British Cars

[shanered6]

My first car was a mini van with a 1275 motor in it a great little car and my second car was a marina van and then a mk3 escort van .... i worked as a forester and chainsaw operator for 20 years so vans were a must !

[Taniwha]

I used to have a Corgi model of the rally Hunter, blue and white (I think, might have been blue with black bonnet) with a tool box and spare wheels on the roof. Not sure why Corgi made this version, did it win a championship or something?

If its the one I think it is, Rootes group won the 68 London to Sydney Marathon in a Hillman Hunter.

[MarkN]

I used to have a Corgi model of the rally Hunter, blue and white (I think, might have been blue with black bonnet) with a tool box and spare wheels on the roof. Not sure why Corgi made this version, did it win a championship or something?

If its the one I think it is, Rootes group won the 68 London to Sydney Marathon in a Hillman Hunter.

That's the one, I'd forgotten that name. My Dad's Hunter was the 1500cc model not the better 1750 version in a colour called Prairie Wind which in reality was dog shit beige!   

[Kiwifruit]

Top of the class Taniwha well done.
Hard to believe a Hillman Hunter got that far.

[gsxbarmy]

My father always had Hillmans - who can remember them? The last ones he had were a Hunter,

I used to have a Corgi model of the rally Hunter, blue and white (I think, might have been blue with black bonnet) with a tool box and spare wheels on the roof. Not sure why Corgi made this version, did it win a championship or something?

One of my first cars was a Hillman HUnter 1725cc - loved the car but a real rust bucket! But yes, the Hunter did win the London to Sydney rally in 1968 using a Coventry Climax engine and driven by Andrew Cowan - and again in 2000, victors Freddie and Janet Giles drove a Hillman Hunter of similar spec to the 1968 London-Sydney winner, finishing 26min ahead of Nigel and Paula Broderick's Mercedes 250SL in the world's longest rally ever, completing the 21,000-mile "Around the World in 80 Days" event in July of that year.  The rally took competitors through Istanbul, Azerbaijan, Samarkand and the Gobi desert across China, before jumping to Alaska, Canada, and New York. An Antonov air-freighter carried cars and crews to Morocco for the last leg north.

So did it win a championship or something - errrr, yes!

[Taniwha]

Top of the class Taniwha well done.
Hard to believe a Hillman Hunter got that far.

Don't tell anyone, but I had a '72 Holbay Hunter when I first got my licence. Was good for 100mph. Handled acceptabley too.

[Tony Nitrous]

Austin 1300GT's.

A truely awful car and I loved them. Hydro-spastic suspension, bodywork that rotted at an alarming rate, a true old mans embarrassing car.

But...... the twin carb 1300cc BMC A-Series engine dropped straight into an old Mini 850 or 1000 and made them a much more interesting drive, especially when your 850 had drum brakes all round.

[grog]

My first car was 1955 Hillman Minx. Cost $60. It was unreal car. Lime green and called Herbie. First ohv model. 1974 we drove a 1960 Minx from Dampier to Mt Tom Price, WA, temps up in 40s. Never missed a beat. It broke down near Dampier later on, left for a few days, the local indiginous had stripped when we went back to get it. Lovely seats for sitting around camp fire i guess.

[Irish in Oz]

Never owned a British car only had a Vauxhall.

[KiwiCol]

My first car was a Hillman Avenger. 1500cc, blue with white vinyl seats & trim. Mrs (at the time) was sick of going out on the bike, freezing & getting all 'messed up' when we were going out somewhere.  Sold me bike & brought a car - should of kept the bike & got rid of her, ya live n learn though.

[Irish in Oz]

I started riding licenced motorcycles on the road in 1976, I didn't get my car licence until 1985 bought a Vauxhall and gave it to my girlfriend to take me to and home from the pub.

[Kiwifruit]

My first car was a Hillman Avenger. 1500cc, blue with white vinyl seats & trim. Mrs (at the time) was sick of going out on the bike, freezing & getting all 'messed up' when we were going out somewhere.  Sold me bike & brought a car - should of kept the bike & got rid of her, ya live n learn though.



So the blue and white fetish started some years ago Col........ 

[Globalrider]

My first was a mini in 1969 - had 10 there after including Coopers and Ss' Great fun! bombing around the Black Mountains in Wales! Drove the piss out of them. Graduated to MGCs had 8 of them still have 3 and the first one I bought in '74 - she's in the garage resting right now! Love that 6 cylinder!

[Mick_J]

My first car was a mini which I bought in the spring of 1977, all my "expert" mates suggested I spent a bit of time on it in the summer months to do it up a little so it's ready for winter as I still had my bike for transport.  So I started but when I removed bits to clean up I found more behind it so all I eventually did was strip it, and scrap it.  I then bought a Ford Zodiac Mk3 which I had for two years, it was a brilliant car but bloody thirsty.

[Tony Nitrous]

"When i were a lad....."


850 out,  1300GT in....