I remember the Good old days , bringing up my baby on my own after devorce, no electricity. But Jonny and Ken made us laugh in the dark. With our little radio. We loved Hay Hay Have you seen my wife. Hay hay Have you seen her? She left me after a row, it was over a vacume cleaner! I said whats wrong with a broom? And she said something obseana oh Mary please come back,and I'll buy you a vacuum Cleaner!?.
Lovely story, I hope things picked up for you though. Whenever I feel down I pop any shuttleworth on and always feel better. Love the vacuum cleaner song 😂. It's nice up north always lifts my spirits 👌. X
Having watched 500 Bus Stops to its denouement, I’ve got to say I’m very concerned as to the Ambassador situation. Did Mr Shuttleworth manage to save it from the crusher? I can only assume from later documentaries, where John has a similar, but not identical, beige Y-reg Austin Ambassador, that an exhaustive nationwide search for a direct replacement vehicle had to be undertaken. Perhaps using copies of Auto Trader from regions far beyond the Sheffield area. For although the Ambassador was a product of a mainstream car manufacturer, it was thin on the ground by the mid to late ‘90s, when Ken took the rash decision to scrap the vehicle. I don’t know if you’re aware, readers, but the Ambassador was only on sale for just over two years; a stopgap model, introduced by Austin Rover to tide them over until the introduction of the Austin Montego in 1984. John’s favoured specification of beige coachwork, with complementing brown interior was a somewhat scarce specification by the time of the Y-registration suffix in August ‘82, with ‘80s buyers often preferring darker or metallic paint finishes. Though the unfashionable ‘70s paint and trim combo of John’s Ambassador, combined with its short production run, probably contributed to him being able to procure it at a very reasonable price. So all in all, I’m not surprised he was so proud of this sturdy, comfortable, and versatile vehicle, which came equipped (unlike the Princess it was essentially a facelift of) with a handy hatchback to accompany its wind-cheating aerodynamic wedge shaped bodywork. Add to that the innovative Hydragas suspension system, and you have a magic carpet ride to boot. You know what readers? I’m off to eBay, to look for an Ambassador; it sounds just the job. Ooof! What were you thinking Ken, scrapping it?
