micro postcard

[Bob Purton]

Ar'nt you going to show us then Marcus? Come on, we know you still have those books!

[jackiep]

Hi All ,
   As a complete NEWBY on Rumcars the cartoon reminded me of scary experience I had when coming home one evening in my beloved black Heinkel MAP 110 .
            Turning left into the Aldwych I  ( THE CAR WITH ME IN IT I MEAN  ) was rolled completely over by a coach coming across Waterloo bridge . It was dark & I assumed that as the car was black the coach did not see me. At the time policemen were kind & helpful , this was a few years ago . The police  righted my car on its 3 wheels , picked up my side window , which had popped out , & followed me driveing the car ,  back to Dads workshop at the Elephant where he put the window back in .I think I last an indicator too. It was too quick to be very afraid but I did say a quick prayer , just in case !

     The moral of this story being that you are seldom hurt in a Heinkel because they bounce !

          The other joy was always parking . I worked at Covent Garden before the days of all the parking restrictions ( mid 60's )
  And the market men would say " Dont worry Luv we'll give it a shove or lift it ,  if its in the way "
                                 Halcyon days of Bubbles & motoring  & YES where are those pics Marcus ?
                                                                Cheers All Jackie

[blob]

Jackie, that's the second time I've heard a story of a micro being rolled, the first was of a Messerschmitt hit at a junction. For all of you who wanted to see Tintins cars, there are other devotees besides Marcus as can be seen here: http://dardel.info/tintin/random.html Simply click on a sample to explode the image or go to the list and scroll down the available cars. There is indeed a Messerschmitt and Velam.

[Stuart Cyphus]

 Tintin fans stand up & be counted. Me for one!  In fact when I got my first proper job & first proper pay packet at the age of 19, I went straight out & treated myself to the complete 26 volumes from "Tintin in America" to "Tintin and the Picarros".     A lot of folk sneer at Tintin as mere "kids" stories, but the plots are often worthy of the best "highbrow" thrillers. Take for instance the previusly mentioned "Calculus Affair". There's a bit of a sub-plot involving two identical Citroen light 15's, but Tintin saves the day by realising that they were both differant cars becuse one had French number plates & the other had German plates. As a plate buff, one can appriciate the complxity of setting up that one single scene of many...  Other interesting Citroen's to fature in other storys include a ripple-bonnet 2CV & an Ami 6 saloon.

[marcus]

Well, I only have a few Tintin books, but am gradually building up. Also I do not know how to put a photo on this forum! Herge loved all types of machinery, and I told a friend that everything in his books was real,and  meticulously researched and drawn. He said "Yes, but not that shark-shaped mini submarine in " Red Rackham's treasure". I admitted this was fantasy. A few weeks later at greenwich Maritime museum bookshop I saw a book called Tintin at sea. And there in it was a mini-sub which the Calculus one was based on, with only a little artistic licence! Even the ship's telegraph's in the books are based on real ones. The planes are not only real ones, but even the right type and colour scheme for the location. And Stuart is right, the stories are as good as the pictures!

[marcus]

A school friend of mine had a KR 200 in which he took the hairpin bend around one end of my Dad's house rather too fast...it was one of those horrid corners which gets much tighter as you get in to it, and every week there was a crash. This fellow lost control, went up the embankment, rolled completely over and back onto his wheels. The dome was smahed, but he drove on without even stopping!

[Stuart Cyphus]

Well, I only have a few Tintin books, but am gradually building up. Also I do not know how to put a photo on this forum! Herge loved all types of machinery, and I told a friend that everything in his books was real,and  meticulously researched and drawn. He said "Yes, but not that shark-shaped mini submarine in " Red Rackham's treasure". I admitted this was fantasy. A few weeks later at greenwich Maritime museum bookshop I saw a book called Tintin at sea. And there in it was a mini-sub which the Calculus one was based on, with only a little artistic licence! Even the ship's telegraph's in the books are based on real ones. The planes are not only real ones, but even the right type and colour scheme for the location. And Stuart is right, the stories are as good as the pictures!

 For anyone who's a serius Tintin fan, or anybody that still needs convincing of just how great Herge's work is, I'd rcommend that you get yourself a copy at all costs of "Tintin; The Complete Companion" by Michael Farr. (there's several on eBay right now) This book is mind-blowing and covers all the insperation for all the books, the differances in differant reprints of each story through the years, deleted scenes, and also charts just how much effort Herge put into making sure every single detail in his stories were absulutly spot-on. Apparently he had vast filing cabnets full of newspaper cuttings about historical events & new inventions etc. & if he found an item he liked, it went in a sory somewhere, just as with the Shark submarine in "Red Rackhams Tresure".

 Tell you what, why don't we just turn this thread over to the Tintin Fan Club & have done with it!   

[P50]

Hmm?  I was gunning round Aldgate one way system in my KR a few weeks back and pushed it too far.  I had hoped the front may slide wide as I'd never pushed it to extremis in 5000 miles.

But it gripped and it started to tip swiftish.  A delf flick of the wrist and we were back on three wheels with me wondering if new undergarmants were in order.

If you sneeze in a Trident above 3mph turning left solo you had better start getting ready to meet your maker!

N.B,

I too always enjoyed Tin Tin and Asterix. Great attention to detail. I recall the ribbed 2CV's too!

Jackie,

Got any pics of MAP110 from the day?  I love seeing micros in there contemporary environmnet..


   

[Bob Purton]

I'm sure there is a shop in London dedicated to all things TinTin, well there used to be anyway as I would always pass it on the way to an antiqies fair at marble arch, its on a street that runs north of and parallel with Oxford street. Dont tell me, Marcus owns the shop!?

[blob]

The Tintin shop is on Floral St Covent Garden. I used to admire their red atomic rocket shaped bookstand as I went by. As we're also on the thread of rolled microcars, didn't the P50 when tested for export roll on test day, but as it landed back on it's wheels was deemed safe!

[P50]

As we're also on the thread of rolled microcars, didn't the P50 when tested for export roll on test day, but as it landed back on it's wheels was deemed safe!

Spot on!  Don't quote me but I think the proto Scootacar went over until they put those tasty flared front wheelarches on it to increase the track.  Plus we must not forget the RHD Isetta that a la Trident will tip.  Restorers, remove that pig iron on the N/S at your peril.   

Progress Tourette anyone?!  Another unstable contraption that fell over!

No wonder micros got a bad name!!!!

[Stuart Cyphus]

 As T.L, Williams, founder of Reliant once said when questioned about the stability of the Regal Mk 2; "I could tip over a four-wheeler if I tried....."

[Bob Purton]

Exactly Stuart! I drove a RHD Isetta for a long time and my Dad drove reliants for 35 years and neither of us got even near to tipping them. Remember that test drivers push cars to threre limits, thats there job. The limits of a three wheeler are different to that of a four wheeler.

About Tintin shops, either it moved to Covent garden or there are two of them, maybe the one in Wigmore street is an unofficial one, thats if its still there of course.

Yes, I think I read in Tony's book that the test scootacar was rolled , righted its self and carried on! Any such rumours about ProgressTourettes are slanderous lies!

[Stuart Cyphus]

Any such rumours about ProgressTourettes are slanderous lies!

  All these cryptic referances to Tourettes! What's the Progress? ? ? ? ?!!!!!!!       

 Ooh, Wigmore Street, London, J & A Carter invalid carriage manufacturers used to have a big showroom there at the junction with Great Portland Street. 

[Bob Purton]

Dont know what you mean Stuart. I was just calling into question the reputation they have for tipping.