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VPF 169: History - Specification - Restoration - Modifications - Driving
PCD 716: History - Specification - Registration - Restoration - Modifications - Driving

History

I always said that I wouldn't buy another one... or if I did, it would be an estate, van or pick-up. So what's this? Another black saloon? Do I need another one the same as PCD 716?

Well, the truth is that I don't, but this sorry looking specimen appeared on internet auction site eBay in June 2006 and I'm afraid I couldn't resist it. £102 is all it cost me, so I figured that if the worst came to the worst that wasn't a bad price for a spare set of running gear. However, I do hope to restore it.

VPF 169 was built on the morning of Saturday 17 July 1954, and first registered on 17 August. As the model was only launched in May, this made it the oldest example I had ever come across - and one of the oldest ones left (although at least one slightly older one is known to the Standard Motor Club). As such, it has a number of design features which were only found on the first 2650 Standard 10s produced. And that, I'm afraid, was why I bought it!

I don't know much about its early history, though it has a Guildford registration. By 11 January 1978 it was owned by a Mr. Albert Riddles of Lancing. Mr. Riddles ran the car until 1994, at which time he sold it with six months' tax remaining. However, it must have failed its MOT at around this time as the tax was not renewed again. After Mr. Riddles sold the car it seems to have had a further four owners before I bought it - but none of them did anything with it!

It ended up in a yard in the corner of a farm - I think it would be fair to describe the place as a scrap yard - where the owner intended to strip it of its number plate before scrapping it. However, to do this he would have had to repair the car to get it an MOT, but he never got around to it. Instead, it sat forlornly in an open-fronted barn until the owner of the barn decided that he wanted to put his tractor in the space, and so the car was offered for sale. I paid for it in July 2006 and it moved northwards for further storage on 3 August 2006.

It is now in a pretty poor state - although, apart from the sills and front wings, probably no worse than PCD was when I bought it. And as it is such a rare variant, it is certainly worthy of restoration.


© Phil Hetherington 2007-09
Last Modified: 15.11.09