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I remember the number plate being on the Corniche I did lots ofJensens they were a nice motor good bird puller I was working on one in the showroom and when I turned round there was a woman standing

Not really relevant to this thread but to those who know about my ordeal with my first car, Pixie, the C3. She was bought from me on Tues for £150. I didn't want anything for it other than to no longe

I had a thames camper in the sixties me and my mate put a four speed gearbox in had the same problem we put a separate lever in between the drivers legs You had to make sure you were in neutral before

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Defence of English Merchant Shipping, Oz.  Risky, as he could have ended up on the Arctic convoys but instead he spent most of the war in tropical climes. Plenty to eat, tropical kit and saw the world. His war was pretty cushy.

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Your Dad sounds quite a man Jill..........always admire those that have sailed the world for a living or in Wartime......My Grandad sailed in Atlantic convoys in first world war......and one of my sons is currently in the Pacific working on board a merchant ship......just told me wont be home till after Xmas.................

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Like many others. Ben, dad saw it as a big adventure. He was born in Beeston and had never left it until he was conscripted.  He often spoke of the boys he went to school with and who weren't as fortunate as himself. When the war was over, they didn't come back. Although he would never have said so, I think he found that difficult to cope with.

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Jeff Leadley of Leadley cars unfortunately died after a car crash at Thruxton. I used to know him when he lived at Colton Bassett and attended West Bridgford College. Lovely guy.

 

Also, my cousin Howard Duke owned Fine Cars  near the Futurist cinema.

 

Mrs B

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When I was in the Cubs, around 1960 ish, I had a lad in my 'Six', called Le Marinel. I don't recall his first name. His parents had a very nice house called 'The Poplars', which was on Edwards Lane, last house on the right before the (long closed) Leen Valley Railway, as you head towards Valley Road.  Their garden actually backed onto the railway.

Anyway, as I recall, young Le Marinel's Dad owned a garage, or car dealership.  I have it in my head that it was on Hucknall Road, on the left, just between Perry Road and Hill Crest Grove, heading towards the city. It may even have been called Hill Crest Garage, or I may be getting mixed up with something later.

Anybody else recall?

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The HIll Crest Garage has been various businesses since car sales.

There used to be a Social club upstairs.

 

I think the cars sales was called Le Marinel and the servicing Hillcrest

 

 

Building is still there, just on the left after Perry Rd City bound

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9832634,-1.1580854,3a,75y,102.31h,87.41t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqs5wFNhkHWPPv51j4KvqaQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

 

Hillcrest were still around the back till a few years ago.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9829841,-1.1572399,3a,75y,313.52h,86.4t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sy1D9y3jQzSbwPjjIsI75EQ!2e0!5s20140901T000000!7i13312!8i6656

 

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On 9/9/2015 at 9:12 PM, LizzieM said:

I'd never even heard of Simca until I came across this advert.

 

On 9/9/2015 at 10:05 PM, NewBasfordlad said:

^^^^^^^^^^French junk!!

 

Just came across these ancient posts from way back.  I think 'Junk' is  little unfair.  Simcas rotted faster than tomatoes, but then so did many cars back then. 

 

The Simca 1100 will always be the first ever front wheel drive, transverse engined five door car with fully reclining seats. In other words..the first modern hatchback. Also, the engine, although very 'tappety', was all but unbreakable.

So the concept was briliant and has been much copied since, although frankly, in rather less porous bodywork.

 

The 1100, which also came in bigger engined versions, was cheap to pick up on the s/h market, and since I spent the first 25 years of my married life in abject poverty, I had a number of them.

They were very useful for sleeping in on weekend caving trips and when they got too rusty I just got another.

 

As for the Capri. Does anyone remember Ford's short lived first Capri? Unless I've made this up, it was launched in the early 60s alongside the Classic, and others ...(Consul?..Corsair? )

 

Article here about the original Ford Capri.

https://www.lancasterinsurance.co.uk/news/2017/may/24/the-original-ford-capri/

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I went in the Social Club once, with a mate, around 1970

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I had a 3 litre Capri Ghia, white with black vinyl roof, in around 1974. It ran out of fuel on its first long journey at a dangerous bend on the very steep hill out of Lynton in Devon due to a faulty gauge. I got a lift in a passing car back to the nearest garage to get a can a petrol whilst my girlfriend was left to direct the heavy holiday traffic! She wasn’t best pleased.

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I recall driving down that hill in 1976, in my Gold coloured Simca 1100.  Another thing I forgot to mention about the Simcas were their superb front brakes.  none of yer floating caliper rubbish which seems universal now.  These had a rigid caliper and two pistons, which made for very firm braking indeed.

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18 minutes ago, Rob.L said:


Same colour scheme as my Anglia 105E. Although that had added rust.

My (First car) 105e was Light Blue / white, also with added rust, but not enough to fail the "hit the chassis with a hammer MOT Test" of the time.

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My dad had a friend who sold second hand cars from a place in West Bridgford, somewhere opposite where Asda is. It was a sort of double fronted shop which must have had large openings to get cars in plus they were lined up outside. His name was Derek Bowmer I think. Very smart and well dressed with a neat full beard and well spoken but I rather think he was a bit Arfer Dailey. No idea what his plot was called. I very nearly bought a Wolsey from him. A big beige saloon like the police used. My dad scotched that so I got a Triumph Spitfire from him instead. It had an aftermarket fibreglass whole front end with headlights moulded in reminiscent of an e-type. That was the only part that wasn’t rotten but I thought I was the bees knees in it. Fell apart, literally when the seat belt fell through a whole in the floor and the back wheel caught it and ripped a chunk of floor away. 

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14 minutes ago, letsavagoo said:

My dad had a friend who sold second hand cars from a place in West Bridgford, somewhere opposite where Asda is. 

 

Could that have been Clock Tower Cars ? They were originally near Huntingdon Street at the back of Victoria Centre (hence Clock Tower), but they later moved to the corner of Eton Road/Loughborough Road...so almost opposite ASDA.   

 

Here, but the buildings have all been demolished/changed since those days.   https://goo.gl/maps/huXJz64eu6s33dKu5

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No CT. I don’t think so. It was a very long time ago and I didn’t go often but it may well have been along here in one of these. Close to your street view. 

https://www.instantstreetview.com/@52.922801,-1.135821,10.04h,-32.94p,0.18z,lTOT1NiPkZ7TyBO-jPXJFQ 
I’m sure it had a mock Tudor front above.

I suppose clock Tower may have been mock Tudor but I don’t recall it being on a corner. More like a row of shops.

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6 hours ago, MRS B said:

Jeff Leadley of Leadley cars unfortunately died after a car crash at Thruxton. I used to know him when he lived at Colton Bassett and attended West Bridgford College. Lovely guy.

 

 

I don't suppose his dad was a G.P.? When we lived in Langar, one of G.P's in Cropwell Bishop was Dr Leadley. Not a million miles from Colston Bassett.

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4 hours ago, letsavagoo said:

I’m sure it had a mock Tudor front above.   I suppose clock Tower may have been mock Tudor but I don’t recall it being on a corner. More like a row of shops.

 

Finding a photo of the Clock Tower building in WB in those days is probably impossible, and I can't remember it clearly enough. I actually bought a car from there (Opel Manta) in the early 80s, so I know I'm not dreaming.

 

If there was another car dealers just along the road, I don't remember it.

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