Oh the irony!

It's 1974, and the Lancia Beta is two years old.

"What we are saying is that the Beta is built to last. Not just for a year or two, but for as long as you want to go on driving it".

If only they knew what lay in store for them in the UK - horror stories of terminal corrosion, shockingly poor rust-protection and lots of media coverage of the whole thing which sowed the seeds for the demise of Lancia in the UK in 1994. They never recovered from the tarnished image.

Rumours are that Lancia will be back in the UK in 2008. Time will tell if they prove to be a credible alternative to the German marques that currently rule the sports/luxury market.

Tagora: I saw one!

Would you believe it! After writing about how I'd never seen a Talbot Tagora, ever, I only went and spotted one whilst in Prague!

There we were, the three of us, wandering from our hotel to the main town via the back streets of the City. I was busy photographing Trabants and Skodas for my galleries, when I spy a square roofline across a row of parked cars. Pondering for a second to think what it could be, it suddenly hit me.

It couldn't be... Could it?

Surely not?

YES! IT WAS!

I couldn't believe it! A mint condition Tagora, just sat there. Amazing (well, it is if you're me and have obsessed about seeing one since they were launched). The others were unsurprisingly confused about my excitement, but I managed to get a photo of myself with my trophy find:



Next on my list: A Ford Cortina Mk4 "S" or a really early W-Reg Metro "S". Fingers crossed!

Shameless eBay Plug

I've spent the last week or so working on my eBay store. There is still a long way to go and a heck of a lot more products to add, but please have a look around!

Apart from handbooks, manuals, brochures and other literature/automobilia, I'm developing a range of unique keyrings and fridge magnets (and coasters soon). Hopefully there's something for every retro-car fan, and they'll make ideal stocking fillers at Christmas time.

If you're in a club then feel free to get in touch regarding items with your logo/branding on. Bulk orders welcome!

If there's something you think I should stock but don't, let me know too! All enquiries welcome.

Volkswagen Northwest, Tatton Park - 2002!

Yes, that's right... 2002! I'm getting all my old show pictures online, all nicely sorted and processed for you all to see. The gallery is here:

VW Northwest 2002

Hope you like them!