbye for the Beetle. In one of the ads was a very small parking space on the street, and many big cars tried to use it, but could not. After a while, a sign appears in that parking space saying: "Es increíble que un auto tan pequeño deje un vacío tan grande" (It is incredible that a car so small can leave such a large void). Another depicted the rear end of a 1954 Beetle (the year Volkswagen was established in Mexico) in the left side of the ad, reading "Erase una vez..." (Once upon a time...) and the last 2003 Beetle in the right side, reading "Fin" (The end). There were other ads with the same nostalgic tone.

 

- Engine: Fuel-injected (Bosch Digifant) four-cylinder horizontally opposed, 1,584 cc, 50 hp (37 kW), 98.1 N·m (72.4 lb·ft) @ 2,200 rpm, three-way catalytic converter

- Rated fuel mileage: 32.5 mpg-US (7.2 L/100 km; 39.0 mpg-imp)

- Max cruising speed: 130 km/h

- Brakes: front disc, rear drum

- Passengers: Five

- Tank: 40 L (11 US gal; 9 imp gal)

- Colours: Aquarius blue, Harvest Moon beige.

 

PROTOTYPES

DIESEL

In 1951, Volkswagen prototyped a 1.3 L diesel engine. Volkswagen made only two of these air-cooled boxer diesel engines (not turbocharged), and installed one engine in a Type 1 and another in a Type 2. The diesel Beetle was time tested on the Nürburgring and achieved 0–100 km/h in 60 seconds.

 

DESIGN

The Beetle featured a rear-located, rear-wheel drive, air-cooled four-cylinder, boxer engine in a two-door bodywork featuring a flat front windscreen, accommodating four passengers and providing luggage storage under the front bonnet and behind the rear seat – and offering a coefficient of drag of 0.41; to this relatively good CD, the also streamlined rear of car was of help. The bodywork attached with eighteen bolts to its nearly flat chassis which featured a central structural tunnel. Front and rear suspension featured torsion bars along with front stabilizer bar – providing independent suspension at all wheels. Certain initial features were subsequently revised, including mechanical drum brakes, split-window rear windows, mechanical direction-indicators and the non-synchronized gearbox. Other features, including its distinctive overall shape, endured.

 

Its engine, transmission, and cylinder heads were constructed of light alloy. An engine oil cooler (located in the engine fan's shroud) ensured optimal engine operating temperature and long engine life, optimized by a thermostat that bypassed the oil cooler when the engine was cold. Later models of the carburetor featured an automatic choke. Engine intake air passed through a metallic filter, while heavier particles were captured by an oil bath. After 1960, steering featured a hydraulic damper that absorbed steering irregularities.

 

Indicative of the car's utilitarian design, the interior featured painted metal surfaces, a metal dash consolidating instruments in a single, circular binnacle, adjustable front seats, a fold-down rear seat, optional swing-out rear windows, front windows with pivoting vent windows, heating via air-to-air exchange manifolds operating off the engine's heat, and a windshield washer system that eschewed the complexity and cost of an additional electric pump and instead received its pressurization from the car's spare tire (located in the front luggage compartment) which was accordingly overinflated to accommodate the washer function.

 

Throughout its production, VW marketed the Beetle with a four-speed manual transmission. From 1961 (and almost exclusively in Europe), VW offered an optional version of the Saxomat semi-automatic transmission: a regular 4-speed manual transaxle coupled to an electromagnetic clutch with a centrifugal clutch used for idle. Subsequently (beginning in 1967 in Europe and 1968 in the United States), VW offered an optional semi-automatic transmission (marketed as Automatic Stick Shift and also called AutoStick[citation needed]), which was a 3-speed manual coupled to an electro-pneumatic clutch and torque converter.

 

While the overall appearance of the Beetle changed little over its life span, it received over 78,000 incremental changes during its production.

 

EVOLUTION AND DESIGN CHANGES

BEETLE CABRIOLET

It was in 1948 that Wilhelm Karmann first bought a VW Beetle sedan and converted it into a four-seated convertible. The Beetle Cabriolet began production in 1949 by Karmann in Osnabrück. After successfully presenting it at VW in Wolfsburg, production started in 1949.

 

The convertible was more than a Beetle with a folding top. To compensate for the strength lost in removing the roof, the sills were reinforced with welded U-channel rails, a transverse beam was fitted below the front edge of the rear seat cushion, and the side cowl-panels below the instrument panel were double-wall. In addition, the lower corners of the door apertures had welded-in curved gussets, and the doors had secondary alignment wedges at the B-pillar.

 

The top was cabriolet-style with a full inner headliner hiding the folding mechanism and crossbars. In between the two top layers was 25 mm of insulation. The rear window was tempered safety glass, and after 1968, heated. Due to the thickness of the top, it remained quite tall when folded. To enable the driver to see over the lowered top, the inside rearview was mounted on an offset pivot. By twisting the mirror 180 degrees on a longitudinal axis, the mirror glass would raise approximately 5.1 cm.

 

The convertible was generally more lavishly equipped than the sedan with dual rear ashtrays, twin map pockets, a visor vanity mirror on the passenger side, rear stone shields, and through 1969, wheel trim rings. Many of these items did not become available on other Beetles until the advent of the optional "L" (Luxus) Package of 1970.

 

After a number of stylistic and technical alterations made to the Karmann cabriolet, (corresponding to the many changes VW made to the Beetle throughout its history), the last of 331,847 cabriolets came off the production line on 10 January 1980.

 

1950–1959 MODELS

During this period, a myriad of changes were made throughout the vehicle beginning with the availability of hydraulic brakes and a folding fabric sunroof in 1950. The rear window of the VW Beetle evolved from a divided or "split" oval, to a singular oval. The change occurred between October 1952 and March 1953. Beetles built during this time were known as a "Zwitter", or "hybrid", as they used the split-window bodyshell with oval-model chrome trim, vent windows and dashboard.

 

1953 models received a redesigned instrument panel. The one-piece “Pope's Nose” combination license plate/brake light was replaced by a smaller flat-bottomed license plate light. The brake light function was transferred to new heart-shaped lamps located in the top of the taillight housings.

 

In 1954, Volkswagen added 2 mm to the cylinder bore, increasing the displacement from 1,131 (1100) cc to 1,192 (1200) cc. This coincided with upgrades to various key components including a redesign of the crankshaft. This increased power from 30 hp (22 kW; 30 PS) to 36 hp (27 kW; 36 PS) and improved the engine's free revving abilities without compromising torque at lower engine speeds. At the same time, compression ratios were progressively raised as, little by little, the octane ratings of available fuel was raised in major markets during the 1950s and 1960s.

 

In 1955, the separate brake lights were discontinued and were combined into a new larger taillight housing. The traditional VW semaphore turn signals were replaced by conventional flashing directional indicator lamps for North America.

 

For 1956, the Beetle received what would become one of its more distinctive features, a set of twin chrome tailpipes. Models for North America gained taller bumper guards and tubular overrider bars.

 

For 1958, the Beetle received a revised instrument panel, and a larger rectangular rear window replaced the previous oval design.

 

1960–1969 MODELS

1960 models received a front sway bar along with a hydraulic steering damper.

 

For 1961, significant technical advances occurred in the form of a new engine and transmission. The engine remained at 1200cc but the power increased to 40 hp (30 kW; 41 PS) primarily due to an increase in compression ratio to 7.1:1. The carburetor received an electric automatic choke and the transmission was now synchronized on all forward gears. The traditional semaphore turns signals were replaced by conventional flashing directional indicators worldwide.

 

For 1962, the Beetle received a mechanical fuel level gauge in place of the former fuel tap. At the rear, larger tail lights were introduced incorporating a separate amber turn signal section to meet new European standards (these turn signals remained red in the US market until 1973). The former hand-pump style windscreen washer was replaced by a new design using compressed air. A Schrader valve located on the washer fluid tank allowed the system to be charged at a filling station to the recommended 35 psi (2.4 bar).

 

1964 models could be identified by a widened light housing on the engine lid over the rear license plate.

 

The largest change to date for the Beetle was in 1965: the majority of the body stampings were revised, which allowed for significantly larger windows. The windshield increased in area by 11% and was now slightly curved, rather than flat. Door windows increased accordingly by 6% (and door vent window edges were canted slightly back), rear side windows 17.5%, and the rear window 19.5%. The result was a more open, airy, modern look.

 

For 1966, the big news was an optional new 1300cc 50 hp (37 kW; 51 PS) engine in lieu of the previous 1200cc engine that had been the sole engine since 1954. Models so equipped carried a "1300" badge on the engine lid. The 1300cc engine was standard for North America.

 

For 1967, a yet-again larger-displacement engine was made available: 1500cc, 53 hp (40 kW; 54 PS) at 4,200 rpm. 1200 and 1300 engines continued to be available, as many markets based their taxation on engine size. 1500cc Beetles were equipped with front disc brakes and were identified with a "VW 1500" badge on the engine lid. North America received the 1500 engine as standard equipment, but did not receive front disc brakes. These models were identified by a "Volkswagen" badge on the engine lid.

 

The rear suspension was significantly revised including a widened track, softer torsion bars and the addition of a unique Z-configuration equalizing torsion spring. On US, UK and Ireland models, the generator output was increased from 180 to 360 watts, and the entire electrical system was upgraded from 6 volts to 12 volts. The clutch disc also increased in size and changes were made to the flywheel. New equipment included a driver's armrest on the door and locking buttons on both doors. Safety improvements included two-speed windscreen wipers, reversing lights (in some markets), and a driver's side mirror. In accord with the newly enacted US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, North American models received a dual-circuit brake system, the clear glass headlamp covers were deleted; the headlamps were brought forward to the leading edge of the front fenders, and the sealed-beam units were exposed and surrounded by chrome bezels.

 

1968 was a year of major change. The most noticeable of which were the new larger, higher mounted C-section bumpers. At the rear, new larger taillamps were adopted and were able to accommodate backup lamps, which were previously separate bumper-mounted units. Beetles worldwide received the '67 North American style vertical headlamp placement, but with replaceable-bulb headlamps compliant with ECE regulations rather than the US sealed beams. Other improvements were a new outside gas filler with spring-loaded flap, eliminating the need to open the trunk to refuel. The fuel gauge was integrated with the speedometer and was now electrically-actuated rather than cable-operated. The windscreen washer was now pressured by the spare tire, which was to be maintained at a pressure of 42 psi (2.9 bar). A pressure valve in the connecting hose closed airflow to the fluid reservoir if spare tire pressure fell below 30 psi (2.1 bar), which was above the recommended pressures for the road tires. A ventilation system was introduced, which drew fresh air into the cabin from louvres on the front decklid. For improved shifting, the shift lever was shortened, stiffened and moved rearward by

78 mm.

 

A number of safety improvements were made in order to comply with new American safety regulations: these included trigger-operated outside door handles, a secondary front hood latch, collapsing steering column, soft vent window latches, rotary glove compartment latch and instrument panel knobs labeled with pictographs. US models received a padded instrument panel that was optional in other markets. To meet North American head restraint requirements, VW developed the industry's first high-back bucket seat.

 

A new 3-speed semi-automatic gear box with torque converter and vacuum-operated clutch became available mid-production year. The semi-automatic models received a vastly improved semi-trailing-arm rear suspension (also known as "Independent Rear Suspension" although the earlier swing axle Beetles were also independent) and eliminated the need for the equalizing torsion spring. This new rear suspension layout would eventually become an option on later models. Beetles equipped with the automatic were identified with a "VW Automatic" badge on the engine lid and a matching decal in the rear window. In North America, the badging and decal were later revised to read, "Automatic Stick Shift".

 

For 1969, the only exterior change was the fuel filler flap no longer had a finger indentation due to a new interior-mounted fuel door release. For North America, the Beetle received a heated rear window, day/night mirror and the semi-trailing, independent rear-arm suspension as standard equipment.

 

1970–1979 MODELS

In 1970, A new "L" (Luxus) Package was introduced including, among other items, twin map pockets, dual rear ashtrays, full carpeting, a passenger-side visor vanity mirror, and rubber bumper moldings. The optional 1500 cc engine now came with an engine lid having two rows of cooling louvers, while the convertible's engine lid gained two additional sets for a total of four. For North America, the 1500 cc engine was enlarged to 1600 cc engine and produced 57 hp (43 kW; 58 PS)

 

For 1971, for the first time there were two Beetles, the familiar standard Beetle and a new larger version that was different from the windscreen forward. All Beetles received an engine upgrade: the optional 1500 cc engine was replaced by a 1600 cc version with twin-port cylinder heads and a larger, relocated oil cooler. The new engine produced 60 hp (45 kW; 61 PS). The ventilation system was improved with the original dash-top vents augmented by a second pair aimed directly at the driver and passenger. For the first time the system was a flow-through design with crescent-shaped air exits fitted behind the rear quarter windows. Airflow could be increased via an optional 2-speed fan. The standard Beetle was now badged as the VW 1300; when equipped with the 1600 engine, it was badged 1300 S, to avoided confusion with the Type 3, which wore VW 1600 badges.

 

The new larger Beetle was sold as the 1302/1302 S, offering nearly 50% increased luggage capacity. A new MacPherson strut front suspension was incorporated, similar to what was used in the Type 4, and the front track was widened. The new suspension layout allowed the spare tire to be positioned flat under the trunk floor, although the car had to be lengthened slightly to accomplish this. This also allowed a reduction in turning radius. To gain additional trunk volume, the under-dash panel was lowered, allowing the fuel tank to be shifted rearward. From the windscreen back the big Beetle was identical to its smaller progenitor, except for having the semi-trailing arm rear suspension as standard equipment. Overall, the big Beetle was 50 mm longer in length and 35 mm wider and rode on a 20 mm longer wheelbase than the standard model. Both Beetles were available with or without the L Package. The convertible was now based on the 1302 body. In North America, the 1302 was marketed as the Super Beetle and came only with the L Package and 1600 cc engine. While it lacked the front disc brakes that normally accompanied the larger motor, it was fitted with brake drums that were slightly larger than the standard Beetle. With the Super Beetle being sold as the premium model in North America, the standard Beetle, while retaining the same 1600 cc engine, was stripped of many of its earlier features in order to reduce the selling price. Bright window and running board moldings disappeared, along with the day/night mirror, horn ring, map pocket, locking glove box and miscellaneous other items.

 

1972 models had an 11% larger rear window 40 mm taller, larger front brakes[citation needed] and the convertible engine lid with four rows of louvres was now used on all Beetles. Inside the vehicle, a four-spoke energy-absorbing steering wheel was introduced, the windshield wiper/washer knob was replaced in favor of a steering column stalk, and intermittent wipers were a new option available in selected markets. An engine compartment socket for the proprietary VW Diagnosis system was also introduced. The rear luggage area was fitted with a folding parcel shelf. A limited-edition Commemorative model was launched in celebration of the Beetle's passing the record of the Ford Model T as the world's most-produced automobile. The Commemorative Beetle was a 1302 LS finished in a special Marathon Blue Metallic paint and unique 4.5 x 15 styled steel wheels. In the U.S., it was marketed as the Super Beetle Baja Champion SE.

 

1973 models featured significantly-enlarged "elephant foot" taillamps mounted in reshaped rear fenders. In the engine bay, the oil-bath air cleaner gave way to a dry element filter, and the generator was replaced with an alternator. The 1302/Super became the 1303 with a new taller wrap-around windscreen. The changes to the cowl and windshield resulted in slight redesign of the front hood. The instrument panel, formerly shared with the standard Beetle, was all-new and incorporated a raised speedometer pod, rocker-style switches and side-window defrosters. The limited-edition GSR (Gelb-Schwarz Rennen) was a 1303 S available only in Saturn Yellow paint equipped with special 140 mm wide sport wheels fitted with 175/70-15 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 high-performance radial tires. Front and rear deck lids were finished in matte black, as was all exterior trim with the exception of the chrome headlamp bezels. Inside were corduroy and leatherette high-bolstered sport seats and a small diameter three-spoke steering wheel with padded leather rim and a small red VW logo on the bottom spoke. In North America, the GSR was sold as the Super Beetle Sports Bug. The North American model had body-color deck lids and was available in Marathon Blue Metallic in addition to Saturn Yellow. In some markets, the sport wheels (in both 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch widths), sport steering wheel and sport seats became available as stand-alone options.

 

For 1974, North American models received newly required 8.0 km/h impact bumpers mounted on self-restoring energy absorbers, which added approximately 25 mm to the car's overall length. On the Super Beetle, the steering knuckle, and consequently the lower attachment point of the strut, was redesigned to improve handling and stability in the event of a tire blowout. A limited-edition Big Beetle was introduced based on the 1303 LS. Available in unique metallic paint colors, the car featured styled-steel 5.5 in (140 mm) wide sport wheels wrapped in 175/70-15 tires, corduroy seat inserts, upgraded loop-pile carpet, wood-look instrument panel trim and a padded steering wheel with bright accents. In the North American market, a limited-edition Sun Bug was introduced as a standard Beetle or Super Beetle. Both were finished in metallic gold and featured styled-steel 4.5 in (110 mm)-wide sport wheels. Inside were brown corduroy and leatherette seats, loop-pile carpet, and padded four-spoke deluxe steering wheel. The Super Beetle Sun Bug included a sliding-steel sunroof.

 

In 1975, front turn indicators were moved from the top of the front fenders down into the bumper. At the rear, the license plate light housing was now molded of plastic with a ribbed top surface. To comply with tightening emission standards, the 1600 cc engine in Japanese and North American markets received Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection, a derivative of the Bosch D-Jetronic system formerly used in the VW Type 3 and Type 4. The injected engine received a new muffler and in California a catalytic converter. This necessitated a bulge in the rear apron under the rear bumper and replaced the distinctive twin "pea shooter" tailpipes with a single offset pipe, making injected models identifiable at a glance. 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumper-equipped North American models retained fender-top front indicators. The 1303 received rack and pinion steering. In North America, the 1303/Super Beetle sedan was moved upmarket and was now christened La Grande Bug. Similar to the Big Beetle of 1974, La Grande Bug was available in blue or green metallic paint in the U.S. and blue, green or gold metallic in Canada and was equipped with the same features as the 1974 Sun Bug. Mid-year, the Love Bug was introduced for North America: based on the standard Beetle, it was available only in Phoenix Red or Ravenna Green (both colors shared with the VW-Porsche 914) with all exterior trim finished in matte black. A price leader, the Love Bug retailed for less than a standard Beetle. The "Volkswagen" script on the engine lid of all North American Beetles was replaced with a "Fuel Injection" badge.

 

In 1976, the 1303/La Grande Bug was discontinued, with the larger body continuing only in convertible form. To make up for the loss in North American markets, the standard Beetle was upgraded, regaining some of the features that were removed in 1971. In addition, the 2-speed ventilation fan was included, previously available in North America only on the larger Beetle. The automatic stickshift option was discontinued as well.

 

1977 models received new front seats with separate head restraints. This was the final model year for the Beetle sedan in North America. The convertible was offered in a Champagne Edition in triple white with the padded deluxe steering wheel, burled elm-grain dash trim and (110 mm wide sport wheels. Approximately 1,000 Champagne Editions were produced.

 

WIKIPEDIA

50 003 'Temeraire' and 50 001 'Dreadnought' are seen working 1V92 the 1428 York - Plymouth ( from Gloucester ) Vice HST, south through Stapleton Road, on Thursday July 28th 1983

 

They were both built by Vulcan Foundry.

 

50 003 entered service as D403 in January 1968.

 

LMWL LM Western Lines 12/01/1968

D05 Stoke Division 17/06/1968

CE Crewe Diesel 05/1973

Allocation recoded CE to CD 12/1973

BR Bristol Bath Road 03/1974

LA Laira 04/1974

 

Renumbered 50 003 15/04/1974

Named Temeraire on 9/5/78

Store 28/01/1979

LA Laira 28/01/1979

Returned to Service 17/09/1980

Store 01/07/1991

Withdrawn 15/07/1991

 

Stored at Laira until moved to Tavistock Junction Yard, Plymouth and noted dumped there on 15/9/91. Moved to MC Metal Processing, Glasgow on 4/4/92, and was broken up

on 30/4/92.

 

50 001 entered service as D401, in December 1967.

 

LMWL LM Western Lines 09/12/1967

D05 Stoke Division 17/06/1968

CE Crewe Diesel 05/1973

BR Bristol Bath Road 07/1973

 

Renumbered 50 001 21/03/1974

OC Old Oak Common 05/1974

LA Laira 04/1976

Named Dreadnought on 10/4/78

Store 12/04/1991.

 

Withdrawn 19/04/1991

Stored at Laira until moved to Exeter Riverside Yard in early January 1992, and then left on 9/1/92, and hauled to Booth Roe Metals, Rotherham, where it arrived the next day for

scrap.

 

The loco remained in the scrapyard, and was sold to Operation Collingwood in 9/95 for eventual restoration. Nothing came of this project, and the loco was resold to Booth Roe

Metals in 12/99. With scrapping looming, it was sold to Adrian Parcell, of Cotswold Rail, in 4/00, and was to be moved to Moreton-in-Marsh, and to be kept only as a bodyshell.

However, circumstances changed and it was cut up at Booth Roe Metals on 12/12/02.

 

buymeacoffee.com/bristolian

 

I hope you enjoy looking through my Flickr images. Please consider helping me pay for my Flickr subscription, and to replace my scanner with something that'll produce better images from the past.

I'd like to rescan all of my older uploads in the fullness of time.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

The 2000 London-Sydney Marathon winner- Stig Blomqvist/Ben Rainsford

Built by Basil Green Motors - Johannesburg

 

5,0 Liter

V8

ca. 500-550 ex.

 

Built by Basil Green Motors of Johannesburg exclusively for the South African market, the 'Perana' is the only V8-engined Capri officially sanctioned by the Ford Motor Company. Basil Green used the Ford 302ci (5.0-litre) Windsor V8 engine, modifying the chassis and running gear to cope with the extra power, and the result was a high-performance car with an excellent power-to-weight ratio that was soon cleaning up in domestic racing. Indeed, so successful was the Perana that after a single season's dominance it was banned. For the road, the Perana came with 281bhp on tap and a top speed of 147mph. It was also extraordinarily flexible. How British and European enthusiasts would have loved to get their hands on the Perana, and Ford surely missed a trick by not offering such a car in other markets. It is estimated that around 500-550 were produced between 1970 and 1972. This Capri Mk1 to full house Perana specification cost in excess of AUD200,000 (approximately £116,000 at the current rate of exchange) to build in 1999, before winning the 2000 London-Sydney Rally driven by former World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist and preparer Ben Rainsford. Since then, the Marathon rally coupe has participated in several other long-distance events. These include the 2004 London-Sydney Rally, 2004 Carrera Sudamericana Marathon, 2007 Classic East African Safari Rally, 2010 International Rally du Maroc and the 2011 Sol Rally Barbados. Specification highlights include a 302ci 'Windsor' Cobra type V8 engine; 'Jerico' type top-loader 4-speed gearbox; Marathon-specification bodyshell; full roll cage with side-bars; live five-link rear axle; all round disc brakes; rack-and-pinion steering; glassfibre bonnet; Perspex side windows; and Bilstein-damped suspension currently set up for 'Tarmac' events. An alternative Proflex-type Safari high-ride 'Gravel' suspension is included in the spares kit, together with a spare set of wheels. Offered with Ford dating letter confirming September 1969 manufacture of donor car, fresh MoT valid to August 2014, current historic vehicle eligible road fund licence and Swansea V5C, this unique Perana-specification Capri represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire a well-sorted car with a proven record in long-distance rallying that awaits preparation for the next long haul.

 

Metropole Classic Cars

Meubellaan 1

Druten

Nederland - Netherlands

June 2021

Triumph GT6 Mk2 (1968-70) Engine 1998c S6 OHV

Production 12,066

Registration Number RUT 513 G (Leicestershire)

TRIUMPH ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623847263736...

 

Introduced in 1966 the first series of GT6 was introduced in 1966 as a six cylinder sports coupe based on the Spitfire. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti and based on the recently introduced Spitfire Mk. IV. The new body was a sleek fastback design with an opening rear hatch, In essence a two seater but with a small extra rear seat could be ordered, large enough for small children. The family resemblance to the Spitfire Mk II was strong, the longer 6-cylinder engine necessitated a new bonnet top with a power bulge and the doors were provided with opening quarter light windows and squared-off glass in the top rear corner. The 6-cylinder engine was, like the Vitesse 2 litre, tuned to develop 95 hp (71 kW) with a top speed pf 106mph

 

The Mk.II GT6 was launched in 1978 using a 104bhp version of the six cylinder engine, with optional overdrive as available on the Mk.1. Now fitted with lower wishbone independant rear suspension. The Mk.2 also got a new facia, better ventilation for both engine bay and cockpit and Rostyle wheels, though wires were a popular option. There were other changes for the Mk II; the front bumper was raised (in common with the Spitfire Mk 3) to conform with new regulations ecessitating a revised front end, and side vents were added to the front wings and rear pillars. Under the bonnet, the engine was the uprated Vitesse MkII unit developing 104 hp (78 kW) with a new cylinder head, camshaft, and manifolds Performance improved slightly to 107 mph

 

The third generation of 1970 was the GT6s last major facelift the entire bodyshell was revised to match the changes made to the Spitfire Mk IV: modifications included a cut-off rear end, recessed door handles and a smoother front end,and the deletion of the chrome stripes on top of the wings . Only detail changes were made to the mechanics, but in 1973 – close to the end of the car's production life – the rear suspension was changed again, this time for the cheaper "swing-spring" layout fitted to the Spitfire Mk IV. Engine output was simular to that of the Mark 2 but better aerodynamics led to a new top speed of 112 mph

 

Diolch yn fawr am 65,531,840 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel

 

Thank you 65,531,840 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe

 

Shot 06.05.2018 at Catton Hall Car Show, Catton Hall, Walton on Trent, Derbyshire Ref 133-599

  

.

 

The grounded bodyshell of 76056 seen dumped at Reddish Depot on 9th May 1981. The former TRITON had been withdrawn from service three years earlier. It was finally consigned to scrap in February 1983.

 

Zenit EM f/8 500th/sec Ektachrome 400

See more car pics on my facebook page!

 

The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car hand-built in the United Kingdom by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for an earlier car made between 1950 and 1957. The car broke with Jensen tradition by having a steel bodyshell instead of glass-reinforced plastic and by having the body designed by an outside firm, Carrozzeria Touring of Italy, rather than the in-house staff. The early bodies were Italian-built, by Vignale, before production by Jensen themselves began – with subtle body modifications – in West Bromwich.

 

- - -

 

(Wikipedia)

 

To quote Colin Marsden from his excellent book 'Traction Recognition' (Ian Allan): "The Class 57 was the brainchild of Porterbrook Leasing in conjunction with Freightliner to provide a low-cost replacement for the ageing fleet of Class 47s. The project used the bodyshell of a Class 47, which was totally gutted to its main frame members and then rebuilt using refurbished equipment. The original Sulzer power unit was replaced with a 12-cylinder General Motors 645-series engine, purchased second or third hand from US rebuild companies". Delivered between 1998 and 2005, the 29-strong fleet has seen service with a variety of passenger and freight operators - but not, as far as I'm aware, with DB Schenker. This fictional image (based on DRS locomotive 57012) shows what a Class 57 might look like in DB corporate livery (28-Jul-11).

 

All rights reserved. Follow the link below for terms and conditions, additional information about my work; and to request work from me:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7...

 

Not exactly proving its environmental efficiency, DB Schenker Class 66, 66115, kicks out some smoke as accelerates away from a brief stop at Peterborough while working the Middleton Towers to Arpley Sidings loaded stone train. On this particular day I passed this train three times, the first when it was waiting for my Class 170 to overtake it at Ely, the second here at Peterborough, and the third time at Leicester as it awaited my Class 170 to overtake it again!

 

One of Britain's, and indeed Europe's, most numerous diesel locomotives, the Class 66 has become the face of nearly every freight operating rail company on the UK network, a simple, utilitarian design with an enormous, powerful engine. But with it's popularity among rail companies came a price, as it is often listed as one of the most hated locomotives ever to hit the UK rails, largely because of the slew of older BR classic locomotives it replaced from the late 1990's onward.

 

But is it really deserving of such a bum rap?

 

By the mid-1990's it was apparent that a majority of the ex-British Rail locomotives were well beyond their bloom of youth. Aside from the Class 58's of 1983, the Class 60's of 1989, and the American built Class 59's of 1985, most locomotives in the service of freight companies were coming up to 30 or 40 years old, and reliability was a major issue. Years of under-investment in the BR freight sector Railfreight Distribution, had resulted in a fleet comprised of decrepit diesels such as the Class 37's and Class 47's, being worked into the ground to keep the company rolling. Although the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994 was a catalyst to investments for freight trains working those particular trunk routes to the South East, with the construction of the Class 92's and the refurbishment of Wembley based Class 47's, the remainder of the freight operators, by this time led by shadow franchises Loadhaul, Transrail and Mainline, were left with a fleet that was slowly dying before their eyes. Class 47's, especially, needed a major overhaul every seven years, costing £400,000; yet had an average daily availability of less than 65% with only 16 days between major failures.

 

Enter Wisconsin Central, who, in 1996, bought the three franchises together with Railfreight Distribution and mail operator Rail Express Systems to create EWS, or English, Welsh & Scottish Railways. As part of the franchise commitment, the intention was to replace the ageing diesel fleet with a standard design that would reduce maintenance and operating costs substantially, with higher levels of reliability and efficiency. Looking at the fleet of diesels in general, it was noted that among the most reliable classes in the UK were the small fleet of 15 Class 59's, built by General Motors between 1985 and 1995 for private Aggregate operators such as Foster Yeoman and Hanson, as well as energy company National Power for the haulage of their coal trains between Collieries and Power Stations. These engines were, for the most part, substantially younger than the likes of the Class 20's, 31's, 37's and 47's, and more reliable than the early built Class 56's from Romania, which were infamous for their poor build quality.

 

Seeing their success, EWS placed an order in 1997 for 250 locomotives based on similar principles to that of the Class 59, often dubbed one of the biggest locomotive orders since the age of Steam. Locomotives were built at GM's factory in London, Ontario, and externally the bodyshell and design shared that with the Class 59. Internally though, the engines took many of GM's previous developments and updated the engine and traction motors to enable higher speeds. The new locomotive was fitted with the 20 year old design of the EMD 710 12-cylinder diesel engine, found originally in the GP60 freight locomotives of North America. However, some of GM's newer creations also made it into the mix, such as updated cab-control systems, the kind found in the Irish Railways Class 201 of 1994.

 

Originally designated Class 61, the first of these new locomotives arrived by boat at Immingham in June 1998, prior to proving tests at Derby. The locomotives then shipped at a rate of 11 per month into the UK via Newport Docks, until the order was completed in December 2001. After unloading, EWS engineers then simply took off the tarpaulin, unblocked the suspension, and finally as each was shipped with water and fuel, hooked up the batteries, before starting the engine and handing the locomotive into service. Almost immediately, other UK freight operators took interest in the Class, and operators such as Freightliner, GB Railfreight and Direct Rail Services also placed orders for the class.

 

Upon their introduction, reliability levels for EWS's operations improved substantially. Each locomotive is specified and guaranteed to 95% availability, aiming for a minimum of 180 days mean time between failures. It is designed to cover 1·6million km between major rebuilds, equivalent to 18 years' service, with each major rebuild costed at £200,000. But with their success came the sad reality that the much loved classes of yesteryear were going to be given the push, and this is where a majority of the Class 66's unpopularity comes from. It could have been understood the replacement of the 40 year old Class 20's, 31's, 37's and 47's, as it was quite clear they were past their prime, the same could equally be said for some of the earlier Class 56's of the late 1970's. However, the line was stepped across with the withdrawal of the Class 58's and Class 60's, as the desire of EWS to have a standardised fleet, resulted in the removal of locomotives that were nowhere near life-expired. The large-scale retirement of these extremely reliable and powerful locomotives that weren't even 20 years old was seen as a travesty, and whilst some Class 60's have seen a revival with other operators as of late, the Class 58's are all but extinct, whilst many Class 60's continue to languish in yards across the UK, mostly at Toton in the East Midlands.

 

Nevertheless, the class continued to grow over the years, and, upon the conclusion of Class 66 production in the UK in 2014, 446 of the class were eventually built. But we can't forget also that the class has seen major success across Europe as well, with dozens of engines in operation in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, and Poland, with certification pending in the Czech Republic and Italy.

 

Today, a majority of the class is still in service with a variety of operators. DB Schenker, the successor to EWS, continues to operate the largest fleet of 249 locomotives. Freightliner operates 141, DRS operates 19, GBRf operates 72 and Colas Rail operates 5. Not all of the locomotives however remain with us, as three have been written off.

 

The first was 66521 on the 28th February, 2001, where after hitting a Land Rover that had fallen down an embankment from the M62 motorway, a southbound GNER InterCity 225 set led by lightweight Class 82 DVT, 82221, derailed and ran straight into the path of the oncoming Class 66 which was working a northbound coal train. With an estimated closing speed of 142mph, the DVT was obliterated upon hitting the Class 66, and the freight locomotive was mangled and distorted as it was crushed between its loaded coal train behind and the passenger coaches in front. In the disaster, 10 people were killed, including 66521's driver Stephen Dunn, although his instructor Andrew Hill, who was also riding in the cab, was able to survive. The locomotive however was for the most part destroyed, and scrapped later that year.

 

The second was on the 4th January, 2010 involving 66048, which derailed at Carrbridge in snowy weather. Coming down the Highland Mainline with a loaded container train, it passed a signal at danger and was derailed at trap points, subsequently falling down an embankment into trees and injuring the two crew members.

 

The third was on the 28th June 2012, where GBRf 66734 derailed at Loch Treig whilst working Alcan Tanks. The inability of recovery crews to access the highly remote and dangerous location resulted in the engine being cut-up on site.

 

Additionally, many Class 66's have suffered low-speed collisions and derailments, either through faults in the track, driver error, or faults with the rolling stock.

 

However, despite the criticism, and often being dubbed as bland and utilitarian, the Class 66 is still a major part of the UK freight network, working behind the scenes without need of major attention so as to get the job done. Indeed it may find a home among rail enthusiasts, and perhaps one day it'll be dubbed a classic like the Class 37's and 47's it replaced, but at the moment it's the UK networks humble hero, plying its trade the best way it knows how.

Great Western Railway three car 150938 departs Bristol Temple Meads with 2F98, 16:44 Bristol Parkway – Warminster, 25th May 2016.

 

Unit History

150938 is a temporary unit formed of two car Class 150/2 unit 150238 with the addition of the undamaged vehicle from 150219 (57219). On the 3rd April 2016 150219 was involved in a collision with 43160 at Plymouth. 150219 and 150238 are from the final batch of eighty five class 150 two-car units which were built at York in 1986/87 with front-end gangway. They had different interiors to the earlier class 150/1 units and were used on longer-distance services. The end gangways make them very similar in appearance to later batches of the electric class 317 units, also based on the Mark III bodyshell.

 

86017 heads north with an express on the Down Fast at Stafford overtaking class 310 EMU 077 with a local service, 4th March 1978

 

Locomotive History

86017 was originally E3146 and was built by English Electric at there Vulcan Foundry works, entering traffic in April 1966 for West Coast Main Line duties. It became 86017 in the 1973 TOPS renumbering scheme, 86317 when fitted with modified wheels in the early 1980’s and 86417 when fitted with improved suspension in the late 1980’s. It was withdrawn in September 2001 and broken up by CF Booth, Rotherham in November 2004. The class 310 four car units were built at Derby Carriage works between 1965 and 1967. They were the first EMUs to be based on the Mark II bodyshell, which featured semi-integral construction. They were built for West Coast Main Line suburban duties from Euston (rarely operating north of Birmingham) and remained on these duties until displaced by class 317 EMU’s in 1987. They were then cascaded to the London Tilbury and Southend lines displacing class 302 EMU’s (built in 1958) until again displaced, this time by class 357 EMU’s between 1999 and 2002 and withdrawn.

 

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

Registration Number DTR 222 K (Southampton)

HILLMAN SET

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

Many thanks for a fantabulous

48,151,729 views

 

Shot at the NEC Classic Car Show 13:11:2015 Ref. 112-274

Brand new Heritage bodyshells stacked at the MG Owners' Club workshops.

Haldane 3000HD (1988-94) Engine 1993cc S4 OHC Ford Pinto

Registration Number Q 25 TDS (Undefined age registration, issued from Glasgow)

HALDANE ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/organize

 

John Haldane launched Haldane Developements Ltd. in Glasgow in 1988 to produce automobiles and kits. In 1993 Brian Harrison and Alisdair Scott took over production until 1994. From 1994 Pilgrim cars took over production, retaining the Haldane name but moved the facilities from Glasgow to Henfield in West Sussex. Production finally ended in 2008 after around 136 vehicles had been produced.

 

The first model was the HD100 a model based on the Austin Healey 100, with a fibreglass body mounted on a chassis developed in house. The four cylinder engine came from the Vauxhall Chevette. From 1993 a revised chassis was released to accommodate Ford engines. Around 100 examples were built between 1988-1994.

 

In 1991 a second model, the HD3000 complemented the range, modeled on the Austin Healey 3000 it otherwise corresponded with the HD100 around 36 were built by 2008

 

This Austin Healey replica was built by Haldane before the Scottish company ceased trading. The rights are now with Pilgrim who are planning to return the car to production.

Styled on similar lines as the classic Austin Healey the car has a composite (GRP) monocoque bodyshell, powered by a modern engine with Ford Sierra suspension and a robust backbone chassis and Geoscan designed suspension. It will be supplied either as a kit priced between £13,900 to £16,900 dependant upon specification or factory built for £18,000 for one with used components to £ 27,000 for a top specification factory built car with new components.

 

Diolch am 77,976,492 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 77,976,492 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 06.10.2019 at Bicester Scramble, Bicester, Oxon. 143-1263

   

See this train in the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8HgVx4rjFE

 

This shot was something of an accidental success, with the cab and front being crisp and sharp, whilst the rest of the surrounding unit is blurred by motion.

 

But still, here we have Virgin Trains Class 390, 390135 'City of Lancaster', racing north with a train from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street.

 

Since their introduction in 2002, the Class 390 tilting Pendolino sets have revolutionised services on the West Coast Mainline, bringing about an entirely new level of speed onto a route notorious for its laboriously winding route. But with such a technological leap, the Class 390 has sadly paid the price for its image due to what it was replacing.

 

The idea of a tilting train on the West Coast Mainline was however not a new one to Alstom when they developed the Pendolino sets in the late 1990's, with the concept being toyed way back in the early 1970's. British Rail first pioneered the concept of the tilting train with the ill-fated Advanced Passenger Train or APT of the mid-1970's. The idea was to create a train that could shift its centre of gravity whilst moving around sharp bends at high speeds, similar to how a motorcyclist leans into corners. This was to not only allow the train to travel at higher speeds on winding track without fear of it falling over, but also to improve passenger comfort levels and stop people being pressed against the windows when taking corners!

 

The original APT was a Gas-Turbine unit that operated on the Midland Region out of London St Pancras, and was later followed by the Class 370 electric multiple unit that began trials on the West Coast Mainline from 1980. A truly brilliant concept, the APT showed the world that the idea of a tilting train could be possible, that is, when it worked. The Class 370 was marred by teething problems and reliability issues, mostly consisting of the fact that the tilting mechanism wouldn't work properly or there would be just general train faults. Coupled with the winter of 1981, the worst winter for many years, and the train's image was damaged beyond repair. Even while developments were looking promising, and with only a few million Pounds required to complete the project, the British Government pulled the plug and the APT was axed in 1986, with only one complete set remaining as a rather sorry museum piece. The train of the future had become a thing of the past.

 

But the developments of the APT were picked up by none-other than Fiat Ferroviaria, who, following the failure of their British rival, developed their own and much more successful tilting train, the ETR-401 Pendolino, which began operations in 1988. This was later translated into a fleet of 15 ETR 450 production units which became the first revenue earning tilting trains.

 

In 2000, Fiat Ferroviaria was acquired by Alstom, who has been building their legendary tilting trains ever since. This coincided with the formation of Virgin Trains following privatisation of British Rail in 1994. As part of Virgin Trains' franchise requirements in 1997, the company intended the replacement of the ageing BR stock of the 1960's with a new fleet of high speed trains that would reduce journey times and up travel quality. As such, Virgin turned to Fiat Ferroviaria and later successor Alstom to provide them with a derivative version of the company's latest tilting Pendolino, the ETR 460.

 

Fiat Ferroviaria supplied much of the content of the Class 390 units, including the bodyshell and the bogies, while final assembly was carried out at Washwood Heath. The tilting technology was developed by SIG Switzerland (later Fiat-SIG, today Alstom). Two electromechanical actuators are used per car to achieve the desired tilting angle on curved stretches of track. The train can tilt to a maximum of eight degrees, at which point one side of the cabin train is 380 mm higher above the track than the other. In contrast to other Fiat Ferroviaria tilting trains which use hydraulic tilting actuators, the electromechanical systems offers lower maintenance cost and higher efficiency.

 

The new trains were intended to run at 140mph, but the West Coast Main Line modernisation programme, which was an upgrade to the infrastructure to allow faster line speeds, ran over budget. Consequently, plans were scaled back, and in a manner reminiscent of the introduction of the InterCity 225, the lack of signalling upgrades resulted in the maximum line speed being restricted to 125mph. Although this (and 140mph) are well below BR's hopes for APT of 155mph, it does match the maximum speed of 125mph for the APT in passenger service (although one APT set reached 162mph in testing).

 

The fleet was introduced into passenger services from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly on 23rd July, 2002, to coincide with the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Over the next few months they took over the Manchester services, and were soon introduced on routes from London to Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton and Preston.

 

With the start of Class 390 operations, the writing was very much on the wall for the ageing sets of trains it was replacing, and thus the Class 390's image began to be somewhat tarnished amongst the railway purists. First to go were the Class 86's of the 1960's, proud high-speed locomotives that were once the mainstay of the WCML, withdrawn from service in 2003 following both the introduction of the Class 390's, and the Class 220/221 Voyager units on Cross-Country services. Next were the newer Class 90's of 1989, replaced in 2004 once Class 390's had been allocated to routes north of Preston. The final locomotive hauled trains were provided by the Class 87's of the 1970's, which held strong until final replacement in 2005, bringing an end to locomotive hauled services on the West Coast Mainline. From then on, the Class 86's have mostly been scrapped, whilst Class 90's were transferred to Anglia to replace their Class 86 fleet. Class 87's on the other hand have since been exported largely to Bulgaria, the few remaining here in the UK either being scrapped, placed in storage, or made into museum pieces. This left a great deal of animosity towards the Class 390's by the railway enthusiast community, who, even after 10 years, still have a strong hatred towards these trains.

 

The service improvements however are something that can't be taken away from the Class 390's as these trains have taken the original and comparatively sluggish 110mph top speed and translated it into the extremely fast 125mph running speed that BR had dreamt of for years. In September 2006, the Pendolino set a new speed record, completing the 401 mile length of the West Coast Main Line from Glasgow Central to London Euston in 3 hours, 55 minutes, beating the 4-hour-14-minute record for the southbound run previously set in 1981 by the Class 370 APT. The APT however retains the ultimate speed record for this route, having completed the northbound journey between London Euston and Glasgow Central in 3 hours 52 minutes in 1984 which included a 5-minute delay due to a signal fault.

 

Since then the Pendolino has become very much a staple of high speed train travel in the UK, and still looks good even 15 years after the first ones hit the test tracks back in 2001.

 

The Class 390 was put to the test however with 390033 'City of Glasgow', which was written off after the Grayrigg derailment of February 23rd, 2007. The accident had been caused by a points malfunction, which, after a failure to inspect by Network Rail, changed the direction of travel from normal and thus resulted in the entire set derailing and plummeting down an embankment at 95mph. The sturdy design and robust nature of the Class 390 has been attributed to the fact that only one person, an elderly lady, was killed in the disaster, whereas if the previous MkII carriages had been involved, the death-toll could have been much higher. As said, the unit was written off, and the less damaged rear carriages of the set now reside at the Crewe Training Centre and are used for the instruction of drivers and train crew. The subsequent destruction of one of the units led to Virgin Trains reinstating a loco-hauled service to cover its diagrams, this being in the form of a hired Class 90 (usually from Freightliner), a set of 9 MkIII coaches, and a Driving Van Trailer. This train operated covering diagrams until November 2014, when it was retired and transferred to Greater Anglia.

 

Since 2007 the Class 390's have had their fleet enhanced from the original 53 sets to 57 with the addition of 4 new units between 2011 and 2012. The introduction of these new sets coincided with the extension of 31 sets to 11-cars, with new carriages built and imported from Alstom's factory in Italy, the first routine 11-car InterCity train to operate in the UK since the 1970's.

 

Today the Class 390's continue to ply their merry trade, and remain vital parts of the UK's high speed network, bringing Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and London closer together than they've ever been before.

Triumph GT6 Mk.III (1970-73) Engine 1998cc S6 OHV Production 13043

Registration Number TVC 376 J

TRIUMPH SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623847263736...

 

The final facelift for the Michelotti designed GT6. 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. a larger front anti-roll bar was fitted. A brake servo was also added in 1973, and seats were changed from vinyl to cloth. Engine power and torque for the MK3 was similar to the MK2, but better aerodynamics led to a new top speed of 112 mph

 

Thankyou for a massive 55,187,420 views

 

Shot 03.07.2016 at Cars in the Park, Beacon Park, Lichfield REF 121-321

 

Standing in the rain at Manchester Oxford Road is Northern 156422 ready to work 2O89, 15:46 Manchester Oxford Road – Liverpool Lime Street, 23rd May 2024.

 

Unit History

Built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in 1988 the Class 156 is based on the Mark III bodyshell and is powered by 6-cylinder Cummins NT855-R5 diesel engine through Voith automatic transmissions. I first saw 156422 on the 15th July 1988 at Sheffield, over thirty five years ago.

  

Fiat 126 (1972-80) Engine 652cc S2 Production 4,673,655

Registration Number VMX 306 Y (London SE)

FIAT ALBUM

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

 

Designed by Sergio Sartorelli as a replacement for the Fiat 500, the 126 used a similar layout to its predecessor retained the rear engine layout and keeping the same wheelbase, but with an all new bodyshell and improved passenger safety.

The engine capacity increased from 594cc to 652cc by the end of 1977 and a claimed output of 23 bhp, though 594cc engines remained available until early 1983

In Italy, the car was produced in the plants of Cassino and Termini Imerese until 1979. By this time 1,352,912 of the cars had been produced in Italy.

A subsequent increase took the engine size to 704 cc in new restyled model Fiat 126 Bis (1987–1991), with 26 hp

In Poland, the car was produced under licence by Fabryka Samochodów Małolitrażowych (FSM) in Bielsko-Biała and Tychy under the brand Polski Fiat 126p (literally in English: Polish Fiat 126p) between 1973 and 2000.

  

The car continued however to be manufactured by FSM in Poland, where it was produced from 1973 to 2000 as the Polski Fiat 126p.

 

Diolch am 83,638,254 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn 90cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 83,638,254 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 25.07.2021 at Beaumanor Hall, Woodhouse, Leic. 148-071

 

Chassis n° 303232

 

Zoute Sale - Bonhams

Estimated : € 160.000 - 200.000

Sold for € 178.250

 

Zoute Grand Prix 2021

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2021

 

"Those now-immortal three numbers, 911, have come to signify the benchmark by which every other sports car is measured. Just as it was 30 years ago, sports cars are still all about excitement and speed. And this the 911 provides in abundance," – Peter Morgan, Original Porsche 911, 1995.

 

Few sports cars have proved as versatile as Porsche's perennial 911, a model that, for the past 50-plus years, has proved equally capable as a Grand Tourer, circuit racer or rally car. A 'modern classic' if ever there was one, the 911 first appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show as the '901', but shortly after production proper commenced in 1964 had become the '911' following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers. The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.

 

This particular Porsche 911 is one of the early, short-wheelbase cars of the type much favoured by the historic rallying fraternity, a situation that has led to original examples such as this one becoming a great rarity. It belongs to the '0-Programme' series built from the start of production in August 1964 up to the introduction of the longer-wheelbase 'A-Programme' model in August 1967, and thus represents the Porsche 911 in its earliest and purest form.

 

According to the accompanying documentation issued by Porsche Italia, this car was built for the 1965 model year (1st August 1964 to 31st July 1965) with an invoice date of 16th December 1965. The specified colour scheme was Polo Red (colour code 6602) with a brown vinyl interior, while the only other factory option listed was Webasto heating. The country of first registration was Italy, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region, and the car has remained in Italy ever since. The Certification of Origin, again issued by Porsche Italia, confirms engine number '903335' was the original (it is still fitted to the car).

 

The current owner, an avid classic car enthusiast with a small stable of cars, purchased the Porsche in 2004, initially to race it, which he did. But then he decided that a 911 from 1965 was far too valuable to race and commissioned respected Porsche specialists Pentacar of Colico near Milan to carry out a no-expense-spared restoration, commencing in March 2017. The body was stripped back to bare metal, repaired where necessary and professionally repainted to a very high standard in the original colour of Polo Red. The interior was restored at the same time, as of course were the mechanicals and the original matching-numbers engine. The result is described as excellent in all respects, and since the restoration's completion in May 2020 the car has been driven only a little over 1,200 kilometres at the time of cataloguing. As icing on the cake, the owner purchased a new tool kit and jack from Porsche Classic to complete the picture. The car is offered with the Italian libretto and Certificato di Proprietà as well as ASI Targa Oro certification. An original, Italian-delivered Porsche 911 from 1965, with matching engine and colour, this is a car for the true Porsche connoisseur.

Singer Chamois (1964-70) Engine 875cc S4 OC

Registration Number NJW 677 E (Wolverhampton)

SINGER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623722487129...

 

The Singer Chamois was introduced in October 1964 as an attempt to increase the Imps apeal with a more upmarket version the Chamois featured wider rimmed wheels, walnut veneer. external side trim, a wider choice of colours and metalic paint options along with a horizontal grille. Later (1969 on) cars have quad headlights.

 

In 1966 the Chamois was joined by the Chamois Sport with output increased from 39bhp to 55bhp by virtue of a twin carburettor sports engine version of the 875cc unit, and servo assisted brakes, the interiors featured reclining seats, quad headlamps from 1969 in line with the standard Chamois.

  

In 1967 the range was further expanded with the Chamois Coupe The coupe bodyshell is similar to the standard body but features a more shallow-raked windscreen and rear window which, unlike that on the standard bodied cars, can not be opened

 

Many thanks for a fantabulous

47,310,221 views

 

Shot at Weston Park Classic Car Show 27.03.2016 - Ref 111-644

As we near Christmas, I felt that a festive railway piece was in order, and thus I give you the unsung hero of the British Christmas season, the Class 325 Parcels Unit. If you have relatives in the North of England who need to transport Christmas Cards and other presents to relatives in the south or Vice Versa, chances are it will travel aboard one of these plucky units that will scoot it up the West Coast Mainline at 100mph overnight, or rarely during the day.

 

In this scene we see a trio of Class 325 units trundling through the countryside near Crawford in Scotland, working a northbound mail service from Willesden Railnet Terminal in North London to Shieldmuir Railnet Terminal in Southern Glasgow, speeding through a snow covered South Lanarkshire countryside.

 

The Class 325's were built as a joint venture between BREL and ABB of Italy using the traction motors and bodyshell design of a Class 319 Thameslink unit in order to create a parcels unit to replace the ageing Travelling Post Officer (TPO) stock of the 1960s. Built to the same external design as a Class 365 Networker unit, inside they are literally an empty shell in which is stored trolleys full of precious cargo and mail. In days gone by this would have been filled with shelves and rows of workers meticulously sorting letters and parcels for their individual destinations, but since all the sorting is now done by computer, they are no longer necessary. Built to travel at 100mph, 16 of these 4-car units were built to run on both 25kv Overhead AC electric wires, and on 1500 volt DC 3rd rail on the Southern Region, although this was never common practice.

 

However, as it turns out, the construction of these units was one of the biggest wastes of time and money ever to be done by British Rail as when things were starting to look up for mail borne rail traffic, the operator of the mail train, Royal Mail, decided in 2004 it would withdraw the Mail Train contract, and send everything by gas-guzzling lorries. Overnight, the ever popular mail train that had run since the Victorian days was axed and the millions of pounds worth of purpose built locomotives and stock found itself immediately redundant. The Class 325's were put into storage after only 9 years of service, and would not return to the rails until 2005, when a contract was struck between GBRF (Great British Rail Freight) and Royal Mail to operate a small number of trains between the Willesden Railnet, Warrington and Shieldmuir, and thus mail traffic returned to the mainline, but not in the way it had done previously. Since then there have been plans to return operations to the East Coast Mainline as well, working trains to Newcastle from London.

 

Since there are now so many spare sets available, these units usually operate as triplets of 12-cars in order to increase capacity, whereas before they would often run as single or double sets. Today, the surviving 15 units (325010 being scrapped in 2012 after being stripped for spares) are not a common sight in the day, although in the run up to Christmas these units are given extra diagrams to operate more services in the morning and afternoon, which means that whenever there's on out and about, I'll usually go and try to grab some shots of these rare but vital little units.

The 2000 London-Sydney Marathon winner- Stig Blomqvist/Ben Rainsford

Built by Basil Green Motors - Johannesburg

 

5,0 Liter

V8

ca. 500-550 ex.

 

Built by Basil Green Motors of Johannesburg exclusively for the South African market, the 'Perana' is the only V8-engined Capri officially sanctioned by the Ford Motor Company. Basil Green used the Ford 302ci (5.0-litre) Windsor V8 engine, modifying the chassis and running gear to cope with the extra power, and the result was a high-performance car with an excellent power-to-weight ratio that was soon cleaning up in domestic racing. Indeed, so successful was the Perana that after a single season's dominance it was banned. For the road, the Perana came with 281bhp on tap and a top speed of 147mph. It was also extraordinarily flexible. How British and European enthusiasts would have loved to get their hands on the Perana, and Ford surely missed a trick by not offering such a car in other markets. It is estimated that around 500-550 were produced between 1970 and 1972. This Capri Mk1 to full house Perana specification cost in excess of AUD200,000 (approximately £116,000 at the current rate of exchange) to build in 1999, before winning the 2000 London-Sydney Rally driven by former World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist and preparer Ben Rainsford. Since then, the Marathon rally coupe has participated in several other long-distance events. These include the 2004 London-Sydney Rally, 2004 Carrera Sudamericana Marathon, 2007 Classic East African Safari Rally, 2010 International Rally du Maroc and the 2011 Sol Rally Barbados. Specification highlights include a 302ci 'Windsor' Cobra type V8 engine; 'Jerico' type top-loader 4-speed gearbox; Marathon-specification bodyshell; full roll cage with side-bars; live five-link rear axle; all round disc brakes; rack-and-pinion steering; glassfibre bonnet; Perspex side windows; and Bilstein-damped suspension currently set up for 'Tarmac' events. An alternative Proflex-type Safari high-ride 'Gravel' suspension is included in the spares kit, together with a spare set of wheels. Offered with Ford dating letter confirming September 1969 manufacture of donor car, fresh MoT valid to August 2014, current historic vehicle eligible road fund licence and Swansea V5C, this unique Perana-specification Capri represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire a well-sorted car with a proven record in long-distance rallying that awaits preparation for the next long haul.

 

Metropole Classic Cars

Meubellaan 1

Druten

Nederland - Netherlands

June 2021

In 1970 a new Taunus, the Taunus Cortina (TC), was introduced, as a two- or four-door sedan, station wagon (or Turnier) and coupé. It was very similar to the British Ford Cortina Mk III but without the "coke bottle" belt line. Also, the Taunus was available as a coupe, a bodystyle that the Cortina was never made in.

 

Both cars were developed under the auspices of Ford of Europe, and most major components including key parts of the bodyshell were identical. From 1976 Taunus and Cortina models were identical in all but name, 'Taunus' being the name used in left hand drive (LHD) markets, and 'Cortina' in right hand drive ones, although the Cortina name was used in LHD South Korea and Taiwan. The Mk III was also sold in Scandinavia, alongside the Taunus.

 

The Ford Taunus TC series was conceived in the late 1960s to be a "world car" alongside its technical sibling the Cortina Mk III, with construction and design work taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. As with the design of the first generation, it was done under the supervision of Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, of former General Motors fame. The car is often nicknamed "Barock 2" (pointing back to the Taunus P2 series of the late 1950s, commonly known as the "Barock-Taunus") or "The Knudsen Nose" by its German owners because of the pointy hood scoop that, as the legend has it, was put there on direct order from Knudsen. Otherwise the major design work is rumoured to have been done by German car designer Luigi Colani, who also did design concepts for BMW's motorcycle division in the late 1970s.

 

(Wikipedia)

See more car pics on my facebook page!

 

Completely new body in very modern style. The look of car reminded some critics of a bath tub, and it consequently gained the soubriquet "Taunus Badewanne". At a time when competitors boasted that all four corners of the vehicles were visible from the driver's seat, the new Taunus instead offered a streamlined form. However, in Germany the concept of streamlining in cars was associated with narrow passenger cabins reminiscent of the 1930s and of the still popular Volksagen Beetle. The new Taunus, however, provided greater interior width than its predecessor despite being no wider on the outside. Although the 1.7 litre version was launched with the same 60 PS power output as the outgoing model, the new model was a full 10 km/h (6 mph) faster, which was attributed to improved aerodynamics and a lighter bodyshell.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

TVR Tuscan V6 (1969-71) Engine 2994cc V6 Ford Essex Production 101

Registration Number TGW 125 L (London)

TVR SET

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

 

The TVR Tuscan was itroduced in 1967 as the Tuscan V8 (4727cc and 4942cc) and V6 (2994cc) forms, and was the second TVR introduced during the Martin Lilley era,

 

The V8 was introduced in 1967 powered by a 4727cc V8 Ford Windsor engine simular to that of the Ford Mustang with 271bhp, and a top speed of 155mph. The V8 was redesigned in 1970 as wide body Tuscan V8 (LWB SE) featured a restyled body shell that gave a preview to the upcoming M-series body style. The widebody Tuscan was powered by the larger 302 cu in (4,942 cc) version of the small block Ford V8, with a total of only 10 cars produced. Most of the Tuscan V8s were sold in the United States, with only the occasional vehicle being built with right-hand drive for the home market.

 

The V6 was launched in mid 1969, to provide a mid range performance car. Powered by a Ford Essex V6 engine of 2994cc (with 138bhp) as used in the Ford Zodiac and Ford Capri 3 litre. The V6 had front disc and rear drum brakes rather than the all round discs of the V8 cars, and used the same narrow bodyshell and chassis as the four-cylinder Vixens. Though it did, , receive the same Salisbury differential as the Tuscan V8 The V6 was not exported to the US due to the Essex engine not meeting US emission requirements, therefore most of the 101 cars produced were RHD for the home market.

 

The V6 Tuscan was replaced in 1971 by the Vixen 2500.

 

Diolch am 73,775,941 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 73,775,941 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 06.05.2019 at Gawsworth Hall, Classic Car Show Ref 141-486

.

 

Humber Sceptre 1 (1963-65) Engine *1592cc S4 OHV

Production 17,011

Registration Number HAS 101 (Cherished number first issued in Inverness)

HUMBER SET

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

 

Humber variation on the Hillman Super Minx/Singer Vogue theme. With the Super Minx bodyshell but a unique roof, glass and upper/rear bodywork not shared with the Super Minx or the related Singer Vogue. Originally intended as a replacement for the Sunbeam Rapier but was launched as a Humber while a modified Rapier continued until 1967.. This resulted in the Sceptre being more sporty in character than traditional Humbers. The Sceptre was positioned at the top of the mid-range Rootes Group cars, above the Hillman Super Minx and Singer Vogue. It featured similar twin headlight styling to the Vogue and a more powerful 80 bhp, The high level of equipment included disc front brakes, overdrive, screen washers, reversing lamp, rev counter and a full range of instruments. Automatic transmission was made available later. Whilst the Super Minx and Vogue received revised six light styling in 1964, the Sceptre body continued unchanged until 1965 when it was replaced by the MK II.

 

*This car is powered by the later 1725cc engine fitted from the 1966 in the Humber Sceptre (Ser.II)

 

Many thanks for a fantabulous

47,089,066 views

 

Shot at Weston Park Classic Car Show 27.03.2016 - Ref 111-558

In its rather unappealing all over white livery 156419 pauses at Stowmarket working 2W09, 08:44 Cambridge – Ipswich, 3rd August 2016.

 

Unit History

Built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in 1988 the class 156 is based on the Mark III bodyshell, and is powered by 6-cylinder Cummins NT855-R5 diesel engine through Voith automatic transmissions. I first saw 156419 on the 13th July 1988 at Derby, twenty eight years ago.

 

Stripped of every useful component after its withdrawal due to accident damage, the empty bodyshell of 37273 awaits disposal from Canton depot yard.

 

I fund my Flickr membership, scanner and software myself. So, if you like my pictures please consider buying me a coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/seanl

 

© Sean Lancastle, all rights reserved. Please do not share or post elsewhere without permission.

Porsche 993 (911) Carrera Cabriolet (1993-98) Engine 3600cc Flat 6 268bhp

Registration Number P 610 UAF (Truro)

Production 68,029

PORSCHE SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690528015...

 

The 993 designation is the companies internal name for this generation 911. The external design of the Porsche 993, penned by Englishman Toni Hatter, used the basic bodyshell architecture of the 964, but with changed external panels, with much more flared wheelarches and a smoother front and rear bumper design, an enlarged retractable rear wing, teardrop mirrors, but keeping the doors and roof panels.

 

The Carrera represented the "base model" of the 993, and was available in rear and all-wheel drive versions. It was equipped with the naturally aspirated 3.6 liter M64 engine, further developed from the 964 and combined with a new dual-flow exhaust system now incorporating two catalytic converters. In contrast to the 964 were the numbers Carrera 2 or 4 were used to differentiate between two and four wheel the numbers have been dropped and the models are simply referred to as C2 and C4.the cars can be distinguished by the Carrera 4 having clear front turn signals and rear red lenses instead of orange on the 2W

 

Diolch am olygfa anhygoel, 62,399,647 oblogaeth y Lloegr honno dros y Mynyddoedd

 

Thanks for a stonking 62,399,647 views

 

Shot 30-07-2017 exiting the 2017 Silverstone Classic REF 129-587

   

Ford Escort 1300 (Mk.1) 2 door Base (Mexico replica) (1967-75) Engine 1298cc S4 OHV Production 1,076,118 all UK Mk.1's)

Registration Number BUJ 59 K (Shropshire)

FORD (UK) SET

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

 

The first Escort is bigger and more roomy than the outgoing Anglia and availble in 2 or 4 door saloons. Massive seller, designed in the UK but manufactured in Britain and Germany. MacPherson strut front end cross flow head engine.

 

There was a 1300GT performance version, with a tuned 1.3 L Crossflow (OHV) engine of 63hp against the standard 1300cc models 51hp, with a Weber carburetor and uprated suspension. this was uprated to 71hp for model years 1970-74 the same as the Escort 1300 Sport that also featured flared front wings from the AVO range of carsbut with a lower range of trim This version featured additional instrumentation with a tachometer, battery charge indicator, and oil pressure gauge.

,

Later, an "executive" version of the Escort was produced known as the "1300E". This featured the same 13" road wheels and flared wings of the Sport, but was trimmed in an upmarket, for that time, fashion with wood trim on the dashboard and door cappings.

 

This car is an excellent replica of a Mk.1 Ford Escort, albeit with a 1300cc engine. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s / early 1970s, and arguably the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, driven by Finnish legend Hannu Mikkola and Swedish co-driver Gunnar Palm. This gave rise to the Escort Mexico (1598cc "crossflow"-engined) special edition road versions in honour of the rally car. Introduced in November 1970, 10,352 Mexico Mark Is were built using bodyshells using additional strengthening panels in high stress areas making them more suitable for competition

 

Diolch yn fawr am 71,151,323 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mwynhewch ac arhoswch yn ddiogel

 

Thank you 71,151,323 amazing views, enjoy and stay safe

 

Shot 21.04.2019 at the annual Weston Park, Easter car show Ref 138-313

     

Chassis n° 1E1944

Coachwork by Lynx

 

This car started life as number 3 short nose D Type built by LYNX in 1977. The car was then converted by LYNX into a LYNX XKSS in the 80s.

 

Bonhams : The Autumn Sale 2020

Estimated : € 250.000 - 350.000

Sold for € 184.000

 

Autoworld

www.autoworld.be

Brussels - Belgium

September 2020

 

"The factory fire in February 1957 extinguished the career of the XK SS, a road-going sports car based on the D-Type. As a result of the hiatus in production, and dislocations of plans for new product lines as important as the 3.4 saloon, the XK SS was abandoned. It was a cruel fate for a car that was a true thoroughbred, made in the image of the Le Mans winner, and one of the classic might-have-beens of motoring history." – Eric Dymock, The Jaguar File.

 

One of the rarest Jaguars of all, the XK SS was a spin-off from the D-Type racing programme. To satisfy the FIA's sports car regulations, the D-Type had been built in numbers greatly exceeding the demand for such a specialised piece of racing equipment, and conversion to road trim was viewed as the best way of clearing unsold stocks, hence the XK SS. The idea of a road-equipped D-Type is credited to Jaguar works driver Duncan Hamilton, who fitted a windscreen and hood to his ex-factory 1954 Le Mans car ('OKV 1') in 1956.

 

Modifications to make the D-Type acceptable for road use included installing a seat and door on the passenger side; removing the division between driver and passenger; fitting a full-width wraparound windscreen; and heat-shielding the side-exit exhaust system. A mohair hood and detachable side screens provided weather protection, and, as twin fuel tanks and the spare wheel occupied the boot space, a luggage rack was provided on the tail. The 3.4-litre XK engine remained pretty much to racing specification, producing around 250bhp, which, in a car weighing just 18cwt (914kg), made for electrifying performance. Production commenced during the winter of 1956, but the loss of a number of bodyshells in the fire at the Brown's Lane works in February 1957 severely curtailed the XK SS programme, with the result that only 16 had been made when production ceased in November of that year.

 

Testing an XK SS in 1957, the esteemed American motoring journal Road & Track recorded figures of 5.2 seconds and 13.6 seconds for the 0-60mph and 0-100mph times respectively, which are none too shabby even by today's standards. With an estimated top speed in excess of 150mph, the XK SS remained the fastest catalogued Jaguar sports car for many years.

Like many other legendary sports cars, the Jaguar XK SS inspired a number of imitations. An acknowledged master in this highly specialised field is the Sussex-based firm of Lynx Engineering, which enjoys an international reputation for accuracy and quality second to none. The car we offer is the third chassis manufactured by Lynx and the first of the exclusive series of only nine such replicas built to Jaguar XK SS specification (see email correspondence on file from Lynx and the company's co-founder Chris Keith-Lucas). Its history is known from new; indeed, this XK SS served as Chris Keith-Lucas's wedding car!

 

Built in the late 1980s, this XK SS takes its identity from a 1967 Jaguar E-Type, chassis number '1E1944', which was registered in the UK as 'PEH 670F'. Of riveted aluminium sheet, the coachwork conforms to the original method of construction. Unlike the original, however, the Lynx XK SS is powered by a larger, 3.8-litre XK six fitted with triple-Weber induction and a stainless-steel sports exhaust system. (Its original engine was a 4.2-litre XK unit taken from a Series 1½ E-Type.) Finished in British Racing Green, the car also features competition wheels and a nicely patinated black leather interior.

 

Previously owned by Roland Urban, founder of the French Jaguar Drivers' Club, the XK SS was completely overhauled in the early/mid-2000s and was purchased by the current vendor in 2008. In 2009 the engine was overhauled by Paris-based Cecil Cars, while earlier this year the car received new tyres and the carburetion system was overhauled as part of a general check over (see invoice on file for €4,617 from Prestige Garage in Vence, South of France). Offering breathtaking performance with classic Jaguar style, this beautifully executed XK SS re-creation comes with valid French Carte Grise.

Rolls Royce Silver Seraph (1998-02) Engine 5379cc M73TUB54 V12

Production 1570

Registration Numner 191 KM

ROLLS ROYCE SET

 

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690651737...

 

Designed by Steve Harper under Graham Hull Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph was unveiled at the 1998 Geneva Motorshow, replacing the Silver Spirit, in the Rolls Royce line up. The car had been developed alongside its Bentley stablemate, the Bentley Arnage which aside from badges and wheels, was externally identical, with both models sharing the same platform and bodyshell. It was powered by the BMW M73 engine, a 5.4L aluminium alloy V12 engine coupled to a 5-speed automatic transmission, making it the first twelve-cylinder Rolls-Royce since the 1939 Phantom III. Mechanically the Bentley differed, powered by twin turbocharged V8 of its own design and firmer suspension. The Seraph was known for its relatively limited acceleration and comfortable handling but still had a top speed of 140mph. All Seraphs were hand-built at the Rolls-Royce factory in Crewe, England. The car had a base price of £155,175.

 

Silver Seraph production was discontinued in 2002 when the licence to use the Rolls-Royce marque was sold to BMW

 

Diolch am 73,659,256 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pawb yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr, Gan ddymuno Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb

 

Thanks for 73,659,256 amazing views, everyone is very much appreciated, Happy New Year everyone

 

Shot 06.05.2019 at Gawsworth Hall, Classic Car Show Ref 141-443

 

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

 

Chassis n° NJT164STJ500014916

Toyota Team Europe

Didier Auriol / Bernard Occelli

 

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

 

Estimated : € 190.000 - 230.000

Sold for € 207.000

 

Following the success of the Celica GT4 ST165, the Turbo 4WD ST185 would build on its predecessor's foundations and be the class of the field throughout its three years of service in the World Rally Championship (WRC). It was the car to beat, scoring a hat trick of drivers' titles for Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen, and Didier Auriol respectively. Of equal, if not greater, importance to the Japanese manufacturer was the fact that in 1993 the ST185 delivered Toyota its first ever WRC Manufacturer's Championship, a feat it repeated in 1994.

 

The all-conquering ST185 featured a stiffer bodyshell, improved cooling, an up-rated turbo intake system, X-Trac six-speed transmission and, most importantly, a suspension package that permitted a wide range of adjustment. They were sometimes headed by other cars on unfavourable surfaces but the ST 185 Celica was, arguably, the best all-round package.

 

Until its exclusion from the series after 2002, the Safari was the toughest rally on the WRC calendar - a gruelling event on difficult terrain in a variety of conditions, which has always made it a signature event. The ST185 Celica was unbeaten on the Safari as a works entry and scored a trio of overall victories for Sainz (1992), Kankkunen (1993) and Ian Duncan (1994).

 

Its chassis stamped 'TC572-11/93', the Celica offered here is an original ex-works car campaigned by Toyota Motorsport GmbH under the 'Toyota Team Europe' banner and registered 'K-AM6983'. Didier Auriol drove this car to victory in the San Remo Rally in 1994 (photographs on file) and went on to become World Rally Champion that same year, the first Frenchman to do so.

 

At the end of the 1994 season, this car was sold to Grifone in Italy and the following year participated in national events in Esso livery. The current vendor acquired the Celica in 1996 from Grifone, who had by then returned it to the original Castrol livery, the same as it is today, as part of a complete overhaul and restoration to original works specification. Since then the car has been maintained by the vendor's own team of experts, has been run regularly and is 'on the button'. It should be noted that a new ATL fuel cell was installed in 2016.

 

Described by the vendor as original and in very good condition, this rare survivor of one of international rallying's most exciting eras is offered with a copy of the original German registration papers; Grifone Verifica Tecnica (1994); Grifone's 1996 sales invoice; and the aforementioned photographs. It is an ideal entry for a variety of retrospective rally events such as those organised by 'Slowly Sideways' and 'Rally Legend', and is ideally suited to the rally stage at the Goodwood 'Festival of Speed'. A rare opportunity to acquire an ex-works rally car with in-period competition history at the highest level.

 

Collection Adrian Van Lerber

 

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

 

Estimated : € 15.000 - 20.000

Sold for € 16.100

 

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary Traction Avant, Citroën stunned the world in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled DS. Beneath the newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering. With the DS's introduction, Citroën stole a significant advantage over the competition. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in computer-controlled form into the 21st Century. From 1956, a simplified ID19 version became available lacking the hydraulic power-assists, though these were restored as the ID's specification improved over the years. Exterior trim was reduced and the interior too was toned down, with the instruments' chromed bezels replaced by plastic items. This simplified entry-level model was intended to reassure potential new customers that the car was reliable.

 

First registered in 1959, this manual-transmission ID19 has 6-volt electrics and the original 'red fluid' hydraulic system. The car has been in the current owner's collection for approximately 10 years. The engine has been overhauled, the bodywork partially restored, and the seats re-upholstered; apart from that the car is mostly original. Finished in red with matching interior, this very honest and original ID19 is offered with sundry invoices, FIVA identity card, 2016 MFK (TüV), and Swiss Registration papers.

Seen here in Winchester Cathedral’s Outer Close on the 15th of June 2019 during the Tour of Legends lunch stop, the Austin-Healey Sprite Mk I was a small open sports car which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1971. The Sprite was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation on 20 May 1958, two days after that year's Monaco Grand Prix. It was intended to be a low-cost model that would be the successor to the sporting versions of the pre-war Austin Seven.

 

The car was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken at the MG factory at Abingdon. 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 Sprite quickly became affectionately known as the "frogeye" because its headlights were prominently mounted on top of the bonnet, inboard of the front wings. The car's designers had intended that the headlights could be retracted, with the lenses facing skyward when not in use but cost cutting by BMC led to the flip-up mechanism being deleted; therefore the headlights were simply fixed in a permanently upright position, giving the car its most distinctive feature.

 

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. 48,987 "frogeye" Sprites were made.

 

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 of the rear structure specified by Bilbie was reduced by the Austin Design Office during prototype build, however during testing at MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) distortion and deformation of the rear structure occurred and the original specification was reinstated. The two front chassis legs projecting forward from the passenger compartment mean the shell is not a full monocoque. The front sheet-metal assembly, including the bonnet and wings, was a one-piece unit, hinged from the back, which swung up to allow access to the engine compartment.

 

The 43 bhp, 948 cc OHV engine was derived from the Austin A35 and Morris Minor 1000 models, also BMC products, 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. The front suspension was a coil spring and wishbone arrangement, with the arm of the Armstrong lever shock absorber serving as the top suspension link. The rear axle was both located and sprung by quarter-elliptic leaf springs, again with lever-arm shock absorbers and top links.

 

The wheels were 13" fitted with 520 X 13 crossply tyres or upgraded with 145 HR 13 Pirelli Cinturato radial tyres. There were no exterior door handles; the driver and passenger were required to reach inside to open the door. There was also no boot lid, owing to the need to retain as much structural integrity as possible, and access to the spare wheel and luggage compartment was achieved by tilting the seat-backs forward and reaching under the rear deck which resulted in a large space available to store soft baggage.

   

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.

Ehh look it's an Excel on stilts.

 

In the space of a few weeks this summer I managed to go from having no Optare model bus kits to having three. One of them was an Excel 1 metal kit, which I intended to convert into one of NCT's Excel 2s. This was one of my shortest lived model plans ever, as within a month I'd procured myself this Excel 2 resin kit.

 

I know I've bodged Excels out of OOC Deltas before, but I always thought that if I were to ever do an NCT Excel model, I'd want the proper kit. Never expected to have two of them, though!

 

Because the metal kit has the front, rear, sides and roof all as individual pieces, there isn't really a way I could mock it up for a photo, but the resin one just slides together. It's on stilts because of the things the wheels are moulded onto (it took AGES to get it to balance like this) but you can sort of see what it looks like.

 

Unfortunately, it's banana-shaped. The middle is noticeably higher than the front and rear, especially along the window line. The whole bodyshell is slightly warped. The idea I had to fix it was to steam the bodyshell over a pan of boiling water, and hope that it went soft enough to bend back into shape without some other part warping in the process. Now, I did that, and it looks like it's worked, but the question now is will it stay fixed or next time I get it out of the box, will it be banana shaped again?