Cars I've Owned

[gjlelec]

Hi Guys, I'm new here. My collection started as "Cars i've owned and in the colours i've owned them" There are a few to add but i've been really lucky in so much as there seems to be a 1.43 scale car in the colour of the actual road cars i've owned. The more i searched , the more i kept turning up the toy cars i remembered having as a kid. So i moved on to those too lol. I lived in the centre of Swansea and in the early 70s my mother worked in Mettoys Fforestfach. Virtually every other week she'd turn up from work with a carrier bag full of cars. Always 1.43 scale and never in boxes. I'm assuming she wasnt pinching these as i remember her walking out of the place with the bag bulging with cars. My elder brother and i would have endless gold 007 Astons, Batmobiles, Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs. I'm guessing they were seconds in some way but i dont recall they had obvious faults. After giving loads away to friends (you'd be amazed how many friends you have when you give stuff away) and knowing there was another bag next week and another bag the week after, we decided it would be good fun to shoot them with my brothers .22 airgun. So we'd line Man From Uncle Thrushbusters up and try and shoot the guy hanging out of the window, try and shoot the baddie out of the gold Aston, shoot Robin (God knows why we never wanted to shoot Batman) Thinking back, we must have killed thousands of pounds worth. If only we'd known !!. For the historically minded , i remember as a kid. on my way into the centre of Swansea, walking past a flat roofed building that was situated in the road behind the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery. We used to call it "The Industrial Centre". Thinking about it now , it must have been a Remploy building or similar because they'd have people with obvious learning difficulties smashing up thousands of toy cars from mettoys with hammers. Why that was done and what it achieved never occured to us in the sunny 70s, it was just their job. Really enjoying your site guys (ps - my shelf isnt bent, its just a camera trick)

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[GHOSTHUNTER]

A lovely story and a nicely balanced collection you have. My favourite has to be the silver Bentley Arnage (Minichamps!!).

Ghosthunter.

[misterpop]

Welcome.Everyones friendly here..... :)I also collect cars I have owned but seeing as they have mostly been cheap crap ones have seem to have owned a lot more than others..Search out my old tread "Lets see your real cars"or something like that,all mine are on there or a lot anyway.IAN

[gjlelec]

Hi Ian, without taking the thread too far off context, out of that group the Merc SL was the most complicated car i ever owned, some real off the wall ideas Mercedes had with that model, Merc service agent Sinclair Bridgend were exemplary. The Aston , a 6 litre V12 in a plastic and aluminium body, what are they thinking ? bonkers fast, not particularly well made, "Ford" stamped on the water pump !! but made you feel oooh so special (and my brother never shot it with his .22 either so thats a bonus) The service manager at Stratstone used to tell me to turn the radio up because i was always moaning about some rattle or squeak, again great service from Stratstone Cardiff. The Bentley Arnage, hugely powerful, felt wrong to rush it though, well made, mega opulent interior and the worst service and aftersales you will ever experience. I took the approved Bentley agent to court and they LOST !! I'm just a working class guy that likes to drive cars beyond my means , we went to an official Bentley meet in Sudeley Castle, found out that dogs are actually called "dawgs" The most demanding financially out of those cars believe it or not was the old green P38 Range Rover. We called it "Oliver" because it drank like Oliver Reed. Everytime you used it something broke. Thank God the Germans ( initially ) saved the brand

[misterpop]

Bentley hey? Who'd a thought it? Some class cars there you owned...My exciting car driving times where when I had a garage in the 80s...Dodge Winibago,Camaro IROC,Jeep Cherokee,Jag V12 XJ, Plus Sinclare C5+Ladas,FSO , All the great stuff,well it was according to my regular mag Retro Cars.....One car that I owned and realy liked is not available in model form and I may have to cobble one together from Scalextric bodies and thats the iconic Austin Montego [estate].....Come on hurry up Corgi beat everyone else to it..

[GHOSTHUNTER]

I do not know of a single toy or model of the Montego Estate.

Models of the Maestro have been made by Scalextric in 1/32, Corgi (normal and electric) in 1/36, Hastings Classics in 1/43, Autosculpt pewter in 1/92, Autosculpt pewter in 1/43 (Turbo versions) and Roxley Models Van in 1/48, but still no Montego.

Ghosthunter.

[misterpop]

I have the Corgi all ready to cut up unless someone must have it ....

My Montgo was given me by someone who no longer needed it.Turbo Diesel Perkins....Estate with a tow bar..It took us on one of our best holidays and we carried the bikes on top of the trailer that was full of luggage.....Coming home I canend it and burnt the clutch out.....Got us home though...It was actualy like a tank and we used to go offroad with it..Would I have another ????? No......There where hundreds round where I live as they where a 7 seater and handy for carrying lots of kids in.Weirdly I never worked on one..Probably cos people tended to dump them when they broke down.If you look on "How many left" they are a very rare car now.....Let me just check.

[misterpop]

Oh dear there going down.....

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?page=1&q=montego



Check these out.....
Any body else got a RARE car?

[gjlelec]

I recall my neighbour having a turbo saloon Montego, brand new, must have been late 80s ish