Tuesday, February 17, 2009
..Of cars and cars ....
My scooter AND cat--when I was in College. That SAF 1324---still remember the number
The grand Armstrong Siddely- from an advert
Top-My sister's Viva SL90 , and one of Abah's - a Morris 1100
The Ford Taunus -with my Abah
Singer Vogus--a super-car with doors that weigh a Kancil each !
Triumph Vitese - fantastic fast car at that time
I was driving a similar car -- one of the first super-hatch "
My sister was driving a similar car--The Morris Cooper !
The Vauxhall Victor at our home in Johor Baru-- my Abah's last car . Look carefully and you'll see two cats on the car.
The first Vauxhall Viva--superb handling and speed . My first car when I obtained my licence.
One of my nephews in my sister's open-hood sports car--the Midget
Sister's Viva SL90…Of cars and cars……
Since the last posting is connected to cars….allow me to talk about the cars in my life – since my child hood and I will try to write about the uniqueness of each car.
As far as I can remember, my father’s first car was a British made called Sunbeam Talbot. I don’t remember much about the car and I was in Primary 3 or 4 then.
Anyway, what I remembered most was that the direction indicators were not blinking lights like what we have now. It was actually something that actually sticks itself out to show your intention of turning left or right. Being the naughty boy that I was, I used to hold the stuff so that it could not stick itself out as I was curious to know whether it was strong enough to push my hand away. Sometimes when it was sticking out, I would force it back into its groove, release it and simply watched it sticking itself out again. Sorry Abah, I may have broken your left indicator without telling you. . Why am I so sure it was the left? Because it was further away from the driver and my Abah couldn’t see me up to my tricks.
The next car I remembered was a majestic car. It was built by the Armstrong Siddely. (According to Wikipedia – ‘Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines. )
Since the last posting is connected to cars….allow me to talk about the cars in my life – since my child hood and I will try to write about the uniqueness of each car.
As far as I can remember, my father’s first car was a British made called Sunbeam Talbot. I don’t remember much about the car and I was in Primary 3 or 4 then.
Anyway, what I remembered most was that the direction indicators were not blinking lights like what we have now. It was actually something that actually sticks itself out to show your intention of turning left or right. Being the naughty boy that I was, I used to hold the stuff so that it could not stick itself out as I was curious to know whether it was strong enough to push my hand away. Sometimes when it was sticking out, I would force it back into its groove, release it and simply watched it sticking itself out again. Sorry Abah, I may have broken your left indicator without telling you. . Why am I so sure it was the left? Because it was further away from the driver and my Abah couldn’t see me up to my tricks.
The next car I remembered was a majestic car. It was built by the Armstrong Siddely. (According to Wikipedia – ‘Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury motor cars and aircraft engines. )
. It had a 6-cylinder engine and I remembered how my late Abah would proudly place a glass of water on the dashboard, switched on the engine and reminded me that there was not a ripple in the water because of the stability of the engine.
The uniqueness of this car is the ‘pre-select’ gear system. Before changing gears, we’d just have to bring the lever down to the required gear without pressing the clutch. Whenever you want to change gear then, just depress the clutch and it would engaged – thus the speed in changing gears. Of course the comfort level was simply out of this world.
Then followed a string of cars like the Ford Taunus, Triumph Vitesse, Vauxhall Cresta, Vauxhall Victor, Morris 1100, Austin Mini van, the Vauxhall Viva, Morris Mini, and Singer Vogue. He simply loved to have new and different cars every now and then.
My Abah was an avid car aficionado (if I can use that word), He simply loved the machines. His cars were always kept clean (with me as the official car-washer). The slightest squeak or creak from any part of the car would sent him running to the mechanics and wouldn’t leave until that noise was identified, detected and ‘deleted’.
A little bit of that character is with me but my son seem to have ‘inherited’ most , if not all of his grandfather’s passion for cars. ( Since my son started working in 2000, he has already owned an Opel Corsa, BMW 3 Series, Subaru Impreza WRX, an Alphs Romeo 156, Mitsubishi Airtrek ( a normal one and later a Turbo model ), another BMW 3 Series ( 2-door) and presently an Audi A4. – all in 8 years..) He’s a real chip of the old block (his grandfather’s)
Anyway, back to the history—the Vauxhall Cresta was the first car I drove without a valid driving licence. I still remember a Hari Raya moring when my sibling and I had to visit our grandparents. That morning, out of the blues, Abah simply grinned and threw me the car keys and told to take the car. No one can imagine my (and my siblings’) surprise and MY joy !
Strangely my first legal drive (with a valid driving licence) was also in a Vauxhall Viva. Boy ! Can that run !
Now this thrill for speed actually runs in the family.
My sister (anaksihamid.blogspot.com) first car when she graduated from the University was an MG Midget a convertible sports car. Later after a series of mundane cars, she came back with a bang with her Morris Mini Cooper. That car was something else! Forget about ‘The Italian Job’! It’s the ‘Singapore Job’ for us! Later she took in the Vauxhall Viva SL90, THE super sports sedan of that period!
As for me, I drove the Morris Mini, the Renault Floride and the Singer Chamoise.
Later, fresh from UK, when I was with the ITM then, I started to wonder just how fast I could push a car with simple modification.
I started with the Mitsubishi Lancer, then the Mitsubishi Galant and finally the Mitsubishi Sapporo which with mordifacation had me going at 200 km/h along the North-South Highway. All these cars went through modification like extractors ( just introduced in the motoring scene then) , twin Webber carburetors, an assortment of super-efficient, air-filters , skimming of the fly-wheels, assortment of instrument to improve the inlet manifold and others I couldn’t remember.
Anyway …. The photos here are some of the classic cars that used to be in the family. The advertisements comes from old magazines (thanks to my sister) and old photographs she has kept all along. My own collection of photographs was all destroyed in a flood when I was staying in Jalan Gurney.
# posted by sunnyside up @ 10:34 AM 
Comments:
<< Home
Hi Mus,
Well the pictures are worth waiting for. Those were the days. We were a really car-crazy family and when I started working it was Abah all the time who 'encouraged" me to get the cars I got. My first car the MG Midget was bought at I think Angs Brothers at Clemenceau Avenue - it was 3 years old and it cost $3,400 in 1967. Wotta car. Do
you remember how Abah would take mak to market in that car? I can still see them , driving open top, hair blowing in the wind and I don't think any vegetables got blown away either.
And when I started teaching at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, my Principal Mr Charles Lazaroo would park his red Triumph Spitfire next to my Grey MG. Another teacher had an Austin Healey Sprite, a mini version of the Austin Healey, but it was not a patch on my MG ha ha. I remembered the looks of the other teachers ( especially the Malay ladies) when I drove the MG into the school car park. If looks could kill .... but then I was and still am a maverick.
If I have the means and the ways, I would love to buy that car and bring it back to KL. Then this old lady and hubby can do a re-run of those grand days of the 60s.
Just a little correction - what I had was the Austin, not Morris Cooper, double exhaust and the resounding voom of the twin carburettor from that little minx could turn your straight hair curly. The number plate was SL 6443.
Okay that's enough drooling of the old cars and old days. I'd give a lot to have them back again.
Well the pictures are worth waiting for. Those were the days. We were a really car-crazy family and when I started working it was Abah all the time who 'encouraged" me to get the cars I got. My first car the MG Midget was bought at I think Angs Brothers at Clemenceau Avenue - it was 3 years old and it cost $3,400 in 1967. Wotta car. Do
you remember how Abah would take mak to market in that car? I can still see them , driving open top, hair blowing in the wind and I don't think any vegetables got blown away either.
And when I started teaching at Yusof Ishak Secondary School, my Principal Mr Charles Lazaroo would park his red Triumph Spitfire next to my Grey MG. Another teacher had an Austin Healey Sprite, a mini version of the Austin Healey, but it was not a patch on my MG ha ha. I remembered the looks of the other teachers ( especially the Malay ladies) when I drove the MG into the school car park. If looks could kill .... but then I was and still am a maverick.
If I have the means and the ways, I would love to buy that car and bring it back to KL. Then this old lady and hubby can do a re-run of those grand days of the 60s.
Just a little correction - what I had was the Austin, not Morris Cooper, double exhaust and the resounding voom of the twin carburettor from that little minx could turn your straight hair curly. The number plate was SL 6443.
Okay that's enough drooling of the old cars and old days. I'd give a lot to have them back again.
Aiyoyo... too many numbers, which one to buy for the coming weekend ?
# posted by 
: February 17, 2009 at 7:04 PM
: February 17, 2009 at 7:04 PM
33 minutes after this post publish i already read, but cannot post a comment at cosmo point.. ahaha well i have lost my idea right know...
like a journal la sir.. hehehe, i wonder what is my first car in the future.. hehehe ow.... one more car u still did not drive.. hehe the flying car.. ahahahahahah
and 1 more.. right now, emmm what happen to ur mitsubishi lancer sir??
like a journal la sir.. hehehe, i wonder what is my first car in the future.. hehehe ow.... one more car u still did not drive.. hehe the flying car.. ahahahahahah
and 1 more.. right now, emmm what happen to ur mitsubishi lancer sir??
Pickled Herring,
Why don't you tikam the number on your Rod Stewart (yecchh) concert ticket?
TIP: This year is 2009. The number of my MG Midget was SL 2009. It seemed our neighbour Troung Kim Ngoc tikamed that number several times and won!!!
Remember me when you strike it big -forget about Mus.
Why don't you tikam the number on your Rod Stewart (yecchh) concert ticket?
TIP: This year is 2009. The number of my MG Midget was SL 2009. It seemed our neighbour Troung Kim Ngoc tikamed that number several times and won!!!
Remember me when you strike it big -forget about Mus.
Nor
...oh for an open-top drive in a sports car again ....
Pickled Herring
aiya... just play toto la.... with that numbers to play with....
shares ? easy--- 40% for me, 40% for ms hamid ---now, is that right ? my maths has been bad. 20% for u , ok ?
...oh for an open-top drive in a sports car again ....
Pickled Herring
aiya... just play toto la.... with that numbers to play with....
shares ? easy--- 40% for me, 40% for ms hamid ---now, is that right ? my maths has been bad. 20% for u , ok ?
helas
that ole lancer was already well beaten up after spending two years with me. I won't be surprised it was scrapped , sent to Japan --and probable came back in the shape of a myvi ....hahahahah !!
that ole lancer was already well beaten up after spending two years with me. I won't be surprised it was scrapped , sent to Japan --and probable came back in the shape of a myvi ....hahahahah !!
Mus, i'm very impressed with your Maths and i'm quite good too, 1+1=3.
Puan Sri, 2009 it shall be for this weekend.
Puan Sri, 2009 it shall be for this weekend.
# posted by : February 18, 2009 at 10:39 AM
: February 18, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Wow, very classic car..
Just watched in the TV before.
Tak sangka lak my english lecturer ni got experiences with those cars.. How lucky u r..
Is it true that Voguish has doors weigh as Kancil each? I can't believe it. Wow!
Just watched in the TV before.
Tak sangka lak my english lecturer ni got experiences with those cars.. How lucky u r..
Is it true that Voguish has doors weigh as Kancil each? I can't believe it. Wow!
Believe me Wa Caya Lu---it's so heavy. The car is so solid I think today's Volvos pun cannot match its weight. It so damn comfortable and travelling at 70 miles per hour (1.6 kilometer to 1 mile) ---you dont feel anything -- you just float .....
Oh thx for your comments!
Oh thx for your comments!
pickled herring
FYI. The 2 + 1 seater with the number 2009 was bought sometime in1968. It was a 1964 model of 1 owner and Ms Hamid was the 2nd owner. At that time the car was always parked at 691, Lorong Abu Kassim and the house telephone was 646398.
I remember the car had spoked wheels and each wheel has about 60 spokes. Now with four wheels , thats about 249 spokes, of course not counting the spare wheel.
Well thats a load of numbers to work with for the coming weekend ya. heheheh...
FYI. The 2 + 1 seater with the number 2009 was bought sometime in1968. It was a 1964 model of 1 owner and Ms Hamid was the 2nd owner. At that time the car was always parked at 691, Lorong Abu Kassim and the house telephone was 646398.
I remember the car had spoked wheels and each wheel has about 60 spokes. Now with four wheels , thats about 249 spokes, of course not counting the spare wheel.
Well thats a load of numbers to work with for the coming weekend ya. heheheh...
Alamak Mus, bankrupt lah gua macam ini. Anyway must take it easy with 4D, this year tada naik gagi.
:(
Post a Comment
:(
# posted by : February 18, 2009 at 4:01 PM
: February 18, 2009 at 4:01 PM Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
