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Réparateur d'automobiles

1985 Silver R4 GTL for sale in Herts - Patinated original condition

In the 1960s I was a squady based in Moenchen-Gladback at a base where 'retired' Army/RAF vehicles came to be sold off in quantities ie five or ten at a time. Armoured cars, Land Rovers/motorbikes, allsorts. I had been conned by an RAF lad in that I'd bought a gleaming 998cc Mini Cooper from him. Had I checked underneath I would have discovered a complete lack of underseal, lots of surface rust, and a complete lack of outer sills. They'd rotted off. But it was a lovely pale blue with a white roof an a GRP front end. "A fool and his money...." Once I'd realised the foolishness of my purchase, said RAF-type was happily back in Blighty, so one way or another I bought a 'retired' ex-RAF Mini and swopped the engine/seats/steering wheel/6J wheels over, and then drove it back to the UK. It was issued an 'L' reg by the local authority but being both LHD and RAF grey/blue with painted out RAF roundels, it stood out from the crowd. After being stopped a couple of times by suspicious Old Bill, I got her respayed light blue with a white roof and swopped the steering rack for a RHD one and swopped the pedals over.....then sold the thing. The foolishness of yoof!

(Later) I do sympathise with those you fit French-type numberplates, I really do as I also like them, but the reason for the law is that Numberplate Recognition Cameras struggle to read any typeface other than the officially recognised and legal ones, hence no italics and altered spacing. Just suppose for instance that your car gets stolen and is driven through the Dartford Tunnel. their cameras (apparently) would not be able to read your non-standard numberplates.

(And there's more) Yes the UK front numberplate does scrape on the small hump on the chassis front, so I've filed a gentle curve along the bottom edge of the plate to cure this.
 
Slightly off topic but my 43 year-old Daf 33 is fitted with silver and black number plates (quite legally, as they were fitted to the car on delivery to the first owner) These do NOT register with the ANPR system in my local petrol station & the staff have to over-ride it when I fill up! In the (extremely unlikely!) event of me speeding in the Daf, I wonder if the cameras would record the number? Not an experiment I plan to undertake, but interesting.....

Now there's 2 words you don't often hear in the same sentence: "Daf" and "speeding"!
 
That doesn't say much for the clientele in Barnet :whistle:

I didn't think petrol stations had ANPR. I thought when you lift the pump head they beep / flash the light that the cashiers 'authorise' to dispense on the control panel. The petrol stations have cameras for sure (All those Scallies bilfin petrol. Yeah, I watch Road Wars) but I'm not sure they are ANPR? Otherwise no foreign motorist could fill their cars up when visiting the UK either.
 
Most larger petrol stations have ANPR cameras. As do a lot of the out of town shopping centres and virtually all city centres. Theres a very (very) wide network along most major / trunk roads as well. Incidentally, they struggle to read square rear number plates too - so 4 owners are onto a winner here - but sadly speed cameras and the like work differently so don't expect you'll get away with 100+ through a camera in a GTL anytime soon.

I like the French style plates very much. However, we're getting off topic a bit...
 
I've never been caught doing over 100 in our GTL. Oh, wait, that's km/h. :rolleyes:
 
Hi All,
After some procrastination, I have decided to put my R4 GTL up far sale. I love the old thing but I'm still trying to thin out my fleet of classics down to manageable numbers given I want to buy a house and can pretty much stretch to something that will come with one allocated parking space! Damn those SE house prices!

Anyway, I have put the car on ebay so the full advert is here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/172314046396?

but to give you some details:
  • 1985 R4 GTL, in silver with the grey / red tartan interior.
  • 118k miles, five owners inc me, with partial service history, original dealer handbook, service stamp book, and number plate. Two sets of keys.
  • Years Mot to 7th Aug 2017
  • Recently recommisioned after five years in storage following a head gasket change, and much fettling by my local bodyshop, to replace front wings and put the chassis right with various repairs. Just been fully serviced and runs / drives great.
  • Bodily, partially de GTL'd with loads of chrome work, 60's front grille, fergat pressed steel wheels and new interior trim though no irreversible changes
  • Body is mostly original paint and heavily patinated with 31 years of gentle use, but covered in minor scratches, dents, rust pinspots and signs of use.
  • Car is in Kimpton, near St Albans in Hertfordshire
  • I'm on 07765 713967, or drop me a PM to discuss the car.
It's on a reserve auction on ebay, with reserve set at £4k. It's hard to accurately value as so few turn up that are not LHD or restoration projects, so started at 99p to see what the market is prepared to pay. Fundamentally I want the car to go to a good home and be looked after, so would kind of prefer it to go to a forum member ideally.

Not mentioned in the ebay advert, but if it sells, I'll then be listing a Renault Twingo mk1 full sunroof in blue that I didn't have the heart to cut the roof open to fit, and a pack of rare spares (chrome waist trim set, chrome love handles, 60's steering wheel and 60's badges etc) though Jonathan may have first refusal on the chrome waist trim set. If anyone wants to throw in interest for any of the other bits then drop me a pm.

Thanks,View attachment 16700 View attachment 16701
 
Hi All,
After some procrastination, I have decided to put my R4 GTL up far sale. I love the old thing but I'm still trying to thin out my fleet of classics down to manageable numbers given I want to buy a house and can pretty much stretch to something that will come with one allocated parking space! Damn those SE house prices!

Anyway, I have put the car on ebay so the full advert is here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/172314046396?

but to give you some details:
  • 1985 R4 GTL, in silver with the grey / red tartan interior.
  • 118k miles, five owners inc me, with partial service history, original dealer handbook, service stamp book, and number plate. Two sets of keys.
  • Years Mot to 7th Aug 2017
  • Recently recommisioned after five years in storage following a head gasket change, and much fettling by my local bodyshop, to replace front wings and put the chassis right with various repairs. Just been fully serviced and runs / drives great.
  • Bodily, partially de GTL'd with loads of chrome work, 60's front grille, fergat pressed steel wheels and new interior trim though no irreversible changes
  • Body is mostly original paint and heavily patinated with 31 years of gentle use, but covered in minor scratches, dents, rust pinspots and signs of use.
  • Car is in Kimpton, near St Albans in Hertfordshire
  • I'm on 07765 713967, or drop me a PM to discuss the car.
It's on a reserve auction on ebay, with reserve set at £4k. It's hard to accurately value as so few turn up that are not LHD or restoration projects, so started at 99p to see what the market is prepared to pay. Fundamentally I want the car to go to a good home and be looked after, so would kind of prefer it to go to a forum member ideally.

Not mentioned in the ebay advert, but if it sells, I'll then be listing a Renault Twingo mk1 full sunroof in blue that I didn't have the heart to cut the roof open to fit, and a pack of rare spares (chrome waist trim set, chrome love handles, 60's steering wheel and 60's badges etc) though Jonathan may have first refusal on the chrome waist trim set. If anyone wants to throw in interest for any of the other bits then drop me a pm.

Thanks,View attachment 16700 View attachment 16701
 
Hi Dean, If you payed close attention you might have noticed that it is sold to a forum member.
Hi folks. Well I've only been and gawn and done it!! I'm now the new owner of snailsheds GTL. I've just driven her back to Cornwall, over 300 miles and she didn't miss a beat, and she is now tucked up for the night in the garage.
 
Hi Snailshed, do you still have the 60`s steering wheel for sale? And can you please tell me where you got all the chrome bits for the car you have just sold.

Cheers Simon.
 
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