Mystery over pristine 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE discovered
Discussion
From the Telegraph
With just over 80 miles on the clock and not a sign of any rust on its pristine bodywork, a 50-year-old Vauxhall Victor FE is at the centre of a motoring mystery.
The classic motor was bought by The Great British Car Journey in Ambergate, Derbyshire, but has stumped the museum’s experts about exactly why the olive green car has been preserved so lovingly.
“If the name of Mr Milner or the car description rings any bells, please get in touch with us as we would love to solve the puzzle of this mystery car.”
With just over 80 miles on the clock and not a sign of any rust on its pristine bodywork, a 50-year-old Vauxhall Victor FE is at the centre of a motoring mystery.
The classic motor was bought by The Great British Car Journey in Ambergate, Derbyshire, but has stumped the museum’s experts about exactly why the olive green car has been preserved so lovingly.
“If the name of Mr Milner or the car description rings any bells, please get in touch with us as we would love to solve the puzzle of this mystery car.”
Edited by HaveYouSeenRich on Wednesday 8th February 10:07
Moderator edit: no posting of copyright material please
I’m always fascinated when cars like this come onto the market. The more mundane the car the more I’m interested. Who buys a relatively boring car and preserves it. It would be like buying a Qashqai now and sticking it in a garage in storage. I love watching the Late Brake Show barn find videos and seeing these oddities being unearthed.
It is strange, but suspect Mr Milner had some mental health issues perhaps ? maybe this is some kind of OCD ?
You see folk who are into concourse competitions, or attending car shows with say a Sierra Cosworth, which is utterly as new, except for the fact the underside has been detailed and chromed in various places. That to me just smacks of some kind of Obsessive behavior, but they arent doing anyone any harm and if it makes them happy then thats all that matters.
Its like trying to keep something perfect in an imperfect world, its largely not possible, everything is out to damage, corrode or dirty this pristine item you have paid lots of money for, so can see how some want to cherish something.
Might just have realised he bought a Vauxhall and couldnt quite bring himself to use it ? Only joking ! I am not an anti Vauxhall snob and have always been partial to this model and Vauxhalls rather confusing way of giving ostensibly the same car several different names, i.e. for this it was a Victor, VX1800, VX2300, Ventora or a VX4/90 ! Or the smaller model was either a Viva, Magnum or Firenza, Firenza if it was a coupe, but you could get a Magnum Coupe, or Saloon/Estate, think there was a Viva Coupe as well at one point.
You see folk who are into concourse competitions, or attending car shows with say a Sierra Cosworth, which is utterly as new, except for the fact the underside has been detailed and chromed in various places. That to me just smacks of some kind of Obsessive behavior, but they arent doing anyone any harm and if it makes them happy then thats all that matters.
Its like trying to keep something perfect in an imperfect world, its largely not possible, everything is out to damage, corrode or dirty this pristine item you have paid lots of money for, so can see how some want to cherish something.
Might just have realised he bought a Vauxhall and couldnt quite bring himself to use it ? Only joking ! I am not an anti Vauxhall snob and have always been partial to this model and Vauxhalls rather confusing way of giving ostensibly the same car several different names, i.e. for this it was a Victor, VX1800, VX2300, Ventora or a VX4/90 ! Or the smaller model was either a Viva, Magnum or Firenza, Firenza if it was a coupe, but you could get a Magnum Coupe, or Saloon/Estate, think there was a Viva Coupe as well at one point.
J4CKO said:
It is strange, but suspect Mr Milner had some mental health issues perhaps ? maybe this is some kind of OCD ?
Probably this or similar, & each to their own - the Eccentric is something to be celebrated IMO & they definitely make the world a more interesting place. Who remember the bloke on DetailingWorld wanting to reject his Astra because it had some factory check marks on some steel panels in the interior
Maybe he was some sort of EU-fearing Doc Brown character who, unhappy with the UK's entry into the EEC a year earlier, planned to make a time machine and travel to a time when it had settled down, but miscalculated the input to the flux capacitor and ended up in 2023. Realising we had left again, he probably died of shock when he saw that all he had left was an old Vauxhall Victor.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
there's a lot of planning and pre meditation in that barn find. I suspect the owner just wanted an epitaph or a legacy for people to find long after he died. He clearly had no intention of using it post purchase.
Maybe the poor guy wanted buried in it, but someone forgot to read the memo!Chubbyross said:
I’m always fascinated when cars like this come onto the market. The more mundane the car the more I’m interested. Who buys a relatively boring car and preserves it. It would be like buying a Qashqai now and sticking it in a garage in storage. I love watching the Late Brake Show barn find videos and seeing these oddities being unearthed.
Reminds me of a guy at work long time ago, about 40 years or so...He had a DAF car and placed it in his new large shed in the attic with a crane and then built the roof.
So if he ever had to take that DAF off, he would have to take the roof off that shed, otherwise you can't take that car off, he told me 40 years ago, it will be worth a lot later... but still now still not worth much, all that space all that fuss for?
I’ve a friend (ex customer) who bought a new Fiesta in 2002 for his wife. They went through a messy divorce and it sat in the garage.
In the end he moved it into his new build house and it sits in “reception” (it’s massive!). He calls it “Liz” his ex wife’s name. She knows and it winds her up, which was his plan.
It’s got maybe a couple of hundred miles on the odo but can’t be moved unless they dismantle the house.
It’s very odd. Beautiful neo house. Expensive cars out side and ornate entrance and you’re greeted by a lime green Fiesta!
In the end he moved it into his new build house and it sits in “reception” (it’s massive!). He calls it “Liz” his ex wife’s name. She knows and it winds her up, which was his plan.
It’s got maybe a couple of hundred miles on the odo but can’t be moved unless they dismantle the house.
It’s very odd. Beautiful neo house. Expensive cars out side and ornate entrance and you’re greeted by a lime green Fiesta!
Quite often cars like this are left as a result of a bereavement, or family dispute. Our next door neighbour at our first house kept her late husband's Truimph Toledo in mint condition, had a neighbour MOT it every year, and couldn't drive herself.
She couldn't bring herself to part with it.
There's usually an emotional type of story attached to them.
She couldn't bring herself to part with it.
There's usually an emotional type of story attached to them.
J4CKO said:
It is strange, but suspect Mr Milner had some mental health issues perhaps ? maybe this is some kind of OCD ?
Could be any number of reasons, ill health, accident, death of a loved one and no intention to sell. As the posts above detail, there must be loads out there and not just cars-loads of stuff just squirrelled away.Loads of sad ones too, kids bedrooms left untouched when they've passed away or gone missing-I recall a TV show where the parents of a kid gone missing at Christmas got the unopened presents out each year just in case-heartbreaking.
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