To all the cars I've loved before (Part 1)...

Yesterday's trip to the vintage/classic car display at the former Tanjong Pagar railway station brought back memories of my car-crazy days -- from my childhood times collecting Matchbox/Dinky Toys diecast cars to my teen years assembling Airfix/Revell car kits to my actually driving and then owing cars, including the varied adventures that came with them.

But, first, to get back to yesterday's display of yesteryear's cars... I was thrilled to see a Jaguar E-Type, arguably the most beautiful sports car of all time (I have had Matchbox, Dinky Toys, Airfix and Revell versions but, alas, not the real deal):

Such sleek lines! I then wondered what cars looked like in my birth year? Here's one example, a very well kept 1950 MG-Y (wish I could say the same about moi):

Then I saw the same type of car my dad owned -- the legendary Morris Minor, and standard car for "lembu" (learner) drivers -- and also the very first car I got to drive after I got my driver's licence...

 
Strictly speaking, this 1972 one-litre model was a far cry from the 1950s-era 800cc Morris Minor my dad owned. By the time I got to drive it, the floorboard had a hole (no kidding, truth be told) and I could actually peer at the tarmac below!

As you can see, this 1972 model has modern indicator lamps. But look carefully at the centre pillar of this car, in the pic below:

 The "bulge" running from the top just below the roofline is a reminder of something quaint that my father's 1950s model had, that is...

The trafficator! Yes, when making a right or left turn, you flip the appropriate switch and the trafficator in question (with a built-in lamp that shows up at night) pops up! Well, they were supposed to. By the time I got to drive my old man's car, the device had seen better days and had had frequently to be repaired.

In any case, in those pre-car aircon days -- when windows were almost always wound down -- you were supposed to signal left and right-hand turns by sticking your hand out and making the appropriate gesture (Q: so how do you signal a left-hand turn in a right-hand drive car?). And when it rained heavily, you just hope you don't get into an accident when having to make a turn!

I'll wrap up today's blog entry with these two pics from yesterday's display...

This car above-- a 1961 Fiat 500 --  is the "baby brother" (or sister, whatever) of the Fiat 600. The 500 looked like a Mini-Me of the 600.

My dad bought a second-hand Fiat 600 for my sister to drive when she got into university. I later -- actually quite a few years later, after she graduated from medical school -- got to drive it as a hand-me-down, after the Morris Minor's floorboard had created a situation such that I would have had to drive it Flintstone-style, ie, switch off the engine and simply use my feet through the by-now really BIG gaping hole...

               OK, Part 2 tomorrow -- more about the cars I drove.