First memorable Dad car

My Dad never had a car, still doesn't.

Why do all the old cars your dads owned look so good?

Bob wrote: My Dad never had a car, still doesn't.

Why do all the old cars your dads owned look so good?

A lot of the examples shown are maybe car show examples. But most dads took great pride in their cars as they were, perhaps more so then than now as it was a big investment. Also, many of our dads and mums had been through six years of war and a bit of luxury and pride of ownership was welcome. There was little or no car development during the war, so the new models of the fifties had a wow factor.

My grandfather Sid would wash the car every week, wether it was used or not, after he'd died Mum ended up with his car a silver HQ Holden Premier

It had only done 18,000 km, never been out in the rain and was still shiny underneath

Oh dear, time to show my age...

I vaguely recall a BSA with a pre-select gearbox which required all passengers to walk behind it to climb the hill to Lyme Regis.

A 1938 Ford 8 (ACL 589, black of course) which took us (eventually) from Dorset to the Norfolk Broads every summer. Followed by...

A really modern (no running boards) very dark green, 1952 Austin A40 Devon estate (MUO 782} in which us kids sat in the back on Dad's home-make upholstered toolbox (essential equipment}. Followed by...

A 1956 Ford Zephyr convertible (XBH 144}. Cream with a red hood and a RADIO, which even worked sometimes! Three speed box and so much torque from the lazy six that it didn't really need that many. Really posh if a bit chavvy by today's standards. Followed by...

A 1962 Singer Gazelle. Elegant dark blue with a cream flash (TTK 505) - very much in keeping with Dad's increasing rank in the Dorset police at the time. Followed by...

My own car! A 1954 Austin A30 (Elephant Grey, GJT 208), after which I pretty well lost interest in Dad's cars!

As an aside the Triumph 1300 brings back memories. I had a TC version in the same Gunmetal colour - a lovely gentlemans' sports saloon that would out-perform, out-handle and out-brake an MGB. Unfortunately it treated main bearings as a service item and needed substantial welding around the McPherson struts every MoT from four years old... But it was a BL product of the late sixties so nothing out of the ordinary there.

I always recall the interior and exterior of the Mk3 Zodiac as being a bit futuristic with some nice details: the filler cap was hidden behind a fold down flap that carried the rear reg plate, the internal door release lever semi hidden below the door pulls, ribbon speedo, chrome dials etc.

For a 9 year old in 1966 it was like riding in a spaceship. Ours was black interior with white bodywork.

John and Sue wrote: ....the filler cap was hidden behind a fold down flap that carried the rear reg plate.....

My Dads Corsair had this too, I always liked it so replicated it on my ZS when fitting the socket for the towbar with the plate folding up, I was going to fit the LPG filler here but never got around to installing the LPG.