Pete Lewis Posted February 24, 2022 Report Share Posted February 24, 2022 way back in the 67 when my 59 948 was disintegrating around me i had my eye on a red/white Coupe with a heck of a spotlamp in the middle of the grille and the daft things you remember the reg was LFA ??? i never had the cash to buy it why do we remember some odd things that never happened ??? Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted February 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2022 Following on the references to ADU 5B, here are some more pics of it. 1964 Tour de France again, high in the Alps shortly before retiring with a blown engine: 1964 again, this time two shots of the car in the Paris 1000km Race driven by Jean-Francois Piot and Jean-Louis Marnat to a Class win: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted February 24, 2022 Report Share Posted February 24, 2022 As my first car I almost bought a green VW Beetle, registration ADV 708 with a sort of yellowy-gold interior; I can still picture the door trims with the saggy elasticated pockets and one exhaust tailpipe missing, but nothing else about the entire car. Why that memory has lasted, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted February 25, 2022 Report Share Posted February 25, 2022 12 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: saggy elasticated pockets My first non-Triumph was a VW Passat with a rather tired roof lining that hung down in drapes "like a boudoir", according to some friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted February 25, 2022 Report Share Posted February 25, 2022 26 minutes ago, NonMember said: My first non-Triumph was a VW Passat with a rather tired roof lining that hung down in drapes "like a boudoir", according to some friends I'm surprised I never got into VW Beetles, still love them, but I think the state of that first one put me off. I also like the VW Variant, I reckon one of those would make a very practical Classic. Apologies, Mike, like a Herald round an Alpine bend, we're drifting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted February 25, 2022 Report Share Posted February 25, 2022 16 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said: Apologies, Mike, like a Herald round an Alpine bend, we're drifting... That phrase does conjure up some lovely images. What Have I got to do today, how far are the Alps from here . . . . .? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted February 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2022 Back on course, then, but this time we'll leave the competition world behind. Here are three photos from the Vignale archives, the first one showing the wooden body buck used to hand-form the body panels for the first Herald prototype; here it has been wheeled out into the sunshine in the Via Cigliano outside the Vignale workshops: ... and two rather poor-quality shots of the finished prototype before shipping to Coventry for approval: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted February 27, 2022 Report Share Posted February 27, 2022 There's a striking similarity to other cars of the period, especially with that bar across the front grille. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted February 27, 2022 Report Share Posted February 27, 2022 I think Leonardo da Vinci was responsible for the design of the name across the bonnet . . .🤪 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 Back to competition shots today, here are three privately-entered Vitesses. First of all, we have 444 GBF on the 1962 RAC Rally: The 1962 RAC Rally again, here's Leo Bertorelli and A Straker in their Vitesse showing evidence of an off-road excursion: Finally, 4 SYC - a convertible - on the 1964 Welsh International: 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 2, 2022 Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 Great thread, Mike - keep it going! Do any of these cars pictured survive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted March 2, 2022 Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 On 27/02/2022 at 11:21, Colin Lindsay said: There's a striking similarity to other cars of the period, especially with that bar across the front grille. That could almost be a prototype Sumbeam Alpine?. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted March 2, 2022 Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 4 SYC is listed as Not found. 444GBF Likewise. Despite the best efforts of Photoshop I cannot read the number on the other. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 Sorry Pete, the original is not very clear either; it's probably 7586 RK, but the 5 could be a 6 and the 8 could be a 3! I doubt if any of them have survived, rallying in the early 1960s was pretty rough, and the Herald/Vitesse construction was not the most durable under those conditions. Also many of them ran with personalised plates, so it would be very difficult to track them down once they were sold on. For example, Tiny Lewis' TL 5 is now on an Austin Healey 3000, 2 HP is now on a 2014 BMW and Tony Horn's TH 16 is on a 2005 Mini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted March 2, 2022 Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 I tried some other combinations too with similar results. I agree with your self the cars are most likely in the great graveyard, many older numbers are on modern cars. My wife has hers * 30MMH. (A Birthday pressy) So we are all Guilty at some point. PH1 was on a Coach based around Guildford back in the 80`s!, I used to see it quite regularly. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 2, 2022 Report Share Posted March 2, 2022 1 hour ago, PeteH said: That could almost be a prototype Sumbeam Alpine?. Pete It's a Sunbeam Tiger, and if I could have found a suitable photo-manipulation program I'd have squashed it to make it thicker and taller, like the Herald in that photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 18 hours ago, PeteH said: 4 SYC is listed as Not found. 444GBF Likewise. Despite the best efforts of Photoshop I cannot read the number on the other. Pete Pete - This is as good as I could get it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 I can do a bit better than that: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerH Posted March 3, 2022 Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 How did you do that - witch craft Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2022 No, I re-scanned the original! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted March 4, 2022 Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 Which returns Not Found. So another bites (has bitten) the dust?. But the I supose, the number of Early Escourts, "we" scrapped, some as result of disaster, and others as donors. they where very popular at club level for rally work. One cannot be surprised. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 4, 2022 Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 Escorts, like Minis can be 'resurrected' due to the availability of complete body shells. I suppose the equivalent for our cars would be a new chassis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 Leaving the rally stage for a bit of circuit racing in this post. Here's ADU 2B and its 2000 tow-car in the square at Chatres-sur-le-Loire prior to the 1965 Le Mans race: ADU 4B in the pits during the 1965 Sebring 24-hour Race: and ADU 2B again, lifting a wheel during the 1966 Nurburgring 1000km Race: 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted March 4, 2022 Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 I like the first pic for the cars in the background as much as the actual Triumphs, no matter the make - plus there is also what looks like a white Herald Estate in front of the Boulangerie... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Costigan Posted March 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2022 Yes I agree, a white Herald estate, plus another of the Works 2000 tow-cars and a Powder Blue Spitfire with wide-rimmed wheels. The red MG is left-hand drive, so presumably a local car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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