What were you doing 40 years ago ?

[Tom Boyd]

40 years ago I was 9 years old in junior school wearing a fetching brown uniform..

every weekend was spent with my folks and sister travelling the country autograss racing

not forgetting the journeys in the passenger seat of my dads mg midget. Pretty sure my love for old cars started around then!

Tom

[Bfg]

21 hours ago, Charlie D said:

Pete,

One of the Morgan owner's clubs spread rumors that Mr Morgan had shut my company down. I started a thread on their site last year explaining to them that he had not shut me down, even though he knew all about the car. (If interested Google "Burlington SS. Facts not fiction")

The thread started reasonably civilized but ended up with insults, vitriol, and amazing nastiness about myself and my cars. No one ever apologized to me for spreading total lies.

Amazing how unpleasant some people can get about a lump of metal.

The amusing thing is that I included the photo of my prototype in the thread. A couple of months later a man in Norway emailed me to say that he'd read the thread and realised, from the numberplate, he was the proud owner of the prototype, which he had exported to Norway and used every day.

Certainly the word around the industry, at the time was that Morgan had threatened copyright legal action and that led you to abandon that model.  So I'll be very interested to read "Burlington SS. Facts not fiction" - cheers.

People are really strange ..in forgetting how to be civil, or even to think positive, when expressing themselves via internet forums.  If you were to meet them in person - they'd mostly likely think of themselves as inoffensive and actually a nice person.  It's weird and at the same time quite revealing.  A reflection on them rather than yourself. 

I for one liked your cars..  You may recall that c.1980 or '81 I developed Tony Steven's Sienna  (a one off using Reliant Kitten mechanicals and loosely styled along the lines of an MG TF midget) to fit the Triumph Herald. It was intended to a kit car to raise funds for the Steven's Cipher project.   It was based on the chassis and mechanicals of a 13/60 - and was built as a 2+2.  It drove really nicely, was very comfortable and easy to build, and with a very tidy interior  (I took the mould direct off the Herald's floorpan, so its seats and interior trim fitted nicely), but when I first saw your SS - I realised how much better looking it was than the car I'd built.     

I see an 'Burlington Arrow' is on Car & Classics right now for €82,000 !

Pete

 

Edited April 19 by Bfg
typo

[Kiwifrog]

I was in my second year of an electronics apprenticeship doing the work of a tradesman as fully qualified people were thin on the ground. I did get a company car a near new Toyota Corolla station wagon (estate) , those were the days when you could get a full driving license at the age of 15 in New Zealand 

[stillp]

40 years ago this month I was in Wuhan selling industrial electronics to the Chinese!

Pete

[Ian Vincent]

14 hours ago, stillp said:

40 years ago this month I was in Wuhan selling industrial electronics to the Chinese!

Pete

So that they could copy them and sell their copies back to us? 😀

Rgds Ian

PS And strangely enough, I was also in China (Changsha) around that time looking at civil engineering projects with a view to selling to them.

Edited April 20 by Ian Vincent

[Misfit]

Working all the hours I could during the week running a business then either riding out with my daughters or attending pony club events as a family w/e.

It was a good time, work no rest and play.

Edited April 20 by Misfit

[iani]

Serving onboard HMS Phoebe as a Radio Operator (Tactical), what used to be known as a Signalman, sadly a branch that no longer exists, largely due to our not having enough hulls left to send signals between.

[OldBob]

On 4/17/2025 at 12:42 PM, RobH said:

Orford had closed by then Pete but some work was still carried out at Foulness, as doing that sort of safety test in the middle of Berkshire is rather frowned upon .  

Even at Orford and Foulness there was no chance of a really catastrophic event, as by design the necessary materials are not present - but enough normal HE to make a rather BIG bang certainly was. 

 

I would have crossed paths with you probably then Rob - at the AWRE.

Bob

[unclepete]

On 4/17/2025 at 12:42 PM, RobH said:

Even at Orford and Foulness there was no chance of a really catastrophic event, as by design the necessary materials are not present - but enough normal HE to make a rather BIG bang certainly was. 

Looking out of my Conservatory at Foulness, I can confirm that my Windows still rattle occasionally 🫥.

All I remember about 1985 was being at Wembley Stadium at Live Aid! 😱😁 Funnily enough, the rest of the year was a blur?🤪

[stuart]

1 hour ago, unclepete said:

 

All I remember about 1985 was being at Wembley Stadium at Live Aid! 😱😁 

I was lucky to dodge having to do Live Aid, we were in Biarritz on tour with Kid Creole and watched it on TV sat in a bar on a day off.

Stuart.

[unclepete]

On 4/29/2025 at 11:49 AM, stuart said:

I was lucky to dodge having to do Live Aid, we were in Biarritz on tour with Kid Creole and watched it on TV sat in a bar on a day off.

Stuart.

With the Coconuts I hope? 🥰

[stuart]

14 minutes ago, unclepete said:

With the Coconuts I hope? 🥰

Of course

Stuart.