Roger had one of these at the time: Which reminds me of another story: One Friday night Roger and a mate called Sam had been out to a local Village Pub in Sam's Reliant Regal Van, on the way home Sam rolled the Regal. They pushed it over and managed to get home to Sam's Mam & Dad's house where Sam still lived. In the morning I heard a V8 Rumble in my slumber and my Mam knocked on my bedrooom door shouting 'That Nutter is here, get up' Roger was all exited and couldn't quite contain himself - he told me the tale and said we were going to see Sam. So I jumped in the Impala, we drove the 300 or so metres to Sam's, where I'm sure I could here Sam's Mam shout 'Sam that nutter is here, get up' although that could have been my imagination. There on the drive is a somewhat squashed Regal Van, Roger, all exited and somewhat out of control and slavering at the mouth shouts at Sam, 'Has your dad got a saw' 'What kind of saw' says Sam, 'a Wood Saw!' shouts Roger. So, with said saw now in hand Roger commencess to saw off the battered roof of the Van, all around and under the windscreen, then tips the whole lot into Sam's mams garden. So we have a 20 odd foot long Impala on Sam's drive with the roof down and a convertible (well the entire bottom half only) of a Reliant Regal 3 wheeler Van. Sam: 'Now what' Roger: 'Now What!, Now What! - now we go cruising together!!!!' So off we went, cruising around York City Centre full of tourists on a hot summer day, crying with laughter most of the 'cruise' - no photo's of the occasion sadly Sam's first job was to work at Transit Motorcycles in York from leaving school which he now owns. Roger left school (grammar) after passing his A levels and became a bin man, did a bit on the building sites as a brickie, then a mental nurse, and is now looking to retire early from being a Council Planning Officer for the latter part of his career.
Yes that would have the legendary square st/wheel, did my apprenticeship on those and all the other BL gems.
Nah!........... Princess was the worst, mine did more to a gallon of petrol than it did to a gallon of oil.
I had a hire car once - 1300 Maestro, my mate had his mum's Allegro with square steering wheel. The Maestro hadn't improved over the Allegro we rallied them through a building site which was nice....
My first company car was a 1.3 base Meastro in primer beige. The F’in thing did not even have a radio or headrests. Chocolate brown velour interior. Remains one if the biggest disappointments of all time as I was expecting a nice shiny new Ford Escort and got given the old hack pool car in a money saving exercise. I had to collect it from Bristol and on collection I was given the key and a big bottle of water to top up the reservoir on the way back as the radiator was leaking. Not such happy days.
Long time ago now but I believe the correct name for that colour was "Champagne", futile attempt to glamourise a pile of crap as I recall.
