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Thread: More Catching Up...

  1. #1
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** Spacenut's Avatar
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    More Catching Up...

    Right, a bit more catching up from events earlier in the year – this time using my new 35mm zoom lens!!! First up, the Goodwood breakfast club's annual “anything but the car” event, this year held on Sunday October 2nd. I know, nothing to do with Novas, but I just wanted to try my new lens out...

    OK, here we go...



    It was a very nice morning...



    Scammel Explorer, otherwise known as the Teapot, after the kettle shaped radiator swirl pot. My favourite pre-war 6x6!



    Lots of bikes, obviously. This is more my era, a 3-cylinder Kwaka, liberally daubed in chrome and metalflake...



    LWB buggy made it into the “interesting” car park. I like the Twister theme, although playing the game on the topogrphically challenging body could be hard work!



    Lovely litle Lancia Fulvia...



    Lotus Esprit turbo, the side profile unfortunately showing too much of its blunderbuss front bumper – I think I prefer the S2 and earlier models.



    Early Ford Ranchero gets to quite a few local events, and is always nicely turned out...



    A brace of Raliegh Choppers (I sooooo wanted one of these when I was a kid). The blue one is a Mk1, the wheelbase was extended on the Mk2 because the early bikes would pull wheelies too easily. Coaxial sprung saddle, sissy bars, ape-hangers, three-speed manual... this bike had it all



    Ah – an Oldsmobile Toronado, in a very contemporary black over 'gator green colour scheme. Why is this in a no car themed event? Simple – its really a big barge



    My favourite trike at the event, sticking closely to the original Ed Roth design with a Beetle engine and rear chassis frame, with extra-long over-tele forks. Dynamically, I know it is fatally flawed, but I just can't help loving it!



    Following the not-a-car theme is this civilian-ised Aerospatial/Westland Gazelle, one of the smoothest looking helicopters to come out of the 1970s...



    Ford never made any Edsel pick-ups. Here's one of them...



    Like a scene from 50 years ago – A35 service van and Big Healey parked amongst the shipping crates left over from the Revival...



    Maserati Khamsin is an old friend, with an MGA, Stylus kit car and a brace of Ducatis in the background...



    I can't think why I profess to be a fan of the Nissan Skyline when I can't even recognise the model I am looking at – is it a GTR32 or 33?

    That's yer lot for now...

    Lauren
    only Pythagoras can save me now!

  2. #2
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter***
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    Re: More Catching Up...

    Nice photos as always I love the Gazelle, but I best not go there again till I win the lottery

    Dirk

  3. #3

    Re: More Catching Up...

    Oh yes! The Raleigh Chopper! Uncomfortable saddle, put on the brakes and off you slide, catching the gear lever on your nuts as you go! And what a gear lever! They were slow, heavy and probably the worst position to be in for cycling....ever!! I loved mine, and wish I'd never sold it (nay given it away!!)
    Follow my Avante Build - Target = Stoneleigh 2012 Definitely!!

  4. #4
    Senior Member essexdave's Avatar
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    Re: More Catching Up...

    im with Jem....... best bike around for doing a paper round on....... but oh so right about that gear stick....... never met an ex chopper owner that didn't become accidently intimate with it at least once.
    nice pics Lauren

  5. #5
    ***Euro-Nova Supporter*** Spacenut's Avatar
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    Re: More Catching Up...

    Cheers guys!

    Original Choppers are changing hands for silly money now, and there's a new one being produced too, but with a twist-grip 3-speed replacing the T-handle shifter (do you remember the day-glo orange gear indicator? I thought that was sooo cool in 1974).

    Alas, the furthest my parent's pockets would stretch in 1975 was a Raliegh Jeep, standard diamond frame with no gears, boy that was hard work on the hills!

    PS - did you know the Chopper was styled by Ogle Design?

    More Nova content coming soon!

    Lauren
    only Pythagoras can save me now!

  6. #6
    Senior Member essexdave's Avatar
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    Re: More Catching Up...

    Mine was one of the first out, didn't have a T shifter it was a more a ball shape but flat on the top ( theres a joke there somewhere) also the handlebars were not fixed in the forward type position, you could lean them back towards you more which i preferred...... your right about the prices though.... even old parts on flea bay are stupid money now.

  7. #7

    Re: More Catching Up...

    Chopper was £30 /10 shillings in my local shop and I could have had one but decided on a 5 speed racer instead at only £25 /10 shillings, actually rode the chopper a few times and always liked my racer better, having said that I ended up putting on a banana seat and a pair of ape hangers from my friends brothers motorbike, had to put a cut up coke can in the middle as the bars were thinner in the middle due to having two areas that they attached to on the motorbike, brake levers were on the sides of the ape hangers as I couldn't find cables long enough to reach the top, they were just like those off easyrider and were massive. Main problem was if the central clamp got a bit loose when I braked using the front brake the bars would swing forwards and down, not cool. My first modified vehicle

  8. #8

    Re: More Catching Up...

    My best friend at school (this would have been mid seventies) had a Chopper with drop-handlebars, it actually rode quite well as it forced you to keep your weight forwards - then one day he came in to school all bandaged-up and with missing teeth - somebody had neglected to tighten up the steering column and the bars came off in his hands as he was riding down a steep hill...... not to be recommended!
    It's a 52 year old car and everything works, just not always at the same time.......and it's probably about to get jealous!
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