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LAGONDA RAPIER.


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Bernie,

 

In the little town where I live, I believe I could buy "Fast thick pants" in the guise of work pants. I doubt however, that they carry "earth-sized" ones (may have to get on special order).

 

I hope you have been taking the Lagonda out on some enjoyable drives.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope tha you are all paying proper attention.

I have just spent the last two and a half hours cleaning the Rapier's spare wheel.

Fortunately with the Michelin Super Comfort tyres fitted to the car, we very seldom have a problem. These as I am sure I have explained before are the forerunners to the Michelin Radial tyres. The are designed to run on 20psi maximun pressure and provided that you do not inflate them above this they are fantastic both in providing a very comfortable tide and the ability to hang on when going around even tight corners on both wet or dry roads,

Added to that they are not showing very much in the way of signs of wear.  Meanwhile our trusty little Kangaroo continues to enjoy his ride.

 

DSCN7155.thumb.jpg.7b630e0bf788b7d6d0504a708b2a99cb.jpg 

 

Edited by oldcar (see edit history)
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Thank you Dr Data, 
The green wheels have been with the Rapier for most if not all my ownership. It is probably that I have taken the time to give the spare wheel a "proper" cleaning. You can really only do this with the wheel off the car. 

White cars with green wheels and trim tends to be one of my "signature pieces"  It is always (for me) a change from BRG*

cars that tend to be so popular.

 

BRG = British Racing Green.

 

Bj.

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I really must apologise for the fragments of gum (eucalyptus) leaf fragments on the Rapier's carpet. Living as we do surrounded by Gum trees this is unavoidable. Instead of lush green grass lawns we have "Forest litter" . We have no one to blame (or thank) other than ourselves, Helen & I planted the trees more than 40 years ago. At the time they were all seedlings no more than a few inches high. Rather than dropping all their leaves in Autumn,  Eucalypt's drop the occasional leaf,  two or three each day throughout the year. Apart from an occasional going over with a rake there is no maintenance required. Our entire garden is as far as possible Australian Native plants.  When we have someone comming to visit if they have not been to our home before,

it is quite simple, all that we need to tell them is the name of the Street or in our case the "Lane" and tell them, "You cannot miss our place, It is the house with all the Gum-trees!" It is a popular "stop-over" for birds too.

While the first two photographs are taken looking towards the "street" from the front of the house, the third is taken from just outside a (side) door leading to my "Study".  Quiet isn't it!

Living at the "end of the Lane" we have no passing traffic .....

 

Bj.

 

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DSCN7173.thumb.jpg.756fbb08783644b7ba6a02fcc133d977.jpg

 

Edited by oldcar (see edit history)
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Nothing like owning a car you like, and it’s even better after years or decades of ownership. My Three Pierce Arrows have been in the garage 50, 30, and 20 years respectively. And my new 1917 White has been very enjoyable...............fifty years in the hobby, and I like it better every day. 👍

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Please do not go away. There is a whole new lot of nonsense about to happen. Yesterday we took a drive "out into the country" while there I called in to look at a Vintage Singer "project thatit was suggested that it may interest me. It did not take very long and while I still have to organise for ot to be collected I now own a "mystery Singer "Basket case" This one is very unusual in that it is 6 cylinder somewhere between 1500cc and 2 litres.  (Side Valve) There is no body,the right hand front had been accident damaged and has since been "cut off". It has vacuum assisted mechanical (cable) brakes and bolt on wire spoke wheels (4 stud)

I have two photographs of it, so now you know as much as I do.IMG_0159.jpg.5424c8acf224983eb2414a98bbfeb9df.jpgIMG_0163.jpg.9afc4d5a02aed7fe1d7d597792589f48.jpg

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IMG_0160.jpg.f8ae740da1481bde1a50d60f088b1a73.jpg

 

 

IMG_0163.jpg.3b3053bf90b9df2e4be11e9bdc75a0f1.jpg

 

Hopefully the person coming to look at the Citroen on Friday will buy it. Then I can organise to have the Singer transported here.

I can then start to sort it out. I am told that the six cylinder side valve Singers are extremely rare.

 

Bj.

Edited by oldcar (see edit history)
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If the last picture is the mudflap I can guess at the significance, if the last picture is cows crossing the road single file I'm impressed that you could get those cows to line up for the photo, but I have no idea why it would be significant. 

Looking forward to your new [project. From the first time I only saw part of one and that part was hidden under a different body, I have thought that the Singer was an interesting vehicle. 

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Stay around Digger 914. We collect this my "next project" tomorrow. Once it is all unloaded and in my "garage I should be able to make a start on sorting out what to is that I have bought and what I am going to do with it. 

This one is one of my earlier Singer (9hp) Specials.

 

Bj.

 

Bj.1826022285_LAG000.thumb.jpeg.415c28486e3457e0f6ab77e24d148606.jpeg

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And here is todays addition Still somthing of a mystery all I can add is that the cylinder block was cast in 1932. that and apart from the obvious that is is side valve & six cylinders I still have some more research to do. That and I can add to that, the gearbox is definitely four speed. sadly the chassis is far more rusted than I first thought so I will need to start searching for another or "something suitable". While a little difficult to see as yet, there are some really nice details hidden away around the "car".

The other surprise is that the wheels are 19 inch.

My first task will be to find a suitable chassis frame. This one has unfortunately been cut off just in front of the engine taking some of the front suspension with it. 

 

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DSCN7195.thumb.jpg.8cebf9217925e6974398d21eb11c63a0.jpg

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Thank you Stude17

I would tend to agree with you while I am in no hurry to start stripping down the motor just yet There were  at that time in our history manufacturers willing to try all sorts of variations working on incredibly short production runs, the British were especially willing to build just a very small number of vehicles in the hope that they would sell something. If we think that "times are tough" we still have a lot to learn. The great depression saw so many small manufacturers of almost anything really battling to stay in business.

Hopefully something "we" will never have to live through again. Most people today have no real conception of life in the 20's & 30's

 

 

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Work continues on the Singer, I am virtually dismantling the chassis from around the Motor and gearbox. I have to look at some other Singer Chassis next week. Hopefully there will be something that I can shoe-horn the motor and gearbox into and still have room for the driver. 

 

Bj.

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Hello DrData,

That is one solution I may finally have to resort to. One problem being that the English  car manufacturers in the early 1930s had access to and used a gauge of steel that is no longer available. That added to the fact that my chassis has been subject to a great deal of abuse both leaving it out in all weather and cutting pieces out of it. Finally it had been involved in a (head on) traffic accident which severely distorted the front of the chassis.

If I can possibly find another frame somewhere in the "English speaking world" that I can buy, it will solve the problem.

Unfortunately It seems  as though my car must have been what I call a "Friday Special" This happens as suggested on a Friday afternoon when the Foreman gives the "Boy" the task of going around the Factory collecting all the unused and rejected parts these are then used to build a UNIQUE car that is to be sold preferably to someone in the Colonies where they are unlikely to either know any better or to complain.

Bj

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Hello Again

I have now received a reply from the Singer Car Club in the UK. They tell me that the "18-Six'  which I am told is the official Model designation of my "car" were mainly made for and sold to the "Export Market" Add to this that these are now believed to have all disappeared. That up until now none were thought to have survived. Now there is just my dismantled and incomplete car.

 

Bj.

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IF you have not already done so, take at minute or two and read the descriptive text in the advert above.

I liked in particular the line,  "cars that will satisfy the asthetic tastes of all who are temperamentally artistic."

It really makes you want to go out and buy one!

 

Bj

Edited by oldcar (see edit history)
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Bernie,

 

Quite a glowing description of the Super-Six.  Puts current marketing to shame.  Now you at least know the body colors...blue and white...once you get the chassis built.  I do like the fact that the rumble seat was referred to as a "spacious deck compartment". 

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I think that I can say without fear of contradiction that I have never seen such an important collection of horse drawn vehicles. This in particular in a private collection situated in a very modest looking group of farm buildings well away from a town or village, on a quiet country road. Entry only by invitation !

The never ending supply of home made "Scones with jam & cream" were to die for.............

Edited by oldcar (see edit history)
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Even more importantly, today April 14th, Helen and I have been married 59 years. It is absolutely remarkable that the one really important person to me has put up with me for so long. I can only hope and pray that we still have lots of good years to come.

 

Bernie j.

Edited by oldcar (see edit history)
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