Classic for under £10K

[Northern_Mike]

£10k will buy you a burnt out DRK (one of only 59 ever made) and enough left over to rebuild it!

[Stickyfinger]

oh dear ? who had an oil leak then

[Northern_Mike]

oh dear ? who had an oil leak then

Wasn't oil. It was petrol. How? When? I don't know. What I do know is I was sat in it this afternoon, it was just ticking over then went up. Given there's all the heater vents in the bulkhead, fuel vapour had filled the cockpit and was sat in the ensuing fireball, which reached my thighs. All the hair has gone from my lower legs. I didn't sit there for long, I can tell you.. engine bay gutted totally, though the block, head and gearbox seem ok. Bulkhead gone.. etc

[Stickyfinger]

oh dear ? who had an oil leak then

Wasn't oil. It was petrol. How? When? I don't know. What I do know is I was sat in it this afternoon, it was just ticking over then went up. Given there's all the heater vents in the bulkhead, fuel vapour had filled the cockpit and was sat in the ensuing fireball, which reached my thighs. All the hair has gone from my lower legs. I didn't sit there for long, I can tell you.. engine bay gutted totally, though the block, head and gearbox seem ok. Bulkhead gone.. etc

Such a shame, there is a lot of work and care in that.....sad to see thing go like that...

[Northern_Mike]

oh dear ? who had an oil leak then

Wasn't oil. It was petrol. How? When? I don't know. What I do know is I was sat in it this afternoon, it was just ticking over then went up. Given there's all the heater vents in the bulkhead, fuel vapour had filled the cockpit and was sat in the ensuing fireball, which reached my thighs. All the hair has gone from my lower legs. I didn't sit there for long, I can tell you.. engine bay gutted totally, though the block, head and gearbox seem ok. Bulkhead gone.. etc

Such a shame, there is a lot of work and care in that.....sad to see thing go like that...

Yes, however, no one got hurt, and it is only a car. It's probably salvageable if someone can be bothered. I cannot. Chassis is ok, most of the body is ok, suspension ok. I've been racking my brains to think what it could have been - all evidence is destroyed. I haven't touched the fuel system for over a year, and that was only to put a new filter and a bit of pipe on it, and it's done 4500 miles since with no issue. Hadn't ran for a month, started it up, rolled it onto the drive just ticking over and "boom".

[NewcastleFalcon]

That Lagonda appeals... Made in the old factory (now long gone) just behind my house...

Replaced by a car showroom and a Tesco?



regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Replaced by a car showroom and a Tesco?

No, not quite.. The Salmon's Motor Carriage Works buildings shown in the old photo still exist in reasonable, although disused, condition.

The flash showroom in the second picture is on the opposite side of the road next to the recently elaborately refurbished Aston Martin Heritage works (the size of a small factory in itself) where older Astons are lovingly tended to...

The Tesco supermarket, which was to incorporate the old original Salmon's buildings, never materialised and now won't for reasons we all know..

The land behind the original buildings is very derelict and we anxiously wait news of what it will become. Housing most likely...

When I walk up the town later I'll take some photos of how it is now...

[addo]

Sad to see the DRK get toasty, perhaps more because of the "heirloom" attribute.

I'd suspect the brass infeed pipe to the carburettor, came loose in its pot metal housing - it's a known fire hazard with other Froggies of the era.

[NewcastleFalcon]

NewcastleFalcon wrote

from "New Car Program" thread

....and if you were ever afraid to enter an Aston Martin Showroom in your jeans and trainers, looking anyhing but the "business user or high net worth individual" who Aston Martin really want to sell their cars to, the Classic Car Show are running a competition so the ordinary man in the street who watches the show has a chance to win one.

If my postcard reaches the PO Box in Derby, and the "punch room" staff are accurate in their data prep



I could well be an Aston Martin owner by the end of May Bit dissaponted the vantage will be in "Meteorite Silver" as I would prefer a 2-tone. I wonder if I specify the colours I want on my postcard they will do the necessary at Aston Martin HQ.

Not exactly common on the ground 2-tone Aston Martins but not unheard of

regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

When I walk up the town later I'll take some photos of how it is now...

and possibly cross the oldest iron bridge in constant use in the world!



regards Neil

[CitroJim]

When I walk up the town later I'll take some photos of how it is now...

and possibly cross the oldest iron bridge in constant use in the world!

I certainly will Neil... We're very proud of our bridge It is just up the road from the Aston Martin works and between it and the works is the little garage that does my MOTs and any work I don't want to do... In fact the garage frontage can just be seen in the old picture of the Salmon's building. The garage was once a pub...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Now if this thread was running 80 years ago, you could have had one, or should I say ten, of these fresh out of Salmons and Sons stable at Newport Pagnell!



regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Worth a tad more than £945 now I guess!

As promised, here's some present day pictures...

Sorry for the quality. It's a grotty day today...

This is the tall Salmon's building with the Heritage Centre just visible opposite... Compare with the old B and W photo earlier:



This is the Heritage Centre opposite and next to the swanky showroom:



And this is the entrance to the centre. Note the vintage fuel pump...



This is my local (and highly recommended) garage next to the Salmons building:



And a peek inside the gates. Proper old school



Sorry for the crap photography and a Vauxhall being in shot

[Zelandeth]

£10k will buy you a burnt out DRK (one of only 59 ever made) and enough left over to rebuild it!

Oh that's sad to see, looks like a lovely car too.

At least the fire was put out pretty quickly so it sounds like the car can be saved. What engine do these run?

[Stickyfinger]

What engine do these run?

Two Hamsters and a piece of cheese...


edit: just jesting....