chris thomas attends night school

[richard]

as i went back to evening school , after the two week easter break ,i had a visit from chris . Chris was up roughly in the area , well 30 odd miles away , on business and arranged to meet me to see progress on the Gordon . i enjoyed his interest and he joined in to do some body filing on the wings , he has quite a good eye . liverpool community college is quite a well equipped bodyshop and getting more so every week . during the day they train up young lads , and lasses , to the body repair trade and in the evenings turn us old codgers free 

[marcus]

Great stuff, I bet the Gordon gets a fair bit of interest.

[richard]

Head scratching yes   from the triumphs MG etc being worked on its the Gordon they want a ride in . I wonder how many people left that have EVER been on the road in one

[Bob Purton]

How many were sold?

I'm curious as to what contemporary road tests said about the driving of it. I cant help but think that with the engine driving only one back wheel  it may have samba'ed across the road under acceleration? Or was acceleration not an option? I'm curious.

[richard]

Well I could bore you forever .... Friend in bond club drove one back from scotland back in the day and is trying to buy one now - he liked it. Superintendant of works used to drive it on days out with wife and SIX children ! I have a movietone video of one tearing along . They built at least 950. Roadtests in those days were rarely if ever critical . In the 50s one of the mags were slightly critical of an AMC product (- AJS/ matchless ) that mag was never given a machine to roadtest for another 10 years - both sufferred , but perhaps not as much as if they were featured !  

see my signature at the bottom for an owners view 

[richard]

would you know  bob , how many cars merkelt made ? are there any roadtests of them ? i don't think i've ever seen one .
The Lands End John O'Groats Gordon run is well written up . i met the driver , a  man local to both myself and the factory , and even now he remembers it as fine and uneventful. they were tough in those days  

[Bob Purton]

Yes I do. It is believed to be 26 cars. I have a road test too. Motorcycling  magazine  July 1957.

[richard]

i obviously haven't got that one i will keep an eye out for it - what date exactly ?

[Big Al]

I had in mind over 700 Gordons so not far out. Where did they all go?

Certain cars survival rate is so much better than average, is the answer. In Micros we have some of the best performers in being mothballed after failure. If you manage to buy from the original or decades long owners it is in part the size and in part that they really rather liked their Microcar and saw no reason to scrap it.

There is nothing better than getting one of these cars going and then showing the old guy that his car was worth the saving and is running again. I remember particularly an elderly Gwydian Brooke, from whom I bought 4 Goggos and a shed load of spares, turning up at Olney National Rally with his son. There was the third worst car of the four restored and running and the floorpan of the worst underneath a Coupe. It made his day. His son told me he hardly stopped talking about it for the next few months. 

Messerschmitts, Trienkels and such have extraordinary survival rates. We are spoilt. Goggos have not a great survival rate over here. Seems the Gordons have a poor one.

[richard]

I think gordons were used by the ordinary working man and just wore out - engines were easy for dealers but any other work had to be home made , no dealership network. Bonds built over 25,000 and had a good dealer network but they aren't that different in performance I don't think. Neither were quirky enough to be saved in the 70's and 80's ?

[Big Al]

So how many Bonds are left. 500? That would be a survival of 2%. To match there should be 20 Gordons. It seems like Gordons are nearer .5% survival.  Now go to main manufactured cars and look at something like a MK Morris 1100. They are in the .05 area of survival I am told and a rare car in real terms. Stuff like Rolls Royces and Aston Martin on the the other hand are as common as muck as few got scrapped. Of course Buggattis and such continue to bolster their numbers to an amount greater than left the factory but that is another matter. Might have something to do with Bruces auction finding wealthy buyers who have seen through the illusion of historic classic cars though.

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

Here's one test of the Gordon from Motor Cycling magazine

[richard]

tonight i trailered the Gordon home - end of the night school year . i started last September , lost a few weeks whilst we relocated and lost facilities but i cannot believe i have still not finished . in fact it looks very much the same car that i started with in September . disappointing not to have made a lot more progress than i have but i have had fun - a lot of it although it makes for a very long day . every weekday the alarm goes at 6.15 at the latest and nightschool means 21.30 home . a long day for an old man believe me 
question now , obviously the car is very incomplete but do i get it running just for the NMCR weekend before stripping it all to paint and finish . this will be a lot of work but would keep the enthusiasm up .

[Big Al]

Supply car, brushes and paint and charge 50p a dip to get the car painted at the National. Retire on proceeds.

Difficult one. Could it be the year of the Gordan at the National. 50% turnout would be impressive.

[richard]

50? How come ? Tell me more . Is nick taylor taking his ? And the other ? As discussed 6 survive - that we know of