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My First Car

B

Bill Parker

master brummie
This was a 1963 built, 1964 registred connaught green Austin 1100 I seem to remember it was suppied to its first owner( I was the second) by Stocks Garage, Broad St
 
I had a powder blue one that I had for som 4 yrs and it never let me down, I always remember the vivid blue light from the ash tray at night?
paul
 
I had one like that also. Nice car and 1100cc seemed plenty in those days. They handled very nicely and the hydrolastic ride was very good for a small car. I also had the 1300cc varient in North America with 2 doors. This also gave good service but lacked the power required for highway driving here also rusting was a problem. Still a great design to that point in time.
 
My first car was a1939 Morris 8 series E, took it for its ten year test as it was then, 1958, the chap doing the test took out his pencil and
said" Look at this!!! the botton of the car was absolutely rotten, Take it away, I havent seen it. The car had been on blocks all thru the war,part exchanged it for a green Austin van, A30 I think, Bernard
 
Morris Marina in this same lovely DS yellow. I loved it and went on to own an Ital too. Starting and stopping were a bit problematic but once it got going it was fine.
 
Mine was an Austin A35 from new but had to sell it to put towards the deposit on our first house.
 
Well this is my first mode of transport photo 1(NOT ON TOPIC I KNOW) & Photo 2 our Honeymoon Car.Then came the MG Photo 3. I have had a number of car over the years & when I find pic will post, but the one I wish I could have taken home is this RR.
 
1958 Ford Anglia 100e, bought 1963 from a used car dealer off Broad st opp Ryland st. Blew one of the pistons after about 6 months so it used as much oil as petrol until I changed the piston.
 
A 50's Ford 'Pop' bought for £5, top speed 50 mph and refused to go any further than 60 miles without a half hour rest. First trip was over 200 miles, sold it for £25 :)
 
A 1964 brand new Hillman Imp made in Scotland, cost £634.
Proudly drove it from showroom, broke down after 2 miles. Helpful Dealer came and towed me back, took a part out of another new car, fitted it in my car, and off I went for 6 years of 'young fun' motoring. Body rust after 2 years but Halfords had stuff for that.
 
A 1950 something Rover 75 with the 3rd central headlight. Bought it for 30 quid in about 1972. Leather upholstery, column gearchange, bench seats with square gauges in a mahogany dashboard. Couldn't get reverse so I had to be ultra careful where I parked. Brakes a little spongy - drifted gently into the rear of a Rolls Royce late one night at some lights in Saltley somewhere. The other driver was Johhny Prescott. No damage thank the Lord, or I probably would not be here sending this. I didn't have the nerve to ask for his autograph.
One morning, it refused to start, so I phoned Henry Taroni to come and take it away and they gave me 40 quid for it !
 
The first Car I owned was a White Mini - did I love that car. I bought A snow shovel, a blanket and a lock for the radiator - and that was the first week!!! Used it for shopping, fetching BIG lads ,plus full satchells from school., but only drove it locally. Miriam.
 
Looking into the engine compartment of a 100E powered unit these days is an experience. A small flat head piece of cast iron way down there with 4 plugs poking out of the top...and lots of space. Did not look like it would do much but it had about 36 full HP and could reach about 80 MPH...with a bit of help from nature. Three gears but don't try to change into first whilst moving. Even double de-clutching did not help here.
Why is it that motoring seemed so much more enjoyable back then and current machines arouse little enthusiasm...about as much as a new refridgerator maybe. A vehicle back then that would do 100MPH was something that produced awe and there were unlimited zones to experience this speed without penalty. Most cars will achieve this speed now but here the limit is 60 MPH. anywhere. Well within the Anglias range.
 
The very first car I bought was a ford (sit up and beg), black 3 gears no heater, windscreen wipers which did'nt work in rain and had to be hand assisted, small central dash light, that illuminated nothing and a squeeky horn!!. I loved that car with all my heart and paid £5.10/- and went everywhere from Weston to scotland in it never let me down and used minimal petrol, one rainy stormy night at the (Ivy Bush traffic lights) Hagley Road, it died the half shaft smashed and did bad damage to the axle, the scrap yard in Rolf st paid me 6/- to take it away. never forgotten but no photo's.
paul
 
The Baron said:
Well this is my first mode of transport photo 1(NOT ON TOPIC I KNOW) & Photo 2 our Honeymoon Car.Then came the MG Photo 3. I have had a number of car over the years & when I find pic will post, but the one I wish I could have taken home is this RR.
Click to expand...

Keith that scooter was a 150 cc Lambretta L D That was my first scooter in 1963 my best scooter was a 175cc Lambretta T V my first car was a mini van

Mau-reece
 
My first car or rather my first shared ownership car was in 1961 or 1962 when I was about 15. Three of us purchased it for £10. It was a 1940's Jaguar. I think it was a Mark V I'm not too good on car models. It was the same as the one in the photo I am posting.

Only one of us was old enough to drive, and we couldn't afford the road tax or insurance anyway. So after about a week sitting in it and shunting it up and down the local alley we swapped it for two motorbikes. a 500 Norton and a BSA Bantam.

Wish I had any of them now, the Jag or the bikes

Phil

1940sJaguar.jpg
 
Mossy said:
Keith that scooter was a 150 cc Lambretta L D That was my first scooter in 1963 my best scooter was a 175cc Lambretta T V my first car was a mini van

Mau-reece
Click to expand...
Mossy My second scooter was the 175cc from Aston Auto on the Aston Road North. My first 4 wheel was a FORD 5cwt Van , I put side windows in and a back seat, sold it for what I paid for it 2 years later THE MG IN ABOVE POST was my next MY PRIDE & JOY till I got hit by a big oil tanker on the way home from ICE HOCKEY TRAINING one wet Thursday night , complete right off. I WAS ONE VERY LUCKEY GUY BUT SO SAD TO HAVE LOST SUCH A GREAT CAR.
 
My first car was an 18 month old Austin A40 Farina Grey Body White roof 996cc bought, I think, from Thomas Startin, Aston Cross about 1962 when petrol was 4/- (20p) a gallon for £465, had it for 3 years, then part exchanged for a 2 year old Austin 1800 which I had for NINE years eventually changing it for a Morris 1800s. Eric
 
Last edited:
Eric I wish I could buy petrol for that price now! My brother had an A40 lovely little car..x
 
my first car was a 1937 Austin camebridge i bought it for 40 pounds and sold it for 40pounds about 10 years later
Allen
 
i saw a photo recently in our local rag of the assembly line at the Toyota plant near to where I live, it dont look anything like this, Bernard
 
cookie273uk said:
My first car was an 18 month old Austin A40 Farina Grey Body White roof 996cc bought, I think, from Thomas Startin, Aston Cross about 1962 when petrol was 4/- (20p) a gallon for £465, had it for 3 years, then part exchanged for a 2 year old Austin 1800 which I had for NINE years eventually changing it for a Morris 1800s. Eric
Click to expand...
When I started motoring petrol was 3s3p, I
used to put in three gallons, and I would have enough change out of a pound for a bag of chips and ten Wild Woodbines Oh Happy
Days!!!Bernard
,
 
My first motor was a 1952 side-valve Morris Minor, split windscreen, and these days worth £1000's if in running order. I bought it for £45 from a bloke down Court Lane and my dad told me I'd been ripped off. It had no heater, and a mechanical fuel-pump that went 'tikka-tikka-tikka' as it filled the carb float-chamber. It also had cable brakes, which were its downfall - any speed about 25 mph and an emergency stop was out of the question. Yet I loved that car, right up until I drove it into the rear of an Austin Cambridge outside the Baggies' ground in November 1967. It was a write-off, and I replaced it with a 1960 Mini, far and away the worst car I have ever had.

Big Gee
 
I liked the Austin 1100 for several reasons, it had plenty of room inside yet was a compact length, something that all the cars from the drawing board of Alex Isigonis ( spelled incorrectly I bet) shared in common with each other.

The Hydrolastic suspension ,when maintained properly, gave a superb ride, superior to most other cars on the road. I particularly wanted the Austin version because it had a rather nice strip/ribbon speedo that I thought looked much neater than the type fitted to the Morris version plus the Austin was a Brummie car!!
 
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