Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
|
|
| Author |
Message |
Rick Site Admin

Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22834 Location: UK
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Riley Blue
Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1751 Location: Derbyshire
|
Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2013 10:43 am Post subject: |
|
|
Here's my Hillman Super Minx related story (apologies if I've told it before.) In the mid 60s my Dad was stationed in Germany and decided a green Hillman Super Minx Estate was to be his next car. Only problem was, it had to be collected from Ostend. We set off by train, on the Vienna - Ostend Express, arrived in Ostend and found the dealership (more likely a compound to where new cars for BAOR were shipped - I can't remember)
Having collected the car we set off for home; me navigating, Dad driving. It was foggy so Dad switched on the headlights only to find they hadn't been set for continental driving so he switched to side lights only - and was pulled by a Belgian plod who chuntered on in French about lighting regulations and how we must use headlights. So we continued, on headlights until the fog thinned and Dad was able to switch the lights off.
We stopped at traffic lights on a bridge, Dad reaching for the handbrake which wasn't where he expected it to be (between the seats) and the brand new car rolled back to hit the front of a Belgian truck. Out got a huge truckie in a string vest (strange what you remember...) who started to shot and swear, pointing to the broken light on the front of his truck. While Dad stood there listening to all this, I walked round to the back of the car and with my sleeve, wiped a few glass particles off one of the rear fins. The police arrived, noted the broken light on the truck but couldn't find a point of impact on the car so waved us on our way.
We eventually arrived home, Dad wondering if the Minx was jinxed - I never did tell him what I'd done to hide the evidence.
Following that we drove thousands of trouble-free miles all over Germany and eventually back to the UK, all without further brushes with the law...
It was, I recall, an OK for its day. A bit bland perhaps with no outstanding features but it did what it was supposed to do adequately enough. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
php BB powered © php BB Grp.
|