Post up your favorite cars and car stories!

[graham59]

Rover P5B... lovely motor  (and favoured by Prime Ministers of the day). 

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[LUFCinMakati]

4 hours ago, graham59 said:

Rover P5B... lovely motor  (and favoured by Prime Ministers of the day). 

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Mine is silver birch over black with black leather, 1st owner was my grandad and second owner me. It’s officially not for sale, but if it was it would be north of £50K I would imagine.  

[graham59]

Incidentally, those old Ford 'Essex' 3 litre V6's could be transformed into quite a monster of a motor.... here as fitted into the RS3100 Capri Racer:

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[Jack Peterson]

 While I am here and it seems Alaring to me the Mini os now some 60 years old, Much has changed over the years and of course the owner of the brand and Badge but I found this a Good Write up:

 

*******

60 years ago Today, on the 26th August 1959, English car manufacturers Austin and Morris launched a small family car - the car would become and English Icon - The 'Mini' was born.

The Mini is a small economy car produced by the English-based British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000.

The original is considered an icon of 1960s British popular culture.

Its space-saving transverse engine, front-wheel drive layout – allowing 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage – influenced a generation of car makers.

On its introduction in August 1959, the Mini was marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor. 
The Austin Seven was renamed Austin Mini in January 1962 and Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969.

In 1999, the Mini was voted the second-most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T, and ahead of the Citroën DS and Volkswagen Beetle.

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, with parts from England and across the World.

The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates – the Mark II, the Clubman, and the Mark III.

The performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S", were successful as both race and rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967.

BMW acquired the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) in 1994, and sold the greater part of it in 2000, but retained the rights to build cars using the MINI name.

Several key events marked the 50th anniversary of the Mini in 2009.

On the 13th January 2009, The Royal Mail released a limited edition of stamps entitled "British Design Classics", featuring an original, Egg-Shell Blue, MK1 Mini, registration XAA 274.
On 17 May, a world record parade of 1,450 Minis congregated at Crystal Palace as part of a London to Brighton run. The following week, 10,000 Minis and 25,000 people attended an anniversary party at Silverstone Circuit on the border of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, England.

in August 2009 approximately 4000 minis from around the world congregated at Longbridge, Birmingham, England to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

As we write we are not aware of any specific events to celebrate the 60th anniversary.

Happy 60th Birthday to the Mini ! ******

 

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by Jack Peterson

[Jack Peterson]

 Something went wrong so let's try and get the photos to enlarge; 

 

https://www.facebook.com/TodayInEnglishHistory/posts/2054668361301046

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by Jack Peterson
put a link in for Photos

[graham59]

My favourite small car. I have owned a few, and have stripped to the bare shell, and rebuilt one of them . So many happy memories from my ownership .  Irreplaceable.

Reading this makes me both happy and sad.  Apparently they just became too expensive to produce (the way the bodies were put together).

Here is the last one I bought... a 1986 1,000 Automatic, for my first Mrs to learn to drive in:  

 

[graham59]

One of the Mini's great attributes, incidentally, was its ability to accommodate almost any height of driver .

Taller drivers (like myself) could just put their legs each side of the steering column, plus, plenty of headroom.

Small drivers (e.g....Filipinas ! lol) could actually reach the pedals !  

[LUFCinMakati]

4 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 While I am here and it seems Alaring to me the Mini os now some 60 years old, Much has changed over the years and of course the owner of the brand and Badge but I found this a Good Write up:

 

*******

60 years ago Today, on the 26th August 1959, English car manufacturers Austin and Morris launched a small family car - the car would become and English Icon - The 'Mini' was born.

The Mini is a small economy car produced by the English-based British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors from 1959 until 2000.

The original is considered an icon of 1960s British popular culture.

Its space-saving transverse engine, front-wheel drive layout – allowing 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage – influenced a generation of car makers.

On its introduction in August 1959, the Mini was marketed under the Austin and Morris names, as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor. 
The Austin Seven was renamed Austin Mini in January 1962 and Mini became a marque in its own right in 1969.

In 1999, the Mini was voted the second-most influential car of the 20th century, behind the Ford Model T, and ahead of the Citroën DS and Volkswagen Beetle.

This distinctive two-door car was designed for BMC by Sir Alec Issigonis. It was manufactured at the Longbridge and Cowley plants in England, with parts from England and across the World.

The Mini Mark I had three major UK updates – the Mark II, the Clubman, and the Mark III.

The performance versions, the Mini Cooper and Cooper "S", were successful as both race and rally cars, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965, and 1967.

BMW acquired the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) in 1994, and sold the greater part of it in 2000, but retained the rights to build cars using the MINI name.

Several key events marked the 50th anniversary of the Mini in 2009.

On the 13th January 2009, The Royal Mail released a limited edition of stamps entitled "British Design Classics", featuring an original, Egg-Shell Blue, MK1 Mini, registration XAA 274.
On 17 May, a world record parade of 1,450 Minis congregated at Crystal Palace as part of a London to Brighton run. The following week, 10,000 Minis and 25,000 people attended an anniversary party at Silverstone Circuit on the border of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, England.

in August 2009 approximately 4000 minis from around the world congregated at Longbridge, Birmingham, England to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

As we write we are not aware of any specific events to celebrate the 60th anniversary.

Happy 60th Birthday to the Mini ! ******

 

 

 

 

Friend of mine has a very rare cooper in his garage, from memory a 998 cooper. He was an automotive trainer at a college in the UK and was simply given it for free, restored it will be worth around £40K. 

[graham59]

Of course in the Philippines (and many other countries) it's well-known as Mr.Bean's car !  

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[stevewool]

Here is a. Classic and it’s sort of new  too. Just over £32000.