I had one of those later in life. Your description fits my one as well. Luckily, I lent it to someone who had an accident in it and wrote it off before it had rusted too badly. An abrupt end for the car rather than the slow decline that would have been the case.
My very first mode of transport with an engine was this…
I bought it brand spanking new for £100 ish’
At a cool 45mph max (50mph downhill with a tail wind) I covered hundreds of miles on it, to work and to every seaside resort down the east coast of Yorkshire from Saltburn to Cleethorpes many times. I passed my motor bike test on it and it became time to upgrade to something bigger.
Dad persuaded me to take driving lessons and with his help, upgrade to a car…Life expectancy was poor in those days for big bomb rock men riding big machines…
So after passing my driving test at 17 I bought a mini van from a bloke who was a mechanic at the bus company my mam worked as a bus conductor at. Together with the £60 van he taught me to do various maintenance tasks like doing the brakes and tappits and to smoke senior service fags…Cough! Splutter!
This is what it looked like…More or less…
I happily drove the van for the next few years and created many memories for myself and a few local lasses…
I had a similar mode of transport as a teenager. A Phillips Gadabout moped bought from Currys in 1960. 50cc and 35 MPH (with a following wind). I used to ride it to the railway station, chain it up and catch the train to get to my first job. Came back one day and it had been stolen. I couldn’t believe it.
I got it back a day of so later. the thief had ridden it a few miles and dumped it undamaged in someone’s front garden. It just happened to be the home of a policeman.
Pre war Austin 8 with four speed gearbox but 3rd gear had to be held in gear. Top speed was about 45mph which was just as well as the mechanical brakes were very poor.
Fiat 850 sports coupe which I purchased in Germany, my good lady and I travelled around Europe in it with baby daughter sleeping in the backseat, Holland, France, Belgium and the U.K. Happy Days
In the late 60s. I married a serviceman stationed in Germany, and flew over to start our marriage. I was 18, in love, and open to any new adventure. He bought a used VW Bug, green, from one of his buddies when they transferred out.
I had a Florida driver’s license, but needed an international license to drive in Germany. I took the test, got my special license, and drove that little bug all over northern Germany.
Picture this: When platoon GIs needed a ride to Frankfort airport to go home on leave, I sometimes crammed three GIs in that car and drove them! No complaints from them, so if they were scared, not a peep! What great fun we had in that simple mode of transportation!
When hubby’s stint with the Army was over, and we moved back home, our very first vehicle was a 1965 Mustang, white with powder blue leather seats. We adored that car!.
Like this?
Yes, except not a convertible… it does make a mess of your bouffant hairdo otherwise…
(and we couldn’t have that, could we?)
Exactly. Perfect. Ah, the memories of being young and in love and having a real sporty car.
Yes!
Ford Escort MkII in gold with a black roof brought from a lad whose Dad was my Dad’s work mate the lad was gong in the Navy and I brought the car
Not my 1st car, but I bought a side-valve Morry Minor for 15 Pounds - drove it 15,000 miles - sold it to a Frenchman in Germany for equivalent of 15 Pounds.
Later bought Morry 1000 for roughly 50 Pounds.
Came out one morning in London and NO Morry Minor.
Several months later got a letter from Officialdom that my Morry had been converted into a steel CUBE.
When they found it rego had by then expired and so it was considered dumped. Hence they had put it into one of those huge car SQUASHERS and it had come out cube shaped.
…
My first vehicle was a 1978 Suzuki 400 gs
I drove 1/2 way across Canada on it in 1980
My second vehicle was a Kawasaki ninja.
I liked to drive fast.
This is so cool. Love the turquoise van too. I knew you wouldn’t have anything ordinary. lol
Love the Suzuki Chelsea, I would ride that now if I had one.
Yep, my van was ‘Surf Blue’ very similar to the van described. I actually hand painted it myself and gave it a matt black roof.
My first road going machine was a Suzuki TS100x in black.
My first car was a Fiat 127 in red like this.
My first car was a Hilman Imp. I think it was just about two years old when I first got it. I was a student at the time.
My Dad bought a new Singer Chamois exactly the same as a Hillman Imp Besoeker. I used to drive it occasionally, it benefitted from a large bag of sand in the boot at the front to keep it down when braking, and the fourth spark plug was nigh impossible to get out…But it certainly had some grunt…
Yes, my pal Al had the similar but with the sloping roof. They were not the most reliable. I then got a job as a project engineer and they offered me a company car which I accepted.