Tartan Travel Rugs and other Nostalgic Motoring Accessories

[CitroJim]

Yup, all of that (or most of it) - plus jump leads, tow rope, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, puncture repair kit [for a long jaunt, a 2nd spare wheel (AND an inner tube in the 2CV) & enough oil for an oil change (after all, international meetings can involve distances greater than service intervals) all x 3 &, in the Jeep, magnetic work lamp & amber beacon - & at least one cone.

And a trailer to haul it all in!

That, James, back in the day, was quite a typical spares haul to carry on any journey! I always carried hoses, enough water, spare points, coil, fuel pump (where electric) and enough tools to do virtually any job on the car..

I still carry a decent tool kit now along with a few essential spares all packed in a 'Pellicase' when travelling in the Activa...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Stepping into my car today which had been baking in the hot sun all day, it took me back. The steering wheel was unbearably hot to touch and the black leather of the drivers seat of a similar temperature whereby i adopted a driving position without actually touching the back of the seat until it had cooled down.

Magnify this 100 times and you have the experience of a red vinyl seat 1969 Mini in Tartan red with a large what I want to call bakelite but probably wasn't black plastic steering wheel.

Now if ever there was a day when it was worth paying £2 19s 6d for a BMC official tartan travel rug this is the day.

reviving page 1 of the thread..this is what I am talking about



Indeed maybe you would need 2 tartan travel rugs, one draped over the steering wheel, and the other over the drivers seat. Course if you were the least bit bothered about any passengers....even more travel rugs would have been required

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

With the hot topic on French Car Chat being FCF stickers, I came across this blast from the past, never seen in modern motoring now....



from https://www.isaydingdong.co.uk

and the fascinating bit.....They use an AA Box Key to demonstrate scale

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

I remember those very well... New cars then had special running-in oil in their sumps - green as I recall - which needed changing at around 1,000 miles if memory serves...

Such a difference to when I got my C1 brand-new.. No running-in instructions at all and no service needed for a year!

[van ordinaire]

Surely the fascinating bit is the AA & RAC logos appearing on the same item (other than a breakdown wagon - or hotel)

Vaguely recall running-in oil from when re-building SV Ford engines was an annual event but the only green oil that comes to mind is Duckhams Q20/50: the first quality oil to enter my consciousness - & I used to get it at a good price, thanks to the 5 gallon drums available from my father's employer's car club (you could save even more with "Fleetol"(?) 20/50, which didn't have the green dye in it).

[NewcastleFalcon]

I remember those very well... New cars then had special running-in oil in their sumps - green as I recall - which needed changing at around 1,000 miles if memory serves...

Such a difference to when I got my C1 brand-new.. No running-in instructions at all and no service needed for a year!

You can still Buy Castrol Classic No2 Running in Oil. Probably designed to be sold to the Classic Car enthusiast after having an engine rebuild. Maybe its just clever targeting of a product to a market as they do a range of other Classic oils too, and talk up potential risks of using modern oils in classic engines.

The "running-in" period would appear to be a sound idea. Maybe they do it all on the bench these days. The little film I posted up on the "On-TV" thread" shows what they did in the Jaguar factory, which made the engines as well as assembling the various other components of the car, but I presume running in of the new Jag would also be necessary, but would the new Jag owner clag one of those stickers in the rear window!

From the Commentary

Every engine undergoes an exhaustive bench test before it is considered satisfactory. The engine is first run at a constant speed of one-thousand five-hundred revs per minute for a period of three hours. Then at various speeds and loads up to a maximum of three-thousand five-hundred revs per minute. With the engine purring healthily...testing ceases. The oil is drained off, the sump is cleaned out and reassembled, and the unit is ready for main assembly.

Followed by the road test

Under the care of a skilled tester, the purr becomes more throaty as he puts it through its paces. Every car completes at least 30 miles on the road, and minor adjustments anre made on the run. Other items requiring attention are noted and the car is returned to the service bay for any necessary rectification and for final tuning.

A further trip is made on the open road with a different tester at the wheel and only when he is satisfied all is well does he return to the factory.

Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Neil, I'm amazed that running-in oil is still available!

I never noticed the stickers had both RAC and AA on the same one and that Shell and BP shared the same one too... That is quite bizarre...

[dnsey]

Shell and BP had a joint marketing agreement in the UK for many years, and were often both mentioned in the same breath, as it were.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Shell and BP had a joint marketing agreement in the UK for many years, and were often both mentioned in the same breath, as it were.

...and here is the literal Portland Stone evidence of that agreement, the former company HQ of Shell-Mex and BP Limited 80 The Strand , London.



Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Quite some building that. Does it still exist?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Quite some building that. Does it still exist?

Yes not now the HQ of Shell-Mex BP Limited, and known simply as 80 The Strand. As you might expect populated with a range of occupiers pepared to pay enormous rents presumably for the prestige/privillege of having office accomodation right in the heart of London. Incongruously perhaps "Rough Guides" is quoted by wiki as being one of the occupants.

The site itself has a bit of history to it, as it was the former Cecil Hotel where, if a green plaque is to be believed,
the Royal Air Force was formed and had its first headquarters 1 April 1918.

Another of its claims to fame is that it supposedly has the biggest clock in London

The facade of the former Cecil Hotel remains on the Strand, with a grandiose arch leading to "Shell-Mex House" proper.

This is what the Hotel Cecil used to look like before it was demolised, (apart from the Strand-side facade). Quite an impressive building in its own right



Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Thanks Neil, excellent

As much as I like the Art Deco style of 80 The Strand I think the old Cecil hotel is a lot prettier...

[NewcastleFalcon]

Never seen or used one of these but the Cowey engineering company limited of speedometer fame over on picture of the day must have sold a few!



Regards Neil

[CitroJim]

Presumably the tyre alarm makes a whistling noise when things are not right?

[NewcastleFalcon]

They must have liked to pump their tyres up hard in those days....the alarm from the bumph could be set at pressures between 40 and 100 pounds per square inch.

Presumably the tyre alarm makes a whistling noise when things are not right?

As with all ads of this period...no website and no e-mail address.....but you could "write for a copy of our tyre alarm booklet". Those were the days. Just imagine the excitement and anticipation waiting for the postman to bring your tyre alarm booklet to your door . Now I wonder how many "Tyre alarm booklets" remain to definitively answer your question Jim?

Regards Neil

PS....The modern equivalent accessory is here...the Tyre Pilot!