Sammo
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,461
Club RR Member Number: 103
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Aug 18, 2021 16:57:52 GMT
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I was reading the “Car stories you were told” thread and it got me thinking about the various motoring tales my Dad has told me over the years about the cars my family had years ago. Usually involving something curse word haha! My Grandad (Malcolm) loved a cheap and cheerful car and would never buy new. Back in the 70’s he needed something to fit him, my nan and their four kids in, along with cousins, friends etc. So he went out and bought a second hand Dormobile of some description. When he bought it the seller mentioned that the prop bearing was absolutely shot and needed to be replaced as a matter of urgency. My Grandad ignored this and proceeded to drive the van around for 6-7 months with the prop sounding like it was about to fall off. One weekend he was going to be taking my Dad and one of the cousins to an athletics meeting in Essex so they set off bright and early in the van with the prop making its usual awful noise. They got roughly halfway there before the prop basically fell off! Obviously being “thrifty” my Grandad didn’t have breakdown cover so they had to walk to the nearest town and phoned someone to drive and get them. The Dormobile was left at the side of the road and forgotten about for a couple of weeks until my Grandad took out AA cover, got a lift back to the van and then walked back into town to call the AA! They recovered it home for him and he begrudgingly had it fixed! Knowing what my Grandad was like I’m sure he haggled hard over the price of the repair too!! I’ve got loads of other stories about the less than roadworthy cars my family have had over the years, but let’s hear some of yours and I’ll add some more in along the way
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Follow Me On Instagram - @parttimecartinkerer
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Aug 18, 2021 18:12:25 GMT
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Two that spring to mind...
This was told to me by my father. Back in the mid '60s, he, his sister, and possibly another member of the family were being driven in grandfather's '64 Pontiac GTO convertible by his godfather, Andrew. Coming down a steep hill somewhere in mainland Europe (think probably France, but possibly Spain?), and approaching a crossroads, it cut out / ran out of fuel. At which point, it lost the power assistance for both steering and brakes.
As a result, and with minimal braking power as it was an automatic, Andrew somehow managed to avoid the cross traffic which had right of way as the Pontiac shot through the junction.
Andrew himself was not adverse to fast cars though, and was especially partial to Porsches, even though he had a wooden leg. That hadn't stopped him a couple of decades earlier when he was the first disabled man to complete the SOE's parachute training.
A favourite of mine that I remember was in about 1993, when my father was driving a 1937 Riley 12/4 Lynx Sprite as his only car (commuted on a motorbike). I think it was on the M1, with the screen folded flat, and wearing a flying helmet, I watched from crouched in the front passenger seat out of the slipstream as the needle on the speedo moved past the final line on the speedo (which was 105) and hit the R of hour on the MILES PER HOUR script at the bottom of the speedo.
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Last Edit: Aug 18, 2021 18:16:12 GMT by Paul H
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Aug 18, 2021 18:18:02 GMT
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When my mum was pregnant with me, her and my dad went out for a drive around the lanes in Northern Ireland and down one lane where the field edge was higher than the road in her words she nearly gave early birth to me when a cow jumped form the field onto the bonnet of my dad's Vauxhall Cresta.
My dad (passed a coupe of years ago) was stationed in Scotland with the RAF and got a lift with another member of the flight crew in their Isetta bubble car. It had snowed overnight and his mate lost it at about 15mph and got stuck front on in a drift. Luckily the car had a fabric roof so they climbed out and walked the last couple of miles to the base.
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Needs a bigger hammer mate.......
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Sammo
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,461
Club RR Member Number: 103
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Aug 18, 2021 21:41:21 GMT
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Another story about my Grandad that my Uncle once told me. My Grandad had a Mini Countryman in the late 70’s or early 80’s. According to my Uncle it was absolutely rotten by then and definitely shouldn’t have been on the road! Anyway my Grandad and Uncle were both going to a plumbing job somewhere in the Mini one day when the police decided to pull them over. My Grandad pulled straight to the side of the road and waited for the policeman to wander over to the car. He asked my Grandad to get out of the car, so he opened the door which promptly fell off it’s hinges and landed face down on the floor. Apparently the two police officers and my Uncle were crying with laughter while my Grandad just sort of stood there with an unimpressed look on his face! Once the police officers had calmed down they arrested my Grandad and seized his car haha. He saw the funny side to it in the end!
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Follow Me On Instagram - @parttimecartinkerer
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Aug 18, 2021 21:51:55 GMT
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My dad went out drinking with two of his brothers, on the way home one of them was sick over someones car and my dad tripped up and grabbed one of his brothers to steady himself, pulled his brother over over and he smacked his brothers head on the floor.
The next day my uncle looked like Mikhail Gorbachev and my dad had to take him back home and apologise to his wife for damaging her husband.
Whoevers car they were sick over probably came out the next day and said damn kids or something similar.
They were all in their 60's at the time!
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Aug 18, 2021 22:42:16 GMT
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My Dad loved telling this one: In the early 70s he had a Mk1 Escort 1300GT with the ZF gearbox. He was driving back from the West Country and at that point the newly completed M4 was built but not open to the public. As it was late at night, and my Dad had had his fill of A roads, at the next roundabout near the M4, he carefully moved a couple of cones (replacing them after he'd gone through) and then proceeded to drive flat out on the deserted motorway. No police, no traffic, nothing. He said the fuel economy was absolutely shocking, but he did manage 104 miles in 58 minutes!
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Last Edit: Aug 20, 2021 9:10:13 GMT by mrbounce
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∆∆∆ managed to get onto the M25 at London Colney before it opened one night (showing my age now!) Flat out in a MK2 Cortina, until we found the 'chicane' they'd made out of massive lumps of timber about 18" square Made it through the gap, but spun the other side, fortunately without damage Decided it was time to leave 🤭
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,100
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Aug 21, 2021 20:19:28 GMT
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My dad, shortly after the war, had a business/partnership with a mate as private recovery contractors for the AA and RAC. They had a pre-war REO Speedwagon lorry with a home made beavertail and a hand winch. One of these: One night they were sent to a breakdown which turned out to be a bloke on a “£5 Pom” ticket to Australia who had his life packed in to his car and was desperate to make his boat at Portsmouth (dad was in a Baldock in Hertfordshire). The car was a 1930s Brough Superior, a very posh grand tourer in the style of the Bentley/Rolls/Lagonda. Something like this: There was no way they could get it going, it had stripped its timing gears. The chap, who had been planning on selling the car on his arrival at port offered it to my dad and his mate free if they got him to the boat on time. This they duly did, and my dad ended up the proud owner of a straight eight (Hudson) engined grand tourer that he couldn’t afford to buy the bits for to repair it. 🤣 A few months later, they were called to a crashed Hudson six cylinder car, upside down in a ditch. While they were waiting for a mobile crane to come and drag it out, my dad spent an hour laid in the muddy water under the car stripping out its fibre timing gears, which he subsequently managed to use to get his car running again. They were also badly worn, but they lasted long enough for him to be able to sell the car a few years later for £25 and pay (just) the legal bill for his divorce.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Sammo
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,461
Club RR Member Number: 103
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My dad, shortly after the war, had a business/partnership with a mate as private recovery contractors for the AA and RAC. They had a pre-war REO Speedwagon lorry with a home made beavertail and a hand winch. One of these: One night they were sent to a breakdown which turned out to be a bloke on a “£5 Pom” ticket to Australia who had his life packed in to his car and was desperate to make his boat at Portsmouth (dad was in a Baldock in Hertfordshire). The car was a 1930s Brough Superior, a very posh grand tourer in the style of the Bentley/Rolls/Lagonda. Something like this: There was no way they could get it going, it had stripped its timing gears. The chap, who had been planning on selling the car on his arrival at port offered it to my dad and his mate free if they got him to the boat on time. This they duly did, and my dad ended up the proud owner of a straight eight (Hudson) engined grand tourer that he couldn’t afford to buy the bits for to repair it. 🤣 A few months later, they were called to a crashed Hudson six cylinder car, upside down in a ditch. While they were waiting for a mobile crane to come and drag it out, my dad spent an hour laid in the muddy water under the car stripping out its fibre timing gears, which he subsequently managed to use to get his car running again. They were also badly worn, but they lasted long enough for him to be able to sell the car a few years later for £25 and pay (just) the legal bill for his divorce. That’s a brilliant story Glen
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Follow Me On Instagram - @parttimecartinkerer
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,100
Club RR Member Number: 64
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Thanks Sammo 😃 Dad was particularly put out about it many years later when a six cylinder Brough Superior sold at auction for loads of money. Apparently they didn’t make many cars of either type, but the eight was one of only a handful and really rare. He spent weeks grumbling about it and could be triggered into a rant with ease for a while. 🤣🤣 Another tale that sticks in my mind from that period was that he and his mate Archie had been out all night and he was dozing in the passenger seat as they were trundling home. A big bump in the road jolted him awake and he looked round only to see that there was nobody driving! A bit of a panic before he realised that Archie was stood on the running board, one arm through the window steering, stretched out topping up the radiator as they were going along! I think the REO was flat out at about 30mph, but even so it gave dad a scare. 🤣 I don’t really remember Archie very much, he died when I was seven, but he and my dad were mates for years.
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Aug 23, 2021 21:20:16 GMT
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Both my Grandparents were 'in service' in the 1930's, working for a wealthy family in Charlton, Oxfordshire. My grandfather was in his early 20's and worked as a gardener / handyman for the family. One day the lady of the house summonsed him to her study and asked "William, Can you drive?". My Grandfather owned a motobike and had driven a tractor on the farm belonging to the big house so said "Yes". "Excellent", the Lady of the Manor said. "Pop to Oxford for me please and pick up my new Rolls Royce". Obviously he had no clue how to drive it and had to get the saleman to give him a quick lesson before he drove a car for the first time - a brand new Roller from Oxford back to Charlton. Apparently he drove it well and became her Chauffeur from then onwards.
He never did take a driving test, being one of those who were already driving in 1935 when the Driving Test was introduced he was just issued with a licence and never had to take a test!
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Currently driving a 1972 BMW 1602 as my daily. Don't ask about previous cars - there have been way too many and I stopped counting at 160!
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,100
Club RR Member Number: 64
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I had a couple of uncles (and a neighbour) that were all born in 1913, and none of them took a driving test. My uncle Alf said he just filled in a form at the post office and handed it through the window with a fee of a few shillings and they handed him a license straight back. I’m away at the moment, but at home I have the original red card license books for my dad, granddad one of my aunties and my uncle Alf. My granddad’s one has a couple of endorsements in it for speeding- some accomplishment considering he died in 1947.
Coincidentally, while we’re on the subject of family stories, licenses and suchlike, my granddad’s name was Alfred Edward Anderson and, somewhat unimaginatively, so was his youngest son (my dad had five brothers, so maybe they just ran out). When my uncle Alfie applied for his first provisional driving license he was sent a full one instead because he had the same name and address as his dad. Sadly for him my gran made him send it back. 🤣
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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My grandad was born in 1899, and worked on large estate near Yarmouth Like glenanderson said, he bought a licence at the post office, I think he said it was 13 shillings, and the farm manager gave him the Money for it He was 13! I've still got it somewhere, it permits him to drive all classes including, 'track laying vehicle steered by its tracks!' Change my name by deed poll? Would I get away with trying to look 122? 🤔
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Not a car story as such but related to the tales related above. As a teenager in the '80s I was a member of a steam and model railway society. Where's this going you may ask? Well many of my fellow members were English and one in particular was a retired gentleman who'd been involved in the construction and operation of New Zealand's one and only oil refinery. Old Vic had a wealth of stories from his time in the oil industry in various parts of the world and he would often share them with us younger lads. One such story involves driver licencing. It seems young Vic, as he was then, had obtained his learner's licence in England in 1939. Well we all know what else happened in 1939. Shortly afterwards, or so he told us, all the testing officers got called up to become instructors in the military. Come 1945 and the outbreak of peace it was declared that anybody who had got a learner's licence before the war would be automatically granted a full licence. Every time Vic got posted to another country for a new job he would show the appropriate authority in that country his English licence and they would give him one of theirs on the strength of it. Long story short, he drove a vast assortment of motor vehicles quite legally in a multitude of countries and never once had to sit a driving test.
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Not a car story as such but related to the tales related above. As a teenager in the '80s I was a member of a steam and model railway society. Where's this going you may ask? Well many of my fellow members were English and one in particular was a retired gentleman who'd been involved in the construction and operation of New Zealand's one and only oil refinery. Old Vic had a wealth of stories from his time in the oil industry in various parts of the world and he would often share them with us younger lads. One such story involves driver licencing. It seems young Vic, as he was then, had obtained his learner's licence in England in 1939. Well we all know what else happened in 1939. Shortly afterwards, or so he told us, all the testing officers got called up to become instructors in the military. Come 1945 and the outbreak of peace it was declared that anybody who had got a learner's licence before the war would be automatically granted a full licence. Every time Vic got posted to another country for a new job he would show the appropriate authority in that country his English licence and they would give him one of theirs on the strength of it. Long story short, he drove a vast assortment of motor vehicles quite legally in a multitude of countries and never once had to sit a driving test. Vaguely similar tale.
My first job was with Anglo American in what was then South West Africa. I presented my UK 'Little Red Book' licence to get a local one. The Afrikaans speaking magistrate in the little mining 'Dorp was very confused by the terminology 'Light Locomotive' etc. Once I convinced him it wasn't a licence to drive rail locomotives he just stamped every class available on the local licence.
Sadly this wasn't enough to convince the mine manager to let me try one of the haul trucks.
I'm very jealous of Glen's father's time with a Brough Superior. I wouldn't even object to having to settle for the mere 6 cylinder version.
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Last Edit: Aug 24, 2021 7:27:25 GMT by theoldman
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glenanderson
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 4,100
Club RR Member Number: 64
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theoldmanDad said it spent most of his ownership parked in a lockup garage, costing him money even though he wasn’t driving it 🤣 Apparently the fibre timing gears were a notorious weak point and the ones he’d “salvaged” were so worn he didn’t dare drive it. When he sold it, the buyer took it around the block for a test drive and dad said he’d never been more relieved in his life when it made it without breaking down again. It was, without doubt, a beautiful car, but he was glad to see the back of it. 🤣
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My worst worry about dying is my wife selling my stuff for what I told her it cost...
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Aug 25, 2021 12:12:44 GMT
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My grandfather was born in 1900, he joined up as a boy sailor and went to war at 14, (he was in the navy in WW2 as well) when he came back he became a postman, once round the block with the foreman in a truck and he was a truck driver, as above then just got given a licence in the 30's. He always had an old car from the 30's onward, pretty rare for a postman in those days, that probably led to my dad being into cars (he ran Mg T, series a Morgan and built a special in the 50's) then me catching the bug as well.
Grandad was also told he was mad for buying their house in the late 20's, a brand new 3 bedroom terrace in Romford which cost him £200!
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Aug 25, 2021 13:50:16 GMT
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My gt Uncle Jack was in the Sherwood Foresters is WW2 when a Sergeant turned up asking for people who could drive to take 1 step forward. He had never driven but had sat in the passenger seat and seen someone drive so he took the step. He got taken up to Edinburgh and told to drive a 2 tonner up the Royal Mile. He crashed through the gears and made it and that was his only driving lesson. He ended up as a despatch rider in Normandy and was going between headquarters when he hit a wire which was stretched across the road. Fortunately it hit his goggles and snapped rather than snapping his neck. He always said they were the best years of his life.
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Paul Y
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,948
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Aug 25, 2021 18:23:11 GMT
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My maternal Grandfather was, according to my Mum and her 7 brothers and sisters, not a very nice man. The War changed him was the common defence. He was always great to my brother and I but every now and again you could see that there was 'something' bubbling under the surface. Because of that his past was never really discussed, but from an early age we were taught to not approach him from his left side - well as a kid you just did as you were told but, as I got older, realised that he had a glass eye. And so the story begins.... Grandad Harry was apparently a bit of a wild man, born in the East End during that weird age post Victoria and pre Great War, too young to sign up - think he was born in 1910 - but old enough to understand what was going on. Always seemed to be involved with 'something' painting the bridges crossing the Thames, working in the docks etc - got the impression that there was more to it than that but, again nothing was said. When WW2 kicked off he ended up as a Sniper, apparently he was such a good shot that he was taken to Bisley where he was put in charge of training more snipers. All was good up until he was 'accidentally' shot in the face and lost his left eye. Now, if it had been an accident you would have expected him to be pensioned off but, according to the story he had upset an officer or some such who thought they would teach him a lesson - a lesson that went badly wrong. The end result was that he was promoted and become a staff car driver, going all over Europe and ended up in Berlin after the end of hostilities where he was part of the occupying force staying until late '46 when he was demobbed. Well if you have got this far you are probably wondering what this has got to do with car stories but hold on, we are nearly there. Now, if you had to travel back from Berlin to England you could have taken the train or jumped on one of the wagons that would have been traveling back and forth or you could travel back in style. This sort of style. How he ended up with a SSK I have no idea, but I would imagine that for somebody with a 'curious' nature during that post war time there would have been a whole host of opportunities. Did the SSK ever make it back to the UK? Nope. It was loaded onto a landing craft but ended up getting dumped into the channel when it was approached by a naval vessel making sure that this sort of thing didn't happen. Is this one of those family stories that gets told at Christmas but those who were actually there are no longer with us to confirm or deny? Very possibly. I spent a lot of time with him during his last few years as he moved in with my parents, alway had a story to tell and when ever I asked him about this particular tale he would only say 'well I did own a Mercedes once....' My uncle says that he has a picture of the car on the landing craft but I have never seen it. Maybe it is time to go and pay him visit! P.
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Aug 25, 2021 21:32:15 GMT
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That is a great story! Given what my late maternal grandfather admitted to getting up to in the RN, especially with the ships he commanded (he retired in '84), and many more similar stories came out from others after he passed away a few years ago, I can well believe the method of disposal. Incidentally, later on the RN were known for using the launch catapults on carriers for disposing of vehicles and other items (including I believe on one occasion on Ark Royal IV, a piano...) which were surplus.
Thinking of antics with 'liberated' vehicles though, it reminded me that there is a story in my family regarding my paternal grandfather driving an Auto Union grand prix car. No one has yet been able to find out anything conclusive, but what little of his wartime record that my aunt has been able to extract from the MOD / govt archives does confirm that prior to the outbreak of war, he was about to be trained to drive German govt racing cars... He clearly wasn't politically suspect though, as he then served as an army officer in North Africa, before joining the SOE in 1941. As he died when my father was only 25, what little we know annecodatly of his wartime service is what my father's godfather (who died in '88) later told my father, who thinks that the encounter with the Auto Union happened at the end of the war.
Either way, I think another of the time milestones may have recently passed, so we are hoping that the relevant authorities may now be prepared to release more of his file, if not all of it.
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Last Edit: Aug 25, 2021 21:33:50 GMT by Paul H
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