First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (or Arse)

[mercrocker]

Dragging up all those motoring press memories reminded me of an incident in my schooldays (no, not the bogbrush one) when I was waiting for a mate outside the newsagent - the one that sold you fags. Something I took to be an Alfasud (I'd never seen one of those) drove by and turned off towards the oil refinery, out of the village. I caught sight of the bootlid badge which looked indeed to say "Alfasud".

It wasn't until several weeks, probably a couple of months, later that I realised I had seen an Austin Allegro when the car was announced in the press, by which time I had also encountered an actual Alfasud so knew it wasn't one of those. What it was doing undulating around our backwater I don't know - like our local cinema you didn't get to see new stuff until it had been made for a while, never mind a pre-release.

I can't recall ever seeing another Scoop except when I passed Dagenham one day as an unfamiliar-shape Fiesta darted out of an exit gate.

[Hooli]

I'm not sure it's the first time I saw one, but the most memorable time I saw a 1920s Bentley was when one thundered out the outside lane of the M25 at silly an hour (must have been well over a ton) in the rain & the traffic scattering in front of it as some nutter in goggles & big coat enjoyed himself.

[Warren t claim]

I had a decent sparring session with a Jaguar test driver who was in a pre production 3.0 X Type.

I was on a 1997 GSXR600 and that guy REALLY knew how to drive!

[mercrocker]

It was some years after the Marcos Mantis made its debut that I actually saw one. Well, not just one - three or four. There must have been a Club do at Beaulieu as they were coming that way. God, they're ugly. Long and ugly. Wide and ugly. And the ugly face doesn't match the ugly arse.

Another Marcos that looked infinitely better as a Corgi Toy.

[LynehamHerc]

I've only seen them in pictures but what a come down after the Volvo 3 litre ones that Jonathan Palmer used to race.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Dragging up all those motoring press memories reminded me of an incident in my schooldays (no, not the bogbrush one) when I was waiting for a mate outside the newsagent - the one that sold you fags. Something I took to be an Alfasud (I'd never seen one of those) drove by and turned off towards the oil refinery, out of the village. I caught sight of the bootlid badge which looked indeed to say "Alfasud".

It wasn't until several weeks, probably a couple of months, later that I realised I had seen an Austin Allegro when the car was announced in the press, by which time I had also encountered an actual Alfasud so knew it wasn't one of those. What it was doing undulating around our backwater I don't know - like our local cinema you didn't get to see new stuff until it had been made for a while, never mind a pre-release.

I can't recall ever seeing another Scoop except when I passed Dagenham one day as an unfamiliar-shape Fiesta darted out of an exit gate.

Oh my God, I thought I was the only person ever to think an Allegro was an Alfasud, I’ve kept this shameful story secret, until now.
My Grandmother lived near Birmingham and when staying with her I walked to the shop past a white “ Alfasud “ on a drive, it was the first one I’d ever seen in real life and the badge on the back had black tape over it.
When my Dad picked me up I mentioned it to him and we drove home past it as I was so excited ( I was 10) on seeing the house he laughed and said “ I went to school with him, he works at The Austin, that must be the new 1100” Thing is I was even more excited having seen a secret new car. If only I’d known.

[mercrocker]

This one was white, too, funny enough....

[Warren t claim]

It's amazing how the Alfasud looks so much better than the Allegro with such similar lines and proportions. The same could be said of the Mk1 Rover 800 and Alfa 164.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The Peugeot 605 was better than either.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

On holiday in France in 1978, we saw the new Chrysler Horizon (Simca) before UK launch. The year before, the new (original) 7 Series and the Alfa Giulietta. The E23 had just been launched here but you never saw one for a year or so until they sold a few. The Alfa arrived here late 77 or early 78.