Vehicles I have previously owned
Here are some highlights in year order...
1941 Cadillac 62 4 door sedan
Where purchased : Ohio, USA
This car stayed in UK. I know these are very popular and sought after in USA but having owned one I think
they are overrated. The engine bay looks poorly designed, and the location of the exhaust manifolds on the 346
Flathead V8 is absurd, leading to inevitable vapour lock. The 3 speed column change manual gearbox was fun
and faultless. The 1955 Buick in the background belonged to a friend and was a total rust bucket.
1941 Oldsmobile 2 door sedanette
Where purchased : Canada, near Vancouver
This car went to Netherlands. This rare car I had to sell at cost because I was in process of selling my house
and didn't want the worry of another car once I was outdoors. Honestly, the Dutch buyer got a good car needing
little more than tidying. The engine was a straight 6 but the transmission was GM's Hydramatic in only its second
year.
1946 Chrysler Royal 4 door sedan
Where purchased : New Jersey, USA
This car stayed in UK. While in rough condition, this absolutely outclassed the two 1941 GM cars above.
These 1940s' (note the plural possessive use of the apostrophe) and early 50s' Chryslers were so well built.
Everything in the engine bay had clearly been designed on paper, whereas the Cadillac had lots of odd brackets
and looked much more like a lash-up job. "How do we get this part to fit? OK, we'll put an extra bracket in there..."
1947 Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon
Where purchased : UK
This car stayed in UK. Here's a rare car(!), but I had extreme difficulty in selling. Ultimately, I sold the car for a slight loss.
Immediately after selling, the 'phone rang almost every day with interested parties wanting to buy. When I told them
what I sold her for, they could hardly believe it. I should have hung on.
Armstrong Siddeley made 3 models at the time : Hurricane (convertible), Typhoon (coupe), and Whitley (4 door sedan).
I'd like a Hurricane! All cars had A/S 2.0 (2.3 from 1949) litre straight 6 motors. Some had a standard 4 speed
manual gearbox, while others, such as mine, had a Wilson 4 speed Pre-Select transmission as used in Daimlers
of the era. A corner of my 1990 Citroen C25 is visible in the background. That was a good van, an unusual 4x4,
but lacking in power!
1948 Daimler DB18 (body by Mulliner)
Where purchased : UK
This car went to France. I put brand new tyres on her, cross plies of course, and had the wheels shot blasted
and stove enamled beforehand. The results were outstanding - well worth the money. 2.5 litre Daimler straight 6 mated
to a Wilson 4 speed Pre-Select transmission via Daimler's famous fluid flywheel. I really like these Wilson Pre-Selects,
like a half-way-house between a manual and an automatic, and find them rewarding to drive. Everyone knows a Rolls-Royce
grille, but how about a Daimler grille? They are always divided vertically, and always have a curved and fluted
appearance that you can see on every Daimler on this page, no matter the year.
1949 Bentley Mk VI (body by Freestone & Webb)
Where purchased : Michigan, USA
This car stayed in UK. Most Bentley Mk VI cars, about 80%, had a standard pressed steel body manufactured by
Pressed Steel Company. The remaining 20% had coachbuilt bodies, such as this example by Freestone & Webb.
I got caught with this car in that despite being in beautiful cosmetic condition she soon
developed engine problems (well she had done 198,000 miles) that would require cylinder head off, new pistons,
and a lot of work. I sold her for a teeny-tiny profit rather than bother with the work.
1950 Chrysler New Yorker 2 door hardtop (Newport body by Briggs)
Where purchased : New York, USA
This car stayed in UK. I owned Betty for several years before selling in part exchange for the 55 Cadillac below.
She had a Spitfire Flathead straight 8 engine, mated to a PrestoMatic 4 speed semi-automatic transmission
via a fluid flywheel. The Newport body was Chrysler's first 2 door hardtop. The engineers didn't take any
chances with this attempt and used the same frame as the convertible. That box section frame has a massive X-brace
through which the prop-shaft runs. I have owned all kinds of cars and, trucks excluded, this is the most robust
frame I have even seen on an automobile. During my ownership I rebuilt the fuel system, replaced the brake master
cylinder, replated the front bumper and added the (optional) outer bumper guards, repainted the underside, and had
her body repainted with all trim removed.
1950 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith (body by Simpson & Slater)
Where purchased : Michigan, USA
This car stayed in UK. Friends of mine in the RREC (I'm not in the club) reported they had seen her at one of the
RR rallies. Unlike the later Silver Dawn and Silver Cloud models, the Silver Wraith had no standard body. All cars
were coachbuilt. This body was constructed by Simpson & Slater, who only built about half a dozen bodies for RRs,
and, in this case, duplicated, under licence, a Hooper design. The Simpson & Slater body makes this car
especially rare and unusual. I put new tyres and innertubes (yes, the old wheels require them) on her, rebuilt
the double-ended electric fuel pump, fitted a new tank hose, and most importantly reclaimed the original, and
valuable, MTO4 registration. I did NOT split the registration from the car.
1952 Cadillac 62 2 door hardtop
Where purchased : UK
This car stayed in UK. No power options, but note the fancy optional wire wheel covers.
1952 Chrysler Imperial 4 door sedan
Where purchased : UK
This car stayed in UK. Early Hemi.
1955 Cadillac 62 4 door sedan
Where purchased : UK
This car went to France. Possibly I should have kept this car - lovely paint, chrome, underside.
1957 Daimler Conquest Century
Where purchased : UK
This car stayed in UK. These are not bad little cars, and have 2.5 litre 6 cylinder engines mated to a 4 speed
Wilson Pre-Select transmission. Oddly, the front fenders are seem welded lengthways from 2 pressings. This can lead to
ealy rust in the fenders. Odder still, the trunk lid has a most peculiar angle of opening. One always has to stoop
and duck to place into or retreive from the trunk! The elderly gentleman who purchased this car had owned one
as a much younger man. He had been seeking one for a while to restore. It's interesting how certain cars can make
an indelible impression on people, different cars to different people.
1958 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Where purchased : New Jersey, USA
This car went to Germany. She was a cool car with all the power options including autronic-eye and power vent windows.
There was a slow puncture in one of the rear tyres so I put a new tyre on. The British buyer lived in Germany and he
decided to drive the car all the way to Germany. I had just serviced the engine so she was running good. I can image
that as the miles ticked by he got more confident in the car and increased the speed. Unfortunately, the other 3 tyres
on the Cadillac were all old. One of the front tyres exploded in France, shredded, and damaged the fender. You can imagine
what could have happened... Since then I have either changed tyres for new, or given buyers stern warnings about old
tyres being on cars. The Cadillac will have been repaired by now.
1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I
Where purchased : Oregon, USA
This car went to New Zealand. The Silver Cloud I carries the straight 6 engine. These cars use the GM Hydramatic
transmission (RR never crafted their own), but interestingly kept with the earlier 4 speed unit while GM models of the
50s', such as the Cadillac above, had moved onto the later 3 speed. Not until the Silver Shadow did RR switch to the
3 speed auto.
1958 Dodge Regent 2 dr htp
Where purchased : UK
The Canadian built Regent mated the Dodge front end to the Plymouth body; look at the tail fins. I bought this
Christine-like wreck in the hope of making some money upon the registration plate.
That didn't work out and I sold her for 1/3 of what I paid! The older man in the image bought the car from me, and he
is also the original purchaser of the car from a Canadian dealership in 1958. He remained in Canada for a few years, then
brought the Dodge with him when he returned to UK. He kept the Dodge for another 10 years or so before selling. For the
next 20+ years she changed a few hands before falling into an extreme state of disrepair and left to rust in Plymouth.
Sadly, she was the most rusty car I have ever seen. I don't know whether her new (original) owner will ever be able to
restore something that for gone, but it certainly brought back memories for him.
1960 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II
Where purchased : New York, USA
This car stayed in UK. This is the car that I made my best profit upon. Ready in wedding white, she was purchased by a
start-up wedding car company, who are now doing very well. This, their first car, is now one of many but remains
their most popular unit. The Silver Cloud II looks identical to the Cloud I but carries RR's first V8 engine.
This model was replaced by the Silver Cloud III which can be discerned by its twin headlamps. The successor to the
Silver Clouds was the Silver Shadow.
1965 Chrysler 300L 2 door hardtop (4 speed manual)
Where purchased : California, USA
This car went to Sweden. Last of the Letter-series Chryslers, and one of 108 (96 hardtop + 12 convertible) built
with the 4 speed manual gearbox. The 1965 Chryslers were designed by Elwood Engel, of 1961 Lincoln fame,
and were a complete departure from the unpopular (at the time) 1963-4 shape.
1965 Oldsmobile 98 2 dr htp (425)
Where purchased : New Hampshire, USA
This car stayed in USA. I exchanged her for a 1977 Ford F-250 Extended Cab pickup. I have problems with the other party
insofar as he has failed to send the title document of the truck. This seems to be because I was unable to provide him
with a title document for the Oldsmobile. There was, however, good reason for that. The Olds was from New Hampshire, a
state that does not issue title documents for vehicles more than 15 years of age. The F-250 is from Iowa, and has a
title document. I strongly believe that this man should furnish me with a title document.
1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I
Where purchased : UK
This car went to Spain. The day I drove this car home, the GM transmission failed. It took months to ascertain the
cause of why she would not shift up from first. I checked fluid levels, replaced the vacuum assist - no. Eventually a
mechanic friend suggested the governor drive gear. One small plastic cog later and she had the full complement of
gears again! The buyer had a significant collection of antique motorcars, but this was his first RR.
He specialised in Citroen, but also counted a Hispano-Suiza in his collection.
1974 Ford Granada Mk I 3.0 Ghia
Where purchased : UK
This car was the top-of-the-range Ghia with the Essex 3.0 V6 engine.
European Granadas have no structural or mechanical similarity to the North American Granada. The 3 litre models were
immortalised in the TV show The Sweeney where Reagan and Carter would chase down the bad guys.
This car stayed in UK, although it went north to Scotland.
1976 Daimler DS420 limousine
Where purchased : UK
This car went to Ireland, to a wedding car company. The DS420 (1969-91) is really the last Daimler motorcar because,
despite using Jaguar engines (4.2 litre straight 6) and running gear (Jaguar bought Daimler in 1960),
they were coachbuilt cars. At 18'10" they are a big car too, but the bodies are poorly protected.
It's extremely difficult to keep the rust at bay on these cars, espcecially if they are outdoors with any frequency.
1980 Volvo 244
Where purchased : UK
This car stayed in UK. I guess she is the only car that I allowed to deteriorate under my ownership. I had mad
ideas of restoring this car, but it was always back of the queue. In the end I realised I was never going to get
around to the restoration and sold her for 1/6 of what I paid! In Europe, the 1980 was the last of the big bumper
models but I believe they carried them on until 1983 in North America.
1985 Daimler DS420 hearse (body by Woodall Nicholson)
Where purchased : UK
This car went to Germany. This is the hearse version of the limousine you see above. There were only 2 body styles :
limousine or hearse. The limousine bodies were 'standard', insofar as they were all constructed inhouse at Daimler,
but the hearse bodies rear of the front fenders were the domain of individual coachbuilders. My car was a
Woodall Nicholson. This is another car that I made a loss upon, but fortunately there have only been a few.
The buyer was an entrepreneur who imported coffins from Poland into Germany.
1990 Citroen C25 4x4
Purchased and operated in UK, this C25 had the 2.5 Turbo diesel engine and the high top roof. The vehicle was
highly unusual insofar as it was a very rare 4x4 right hand drive.
1990 Ford Cargo 0813 Recovery Truck
Purchased and operated in UK, I used this Cargo for almost 2 years before deciding to halt my business in UK, sell my house,
sell the truck, and concentrate upon emigrating to USA. Whereas the Ford Cargo is a cabover design, I intend to
get a conventional truck in USA. My Cargo had a hydraulic tilt & slide (rollback) body and superduty hydraulic winch.
The engine was a Ford diesel, measuring approximately 6,300cc. She was a good truck, and I always enjoyed driving her,
especially the elevated viewpoint.