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New Top Gear series

Yank said:
That's a '62.
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Thanks Yank. The pic looks right to me, so it must have been a ‘62. All these years I’ve had 1960 in my head, but now I see that the Impala still had big fins then. Wish it had been a ‘60!
 
First family car I can remember was a Vauxhall Wyvern. Dad, my sister and I on the front bench seat. Whoever was next to dad had to avoid his elbow at gear changes as it had column shift.
 
cutting42 said:
Dad's car segment - possibly one of the best TG stories for many a long year - discuss!
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The essence of Top Gear in the Clarkson/Hammond/May years was, to me, "naughty schoolboys with cars". But latterly that team and also the more recent team has too often descended from "naughty" to "puerile" or "hooligan" and I have not watched the programme. However I unexpectedly found myself watching this one and it was not cringeworthy. Faint praise? Possibly. I might try again.

BTW my dad's car in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was a Wolseley 15/60 (or maybe a 16/60). And at the time my mother drove a Wolseley 4/44, with whose sumptuous red leather seats I was more familiar. After that she got Fords.
 
Mike Reed said:
Nesbit should get an Oscar for creating the widest variety of dramatic wrinkles on his face (in the second half). Of all the regional accents, I've always found that of Northern Ireland to be the most threatening/ caustic/bellicose/whatever.
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Bit of a sweeping generalisation there Mike, a bit like me saying all the English sound posh (stereotype BBC English) when I know there's a major difference in English accents. A bit like England, NI does not have a regional accent , though can be loosely divided into regional accents.
Although a very small country the accents vary as much as English accents, the Ulster Scots brogue of North Antrim is very different to the Derry accent although in close proximity, then the whinging washing machine accent of Belfast which softens and lowers as you move away from Belfast. As you get closer to the border the accents change again and take on a little of the Irish musical lilt.
If you watch Lesser Spotted Ulster, Ulster Giants ,( Joe Mahon presenting) Rare Breeds or any of the locally made NI TV or you will hear a variety of accents.

I thought Bloodlands was quite poor, a bit disappointing.
 
We saw the episode. It was entertaining.

The Dad’s Car thing really shows the class difference in our house.

My Dad’s car = B.S.A. motorbike and various sidecars, including one I remember being in with a roof. Mid-Seventies, he got a Bond 3-Wheeler, which we did many miles in. (not the cool Bond Bug-) Then we had more Reliant 3-Wheelers...

The Wife, on the other hand, her Father had various chauffeured cars. Her mother had some big estate that they used for holidays. Wife’s dad then had many mercedes, if he had to drive.
 
Dad's cars:

Triumph 2500 PI
Jaguar XJ6
Mercedes 280CE
Porsche 944 Lux
Jaguar XJS 4.0 Targa Manual
Jaguar XJS 5.3 Convertible

Then I left home.
 
John Phillips said:
BTW my dad's car in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was a Wolseley 15/60 (or maybe a 16/60). And at the time my mother drove a Wolseley 4/44, with whose sumptuous red leather seats I was more familiar. After that she got Fords.
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Ah sumptuous red leather. One of the earliest cars that I remember was my dad's Austin Cambridge. It had big bench back seats in red leather, and me and my two sisters used to slide from one side of the car to the other on corners. It occasionally crossed my mind what would happen if one of the door latches wasn't done up properly....

The number plate was 707MPU. Funny how those numbers still rattle around my brain
 
It is interesting to extend the scope to mums, brothers and sisters;

Mum: Morris Minor, Triumph Herald (learned on this and became "my" first car followed by a Vauxhall Viva and finally (it felt like the end of the world driving it) a Peugot 104.
Big sister: Renault 4.
Big brother: Mini Cooper, MGB roadster, MGB GT, Triumph TR6, Reliant Scimitar Ford RS2000 (and various big motorbikes).
Middle brother: (More various big motorbikes than cars) Mini Cooper, Lancia Monte Carlo.
Me (baby brother): Citroen Dyane, the first car I bought, which I wrote off within 2 years and replaced with a Ford Capri 1600SE which cost £50 from the son of the boss's PA. Then I grew up and moved to London, didn't need my own car there and used pool cars for work trips.

All ancient history now.
 
Dad cars is not a new concept for Top Gear. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0563539194/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Was an entertaining watch though

FWIW, my Dad has had the following in my memory:
Humber Super Snipe
Ford Zephyr 4 Mk3 and Mk4.
Austin Maxi
Morris Marina Estate followed by a Marina van (he went self-employed after being made redundant when his company relocated)
Austin Maestro van
Ford Escort Mk4 diesel estate, written off when a little 'Erbert decided not to give way to him on a roundabout one night, and sent him spinning off the road into a hedge.
Montego diesel estate - great car, 'cavernous' doesn't get near describing the load space with the seats folded, and 50 mpg from the first direct-injection diesel engine put in passenger cars.
Since 2006, he has owned a rare Rover 75 (because it is a certain spec and colour that was only from the first year of production), but hasn't driven it in years, in part due to health issues. Currently trying to persuade him to get rid of it, as he doesn't use it, it is nearly out of MOT, can't be driven anywhere to get one due electrical issues deriving from lack of use and various other issues that would prevent it passing the MOT without lots of money being spent on it. Struggling to get him to be sensible though.
 
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The ones I recall were:

Ford Popular 100 (only from photos - before my time I think)
Ford Escort Mk1
Ford Capri MK1 1600 in Sebring Red
Ford Capri MK2 1600 in white
MG Metro
Rover 25
 
Hook said:
Thanks Yank. The pic looks right to me, so it must have been a ‘62. All these years I’ve had 1960 in my head, but now I see that the Impala still had big fins then. Wish it had been a ‘60!
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Yeah, the '59 and '60 had the sideways fins:

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Rack Kit said:
The Mrs just texted me this a few minutes ago. Terrible news. Her driving skills were legendary especially around The Ring. She was great whenever she was on the programme. Her driving the wheels off that van in one TG episode was brilliant to watch.

RIP Sabine.
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I remember the one were she thrashed a Transit (?) van around the Ring. I liked her attitude.
 
I finally got a chance to watch that Top Gear episode last night. That was great TV. You could tell Harris wasn't faking it, none of them were.

Also loved the coy looked on Harris's face when he found out he was only 12 sec behind the rally car pace setter!
 
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