Woohoo ! BMW goes RV'ing....

Lessmore wrote:

Speaking of having campers on the roof....back in the '60's my dad would transfer my Czech made Jawa 50cc motorcycle on the roof of our '64 Impala station wagon. It was amazing what people (my family included) would put on the roof of their cars back then.

No kidding...I have an old picture around here somewhere of me and all seven of my brothers and sisters sitting atop my Mom's woodie wagon watching a late-'50's July Fourth parade.

I THINK the car was stationary at the time the pic was taken...:B

wilber1 wrote:

Lessmore wrote:

Road Ruler wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
Ford raced Anglia's very successfully in the UK during the sixties.

Our first camping trips were with a 1968 Mini Cooper. Big old canvas tent, poles and tarp in the roof rack and all our other stuff crammed into the back seat and trunk. Had a great time

We camped in my first car too. A 67 Mini 850. Funny.... the guy who owned the car before me installed the Cooper S id on it.

I had a ride in a Mini Cooper from the '60's....back in the late '60's. Low to the ground.....boy did it handle. Guy driving it was a road race, ice racer. We have a lot of that around here.

First and only car I've ever grabbed the dash handle in panic that we were going to roll. We didn't...stayed flat with little body roll through the corner.

It's interesting how our concept of fun camping changes over the years.


We had two Coopers, a 65 bought used then a 68 bought new. In 72 we made one of our best trips ever when we took the 68 down 101 from Vancouver to LA and back. Not camping on that one though. These cars were much rarer in the US than in Canada so most Americans didn't know what it was or how quick they were when the road got twisty. Twice I was asked which end the engine was in when I stopped for gas. Speaking of gas, we spent about 60 bucks on premium for the whole trip but then it was less than 40 cents a gallon at the time.

Only car I have ever owned that was geared to go as fast as it could stock. Peak power, the red line and top speed all came up within 200 RPM of each other which made it pretty loud for freeway cruising (close to 4000 rpm at 60 mph) particularly if you had an aftermarket (read loud) muffler. Stock, that little engine had a tube header and 2" exhaust. Quite camy, not much below 3000 rpm but when it came on the cam the tach needle jumped up in a hurry. Starting out on some of the hills in San Francisco the choice was between burning clutch or burning rubber to get it moving.

Loved those little cars and wish we still had one but getting in and out of it would be somewhat more problematic these days. Not near as flexible as we were back then. Wife would really like a big Austin Healey but has the same doubts about one of those.

That's my nostalgia rant for today.

Good rant. Back in the late '60's I had the opportunity to buy either a used Sunbeam Tiger...or an Austin-Healey 3000 for $ 1800 each. I didn't buy either. Another regret and opportunity lost.

I enjoyed your reminiscing about the Coopers. Back in the early '50's my parents had a series of Austins...4 speed (bull low), turn signal flippers, leather interiors...which they would drive down from Canada, with kids to visit relatives in Missouri.

Our American relatives were amazed that our family somehow made it that far, without difficulty with a tiny little engine. In contrast they had a newer Buick with a 320 cube straight eight and a '54 Chevy Bel Air.

Ahh memories.

Les

Francesca Knowles wrote:

Lessmore wrote:

Francesca Knowles wrote:

I think that's a Studebaker under the tent- could be wrong.

Not only are you wrong....but you're very wrong.:) As others have said it's a Ford Anglia. One was used in the Harry Potter movie.

:B

Not just "dead wrong"...I'm wrongedy-wrong, wrong, wrong!


That's me all over! Nothin' ever halfway. :W

But speaking of Fords...how about this here for-the-Edsel "Aero Cabana" rooftop tent?


Pic from here

:) Regarding the 'wrong' stuff....I sometimes go over the top. :B

A friend of mine in the neighbouring province just bought a '50's Monarch (Canadian market) which aside from some trim, badge differences looked exactly like those Mercuries in your photos.

Speaking of having campers on the roof....back in the '60's my dad would transfer my Czech made Jawa 50cc motorcycle on the roof of our '64 Impala station wagon. It was amazing what people (my family included) would put on the roof of their cars back then.

Back in the early `60's I dated a gal whose family had a 'CampOtel' mounted on their station wagon. Kinda like a pop-up on the roof.

I always wanted to get her in that thing... ;)

Lessmore wrote:

Francesca Knowles wrote:

I think that's a Studebaker under the tent- could be wrong.

Not only are you wrong....but you're very wrong.:) As others have said it's a Ford Anglia. One was used in the Harry Potter movie.

:B

Not just "dead wrong"...I'm wrongedy-wrong, wrong, wrong!


That's me all over! Nothin' ever halfway. :W

But speaking of Fords...how about this here for-the-Edsel "Aero Cabana" rooftop tent?


Pic from here

Lessmore wrote:

Road Ruler wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
Ford raced Anglia's very successfully in the UK during the sixties.

Our first camping trips were with a 1968 Mini Cooper. Big old canvas tent, poles and tarp in the roof rack and all our other stuff crammed into the back seat and trunk. Had a great time

We camped in my first car too. A 67 Mini 850. Funny.... the guy who owned the car before me installed the Cooper S id on it.

I had a ride in a Mini Cooper from the '60's....back in the late '60's. Low to the ground.....boy did it handle. Guy driving it was a road race, ice racer. We have a lot of that around here.

First and only car I've ever grabbed the dash handle in panic that we were going to roll. We didn't...stayed flat with little body roll through the corner.

It's interesting how our concept of fun camping changes over the years.


We had two Coopers, a 65 bought used then a 68 bought new. In 72 we made one of our best trips ever when we took the 68 down 101 from Vancouver to LA and back. Not camping on that one though. These cars were much rarer in the US than in Canada so most Americans didn't know what it was or how quick they were when the road got twisty. Twice I was asked which end the engine was in when I stopped for gas. Speaking of gas, we spent about 60 bucks on premium for the whole trip but then it was less than 40 cents a gallon at the time.

Only car I have ever owned that was geared to go as fast as it could stock. Peak power, the red line and top speed all came up within 200 RPM of each other which made it pretty loud for freeway cruising (close to 4000 rpm at 60 mph) particularly if you had an aftermarket (read loud) muffler. Stock, that little engine had a tube header and 2" exhaust. Quite camy, not much below 3000 rpm but when it came on the cam the tach needle jumped up in a hurry. Starting out on some of the hills in San Francisco the choice was between burning clutch or burning rubber to get it moving.

Loved those little cars and wish we still had one but getting in and out of it would be somewhat more problematic these days. Not near as flexible as we were back then. Wife would really like a big Austin Healey but has the same doubts about one of those.

That's my nostalgia rant for today.

Road Ruler wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
Ford raced Anglia's very successfully in the UK during the sixties.

Our first camping trips were with a 1968 Mini Cooper. Big old canvas tent, poles and tarp in the roof rack and all our other stuff crammed into the back seat and trunk. Had a great time

We camped in my first car too. A 67 Mini 850. Funny.... the guy who owned the car before me installed the Cooper S id on it.

I had a ride in a Mini Cooper from the '60's....back in the late '60's. Low to the ground.....boy did it handle. Guy driving it was a road race, ice racer. We have a lot of that around here.

First and only car I've ever grabbed the dash handle in panic that we were going to roll. We didn't...stayed flat with little body roll through the corner.

Francesca Knowles wrote:

cdlaine wrote:
Ms. Knowles,

Is that a Sunbeam, or maybe a Cortina ? I can assure
you, I would collapse the roof.

I did not realize this version of RV'ing had been around
that long... kind of took the Conestoga Wagon concept to
the modern automotive age.


DD...what kind of price range ???


Charles

I think that's a Studebaker under the tent- could be wrong.

Not only are you wrong....but you're very wrong.:) As others have said it's a Ford Anglia. One was used in the Harry Potter movie.

wilber1 wrote:
Ford raced Anglia's very successfully in the UK during the sixties.

Our first camping trips were with a 1968 Mini Cooper. Big old canvas tent, poles and tarp in the roof rack and all our other stuff crammed into the back seat and trunk. Had a great time

We camped in my first car too. A 67 Mini 850. Funny.... the guy who owned the car before me installed the Cooper S id on it.

Hadn't seen a tent on an Anglia before, saw them on 50's Ford, GM, MoPar station wagons, on clamp to gutter roof racks. I thing Sears or Montgomery Ward had them in their catalogues. Never made sense to me, I was using a tent on the ground, two people could put it up in 15-20 minutes, then we could still use the car.