Today I saw a classic and took a pic thread!

PaulK_CCI

MercMad wrote: »

Yes it must have been as the 70's RR's were all two door cars !

it's a 93-94 body shell, position of the fuel cap gives it away...

carchaeologist

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

it's a 93-94 body shell, position of the fuel cap gives it away...

Ha,it time warped 20 years!!

ulick-magee

not sure it's a classic or not but certainly old..i think it was 1986 seen in Lidl in Ballypheane Cork last week

Wishbone Ash

MercMad wrote: »

Yes it must have been as the 70's RR's were all two door cars !

One learns something new every day! Thanks.

carchaeologist - what year is this RR?

macplaxton

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

One learns something new every day! Thanks.

carchaeologist - what year is this RR?

That RR is made out of so many non-period bits it's of indeterminate age. :rolleyes:

carchaeologist

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

carchaeologist - what year is this RR?

Well the registration number dates to around 1977,not sure about the rest of the RR though!!

PaulK_CCI

carchaeologist wrote: »

Well the registration number dates to around 1977,not sure about the rest of the RR though!!

This is an 85-88 body shell, which can be determined from the 'outside' visible door hinges and integrated door mirrors. However, the grille and left side wing panel are of a later date...

The Range Rovers have a seperate chassis with a bolt on body, so it's very easy to take the shell off and replace it.
Also, the Chassis never changed significantly through the years (with the exception of the 91-94 chassis when it received Air Suspension. But the size never changed, so you could literally put any body shell on top of any Chassis.
Since there is no legislation in place, that forbids putting a 'younger' body shell on top of an old chassis, it is perfectly legal to fit a 1994 body shell to a 1977 chassis, even though the old Range Rover would have been 3 door. Also,again because there is no legislation in place to fit a new, even more modern engine to the car (as long as you pass on the changed engine capacity to your insurance company (:-)) ) it is also perfectly legal to change the old 3,5 litre lump with a fuel injected 3.9 or even 4.6. I mean engine conversion have been done in past in many,many cars, the likes of throwing in a Nissan, Mazda, or Perkins diesel engine, and nobody would blink an eye. On the other end of the scale, people have put RAcing Tuned TWR engines in a Range Rover :eek:

Here is Holland, driving a modified Range Rover tax free is very popular, so Ireland is not alone in this. There are quite a few for sale here, that would have a late (or as the ultimate, the 94 Soft Dash!!) body shell, on a early seventies chassis, a modern engine with an advanced LPG Gas version and underbody gas tanks (so you dont loose boot space!!). All legal and above board, as long as you don't do it the easy way by welding in the chassis number, that is highly illegal!! So, if you see a modified Classic Range Rover with an old registration number that has Air Suspension, then the owner will have some explaining to do, since switching over the air suspension is a very difficult modification on an old chassis (although I have seen it being done)

macplaxton

In the UK there is a points system in order to determine what's original and what isn't. 8 points required and a chassis is worth 5.

Now the chassis bit goes like this.

a) original unmodified chassis - 5 points.
b) brand new chassis with receipt to original specification - 5 points.

Unmodified allows chassis shortening, but not welding things on like brackets for alternative steering arrangements.

From that, even having a chassis alone isn't enough to retain a registration mark, it has to have some of the original suspension / axle / steering / tranmission or engine to push it past 8 points.

If it doesn't score enough and all the parts are over 25 years old. It's classed as a re-constructed classic, which is dated on the youngest component and given an age-related registration mark.

Otherwise it ends up on Q-plate.

This system also allows kit cars to carry over a registration mark providing enough of the donor vehicle is used.

junkyard

I've seen vintage Range Rovers with Discovery bodies fitted too.

Wishbone Ash

Here's another example (a Discovery this time) of a LR on an old Kilkenny plate.

(Apologies - crap camera phone pic).

Lauder

Great Reg. Would love to buy that discovery and put a new Ranger Vogue in Black on it. VIP plate whopper!

carchaeologist

Re VIP235:Thats taking reshelling to a new extreme!Thats a late 1971 number!When was that shape discovery first sold?
VIP1 was on a MK1 granada limo when the pope was in ireland in 1979.

L-M

carchaeologist wrote: »

Re VIP235:Thats taking reshelling to a new extreme!Thats a late 1971 number!When was that shape discovery first sold?
VIP1 was on a MK1 granada limo when the pope was in ireland in 1979.

Series 1 Disco was very early 90's i think. Could of been late 89, 90 or 91. Not as far back as the 70's lol!

Max_Damage

carchaeologist wrote: »

Re VIP235:Thats taking reshelling to a new extreme!Thats a late 1971 number!When was that shape discovery first sold?

The Disco came in in 1989, but that facelift model came in 1995 I think. Far from 1971!

carchaeologist

Its amazing how many of these have been re-shelled.

L-M

carchaeologist wrote: »

Its amazing how many of these have been re-shelled.

They were just THAT good:P

Wishbone Ash

carchaeologist wrote: »

VIP1 was on a MK1 granada limo when the pope was in ireland in 1979.

Never let it be said.............:)



AFAIK after the Papal visit, that car was sold to an undertaker in Letterkenny and converted to a hearse.

carchaeologist

Wishbone,your a genius,thats the pic i was looking for,i saw it in an old book about the papal visit ages ago.Ta for that:)Was it really converted to a hearse?
Think the reg was sold to england for megabucks some years ago.
Theres some history behind that number!

Max_Damage

carchaeologist wrote: »

Think the reg was sold to england for megabucks some years ago.
Theres some history behind that number!

UK One Star Vehicle Report

Vehicle Description
Registration VIP1
Make ROLLS ROYCE
Model CORNICHE
Description IV
Engine Capacity(cc) 6748
Year Manufactured 1993
CO2 Emissions (g/Km)* Not Available
VRT Rate % ** Not Available

carchaeologist

I wonder did that reg start off on a car before the limo,i seem to remember someone saying before it was on a morris minor or something,not sure though.

L-M

Hah!!

"Abramovich pays record 285,000 for Pope's car registration
CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich has paid 285,000 pounds for a registration originally made for Pope John Paul II. The Russian billionaire, 37, spent the world-record amount to land the cherished VIP 1 registration. He used a Luton-based firm to secure the plate - seen on the Popemobile when John Paul toured Ireland in 1979. A pal said: "Roman is normally very security- conscious. "But the lure of owning the most exclusive number plate in the world was too much for him." A spokesman said: "We never talk about Roman's purchases."

Wishbone Ash

carchaeologist wrote: »

Wishbone,your a genius,thats the pic i was looking for

Always ready to serve!

carchaeologist wrote:

Was it really converted to a hearse?

I have a vague recollection of it being acquired by an undertaker called McGovern in Letterkenny. I assume it may have been converted to a hearse as most undertakers didn't tend to provide limmos then.

Perhaps someone from Letterkenny/Donegal could confirm?

Wishbone Ash

carchaeologist wrote: »

I wonder did that reg start off on a car before the limo,i seem to remember someone saying before it was on a morris minor or something,not sure though.

From what I've heard, the Government went looking for that plate before the pope arrived. It's difficult to believe now but apparently it was issued as a 'normal' plate on a 'normal' car. Again I'm not 100% certain, but I think the car was located in the UK and the owner was made an offer he couldn't refuse. His car was then 'destroyed' and the plate re-issued and the rest, as they say, is history.

carchaeologist

Pity it left the country,but the lure of the megamoney was too much i suppose!!:)

Wishbone Ash

What year was VIP 1?


......and I'm just thinking that RIP would be much better for an undertaker anyway! :pac:

L-M

carchaeologist wrote: »

Pity it left the country,but the lure of the megamoney was too much i suppose!!:)

285,000 i woulnd't refuse:D

carchaeologist

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

What year was VIP 1?

August 1971,so it was around for 8 years before the pope arrived!And the MK1 granada first went on sale in march 1972 so it was definatly on some car before the limo.

redabbey

As far as I remember there was a similar story on boards.ie a few years ago about the reg 205 GTI being re-issued so it could be on a 205 GTI

carchaeologist

redabbey wrote: »

As far as I remember there was a similar story on boards.ie a few years ago about the reg 205 GTI being re-issued so it could be on a 205 GTI

Yep,it was GTI205,which was originally on a morris minor.

zilog_jones

That may be a myth - I don't think 205 GTI was ever issued. TI is Limerick city and IIRC they only got up to FTI by the end of 1986. Maybe GTI 205?

EDIT: Beaten to it!

Wishbone Ash

carchaeologist wrote: »

August 1971,so it was around for 8 years before the pope arrived!And the MK1 granada first went on sale in march 1972 so it was definatly on some car before the limo.

The MK II would have been out then. Why didn't the pope get the use of a Mk II?

(Apart from the fact that the Mk I was a nicer looking motor!)

Wishbone Ash

zilog_jones wrote: »

That may be a myth - I don't think 205 GTI was ever issued. TI is Limerick city and IIRC they only got up to FTI by the end of 1986!

.....and Leitrim never got to TIT!

I always wanted to see TIT5

L-M

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

.....and Leitrim never got to TIT!

I always wanted to see TIT5

Lol!

MercMad

My father owned a new Capri 2000GT in 1971, VIP 771.

It does seem odd that a Granada Mk1 was used, BTW the Granada name was only from 75 onwards.Before that they were called Consul.

The Pope's state limo at the time was a Mercedes 600, I assume that Granada was owned by the Sate at the time, their cars were not changed as often back then. In fact a lot of the Ministers' cars were used for several years before being passed to the special branch.

Bertie's car, back in the late 80's was either an early Renault 25, 1984 AFAIR, replaced by an '82 Mercedes 200, which in turn was changed for a brand new Granada 2.9i Ghia in 1988.

The window company National Aluminium was responsible for some of the conversion work on the "Popemobile" that was used in the Phoenix Park at the time.

redabbey

MercMad wrote: »

The Pope's state limo at the time was a Mercedes 600

http://www.flickr.com/photos/govert1970/60989076/

I saw this car in the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart the most memorable thing about the car was the one armchair like seat in the back.

carchaeologist

MercMad wrote: »

It does seem odd that a Granada Mk1 was used, BTW the Granada name was only from 75 onwards.Before that they were called the consul.

This is true,i always forget that!
I suppose the car was used as it had the VIP reg mainly,it was only 8 years old anyway,suppose its similar to using a year 2000 limo today,time were tougher back then too?

Wishbone Ash

Spotted within metres of each other this morning in Dublin 4. (Classic Motorhome convention? )





No sign of a make on this - Cartell returns it as a 'Vespa'! It was very rough and badly hand painted.




........and a beautiful 635 CSi spotted in Gordon Street.

Max_Damage

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

No sign of a make on this - Cartell returns it as a 'Vespa'! It was very rough and badly hand painted.

That's an old Volkswagen LT van. I've seen that one around before, the hand paint job looks shocking bad!

EDIT: Comes up as a VW for me...

Vehicle Description
Registration 81D2030
Make VOLKSWAGEN
Model UNKNOWN
Description Not Available
Fuel Type DIESEL

Gary ITR

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

No sign of a make on this - Cartell returns it as a 'Vespa'! It was very rough and badly hand painted.

Painted it and then stuck on a reg he found in his shed?

Wishbone Ash

Max_Damage wrote: »

That's an old Volkswagen LT van

Thanks for that!

Max_Damage wrote:

EDIT: Comes up as a VW for me...

Vehicle Description
Registration 81D2030
Make VOLKSWAGEN
Model UNKNOWN
Description Not Available
Fuel Type DIESEL

Yes, I must have entered it incorrectly!

DarenO

carchaeologist wrote: »

August 1971,so it was around for 8 years before the pope arrived!And the MK1 granada first went on sale in march 1972 so it was definatly on some car before the limo.

my memory doesn't serve me well, but VIP 1 was on a either a Morris Minor or a tractor, i know i know two extremes but definitely it was a case of being on something most ordinary (apologies to fans of tractors and moggies)

Darren

Kevin_Herron

The 'VIP 1' Granada limo was a mk2, with some grille bodged onto the front.

I suppose its possible that VIP 1 didnt belong to this car and the plate was added for show or whatever?

MercMad

Yes now that I look at that Granada you can see it is a MK2, and that LT camper van has a VW badge on it, painted over just under the right rear window.

carchaeologist

Kevin_Herron wrote: »

The 'VIP 1' Granada limo was a mk2, with some grille bodged onto the front.

I suppose its possible that VIP 1 didnt belong to this car and the plate was added for show or whatever?

Hmm..seems to be,its a colman milne conversion by the look of it,as that was the grille they used,the granada below is a minster,with the stretched rear doors.

This was the Grosvenor(based on the MK1coupe)

And then the dorchester(also a MK1)

And the streched MK2 estate was called the windsor(rare as hens teeth today i would think)

The grosvenor and dorchester version of the MK2 granada,the Grosvenor being the cheaper version

Its very likely the VIP1 plate was added for the occasion,JP2 was the biggest thing to happen to ireland at that time.

maidhc

Speaking of popemobiles, this is obviously what the pope uses when he wants to go hunting or perhaps tow home another popemobile in need of tlc.

Again from MB Museum in Stuttgart.

L-M

maidhc wrote: »

Speaking of popemobiles, this is obviously what the pope uses when he wants to go hunting or perhaps tow home another popemobile in need of tlc.

Again from MB Museum in Stuttgart.

Lol, wheels get robbed enough around here, imagine having that yoke there. There'd be a que outside the house at night:D

Wishbone Ash

Kevin_Herron wrote: »

I suppose its possible that VIP 1 didnt belong to this car and the plate was added for show or whatever?

I think you'd better read back a few posts Kevin!

carlosfandango

Hello all,
Saw this yesterday on the way to work..



CFD

MercMad

Nice Porsche !!

Wishbone Ash

A few spots from Dublin 4 today.