The BL 18/22 Princess is 50!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Launched March 26th 1975.

[Hooli]

One car that hasn't improved with age, but everything else is so much uglier that it does appear to have done so.

[mercrocker]

They, and the Ambassador, were a decent drive back in the day. I would quite like one now actually........

[slowanimals]

I had the loan of a mate's 2200 HLS about fifteen years ago for a couple of weeks when I was between cars and remember being pleasantly surprised at how competent it was. Supremely comfortable and entirely capable of handling my hundred mile a day commute. I didn't expect it to cruise quite as well as it did with the four speed box.
Mind you,the chap who owned it had had lots of them and even he was of the opinion that you either got a good one or you didn't,there wasn't any middle ground.

[bub2006]

An old acquaintance had a 2200 HLS many years ago and his claim to fame was bombing down the A610 towards Nottingham and getting pulled over. Copper asked if squadron leader was having issues taking off.
When I was a nipper we didn't have much money and most of my dad's bangers back then are worth a pretty penny now. He always had larger cars for towing caravans like SD1,granadas and a few princess and ambassadors.
We went to vauxhall holiday park with a white ambassador 2.0 and my grandad was in a 5 or 6 year old A plate Sierra GL 2.0 with a caravan on the back. My dad pulled up somewhere topside of kings Lynn and waited for grandad who's Sierra had blown a gasket. Grandad turned up in a cloud of smoke so dad took his van to Yarmouth,came back fetched grandads van then came back again to tow the Sierra in. Dad and grandad had to sort out the engine while they were on holiday. Think that was grandads last towing holiday as the Sierra was sold not long after and replaced by a G plate volvo 340 variomatic. The Sierra was bought as a replacement for his commer camper grandad didn't like which in turn replaced his granada and caravan he regretted selling for the god awful conmer ( his words!)
A bit off topic but never mind.

[mercrocker]

I drove Ambassadors as new company cars but the nicest Wedge I remember was a trader mate's briefly owned Special Six. Even in the early 1990s when this car was 20 years old there was absolutely no problem moving it on, in hindsight as with so many other cars, definitely one that should have been kept.....

[slowanimals]

Somewhere here I've got an issue of Popular Classics containing an article about a chap with about fifteen or so parked in his garden. This only springs to mind after Mr Rocker mentioned the Special Six as this chap had a couple and I'd never heard of them before.

[mercrocker]

Couple? That's greedy! Think they only made a few hundred and according to my mate they were only allocated to dealers in figures of 2 or 3. Really do wish there were big smooth saloons like this still readily available, I started thinking about replacing the Focus recently and all I can come up with is a Mk3 Mondeo or an Omega and only one of those seems to be available in any reasonable number. I discount stuff like Mercs or BMs as most of the ones I can afford are crap.

[slowanimals]

Really do wish there were big smooth saloons like this still readily available, I started thinking about replacing the Focus recently and all I can come up with is a Mk3 Mondeo or an Omega and only one of those seems to be available in any reasonable number. I discount stuff like Mercs or BMs as most of the ones I can afford are crap.

And there,in a nutshell,is why I'm still happily using a Volvo 740 after ten years. I haven't even seen an Omega for a couple of years..
I reckon that magazine with the article about the Wedge collector might be in the loft, will have a look when I'm home and fed later on.

[bub2006]

Couple? That's greedy! Think they only made a few hundred and according to my mate they were only allocated to dealers in figures of 2 or 3. Really do wish there were big smooth saloons like this still readily available, I started thinking about replacing the Focus recently and all I can come up with is a Mk3 Mondeo or an Omega and only one of those seems to be available in any reasonable number. I discount stuff like Mercs or BMs as most of the ones I can afford are crap.

After fun and games with the mazda derived duratec 2.0 mondeo I had and the common issue with the pcv valve which entails complete inlet removal as well as the swirl flaps issue I wouldn't bother. Also the subframe removal to change a clutch on the manual. The auto,even though it's got more power than our focus blacktop zetec is just as slow. The 4f27e auto gearbox is a nice box though. Smooth and responsive for an old slushbox. Well our focus is at least.