Austin Seven one of the UKs top first cars

[Bob Culver]

The above set me thinking. Of relatives, neighbours, associates of my father, apprentices who worked with him, and colleagues who bought cars when very young the list is:1924 Wllys Knight 4 trucked, 1928 12/4 trucked, 1927 Oxford, 1928 Dodge, 1937ish Vauxhall (3) 1937ish Morris 8, 1938 Minx, 1935 Riley 9, 1935 Chev, 1933 morris 8, 1936 Seven, 1951 Prefect new, 1951 A40, 1950 Minor. I have met several colleagus whose father had a Seven likely the first car. And I stayed near next door to the owner of the Rubber Duck and he and two special builder mates began with Sevens. But I only learned of all these  because of my car, so cannot fairly count.
(NZ has long had a high car ownership. Around 1930 was 2nd or 3rd in world. But cars often much older than many other countries)

[AllAlloyCup]

I lived in a small village in the fifties as a schoolboy.

Very few people had cars at all. This is in Central Scotland after all.

I can only remember 3 cars in our street, an MGTA! He worked for the Army
, a Fordson Van(E93) , he was the local joiner and an older bank worker who had
A Box Saloon. In the next street a teacher had an early VW Beetle.

In those days I used to sit on wall and collect car numbers

It could take you an hour to get a dozen!

The weather was always better in the summer though!

Regards
Bill G

[PedigreeChummy]

Not quite as long in the tooth as most here, and being a child of the 70s and 80s it was an Austin... but a Mini of course. A bright red Mini Miami... whatever that meant, maybe that it should have been driven like a Testarossa, Don Johnson-style, in a loose fitting Hugo Boss suit with massive shoulder pads and a low cut V neck t-shirt showing off your hairy chest and sun tan... not likely, this WAS Bolton we're talking about...

I did adopt the "spirited" driving style of the Miami Vice squad and managed to roll it after aquaplaning along some deep flood water into a bank in the middle of the night. In my defence, the three cars that approached in the ensuing 15 minutes all almost did the same, your Honour.

My dad went mental, seeing as I'd only been driving 6 months, and he had taught me... then he saw the remains of the car and changed his tune, realising I'd been pretty lucky. Not a scratch on me, however, though I sometimes wonder if THAT was the blow to the head that's made me turn out like I am...

[Ruairidh Dunford]

I am still enjoying your style Pedigree! I too am a child of the 70s and 80s.

When I was 17 I rolled my father’s Chummy on Beggar’s Roost in North Devon. He told me not to go up, but I did. It took me a year of washing dishes at Bristol Polytechnic conference centre to pay for the repairs.

My father never ever brought up the incident again with me - he recognised that I realised what a stupid thing I had done, I hope I am as forgiving in the future with my own children!

[PedigreeChummy]

There's nothing like rolling something made of wafer thin steel panels is there, Ruairidh? Makes you feel very alive being an inch from death.

I've just looked up Beggar's Roost... is that some sort of rite-of-passage hill climb for the local yoof and other nutters? Looks like you'd have required plenty of bouncing for purposes of added traction. Good story, though. I especially like the financial and social pennance of seemingly endless plate washing... quite right, too!

My particular incident was on the unofficial local race track known as Scout Road on the way to Rivington. Also known for the infamous Scout Road Chippy, the mention of which and the "promise" of the bag of chips from the non-existent establishment lead to many a local Boltonian maiden losing her virtue... part of Bolton folklore.

I, unfortunately, was not there for that lusty pursuit, nor was I even accompanied by a member of the fairer sex. I was purely up there to be a bit of a d*ckhead and to be made to realise very early on by the Driving Gods that I was not Nigel Mansell and Tony Pond rolled into one.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

The car is wafer thin aluminium.

I was not in it when it actually turned over.

The “being a d***head” thing is uncannily similar however. I am happy to you tell all over a bottle of nice wine - I am not however prepared to write it down!

[Bruce Nicholls]

I Never actually turned my RP over amazingly. However I can claim to have dented the roof on the rock face on the opposite side of the ditch I succeeded in putting the car into in the Gorges of Tarn. Fortunately there were a lot of willing Bristol Club members to lift it out on hand.

On the first car theme this was my first car purchased for £85 in 1971 when I was 16. I negotiated the seller down from £115 by the simple expedient of not actually having any more in my savings at the time.
The car is still with me having outlasted a string of more modern machinery including several Lotus, Jeeps, BMW & hot Hondas etc.

[PedigreeChummy]

Bruce, I do love the way it seemed you were able to haggle down a price by a sizeable chunk based on the fact of "having no more cash" back in those days.

Seems an alien concept in this cash-wary (because of terrorism/money laundering etc. etc. don't you know.... yeah right), HP driven world of credit extensions and lease agreements....

[Ivor Hawkins]

It was back in 1969, I wasn't even old enough to drive when I bought my first car, an Austin Seven Ruby mark 2 DLG 813. I learned to drive in that and I've never been the same since...

[Alan Ashton]

Austin Seven Ruby Reg JE 1822, bought for £ 25 in 1961. I didn't treat it well, and last saw it abandoned in the Odeon car park in Peterborough.

Alan.