I’m done with vintage cars - not

[crankedup]

Having owned a nest of vintage cars over the years I finally said enough after a mechanical nightmare with my old Humber 14/40. Money pit big time and first name terms with the rescue drivers The vintage market is very niche and old iron takes time to find a buyer, so I moved into modern classics. Found I couldn’t settle into any of them and my hankering for vintage grew stronger.
Finally gave up and found myself a nice Austin ‘ Carlton’ 16/6 limousine of 1934 vintage, not a true vintage car by definition a post vintage but offers enough character and hopefully not too many hiccups.

Just need to have a tow bar fitted for use with my little caravan.

[crankedup]

Hope you like the old girl.

[Scrump]

That is lovely.

The oldest car I have owned was from the 1950’s so I have no idea what a 1930’s car is like to drive.

[crankedup]

^^^^
Thank you.
1930s I find to be the link from vintage to modern classics (1950 - 1970) is my definition. My Austin has improvements over vintage such as synchromesh on 3rd and 4th gear. The conventional pedal box layout clutch on left / brake in middle. vintage use a central throttle pedal and brake on the right, you only mix them up once Although not all vintage used that layout, it was a time of exploring what worked best after all. Also many vintage used a gear change on the right of driver, post vintage is conventional layout.
Better electrics in post vintage and better cooling systems, a time when major improvements might appear year after year.
Driving experience is a matter of finding some countryside roads and leaving the hurry up I’m late
mentality behind. No rush and enjoy the drive along with all of the character that we learn to accept,
live with and ultimately enjoy. At that moment your hooked
In the end it’s a prism into the past, if you drive on those country roads. In normal hurly burly heavy traffic the experience can be stressful. I live in Suffolk and blessed with a huge choice of lovely roads suited to vintage and classic cars.

[spoodler]

That is lovely... the one I had was a bit modified (to say the least), but I'd love to try a standard example. 'Twas a surprisingly well appointed, quality and plush interior, and I loved my wind open windscreen.

[Mark A S]

OP, very nice, this one reminds me of the Ant hill mob

[aeropilot]

Mark A S said:

OP, very nice, this one reminds me of the Ant hill mob

Just needs the red circle with a white 7 on the rear door

[shirt]

That’s a very cool looking car and I would think a pleasant way to spend a Sunday.

If it’s not too rude a question, how much would something like this cost, and what would be a good ‘starter’ post vintage car?

[ettore]

I’m increasingly of the view that vintage, or pre-war motoring, may be the answer to weekend fun in these digital motoring days. Involving, engaging and you can drive them well, and hard, without disturbing anyone’s conscience.

Pre war Austin’s are well built and well served so are relatively painless (I grew up with them). I’d personally veer towards the more sporting motor but all are genuinely fun.

[crankedup]

Thank you for generous comments.
Talking about sporting ‘vintage’ I agree would be tremendous fun, stuff like Alvis would be good.
Good ‘starter’ post vintage imo certainly Austin, Morris both having great club support and a good choice of cars available, relatively speaking.
Austin 7 have always enjoyed huge support from plenty of clubs, I believe a ‘new’ Austin 7 was built
entirely from the parts bin. A good 7 can be purchased at £4000 to £20000 dependant upon model and condition.

[crankedup]

spoodler said:

That is lovely... the one I had was a bit modified (to say the least), but I'd love to try a standard example. 'Twas a surprisingly well appointed, quality and plush interior, and I loved my wind open windscreen.

There is a 16/6 in there somewhere I reckon having a drive of my car you might notice a distinct lack of forward motion. If I were to have a go in yours I would imagine the horizon approaching rather rapidly.

[crankedup]

crankedup said:

spoodler said:

That is lovely... the one I had was a bit modified (to say the least), but I'd love to try a standard example. 'Twas a surprisingly well appointed, quality and plush interior, and I loved my wind open windscreen.

There is a 16/6 in there somewhere I reckon having a drive of my car you might notice a distinct lack of forward motion. If I were to have a go in yours I would imagine the horizon approaching rather rapidly. No doubt we both enjoy our cars equally.

[Escort3500]

spoodler said:

That is lovely... the one I had was a bit modified (to say the least), but I'd love to try a standard example. 'Twas a surprisingly well appointed, quality and plush interior, and I loved my wind open windscreen.

I’m sure I remember this from the NASC Nationals at Great Leighs (or one of the other venues) many years ago? Is it still around?

[spoodler]

Cranked up - All joking apart. Other than the Jaguar engine, box and rear suspension, and the custom front suspension, mine was mostly standard 1936 16/6, even down to the original chassis. The detail on it was wonderful; from the huge "King of the road" headlamps, the lovely chunky bonnet catches, all the opening vents, wind out windscreen, turn handles on the doors, through the privacy blinds on the rear windows to the hinged no. plate and rear light that dropped down when the boot was open. I loved the little windscreen wipers that hinge from the top of the screen, tho' they did cause me a few problems driving home from the South Coast one Boxing Day. Each time a gust of wind caught them they would flip up and catch on the roof, the snow then piled up on the screen until I could no longer see and had to stop, get out and clear it by hand... made for a long journey home, but another adventure. Cars from this era (especially the bigger, more expensive models) are glorious things to own and look at, let alone drive. All the best with it.

Escort 3500 - It's been about, pretty much in this guise, since the late 1970s. It had been laid up for ages when I bought it and was in a bad state, but once back on the road I used it for all sorts - Wheels Day, Sherborne Supercars, Hot Rod Drags, Boxing Day and New Year's runs, even days out with a local classic club, trips to the shops and taking my sister to lunch on her birthday. The 4.2 expired one winter night and I replaced with a 2.8, but never did finish the job properly. Sold it a couple of years back and it's still showing as on the road, but I've not met anyone who has seen it recently.

[Escort3500]

spoodler said:

Cranked up - All joking apart. Other than the Jaguar engine, box and rear suspension, and the custom front suspension, mine was mostly standard 1936 16/6, even down to the original chassis. The detail on it was wonderful; from the huge "King of the road" headlamps, the lovely chunky bonnet catches, all the opening vents, wind out windscreen, turn handles on the doors, through the privacy blinds on the rear windows to the hinged no. plate and rear light that dropped down when the boot was open. I loved the little windscreen wipers that hinge from the top of the screen, tho' they did cause me a few problems driving home from the South Coast one Boxing Day. Each time a gust of wind caught them they would flip up and catch on the roof, the snow then piled up on the screen until I could no longer see and had to stop, get out and clear it by hand... made for a long journey home, but another adventure. Cars from this era (especially the bigger, more expensive models) are glorious things to own and look at, let alone drive. All the best with it.

Escort 3500 - It's been about, pretty much in this guise, since the late 1970s. It had been laid up for ages when I bought it and was in a bad state, but once back on the road I used it for all sorts - Wheels Day, Sherborne Supercars, Hot Rod Drags, Boxing Day and New Year's runs, even days out with a local classic club, trips to the shops and taking my sister to lunch on her birthday. The 4.2 expired one winter night and I replaced with a 2.8, but never did finish the job properly. Sold it a couple of years back and it's still showing as on the road, but I've not met anyone who has seen it recently.

Thanks. Always a bit sad when a rod (and indeed any old car) disappears from public view

[Riley Blue]

ettore said:

I’m increasingly of the view that vintage, or pre-war motoring, may be the answer to weekend fun in these digital motoring days. Involving, engaging and you can drive them well, and hard, without disturbing anyone’s conscience.

Pre war Austin’s are well built and well served so are relatively painless (I grew up with them). I’d personally veer towards the more sporting motor but all are genuinely fun.

I'd want to stretch your timeline a bit, certainly into the 1950s when cars were often developments of pre-war models and perhaps even to the early 60s, just prior to front wheel drive and transverse engines. By that time cars looked 'modern' but underneath you'd frequently find torsion bars, leaf springs, lever arm dampers, lack of second gear syncro and an engine that was developed from a pre-war design. The driving experience had not greatly changed, could be just as challenging yet was hugely enjoyable - and still is.

[ettore]

Riley Blue said:

I'd want to stretch your timeline a bit, certainly into the 1950s when cars were often developments of pre-war models and perhaps even to the early 60s, just prior to front wheel drive and transverse engines. By that time cars looked 'modern' but underneath you'd frequently find torsion bars, leaf springs, lever arm dampers, lack of second gear syncro and an engine that was developed from a pre-war design. The driving experience had not greatly changed, could be just as challenging yet was hugely enjoyable - and still is.

I don't disagree - have had an XK120, MkVIIM and a 356A, all of which have been great fun. Perhaps I'm just going more extreme!

[crankedup]

Was it the Mini design that brought through major changes in design concept to the road, I think it was back in 1959.

[aeropilot]

crankedup said:

Was it the Mini design that brought through major changes in design concept to the road, I think it was back in 1959.

Pretty much, along with the ADO16 (and the Rover 2000)........but most of the rest of the BMC stuff through into the 1970's was still pretty immediate post WW2 tech though, and in some ways, not even comparable to the slightly more modern stuff from Ford and Vauxhall etc through the 60's and into the 70's.

[Riley Blue]

crankedup said:

Was it the Mini design that brought through major changes in design concept to the road, I think it was back in 1959.

It was but it took a while before other manufacturers woke up and reacted.