More Swedish Running Around

Admin AM.

I did check the Talbot oil in the afternoon and I don't think it used much at all on the London trip although I should add 1/4 pint perhaps.

Then it was a SAAB run PM - well several.

Harkstead/Ipswich/Harkstead - as today's role is wheelchair maintenance man.

And PC trouble shooting as it turned out.

I'd checked on the Aston while waiting and  ... it is someone else's fault still and they think it might be in this afternoon ... it did not sound like it would be though.

Miles wise ? The unsurprising champion is the Talbot with 500+ miles, with runs to Kop Hill and London under it's belt this month - it even beat the SAAB. None of the others made much at all. Except the MK7 Golf which seems to have done 1258 !

Oh there goes Gravity

A full day of basic admin. Finishing off the Talbot archive work and then the photos from the weekend.

This is the best one of TAS.

There was a SAAB trip another 500 yards for more supplies but that was it.

Snap back to Reality

It was an unplanned early run in the SAAB for a 999. But all was well in the end.

It did bring me down with a bump though after all the fun.

I spent most of the day on the Talbot archive (1930 Ulster GP as you asked) which was quite hard work.

PM was a food run (again in the trusty SAAB) about 500 yards to the co-op.

It's really the Same Day

Well that was fun - in parts. 

Anyway - I was up at 8:00 - so less than 5 hours sleep - but I felt fine. We went back to Duke of London by Uber again - it's almost like we live here. This is a view of the underground area where I was parking.

We collected the car and set off back home just after 10:45 - the car started on the button again. Phew I thought. The first stop was petrol, lots of nice comments and a chat with a chap in this Dodge Charger - so really a reply of last night.

From there it was onto the North circular for a few miles then M11//M25/A12. By then I was flagging - I guess the lack of sleep was getting to me by then so we diverted to the RHS for a rest and lunch at 12:30. It had taken only and hour and a half but it felt longer.

TAS of course just shook it off and we got home in just over the hour - as the Talbot encouraged me to get a jog on and we averaged 60 mph most of the way.

So another 222 miles under our belts. I did notice the tick over dropped when the car was very hot - and she seemed reluctant to accelerate at times, but then perhaps I was knackered and not pressing the pedal down enough.

Being Bullied by Bentley Boys

So the day/night of the rally dawned bright and sunny. After I'd mapped the route down to the start of the night run I started the Talbot. It seemed eager to get going a roared into life.

I also check the oil - a little below the top but fine. I packed our small load and we were ready.

We set off just after 2 pm and headed down the A12 turning off to Stanstead. The traffic was fine - although the A120 is down to 50 mph all the way. Not a great problem for us though. On the M11 a yoof leaned out to take a picture and we got a thumbs up from a biker.

M25 for 15 miles to the A1. Then through some roads we recognised - past Brent Cross - and some we definitely did not as we found our way through the houses - although we did generate a few smiles along the way. Then we followed the A41 into the heart of Darkness - well Hampstead - up hill to the pub.

Two and a half hours almost exactly.

After a wander we went back to the pub only to find - no one at all there and a car park full of 'moderns'. In fact it was 6:30 before any other cars turned up but it was this.

Coincidentally an Alvis Speed 20 - but a special 'Special' driven up to London a long way. Around 7:oo a few other cars appeared in dribs and drams. The Delage of James the organiser, a Type 35 Bugatti, the odd Bentley, a large Vauxhall 30/98, a small Fiat Balillia which I liked.

In fact more and more cars arrived until the car park was overflowing with chaotic parking and revving engines smoking into the night. Oh and Rolls that looked as if it was on fire. 

Obviously we ate late (about an hour) but set off around 10:20 not far off as planned for the first stop at Regents Park the run there was fine, with little traffic, lots of parking and not getting in the way of the public. It was very hard to take any pictures but TAS was under one of the few lights so we stood out nicely.

We did not leave there until just after 11:00 and headed for the next stop which was Burlington Gardens. Here there was no real parking as we found the first 'Road Closed' on the route where we would have parked. So there was a bit of disruption with cats on the pavement and on the road, with vans trying to push past and of course more and more Vintage cars appearing.

The 'Order of the Day' appeared to be ignore the mounting disruption and have a nice chat.

Here is TAS lurking behind one the the several Bentleys that were on the run. James' pic showed the 'Little and Large' perspective of us vs the little Balillia.

That little interlude took us close to Midnight so we pressed on - trying an alternative route as our mapped one was closed as you can see in the background. Here the traffic started to pick up or bog down to be more precise.

At least it gave the Phone snappers a better chance. We (several of us) may have turned the wrong way across the lights at this junction too. 

Anyway we arrived at the next stop at just past midnight - The Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall - and obviously we all parked obediently in a row - on the double yellow lines outside.

Again the same scenario played out as more and ore cars arrived and bemused guests left the posh do they were having the log jam of cars are people grew. Not helped by the Tazi's also double parking.

Some cars were even small enough to mark on the central reservation - on Pal Mall - and yes that blue light is a Police Van - who just smiled.

What we did not spot was more and more of the roads on our route had been closed. About half past midnight we set off again this time heading into Mayfair. About ten minutes later we hit the tail end of the queue of traffic on the 'Diversion'.

The Vintage cars by then had been on the road in traffic for about two and a half hours. Then we hit the real traffic chaos. For twenty minutes we slowly progressed - trying to get up St James' Street. Here the stress got too much and the Bentley Boys just cut us up - well some of them - but we managed to hold our own.

I'm not sure what people thought of this group. TAS, following a Type 35 Bugatti, Bentley and Alfa Romeo up the hill, flanked by a Delage and another Talbot. It was close to 1:00 AM before we were extracted and heading for Duke of London - our final destination - arriving 45 minutes later. Gosh that was hard work.

It was just past 2:00 am and 114 hard miles before I was parking in the private basement car park - in prime position though.

Then what ? More chat and eventually an Uber back to James' - so all done by 3:00 AM. 

And the Vintage London Rally - 17 bloody miles !

September Sun Highlights Mr. E

AM jobs then PM, well actually more jobs.

Well, actually, only one real job. Yes SAAB back to Harkstead - yet again this week - to sort out booking of a COVID-19 jab.

Roadworks, thankfully being tidied away so I just nipped through as they were working.

Late afternoon with the September Sun still out I decided to take the E-type around the block yet again.

It's nice to have it as the go-to car for a while and it reminds me how good it really is - and also the work I need to do to it.

Talking of work. Grange phoned late afternoon to say … the can’t get a headlight - the factory keeps sending them the wrong one …

Next step done

Talbot cleaned first thing - not too dirty as it turned out though - but it came up nicely.

Then back to garden pottering - well to tidy up two years of veg patch machinations.

Early afternoon I took the Alpine out to fill three cans with petrol. 

A woman came up to me saying she regretted selling her Alpine 15 year ago - as this looked so nice. The jobs are really to run the tank down well below the split so I can repair it in the next few weeks.

Finally a SAAB run. Harkstead to fix an left over IT job. The roadworks were fortunately open.

They should be gone soon - but that means the Stutton road will be closed next - and for 6 weeks.

Another Bloody Paperweight

I dashed off very early in the SAAB to meet the BT chap at Harkstead for the digital installation.

I (and as it turned out he) got through before they closed the road - again. That done it was the long way back - it's only a few days but there is much worse disruption to come.

PM I started the Talbot to begin the preparation process for Saturday night. As it was warming I backed the MK7 Golf out of the way and into the bush on the drive ! 

I don't think it damaged it too much. Anyway, the weather was still OK so I decided to pop off and fill it up with petrol. 

So that ticked off another step. The car is a but dirty I noticed so I'll have to give it another clean too.

To finish off the day I thought I'd take the Ferrari out for a run. It looked good in the garage next to the Talbot and I thought at that point I don't really need any more cars. But wait ...

Oh shit, shit shit. Two backfires as I reversed out and rough idling too.

I tentatively went for the run hoping it was just my imagination, but no. Definitely a bit of rough running and the tick over is a little down again.

I did wonder what I had done to deserve it. So that's three dead or dying cars at the moment.

Peaking too Early ?

I started (as I have on several occasions I feel) by swapping the Talbot batteries over.

It was then a morning of garden pottering - before an early Van Dash.

Here we are again.

After the Hospital run (and registering the van) I felt quite drained - mind you it was back in the 70's.

Later I cleaned the E-type and took it for a spirited run around the block. 

Nice but we were stuck in slow traffic some of the way and then the ubiquitous bloody traffic lights.

At the end of the day I could have taken another car out but it seemed a bit late by then.

A Flash in the Gloom

Pottering day AM catching up on the Wedding photos - disappointingly they did not even have a wedding car - but the pics were good.

PM we checked on the boat in the MK7 - and I spotted this well preserved Morris Minor Estate.

Back home it was still sunny and warm so I thought the Alpine deserved a run out, so I got it out and started for later.

However by the time I was ready it had got dark and gloomy. Mind you the car just 'popped' in the dying light.

So I get dressed in three layers for the first time this year and we went off. It liked the cooler air, but is still a bit bumpy and the steering is a bit vague at times. However it was a great run.

I also treated it to the vacant Aston garage for a few days.

Which it fits in very nicely.

That Drive again

So we were all off by 9:45 from the Air B&B - heading in two directions. Oil and family heading home and me 'Uber-ing' again to the Country House for Breakfast.

After that it was a run back home. I did spot even more cars at Avonmouth though.

The only other car of note was this slightly dusty XJS at one of the services.

Only about six hours this time to get home - but with only 'dash and splash' stops.

Looking it up later:  Apparently "around one in four new cars entering the UK arrives through the Bristol Port facilities, totaling hundreds of thousands of vehicles every year". Hence the storage.

Cabin Doors to Manual

I shuffled the cars around first thing to let Oli get his car out - before leaving a bit later to Uber the passengers to the Wedding.

The short run was interesting as off the main road it quickly turned narrow and then narrow and bumpy. 

Then the drive up to the (slightly decrepit) Country House was worse - pot holes, speed bumps, random rocks and big holes in the 'road'. We followed the signs to parking, only to go the wrong way. So I then had to reverse 200 yards back down the narrow track to the carpark in the field.

Not a big deal though.

Over a [very] late lunch I chatted to a relative with a car restoration business - in Cranleigh of all places.

Then much later (just before midnight in fact) I found the car in the pitch black night and we retraced our steps - with three very 'tired and emotional' passengers. The lane looking even narrower and bumpier in the car lights against the dark hedges.

I did have to lock the back doors (really channeling my inner Uber driver now) to stop our 'fares' opening and closing the doors at random in their excitement as we went down the lane.

That was about it really.

That's a Shock

We were all packed up by 8:30 and off in both cars by 9:00. I dropped the Aston at 10:00 - and noticed how small it looked vs the new models.

It was an OK run for a couple of hours to our lunch stop. There we spotted the first interesting vehicle.

Back on the road as passenger after 45 mins stop and rest only for Grange to phone. All ok ... the car is in excellent condition, but it will fail the mot due to a sidelight bulb being dead. That is not an issue until you find out it's £2.5k+ to replace the whole unit. Gulp.

It needs doing - but that's going to mean a c£5k+ bill (lets not for get the VAT) this year.

After that the traffic and (possibly my mood) got worse as we went around Bristol - as did the weather.

But at least we kept rolling along until Avonmouth where we were very congested. We also spotted hundreds of cars parked up ready for something as we went over the river.

Here us a Google Earth view.

The final leg was fine although the roads got very narrow but we arrived - to park on the immaculate white gravel drive - just before 4:00. Glad I've not bought a classic - hard to hide those oil drips on that.

Then later in the evening I was off again as Uber Driver - Train Station, House, Restaurant for supper - and then finally I got a ride back to the House.

A long day - as it took us seven hours with a couple of stops.

Pics and Trips

In the morning I spotted lots of my photos on the Talbot Facebook site. Well at least they are being shared.

Just all 17 then.

I also researched the Imp issue and it is probably serious and may need an engine rebuild.

In the afternoon we had a Harkstead run in the SAAB.

Sorting out an IT issue. Turn it on was the answer.

I did plug the Talbot battery in for a charge though - and then wondered what to do next ?

Nothing as it turned out - although I bought a tester to see what the compression is on the Imp.

You Can't park There !

I started by giving the new garage door wood strip a bit of paint. That looked better.

The Aston was also looking good - even if it is misbehaving as the moment.

Then we started the main event - climbing onto the roof and clearing the garage gutters gutters. I moved on the the impossible gutter but had made up a new device which worked well - well OK.

PM - So the rain was holding off so it's time to get the imp out - it hasn't really had a run for a little bit and is still looking very clean.

So it was time to use it for a job - and collect two more gallons of petrol for the Aston. As I drove to the petrol station, I passed another Vintage car. It was Paul from the CVMC driving past - nice to see - they had had a lunch at Shotley.

What wasn't so nice to see was what it looked like smoke pouring out of the left-hand side of the cockpit as I drove off from the petrol station - was it really or was it just an optical illusion ?

I turned around quickly, came back down the ski slope and came home. There was a little bit of smoke from the oil catch tin when I opened the bonnet but nothing that would produce that effect - so I'll put it down to my fertile (worried) imagination.

Anyway - I topped up the Aston with the petrol and we'll leave it alone for a bit now.

That still left time for another evening jaunt so the Italian got another run out.

Still going well - although it does need another clean and more fuel - before there is none left in the country.

As to the parking - as I walked back from the Co-op a helicopter flew overhead and seemed to try to land in the garden of Reed Hall ! You can just see the rotor and then the body taking off again.

Then another buzzed overhead ? WTF !