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Post by David A. Riley on Dec 15, 2020 15:26:52 GMT
Never had the misfortune to have one of these, though my first car was an old Skorda, a miserable orange in colour, though the ad claimed it was red. One of those made before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Putting it into any gear was mainly guesswork.
Bought second hand, it failed its first MOT several times till the garage that sold it to me got it passed through some dubious means of their own, which resulted, after I had driven it home down the motorway in one of the wheels coming off as I drove through Blackburn. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt, tilting off kilter, apart from the wayward wheel which rolled merrily past to end up on the pavement.
When I phoned the garage to tell that what had happened, it turned out the lad who repaired the break pads had forgotten to put a split pin in so the wheel had been gradually winding off the axle. They came over to tow the vehicle away and I never saw the horror again. Luckily no one was injured, so it wasn't as bad as that nefarious Imp.
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Post by Swampirella on Dec 15, 2020 15:31:45 GMT
Never had the misfortune to have one of these, though my first car was an old Skorda, a miserable orange in colour, though the ad claimed it was red. One of those made before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Putting it into any gear was mainly guesswork. Bought second hand, it failed its first MOT several times till the garage that sold it to me got it passed through some dubious means of their own, which resulted, after I had driven it home down the motorway in one of the wheels coming off as I drove through Blackburn. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt, tilting off kilter, apart from the wayward wheel which rolled merrily past to end up on the pavement. When I phoned the garage to tell that what had happened, it turned out the lad who repaired the break pads had forgotten to put a split pin in so the wheel had been gradually winding off the axle. They came over to tow the vehicle away and I never saw the horror again. Luckily no one was injured, so it wasn't as bad as that nefarious Imp. A real horror story!  Glad neither you nor anybody else was hurt. |
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Post by helrunar on Dec 15, 2020 16:51:39 GMT
That was really quite Hellish.
Hats off to Dr Shrink Proof for supplying the helpful photo ref. A sinister little beast indeed. Red in tooth and claw.
LOVE Chrissie's drawings for these!
cheers, H.
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Post by samdawson on Dec 15, 2020 17:54:40 GMT
Aww, the poor old Hillman Imp, a very advanced and potentially reliable (see their success in rallying) car for its time, with a technological and comfort edge over the similarly-priced Mini. I think there's general historical agreement that the unpopularity of the car, whose awful sales doomed the once mighty Rootes Group, lay in a seemingly far-sighted piece of progressive social engineering by the Labour Government, who said no to the company being allowed to build it in their home area of the Midlands and insisted that the factory be located at Linwood, Scotland, in order to provide jobs for recently laid off Clyde shipbuilders. This meant major engine parts having to be sent hundreds of miles to the Midlands and then back again for finishing as there wasn't the expertise at Linwood, where the workforce upheld the traditions of the Red Clyde, making it one of the worst labour relations stories of the 70s, which is saying something. Even being charitable I think no one pretends that the workforce, in between frequent strikes, were committed to building the Imp, and its reliability problems (often down to appallingly slapdash basic assembly at Linwood), became sales-killingly legendary. The right car, built in the wrong place.
I'd rather have one than the orange Skoda though. It used to be Which? magazine's best car recommendation, apparently based on its low price. At some point in the late 80s someone (elderly, if I recall) drove one off a low cliff. Due to the engine weight in the back it landed upright on its boot, rather than its bonnet or roof as you'd expect, saving the life of the driver.
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Post by ripper on Dec 15, 2020 19:05:15 GMT
Another great story from old reliable himself, Mr Franklin Marsh, plus Chrissie's fine artwork sets it off so well.
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Post by helrunar on Dec 15, 2020 19:09:02 GMT
Sam, did you (or anyone) ever watch this 1960s series with the amazing Patrick Wymark, The Power Game? The clips I saw on youtube make it look like an intriguing glimpse, no doubt glossed up to some extent for television, of the backroom backstabbings (etc.) behind the kind of industrial history you've summed up in your comments.
Mindnumbing to think of auto parts being shipped off to Scotland then back to the Midlands... Extraordinary story.
Thanks,
Hel
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Post by samdawson on Dec 15, 2020 19:19:29 GMT
I remember the series as a boy, yes. I think its credits made it look really exciting but it then spent too much time in the office and boardroom for me as a small child. I'm sure if I'd have been older I'd have appreciated it more, especially as Wymark is always riveting. The history of labour relations and government (particularly when led with the best of intentions by the Labour Party) interventions in the 60s are quite fascinating.
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Post by dem on Dec 16, 2020 10:00:08 GMT
 The Haunted Doorway, "Location: Probably England. Date: 1920s", Dr. Melwyn Willin, Ghosts Caught on Film, David & Charles, 2007. Earlier than scheduled, a Vault desperate double-bill. The child watcher and the doorslammer. Everyday horror and sad supernatural terror from the digest pulps, courtesy of Ernest Hamilton and Donald A. Wollheim. Illustration bears no particular relevance to either story. There will be a lot of that. |
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Post by Shrink Proof on Dec 16, 2020 11:31:28 GMT
That pair was a real contrast. The first one was very nasty...
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Post by johnnymains on Dec 16, 2020 11:57:05 GMT
Ooof! That first one was nasty! Excellent.
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Post by ripper on Dec 16, 2020 16:18:02 GMT
Agreed about the nastiness of the first tale. Nice to see some stories from the pulp digests getting an outing.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Dec 16, 2020 18:41:20 GMT
Wollheim was a master of the short-short story, wasn't he? Besides "Doorslammer" (which I like a lot), he wrote "Bones," "Mimic," and "The Garrison," all of which are both brief and memorable.
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Post by dem on Dec 17, 2020 9:10:08 GMT
Day four Malcolm Timperley Ruined church at CromartyUnlive from a haunted Highlands railway tunnel, many thanks to Malcolm Timperley for providing both today's eerie story and the glorious photo (above). Lost in the Time of Mists first appeared on The Horla where you'll find a vast selection of original supernatural horror fiction to devour.
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Post by Middoth on Dec 17, 2020 10:51:31 GMT
It is a big honour to have such a surname as Timperley.
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Post by Shrink Proof on Dec 17, 2020 11:42:23 GMT
It is a big honour to have such a surname as Timperley. I've been telling folk exactly the same thing for decades.... |
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Glad neither you nor anybody else was hurt. 
