Take a 2019 Tea Break with Delta

[VIVA GT]

OK, so what I should have changed is my avatar!
I need a bit more time for this as when I re-size the image to the correct size it just becomes pixelated. Please see the picture & sentiments below.

[bauble]

What a nice sentiment Viv, and I only wish I had taken the picture.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by bauble

I only wish I had taken the picture

Impossible, unfortunately, you dont have any picture of an Avenger… Or is it a Marina? Slightly disappointed Viva GT didn't go for a droop snoot of any kind!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Impossible, unfortunately, you dont have any picture of an Avenger… Or is it a Marina? Slightly disappointed Viva GT didn't go for a droop snoot of any kind!

I expect Viv went for that because the car in the pic is a Viva GT, the droop snoot was a Firenza....

[midgetman]

For the first time for ages I'm not at a race track of any kind on a Sunday. Is this what Normal People do? God it's boring, may have to drop down the workshop for a while, there's a couple of jobs need doing....

Oh wait, just been reminded I have to go shopping for Mrs MM's Christmas present. :badmood: I hate shopping. Then there's talk of going out to a cafe in Avebury because "it's lovely and Christmassy."

Tidings of comfort and joy to you all.


Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I expect Viv went for that because the car in the pic is a Viva GT, the droop snoot was a Firenza....

Quite right Mike, the car in the picture really is a Viva GT (not just any old HB Viva). As well as the GT, I did also own a Droop Snoot Firenza back in the day, a car even rarer that the GT!

[VIVA GT]

For reference here is a (nowhere near as good) picture of my GT & matching Mini Se7en (but with my CCC Modsaloons number on it).

[Robyn Slater]

Originally Posted by midgetman

For the first time for ages I'm not at a race track of any kind on a Sunday. Is this what Normal People do? God it's boring, may have to drop down the workshop for a while, there's a couple of jobs need doing....

Oh wait, just been reminded I have to go shopping for Mrs MM's Christmas present. :badmood: I hate shopping. Then there's talk of going out to a cafe in Avebury because "it's lovely and Christmassy."

Tidings of comfort and joy to you all.


Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Well I'm going to the workshop for a hour this morning. Then I'll be ringing the bells at the village carol service this evening.

[S griffin]

What kind of worskshop is it? I'm sure you'll enjoy ringing the bells later

[Mike Bell]

Sunday before Xmas! Good luck Max with your shopping trip- I was in the city at 0800 this morning and left by 0930 before the shops opened. The centre car parks already had queues, and I decided to pop into the huge out-of-town Tesco for couple of routine non-Xmas food items. The car park was virtually full already.......

Was glad to get out and back home.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I expect Viv went for that because the car in the pic is a Viva GT, the droop snoot was a Firenza....

Sill in trouble with french humor, Mike?

[S griffin]

It probably would be needed to be translated into English

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Sill in trouble with french humor, Mike?

Yup

[Gerard C]

Let keep on training then…

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Sunday before Xmas! Good luck Max with your shopping trip- I was in the city at 0800 this morning and left by 0930 before the shops opened. The centre car parks already had queues, and I decided to pop into the huge out-of-town Tesco for couple of routine non-Xmas food items. The car park was virtually full already.......



Was glad to get out and back home.

It's Devizes, whilst busy it's hardly a "city"

Long queues in the car parks = about two minutes to get to the main road. And I was stuck behind a tractor and had to adhere to the 30 limit in Rowde on the way back.

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[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Sill in trouble with french humor, Mike?

Now now, Gerard, you should know the French don't understand humour!

[grantp]

A longer than usual pre-order collection queue at Screwfix around noon but not too bad as Tesco although the carpark was quite busy.

The store also busy but not as crammed as I thought it would be despite families of 4 meandering around when normally there would be only one person with their badly positioned trolley.

Kids, of course, have no concept of positioning for keeping the aisle traffic moving, even at an age when they might be let loose on the roads on their buikes.

Worrying.

Thinking of which, I know it was a very long time ago and in a relatively safe mainly residential area, but I was always out on my bike riding around the roads form about the age of 8. Maybe 9. Nightly trips (well, almost nightly) to the library to swap reading books - a lot of W. E. Johns at the time as I remember.

Being in Germany at the time the main roads had cycle paths. That may have helped.

And less traffic of course.

At what age did everyone else start to learn their road skills?

[Willmaz223]

[Mike Bell]

So as not to de-rail Baub’s pics thread-
I didn’t realise, when looking for a pic of Sir Stirling Moss and his Facel Vega HK500, that the last car they built, the Facel 6, used a 2.8 litre 6cyl engine with ‘Austin’ written on the valve cover! Wonder if that’s the reason only 30 were made..... I knew about the 4 cyl twin cam 1600cc Facellia, which was fatally flawed as the engine designer believed only two bearings were needed to support each cam. He was wrong. But again, I didn’t know the later cars were fitted instead with a Volvo B18 engine!

The Facel 6 is a lovely looking car though- https://www.classicargarage.com/gara...64-restoration

[Gerard C]

From my point of view, many Facel did look good. Not the prettiest of the range was the french answer to the Continental, the Excellence. One will be for sale at Rétromobile I think.
Remember the american influence was great at this time, Facel used to build bodies for Simca too (sorry for this brand, Mike!). Door to door, it becomes obvious, Continental/ Excellence and Simca Grand Carrosssier/ T Bird. See what I mean? Simca Grand carrossier is a variant of Plein Ciel coupé.

As on usual, you got it right Mike and you could add the gearbox to the Pont Ã* Mousson engine. But do you know why they were "driven" to use this engine? Yes, french government asked very firmly that those wonders to be 100 % french… At least one sample was ordered by a ministry, can't remember atm, have to check model and year. For the last hour owners, a bullet proof Volvo engine was a kind of guarantee but obviously it was too late.
I'm convinced you can find another picture taken same day same place, showing Sir Strirling Moss, Pat Moss and the UK importer this time.

Ministère de l'intérieur année 1955

[Gerard C]

I count on EB to upload a pic of a very special body, seen in a TV series, called Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie. I dont recommend to watch but the cars casting is really good. The inspecteur principal drives a Facel.
http://www.facel-vega.asso.fr/tv/pet...smeurtres.html

May be John E knows what I'm talking about. Right, John?

Mike, could it be a Westminster engine?

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Mike, could it be a Westminster engine?

I read somewhere that it was an Austin Healey engine, but it would have had that on the valve cover, so you’re probably right.

Found this interesting info on the Facellia, and one special car. Only thing that doesn’t ring true is the suggestion that the Pont Ã* Mousson engine problem was that it only had 2 bearings for the crankshaft, not the camshafts. Two bearing crank- I doubt it!

https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car...ia/1960/656222

[Gerard C]

Me too! I read the Facellia was first released at Musée Jacqmart-André introduced by Sir Stirling Moss on the 28th September 1959.

[Gerard C]

Around 1000 samples were sold with the first version of this engine before modifications. The gearbox, brakes and Salisbury rear axle had a very strong reputation of reliability. The first ones suffered overheating, timing gear of course, carburation and weak sleeves leading to an important oil consumption. All the mods were good but the good client service and many core exchange led to a difficult financial situation.

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

I count on EB to upload a pic of a very special body, seen in a TV series, called Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie. I dont recommend to watch but the cars casting is really good. The inspecteur principal drives a Facel.
http://www.facel-vega.asso.fr/tv/pet...smeurtres.html

May be John E knows what I'm talking about. Right, John?

Mike, could it be a Westminster engine?

Yes, I vaguely remember seeing that. Admittedly I'm not an expert on the marque even though the UK importers were in my old home town & we even have one in the family here although I've never seen it.