CSR80: Get Britain Moving

[JohnWaldock]

It’s 1948, The UK is just about starting it’s post war recovery period, and thousands of demobbed soldiers are looking for a new car to get back into that motoring spirit. this is where our man comes in…

Robert Houghton is the 38 year old branch manager of the National Provincial Bank in Banbury, Oxforshire (a position he has held for a year now). prior to this, he was a Corporal in the British Army in WWII and was de-mobbed a little after the wars end. at current he drives a 1936 Austin 12/4, which, whilst perfectly adequate, is becoming somewhat long in the tooth and with his current job, he’s wanting something a little bit newer, and nicer.

Where as the car will be primarily for him, it will also be used for family outings, and will therefore have to pass muster with his wife, Beryl, and 2 children, Charlie and Eleanor.

His job is well paying, but he’s not looking for a Roller or Bentley, or even a Jag for that matter. just a sensible, comfortable car that has that slight air of luxury that his salary can afford him.

RULES

Trim year must be 1948
Minimum drivability of 25
Minimum comfort of 10
Minimum prestige of 10
No independent rear suspension
92 RON leaded fuel only (Britain at this time was using 72 RON grade petrol, but that was absolutely stuffed with lead additive in a vain attempt to prevent substantial knocking, so 92 i’s about as close as we’ll get)
Price of $7200 @ 0%

Pointers

Fuel economy, whilst not vital, will still be very relevant. petrol is rationed at this point in the UK, so a thirsty hector is not going to sit well with even this middle class family.

it is very wise use period correct technology, so do your homework thoroughly as to the technology available in cars in Britain in the late 40’s

Styling is key. it has to look period correct, but also have some prestige and presence in it’s looks (see ad for some idea). so if it’s too modern looking, you’re out of luck, bub.

remember, it’s shouldn’t be a race car, but nor should it be a boat.

Deadline is 23:59 BST, Saturday, 25th August. GET CRACKING!!!

[SilverRemix]

[VicVictory]

Very interesting challenge. So far in my initial test, that budget is an absolute killer. cracks knuckes time to get serious.

[abg7]

What about safety requirements? Are there any of them in place for this round?

[JohnWaldock]

saftey just needs to be ‘enough’

[LinkLuke]

As long as the old chaps moustache isn’t damaged in any way it’ll be fine

[DoctorNarfy]

Rationing in the United Kingdom

4 July 1954: Meat and all other food rationing ended in Britain.[44]

Damn, congrats to this guy for being able to afford a luxurious new car whilst the majority of the country is still starving to death.

[Camjkerman]

Calvert Road Vehicles has the premium car for your family, with 5 seats, it can carry the average family, and a friend, too. With a state of the art 2-litre 6-Cylinder engine with advanced carburetors, 20.3 miles per gallon is easily achievable in this time of rationing, but not while under-delivering on performance, with 75 brake horsepower, it has the power to cruise at motorway speeds in a brilliantly effortless manner. With its bold front end, it affords a presence unmatched on the roadways of Great Britain. In order to prove that road travel is, indeed, the best way to commute and also to travel for leisure, we challenged the newly nationalised British Railways with a race between Banbury and London’s Marylebone terminus. The train departed Banbury’s platform 3 on-time at 0900 for its 69 mile non stop run to London, the train had come from Kidderminster on the 0730 fast service. Also departing at 0900, was the new Calvert Regal, in gleaming blue, engine purring, while the Great Western locomotive huffed and wheezed with its heavy 10 car train, taking well north of 10 minutes to accelerate to the line speed of 75 miles per hour while the Regal quickly got to the road and was up at 85 miles per hour before the train reached Aynho. The Regal reached London Marylebone’s station café before the train even passed Denham, a clear win of over 20 minutes. The crowd at London Marylebone did not notice the Regal pull up thanks to its double baffled exhaust, while the train hissed loudly and coated the platform in water and soot when it stopped. It was also noted that the Regal had, in fact, also beaten the much faster West Coast route, Rugby being a similar distance away from London as Banbury.- ok ok, real world me now- My entry is a car from a company, which, as you clearly saw, is full of British arrogance, playing on the British fondness for our railway system in those days to their advantage. The car itself is a reasonably big car, 20mpg, I have to admit, was a bit of a struggle on such a budged, but I pulled it off. Oh, and here’s a photo.

[SilverRemix]

1948 Windsor Admiral, comes as standard with exquisite coachwork and finishing; including but not limited to;
Integrated Footplate, High visibility Fog lights and indicators, coach doors to provide easy access into the cabin, and high quality lounge interior. The Windsor comes optionally with a pipe holder. and in standard British Touring Green.

[Lava_Cake]

Considering i missed last CSR, I’ll be sure to make something for this one (Although this kind of car isn’t really my forte)

[Lava_Cake]

Tried to make something, forgot I have no idea how to make 40s cars

[Lordred]

I highly recommend the use of the Edit option.

[LordLetto]

@JohnWaldock

92 RON leaded fuel only (Britain at this time was using 72 RON grade petrol, but that was absolutely stuffed with lead additive in a vain attempt to prevent substantial knocking, so 92 i’s about as close as we’ll get)

Hmm, How about Low Quality-80 RON?

[Camjkerman]

That 80 RON is Unleaded, the 72 RON we used in this period was very leaded.

[VicVictory]

Kingston Motors Press Release

In the world of premium automobiles, there is always more than meets the eye. Subtle complexity that you can’t get by reading off the text of a page. Why settle for 18 miles per gallon when you can have 20? Why not choose a 6-cylinder engine?.

Kingston knows why.

First, we don’t believe that a premium car should require a premium price. That’s why the Deluxe series starts at just $999 USD (299 pounds sterling).

But this low price doesn’t tell the tale of the car, not by a long shot. We can tell you about how our seamstresses take the utmost care in creating the double-stitched leather upholstery that goes into every Deluxe, or how the front seats adjust not only front-to-back, but in recline pitch as well. It also doesn’t tell how Kingston engineers designed every part to demanding fitment standards. Details abound, even down to the tempered-glass windows, which are far safer in the event of a collision than the standard glass of competitors.

Only by going to a Kingston dealer to see for yourself can this truly be understood.

As for power, the choice is yours. Enjoy the confidence and easy maintenance of our advanced Wanderer 1500, or the strength of our Wildfire 2400 V8. Both come with a 3-speed transmission, and manners refined enough for the lady of the house to drive.

We admit, some competitors may be able to beat us on fuel economy. But none will surpass Kingston’s package of quality, affordability, safety, and durability.

Kingston Motors. The Best, Exclusively for You.

---

Yes, I’m totally taking pot shots at the Calvert. I have a pretty good idea of what had to be done to get that big sucker down to budget and get enough drivability with a straight-6 in it.

Submitted trim: Kingston 1500 Deluxe, $6991 AUD at 0%

[Murokmakto]

Tannberg Apollon Luxus

Tannberg Automobile puts the Apollon MKI up against the competition.

This is the luxurious trim for the Apollon, especially tuned for the high standarts of British customers. It features a well refined and comfortable interior, with ashtrays as standart, leather seats as an option.

The 1200cc engine produces 43hp which is quite respectable for the this time.
Since the Luxus trim is based on the standart Apollon, this car is still reasonable and easy to maintain.
6460$ at 0%, 7100$ at 10%

The Apollon is made to be a rather period correct car, although better results for this challenge could have been achieved with more modern components.

[JohnWaldock]

not just this guy, but the premium/executive car sector was very popular in the post war era. it was quite a bizarre thing at the time. Humber/Austin/Wolseley/Jowett and to a lesser extent Riley/Jaguar/Rover, all had a lot of success between 1947-1950.

[NormanVauxhall]

Rudolf Motors United Boxer Six

[Camjkerman]

Wow. I was seriously impressed with your entry(ies?) for my competition series, but this is just a whole other level. It looks amazing, even if the chromework seems a little heavy for a British car.

[thecarlover]

That seems quite familiar. Might need to get a private eye to look into it.