Discussion
We have been having a bit of a clear out and I managed to come across a file of my father's containing Invoices for a large number of the cars he brought. So I have scanned them all in and have uploaded a few copies for your delight!!
Although not an invoice it is a letter from the Ministry of Transport.
The background to this briefly is we regularly had camping holidays in Europe, and my father was never to keen on using a roof rack. At one campsite we saw this french family with a one wheeled trailer which was attached to the rear of the car. There was an option to have a telescopic link. It turned out these trailers were made by a French company near Dijon so we stopped there, they tried various brackets to try and fit them to our Sunbeam Rapier. Turned out the brackets which fitted were for a Simca. My Father decided to order one and after a few weeks it duly arrived in the UK. The following letter was in response to a letter my Father wrote to find out what restictions applied!
Incidentally the company is still going, though I don't think doing one wheeled trailers, if you go down to your local Halfords you will find most of the trailers they see are from this company Erde.
Also worth noting is the price of petrol at 4/9 a gallon on the first two invoices and they being dated about a year apart!
I can load more if the interest is there!
Robert
Although not an invoice it is a letter from the Ministry of Transport.
The background to this briefly is we regularly had camping holidays in Europe, and my father was never to keen on using a roof rack. At one campsite we saw this french family with a one wheeled trailer which was attached to the rear of the car. There was an option to have a telescopic link. It turned out these trailers were made by a French company near Dijon so we stopped there, they tried various brackets to try and fit them to our Sunbeam Rapier. Turned out the brackets which fitted were for a Simca. My Father decided to order one and after a few weeks it duly arrived in the UK. The following letter was in response to a letter my Father wrote to find out what restictions applied!
Incidentally the company is still going, though I don't think doing one wheeled trailers, if you go down to your local Halfords you will find most of the trailers they see are from this company Erde.
Also worth noting is the price of petrol at 4/9 a gallon on the first two invoices and they being dated about a year apart!
I can load more if the interest is there!
Robert
Edited by Robert C on Tuesday 5th April 23:49
Edited by Robert C on Tuesday 5th April 23:52
What a great find,well done.Reminds me of my first job in a Rootes Group Dealer,a Sunbeam Rapier was the first car I ever drove on my own after passing my test.Just compare the prices!!less than £2.50 for 10 gallons of petrol!!makes you cry. The only way to really compare then and now is earnings.The total cost of the Rapier would I think be two years wages for the average man?? and look at the purchase tax,50% on the Rapier,I`m not sure how that comperes to-day.Any more invoices or adverts chaps?? send them in we love nostalgia.
Some more for you
The above invoice is for a new VW van, which my Father purchased to convert into a motor caravan. I have to say he did a really good job.
The next invoice is for a Renault Dauphine which was brought second hand from the VW dealers to use as a run around whilst working on the VW.
This particular car had a somewhat chequered life in our hands as I learnt to drive on it.
I shall recount some of the adventures we had with it!
Shortly after getting the car it starting missing so my father contacted the VW dealers who sold it to him, they said we don't know anything about these cars take it to a Renault dealer and ask them to do what's necessary. Duly we went into the Renault dealer and said it's missing and Colbourne (who we brought the car from) said do what is needed. Yes Sir we have heard that before! they phoned and and approval was given. So a week later we picked the car up and was told to run it in like new, as it had been given new pistons, new wet liners etc. My father had to go back to the VW garage for some bits for the van and bumped in to the salesman, who asked how was the Renault was going, excellent said my Father, "Bloody well think it should be the amount of money it cost us" the Salesman grumbled.
Whilst at the traffic lights on the A31 in Farnham, the timing chain/mechanism went. My father had my brother in the car with him and they pushed it to the side of the road. They walked round to the Renault dealer in Farnham and said the car has expired at the traffic lights can you pick it up and bring it in. They got another car out and started to tow it in. My brother went in the tow car and my father in the passenger seat of the Dauphine. I should say here the Renault was a little a head of its time in the it had a steering lock. All of a sudden the Dauphine steering locked the mechanic started shoutting at his mate in the other car to stop. Not a lot of use both had the windows up, although they were going slowly and had a long tow rope, the Renault went nicely into a lamp post, right in the centre of the bonnet. Net result was the timing was fixed and the car gained a new front end.
The clutch went, and we got the Farnham Renault dealer to tow it in, they had strict instructions about the steering lock!
If I recall properly the wings were only bolted on, reversing it out of our garage I manged to reshape the drivers side wing, down to the scrap yard for a new wing!
I can't quite recall how long we had the car, apart from these episodes it went well and still have fondness for them.
My Father sold to a friend of mine, who with some other went all the way to Portugal in it, didn't miss a beat.
Robert
The above invoice is for a new VW van, which my Father purchased to convert into a motor caravan. I have to say he did a really good job.
The next invoice is for a Renault Dauphine which was brought second hand from the VW dealers to use as a run around whilst working on the VW.
This particular car had a somewhat chequered life in our hands as I learnt to drive on it.
I shall recount some of the adventures we had with it!
Shortly after getting the car it starting missing so my father contacted the VW dealers who sold it to him, they said we don't know anything about these cars take it to a Renault dealer and ask them to do what's necessary. Duly we went into the Renault dealer and said it's missing and Colbourne (who we brought the car from) said do what is needed. Yes Sir we have heard that before! they phoned and and approval was given. So a week later we picked the car up and was told to run it in like new, as it had been given new pistons, new wet liners etc. My father had to go back to the VW garage for some bits for the van and bumped in to the salesman, who asked how was the Renault was going, excellent said my Father, "Bloody well think it should be the amount of money it cost us" the Salesman grumbled.
Whilst at the traffic lights on the A31 in Farnham, the timing chain/mechanism went. My father had my brother in the car with him and they pushed it to the side of the road. They walked round to the Renault dealer in Farnham and said the car has expired at the traffic lights can you pick it up and bring it in. They got another car out and started to tow it in. My brother went in the tow car and my father in the passenger seat of the Dauphine. I should say here the Renault was a little a head of its time in the it had a steering lock. All of a sudden the Dauphine steering locked the mechanic started shoutting at his mate in the other car to stop. Not a lot of use both had the windows up, although they were going slowly and had a long tow rope, the Renault went nicely into a lamp post, right in the centre of the bonnet. Net result was the timing was fixed and the car gained a new front end.
The clutch went, and we got the Farnham Renault dealer to tow it in, they had strict instructions about the steering lock!
If I recall properly the wings were only bolted on, reversing it out of our garage I manged to reshape the drivers side wing, down to the scrap yard for a new wing!
I can't quite recall how long we had the car, apart from these episodes it went well and still have fondness for them.
My Father sold to a friend of mine, who with some other went all the way to Portugal in it, didn't miss a beat.
Robert
Edited by Robert C on Saturday 9th April 11:09
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