The news that the Vauxhall factory in Luton is expected to close will sadden many readers. The time when cars such as this 1961 Victor F-Type Estate departed the plant seems utterly distant.
Some years ago, I described the Mk. X in The Telegraph as: “the last really louche Jaguar; a link to a lost world of chorus girls, black market gin and looking out for a police Wolseley in the rear-view mirror”.
It is early 1975, and the two highlights of the week are The Goodies on BBC2 and the parental copy of Motor. And, if my memory is correct, it was in the latter I saw an advertisement for a car that epitomised style and glamour and would not be prone to breaking down on the A27.
Put simply, without clubs, the classic car movement would be unrecognisable. It is via the work of volunteers who give their time, expertise, and drive that so many vehicles have been preserved, as well as the legacy of countless brands.
We decided to found the group at a time when the traditional club structure was based primarily around ‘one make/model’, and we saw a gap in the classic car scene for the overall genre of vehicles that we cover.
Such is the 124’s fame as one of the world’s most popular car platforms that the original Fiat version is sometimes in danger of being forgotten.
The Squire belonged to my late father, who rescued it from a local scrapyard as the original owner had passed away, and his grandson inherited it. He sent this car and four old Vauxhalls to the scrapyard.
Watching old television programmes can give a very distorted view of the 1970s. Not everyone is dressed in the latest Kings Road fashions, not all men had the wardrobe and hairstyle of Roger Moore in The Persauders!
Stephen Bradbury is the proud owner of one of the most exclusive members of the Escort Mk.1 and Mk.2 ranges.
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