Portway News December 2024
Monthly Meetings at The Base
November saw another good turnout for our monthly gathering even though several regulars were absent. December should see a bumper attendance as many of those who have missed the past couple hope to be there.
RU 6342
Many of you will remember my old Heavy 12/4 ‘Gordon’ bodied Fabric Landaulet. It was my favourite Heavy 12/4 and I sadly passed it on when the interior had reached the stage where it really needed replacing. As it was the only known survivor of its type I did not want to be the one to strip out the original upholstery. That was about 10 years ago and amazingly in the last few weeks it has cropped up twice on TV.
Bob Olive recently said I should watch a TV series called Moonflower Murders, as it featured the old girl being used as transport for the murder investigators. The series is set in the 1950s and is available to view on iPlayer. There are several other Austins involved including a Chummy and a 10/4. The photograph below is a screen shot taken from the TV.
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​​As if this were not enough, a few days later, I was watching an episode of Junk and Disorderly where Henry was attending an auction at Richard Edmunds. In the background I caught a fleeting glimpse of what had to be my old car. With a bit of guess work I came up with a possible date for the auction in July 2022. Sure enough going through Richard Edmunds auction results there was RU 6342 unsold with an estimate of £9,000 to £10,000. Not a lot for a unique car but it was sad to see it had been poorly repaired.
As the auction could have been soon after the time of filming the TV series the two could well be related. It is not unusual for a film company to buy a car, use it for filming and then send it to auction. That is often cheaper than paying to hire one over a long period.
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What is going on in your garage?
All is quiet in my garage now as I managed to complete the undersealing on Sheila’s MX5 before the cold weather set in.
I hear Ray is thinking of moving his 1934 Box Saloon out of his garage to make room for something with easier access for Barbara. I find with my leg injury a tourer is the best solution as you can walk in and then lower yourself down into the seat. It will be interesting to see what Ray comes up with. In the meantime contact Ray if you know anyone interested in his Box. (raymondsmith570@btinternet.com).
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What do you think of these Newsletters?
Well that's another year coming to an end and almost a year since I started these monthly newsletters. I would appreciate some feedback before starting another year.
So what do you think? Do you enjoy reading them? Do you find them useful? Or are they a waste of my time? Even better would you like to make a New Year Resolution and send me a few words to include for future months?
Answers on a postcard please or drop me an email gordonpuzey@gmail.com.
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That’s all folks. Please send me anything you think others would like to know for next month.
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If we do not see you at The Base on the 18th have a great Christmas.
Gordon
