Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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peter scott

Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 7211 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 9:37 am Post subject: |
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Hey! Great news, well done Harley.
Peter  _________________ https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon |
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Ray White

Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7075 Location: Derby
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 10:13 am Post subject: |
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Congratulations Harvey!
When I was 16, I took my driving test in a Bubble car; an Isetta 300 to be precise.
These three wheeled contraptions have a single door that opens up the whole front of the car...even the steering wheel pivots out of the way with it...to give access to a small bench seat. They are powered by a 300 CC air cooled, single cylinder BMW motorcycle engine which proved inadequate on the day.
I took my Test in Guildford, which too is hilly.
Needless to say, things did not turn out well that day!
The Driving examiner brought proceedings to a halt when the car refused a hill start (mainly because he was vastly over weight) and told ne to come back with a proper car.! Nice!  |
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Penman
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4850 Location: Swindon, Wilts.
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 12:22 pm Post subject: |
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Ray: But at 16 you couldn't have gone back with a proper car. I took my test in Guildford in '59 when the TC was on Portsmouth Road. Where was it when you did yours? _________________ Bristols should always come in pairs.
Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10 |
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Ray White

Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7075 Location: Derby
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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Penman wrote: | Ray: But at 16 you couldn't have gone back with a proper car. I took my test in Guildford in '59 when the TC was on Portsmouth Road. Where was it when you did yours? |
I can't remember where it was. All I can recall is taking the test for a motorcycle license which included three wheelers. That was 1970.
I never did pass my Motorcycle test. Instead, I drove the bubble car on a provisional license with L plates. The license then had a clause that it was permissible to drive a three wheeler solo with L plates..."if it had been constructed or adapted to carry not more than one person."
Being young and foolish I believed I could comply with this ruling by removing the bench seat and replacing it with a single car seat.!
I did eventually get pulled up by the Police who took a dim view of my antics. The legality of my adaptation did actually cause some consternation among the officers at Woking police Station and it eventually a letter was sent to my Father from the Chief Inspector in which it was admitted that I had exploited a "grey area" of the law. The letter went on, however, to point out that while I may not have broken the letter of the law, I had been acting against the "spirit" of the law ...and in the interests of Public Safety they pleaded with my Father to stop me driving unaccompanied until I had passed my test.
Dad was not amused. He agreed with the Police and the Bubble car was returned to standard and I was only allowed to drive it when accompanied by someone (usually my mate) with a full licence.
AS it happened, I was given my first car (Austin A30) and before long I turned 17 and passed my Car test shortly thereafter. |
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Penman
Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4850 Location: Swindon, Wilts.
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 2:43 pm Post subject: |
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Ray if it was 1970 I suspect it was after the TC moved to Merrow. That only one seat regulation was a weird one, partly because the many of the reliant models only had one seat and no spare wheel as standard because that was the only way they could stay under the Gross Weight limit., the other odd thing was that the motor bikes which learners could ride did have pillions(OK they could only have full licence holders as passengers, but the second seat was still there, in fact there could be even more seats because you could put L plates on a M/cycle Combination. _________________ Bristols should always come in pairs.
Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10 |
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Ray White

Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7075 Location: Derby
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2025 5:21 pm Post subject: |
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A friend of mine had a single seat Reliant 3 wheeler delivery van and he got away with driving that on L plates ...so I did feel justified in adapting the Isetta ...
Of course, Construction and use regulations didn't appear until 1986  |
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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bjacko
Joined: 28 Oct 2013 Posts: 516 Location: Melbourne Australia
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2025 7:09 am Post subject: Avro Visit |
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On the Shackleton Centre section, which was common to Manchester, Lancaster, Lincoln,Shackletons, did you notice that when moving from the front to the rear or vice versa that the wing spars have to be climbed over?
The front gunners window right on the nose had a fantastic view all round, as I found out when I had my test flight flight which was my first ever flight at age 18.
The 707C was a two seater whereas the other 707s were single seat. When I worked there it was being converted to flyby wire and probably one of the first to have such a system. I never saw it fly, it was flown away elsewhere for testing.
We have one here in Australia a 707A which used to be red with Avros but the RAAF changed it to silver which doesn't look half as good as red! After the RAAF finished all their testing it was sold off to a private person who had it in his backyard. After some years he donated it back to the RAAF who have it on show at the RAAF museum at Point Cook in Victoria. _________________ 1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP |
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Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22779 Location: UK
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