I had a red J2 in the 70s. It was my daily driver. The only thing I never took off was the gearbox. It had a ford engine with twin SUs, in place of the original because of problems with oil running into the distributor. It also has full length mudguards and running boards. I broke several half shafts and got adept at changing them by the roadside. I received a set of tyres from Dunlop when they had enough remand to press a few hundred. The only reason I sold it it on was the cork oils seals on the back axle became unobtainable and were leaking. I did many happy miles in that motor. The narrow wheels meant it ignores snow, and I dropped the windscreen in thick fog. Great fun. I swapped it for a MII MG Midget.
I drove one of these cars all over Cornwall and Devon in the 1950s when it was already old. Despite being warned that the overhead cam seal often leaked oil through the vertical generator. The car performed faultlessly and took me home without trouble"
Anybody here want to see a brand new J2, watch the Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers film from 1934, The Gay Divorcee. You'll see fred driving one of these slowly through London . Quite a beauty, especially in black and white film .
I was offered a J2 in pieces in 1967 for £50. I could not afford it at the time! I wonder if it still exists. I do not know the registration number. At the time I saw it, the car was owned by the warden at Holmfirth Youth Hostel. I can remember that it was green. Does anyone reading this know of the car or maybe even be the person who did buy it in 1967? I would love a J2 now but I still can't afford one!
So put on a thick turtleneck and some long Johns (underpants) and have fun. I once was waiting for a bus in the Village in New York and up to the stop light pulled a man wearing a turtleneck and , of course, with the top down. It was in freezing weather. Quite a sight to see. Was a white TC (or TA or B).
