Practically Classics Forum

Hi All,

My father and I rescued some cars from a shed last week and as promised here are some pictures of the rescue. The barn has some cars in it from the late proprietor of the local Vauxhall dealership and his wife has asked us to move the cars and sell them for her.

The first car was a Morris Minor with approx 600 miles on the clock from new. Yes I said 600. The Vauxhall dealership was a Morris dealership beforehand and this car was crashed a few months after being sold (it clipped a wall aparently and rolled into another wall). It was supposed to be reshelled but wasnt so was placed in this barn in 1970 and its sat there ever since. His son told me that when it was parked there it had less than 600 miles on the clock. Amazing!

Remarkably it freewheeled and we moved it into position with a trolley jack:



On the trailer



Back home, the tyres were pumped up after this picture and all retain air!





Though dusty, the interior is in very good condition. I found needles and drugs under the back seat (the cars was used by a vet)



The inside of the doors are, to all intents and purposes, like new.



Roof damage is pretty severe



Found an old work receipt dated 1969



Also in the shed are a Triumph Spitfire, PC Cresta and an FB Victor. We only moved the Victor yesterday and are collecting the rest over easter.

The Victor appears too good to break, and has an almost full service history book in the glove compartment. The engine is siezed but it rolls and the ignition system seems to work. Please see advert in for sale section for more details.





The Morris has already been sold to someone whom I believe is going to restore it as a convertible and the Victor is now for sale. I will bring you photos of the others when we get them. Enjoy!

What a find ! Looking forward to the next cars/photos.

Nice find!
The damage to that mog is EXACTLY the same damage that occurred to mine 4 weeks after passing my test i put it on it's side in Essex (10ish years ago, 17 year olds shouldn't be given licences!)
I had the roof replaced from about 4" up from the top of the windscreen all the way to the rib along the bottom of the roof at the back and both B posts.
The replacement roof came from a terminally rotten car that cost £50 from a friend and i had a friend at a local accident repair ctr do the job for me. It cost about £2500 in labour including a full respray.

The Morris has now been sold to someone who is going to restore it

Finally picked up the two remaining cars so here they are:

Firstly the Spitfire:







With some fresh fuel it fired up right away! The brakes didnt work and the clutch is stuck but we warmed it up and then drove it around the field. There is some rust at the front of the tub but the chassis looks ok. Its a 1300 model though, I thought the Spitfire only came in 1500 form.



Onto the PC Cresta. This car started bending the trailer as we winched it up and only just fitted. We got it home, put some fresh fuel in it and it started right away and ran smoothly apart from a misfire on one cylinder. The clutch was free and the brakes worked so I took it for a spin and it drove well! It was wierd getting used to the 3 speed column shift though. Almost everything works and the interior is in excellent condition as can be seen in the pics, should make an excellent project for someone.









The only serious rust I could see was to the rear valence. The floors appear ok and the chassis rails are solid. I'd love to see this car fixed up.

So thats the end of the adventure, hope you all enjoyed

I thought the Spitfire only came in 1500 form..

Mercifully no, it was available with decent engines too, from the 1150 right through to that sweet 1300. Not as sweet as the small journal version found in the Herald 13/60 but still far less likely to put a leg out of bed, have its crank try to dig its way out of the block when its thrust washers weren't up to taking the load of the clutch or start knocking at 10k from new than the 1500; a dreadful engine that used to be replaced at ridiculously low mileages under warranty.
Fortunately ( ), nowadays there are specialists who can make the 1500 reliable enough to last as much as 40-50k between rebuilds but it's still a safer bet as an ornament than as a means of propelling a car.
Five separate Spitfire models were sold during the production run:
Model name Engine Year Number built
Triumph Spitfire 4 (Mark 1) 1147 cc inline 4 Oct 1962 – Dec 1964 45,753[1]
Triumph Spitfire 4 Mark 2 1147 cc inline 4 Dec 1964 – Jan 1967 37,409[1]
Triumph Spitfire Mark 3 1296 cc inline 4 Jan 1967– Dec 1970 65,320[1]
Triumph Spitfire Mark IV 1296 cc inline 4 Nov 1970 – Dec 1974 70,021[1]
Triumph Spitfire 1500 1493 cc inline 4 Dec 1974 – Aug 1980 95,829[1]

The Cresta looks good.

Whats the deal with it? a re you going to restore it yourself, or are you looking for some one to take it on?

Mal.

So, as JPB says, the 1500, like mine, is amazing.

And that's another Spitfire that looks in better nick than mine! Love the period radio!

Thanks JPB, so seeing as that car was registered in November 74 it makes it one of the late 1300's, so might make it more desirable. Thanks.

I'd restore it myself were it not for other projects.

MG Mal wrote:The Cresta looks good.

Whats the deal with it? a re you going to restore it yourself, or are you looking for some one to take it on?

Mal.

Hi Mal. All 4 cars were saved with the intention of selling them on, seeing as I have an MGB V8 project and a Ford Anglia awaiting resto while my dad has an Imp wanting restoration its not viable to do these too. So the Cresta is up for sale to anyone who would like to restore it.

Trust me Aarosc, you're is no doubt better

Welshie,

What do you value the Cresta at ? looking for it?

And could you remind me where you are (in wales I suppose LOL)