Shortly
after we were married in 1965 the Ariel was
traded in for something just a little bigger.
This was a 1952 Vincent, a series C
"Rapide". 998cc's of brute power. Pictured above one moonlit in
Bridlington. We liked riding on moonlit nights, as the Vincent's lights
were not very good. (note the extra spotlight which was soon removed
because it flattened the battery) Val and I had many happy
years as
members of the
Vincent
Owners Club
and
are still in regular contact with section members to this day.
On
my right in this photograph, taken in about 1967,
stands the recently passed away friend of mine Mr. Tony Lloyd. Sadly
missed but never to be forgotten!
Incidently, at this time the treasurer for the Lancs
&
Cheshire section, was one Arnold Belfield, now of EXPO EM North
fame.The
Rapide lasted until 1968 in regular service but after the birth of our
first daughter Heidi that year (she has always requested no-one should
work out her age) it was relegated to the back of the garage by the
arrival of MHO 86, a 1954 803cc Morris Minor. The question was always,
"Why buy such a car?" The answer is easy, because it was cheap,
£10 cheap. Incidently when I sold it I got £15!.
The only
photograph I
have of this car was taken on the day our youngest daughter Helen was
christened in 1972. The Vincent had been just sold to provide the
deposit to buy the house in which we still live. That was £200
which was considered to be a good price in that year and certainly it
showed a profit of the orginal outlay of £135!
Although
MHO 86's 803cc. O.H.V. engine
was
better than the first side valve models, it still wasn't powerful enough
for a family of four and all their gear and so we bought a 948cc model.
EWA 788B was a 1962 4 door saloon re-registered to 1964 and was alot better. So
much so that Val started to learn to drive in it.
"Daisy"
as she was called was well known in the
Morris
Minor
Owners Club because of her non
standard coloured YELLOW wheels.
Daisy was eventually considered by us to be too expensive to repair and
she was sold to a local
young
man, keen to get on in the
preservation
world, and with sufficient funds.
KAT ***E "Katy" was aquired. As a 1098cc model, she was much more able
to cover longer distances without causing driver fatigue.
She
is pictured here desending a very
steep narrow private track from a friend's cottage in Swaledale.
Currently
this car still awaits a compete overall whilst her duties are
undertaken by a Fiat Punto.I am still a member (currently
Vice-Chairman) of our local branch ,
the "East
Yorkshire" section.
In
a moment of madness I allowed myself
to be volenteered to help restore a double deck bus. Not just any bus
but WAT 652, a 1957 A.E.C. Regent Mk. V. The very last one built with a
shaped top deck to pass under the Beverley Bar just north of Hull. Not
as many believed with a low body but a full height vehicle. I know
"Sputnik" is still on the road these days and I hope her present owners
are having
as much fun as we did.
To prove the power of the internet, I received this photo
from "Sputnik's" present owner Mr. Lance Blackman and I show it
here
hopefully with his permission.
I'm very happy to know that he is getting such enjoyment and wish him
well.
I had also not forgotten the joys of Vincent ownership and when my
brother-in-law Brian offered me "first refusal" on his 1950 Series C,
498cc Comet. I had to have it. Perhaps it was a hasty purchase because
it was not the same as the Rapide. My only claim to fame was a
reprimand from the organisors of a local rally for excessive speed. It
was almost three figures but not quite!