Friends' Gallery Picture of the Month - February 2023

[Mike Costigan]

Station Square, Paignton, taken in 1946, submitted by Jeff Taylor. Because of the scarcity of new cars, the Seven was probably worth as much as it had cost new!

   

[Ivor Hawkins]

Lovely photograph, the Standard Ten parked in front of the box might belong to a tourist judging by the Middlesex registration.

I’m now going to see if I can identify the other cars in shot, but as Sherlock Holmes said, this could be a two pipe problem...

[Henry Harris]

The car in front of the Box saloon is a Vauxhall 10.

[Ivor Hawkins]

I stand corrected, I didn’t see the flutes in the bonnet!

[Reckless Rat]

Great photo, Mike.
The vagaries of the British climate and the lack of decent corrosion protection on cars of the period meant that a Box Saloon was already well past it's sell-by date by 1946 - it would have been classed as a "banger" even then. It was a problem that continued for many years. I remember a Mk4 Zodiac my father bought new in 1967 (RWA 589 E) - by 1970 it already had rust blisters on the front wings, and it had been undersealed (allegedly). Same for a Mini my mother bought new in 1973. It failed it's first MOT due to the inner sills having rusted out.

It's amazing that so many of our cars have survived. It's not as if they were considered classics or collectable. They just lasted a bit better than some others, probably due to the oil leaks that protected some of the underpinnings.

Even now, manufacturers consider a vehicle's "whole life" to be no more than 10 years, although my 22 year old E Class is still looking good despite its age. It will see me out, I'm sure.

[RenaudR]

Not mentioning your C15 Bruce!

[Reckless Rat]

I forgot about the C15! It's even older than the Merc and considerably more battered, but still going well.

[Dave Mann]

I just love that photo with all the period detail, but what is the bus on the left?

[Jeff Taylor]

Dave,

I would suggest the bus is probably on a Dennis chassis. The front end styling is similar to that of GWR streamlined railcars of the thirties. It appears to have a luggage rack on the roof.

Jeff.

[Mike Costigan]

The one that fascinates me is the Austin Sixteen flatbed truck in the background which appears to have a GWR logo on the door.