West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada circa late 50's featuring a Studebaker

[Buzzard]

[8E45E]

And a 1956 Vauxhall Cresta parked behind it.

Craig

[Buzzard]

Craig,
It is because we were a British Commonweath country ("British"is even in our province's name) and there were tons of British Imports back then. Most names we don't even know today. Riley, Hillman, Austin, Morris, Rover, MG, Triumph, Sunbeam, Wolseley just to name a few.
Cheers, Bill

[8E45E]

It is because we were a British Commonweath country ("British"is even in our province's name) and there were tons of British Imports back then. Most names we don't even know today. Riley, Hillman, Austin, Morris, Rover, MG, Triumph, Sunbeam, Wolseley just to name a few.

I'm well aware of that. Immediately after the war, there was an "Export or Die" mandate given to the British hard goods industry to build and sell for export as much as they could produce, actually depriving their own citizens for a period to time until the British war debts got down to a manageable level. Besides British Commonwealth countries which didn't have a tariff on British goods, cars were also sold in the United States, and continental Europe as well, and were common at one time. I do remember them well. Prior to 1968, it was almost possible to purchase nearly all the British marques that are now defunct in North America. After the NHTSA legislation in 1968 when each and every model had to 'Federalized' before being sold in North America, the British manufacturers could not be bothered to certify each, and every badge-engineered marque. It was one more opportunity for the Japanese car manufacturers to gain a stronghold here, and exponentially increase their market share in North America. By the mid-seventies, the Austin Marina was about the only low-priced four door family sedan left on the market from the U.K. (The partial list you show above all offered average to medium-priced family sedans in the 1950's and '60's.)

Craig

[Dick Steinkamp]

When I was in high school, our family's 2nd car was a 1958 Mk I Austin A40 Farina...



I don't think I've ever seen another one "in the wild" in the US. BMC A motor. Maybe the first econobox?

(ours was LHD)

[gordr]

I grew up there. I think the grocery store was in the 13 or 14 hundred block of Marine Drive. Note the name is mis-spelled on the over-window sign! A member of my car pool for university occasionally used his mother's black A-40 Farina.

[Commander Eddie]

In 1960 dad bought a new Morris Minor. It was a cute little car and dad said it was fun to drive, but it was not suitable for a family of six. Dad drove us from L.A. to Phoenix a couple of times in it. I remember us four kids rattling around in the back with the rear seat folded down. Dad quickly decided the Morris was a little too Minor and traded it for a new Lark station wagon. The next trip to Phoenix was so much nicer.
I later owned a 1968 Triumph Herald while stationed in Panama. I loved that car and it was just right for the roads down there. I also had a small family of three. Top down through the Panamanian rain forest on a sunny day, it did not get any better than that in our Triumph Herald.

[gordr]

Funny you should speak of a Triumph Herald. I was at the swap meet in Glendale, AZ, on Sunday, and there was a Herald convertible on a trailer, for sale at $2200. Body looked very solid, but all the soft trim was shot. Seller wanted the car gone.

[Warren Webb]

I had a 1954 Sunbeam Alpine between 65 & 70 that was a fun ride until a fuse blew driving home one night in the rain thus loosing headlights & wipers! Once in a while I do a search for one like it. As a side note I found some years ago that it was a modified Sunbeam 90 4 door sedan but the re-design was done by our Raymond Loewy!

[Lark Hunter]

Funny you should speak of a Triumph Herald. I was at the swap meet in Glendale, AZ, on Sunday, and there was a Herald convertible on a trailer, for sale at $2200. Body looked very solid, but all the soft trim was shot. Seller wanted the car gone.

Hey Gord,

What swap meet is that that you attended? I go to one that is sponsored by VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America) a couple times a year, that is held at Glendale Community College... but this is clearly a different one.

Also never knew that there was a Triumph Herald convertible... learned something new!

[gordr]

It is called the Just $ell It automotive swap meet, and appeard to be held on the first Sunday of each month at
Glendale Community College, 6000 W. Olive Ave.

[Skip Lackie]

Triumph Herald story: For many years,the US Navy has had a test range located near the Bahamas. I worked for the Navy for a long time and made a couple of trips there back in the 1960s. We usually stayed in Nassau, and rented cars there. Hertz had a fleet of Triumph Herald convertibles in their rental fleet. There was only one problem -- the Bahamas were then a British territory and drove on the left, while the Heralds (purchased through a dealer in Florida) were left-hand drive, presumably because it was assumed that idiotic Americans could not drive a RHD, stick-shift car. Unfortunately, if you are driving a LHD car, you tend to drive the way you always do, and steer to the right in an emergency situation (bad). Result: lots of fender-benders caused by North American tourists. Even if you're used to driving on the right, driving a RHD car constantly reminds you to keep left.

I liked the Heralds, though. Fun to drive.

[Buzzard]

I liked the reverse hood opening feature. It gave great access to the engine area.
And yes Gord, West Vancouver was such an innocent place for us kids to grow up in during the 50's & 60's. We were blessed.

[Lark Hunter]

It is called the Just $ell It automotive swap meet, and appeard to be held on the first Sunday of each month at
Glendale Community College, 6000 W. Olive Ave.

Thanks kindly, sir.