Stormy weather

[Derek UK]

Tom Madge-Wyld (NW London) - Hope this wasn't too big a hit.

[NI_Volvo_Nut]

Looks like the big girl just laughed it off!

[Old Cabbie]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

Tom Madge-Wyld (NW London) - Hope this wasn't too big a hit.

I have just joined the forum because of that car. It is I believe registered as KYC556D. I bought the car for £450 in 1974. It had a Ruddspeed conversion I do not know to which stage but it had a different manifold, lowered front springs and a hot camshaft so I believe. It also had a full length sunroof by Golde which had an interior green mesh cover which was fastened to the headlining by a series of poppers. It allowed ventilation without draught or glare. It was a non overdrive model.

I bought it from a Saab garage (Grosvenor Garage?) London Rd Bath. I was the second owner. The former owner Alderman Berry was a former Mayor of Bath and a local estate agent. He was the father of Mary Berry and the car sported the registration DAB 1 which unsurprisingly he retained. I understand though I have no proof that this car was sold to a TV presenter (Martin Bashir?) at some stage.

The car had been in an accident and cheaply repaired but went well, I remember coming off well in a dustup with a Cortina GT. When I owned the car it sported wing mirrors and twin Lucas driving/fog lamps iirc. I owned the car for about 2 years but was really unable to give it the financial attention it deserved as I was in my late 20s with a wife, family and mortgage. The starter jammed when my wife was driving it and I had to renew the starter ring, I had the distributor (Bosch?) rebuilt and ran it on Pirelli Cints. Also had problems with the ignition key tearing (I bought a couple) and the dipswitch. Sold it in the end at a great loss for £125 to a local garage in Weston Bath who sold it on but was taken to court for misrepresentation!

Lovely to see the car again but not under these circumstances, hope the car survives.

[Triple-S]

It's always nice to get the full picture of an older car which is still in use. I only wish I could get similar for my latest acquisition, a '69 164 which is 1-previous owner (since deceased) and may have been an embassy car as it is black.
Offers on where to look please.

Paul

[gillberry]

Hopefully not too damaged 😞

[toad_overload]

That's close!

How funny this car is near my mums house in Highbury I used to walk past it regularly on the way to the tube was the inspiration for me buying my 1967 121 (Jane) in 2009.

[JC T ONE]

Originally Posted by Old Cabbie

I have just joined the forum because of that car.

Hi & welcome.

Originally Posted by Old Cabbie

It also had a full length sunroof by Golde.

Yes Golde made the sunroofs for Volvo.
The Swedish Amazon club had 11 of the cabrio coach type on their list, in the 80ies, and a handfull with Golde metal sliding roofs.

Here in Denmark have I found 3 Amazon (2 sedan & one estate) and one PV with cabrio coach, and one 123GT with metal sliding type.
With the introduction of 144 and later 164 the Golde metal sliding roofs became more common.
Golde supplied sunroofs for Volvo all the way upto the 700 series.

[swedishandgerman]

I think I could help you out with a M41 D-Type overdrive plus prop plus axle if you wanted to go completely the other way Andy. Plus steering vowel.

[Derek UK]

To expand the story about this car, I took the pic from the BBC website but it was also in yesterdays Daily Mail 4th Jan, here's a bit more info. This is the ex Bob Hollingworth car which he campaigned for many years at the BKV's. It also featured in classic car mags. The Martin Bashir (he was the one who did the infamous Princess Diana TV interview) connection is that he bought the car from Bob at what I believe was a very modest price on the basis that he'd always wanted one and he would cherish it "for ever". That didn't happen and it was sold some time later at what was said to be a handsome profit. Note, the later is hearsay.
Knowing how little damage it takes to write off our cars I hope that it survives. If the owner is on the forum please comment or if anyone has any connection to the car or knows the owner please update us.

Bob Hollingworth https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=270146

[kimchella]

Hi all, Richard Hollingworth here, in New Zealand. It is a real shame to see KYC under the tree, hopefully it will get repaired. We owned the car for many years, and as stated, went to many VOC and VEC rallies. The car was originally owned by Mr Berry, Mary Berry's father, who was the Lord Mayor of Bath. We did write to him, and he confirmed his ownership, as well as stating the Ruddspeed work that he ordered from new. We even had the original log book, an old card type document, which supported this. As my father's health deteriorated, we decided to sell the car, so someone else could enjoy the experience. Wanting to sell to someone who would keep it and look after it, we advertised it through the clubs, and had several good offers. Unfortunately, Martin Bashir came into the picture. He promised to look after, and keep it, and was wanting to do a story about his ownership. We were contacted by a garage in London a couple of weeks later to say they had taken KYC in as a part exchange a couple of days after Bashir bought it and made a large profit out of the deal. To us, it was not about the profit, we wanted the car to go to someone who would appreciate it!! As time went by, I came across another Amazon, which had stood in a garage for many years, so decided to do a Black Modified car (UVH), which is currently still going to shows.
We have had many great years with the Volvo Owners and Enthusiasts clubs, met some great people, and made many friends and memories, and I thank everyone for that.
Hope that this sheds a little more light onto KYC.
All the best,
Richard.