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203

The Morris 1000 was hailed as a triumph when production passed the 1million mark, it did not stop there, it kept going until the plug was pulled at around 1.25 million unit’s.

No attempt was made to update the 1000, prior to the ending of production, though many questioned the decision to finish manufacture.

Not many UK model’s reach this figure, and very few surpass it. So how come our near neighbours manage to produce huge number’s of automobiles, the German VW plant is legend, mind boggling, then our near neighbours, France, 9 models 30 million units.

Despite the French figures, where are the cars, what happened to them, when was the last time you saw a 504 or its successor the 505?

This family of cars started with, indirectly the 203, the 403 was reputed to be a reskinned version of the 203.

Pinin Farina designed the new 403, which was released in 1955, it is said, it actually saved the country from bankruptcy.

403

So what was special about the 403? It was upmarket, to cater for the affluence of the population after the war, the detailing and the full width bodywork went down well with the middle classes, so much so over 1.2 million units were built, this included estates that could seat 7 passengers and the driver and a commercial van.

There was a diesel version of 1816cc, which sold well, the 403 cabriolet was actually famous, do you remember the US detective Columbo?, Well his choice of car was the 403, Peter Falk must have been a fantastic advert for the car.

Yet the 403 was not the fastest of machines, the 0- 60 time of 24 seconds did not compare with lesser models, flat out you would just about see 76mph and petrol consumption was around 25 to the gallon.

The engine of 1468cc was an in-line 4 with normal carburation , suspension at the front end independent and leaf springs, whilst the back was a live axle and coil springs. The gearbox was a four speed manual, steering by rack and pinion.

It is described as having a metal monocoque body and chassis. The car weighed in at 1300 kgs.

Next model was the 404, this was the natural successor to the 403, which was expected to be dropped, but in true French style they kept making it for another six years as a budget model, it finally came to an end in 1966.

404

Well, the 404 was going to be a car with a long life, 18 years actually, though it is a wonder it lasted so long, as our friend Pinin Farina designed it, unfortunately he also designed almost identical cars for the British market and the Italians, the Austin Cambridge and the Morris Oxford and the Fiat 1800 saloon.

One wonders why he didn’t produce design’s that did not mirror the other’s, well not that it mattered, the 404 sold nearly 3 million units, many can still be found in North Africa.There is a theory that it might have something to do with the French Foreign Legion being stationed in Africa, or was it due to the ruggedness, build quality and simplicity of maintenance?

Peugeot did not seem to worry about speed, the 404 had a 1618cc overhead valve engine which gave a maximum of 90 mph, with an MPG figure of 28 to 30.

The carburettor was a single solex, the gearbox standard 4 speed all synchro and the braking was servo assisted drums front and rear.

Peugeot used an out of vertical engine mounting to lower the bonnet line and improve vision, independent suspension all round, using coil springs. You have to remember that these Peugeot are all rear wheel drive.

If you wanted something a little different you could get a KF2 version which had fuel injection rather than the solex, it was this model that won the East African Safari Rally on more than one occasion, I think at the hands of the Singh Brother’s.

I would not suggest it was as just came out of the showroom by any means, the Safari Rally is a notorious car breaker, or was.

You won’t believe this the 404 came with a starting handle, it could be hand cranked, it must have been one of the last cars to have this facility, though out in the bush with a flat battery would not have been fun, so it made sense.

Again we have an overlap, the 404 sold right up until 1978, it was selling for 10 years beside the new 504, it sold a fantastic 3.1 million unit’s before finally bowing out in 1983

504

So when did you see a 504 last? It seems this model was very popular in Africa, seems a good place to go for spares, on second thoughts, I don’t think so.

Apparently the locals love the ruggedness and simplicity of the model, which says either electronic wizardry would not stand up to the rigours of the African climate or they are too expensive to repair.

Mark you my connection with Africa is through reading Wilbur Smith, so it is very limited and a pair of sandals designed by a warrior tribe, which was supposed to make me run faster, hang on where is the zimmer.

The 504 comes in two engine configurations, a 75bhp single carb job or a Kugelfischer fuel injection system, which explains the KF2 model for the 404, the later gives 90bhp.

The engine was of 1796cc, giving the car a top speed of 106mph and a happy cruising speed of 90mph, with petrol consumption around 25, with of course the standard 4 speed box.

These figures do not define which model they were taken from, so one would hardly put money on them, for guidance only.

For a 1969 model it had built in headrests, burst proof locks and double jointed steering column and a heavily padded steering wheel, which was above the norm, though it was similar to both Volvo and Mercedes in terms of car safety.

As was Peugeot’s way they also produced Estate, Cabriolets, Commercials and diesel versions. The company did continually update this model, including engine sizes.

It was actually a car I could have fallen in love with, unfortunately I had a mistress who held on very tight, my beloved Amazon, very similar cars rugged and relatively simple mechanics, if you know one end of a spanner to the other.

I was in Lidl’s the other day in loughboy, what has that got to do with Peugeot, well I got out of the car, parked a little way up from me was this very strange looking motor, what is it? Naturally being a nosey type I wandered up, a Peugeot, a 505, with British Registration. I kid you not, it was exquisite, it gleamed with loving care, the brown paint unblemished, a car you could run off with and not have a guilty conscience, inside was the same spotless, I looked for the owner, but no joy, and no camera.

The 505 had a 13 year run, and it is said, one of the most recognisable medium sized saloons on the planet, how come I missed it? Nearly 4 million units.

505

Of course, the African’s loved it, if I remember my history France had quite an influence on what then known as the dark continent, I think the African nation was not exactly keen on the British rule, can’t say I blame them. They probably said you know what you can do with your cars.

Spec wise, the 505 was impressive , it either had a 1971cc motor or 1995cc or even a 2304cc unit, it used ASolex or zenith Carbs, or K-Jetronic fuel injection, the diesel version using Roto Diesel/Bosch Injection. At one stage there was 6 petrol engines and 2 diesels to choose from.

Now we had 4/5 speed gearbox or a three speed auto, it reached speeds of 102 or 108mph the diesel was estimated at around 87mph. Petrol consumption, petrol engines 24 to 30 to the gallon and the diesel 30 to 35, though in all fairness it does rather depend on how one drives.

Stopping was good in that you either had servo assisted disc at the front and drum at the back or an all disc set up. This was still rear wheel drive, so the turning circle was only 37 ft.

Again there is a marked difference in speed one is quoted at 114mph and 0-60 in 10 seconds, this is for information of the unreliability of figures only.

Suspension front and rear independent coil springs, fitted anti roll bars, and Macpherson struts at the front, retained the rack and pinion steering.

Peugeot have been made in Kenya, Nigeria, Argentina and China.

If you are near Sochaux at anytime, Peugeot have a museum which would no doubt be of great interest.

The car finally gave way to the 604, and there is another 405 the Mi16, but think we have enough so will put them on the back burner for a week or so.

As always thanks for reading, and do drive carefully. Regards Ted Lay

The coming of spring is probably the most awaited season of the year, plants are beginning to shoot and buds are forming on the trees. The crocus has already shown its around and to be noticed, the faithful Daffodil is waving around beckoning spring to hurry.

Of course the serious horticulturists among us, are looking forward to the Chelsea Flower Show, a wonderland of riotous colour put on by the RHS (Just in case the Royal Horticultural Society).

Even being a member of the RHS does not guarantee tickets for this prestigious event.

However does one really need the agro of getting to Chelsea? Plus of course, the inevitable crowds and dare I say, the extortionate price of food and drink. As a serious gardener, the answer is yes.

It was quite a few years ago we set off for Chelsea, due to the congestion we left our Jag at home. Having a friend in the hire business we opted for one of his cars, naturally one would not want to be seen emerging from any old car, he promised something special, it was a Studebaker coupe in white.

One had to have shades for such an entrance, I mean, who are these people?

We enjoyed the day, the blooms, the scent of the flower’s, an experience unsurpassed, however as we went round there was a display with green daffodils, okay, they were not deep green but they weren’t yellow or white. They were different.

We thought perhaps some would look better than the normal run of daffs, which can be purchased by the bucketful at a normal garden centre, after a short discussion we thought perhaps a dozen or

so might be just right and not invoke the distain of our neighbours.

So up to the sales person, a dozen green daff bulb’s, they had a name but that was forgotten, as you will understand shortly, that will be £144.00, “eh, I only want a dozen”

“Well they are £12.00 each”, “Hold on I will be back” we made a very hasty retreat from that stall, it would be Homebase with the bucket for our Daff’s.

We had made prior pick-up arrangements, the Studebaker was purring away at the exit, naturally being examined by others waiting around for taxi’s and the park and ride bus etc.

Our friend, of course goes the whole hog, peak cap, black suit, opening doors etc, it really was a bit of a giggle. At least no one asked for my autograph.

Normally we would have taken a flask and a pack of sandwiches, you couldn’t, Mrs Bouquet has nothing on us.

Well you might have guessed where this story is going, the land of tulips and daffodils, windmills, clogs and bicycles, Holland, and in particular Eindhoven, home of Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek, which really was a trailer factory started by Hubert van Doorne in 1928.

Naturally the German invasion of the Netherlands put paid to the trailer business, as they put paid to most businesses. Apart from that, Hubert immediately the war was over decided to go into the truck making business, which was a shrewd move giving Europe was desperately short of most forms of transport, it took until 1949 to get things into production and from the factory appeared not only trucks and trailer’s but also Buses, and a variety of other heavy equipment. DAF was in business and was building a decent reputation, its products were seen all over Europe.

I think Hubert got a bit carried away as he decided to start building cars, in 1958 the 600 was built, it was a four stroke, air cooled 2 cylinder boxer engine, the 600 was exhibited at the Amsterdam Motor Show, they could not believe the number of order’s, 4000, yep 4000, Hubert was not even prepared for these numbers.

DAF was unique in that they had been trying out a continuously Variable transmission instead of the normal gearbox, the CVT as it is commonly known is suitable for small engine cars, the notes say there is more useable power, better fuel economy and a smoother drive. In essence it might infuriate Daf owners but it really was called rubber band transmission. Fair play to the brother’s they didn’t sit still they kept on improving the CVT, so much so by the time Volvo took over one probably would not recognise the latest version from the first.

I have tried to dodge giving even a resume of CVT, but here goes, it may lack technical credit, forgive me, it is described as an infinitely variable transmission with no noticeable gear changes, inside there is a lever sort of like a gear stick in an auto, push it forward to go forward and pull it back to go rearwards, so to speak.

The rubber belts are connected to variable diameter pulleys, the pulleys expand and contract, this is not my words, changes in the diameter of the primary and secondary pulleys of the variomatic transmission were effected by a combination of engine torque, spring pressure and centrifugal force exerted by bob weights in the primary pulleys, there’s more I am already confused, and by the filling and emptying of vacuum chambers in the two primary pulley’s. Now at least you have some idea of what CVT is, you have haven’t you?

Apparently it is inherently superior to the normal box in snowy conditions as well, for the would be racer’s, acceleration from a standing start is something else, equally the car can travel at maximum speed, I might as well tell you now, the Daf could go backward as fast as it went forward, so much so that for a brief period in Holland backward racing was quite popular. Honest.

However it did little for Daf’s reputation as a serious car, it being described by some as a tatty little car, of course you always get people who are prone to make unfair comments.

Though it was a bit unfortunate the 600 just about achieved a top speed equal to the speed limit,

However this did not deter the firm from making the 750, which was a 746cc resulting from reboring the old 600 unit, this gained the nickname Daffodil, it must have come as a shock to be able to reach 95kph.

Whilst you and I both laugh at this car maker, the success in all types of motor sport was remarkable, it was winning prize after prize, in fact so many it would not be viable to list them all here.

Of course we keep coming back to CVT, yes I did have a go with CVT, though it is another story, however ,it was a strange experience, I can’t say it was one that I would have raved about, however there have been technological developments which has meant more manufacturer’s have dabbled with CVT, such names as Hondas, Ford, Nissan and GM.

Before launching into the history of the various models, Daf made a van, a KV D 440, it only had a drivers seat and a sliding door and was supplied to the Swedish Post Office where it was named the Tjorven, apparently there are very few examples left.

Daf did also produce a normal van which was very popular with small businesses, it was ideal for local deliveries.

The CVT system was produced by one of the brothers Hub van Doorne.

The 600, 22bhp at 4000 rev’s giving a top speed of 90 kph. Despite everything it sold 30,563 units

1961 saw the 750 a 30bhp unit which was not much faster than the 600 but nevertheless 16767 p

Also in 1961 the Daf30, this is the one that got the monika, Daffodil, it was a luxurious version of the 750, another 23045 units were notched up

In 1963 all models were replaced by the Daf31, a direct development of the 30, 56,200 of these were bought up, so in the sales area Daf were doing quite well.

1965 the 32 emerged, which was of course an upgrade of the 31, however Daf were in sporting mode because they produced 53674 plus 500 32’s models, this had 36 bhp at 4500 revs.

1967 the 33 arrived on time, this was built through to 1974, the engine was 746cc producing 32bhp, had a top speed of 112kph and could achieve 0 to 80kph in 17 seconds, a production figure of 131621 units. The compression ratio was 7.5 to 1 and an oil change every 5000 km’s. The suspension was independent all round, steering rack and pinion. Brakes were drum back and front.

The little DAF was actually an ideal second car, with 40 to 50 miles per gallon, a top speed of 70mph.

However Daf raised the stakes in 1966 and contracted Giovanni Michelotte to design a new car which was designated the 44 an 844cc 40bhp unit which was capable of achieving 123kph.

Now Giovanni was renown for the work he did for Triumph, it seems so it is said that he must have got carried away as the little DAF has a strong resemblance to a Triumph.

The 44 was in truth a success for Daf, they built 167902 units up to 1974

1974 saw yet another incarnation the 46, another two year run, 32353 46’s appeared.

There was one other model the 55 which had the chassis and body of the 44, our old friend Giovanni as a designer might had a go at the new 55 and produced a one off named the Siluro, it was a most elegant looking vehicle and Giovanni treasured the car and kept it in immaculate condition, if my memory serves me right poor old Giovanni was tragically killed in a car crash. It doesn’t quite end there the car passed to his son, now this just about takes the biscuit, he kept it in the garden in memory of his father.

Strange as it may be the car deteriorated, birds nested, cats and dogs used it as a sleepin g place and even bees had a spot, almost a nature reserve, eventually the rotting remains of the treasured vehicle were given to, though it say’s sold to a German merchant who immediately offered the car to the Daf museum, if you would like to go it can be found at Tongelresetraat 27 Eindhoven, the car has been fully restored, actually handbuilt as there was no spare parts.

The 55 was a move for DAF from a car that was said by some to be ideal for elderly people who were not necessarily the best drivers in the world, the cheek of them.

Any way DAF co-operated with Renault and 1108cc which was well known as an economical motor and powerful, this propelled the light DAF to 85mph and petrol use of 30 -40 mpg, the brakes were updated, discs at the front and drums at the back. Suspension got the same treatment, Independent torsion bars at the front end and coils at the rear.

We now have a 55 marathon, this came about as a result of a DAF finishing the prestigious London to Sydney marathon, it was given the works, a special 1100cc engine, a brake servo, stiffer springs, wider wheels and tyres, and go faster stripes down the sides of the body. Traffic light grand prix experts would be stunned to find a DAF getting up to 50mph in under 9 seconds and a top speed of 90mph.

Did DAF stop, not on your life they then produced a 55 Coupe, of course using the Renault engine, it might not have been quite as nippy as the Marathon but nevertheless it was no slouch.

Now the DAF will never achieve top prices as a classic car, though, because it is so special it should always be held as unique and very collectible, however the number shown as licensed in the UK has fallen considerably and quite a lot of the models are down to single digits. So fancy a little dutch visitor you had better get moving.

At this point the story of Daf car’s comes to a sad close, the Swedish giant Volvo takes over, and the Eindhowen factory is now the Nedland factory, .

There is a post script to all of this, DAF had yet another model ready to release the 66, however it appeared as a Volvo made 66, naturally Volvo made a lot of safety changes, which in truth looked much different to the Daf concept, they retained the CVT system, again this was not quite the end of DAF’s influence, as a completely new car was produced the Volvo 340 series using the CVT system, but as far as Volvo was concerned it was the final use of CVT, though the old home of DAF, the Eindhoven factory was producing Volvo and Mitsubishi cars.

We should be grateful to Daf for producing a unique collection of cars, which has added to the history of the classic car and given the enthusiast a car like no other.

Ted Lay

Once you’ve decided that you’re ready to buy and restore. The next decision is which car would be the best restoration project for you. This is not the easiest decision one might think, especially if you’ve never fully restored a car before. An impulse purchase without proper research is not advisable for the beginner. We suggest that you put a lot of thought into it and ask yourself these questions before you hand over your hard earned cash.

You’d be surprised how quickly the desirability factor of a car can diminish under close scrutiny. Whether it’s the initial cost, availability of parts or the difficulty level of the particular car.Talk to owners about their car’s design flaws and what they did to remedy them. Ask how easy or difficult the car is to maintain and find parts for. Look at all the cars very closely, and you may find yourself admiring a make or model that you wouldn’t have considered before.

How Much of the Restoration Can You do Yourself?
If you are not handy around the house and have never changed the oil on your car, then be realistic about finding accomplished professionals to do the heavy work for you. This will make a very expensive restoration compared to buying an already finished car. Even the home mechanic can be intimidated with the mechanics found in vehicles produced in the 60’s and 70’s. First timers may want to look at the more straight forward 40’s and 50’s engines and electronics.

The key factors on the affordability scale are then driven from your ability to do the work, and what you think you should pay for the jobs that you have done, the availability of quality shops for specialized work at a reasonable cost and of course, the availability of parts or spares at reasonable prices. The reasonable price criteria is directly related to the numbers of cars built of the model you have chosen and the network of clubs from which you can gain intelligence for their sourcing.

Where Will You do the Work on the Car?
If you think you can just put your main transportation outside and restore your classic in its parking space, think again. Once you start taking the project car apart, you will find that it takes up much more room than your main car does.

Parts that come off need be stored in an organized and documented fashion. Before you know it you’ll have boxes, body parts and bright work with no place to put them. This can cause damage and loss to parts of the car you didn’t have in the budget.

If space is limited, consider a smaller car like an MG,Mini, Fiesta or VW Bug. These cars can offer some very thrifty thrills.

Why Do You Want to Restore a Car?
If you think this is a silly question to ask, you obviously have never fully restored an old car. Restoring an older automobile with the goal to get it back to its former glory and on the road again, is truly a labor of love and can be great fun. Every time you come up against a nut that won’t budge or find that part needs to be fabricated, you need to remind yourself of this.

We suggest you make the reasons for restoring this car a mantra to be repeated constantly when aligning your newly painted doors back onto its hinges and trying to get them to close properly. This helps curb the obligatory profanity usually used during this part of the restoration.

We’re not trying to scare you away from restoring a car, we just want you to understand that there are frustrating moments in the process. It’s similar to golf…when you shank the ball left into no man’s land, you have to remember that this is a game and you’re supposed to be having fun.

THANKS TO DON BOLGER FOR THE PHOTOS

As a child we had one of those jelly moulds, that had sort of knobs all over the top, of course everyone wanted a knob.

Well, if it is food you are thinking of, then I am sorry to disappoint you, our jelly emerged from Dagenham, Ford’s in 1982. Isn’t it a terrible thought, thirty years ago, the first Sierra’s made their debut.

From all that I have read it is difficult to decide whether or not it was a true success. The consensus of opinion being that Ford were very brave at the time to bring out a car so removed from the much loved Cortina.

Due to its aerodynamic shape our Sierra acquired the dubious title of the Jellymould, the flowing lines being so advanced after the straight edges of the Cortina.

Though Ford were wise enough to use the running gear from the Cortina, which kept it from being an unknown entity.

Strange as it may seem, but the shape of the Sierra influenced many of Ford’s future model’s, in particular the US.

This was a world car, it was produced in Germany, Belgium, Argentina, New Zealand, Venezuela, South Africa and of course Dagenham. The production figure given for Dagenham was 1,299,993 units and total world wide 3.444,229 million. For some reason it was not sold in Australia.

Ford’s in the UK, are looked upon as the peoples car’s, down to earth, easy to service, hard working. By the time production came to an end in 1993, the Sierra had achieved being the tenth most popular car sold in the UK, little wonder it could be found in most streets, everyone new someone who had a Sierra.

Reps were fond of them, they made very nifty motorway cruisers, never mind your Merc’s and Jag’s, a fast moving sierra was something to behold, even the police kitted themselves out with them, don’t laugh, so did the villan’s, so the story goes the Cosworth sierra was one of the most stolen cars in the UK, apparently you would never leave it unattended, like a car park or in a badly lit street.

To start with, the Sierra was not an immediate success, in fact the sales were dire, Ford had built up such a large stock of Cortina’s, dealer were having trouble shifting them.

Despite all the wind tunnel testing our new car, though aerodynamically brilliant was a bit dodgy in windy conditions, I know what you are thinking, we had one, well we didn’t, we weren’t Ford people, but we had some in our fleet at the office.

With 600 cars to play with, I kid you not, all sorts of weird and wonderful things happened, two of our sierra’s lost all their wheels when jumping over motorway barriers, at what speed this occurred was never conveyed, at least the driver’s lived to tell the story, though one of them spent nearly two years hospitalised.

Anything made by Ford, is by virtue of the name destined for sporting achievements, and so it was with the Sierra. The sporting Sierra started around 1986, the RS Cosworth, a 2.0litre OHC bottom end was mated to a 16v DOHC top, a Garret Turbocharger and an intercooler shoved on, hey presto a 201 hp motor, a 2 door shell was used, it was designed purely for Group A racing, only 5.5 thousand were made, it was enough, Ford never looked back, by the way it came in Black or White or that Ford Blue.

Only a year went by and out rolled the RS500 Cosworth, this was truly special, so only the minimum number of 500 were produced for homologation purposes, it was an out and out Group A racer, it dominated the sport around the world, the engine was boosted up to 550 Bhp. The miles per gallon is never mentioned, I wonder why, in any case petrol was cheap, I say that tongue in cheek, because when it was only 4shillings sixpence a gallon it represented a small fortune to me on my meagre wages,. I would drive the Mini in for half a gallon, true.

The great problem was the sierra was a rear wheel drive and the motoring world had moved on to front wheel drive, Ford made an attempt at four wheel drive, a Sierra Sappphire, it did well but wasn’t up to the earlier car’s.

We had another problem, Sierra’s originally came as hatchbacks, someone at Ford did not reckon on the British need for saloon’s, so in 1987 the Sierra sapphire saloon appeared.

Because the Sierra was in many markets there was a lot of cosmetic changes, like the saloon never appeared in left hand drive so was never sold in Europe, equally the two door version was dropped in the Uk but was available on the continent, but the cosworth was a three door.

One other oddity before we move on to the bread and butter cars, though South Africa will be dealt with, 250, 5.o litre Cars were made, engines from the US Ford Mustang, with Borg Warner heavy duty transmission, I reckon it needed that and Ap racing callipers on 280mm discs, of course it Group A racing again.

By the way the Sierra was the Semperit car of the year in Ireland in 1983,

In all Ford offered 12 different engines together with 4 different gearboxes and an option of 5 body styles, what with body colours the logistics must have been mind boggling.

The down to earth model’s were using Cortina and the German Taunus engines, mainly what are described as Pinto engines of SOHC of 1.3, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0litre capacity, Ford also offered a diesel of 2.3L made by Peugeot, but whilst frugal it lacked power, so Ford produced a turbo diesel of 1.8l

The final versions of the Sierra had fuel injection as standard and 15inch wheels and rear disc brakes, a few more cosmetic changes and alas our car ceased production in 1992, though the last registered examples were in 1994, they had been around for two years before being sold.

It might well have ended in Dagenham but production of right hand drive Sierra’s was moved to Belgium.

In fact the very last Sierra was not sold until 1995, “A new car sir, yes it is three years old, matured perhaps.”

Now, you want a Sierra, you had better be quick, there are not that many left, given the production figures, and to be honest it is going to be a nightmare sorting out what model you are buying, is it genuine?

I thought it was going to be an easy job, but as you can see it is definitely not, without doubt the Sierra is a classic and be very careful what you buy.

If you have the money why not invest in a Mondeo, it will be twenty years old next year, give me a garage big enough.

Happy motoring, and remember it matters nothing how old your car is, drive it as the most expensive car in the world.

Ted.

Back to car’s, the home of Ferrari and Maserati, and of course Alfa Romeo and Lancia, the car one would least think of is the little Fiat 500, though of late the white Arbath that is running around town might have stirred some thoughts, I think it belongs to Mario of chip shop fame. It is a real beauty, enough of modern car’s.

Plans for the little Fiat started back in the early fifties, the brain child of Dante Giacose. Like all designer’s they are seldom known to the general public, the backroom boy’s, without them we would probably have some dull looking car’s. Even with them and advanced computer design companies are churning out some really weird looking model’s.

The history of Dante’s rise to fame is in fact interesting, perhaps an incentive to anyone with a flair for design, it is apparently an in built thing, you either have it or you don’t, though in this computer generated world, the imagination of the individual is of lesser importance, perhaps not.

Dante studied at Turin Poly and gained a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he then had a problem he needed work , luckily for him and us he saw an advert, in a newspaper for a design engineer at Fiat. He got the job and never looked back.

I expect he would have settled for a part with a team, but our man had an exceptional flair, at one stage he was described as the greatest designer in the companies history, there is no mention of being a team player, but seldom does one man construct the whole car, so we take it, there was a design team.

The list of model’s that he designed would take up too much space, but needless to say his influence carried the company forward, and propelled him into the top eschalon of committee member’s.

Dante died 31 March 1996, he actually held a doctorate in engineering, some man, our full respects go out to the family. Once again, there is no mention of his private life

For some reason Fiat is run somewhat differently to other companies and does not have board member’s, okay, no doubt the same functions but they like to call them committee member’s.

The 500 was launched in July 1957, the Nuova (new) was a successor to the Topolina, which had been the mainstay of fiat’s small car policy. The new model had a two cylinder 479cc engine developing just 13 bhp.

With that amount of power on tap, one doesn’t talk speed statistic’s, 0-60 took nearly a full minute to achieve, well it was timed at 45 seconds, and though it is not recorded, I bet the road was flat.

Top speed was 61 mph, so the 0-60 time was quite credible given the circumstances, it is said that it was miserly on petrol, giving 53 mpg, I suppose in those days it was above the norm, and no doubt to get some speed there was a lot of lower gear acceleration.

Fiat saw how successful the VW Beetle was with an air cooled rear engine car, and promptly followed suit. One only has to look at the other German rear drive, the Porsche, not that Fiat were intending to take that one on. We could have also cited Skoda, Tatra who were successful with rear engines.

Suspension was all round independent, the gearbox a 4 speed non-synchro affair, which it is said caused some delightful noises to eminate from the said box, the gear lever was mounted on the floor.

One was not expecting this car to be luxurious, in fact it was Spartan, you sat on a sort of padded seat, not recommended for long journey’s, but there again it was not the sort of car you would buy to travel distances.

The roof was canvas, but ,it did roll all the way back, given the Italian climate which is a few degrees warmer than here, it made sense.

The front door’s, well, it only had two, were hinged at the back, called suicide doors, though in fairness call them what you like but they were the norm in those days. I do wonder how the name came about, guess if you flung the door open in the path of following traffic you might well cause considerable damage to ones self, cyclist’s might get one hell of a fright, though they are still being maimed by the current door system.

Unfortunately despite it’s cheapness sales did not come up to expectations, drastic action had to be taken.

Fiat launched two new models very quickly, the Economica and the Normale, the Economica Was the same vehicle with a slightly more powerful engine and an even lower price.

The Normale had the uprated motor and various upgrades, which included opening door windows, pretty obvious the Italians were not into auto barriers in car parks, another feature was the rear seat became more useable.

Sales had picked up, within a year Fiat marketed a “Sport” model, one has to tread carefully here as great play was made that the little Sport, came an incredible First, Second , Third and Fourth in its class at the Hockenheim 12 hour race.

No one would discredit such an achievement, but if there are no other cars of the same engine capacity as the Sport, it is hardly surprising they won their class, though in fairness they did run non-stop for 12 hours, no mean feat.

The Sport’s engine of 499cc had revised camshafts, valves and cylinder head taking the BHP to 21.5, by 1960 the Sport had been dropped, the engines were used in yet another makeover of the 500, but the power was reduced to 18BHP.

The 500 jogged along until 1965, when Fiat implemented another change, the doors were now hinged at the front and the transmission improved.

Come 1968, potential customer’s were wooed with another incarnation the “Lusso”, this had reclining seats would you believe and carpets, they even went to miniature bull bars back and front.

The last 500 was made in 1972 using a 594cc motor which was adapted from the 126, naturally power was reduced to 18BHP, they also used the floor pan from the 126.

I suppose the 500 was a fantastic success selling roughly 4 million units in a 20 year run.

Many obscure car makers used the 500 as the basis of their model line up, Vignale, Italian of course, and then Steyr-Puch, who used a different engine block making it into a Boxer engine of 493cc but the success was to do with the using of Webber carbs, apparently it was quite a successful racing car.

Ted Lay

MORE PHOTOS IN THE GALLERY SECTION

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE FOR A CHAT AND A CUP OF TEA

I see, now, where the British inventor, Cris McGlone, has applied for a patentfor the “Posture Perfect”; a buzzing leotard. If the wearer adopts a wrong posture an alarm will go off wonder………. A friend of mine, a shopkeeper, claims the aforementioned alternative gymnastics are not possible in the MM. (This man once owned a Morris Minor, but it must be
said he has a perfect back) “I’ll show you how possible it is” says I ” Get me a Morris Minor and a………” Then I remembered the words of Nicolas Boileau; “Chaquee age a ses plaisirs…” (every age has It’s pleasures) I am anno-domino-barred. However I felt obliged to point out to my friend, the shopkeeper, that when Dermot O’Leary was promoting “The Oldest Swinger in Town,” it wasn’t a Prefect or an Austin Seven he used on the posters.  I’d swear the ancient Romans knew the erotically appealing properties of the
MM; do you remember that little red car in the background in Ben Hur? It certainly wasn’t a Romeo or a Lada.  Remember the character in Lee Dunne’s “Does Your Mother” who was conceived in a watch-mans hut; he was called “Watchbox.” Now wouldn’t Morris Minor make a better name for a person than, say, Ford Orien or Opel Vectra?  A University-of-California study has found that men whose initials form negative acronyms e.g. P.I.G. or B.U.M. die 2.8 years younger than those with initialslike V.I.P. or W.I.N. It would hardly be conducive to longevity to be called Volvo Diesel or Saab Turbo.  And speaking of longevity; the next time you see some fellow walking with difficulty (I would have every sympathy with him, he is in pain) but, ask him what’s wrong with him. He will quote all sorts of erudite specialists and tell you we evolved too quickly. We weren’t intended to stand up straight, he’ll tell you. Then you’ll have to listen to all sorts of fancy terminology; Scoliosis, Lordosis, Lor…this and Lor..that. Just listen to him for a while and then innocently ask; “Did you ever bring a Morris Minor to a dance?”  If you happen to see my old Morris Minor on the road (the Reg.No. is 7440 IK) have a look at the current driver. If it’s male and walking in the manner  described above, there is a good chance he didn’t heed the warning on the faded bumper-sticker; PRACTICE SAFE SEX, AVOID THE BACK SEAT.  Oh, I nearly forgot the acronym. VOLLOCS= VICTIMS OF LATENIGHT LIASONS ON CAR SEATS
Contact Mattie Lennon at info@mattielennon.com
www.mattielennon.com

Mention the North Country town of Bradford to most people, you are likely to get a response of oh yes, heard of it. However there is far more to the town than one would expect.

During the industrial revolution it was known as the wool capital of the world, it did not boast as being the most polluted town in the British Isles, somewhere around 200 chimneys were pumping out obnoxious sulphuric fumes, so bad, that life expectancy was grim, such was the regard the mill owner’s had for their employees.

Though it must be mentioned one owner did, moved to Saltaire and then built a village for his worker’s, this is now a UNESCO world heritage site, so there are some good people around.

The work ethos was an invitation to immigrants to seek job’s, many left our shores to seek a better life and found work in Bradford, those early settler’s left a legacy of Catholic churches, all over the town, and no doubt relatives unknown to many.

Today one is more likely to come across Mosques belonging to the those who have left the subcontinent to find their fortune in Britain. There is even a German quarter, Bradfords diverse architecture reflects the many cultures that came for work.

Bradford was and still is home to Rugby League and Soccer teams. At one stage Bradford had a very successful speedway team, the captain of which, one Oliver Hart, specialised in the leg trailing style of riding, when going round the bends some riders rode leg out in front and then there was the leg trailer who used his leg as a sort of rear wheel brake, speedway bikes had no brakes at all, very spectacular.

Bradford is also very rich in culture, it has the most visited museum outside of London, the Media Museum which was the photographic centre, as one might expect with a very high Asian population there are some direct links to Bollywood.

Bradford had yet another trick up it’s sleeve, Automobile manufacture, which was successful for just over fifty years, ah yes, another British firm forced out of business. Well you are wrong, they closed the firm, voluntary liquidation, all creditor’s were paid in full and there was still a substantial amount of money still in the pot, why, doesn’t seem apparent, the Cars were successful and new model’s were planned, though we find a good reason later.

One of life’s strange happening’s.

In the first place Bradford makes a change from Coventry, right the real story begins, I suppose I had better explain the title, well the firms was started by the Jowett Brother’s, William and Benjamin Jowett, so hence the title.

It seems the two brother’s constructed an engine in their father’s workshop in 1901, which from all accounts was quite successful. They joined up with an Arthur V Lamb, he did the clerical work, and went into the making of cycles in Manningham Lane, Bradford, they also roped in their sister Ruth, a nice tidy family affair. The company started with the three Jowett’s having an equal share, the original capital was £90, Arthur bought Ruth’s share for £60

After the success of the original engine, they decided that cars were the way to go, rather than cycles. It would seem that at this time most cycle manufacturers were doing the same thing.

Production of a very basic light car was commenced in 1906, the brother’s theory being a light engine for a light car, so a little 816cc flat twin motor was mated to a very light chassis with a two seater body.

It goes almost without saying the car was modified in 1910, and either they could not be bothered or the original concept was so goods it lasted right through to 1954, unbelievable.

Apparently Jowetts appear in the Guiness Book of Records, for the longest produced engine of any sort from 1910 to 1953, some fin e achievement.

The brother’s did a programme of developments over the years, however the first world war interrupted production but in the same year as the war ended the engine was increased to 907cc, it was very reliable and frugal in its use of petrol.

Things were beginning to move by 1920 an electric starter and at the end of the decade a four seater tourer and this was followed by a saloon.

In 1926, take your mind back, a complete lack of roads as we know them, almost no servicing facilities for motor vehicles, the poor Africans probably had never seen or heard of a motor vehicle.

Well two 7hp Jowett’s, landed on the West Coast of Africa, I guess somewhere like the Ivory Coast and were driven to the Red Sea a total mileage of 3800 miles half of which was towing fuel for the car’s, it took 60 day’s to complete the journey.

Now isn’t that something to be proud of, if only the brother’s had been more pushy in later life.

All these vehicles were powered by the twin cylinder engine, however you cannot go on for ever, the public demand more, so the brothers developed a four cylinder version with increased power to 946cc.

You would not describe the Jowett as a fast vehicle, you would be stretching a point to say it was quick, given, you would be lucky to get to 50mph, it appears a waste of time thinking 0-60 times.

Along came our German friends in 1939, and all car production ceased for the duration. I can’t remember hearing of any serious bombing of Bradford, unlike Coventry, which was almost flattened , by the way was by now Bradford had become a city, so at least the brother’s did not lose everything like so many other manufacturer’s, though they did have a fire which apparently was a bit of a disaster.

Right, come 1947 a new wave was sweeping through the car industry as a whole, Jowett were not going to be left behind , well again it is interpretation which is important, a van was produced called ironically the Bradford, using a two cylinder engine of 1005cc, suspension eh, cart springs and cable brakes, the gearbox a three speed, described as an agricultural box, it had a turn of speed 53mph top. Now you might snigger at this attempt to bring modern technology to the fore, but no, it was totally reliable, tradesmen it loved, so much so 40 odd thousand were made, and this will wipe the smile from your face, they reckon a large proportion of them still exist.

It was a simple vehicle, an ash frame with alloy panels, no only that, it was also made with the ability to seat either six or four people, so it was in effect an early SUV.

As a classic the Bradford must go in to the top part of the list, it is not an exotic, just a dam fine example of British Engineering.

However, Jowett bros realised they needed a new saloon for the post war period, having read about the Bradford one would wonder what is coming next, well The Javelin actually designed by one Gerald Palmer, whose name has not cropped up before.

Gerald was later head hunted by MG, and ditched Jowett, served him right because when Leonard Lord took over MG and all the other makes him and Gerald rather fell out, Gerald was dismissed, however he did get another job with Vauxhall.

The design was aerodynamic, using the flat four engine, situated well forward of the main cabin area, which allowed up to six to travel in relative comfort. Rack and Pinion steering and torsion bar independent front suspension of advanced design, the notes seem to ignore what was used at the back end, leaf springs no doubt, and unitary construction.

It seems Jowett’s manufacturing capacity was insufficient to make bodies, so this was farmed out to Briggs in Doncaster, something tells me there was a tie up with Ford and Briggs, however we will come back to that later.

The Javelin was not a cheap car, the 1485cc engine was much faster than Jowett’s previous engine’s, 0-60 timing about 22secs and top speed of 83 mph, and one writer states it will cruise all day at 80mph, that should be taken with a pinch of salt, we had no motorways then, and the only place it could be achieved would be on a test facility, and that would be driver only, nevertheless it looks good.

One probably should not be surprised about Gerald, as the poor old Javelin was flawed, the rain affected it, blown cylinder head gaskets and broken crankshafts, added to which was poor manufacturing of the body.

One owner who did not wish to be identified said when it came to changing the spark plugs, it was much easier to take off the front wheels, than try to “Fiddle”.

It is hearsay, but most of these problems came about as the company was under capitalised and there was not the necessary finances available. But read on and there is a degree of nonsense with this opinion.

Naturally interest waned and sales slumped, Jowett sold only nearly 23 thousand and production came to a close in 1953.

Despite all of the foregoing the Javelin had a class win in the 1949 Monte Carlo Rally, and again in the Spa 24 hour and an outright win in the Tulip Rally of 1953, so it wasn’t all bad.

So was that the end, certainly not in 1950, a sports car had been produced “the Jupiter”, this was advanced engineering, but before you leap ahead the Jowett Brother’s were no longer in charge

Ben had retired in 1936 and William called it a day in 1940, now strange as it may seem neither Ruth the sister and Arthur V Lamb are mentioned again. We know Ruth sold out but what happened to Arthur, mystery of the week.

The company was sold to Charlie Clore who was a financial manipulator, he at one time owned so many of the famous shoe shops it was unbelievable, he held on for two years and then sold it to London Bankers, Lazard Brother’s, who would have put in place a management team.

Whilst the bodies for the Javelin were arriving fully completed except for the mechanicals the new Jupiter was built in house, the company had acquired the services of one Eberan von Eberhorst, no prizes for guessing from where he originated from, actually Auto Union.

So we now had a 1486cc overhead valve flat four, in this advanced body, which had a tubular semi space frame chassis, fitted with hydraulic brakes. Some chassis were supplied to outside coach builder’s to put their interpretation on.

But what is sad and ridiculous,is the Jupiter was a fantastic sports machine, it had a list of successes Class wins at Le Mans, outright win at Lisbon rally and even more wins at Le Mans.

However come 1954 the doors were closed and that was the end of Jowett Cars, as I said it was not because of bankruptcy, the factory site was sold to International Harvester, Briggs stopped producing Jowett bodies and the factory was taken over by Fisher Ludlow another body producer,alas, the Achilles heel of the British Motor Industry, BMC took it over.

It was said publicly that there was a problem obtaining bodies, so production slumped and no business can function on that basis.

One wonder’s why none of the big companies didn’t take Jowett under their corporate wing

There are Jowett owner’s clubs in the UK , Australia , New Zealand and the USA. And Denmark

Some famous owner’s, Peter Craven, well Peter was at one time the world speedway champion, john Surtees, the only man to switch from Motor-cycle racing to cars, successfully, Peter Ustinov the very large actor.

There is a Bradford Industrial Museum which has a collection of Jowett vehicles.

So if you are on holiday in the Lake district it is an easy run over the Peninnes to Bradford, or if you are in the Yorkshire Dales even easier, the country side around is breath taking and well worth the visit. If you like Steam trains there is some brilliant lines to explore.

Happy motoring, as always drive with care, Ted