This shot by Kiwi Bryce shows a car coeval with the ’65 LTD Paul posted and which appeals to a similar sensibility. Take a Mini, add a few extra inches, an ornate grille and plusher trim and voila: instant status! It’s always a challenge to tell if you’re looking at a Wolseley Hornet or its near-twin, the Riley Elf, but the “Elf” script on the decklid shows this is the latter version, which was supposedly sportier.
If the Riley doesn’t excite you, though, there’s a good chunk of other British trash (not a value judgment, but a proper description of these cars’ defunct status) underneath, like the red Austin Maxi (a guilty pleasure of mine), and a Morris Minor on top of it. I see a red ADO16 toward the back, and a number of other models which are less readily identifiable. Anyone see a British favorite of their own?
There used to be such a cute Elf running around Eugene, just before I started shooting CCs. Stephanie could hardly bear it, so lovable.
“Stephanie could hardly bear it, so lovable.”
The Corgi of Cars.
If there were cars in ‘Hobbit’ movies….
There are several around here I’ll keep an eye out for them apparently they are quite rare elsewhere.
In true CC effect fashion I didn’t know they existed until reading about them in a magazine 10 hours before seeing this post.
The red car with the white trunk, parked next to the van – is that a Riley RM? If so, that would certainly take my fancy. I still have the green Dinky Toy version of that Riley from my childhood, and I’ve always loved the RMs sweeping look.
Taken outside the British car museum at Te Awanga we would have gone in however the camera went flat shooting these, The Elf/Hornet wasnt really the focus I was going for but the shot does show some unusual cars a Maxi wearing a Morris minor, A early post war Hillman Minx, A Commer Express delivery wearing a Riley Elf, Humber 10 a kiwi version of the post war Minx, Standard 8/10 Morry thou, Ado16 1300 and a lineup of Morry Minor vans
My little sister had the Elf’s relative the Wolsley Hornet in the same off white colourfor her first car being the only one of the family never to reach 6′ or taller. Unfortunately the rust monster destroyed it faster than it could be welded by Dad,big brother and her then boyfriend.The Riley had twin carbs and was a bit quicker,we got a drivers side door from one after a bash from a hit and run driver.
Pretty sure I spotted a Standard 10 in the top picture and some Morris minor vans in the second
I’ve always preferred the Maxi’s predecessor, the ADO17 “Landcrab” models. Much more traditional British styling, combined with the same unusual center section shape. Very endearing to me, though there are basically none on this continent! The Maxi looks kind of dumpy by comparison, though it could just be an example of the direction styling trends had gone by the late 60’s early 70’s. It does have a hatchback, though, which the crab probably should have but didn’t.
Hi Chris,
the Maxi was not really a successor the Landcrabm but a shorter sloghtly narrower version of it, with the hatchback, and the E series engine
Yeah BMC actually pumped the Morris Nomad up into the Maxi, lousy car but thats what they did.
A local friend of mine (Doug) has a very nice Riley Elf he loves to drive on our mountain roads , it easily zooms past my modified Metropolitan Nash FHC .
I wish this wasn’t so far away as I need lots of fiddly Morris Minor bits and bobs and there are few in the So. Cal. junkyards I frequent .
-Nate
There are at least 23 different Morris Minors inside but this guy wont sell parts he claims to need them however he doesnt restore anything just displays them as found/bought/donated. But NZ is the Morris Minor capital of the world thousands still ply our roads as daily drivers and collectors items the4y are common as Corollas still.
Sister had an LTD and just riding in it was enough for me. I know what you are saying Perry, but can’t compare one of these beauties to it.
One of the site supervisors in Panama built a Morris Minor. It might be a death trap on the freeway but nothing else about it was bad. Consistently 40mpg according to him. I’ve always personally liked the mini looking cars but live in the Houston area. Running an AC is sort of like throwing out an anchor if your engine hangs around in the liter neighborhood.
I never had a european car that didn’t have electrical problems somewhere/somehow. That kept me driving Japanese even if they didn’t look as cool. I would like to get loose in this junkyard and pull one of the rwd vehicles. Sedan or Van with toyonisszda drive train would be way good. Bryce finds the coolest stuff. Wtg Bryce.
Morry Minors and Austin A30/40s happily accept Datsun 1200 motors, Datsun copied the little A series BMC mill and made it oil tight.
Show this car to anyone who thinks grafting a trunk on a Golf to make a Jetta was an original idea.
That’s not a Brougham! I would think that a Brougham would be reserved for more upscale cars, like the Mercedes-Benz, or Rolls-Royce. Or an American car name like Cadillac Fleetwood, or Lincoln Continental.
To quote Inigo Montoya, “I do not think that word means what you think it means”. No way a Benz or, especially not a Rolls, would be a Brougham. At least in the connotation used around here, it denotes a particular era and brand of style which is almost always American, and may or may not have anything to do with actual luxury. There are exceptions to the American part (the first-gen Cressida comes immediately to mind as a Japanese example of Broughaminess), but a R-R is something different entirely.
We did Broughams in the UK,the Ford Zodiac Mk4 Executive and the Vauxhall Viscount were 2 of the Brouhamiest UK style.They were often seen as the nearest the UK got to making an American car.There was also Vanden Plas versions of many British Leyland cars though the Vanden Plas Allegro was seen as a joke by many
In the late seventies my aunt had an Austin Mini Lady. Dark blue with a light blue striping. IIRC it had a plush interior in different shades of blue, just like the exterior. And it came with a matching umbrella !
Here’s one, in black and white. The picture, not the car.
http://www.austinminiwebsearch.com/minilady.html
I hope that’s not the lady who’s driving it,she looks very tall and it will be uncomfortable for her.
Well Gem, in general ladies are (very) tall here. Yet somehow they always seem to fit into the smallest 2 and 3 cylinder cars on the market.
Then again, maybe the woman on the right is the driver.
Now this is a brougham…
No, really
That was a valuable collection, until the price of scrap tanked.
Hah! Anyone else spot the brown (aren’t they all?) Allegro at the far end?
Great spot!
My Dad had a Standard 10 50+ years ago. Didn’t rate it and traded it for a Minor convertible.
I wish I had that now!
I rode my bike past a Riley Elf putting around Toronto a few years ago. I did a double take and I wish I’d had my camera handy. I see the occasional RHD vehicle around – there’s a Nissan Figaro that drives through our neighborhood in the summer. I’d never seen an Elf before, and I didn’t know that Riley had its own version of the Mini. Cool find – too bad it’s in a scrapyard.
I do know someone who has a mint Elf must go see him one day with my camera, A school friend had a Wolseley Hornet with 1275 engine twin carbs headers etc it went ok not as fast as similarly equipped Minis but pretty quick for its day,
I love these old Hornet and Elf! They look perfect to me… I seem to have a soft spot for “semi premium” brands, and what can be more cute than this aspirational booted Mini?
British brougham? I’ll take an Arrow Humber Sceptre. The Chrysler 180/200 (which ended up not really coming from anywhere) was pretty broughamy too.
I had a brougham version of the 180/200 in Aussie, a Chrysler Centura GXL all the fruit vinyl top 4.0L 6 and 4speed at 70mph it would wheelspin if you stood on the gas very quick and comfortable.