Cars

Our lifetime of cars

Over our lifetimes we have turned over a fair few cars between the two of us. Some lasted a short time - like the Berkeley 328 cc glassfibre sports car that Gill had for three weeks before she was frightened half to death looking up at doubledecker buses and it got traded in for a British Racing Green Morris Minor drophead. My first car was an Austin Seven - well two in fact which four of us scouts bought in pieces during the Suez crisis of 1956 when learners were allowed to drive without supervision because of the fuel supply shortages. We paid £5 for them both and brought them back from Edgeware to Rayner`s Lane on top of a scouts `trek cart`. Between all the bits we managed to build one complete functioning drophead Austin Seven which eventually was sold for £25.

Since then there have been a steady procession of models. Mostly practical ones for bringing up a family although we did `go mad` for a short while with the MGB primrose yellow drophead. We had extra rear belts fitted behind the driving seats and together with loose (flowery covered) foam cushions we manged to transport both ourselves and the kids at great speed and with much fun.. Sadly kids grow and it only lasted about 18 months. It was replaced by a triumph Toledo - the biggest load of crap you ever saw! Then it was back to `sensible` cars , some with a bit of style. The Blue Austin Princess turned a few heads when we drove across the channel on a visit to Amsterdam but was in fact a rust bucket and very few still exist. Likewise the Austin Allegro - we had two - they BOTH leaked like a sieve. Gradually we were converted to cars from the far east as the UK owned car industry died. Firstly Gill had a very nice, stylish black Honda Civic and then a bit later the family car was a maroon coloured Honda Accord Aerodeck - you can see it - with the few remaining trees in the background after the Great Storm of 1978. Then on retirement, there was the need to transport our growing family so a 6 seater was needed and a couple of Toyota Previas did the job. Followed by a Citron Picasso for about five years but then back to six or more seaters with a Zafira, Mitubishi Grandis, Honda F-RV and on to the current KIA Carens 5/7 seater.

Set 1

1. Berkley 2. Austin 7 3. Morris Minor drophead 4.Triumphy Herald coupe

5. Triumph Herald saloon 6. Austin A40 Pininfarina 7. Ford Cortina estate 8. Austin 1100 Pininfarina

9. Morrin Marina 10.Volkswagen Polo estate 11.MGB GT drophead 12.Triumph Toledo

Set 2

13. Austin Maxi 14. Ford Fiesta 15. Austin Princess 16 Mini Countryman

17. Honda Civic 18. leaky Morris Marina 19. Mini Countryman estate 20. Honda Accord Aerodeck

21. Toyota Previa grey 22. Toyota Previa red 23. Vauxhall Zafira 24. Citroen Picasso

Set 3

25. Daihatsu Sirion 26 Mitsubishi Grandis 27. Suzuki Swift 28. Honda F-RV

29. KIA Carens

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