Some interesting vehicles caught my eye while Moni and I were out and about in West Ealing. Classic cars are more common in Britain than Poland, where the old car scene is mainly about preserving old east European and West German marques. Brits, having greater disposable incomes than Poles, will be more tempted to splash out on vintage tin.
Above: This - is an automobile. 1950 or '51 Chrysler Club Coupe, parked on Hastings Road, W13. I remember as far ago as the early 1980s, there would always be a huge 1950s American car parked here; a beautiful Cadillac or Lincoln... (wait, I'll search my archives...) Ah yes, here we are... 1983 or thereabouts.
Below: 1957 Cadillac on Hastings Road.
Good to see consistency here! Over a quarter of a century of keeping these wonderful old vehicles on the road, this guy is performing a valuable service to automobile history.
Left: A 1965 VW Beetle outside Oaklands Primary School, on Oaklands Road, Hanwell W7, which I attended from 1962 to 1969. The Beetle was a rare example of a foreign-built vehicle which achieved significant sales in the UK before Britain joined the Common Market (as the EU was called in those days). French, German or Italian cars were an unusual sight on Britain's roads due to high import tariffs.
Above: Citroen 2CV, parked on The Avenue, W13. Back in 1986, when this particular example was built (judging from the number plate), I got close to buying a new one from a Citroen dealer. The car would soon be out of production, and I had a sentimental thing about the 2CV from my childhood French summer holidays. The car I test drove had six miles on the clock. As I steer her slow out of the lot for a test drive down Greenford Avenue, the indicator stalk falls off in my hand. With build quality as execrable as this, I pass on it; the first new car of my life would be a Renault 5 (hardly better in this respect!).
Above: This - is an automobile. 1950 or '51 Chrysler Club Coupe, parked on Hastings Road, W13. I remember as far ago as the early 1980s, there would always be a huge 1950s American car parked here; a beautiful Cadillac or Lincoln... (wait, I'll search my archives...) Ah yes, here we are... 1983 or thereabouts. Below: 1957 Cadillac on Hastings Road.
Good to see consistency here! Over a quarter of a century of keeping these wonderful old vehicles on the road, this guy is performing a valuable service to automobile history.
Left: A 1965 VW Beetle outside Oaklands Primary School, on Oaklands Road, Hanwell W7, which I attended from 1962 to 1969. The Beetle was a rare example of a foreign-built vehicle which achieved significant sales in the UK before Britain joined the Common Market (as the EU was called in those days). French, German or Italian cars were an unusual sight on Britain's roads due to high import tariffs.
Above: Citroen 2CV, parked on The Avenue, W13. Back in 1986, when this particular example was built (judging from the number plate), I got close to buying a new one from a Citroen dealer. The car would soon be out of production, and I had a sentimental thing about the 2CV from my childhood French summer holidays. The car I test drove had six miles on the clock. As I steer her slow out of the lot for a test drive down Greenford Avenue, the indicator stalk falls off in my hand. With build quality as execrable as this, I pass on it; the first new car of my life would be a Renault 5 (hardly better in this respect!).
Lovely cars! Glad to see you back again, hope you had a good time in England!
ReplyDeleteWhoah! That is a very cool Citroen 2CV! It resembles a mini truck but this one looks hip! Well, it would be a pleasure to drive one of these vehicles, especially that old Beetle. It is like driving a piece of history.
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