Re: Tales of cars going through the ring.
Posted: Thu Jun 20, 2019 10:34 pm
Another BMW co-incidence here....The only one I've ever owned came from the friend of my auction-related tales earlier. This one was a bit different, it was actually a left-hooker that had been whopped up the arse in Germany. It came to John through a German contact who was astute enough to realise that Brits valued the blue and white badge far more than the natives. This was in 1984, quite a bit of time after all the auction carry-ons and I had left the village where we both lived but had still kept in touch with John.
It was a bone stock 316 of 1978 vintage, John pulled out the back-end and converted it to RHD with scrapyard dash and rack but it had LHD foibles still such as the door pulls being on the incorrect sides (these were different left and right) and the handbrake being incorrectly offset. John being John, he put the six cylinder twin headlights on it and a 320 badge. He punted it in the small ads and evening paper for a week or so before suddenly ringing me up and offering it for a grand. It was more than I had and I was trying to move from a flat to a house so didn't have the money but he said he would take instalments. I tried saying I didn't have room for another car but he countered that with an offer to "look after" my Zephyr 6 if I bought it. It was also a bit of a bargain - half the forecourt price for one of those.
I realised what the problem was - it had been given a Q plate and was proving hard to sell. "S'OK - you can putta the Zephyr plate on it" he said, brushing aside my final hurdle. I didn't but I did buy it.
I had quite an eventful 2 year innings with it - span it on a wet roundabout in Hounslow and bounced off a Toleman car transporter. Took it to France camping where it promptly caught fire under the dash. I still suspect that was down to my fitting a 320 instrument panel so I could have a tacho. Luckily the fire didn't take hold and didn't re-combust after pulling the battery leads. Still don't know what that was.... The crease in the front bonnet from the Toleman truck got me in trouble on the Swiss border where I was pulled in on my way back to Mulhouse and judging by the delay I think Fritz on the border was checking with every Swiss Canton to see if an oddly-registered British BMW with a German "D" oval had clouted Helvetian property.
It blew a head gasket soon after I bought it and John dutifully changed it, swearing every bolt off and back on again. I had to rub down a TR7 while he was doing it mind. It was a nice thing to drive, though and looked sweet although the repaired boot floor was rusting rather alarmingly. It had to go to fund my house move - I was short of £250 to clear an overdraft without which I couldn't have a mortgage. Back then you could only have money if you could prove you didn't need it.....
Took ages to sell because of the Q thing but an Indian gentleman turned up one afternoon with a three year old Citroen GSA and £250 cash so we did a deal. That Citroen was the newest thing I have ever owned (age-wise) and a whole other story but I have never owned either marque since....
It was a bone stock 316 of 1978 vintage, John pulled out the back-end and converted it to RHD with scrapyard dash and rack but it had LHD foibles still such as the door pulls being on the incorrect sides (these were different left and right) and the handbrake being incorrectly offset. John being John, he put the six cylinder twin headlights on it and a 320 badge. He punted it in the small ads and evening paper for a week or so before suddenly ringing me up and offering it for a grand. It was more than I had and I was trying to move from a flat to a house so didn't have the money but he said he would take instalments. I tried saying I didn't have room for another car but he countered that with an offer to "look after" my Zephyr 6 if I bought it. It was also a bit of a bargain - half the forecourt price for one of those.
I realised what the problem was - it had been given a Q plate and was proving hard to sell. "S'OK - you can putta the Zephyr plate on it" he said, brushing aside my final hurdle. I didn't but I did buy it.
I had quite an eventful 2 year innings with it - span it on a wet roundabout in Hounslow and bounced off a Toleman car transporter. Took it to France camping where it promptly caught fire under the dash. I still suspect that was down to my fitting a 320 instrument panel so I could have a tacho. Luckily the fire didn't take hold and didn't re-combust after pulling the battery leads. Still don't know what that was.... The crease in the front bonnet from the Toleman truck got me in trouble on the Swiss border where I was pulled in on my way back to Mulhouse and judging by the delay I think Fritz on the border was checking with every Swiss Canton to see if an oddly-registered British BMW with a German "D" oval had clouted Helvetian property.
It blew a head gasket soon after I bought it and John dutifully changed it, swearing every bolt off and back on again. I had to rub down a TR7 while he was doing it mind. It was a nice thing to drive, though and looked sweet although the repaired boot floor was rusting rather alarmingly. It had to go to fund my house move - I was short of £250 to clear an overdraft without which I couldn't have a mortgage. Back then you could only have money if you could prove you didn't need it.....
Took ages to sell because of the Q thing but an Indian gentleman turned up one afternoon with a three year old Citroen GSA and £250 cash so we did a deal. That Citroen was the newest thing I have ever owned (age-wise) and a whole other story but I have never owned either marque since....