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Austin Ruby

sparks

sparks

knowlegable brummie
My first car was an Ausin Ruby which I bought for £60 while stationed in the RAF near Cirencester. It was in 1953 and I had just got engaged to a local girl. A couple of days after the engagement the dear old RAF posted me north to Turnhill in Shropshire.
Every weekend I would make the journey back to Cirencester, but there was one problem. There is a very steep hill called Charlton Kings just outside Cheltenham, and the Ruby could not make it to the top in first, so a couple of hundred yards from the top, I used to turn round and reverse up the rest.
More memories
 
Sparks,

A good pal of mine had a Ruby back in the 1960's. One Saturday afternoon we were making stately progress towards Warwick, when the old Ruby decided she'd had enough. My mate managed to get her onto the car-park of a hotel in Knowle, where he raised the bonnet, tinkered a bit, got me to hit the starter, etc., all to no avail. Eventually he admitted defeat, we told the people at the hotel that we were leaving a sick old lady on their car-park, returned to Brum via public transport, etc., etc. The next day we returned in my mate's brother's fully-equipped breakdown-van, and the Ruby started first pull....

Small point, but it's Tern Hill, not Turnhill. A place I happen to know quite well....

Big Gee.
 
Jeez are they tiny!
81046989.EMLVGA9W.CampHill5401.jpg
 
Big Gee said:
Small point, but it's Tern Hill, not Turnhill. A place I happen to know quite well....

Big Gee.
Click to expand...
BIG GEE you are right it is Tern Hill does that mean the Ruby had a good terning circle then?LOL:)and yes Tali they were tiny:)if you were tall your head touched the roof:) and it was compact:)
 
We used to travel down to Sarfend on Sea in a Ruby or some times to Weston Sur La Mud - 5 and sometimes 6 of us. Not sure if it was an addition but the seat my Mom sat on had a blow up bit that had a slow puncture ;)
 
BTW - Does anyone recall the founder of Bird Scrap Metals removing the tracks using nothing more that a long bar and taking the rails away on a horse drawn cart or was I told a tale?
 
My Gran gave me her prestine Austin Ruby when I went to Varsity, it had the pulldown shades etc, however being at University did not make me so bright, I painted the car with a brush bright yellow and light blue mudguards............I was lucky that Gran did not cut me out of her will!! the car was returned to Austin and was stripped back to its original paintwork (her brother was the MD at the time and later the boss of BMC) and given to my cousin, who kept it for years and sold it to an American collector for a rather large sum in the 1980's...........oh well you loose some I suppose.

Dyan in NZ
 
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