Photographs, Negatives, Slides and Plates of Automobiles.

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Birmingham : Morris Ten Series M Saloon Car in Vittoria Street [1957]
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This vehicle was captured on film in Vittoria Street at Birmingham in 1957. It is a Morris Ten Series M four-door sedan bearing the number plate HNO 804 so it has come from Essex and was registered in 1939. First produced in the previous year, the car had a four cylinder 1,140cc engine. A popular car, Morris sold over 27,000 of this vehicle before the Second World War.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Humber Super Snipe Saloon Car in Great Hampton Row [1961]
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This Standard Eight was photographed in Birmingham in 1957. This makes it just over a decade old as the number plate [GOJ 907] is a Birmingham series, running from August to September 1946. The car is therefore not to be referred to as a "Flying" model, the lack of louvres in the bonnet sides confirms the post-war build.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Humber Super Snipe Saloon Car in Great Hampton Row [1961]
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The photographer snapped this Morris 8 Series E saloon car when in Asylum Road in Birmingham during November 1960. The number plate [JUR 855] originated in Hertfordshire and registered from May 1948. Featuring a so-called "waterfall" dummy grille and headlights within the wings, the Series E models were powered by a 918cc engine. The model was replaced by the Morris Minor in 1948 so this was one of the last to roll off the production line.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Humber Super Snipe Saloon Car in Great Hampton Row [1961]
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This two-tone Humber Super Snipe was caught on camera in Great Hampton Row in Birmingham during August 1961. The number plate [3874 RE] was first registered in Staffordshire between May 1959 and March 1960. The four-door saloon had a 2655cc six cylinder engine, but it was not noted for its cornering and road holding. Brave customers could opt for a later model that had three litre engines and a bit more go. Mind you, this model was not the really gutless 4 pot Hawk.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Berlin : Woman with an Auto Union DKW 1000 [1962]
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Taken in 1962, this photograph shows a woman posing with an Auto Union DKW 1000 at Berlin. The DKW letters stood for Dampf - Kraft - Wagen or Steam-powered vehicle as the first design of the founder, Jörgen Skafte Rasmussen, was indeed a steam car. DKW formed part of Auto Union, an amalgamation of four car producers in 1932 and predecessor of what is known as Audi in the 21st century. Representing the Audi, Horch, DKW and Wanderer brands, the four interlocking rings used as a logo can be seen on the boot of this vehicle, the registration number of which was B-RM 63. Earlier models bore the DKW badge but this car featured the four-ring Auto Union badge across the boot and air grill at the front. Produced between 1958 and 1965 and featuring front-wheel drive, this car was viewed as a slightly upmarket vehicle. This model appears to be the 1000 Coupé version. A pillarless coupé was also produced by the company.


Birmingham : Rover 14/6 Sports Saloon Car AKV 559 [1957]
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This Rover 14/6 Sports Saloon was parked close to Kunzle's Bakery in Birmingham in July 1957 so perhaps it was owned by one of the managers. Johnfromstaffs on the Birmingham History Forum states that the AKV number plate originated in Coventry, and dates the vehicle between July to October 1935. The car was therefore more than twenty years old when this photograph was taken.


Scarborough : Veteran Car [c.1907]
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This car looks to be heading to Scarborough on an early rally and is being photographed on departure. However a sound theory by Johnfromstaffs is that the car is a seaside photographer's "prop" for the purpose of selling his services. He adds that there are apparently no brakes in any of the wheels, and the tyres do not look roadworthy. The plate C719 is a pre-WW1 number for West Riding of Yorkshire, commencing in January 1904, and completing in April 1915.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying thise vehicle.


Birmingham : Vauxhall Wyvern LIX LOC 433 parked in Summer Lane [1957]
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This Vauxhall LIX was parked in Summer Lane at Birmingham in March 1957 when the photographer captured this image. Influenced by American design, this saloon was one of the first post-war designs to be produced by Vauxhall. Production commenced in September 1948 and continued for almost three years, though most were sold in the export market. The vehicle was powered by a 1442 cc four-cylinder engine and boasted a top speed of 62mph. In the UK the Wyvern was remodelled and continued in production until succeeded by the Vauxhall Victor.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying thise vehicle.


Birmingham : Austin Saloon Car parked in Great Charles Street [c.1954]
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This photograph was taken in Great Charles Street at Birmingham in the mid-1950s. One expects to encounter lots of Austin cars in Brum, with factory being just down the road at Longbridge. These two vehicles present the car-spotter with a bit of a problem though. Just enough of the post-war car behind is concealed to make it hard to say whether this is an A40 Devon, or an A70 Hereford, but it is surely one or the other. The main subject, EOL 410, was registered in Birmingham during October 1938. It is an Austin Ascot or Goodwood, engine sizes, a 1525cc 4 cylinder for the Ascot, and a 1711cc six cylinder for the Goodwood. Since they are both very similar in appearance, one would need to see the grilles and bonnets to tell them apart. The lorry is an intruder from outside the city, a Commer Superpoise.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying these saloon cars.


Birmingham : Vauxhall Velox parked in Great Charles Street [c.1954]
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Captured by camera around 1954, this Vauxhall Velox saloon car was parked in Great Charles Street at Birmingham. The number plate is LOC 193. Note the ambulance on the opposite side of the road.


Birmingham : Sports Car and Morgan 3-Wheeler [c.1955]
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The car in the foreground is a bit of a mystery - it could be a kit car. Parked behind is a Morgan three-wheeler. Bearing the number plate FTR 761, this is still on the road. It was certainly taxed until December 2020. Red in colour, it was registered in September 1948 and has an 1172 cc engine, as used in the Ford model C 10hp.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Morris 8 and Austin A30 parked in Gough Street [1957]
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Gough Street at Birmingham provided a good test of the hand-brake cable for old cars. At the front is a Morris Eight that dates from 1936. The vehicles was registered in Cambridgeshire during August of that year. Parked behind is an Austin A30 with a West Sussex plate dating from January 1953. Just out of shot is an early 1950s Morris Minor.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Ford Popular and Ford Consul Mk.2 parked in Suffolk Street [1962]
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A pair of Ford cars parked in Suffolk Street at Birmingham during March 1962. The car in front is a Ford Popular that was registered at Worcester in January 1956. Parked behind is a Ford Consul Mk2. The vehicle has a Croydon number plate, though the first letter is not visible.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Austin A35 parked in Buckingham Street [1961]
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An Austin A35 parked up in Buckingham Street with a bunch of urchins wielding a brush. There is a boy with what looks like West Indian ethnicity which makes his family one of the early settlers in Birmingham. I wonder who he is and what life journey he experienced. The kitten on the doorstep looks with some nervous anxiety, especially as a broom is being swung around!


Glossop : Wolseley 11 [c.1934]
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An inter-war photograph of a Wolseley 11 parked in Chapel Street at Glossop. I suspect that the man is a member of the Oliver family. This automobile was produced between 1924-8.


Birmingham : Triumph Renown Mk I Saloon Car LRW 21 [1956]
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Parked in front of a Fordson 5cwt van in Brearley Street at Birmingham during November 1956, this photograph shows a Triumph Renown Mk1 saloon that was registered at Coventry in September 1951. This vehicle was renamed the Renown in October 1949 and deployed a new chassis based on the Standard Vanguard. The Standard Motor Company had acquired the Triumph Motor Company following the Second World War.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Vauxhall Velox [PNX 468] at a Diesel Pump [1958]
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This Vauxhall Velox [PNX 468] is parked by a diesel pump and a bloke is reaching into the boot for his sawn-off shotgun before asking for the contents of the till. In reality he is probably having a jerry can filled with derv. Fitted with a larger engine, the Vauxhall Velox was a more powerful saloon car than the Wyvern. Production of this design continued until the PA model was introduced in 1957.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying thise vehicle.


Birmingham : Morris 8 Series E with Ford 8 in Summer Lane [1949]
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The cars are parked in Summer Lane at Birmingham not long after the Second World War. FOF 611 is a Morris 8 Series E, a car that went into production in 1939 but continued to be made for during the war for the military and other essential civilian use. In front of the Morris is a Ford 8 or Model Y, a car that caused a stir because it was so cheap to buy.


Birmingham : Standard Flying Sixteen/Twenty parked in Summer Row [1953]
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This Standard Flying Sixteen/Twenty was parked in Summer Row at Birmingham when this photograph was taken around 1953. The car was registered in Birmingham in December 1936, and is a large horsepower Standard "Flying" model. The Sixteen horsepower [2143cc] and the Twenty horsepower [2663cc] used almost identical coachwork so it is very hard to distinguish this particular model. The number plate behind the glass panel was CON 3.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Ford V8 Model 78 Deluxe 'Woodie' Station Wagon [c.1953]
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This street scene in Birmingham captured a Ford V8 Model 78 Deluxe 'Woodie' Station Wagon crossing a road junction in the early 1950s. FRF 800 was a Staffordshire plate. Johnfromstaffs suggests it must have been owned by a rich farmer, or one of the potbank owners! These vehicles cost £30 a year for road tax, a not inconsiderable sum back then! These are quite rare vehicles - Bonham's sold one for £52,100 in 2010. The parked car is a late 1930s rather unloved Austin Ten Cambridge. With the number plate of DHT 719, it was registered in Bristol during January 1937.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying these vehicles.


Birmingham : Morris Eight Series 1 saloon car parked in Great Charles Street [1945]
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This car was photographed in Great Charles Street at Birmingham around 1945. The car is a Morris Eight Series 1, a saloon car powered by a Morris UB series 918cc four-cylinder side-valve engine. The Series 1 was launched in 1935, this example being one of the early models to roll off the production line. The number plate was BNP 25.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Austin Ten Lichfield parked in Newhall Street [c.1952]
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This Austin Ten Lichfield was parked in Newhall Street at Birmingham when the photographer pointed the lens at the vehicle. The registration plate of the four-door saloon was OW 6582. Introduced in 1932, this model was powered by a 21bhp side-valve four cylinder engine that could propel the car to a whopping 50mph!
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : A pair of Ford 8 Model 7Y saloon cars parked in Great Charles Street [1945]
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This pair of Ford saloons were photographed in Great Charles Street at Birmingham just after the Second World War. This makes them fairly new as the Ford 8 Model 7Y was produced from 1937 onwards. Facing away from the camera was the De Luxe model, featuring a steel spare wheel cover and running boards. Facing the camera was a standard model, with no running boards. In the side street, is possibly a 1930s Rover, unless it is a Bentley, but no flying "B" on the radiator cap.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying these saloon cars.


Birmingham : Singer Nine Sports Car BGO 290 [1954]
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This Singer Nine Sports was parked amid large-scale roadworks in Digbeth at Birmingham during 1954 and was probably owned by one of the contractors involved in the redevelopment of this arterial route. Originating from London and registered in 1934 the car looks in superb condition considering it was 20 years-old when this image was taken. The competitively-priced Singer Nine Sports went into production during 1932 and later in the decade evolved into the Bantam model.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this sports car.


Birmingham : Ashley Laminates Sports Car parked in Templefield Street [1960]
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This Ashley Laminates Sport Car was parked in Templefield Street near Birmingham City's football ground when photographed in July 1960. The number plate [YOL 522] shows that the fibreglass-bodied vehicle was registered at Birmingham in June 1959. Ashley Laminates was founded by Keith Waddington and Peter Pellandine in 1955. This model was based on an old Ford 7Y chassis, the engine probably being from an E494A Prefect.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this sports car.


Birmingham : Wolseley 4/44 Saloon Car [1955]
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This Wolseley 4/44 [OOM 254] was photographed outside the premises of James Lawrence at Birmingham in 1955. This model was introduced by the British Motor Corporation in 1952 and produced for three years before being succeeded by the Wolseley 15/50. The vehicle was quite similar to the MG Magnette ZA but the latter was more desirable as it was somewhat faster. However, the 4/44 was equipped with some luxurious trim and seating.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Birmingham : Ford Prefect E93A and Ford Anglia 100E [1959]
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This photograph was taken in Islington Row near the Five Ways towards the end of the 1950s. In the foreground is a Ford Prefect E93A which was registered in Warwickshire during 1948. Manufactured at the Ford factory in Dagenham and produced specifically for the UK marketplace, the vehicle went into production in October 1938. Behind this vehicle is a Ford Anglia 100E which came to the market in 1953. This particular car was registered in Birmingham three years later.
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying these vehicles.


New Zealand : Austin A40 Devon [c.1959]
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The number plate of B19891 on this Austin A40 Devon may seem unusual, except that the photograph was taken in New Zealand towards the end of the 1950s. The four door saloon was marketed by Austin from 1947 to 1952. The vehicle was panned by critics for its rather dull appearance but this did not prevent the company from shifting 450,000 of them from the Longbridge factory. Johnfromstaffs tells me that it was a horrible, woolly thing, with wobbly handling and floppy steering. He suggests that customers should have bought a Morris Oxford instead!
Thanks to Johnfromstaffs for identifying this saloon car.


Thetford Forest : Woman with Volkswagen Beetle [1978]
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This is possibly a Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle with a flat screen. Other photographs that came with this suggests that the woman lived close to the Thetford Forest so I assume this is where the car was located when photographed in 1978.


Woman with a Morris Minor on a drive in Shadoxhurst in Kent [c.1975]
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A woman posing with what is probably her beloved Morris Minor on the front drive of her house at Shadoxhurst in Kent. It looks like a Series III which went into production in 1956 and continued throughout the 1960s.


New Zealand : People with a Hillman Husky Estate Car [c.1957]
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A couple named Hazel and David, along with their friend Gwen, posing with their pride and joy on North Island New Zealand. The vehicle is a Hillman Husky, a model produced by the Rootes group. It was succeeded by the Commer Cob.


Illiois : Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria [c.1971]
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The 1971 plate is the most modern element of this old classic. I think it may be a 1955 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, though it does not have a transparent top that was a feature of many models. This was a standard couple version, among the first of the Fairlane range that changed seven times during a long production run that ended in 1970.


Car Picnic [c.1965]
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A scene that I used to see often back in the day - and still do from time-to-time. A Sunday afternoon out in the car, with curled-up sandwiches and a flask of tea for sustenance. And plenty of the people I have seen doing this have not even bothered to get out of the vehicle and walk a few yards. They sit in a lay-by or some bizarre spot where the parking is free and tuck into their butties, slurping tea out of plastic cups. It is wrong on so many levels. I am not sure what vehicle this is - it could be a Humber Sceptre or Hillman Super Minx. It looks like one of the cars produced by the Rootes Group.


California : DIY Camper Van [c.1977]
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When I first saw this I thought W.T.A.F. I suspect that everybody that encountered the monstrosity thought the same. I assume this vehicle started life as a pick-up truck. Even with a massive engine, this would take some shifting, particularly uphill. And just to make it harder to see out of the windscreen, the owner thought it was a good idea to fit a staircase to the front. I guess there was no chance of getting under the height barriers for many car parks! When building the hideous contraption, couldn't the neighbours have suggested that it was just a tadge O.T.T.


Morris 1100 Saloon parked in lay-by [c.1969]
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I think the strip of metal and badge on the bonnet of this vehicle indicates that it is a Morris 1100 rather than the Austin version. Both came under the same BMC ADO16 range of vehicles that, despite them being pretty horrid, were best-sellers in the 1960s. Even the police drove around in them. Not so good if wanting to catch some bank robbers making off in a Jaguar. The owner of this car, registration number 644 GXA, was clearly proud of it, pulling over in a lay-by to take a photograph. The owner also adorned the radiator grille with an R.A.C. badge and another for the Institute of Advanced Motorists. The car looks in pretty good condition here. However, in another few years, like most of these vehicles, it would be a rust bucket with a collapsed sub-frame.


Stoke Mandeville : Woman with a Sunbeam Alpine Sports Car at the Hospital [c.1969]
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This woman in a flowery dress is looking not best pleased when having her photograph taken next to a Sunbeam Alpine sports car. The photograph has registered a big fail for omitting part of the nearside front of the vehicle. The registration plate of this model was YHP 554 which I believe means that it was first registered in Coventry. The radiator grille suggests that this was a MKII, production of which was between 1960-63. The vehicle is parked in the grounds of Stoke Mandeville Hospital, perhaps during a fund-raising event.


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