What does your car say about you?

[SiC]

Standard 8/10 aren't exactly the prettiest thing either and no doubt didn't help their survival rate or love for them

[Scruffy Bodger]

My sister had CLINTS as her wedding car. I've driven it once and been in it on a jolly to a pub on a nice summers day. It does the job and I honestly don't think they are that bad. Yes it's a Pennant but they are not far removed.

Women fucking love it too, they all think its cute.

[angrydicky]

My mate came over from Rotherham to have a play with the Hampshire today. He came in his Ford Focus as he’s just had his P6 restored and couldn’t bring himself to get it out of the garage with snow forecast, I didn’t blame him really.
We borrowed my dads Hillman Minx and did about 40 miles in it going to get lunch. Lovely little thing, very charming and it’s made me realise how much I miss trundling around in classics. All I seem to do is work on them lately.
It looked great in the pay and display car park in town, completely dwarfed by the modern blobs.

[mercrocker]

I've never understood this continued berating of grey porridge motors. We all know they were largely limited in lifespan, ability, desirability and performance but fuck me most people in the 50s and 60s wouldn't have got near a car unless they had very enthusiastic and/or wealthy parents.

Folk who preserve and enjoy Minxes, Standards or Triumph Mayflowers impress me far more than those who go and buy plastic-painted E TypeJags on a whim....

[LynehamHerc]

We didn't have a car until 1972.

Our street had about 60 houses in it and only about half a dozen cars in the 60s of which one was a TV repairman or something similar. I think our 2 year old Viva HC was the 'best' there when we got it.

[FhakeConcern]

My dad had a Standard 10 as his first car, remember him telling me some differences to the 8 such as proper boot and chrome grill, can't remem,ber if there was anything else. Anyway he didn't keep it long and replaced it with a Westminster. I think this was about 1963 as he replaced the Westminster with a new B reg Mini.

[mercrocker]

We didn't have a car until 1972.

Our street had about 60 houses in it and only about half a dozen cars in the 60s of which one was a TV repairman or something similar. I think our 2 year old Viva HC was the 'best' there when we got it.

Pretty much my own experience....I was just out of Junior school when Dad bought the Minx. Our street of some 30 houses was, at that time, about 50 percent car owner. However the non-car section was predominantly elderly - many of whom would have learned to drive in the Services or retained Grandfather licences (with no driving test requirement). We were quite a way out in the sticks, mind, with a large progressive American employer dominating the workforce.

Even so most of the dozen cars in use in our road were variants of 100E Ford or Minx. And decidedly second-hand....

[JimH]

I've never understood this continued berating of grey porridge motors.

Why berate them? Because they were shit. We know that the Standard 8 was mostly designed the way it was to get the price as low as it could go. However, that does not mean they were cheap. According to Measuring Worth the launch price of £481 including taxes when related to income is worth £50,210 today so you are talking about a properly massive investment. That is an awful lot of money for a lashed together despairwagen.

Perhaps my thinking is that the truly memorable cars from the Model T through the Austin 7 and Fiat 500 to the Mini is that it is possible to believe they made people mobile - they offered opportunity. With cars like the 8 you feel there was a need (almost desperation) to be mobile again and the 8 was the Last Chance Saloon.

Should they be preserved? Of course they should if only to remind future generations just how bleak things were.

[LynehamHerc]

Bleak is very subjective, especially with the benefit of hindsight.

I feel that the saying "We were poor but we were happy" is appropriate here.

[JimH]

Does he look happy? Bollocks he does.

Look at the set of the jaw. That's the British stiff upper lip for you. He might not be able to grin and bear it but he is certainly not going to break down in tears sobbing about just how awful life is.



He is on the inside though.