What were your Dad's best cars? PICS PLEASE!

[Rob.]

As above... let's see pics of your Dads best cars... doesn't have to be his actual car though.. just the same as

Please don't post if you can't find pics to link / post! Just have a quick look on Google image search and grab the image's address for "inserting" to your post..

I'll go first... My Dad's 2 best cars would have to be!

Alfa 33 Gold leaf!

This was the car in which the standard "I'm driving Daddy, take a pic" photo was done in! Does that qualify me as a proper petrol head?

And later, His SEC! PIMP! Don't be fooled, bought it in around 2003 for £5000.. sold in 2005.. for........£600! Every time I see a pic I kick my self for not having the wheels away before he sold it.. Genuine Lorinsers!

Technically, my Mums.. but Dad found it and suggested it.. Renault 5 Gordini Turbo! Wish I'd learned to drive before this got sold tricky though considering I think I was maybe 12 when it went!

Not pictured:

Austin Allegro

Granada Mk2

Volvo 340 & 360

Phase 1 Renault 21

Citroen XM

Saab 9000

Next!

Edited 18 November, 2012 by Rob.

[chicken_eyebrow]

He bought his first car when he started his mechanics apprenticeship in the early 60s it was a Mini Cooper S in red with white racing stripes

This was bought on some kind of finance scheme similar to what we have today for new cars. According to my Mum it got stolen off their driveway in the 70s and burnt out in a field somewhere :(

He had a few different cars in the 70s and 80s but this is the one I remember most from my childhood and which gave our family a lifelong love of Fords, Mk5 Cortina Estate. Ours was a W reg dark blue 2 litre GL and I have fond memories of helping replace the cotters in the valves!

Sadly not any particularly cool cars there, he did get to drive a lot of cars as part of his job but after me and my sister came along it was practical cars all the way!

Edited 22 April, 2010 by chicken_eyebrow

[VWD]

Bit of a history lesson ,and also a bit of a task getting pics -so descriptions only - First one - split screen 1950'ish Moggy Minor .Then a Ford Y type( of unknown year) , followed by an Austin A30( 1956) ans lastly by one of the first Vauxhall Victors ( circa 1958/9) .But he would have been 88 this year .

[simonsheil]

No idea what colour mind, just that he sold it to buy an engagement ring.

[ChrisRs]

1981 BMW 323i..Belting car!!

[Johnny50]

Dads had quite a few decent cars, mostly Saabs/Volvos.

But he always said this was one of the quickest. 2L Twin Cam Lanica Beta

(not his actual car pictured)

Edited 22 April, 2010 by LittleJohnny

[FabiaGreenline]

Depends on whose view it was, mine or my Dads!

I guess he liked his Volvo 240, kept it for years and it had a paint job but gave way to what was a cool car in the 80s....

It was a 1987 Peugeot 205 XLD 1769cc diesel. Love it, and it became mine - it was still cool!

I think one of the most memorable vehicles was one of these :

My parents kept horses so it became my Dad's run around and it was a hardy workhorse. It eventually got scrapped like they all did!

Edited 22 April, 2010 by FabiaGreenline

[shark_90]

Ooh, good thread.

My Dad had an Opel Ascona 1.6SR when I was born, or shortly before. This colour too.

Two others that stick out are a Mk5 Cortina 1.6 Estate like the one above, in red, which the company mechanic dropped a 2.9L Granada engine into With the original 4 speed gearbox. Had to set off in 3rd!

Then after that was a Vauxhall Cavalier CD in white, don't remember which engine.

That one died after being fitted with a replacement alternator from Fittapart which put out too many joules.

After that he had absolutely nothing cool at all, apart from one which he thought was cool - a Vauxhall Vectra 2.5 V6 which was badged as "Sport V6" - not even the SRi. It had gash 15" 5 spoke wheels on it. It really was the best thing since sliced bread for him.

I remember my grandfather having one of these at the height of his career:

Shortly before ending up with one of these:

[Jonny5ive]

One of these: Peugeot 309 GTi Goodwood one of only 300 made

One of these in the garage in the garden

Edited 22 April, 2010 by Jonny5ive

[jrw]

Since I was born he has had:

Mk1 Cavalier (s reg I believe)

X Reg Audi 80 1.6 GLS

D Reg Escort 1.4

H Reg Polo Saloon 1.3 CL(written off)

H Reg Nissan Sunny 1.4:

M Reg Rover 414 SLI Saloon:

My R Reg Mk3 Golf 1.4 (actual car!):

Currently - 02 Polo 1.4 Sport:

Currently - 51 VW Transporter:

As you can see a hardly aspiring collection!! They only do about 5k a year (dad has a van) so not worth having a top car.

Just persuading him to get an Octavia now though!!

[jlwah]

But he always said this was one of the quickest. 2L Twin Cam Lanica Beta

(not his actual car pictured)

Quickest to rust I'd guess

[richwarwicker]

my dad never spends more than £250 on a car yet seems to make them last for years, most memorable was a H reg renault 5 purchased in 2002 for £150 which he scrapped last august when the mot expired, before that he had a e reg renault 11 for 3 years, before that he had a A reg astra for about 4 years, but i always found the "5" to be a miracle car, as in the 7 years it only needed exhaust, brakes and tyres, he now has a p reg punto. my mum has a brand new car every 2-3 years so dad has never bothered having anything other than a cheap run around to get him to work when it rains, as he only works 3/4 mile from home he walks if its dry!

[Royston]

The most unusual car we had was a great hulking American station wagon. The Ford Fairmont. It used to attract some attention in the local Liptons supermarket car park. The rear window slid down into the side opening rear door and us kids used to ride round in the boot in the dickie seats waving to other motorists and inhaling nutritious four star fumes. It was the same colour as this one as well.

[Matt Bodycombe]

Sorry don't know how to attach an image on here (looked but ???) so here is a link to what my dad had when I was a kid:white Vauxhall Cavalier SRi MK 2: quite rapid I remember

http://www.diecast-cars.co.uk/uploads/images_products/725.jpg

[mannyo]

My dads had a shed load of cars over the years, in no particular order some of the ones I can remember.

1972 MG 1300 in black (PRO 719H)

1974 Hillman Avenger 1.6GLS, in white. (NTM 636M)

Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia Estate Auto in blue (OKD 21S)

Ford Fiesta in green (MKX 71V)

Volkwagen Jetta W reg in silver (OOY 120W)

Vauxhall Astra GL in yellow (A544 RBM)

Then we have (still looking for pics)

Vauxhall Cavalier in red (C685 GDT?)

Ford Orion 1.6L (D??? ???) (Red)

Vauxhall Astra (red) (G??? ???)

Rover 214Si (J??? SVM)

Vauxhall Astra van white (L614 MMV)

Citroen Dispatch van white (R??? CGC)

Mercedes Vito van green (X??? ???)

Suzuki Alto - Black (KC54 XJX)

Fabia Greenline (White (KR09 ???)

These are the ones I can remember, there are loads more including Hillman Imp, a Fiat, and more. He used to run cheap bangers until getting company cars.

[Matt Bodycombe]

Here we are no particular order

Cavalier went like stink I can remember, it followed the Sierra a 1.6 GL which was one of the first in the country and looked very futuristic. The Granny was a 2.0 i Ghia automatic: comfortable but gutless and his company was too mean to give him a 2.9i. The 1995 Merc C280 Elegance he still has, identical to the one here and lovely to drive!

Edited 25 April, 2010 by Matt Bodycombe

[Matt Bodycombe]

phew finally figured out how to attach.

Edited 25 April, 2010 by Matt Bodycombe

[shark_90]

Here we are no particular order

My grandfather had one of these too, SRi 130bhp if I remember rightly... great car I can still remember it as clear as day! That was a white saloon with those wheels.

[Calomax]

First car I remember him having was a Singer he bought pre-war and was stored until afterwards. then he had:

Austin 7

Austin A40 Devon

Fiat 600, which he still had when he died in 1957.

Sorry, can't work out how to copy pictures from my PC to the website.

[Johnny50]

My grandfather had one of these too, SRi 130bhp if I remember rightly... great car I can still remember it as clear as day! That was a white saloon with those wheels.

That one isnt an Sri 130

They were only made circa 87-88

I had an E-Plate black Sri 130 Saloon, loved it !!!

I was only 18-19 at the time, felt super quick lol

[oil]

Ok No pics But as follows

Bullnose Morris cost £3-15s (£3.75 to the younger ones on here) apparently kept it for only 3 days! (now there was a mistake!)

A whole series of forgettable (and forgotten British motor cars)

1936 Austin 12

Singer Le mans 1938 (new ) Made a trip from Cheshire to LandseEnd, back to Cheshire and then up to John O'Groats and back to Cheshire in a week in 1938

Wartime drove the AFS Dennis open fire engine!

Postwar Triumph Vanguard van version (series 1)

Triumph Mayflower

Armstrong Siddely Saphire

Riley Pathfinder (right hand gear change on floor)

Morris J4 van

Jaguar mk1 2.4

Jaguar MkII 2.4 + Austin A35

Citroen Safari - after a test drive at the Earls Court motor show - easy in those days

3 x citroen DS 19 / 20 /21

Finally another Citroen Safari estate

And when he started driving no driving test required and never had to take one!

[cheezemonkhai]

Ooh, good thread.

My Dad had an Opel Ascona 1.6SR when I was born, or shortly before. This colour too.

....

Snap, but in red and a 2.0 or 1.9 SR.

Had 4 point harnesses in the back for us kids, which would explain a lot.

IIRC it also had twin webber carbs, a stainless exhaust, spax adjustable suspension and was RWD.

Went rather well and sounded great.

[Aspman]

Nope he's always had crap taste in cars but the Nova was the low point even for him. I think he had it for just 3 months because he got so much stick about it.

Austin Van of some sort

3x VW Beetles

Audi 100

3x Fiat Uno

Fiat Tipo

The Nova!

Vauxhall Astra Mk2 Derv (non-turbo)

Ford Escort td

Seat Cordoba

Vauxhall Astra Mk3 1.4HT

Toyota Carina

2x BMW 318 (company cars)

Renault Scenic

Citroen Picasso

Renault Megane Scenic

Citroen C4 Picasso

[Conshine]

I know he had one of these:

http://farm5.static...._0675a432e4.jpg

He had loads more so I'll ask him tonight and update tomorrow.

Ben

p.s. How do you insert the whole picture into the post as opposed to the link or attach (where you click the smaller image) method?

Edited 26 April, 2010 by Conshine

[Jim H]

I've just picked my dad's brains and here is his car history from 1969.

1963 Citroen 2CV - 435cc with a massive 11.8 BHP!! Light Blue in colour. (WML 57G)

Ford Anglia - White with lots of Brown Rust!

1967 Austin Healey Sprite - 1275 cc (A-Series) Red, bought in 1970 or 71

Renault 12 - Orange

Talbert Alpine - Dark Blue, TEF in the number plate.

Vauxhall Chavette - 4-door, Green (his dads and acquired when he died in 1983)

1987 MG Maestro 2.0 EFI Taga Red (D789 DAJ) Bought from new in 87

1996 Subaru Impreza 2.0 Turbo Green (N reg), bought in 98 and his current car.

He loved the 2CV, especially as it was his first car, the Sprite he liked as it was a 2 seater convertible, the MG was his first and only brand new car and good Hot Hatch. He still loves his Scoobie.

My mother's car history is easy. She passed her test in Jan 1978 whilst pregnant with me, she drove my dads cars (Chavette, MG and probably the Alpine) up until 1993 when she got her own. She has not yet driven the Subaru (I have though).

1991 Citroen AX - 1.4 TZD (Diesel) White (H157 NPY) - Burst into flames in 2005

2003 (53) Skoda Fabia - 1.9 TDI, Silver

I've mentioned my simple car history in other threads on here.

Edited 26 April, 2010 by Jim H