Austin A40 Farina
Technically my first car, went in on this with my brother but there's some debate as to whose car it really was. I kind of got muscled out of the whole thing and it was sold before I got a chance to enjoy it or really get involved. Disappointing, I quite like these.

It was the standard saloon and had no engine, or floors, but was otherwise a good sound project.

(2/19)

#Austin #A40 #Farina #ClassicCar #WeirdCarMastodon

Next one I have no photo of. It was my first proper car, a Ford Sierra Sapphire in a graphite metallic colour. Bought from Charlie's Cheapies in Chesterfield. I really wanted the boxy 1980s Mazda 323 but my Dad talked me into the Sierra.

It burned oil, the top of the doors were rotten, it was full of filler... it ended up being an experimental project that I learned a lot on before scrapping it.

(3/19)

#Ford #Sierra #WeirdCarMastodon

Volvo 240 saloon. I loved this car, bought it from a neighbour who sparked my love of Citroen BXs (he had quite a few) and it was a sturdy old thing. I hadn't passed my test at this point and couldn't afford to insure it so sadly I had to move it on. Enjoyed it all the same and preferred it to the 740 my Dad would later have a few of.
(4/19)

#Volvo #240 #WeirdCarMastodon

This little car was my first true automotive love and it was in the family for a very long time, I learned to drive in it, and it was the back up when other people needed a car before I'd passed my test. Taught me lots and lots about modifying and maintenance but life meant it didn't get to stay and we parted ways in 2012 so I never got to see the project through to completion.

(5/19)

#Volkswagen #Polo #WeirdCarMastodon

Here she is, my second love, the one I still have 13 years later. At the time I bought this I really wanted either an FSO Polonez or an Austin Princess and this one turned up at the right time. We've been through a lot together, too much to document here.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP7VWrXR8KI&list=PLXyFRjxdjpziFjKzRqWTmPa9VJ3oYKBzv

(6/19)

#Austin #Princess #WeirdCarMastodon

I hated this car. When I bought it I hoped it was going to be like my old Polo and it kind of was. I never bonded with it, didn't like the driving position and just generally found it unpleasant. As luck would have it, I swapped it in a convoluted way for a car I really wanted...

(7/19)
#Volkswagen #Golf #Cabriolet #WeirdCarMastodon

So what did I swap the Golf for? That's right, another Princess! This was 'free' and had 180,000 miles and a blown head gasket. The plan was to resurrect this one while my other Princess (the black and pink one) was undergoing repairs because it should have been less work... you know, buy another car because the car/s you haev are broken? That logic.

(8/19)

#Austin #Princess #WeirdCarMastodon

... thing is, that red Princess needed a few things, so it has the doors off a Princess that was being stripped and a friend said "do you want a Princess?" and, well, no, I didn't at that point. The price was right and that's how I ended up with three Princesses.

It was SO rotten, omg. It also offered a surprisingly large amount of useful spares that helped a lot of cars.

(9/19)

#Austin #Princess #WeirdCarMastodon

At this point I had three broken cars. Or maybe I'd got rid of the red one... I'm not sure. Life was a bit broken around about now so I'm not so clear on the timeline. Anyway, what I definitely didn't need was an end of life Citroen BX estate, formerly owned by Hubnut, so obviously I ended up with that. BXs are one of my all time favourite cars, I love them, even worn out they're still good.

One of the few cars I've scrapped, it needed too much.

(10/19)

#Citroen #BX #WeirdCarMastodon

When it became clear the BX needed to go, I needed new transport. At least I think this is the way around it happened. Anyway, here's a Ledbury Maestro from 1997, the newest car I'd owned at that point. It was dreadful, in a good way. It was also apparently invisible, so many near misses with people pulling out of junctions in front of me at the last minute.

(11/19)

#Ledbury #Maestro #WeirdCarMastodon

The Ledbury was moved on and I replaced it with a car from the same year, a Citroen Xantia estate. I was expecting this to be like my old BX and in some ways it was. Much better build quality. Unfortunately I couldn't get on with the driver's seat, the extent I put Peugeot 405 seats in (straight swap, funnily enough). The back pain was too much, it had to go. Boo.

(12/19)
#Citroen #Xantia #WeirdCarMastodon

The one I shouldn't have sold. It was high mileage and had the K series, was definitely underpowered being the 1.4. That said, this little Rover 414 SLi was on paper the best car I'd ever owned. Gearbox blew up shortly after I sold it, sadly, and it was scrapped.

But why did I sell it?

(13/19)

#Rover #414 #WeirdCarMastodon

I sold the Rover because a Citroen BX 1.7RD came up at the right price. It also promptly burst a hydraulic line just before collection so it was fun getting that on the recovery truck, and off again. Loved this thing, just right for me until I stopped doing long distance runs and then the diesel made no sense for me. Really enjoyed my time with it.

(14/19)

#Citroen #BX #WeirdCarMastodon