Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Ford Classic

If there was one car that was guaranteed to catch a young boy's eye in the sixties it was the Ford Classic.

The Classic seemed to me to exude the glamour of the US from it's attractive streamlined front graced with five stars and twin headlamps through to the graceful fins at the rear. The Classic was a real head turner. If anything, it represented the emergence of Britain from the austerity of the fifties into the bright new world of the nineteen sixties.

But it was largely unloved by the British people. Even though it was, in essence, nothing more than a stretched out Anglia - which had proven very popular with the British public - the Classic failed to capture the imagination of British car buyers and was only in production for three short years.

Consequently you saw very few on British roads even when they were relatively new and the sight of a Classic today is as rare as hen's teeth. That's a shame, as I think they were one of the most visually appealing mainstream cars from that time. Mind you, it's Ford's fault - when you go around naming something you make as "Classic" you better make damn sure it really is.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Austin Allegro

Introduced in 1973 as the replacement for the hugely successful 1100/1300 range the Austin Allegro is possibly unique in the car world - because I can think of no other car which was worse than the car it replaced in almost every respect.

To be fair, the "All aggro" had a very hard act to follow in the classic Issigonis designed ADO16 and it wasn't the fault of the car that the launch was more about what the car wasn't than what it was.

Despite its appearance, it wasn't a hatchback, it wasn't very good looking (in fact it was downright ugly) and it wasn't very well put together. Other than that, the only thing that grabbed attention was the square "Quartic" steering wheel - an innovation so successful that it was dropped soon after launch. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the Allegro is that it survived in production for ten years and more than half a million of the things found owners.

The nickname "All aggro" was also largely deserved with problems with the "Hydragas" suspension which tended to either make the occupants feel sea sick or leave the car spreadeagled on roads like Bambi on ice.

I only drove an Allegro once - and that was more than enough for me. It wasn't a driver's car. However, it was a very pleasant car to be driven in (as long as you could handle the suspension) because it was very spacious inside with plenty of rear legroom and headroom.

There must have been something about the Allegro, though, because there still seem to be a fair few of them on our roads in regular use and I know two people who have had nothing but Allegros for the last 20 years. I've no idea what it is about the car, but they appear to survive better than just about anything else from that era. There could be any number of reasons for that, but I suspect that it is just the great British tradition of supporting the underdog.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Ford Escort Mexico

Following Hannu Mikkola's victory in the 1970 London-Mexico rally, Ford decided to cash in by releasing the Escort Mexico. Usually identified by wide body and roof stripes and four spot lights clustered between the short corner bumpers the Escort Mexico was an ideal choice for the shy, retiring type.

That modest, unassuming exterior belied the fact that underneath it all was a rather tame mid-sized family car. With just 86bhp from the 1600cc engine the Mexico struggled to a top speed of about 100mph and reached 60 in a respectable rather than pulse racing 10.5 seconds - hardly any better than the average family car of the time.

However, it wasn't the outright performance that made the Mexico desirable, but the very willing, responsive engine and slick gear change coupled to a well balanced rear wheel drive layout which made the Mexico a terrific fun drive. Not only that, but there were masses of post sale modifications and tweaks that could be added or done to the Mexico which meant that virtually every car could be significantly individualised with enhanced performance.

My experience of a Mexico comes from the early eighties when a colleague of mine acquired a second hand one in a rather sorry state. The car lived in the warehouse where we were worked for the next two years as he slowly acquired the bits he needed to get it running and back on the road.

Finally, one sunny summers weekend, he fitted the final piece to the jigsaw and, with a fresh MOT and tax he proudly took myself and another co-worker for a ride in his pride and joy. I must admit that I was a little nervous about going as, although the car had an MOT, it still looked pretty scruffy and worn out from the outside.

To be honest though, it sounded great and appeared to drive really well with my colleague flicking it through a series of twisty bends with great ease and poise. Unfortunately, at least from my point of view, my colleague had hopes of becoming a motor sport megastar and the next part of his project involved stripping out the interior, fitting a roll cage and painting it in a lurid colour scheme emblazoned with sponsorship logos from companies who hadn't paid him a penny to advertise their products.

I know that he felt he was only doing what the car was born for, but I still thought it was a shame - and is probably why today that I prefer to see my classic cars as original as possible rather than as souped up hot rods.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Triumph 2000 Mk.II

With a straight six, 2 litre engine and acres of space front and rear, Triumph's big "family" car of the seventies was also one of the smoothest and most comfortable cars of the seventies.

Originally released in 1969 the Triumph 2000 MK.II combined this space and smoothness with an elegant body which still looks good today. Although mostly considered as a large family car it wasn't intended purely as such.

The original Triumph 2000 MK.I was launched at the same time as the Rover P6 and between them they revolutionised the executive car market. Instead of being massive, rather staid and somewhat sluggish the executive car was redefined as a sleek, handsome saloon offering the comfort and refinement that "executives" were used to combined with power and modern dynamics.

Triumph's redesign gave the 2000 Mk.II the front end treatment which would become familiar on the iconic Stag a year or so later with the rear taking on the Triumph "family" look, but despite this the Triumph 2000 struggled to maintain sales in an ever competitive market. By the time the Mk.II was launched virtually every manufacturer was offering similar types with increasing success and in 1977 Triumph stopped producing the Mk.II.

I never drove a Triumph 2000 but it does remain prominent in my memory thanks to one of my school friends. His mother drove a 2000 Mk.II - actually, his dad's company car - and I had a massive crush on his mum at the time (trust me, she was gorgeous) as my teenage hormones raged. She would drive us (and a couple of others) to and from rugby training in the car and it was one of the highlights of my week - especially when I got to ride in the front passenger seat.

As it turned out, his younger sister had almost as big a crush on me as I did on his mum and I ended up going out with her for a few months when I was 15 - in the innocent way we used to back then (no nookie, just a bit of snogging) - and got to ride in the big Triumph some more as her mum ferried us to various parties.

The Triumph 2000 was a great car for its time with space and elegance. Unfortunately, elegance was not particularly sought after in the late seventies and the big Triumph could not compete with ever bigger and flashier rivals - but the sight of one can still bring a big smile to my face and the memory of my first crush to the front of my mind.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Daimler SP250 Dart

Bit of an odd choice for the Sunday Drive this week - because I can't honestly say that the Daimler Dart was a car I saw a lot of when I was young. In fact, I can only remember two occasions when I ever saw a Dart in real life - and one of those was in a used car showroom.

Despite it's rarity, though, the Daimler Dart is the only car ever to make me laugh out loud the first time I saw one. Before I go on, I ought to say that there were many cars from my youth which, on my first sight, made me react in some way - a cor, wow, gasp, smile, jaw-drop or shrug - but only the Dart actually caused me to laugh like a hyena and point while I guffawed.

I was only about 10 at the time and was shopping with my mother in Maidenhead one morning when we rounded a corner and were confronted with an old English white Dart sitting by the kerb. The looks of the car made me instantly think of a duck (though I'm not sure why, now - if anything it looks like a fish) and caused me to roar with laughter and point at the car much to the chagrin of the driver - a handle bar moustached, Terry Thomas look-a-like.

He was most certainly a former army officer type. The sort you could imagine would be captain of the golf club and known by his former rank - the colonel or major or something. On seeing my reaction he gave a loud "hrrummph", twiddled his moustache, jammed his flat cap firmly onto his head and roared off.

Now I'm older I can appreciate his indignation because the Dart was actually a pretty decent car for the time. Introduced in 1959 with a lightweight glass fibre body, 2.5 litre engine, a 120 mph top speed and all round disc brakes it was a decent performer too. As far as I'm aware, it was also the only GRP bodied car that Daimler produced (though I stand to be corrected).

It was known as the SP250 in the US where the name Dart caused some legal issues and enjoyed decent sales success over there - considerably better than here judging by how few I've seen on British roads.

It may have looked a little peculiar, but it was actually quite a handsome car when viewed from some angles and quite definitely a distinctive and dramatic sight. A far cry from the generic identikit cars we have today. That's one of the problems of modern cars for me. Their computer design for mass market appeal and pre-launch focus group approval means that cars like the Dart are never ever going to be made anymore.

Is it any surprise that my reaction to most new car launches is just a shrug these days? I mean, there is no doubt that dynamically modern cars are fantastic in comparison to the cars launched in my day - even the Top Gear "reasonably priced car" so universally loathed by all who drive it would have been a revelation in terms of performance, quality and kit in 1970 - but there are all oh so dull.

It's a actually slightly ironic that in this day and age of "radical" politics and social liberalism we are so much more conservative in our choice of car.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Vauxhall Firenza Droop Snoot

With Vauxhall teetering on the brink I thought it would be appropriate to feature one of their cars and what better than one of the rarest and most dramatic cars ever to bear the Griffin badge - the Firenza Droop Snoot Coupe.



I don't think the Droop Snoot was an official name - doesn't sound like the sort of thing that they'd come up with in the committees they use to decide these things - instead I think the actual name was Firenza HPC (High Performance Coupe) and that was exactly what it was.



With a 2.3 litre engine developing some 132bhp the Firenza wasn't just quick for it's time, it's quick even by today's standards, capable of reaching 60mph in under 8 seconds and going on to 125 mph or more. The Firenza coupe was Vauxhall's answer to the all-conquering Ford Capri, but never got anywhere near that in terms of numbers sold, but the introduction of the Droop Snoot would surely have ruffled a few Ford feathers had Vauxhall's timing not been so lousy.



The Droop Snoot was launched at the time of the seventies oil crisis and, consequently, never sold in the numbers hoped for with barely a couple of hundred finding owners. As a result, the Droop Snoot was a rare sight on British roads even in its heyday - while today what few remain rarely venture out of their heated, dehumidified garages except on perfect summer days to go to some show somewhere.



That's a real shame, because these cars were special. I never drove one, but saw at first hand one day in the mid-eighties just how quick they were. I was driving my company Ford Capri 2.8i along a country road in Berkshire one afternoon when a Droop Snoot cruised up behind me - that front end was a seriously intimidating sight in your rear view mirror!



Recognising the car for what it was and the fact that the driver fancied a bit of a run I decided to give him a shot and pushed the Capri's throttle to the floor. The Capri was no slouch, but that Firenza hung on to my tail all the way as we flicked through tight turns and growled around sweeping curves. Even on the few longish straights where I fancied the more modern and, on paper, quicker Capri would leave the Firenza behind he hung even when we topped 100mph.



The Firenza finally passed me with an outrageous (and rather dangerous) overtake on approach to a humped back bridge - I slowed down to go over it and he blasted past me with all four wheels lifting from the tarmac as he literally flew over the bridge.



I think that manoeuvre shook him up a bit, because he instantly slowed down after that and I soon got past him again - but he wasn't trying by now. Eventually, we came to a junction where I was turning right and he was going left - as we stood side by side he looked across at me and acknowledged our "duel" with a salute which I duly returned. It was terribly irresponsible, but terrific fun and the sight of that Firenza's nose looming in my rear view mirror remains with me to this day.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Standard Vanguard

I suspect that most British people under the age of 40 have probably never heard of the Standard Motor Company, but the Coventry based manufacturer was a familiar name in Britain up until the early sixties. Even for someone as old as me the Standard was a rare sight by the time I was old enough to appreciate cars, but the marque remains high on my radar mostly due to the sheer loyalty that so many Standard owners seemed to have for their cars.

In particular there was one good friend of mine from junior school whose father had bought Standards from new since the war. When they stopped using the name, preferring to use the Triumph badge they acquired in 1945 he stopped buying new cars and continued to run his 1960 Standard Vanguard up until he died in the late 1990's. Considering he was a solicitor and not short of a bob or two, that is particularly surprising.

The Standard Vanguard Phase I was launched in 1948, but was originally an export only model and didn't make it's debut on British streets until 1950. The car featured a very American look which was quite a departure from the usual British designed car of the time.

Obviously, though, the version of the Vanguard most familiar to me was the later Vanguard Phase III - as owned by my friend's father. By this time the Vanguard had lost most of it's US influence and looked much more like it's contemporaries. From what I recall of it, it was an outstandingly comfortable car to ride in even if it wasn't particularly quick for a car with a 2 litre lump under the bonnet.

Despite my friend's dad's affection for the marque, there weren't enough people sharing his love for the Standard name and in 1963 it was quietly dropped with the Triumph name taking prominence - except, oddly enough, in India where the name Standard continued to be used up until the mid 80's with the last car to carry the name being a version of the Rover SD1.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Jaguar XK140

I've got to admit that I've ummed and ahhed about this choice. The reason for that is that, when it comes to the post-war Jaguar XK range most people prefer the XK140's predecessor - the XK120.

However, I've always thought the XK140 was not only the prettier car it was also the car that seemed to best reflect that golden age of Hollywood glamour from the fifties. I suspect that is partly due to this ad from the nineties featuring the XK140, a pretty blonde, a broken fan belt, a pair of stockings and a Doris Day soundtrack.

Nevertheless, the XK140 perfectly demonstrates the glamour of that era but underneath that pretty exterior it shouldn't be forgotten that the XK140 was a cat with bite. A 120 mph top speed and sub 9 seconds 0-60 time ensured the Jaguar had a performance to match it's gorgeous looks even if drum brakes all round meant it had a little trouble bringing that grace and power to a stop.

Unfortunately, I've never had the chance to either drive or be driven in the XK140 - and I suspect I never will - but if do I hope it's along some dramatic coastline with a Hollywood starlet by my side and Doris Day singing "Move Over Darling" on the radio. I don't think I'd mind even if the car did break down.

By the way - sorry I couldn't find a better pic. I wanted an XK140 that was right hand drive, a DHC with the top down, had the wire wheels, white and in a nice setting. I got most of those apart from the colour and the setting. The BRG is nice, but sorry about the drab brick wall back drop.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Fiat 850 Coupe

When I was a young lad having just passed my driving test there were lots of cars available to buy in my price range - between £100 and £200. There were big old cars like early Cortinas, slightly younger mid sized cars like the Anglia or Austin 1100 or there were cheap little cars like the Riley Elf I eventually settled on. As new young drivers we could get hold of just about every kind of car you wanted - except a fast one.

There were fast cars around, of course, but these were generally expensive to both buy and insure - so, instead we looked for cars that looked like they might be fast even if they weren't. The astonishingly pretty Fiat 850 Coupe was just such a car. Developed from the 850 saloon - itself a development of the Fiat 600 - the 850 Coupe was a pretty little rear engined fast back that made a very decent alternative to the Imps and Minis which so many young drivers favoured.

It had a similar performance to these cars, but the different layout and slightly exotic flavour made it an attractive proposition to someone who wanted something a bit different so the 850 coupe was my first choice. I spent many hours poring over the Thames Valley Trader looking for an 850 Coupe in my price range only to find once I'd identified one that it was already sold or badly afflicted by the metal moth (rust).

Eventually I gave up and bought the Elf from a friend of a friend of my mother. Over 10 years old and less than 30,000 miles on the clock with leather seats, wood dash and go kart handling .... for £185, but I always retained an affection for the pretty little Fiat that was my first choice.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Mini Clubman Estate

I've never been too sure what the point of the Mini Clubman was. The square fronted brother to the original Mini was didn't have the charm of the original design and even with the updated interior it was still a pretty basic affair. I believe it was intended as a more upmarket replacement for the deleted Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf versions of the Mini - but it lacked both those models style and panache.

Nevertheless, the estate version of the Clubman holds some great memories for me. Somehow, myself and three mates managed to cram ourselves and all our gear into the little car for a weeks camping in Cornwall towards the end of the 1970's. The intention was to tour the county for the week, but as it turned out we spent one night in Bude then made our way down to Newquay where we bumped into some very nice young ladies and spent the rest of the week.

It was a great holiday and the Clubman didn't miss a beat - even managing to transport nine of us back from the pub one evening. Of course, this was in the days before compulsory seat belts and where cramming as many people as you could into a car, if not necessarily legal, wasn't a particularly high priority for the police.

Even though I hadn't actually passed my test at this time, I took my share of shifts at the wheel. The truth is that the Mini wasn't the most comfortable long distance tourer even for the driver - but even so it coped with all we threw at it during that week.

I don't know if young lads do that sort of thing now. I suppose it's more likely that they'll go backpacking in Thailand than camping in Newquay, but if they do then I doubt they'll have more fun than we did in Cornwall with that little Mini. It may not have been pretty - but it was pretty good fun.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Wolseley 6/90

If you've ever watched an old British film from the fifties that featured a police car in some way, chances are that the elegant lines of the Wolseley 6/90 are familiar to you. Although not quick by today's standards, the six cylinder, 2.6 litre engine wafted the big Wolseley along briskly enough to make it a popular choice for thief takers up and down the country - and also provided a comfortable and typically English interior of wood and leather to make the experience just that little bit more dignified. With the clanging bell on the front and the absence (at this time) of the flashing blue light mounted on top of the roof, the big Wolseley marks a discreet contrast to the lurid flashiness of the modern police car and seems to epitomise a time when the police were more concerned about doing a job effectively rather than being seen to do the job.

Of course, the 6/90 wasn't just popular with police forces. The graceful styling, spacious interior and effortless performance made the car a popular choice for the aspirational middle classes who wanted something a little more distinctive from the average Austin/Morris fare, but couldn't quite stretch to the likes of Jaguar.

By the way, I know it's not Sunday but I rarely find the time to post at the weekend now and I really want to keep this series going (even though I can't get the bloody posts to format properly with photographs!)

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: The Land Rover

As this is aimed at classic cars I do, of course, mean the original Land Rover Series (I,II,III) originally launched in 1948 - a vehicle which has become so iconic that the term "land rover" came to refer to virtually any vehicle that could go off road before the phrase 4x4 or SUV became common.

The farmers favourite is the original peoples 4x4 - the first SUV - and it was with this in mind that Land Rover soon followed up the rather basic model with a "station wagon" version in 1949. Over the years the Land Rover was available in a number of different sizes, shapes and forms from basic pick up to seven seater, five door family saloon with all the trim.

These early Land Rovers are characterised by the headlamps which were mounted inboard of the wings behind the radiator grille. Later versions would see the headlights moved forward so that they were in front of the grille and, later still, moved to the conventional wing position.

More than sixty years later and the original Land Rover concept is still more or less in production in the form of the Defender and in that time the Land Rover has demonstrated it's immense off road capabilities in virtually every corner of the globe.

Conceived when we were still recovering from the shock and devastation of WW2 the Land Rover proved the ability of British technology to still produce a world beating vehicle and also serves as a metaphor for the Britain of old in the way it changed lives and brought modernity and civilisation to every nation of the world.

Most of all it serves as a symbol of the conversion of Britain from a "can do" society to a "can't be bothered" society.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Pontiac Firebird

Us British never really took to yank cars particularly. The opinion of most car pundits is that US cars never matched the quality of European offerings, but I personally think the main reason is that most Britons found American cars just too darn big for British roads.

Whatever the reason, it wasn't because US cars were too flashy and vulgar for our tastes as, during the seventies, there was a sudden rash of US cars on our streets - mostly in the form of the Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am and the Chevrolet Camaro and these cars pushed the boundaries of taste and decency even in the decade that taste forgot!

The Firebird was a muscle car featuring a massive long bonnet which often had a garish transfer emblazoned upon it of a "Firebird" - presumably a phoenix - and a massive V8 engine underneath it. Subtle and tasteful it wasn't, but for some reason the roads around Slough seemed to attract these vulgar beasts.

By all accounts they weren't that fast, handled appallingly and had a famously prodigious thirst for petrol. Tasteless they may have been, but to a young Stan they were fabulously different from what I was used to seeing and I longed to own one of these muscle cars when I got older. The Camaro didn't quite do it for me in the way the Firebird did.

Unfortunately, I never did own one and as I've got older my love of classic British cars means that owning a Firebird/Trans Am has slipped down the scale of things to do, but if I ever win several million pounds on the lottery there is no doubt that there would be room in my garages for a classic tasteless, vulgar and brutally beautiful Firebird.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Austin Healey "Frogeye" Sprite

The Frogeye Sprite was the sort of car which could never be made now as the concept actually sounds pretty ridiculous. Take a best selling, but ultimately mundane, basic and very slow car - the Austin A35 - make it a convertible with even more basic trim, add a second carb to the one litre engine and, hey presto! - you have a sports car.

Except, in performance terms, the Sprite was not much of a sports car with a 0-60 time of over 20 seconds and a top speed barely above 80 mph. With that sort of a pedigree it is amazing to think that the little Austin-Healey would not only be a success, but would encourage other manufacturers to copy the concept with MG, Triumph and others introducing their own cheap, no frills, two seaters.

Interestingly, the Sprite's most famous feature wasn't planned. The car was originally intended to have pop-up headlamps, but thanks to problems with the mechanism, this was altered to headlights mounted on the bonnet giving the car it's unusual and rather endearing appearance.

I personally think the Sprite demonstrates the difference between cars today and cars then. It was undoubtedly crude and basic, but rose above that to be a popular and, in some ways, ground breaking little car. It didn't just look different, it WAS different. How refreshing that seems today with cars now so bland and conservative I find it impossible to get excited about them.

The presenters of Top Gear (an excellent programme) may eulogise about today's cars and there is no doubt that they are incredible machines, but they are oh so boring, bland and samey. Modern cars are light years ahead of their sixties contemporaries in every respect - except style and appeal.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Ford Escort RS2000

Back in the seventies, hairy chested macho policemen needed hairy chested macho transport - at least they did on the telly.

The Professionals was a series that featured a couple of coppers called Bodie and Doyle working for an organisation called CI5. My memory is a little shaky about who was who but I think Doyle was the curly haired one who drove the classic Mk2 Ford Escort RS2000 Custom while Bodie cruised around in a Capri 3 litre.

The RS2000, by modern standards isn't anything special performance wise. It's about as quick as your average repmobile today, but with rear-wheel drive and an aggressive look it did it in far more style. And for those hairy chested coppers it fulfilled the need for lots of smoking tyres and screeching brakes.

It was, of course, based on the standard, modest and rather boxy Ford Escort Mk 2 which, although essentially a dull family car, was actually quite fun to drive. I never got to drive an RS2000, but I did have a spin in the Escort Harrier which, although only a 1600, was a lively little motor with smart Recaro seats, a slick gear change (like all Escorts) and RS2000 style alloys. It was a whole heap of fun and I can only assume that the RS2000 was the same but more so.

The RS2000 was probably the last of the great Escorts which were not only practical family cars, but remarkably successful in racing too. In the early eighties Ford introduced a front drive hatchback Escort and Ford's family favourite was never the same again.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Yamaha FS1E

Once upon a time, when twist'n'go scooters were still recognised as being for girls who rode bikes in skirts and every red blooded teenage male yearned for a proper motorcycle, the Yamaha FS1E was pretty much the must have moped for any 16 year old boy worth his salt.

The FS1E was one of a new breed of sports mopeds that came out in the early to mid seventies - legal for 16 year olds to ride on a provisional licence and capable of 50mph or more these sports mopeds were like real motorcycles to a teenager full of testosterone.

With only a 49cc two stroke engine that buzzed like an angry wasp or (as some would say rather cruelly) like a sewing machine, the top speed of the FS1E was something of a contentious issue to be honest. I owned a second hand 1975 FS1E DX (DX indicating a front disc brake) in the summer of '77 which no matter how hard I thrashed it or how low I pressed my self onto the tank could not manage more than 50mph, but I had friends with newer models who swore blind that their bike could top 60 - even though none of them ever left me behind.

In fact my little Fizzy, as the FS1E was affectionately known, was a match for just about any other sports moped of the time with the exception of the frantic Fantic - a little Italian pocket rocket which was fast but exceedingly fragile with handling to match. As there was a terrific camaraderie amongst young bikers back then we would all get to try one anothers bikes while we congregated outside the chip shop. By the time I was 17 I'd ridden just about every sports moped there was to try and a good number of larger bikes.

In those days it was legal for a 17 year old to ride any motorcycle up to 250cc on a provisional licence so, for most of us, the FS1E was a short term first bike as we would usually move onto a proper motorcycle as soon as we hit 17, but I doubt that anybody who owned one of these little Jap delights will ever forget it.

I certainly won't. It was far from being the best motorcycle I ever owned, but as the machine with which I first tasted the freedom that owning your own transport can bring it was the bike that gave me my fondest memories.

The era of the sports moped was short lived though. Within a few years the government had introduced a restriction on them to limit them to 30mph and there was little point buying a sports moped with a restricted top speed of 30mph and five gears. Believe it or not, I agreed with that restriction as even in my short time as a biker I'd seen things change rapidly. While myself and my peers took our biking seriously, learned to ride properly and safely it was obvious that younger kids were more reckless - and were being killed as a result.

It was clear to me that the sensible thing to do - with even small bikes becoming ever faster and more powerful - was to restrict what people could ride until they learned to handle them. It's an approach which I think the government should use today on cars to stem the increasing number of young drivers killed or injured. Modern cars are incredibly powerful compared to those of 30 years ago and it is easy to buy a car capable of 100mph which can hit 60 faster than a seventies sports car cheaply.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Morris/Austin/BMC FG

I'm not sure exactly how old I was when the Morris FG first came to my attention, but I must have still been pretty young as my earliest memory of this famous truck was looking up into the cab through the curved window mounted at the feet of the cab's occupants.

These little windows were designed to give the driver a better view of the kerb and street so eliminating a traditional blind spot, but to a young boy like me they provided a little peek into a different world.

The Morris FG was introduced the same year I was born - 1960 - and continued in production (under various badges including Leyland) into the early 1980's. It was considered quite innovative when it was first introduced - partly for the low set windows but also because of the novel design of the doors which were hinged at the rear of the cab in such a way that, when opened, the doors barely protruded beyond the width of the cab and, with the engine mounted beneath the drivers feet, this made the cab very short from front to rear.

These trucks were everywhere when I was young and in all sorts of forms. Flatbeds, horseboxes, recovery trucks, ambulances - the FG filled a number of roles - but best remembered for me was its role as the "Corona" lorry round my way. Corona was a drinks company making various flavours of fizzy pop and the lorry delivering to the local tuck shops was a familiar sight back in the sixties and seventies.

Apart from the obvious pleasure from drinking the pop there was the added benefit of getting a penny (later 2p) back on the empty bottle when you returned it to the shop. Believe me, a penny was worth something back then - and if you had three or four to return you'd have enough to buy an ice lolly or something. I suppose it was an early form of recycling, but it also meant that no kids thought it would be a good idea to smash the bottles for "fun" - unlike today when broken bottles seem to litter the street all the time.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Rolls Royce Silver Shadow

"You know you've made it when you've got one of those."

It was 1978 and we were sitting outside a pub on the banks of the Thames in Maidenhead when a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow glided by and one of my colleagues made the remark above. To some, it was the height of ostentatious vulgarity while, to others, it was the ultimate sign that you'd achieved something in your life. Whichever way you looked at it, everyone who was anyone had a Roller and the most popular by far was the Silver Shadow.

Powered by a 6.2 or, later in production, a 6.7 litre engine but weighing over 2 tons, the Shadow wasn't exactly a performance car, but it wasn't designed for driving as such - rather it was designed to be driven in. Beneath the cars elegant lines and proportions was a beautifully finished and appointed interior - all leather and wood - which cosseted the passengers in luxury and comfort.

My own personal experience of the Silver Shadow comes from a brief time in the early eighties when I worked as a chauffeur. It was a crap job - early starts, long hours, late finishes, rude and obnoxious clients - but driving the big Roller was a real pleasure ......... plus I frequently got to hang onto the car for evenings and weekends after a late finish. It was great fun to turn up late in the evening at my local with the Roller - and it made me very popular with the ladies! Even so, it wasn't enough of a compensation for me to continue to put up with the rudeness of the clients and I eventually quit after less than a month.

The Silver Shadow was a truly elegant and beautiful piece of automotive engineering which I don't think has ever been bettered. Sure there are better cars with even more incredible engineering today, but none of them have the aura of the beautifully proportioned Rolls Royce - which is why it remains one of the most popular wedding cars almost 30 years after production ceased.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Ford Zephyr MkIII

If you're as old as me you'll remember these from the classic police drama series, Z Cars. The series ensured the car would have a cult status from the start and, for me, it is well deserved. From that prominent chromed front grille to the tip of the fins at the rear of the car the Zephyr/Zodiac range was stylish, elegant and very, very distinctive.

The 6 cylinder Zephyr 6 was distinguished from the smaller engined Zephyr 4 by larger 2 piece grille that wrapped around the headlights. The more upmarket Zodiac was visually similar to the Zephyr 6 but this time with a single piece full width grille that wrapped around twin headlamps. They were all very handsome cars.

My first experience of the Zephyr is probably the same as a lot of kids around that time - no, not being driven to the local police station, but going to a family wedding. I would only have been around five years old at the time, but the memory lives on with me even now - possibly because it is one of the earliest recollections I have of being in a car, but maybe because it was also the first ever wedding I went to. The car was black with enormous red seats that seemed to stretch on for ever to my mind - which is just as well as there were five of us crammed onto that rear bench seat!

I recall how I sat all the way through the ceremony just longing for the moment when I'd get back into that gorgeous machine for the trip from the church to the Royal British Legion club where the reception was to be held - only to end up sitting in the back of an uncles old A40 instead. What a disappointment! That was to be my first and last ever trip in a Zephyr, but I still remember it well more than 40 years later. How many modern cars will have that sort of effect on kids today? Not many, I bet.

The Zephyr was a masterpiece of a car from a very mainstream manufacturer. Like most cars of that time you'd recognise it at a glance - very different from the modern identikit cars of today. Also, typical of the time, the car looked "friendly". That was something which I think we miss today - the sheer aesthetic appeal of those old classics which enriched our lives simply with their presence.

Ranting Stan's Sunday Drive: Vauxhall Victor FB

When I was a kid these cars seemed to be everywhere and, for some reason, virtually every one I remember was either an old English white with red seats or pale green with green seats - so it's a bit of a shame that I can't find a decent picture of one in either of those shades. Never mind, it was a handsome car whatever shade it came in and had something about it.

I guess it was influenced by US design as the shape and interior definitely had a feel similar to US models of the time, but despite all that it still seemed perfectly at home on British roads and drives. The model I particularly remember had immense bench seats front and rear with a column gear change. It was owned by an uncle who appeared to find driving it utterly effortless although I'm pretty sure it didn't have such luxuries as power steering fitted.

It was comfortable to ride in front or back with more than enough room to squeeze in two or three adults and five or six kids - as was common back in those days! It was a great family car. My uncle later acquired an estate version which was utterly cavernous, but like a lot of cars from that era, the Victor proved to be prone to rust which is probably why you don't see too many about these days.