Vintage and classic news

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse) 07/16/2016 at 16:45 • Filed to: Classic and vintage

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I’ve been to a vintage run (as a spectator, you understand) and have seen things.

A huge American car, for example:

Containing a tiny and excitable dog

And equipped with these at each front corner

I also found a restored and valuable German classic

Accompanied by another even more restored and valuable German classic (those aren’t really German plates)

A brace of Lancias, neither of which has rusted away yet

A GT6, showing that heated rear windows were already a thing in 1973

A warning to those poking around with old cars

Alarmingly, this has become a classic car. A Mk4 Cortina. It’s a posh model, a 1.6GL with the 75 bhp Pinto engine as opposed to the 55 bhp 1.3 Kent and GL as opposed to L spec so it might have had a radio and posh wheel trims. You were still winding down your windows, unlocking your own doors and probably pulling out your own choke too.

Here we learn why Americans call the luggage area of a car the “trunk”

And a Mk1 Escort RS2000

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Cé hé sin 07/16/2016 at 17:09

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Is that 356 a legit one though? It looks a bit off, and the seats look to be a bit on the big side, I could be wrong though.

Spridget > Cé hé sin 07/16/2016 at 17:16

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COUGH COUGH COUGH

Cé hé sin > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 07/16/2016 at 17:28

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I was wondering too, but to be a member of the organising club you have to have a genuinely old car so if it’s a replica of some kind it’s not a new one.

smobgirl > Cé hé sin 07/16/2016 at 17:31

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Your giant American car is what I drove in high school.

BvdV - The Dutch Engineer > Cé hé sin 07/16/2016 at 17:32

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It could be a Beetle based replica, that way it would still be an old car.

My citroen won't start > BvdV - The Dutch Engineer 07/16/2016 at 17:34

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They look suspiciously like mx-5 seats.

fintail > Cé hé sin 07/16/2016 at 17:36

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MK 4 Cortina, just like Onslow’s car:

I’ve read they weren’t terrible cars. I’d wager the Speedster is a re-creation.

Cé hé sin > smobgirl 07/16/2016 at 17:39

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I couldn’t imagine someone going to school being able to insure any car, never mind one like that (and quite apart from the fact that you need to be 17 to drive here and people usually leave school at about that age).

Cé hé sin > fintail 07/16/2016 at 17:40

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My father had one (a Cortina, not a 356...) and it was fine.

smobgirl > Cé hé sin 07/17/2016 at 00:07

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Got my license at 16 with two years of high school left, we lived in the middle of nowhere (no public transit) and our school didn’t have a bus. My parents made me drive - and paid for the insurance (added to their policy). I can’t imagine they paid too much because a $200 car certainly wouldn’t have comprehensive or collision! I did not choose that car, either.

Cé hé sin > Spridget 07/18/2016 at 08:00

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Tickle in your throat?

Seen yesterday. Spot the differences.

Bonus points for identifying the car to the left of the top one.

Spridget > Cé hé sin 07/18/2016 at 14:42

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I could use a cough drop.

Top car is a MKIII, from 70-71 based off of the grille, wheels, blacked out rockers, chrome bumpers, and square rear arches. It’s has the Euro indicators on the front and no reflectors, indicating that it’s an European car. It’s a ‘70 or ‘71 because of the square wheel arches; ‘72s and ‘73s had round arches, and ‘69s had chrome grilles. The foglights at the front aren’t stock, and nor are the chrome “eyelashes.” Trunk racks were a factory option. It looks relatively spot.

Bottom car is actually a late run MKIII, from ‘72, ‘73, or ‘74. Instead of the stock grille, it has the mesh grille, which rubber bumper car had. Side stripe is stock, but wheels aren’t- ‘69 was the last of those from the factory, so they’ve been swapped on in place of alloy. It also has the later orange reflectors and indicators- after around 1972 or 1973, BMC offered the same cars in Europe and the US, with all US safety features, unlike the pre ‘72/73 cars, which only had some of them. Another indication that it’s a late MKIII car are the round wheel arches; Midgets only had them in ‘72, ‘73, and ‘74. Foglights aren’t stock, and this one also has the chrome “eyelashes.” The lights also didn’t have mesh covering from the factory. If it’s a ‘74, it’s had the rubber “dagmars” removed.

Is the car beside it a Fiat Ritmo?

Cé hé sin > Spridget 07/18/2016 at 14:51

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It is.

I’ll take your word about the Midgets...