Skip to main content

Posts

Random # 276: Bristol Coupe

The British Bristol marque is not unknown to me, with several local - but much earlier - examples gracing the pages of this 'blog.  However, I had no idea that they were still a going, albeit niche, concern, as confirmed by the website I discovered whilst researching the car featured in this post ( https://bristolcars.co.uk/#home ) . As far as I can tell, this particular example is a Blenheim from circa the mid-1990s, and may be a sub-species of the Series 603.  It could be a Brigand , too.  I really don't know.  Either way, it would appear to have been recently imported from the UK, as it's still sporting its English rego plates.  The rear plate even has the name of the local garage ("garrige") where the car was serviced, LW Smart Repairs, DE55 5RQ, which Detective Google has ascertained is in Alfreton, Derby ( http://www.lwsmartrepairsltd.co.uk/ ) . Stylistically, it's an interesting vehicle that for some strange reason put me in mind of a Saab

Random # 275: 308 XC Fairmont Sedan

Screw low autumn sun and iPhones' lack of lens hoods!  Stray light entering camera lenses creates flare, like that evident in these photos of an otherwise really great looking XC Fairmont, and ruins both contrast and clarity.  I was tempted to ditch the images but such was the quality of the car, I just couldn't bring myself to hit delete for fear of not getting another opportunity to photograph it. The deep green metallic paint was lustrous, as was the chrome.  It was set off very nicely by a radiantly white vinyl roof and a set of quite tough looking alloy wheels.  The interior of the car matched that of its exterior, which is to say that it was damn near perfect! These two final photos, taken looking away from that bloody sun, do the car way more justice than the earlier shots.  I'd like to think that readers can now see why I couldn't scrap the earlier pics and why I just had to include them in a post! U M P H (uppermiddlepetr

Random # 274: 1939 Dodge

A Dodge, apparently.  From 1939.  There's not much more I can tell you, except to say that it was very, very cool! U M P H (uppermiddlepetrolhead.blogspot.com.au.) All iPhone images.

Random # 273: Ayrton Senna JPS Lotus

The striking gold on black John Player Special livery of this magnificent Lotus Esprit got me wondering if the car itself was some sort of limited edition, or a replica- or tribute-version of  one.  I can well remember the black and gold 1970s' E21s and 1980s' E30   BMW M s that raced as part of Australia's JPS Team BMW, and I'm familiar with Lotus' European link with JPS, too, especially the association with GP legend Ayrton Senna. A bit of googling revealed a few pics of an almost identical car, right down to Senna's signature on the front mudguards and his famous number 12 on the doors ( https://www.car-revs-daily.com/2014/07/23/lotus-esprit-ayrton-senna-jps-livery-camshaft/ ).  However, there's nothing that indicates if it's an official version, a dealership special or someone's clever tie-in to Lotus' racing heritage.  It certainly matches the JPS theme of the Lotus GP cars featured elsewhere on the web. The menacing car feature

Classics by the Beach: Sunday the 7th of April, 2019

How I've never seen this Lotus Elise before   I'll never know!  It does, shall we say, ... stand out like a dog's danglies.  And it's not just the LOTUS rego plates ; it's an extremely eye-catching machine, resplendent in fluorescent green duco that really pops!      Also fabulous was this near-perfect Ford LTD .  It appears to be totally original with paintwork that's so unblemished, save the tiniest few supermarket scrapes, that the car could pass for only a couple of years old, rather than the late 1970s' model that it is. I don't want to overdo the superlatives, but this BMW E28  M535i   was also immaculate, from its glossy, lustrous paint right through to its lovely beige M -style  leather interior and bodykit.  It's for sale but the owner hasn't included a price on the sign.   Personally , I wouldn't like to hazard a guess at what it's listed at but, despite the  M -badging, interior an