Apologies for the terrible picture quality in our first offering this week, but we just could not resist this fascinating advert placed by the Reigate Garage. Sadly there is no date indicated, but we know that from 1935 till late 1970s they are listed as a Triumph, Standard dealership. Later listing indicates a switch to Austin, Rover. The vehicle portrayed was not of course a Parkside product, which makes us wonder what the reason was for the transformation. If anybody knows please, please let us know!
Our second offering this week reflects the time when Armstrong Siddeley Motors and Bristol Siddeley were merged. Readers will recall that Armstrong Siddeley at Parkside had a Commer fire truck and were involved in the final design of the 1960s Rootes Sunbeam Alpine, before going on to assemble some 32,000 of them. No surprise then, the Rootes connection continued to be strong as this Commer Cob series 111 van, car version known as the Hillman Husky, has been chosen.
The vehicle having a rear seat and the glass area to the rear of the doors brought it into a different tax rate compared to the basic van. Austin, Ford Morris also offered this choice. Particular attention had to be paid if you purchased a second hand, van version, and placed a rear seat in the back and fitted side windows as this brought the vehicle into the more costly tax grouping. If failure to register the change came to the attention of the police, need we say more.
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