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If I remember rightly, some were made by Greeves on the Manor trading Estate in Benfleet, Essex. Even up until the early 90's they had queues of them outside awaiting repiars...
I was always fascinated by them growing up just round the corner as I did.
Interesting note, Greeves also made trials bikes too.
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ps - just noticed in that last pic, the Benfleet address is in the bottom! yay for old memories!
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Hi, They were apparently claustrophobic, noisy, smelly and if it fell over on the door you couldn't get out. Which was the main reason they were withdrawn. I can't think why more people didn't want them.
Colin
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andyborris
Posted a lot
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
Posts: 2,161
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I too saw one fall over, after it was clipped by a car, near London's King Cross, the poor woman was trapped inside!
But luckily, it wasn't heavy and a couple of us easily righted it, I think it wasn't really damaged, unlike the driver who was.
Loathsome things and I can't think of a better way to humiliate someone because of a disability!
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we bought 10 many years ago from a ministry dispersal sale they also came with asbestos angle iron garages think there still some frames off the garages still down the yard
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MrSpeedy
East Midlands
www.vintagediesels.co.uk
Posts: 4,786
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When I was a kid I had a uva rail style go kart that was powered by a Villiers engine and gear unit from one of these. It went rather well.
Somehow we also ended up with a stripped body of one a few years later that provided the topping for our bonfire one year. Christ on a bike did that go up well ?! So well it almost took out the overhead power lines! lol
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tsp
Part of things
Posts: 213
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I remember there being a garage that serviced and repaired the AC when I was a kid in the 80s/90s near me in Portsmouth.
I'm not sure if it was a factory concern or just a specialist?!
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Wilk
Part of things
Posts: 528
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I remember one of these turned right on a local dual carriageway, straight into the front of my dads first brand new car., a Toyota Carina UNR 4X... Almost wrote it off. Thought my dad was gonna kill the driver as he'd never had a new car before and it was only a couple of weeks old. That was back in 1981. Turned out the driver of the AC was a local liability always running into folk. The AC was written off as it bent the chassis
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If it can be fixed with a hammer, then it must be an electrical fault
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hurnleft, I like it. It sounds like the Governments plans to call them all in & scrap them, seems to have been a bit flawed. You lot keep telling us of stockpiles of these lying around !! I know lots of you are remembering years old memories, so I wonder how many of those are still lurking out there ?
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I Think you can still own one, as long as it has the handlebar rather than the steering wheel. think it's something to do with being classed as a scooter rather than a car
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I always remember these being parked in front of the Churchmans stand terracing under the police control box at Portman Road in the 80s. Seems ownership got you a front row seat at the football back then.
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mudpud
Part of things
Posts: 109
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Sadly in our area( Nottingham) the locals called them surgical boots,not very kind but the world was a different place at that time.
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bazzateer
Posted a lot
Imping along sans Vogue
Posts: 3,653
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Sure I read a few years ago about a couple of disabled petrol heads who 'breathed' on theirs and took to racing each otehr on the streets. I think they got nicked for speeding and/or racing. Hope it's true (the racing bit, not the getting nicked!).
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Last Edit: Nov 8, 2015 15:39:53 GMT by bazzateer
1968 Singer Chamois Sport 1972 Sunbeam Imp Sport 1976 Datsun 260Z 2+2 1998 Peugeot Boxer Pilote motorhome 2003 Rover 75 1.8 Club SE (daily) 2006 MG ZT 190+ (another daily) 2007 BMW 530d Touring M Sport (tow car)
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Kieran
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,092
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Yeah, the Steyr-Puch 600cc engines were meant to be good for 80mph with a bit of breathing on!
I heard tales of grannies goading the Police into chases etc. Can't beat a good bit of folklore!
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The Ashby Jackson fleet:-
1979 Mini Clubman 1.8 K series 1978 Skoda 110r Project 130RS K-oupe 1978 Austin Allegro 1500 SDL Estate 1984 BMW K100 Sidecar outfit 1999 Yamaha FZS 1000 Fazer 1991 Kawasaki ZXR400 race bike 2002 Kawasaki ZX9r race bike
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^^^ with a big bike engine would be amusing!
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The sliding door thing is a cool idea but anything with only three wheels like that is a rollover accident looking for a place to happen. Could still be a bit of fun to hot one up though. Had to chuckle at the thought of them street racing or getting chased down by the cops.
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The first photo of them all lined up is the top end of Paulsgrove Road in North End, Portsmouth. I thought I recognized it as I live on this road and walk past here going to the pub. www.google.com/maps/@50.8116998,-1.0705557,3a,75y,176.36h,72.21t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s4Kn6LRBJamaG5bN9huHE5A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
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