A rare beauty

[Welly]

My mate had a couple of Avengers in the late 80's.....

The noise
The wipe-down seats
The long speedo american style pointy across thing
The squish-your-foot-on windscreen washer 'pump'
The Dynamo
The rust....oh the rust!!!!

[steve_earwig]

My mate had a couple of Avengers in the late 80's.....

The noise

Tappets needed doing? (many people didn't realise "rule of nine" didn't work on 'em)

The wipe-down seats

Everything had vinyl seats once. All of mine except the ex-police car had cloth.

The long speedo american style pointy across thing

That would be a "super", most cars were like that once. The alternative were 4 round dials with a raised perspex dome on each one, topped with a lump of majak, think "tits".

The squish-your-foot-on windscreen washer 'pump'

You sure these were Avengers? Most cars had a manual pump of some sort, early Avengers were the windscreen wiper switch on the lhs on the steering column, which you pushed in to pump.

The Dynamo

Ditto, alternators are a fairly recent invention. I converted many cars to alternators, all you had to do was modify the control box and Robert will be your father's brother.

The rust....oh the rust!!!!

Yep, they were terrible, as was everything else on the road at the time. The best bit was in 1981 when production ceased they broke up the presses so there were NO original body panels available, some pattern wings of course, but structural stuff, forget it.

[Welly]

It definately had something you squished to squirt the window I'm sure - maybe it wasn't on the floor though?

My first car was a 1976 P-reg VW Golf 1.1L at this time - and was normaly followed by clouds of blue smoke It was crap TBH but at least it got me my 'wings' so to speak and it had windscreen washers which worked by electricity I can still remember the reg - LBC 458 P

[DaiRees]

My old man had a '63 humber sceptre that had a dip/main beam switch on the floor. The wiper switch was in the middle of the dash, can't remember if it had squishy or power washers though.

[Welly]

The humber sceptic had overdrive in 3rd and 4th didn't it? my mate bought one in a poorly thought out retro/cool idea but it was already at the end of it's usefull life (a bit like him) he sold it on after the brakes stuck on and burnt out

[DaiRees]

It did indeed


This one ain't ours but it's the same colour and everything. Ours was 693 EGH although it spent most of it's life wearing the old git's personal plate 9GTR. He got it in about '68 and sold it about 5 years ago. I was gutted to see it go, I came home from hospital in that car when I was born and many years later was lucky enough to drive it myself once in a while. Bloody horrible to drive it was!

[Welly]

What a smashing story - your father was obviously as keen on cars as you are

I've got a feeling my son will go the other way just to piss me off

Has anyone else thought that the Humber in that picture was not really supposed to be there and just skidded there off the main road due to it's cross ply tryes and leaf springs

[DaiRees]

My father is eccentric mate, to be polite.

In about 1990 he fulfilled his lifelong ambition and bought a BMW 316. A red 1988 E reg it was. It's a bit faded but it's still there now.

Then in about 2000 he fulfilled another lifelong car dream and got a 1997 MGF, that's still there too.

But he mostly runs around in my late grandfather's 1969 Triumph 1300 (now that's got squishy washers!)

Also in the garage are a 1969 honda CD175 (Which he bought new), a 1968 honda CD175 (which he bought for spares for his but it turned out to be in better nick, so without the heart to break up either he now uses both.... ) and a 1934 Royal Enfield (tank change! Been in the family forever including a spell with my grandfather's brother in Lancashire). Oh and my step mother's Corsa.

[steve_earwig]

It definately had something you squished to squirt the window I'm sure - maybe it wasn't on the floor though?

Nope, on the steering column. The reservoir was a plastic bladder hooked on the battery bracket. Pure class

My first car was a 1976 P-reg VW Golf 1.1L

The rust....oh the rust!!!!

My old man had a '63 humber sceptre that had a dip/main beam switch on the floor. The wiper switch was in the middle of the dash, can't remember if it had squishy or power washers though.

Like my mate's Mini, the window squasher was a button sticking out the middle of the dash, below the clocks.

Btw. that's one lovely old Scepter!

Also in the garage are a 1969 honda CD175 (Which he bought new), a 1968 honda CD175 (which he bought for spares for his but it turned out to be in better nick, so without the heart to break up either he now uses both.... ) and a 1934 Royal Enfield (tank change! Been in the family forever including a spell with my grandfather's brother in Lancashire). Oh and my step mother's Corsa.

We need to introduce him to my mate's dad, the guy with a garage full of bikes incl. 2 Vincent Rapides and a 1929 Ariel.


Sadly my dad's "too sensible" to have anything interesting lurking about, apart from the 1953 G3LS Matchless I rebuilt while I was on crutches.

He sold his last proper bike in about 1961 to buy his first house, it was a breathed on Vincent Black Shadow.

[teamster1975]

Those are beautiful bikes Steve
Who's that sitting on the Matchless?

[DaiRees]

I love the fact that it's in the house.

[teamster1975]

I love the fact that it's in the house.

As every well loved bike should be
(Don't let my wife here that! )

[steve_earwig]

That's my nephew, pic was taken at my dad's old house, I think the Matchless is in my bro's garage now. Or it could be in one of my dad's garden sheds. Anyway, much better in the house. The last time I was at my mate's dad's both his Vincents were in his dining room.

[teamster1975]

That's my nephew, pic was taken at my dad's old house, I think the Matchless is in my bro's garage now. Or it could be in one of my dad's garden sheds. Anyway, much better in the house. The last time I was at my mate's dad's both his Vincents were in his dining room.

Are they still runners Steve?
And why were you on crutches!

[steve_earwig]

Of course, although the Matchless isn't registered (too mcuh hassle, maybe if it ever gets sold). Mate's dad pissed everyone off by fitting indicators to one of the Vinnies.

Umm, I clipped a pothole avoiding a car on my CX and wrapped it 'round a lamp post I was off sick from work for almost 2 years. Still, the money I got by suing the council paid for my first house