Got a look in a collecter's garage!

wet-paint

So I dropped a friend home yesterday evening, and I knew her father owned a vintage car or two, so i asked if she wouldn't mind opening the garage and letting the two of us lads in to have a look. But her father was home, so she got him to come out and talk us through the cars. Turned out he had four, a Alvis TD21, a Hillman Gazelle, a '91 MX5, and a 1979 450SLC. We were admiring them, and he asked if we'd like a spin in one of them. Schweet! So I says to go for the Merc.
No problem. Gets the keys, tries to start it, but the battery's dead. A quick jump later, and we're out on the dual carraigeway. I've never heard a V8 before, and my God it's a beautiful beautiful sound, I needed no sound system with that to listen to, and the power from it just poured on and on in massive amounts. He said it'd still do the ton easily enough and one thirty at a push, but it was nicest doing forty coming out of a corner and put the pedal down and it just leaps.
And then he pulled over and offered us a drive.
Liam in the back took it out on the d'way again, but was a bit nervous never having driven an auto before, but as I had only a provisional, I was **** out of luck. But he told me to come back when I get the test...

A very very good day.

skibum

Unexpected days like that are great! Your friends dad sounds like a sound bloke!
Love the Alvis.

Alun

A Hillman Gazelle? The picture you've linked to is an Australian one, now I don't know about Ireland, but the Gazelle in the UK was a Singer if I recall correctly. Hillman's of that era were the Minx up to 1966 and the Hunter thereafter.

qballirl

If there was ever a reason to get a full licence that would be it. Did he restore the cars himself?

wet-paint

Alun you've got it in one, the name Hillman just stuck in my mind but it was indeed a Singer.
He's been remarkably lucky with his purchases, he can do all the work himself, but the most he's needed to do was put a new exhaust on the SLC, and he got his brother in law to custom make a stainless steel one using the original as a template.
And his work car is a Legacy too, yum!
What a legend.

galwaytt

I bet the Alvis was silver........;)