http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasleso...522533831/show

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasleso...522533831/show

Marvellous! Waves of nostalgia. 1966 - I was 21, a freelance photographer
working from a basement in Queens Gate Mews, running a Ferrari. Where did
it all go wrong...?

Geoff MacK

Geoff Mackenzie wrote:
"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasleso...522533831/show

Marvellous! Waves of nostalgia. 1966 - I was 21, a freelance photographer
working from a basement in Queens Gate Mews, running a Ferrari. Where did
it all go wrong...?

Geoff MacK

I had just taken my A Levels. Didn't quite get the grades for career
plan A but good enough for career plan B.
Running a 1957 Standard 10 when I could afford to put petrol in it,
otherwise using my trusty bike.

Doesn't have the same style as a Ferrari somehow...

Jim

Geoff Mackenzie wrote:

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasleso...522533831/show

Marvellous! Waves of nostalgia. 1966 - I was 21, a freelance
photographer working from a basement in Queens Gate Mews, running a
Ferrari. Where did it all go wrong...?

Geoff MacK


You answered your own question "running a
Ferrari"

The web is full of Free Freelance images.

In article ,
Geoff Mackenzie wrote:

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasleso...522533831/show

Marvellous! Waves of nostalgia. 1966 - I was 21, a freelance
photographer working from a basement in Queens Gate Mews, running a
Ferrari. Where did it all go wrong...?

MG Magnette ZA for me. God I loved that car.

--
*If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:36:33 GMT, Jim Warren
wrote:

I had just taken my A Levels. Didn't quite get the grades for career
plan A but good enough for career plan B.
Running a 1957 Standard 10 when I could afford to put petrol in it,
otherwise using my trusty bike.

Doesn't have the same style as a Ferrari somehow...

Quite. I was driving a 1957 Austin A35. It actually wasn't that bad
of a car, and I'm not sure I could even have spelled Ferrari at that
time, much less have afforded the insurance even if someone had
_given_ me one.

Geoff Mackenzie wrote:

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wasleso...522533831/show

Marvellous! Waves of nostalgia. 1966 - I was 21, a freelance
photographer working from a basement in Queens Gate Mews, running a
Ferrari. Where did it all go wrong...?

Geoff MacK


My first truck back then was a Morris Minor Ute with a 1100 motor, then
in 1967 bought a Rustin Freely Sprite 3A. which was the last before they
replaced it with the MG Midget with a 1275 motor.

"Dean Dark" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:36:33 GMT, Jim Warren
wrote:

I had just taken my A Levels. Didn't quite get the grades for career
plan A but good enough for career plan B.
Running a 1957 Standard 10 when I could afford to put petrol in it,
otherwise using my trusty bike.

Doesn't have the same style as a Ferrari somehow...

Quite. I was driving a 1957 Austin A35. It actually wasn't that bad
of a car, and I'm not sure I could even have spelled Ferrari at that
time, much less have afforded the insurance even if someone had
_given_ me one.

Insurance was indeed a bit of a problem. I remember my broker saying it
could have been worse - I could have been blind....

As a matter of interest, the car was a 1960 250GTE with a fairly chequered
history. Never mind, it was red and it had a V12 lump which sounded
wonderful. And, of course, it had the right image which was all-important
for a working-class laddie on the make. I paid £700 for it, which I think
was about the same as a new family saloon at the time.

I doubt if it still exists; the 250GTE was the least desirable (and
therefore cheapest!) model, and most of them were chopped in the
seventies/eighties to make replica 250 GTOs. 2051 RA - I still remember the
registration number - anybody know?

I swapped it for a DB5 with a punched-in front wing; turned out to have a
terminal overheating problem due to a slipped cylinder liner so I sold it
and used the cash for my first Facel Vega HK500 - but that's a whole 'nuther
story.

Earlier in the decade my first car was a 1954 Standard 8, followed by a ZB
Magnette. Like Dave, I really loved that car. I had several, sometimes as
back-up and sometimes as primary transport depending on the state of my
finances; a ZB, ZA and once a ZB Varitone which was absolutely the vicar's
knickers. I wouldn't mind one now - I guess an MGB 1800 engine with o/d box
would fit in quite easily to bring it a bit more up to date.

Geoff MacK

"Geoff Mackenzie" gurgled happily, sounding much
like they were saying:

As a matter of interest, the car was a 1960 250GTE with a fairly
chequered history. Never mind, it was red and it had a V12 lump which
sounded wonderful. And, of course, it had the right image which was
all-important for a working-class laddie on the make. I paid £700 for
it, which I think was about the same as a new family saloon at the time.

I doubt if it still exists; the 250GTE was the least desirable (and
therefore cheapest!) model, and most of them were chopped in the
seventies/eighties to make replica 250 GTOs. 2051 RA - I still remember
the registration number - anybody know?

A quick check on the tax disc site shows it seems to have survived until
1996...

The vehicle details for 2051 RA a

Date of Liability 01 11 1996
Date of First Registration 01 05 1984
Year of Manufacture 1963
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 2953CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour RED

There's a strangeness with the "First reg 1984" - I wonder if it was
found somewhere in a barn or storage, "resuscitated", and re-registered
from the chassis number.

Hmm. I wonder... Wouldn't '96 be about right for Lord Brocket's little
naughtiness? I'm sure some of his fleet were 250GTE-based replicas of
more "interesting" 250s...

In article ,
Geoff Mackenzie wrote:
Earlier in the decade my first car was a 1954 Standard 8, followed by a
ZB Magnette. Like Dave, I really loved that car. I had several,
sometimes as back-up and sometimes as primary transport depending on
the state of my finances; a ZB, ZA and once a ZB Varitone which was
absolutely the vicar's knickers. I wouldn't mind one now - I guess an
MGB 1800 engine with o/d box would fit in quite easily to bring it a
bit more up to date.

Since I've always been a car fiddler you might have liked my ZA. 3 bearing
MGB engine, flowed head, half race cam and a Weber 45DCOE. Close ratio MGA
twin cam box with overdrive. 4.3 rear axle. MGA 1600 front disc brakes.
Wire wheels. Home made anti-tramp bars on the back axle. And a whole lot
more I can't remember.
It was RZ 682 - so originally from NI, although I bought it in Aberdeen
For 275 quid.

--
*Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.