Audi R8

The R8 didn't last long as it had been on order for over 4 years when I received it. I had heard about a new Audi called a 'Le Mans' and thought it would be good to order one. By the time the
car arrived it was in great demand and I sold it on within 24 hours for a £10k premium.
I drove the car once back from the dealership and thought it was fine but not as good as
my Porsche 997S. Maybe I would have felt differently if I had kept it longer.

I didn't have it long enough to rate.

The car is mysteriously missing from my list so I will have to correct this.

Bentley GTC

This Bentley is no. 12 on my list and was a great car. I used it rarely due to the problem of parking in public places where it always received attention. The car was totally reliable and never gave me any concern, always made a splash when out and about.

I rate this car 9 out of 10.

Hawthorn Memorial Parade

The John 'Mike' Hawthorn memorial parade took place in Farnham, Surrey today. Mike was represented by a 'look-alike' driving his formula 1 winning Ferrari. Also attending were two previous formula 1 champions in Sterling Moss and Damian Hill. Mike's Jaguar Mk 1 was represented with a very realistic replica.

Range Rover 4.6 Vogue, Porsche 993 C4 and Porsche 993 Targa

Now we are getting serious, numbers 41, 64 & 65 on the list. The black C4 I took to the Nurburgring with less than 1000 miles on the clock and it performed magically. It was easily able to reach 150MPH on the long 4km straight. The Targa was my first day-to-day Porsche and it was excellent (only slight dissappointment was a rattle in the targa top). The C4 was my wife's daily drive! The Range Rover was the everyday shopping trolley and it performed this function very well.

I rate the C4 9/10 the targa 9/10 and the range Rover 9/10. A great combination.

Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Sport

No. 6 on the list and a truly fabulous car. The steering was first class and the car had a lot of power. A big 4 door saloon that was very under rated by the motoring press. Automatic gearbox and every conceivable extra. Great engine.

I rated this car 9/10

Ford Escort 1.3L

This was the first company car that I ran. A decent enough 4 door saloon.

I rated this car 5/10

BMC Mini 1000

I bought this car new in 1971 and it replaced my Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite. During my ownership I managed to damage a door and the front bumber (which can be seen in the picture). I had a massive rear end shunt in this car coming back from a football match at Highbury on Boxing day 1972 in the snow. The car stopped well but the guy behind me didn't.

Overall rating 6/10

The full list of cars

This is the full list of cars (save for errors which I will correct as they become obvious)owned by me over the last 38 years. Over the coming weeks I will add pictures and comments on as many as possible.

The Frog is dead; long live the TR4A IRS

I'm afraid the frog has gone and has been replaced with a Triumph TR4A IRS. When I say the Frog has gone its still for sale so if you are looking for a good Frog give me a bell.

The TR4A appeared on the scene last week and is a beauty. (See pictures)
One small problem it lost a rear wheel on the first outing and is now at Rawlings having it put back on. Apart from new shocks, pads, wheel hubs, some paintwork and odds and sods, its fine!

I'll keep the blog updated as the TR4A settles in.

50th Birthday party - pictures

Sprite 50th birthday party

Today more than 800 Sprites and Midget decended on Gaydon for the biggest gathering of Sprites for a very long time.
XXO 717 was there and arrived after a slight mishap. She shed a tyre at 70 MPH on the A34 and very nearly lost it completely. However, after some sterling assitance from a fellow Frogeye driver we were soon on our way via the nearest service station.
The pictures attached hopefully give you a good idea of how big the gathering was!

New K&N Filters

I've just fitted a new K&N filter to my Frog to improve performance and its looks (picture to follow soon). Having sought advice about performance from a well known expert his advice was to enjoy the car, change the filters and drive it lots. I'll let you know how good the advice was during the next few weeks.

Spring 07 and the Frog is awake!

The Frog has woken and been to its first meeting of the year. The attached picture is of XXO's engine, very well presented and in great original condition, save the enlarged carbs. A slight drip of petrol from the rubber hose to the carbs needs rectifying and this will be done soon. I've just read an article on this years early auctions where a Frog was sold in the USA for £34K plus. Hold on to your Frogs and be happy!

Frog in bed

Tucked up and resting for the Winter - you know it makes sense!

Insurance cover the XXO 717

Running a classic clearly doesn't have to be expensive. Full comprehensive insurance for the Frogeye runs to £113.89 so long as the car doesn't exceed 3,000 miles per annum and is garaged at night. This includes an agreed valuation which, for XXO 717, is £10,750.

A-Plan Insurance Group in Farnham arranged the cover through KGM Motor Policies, if you need insurance give them a call on 01252 725 725

Registration Book - XXO 717

In 1962 the Government introduced Registration Books for Mechanically Propelled Road Vehicles (Logbooks) by way of the Vehicle Excise Act, 1962. Attached to this posting is the original R.F. 60 form for XXO 717.

History of the MK 1

In 1958 BMC launched a new, small sports-car based on well proven Austin A35 mechanical parts. The new car was known as the Austin Healey Sprite and would be produced at the MG factory in Abingdon. The Sprite introduced a whole new concept in sports-car ownership that would later be copied by Triumph and MG. The Sprite consisted of a twin carb A35 engine, 948cc, A-Series engine driving the rear wheels via a four speed gearbox. The body was of a simple design with no external boot access and with minimal decoration. The one-piece bonnet was originally designed to include pop-up headlamps, however the mechanisms proved to complex and so the lamps were mounted in a fixed pod. This unusual styling feature actually added to the cars "cute" appeal and it quickly gained the nickname "Frogeye" (or "Bugeye" in the USA) Sprite

XXO 717 Austin Healey Sprite MK1 (Frogeye)

XXO 717 Austin Healey Sprite MK1 (Frogeye)

Are you a previous owner of XXO 717 or do you know anything about the vehicle that will help build its history?

Let me know if you have any information about this fabulous car.

XXO 717 was registered on 15th October 1959.

She is in great condition and although she has had a new engine at some time (I hope to be able to trace when this was done through previous owners) she is in remarkable condition.

As I find out more about XXO I will post details on this Blog.