My Father was responsible for this car at Vanden Plas, I remember riding in the prototype in 1974 (VDP74N) The idea of the "Princess" cars (Before Leyland used the name on the 18-22 series) was for a "Downsize" car for people who had driven Jags and Rollers and wanted something more modest in their latter years.
@@TheFusedplug The idea behind the small Vanden Plas and Princess cars was to appeal to people who had had large Rovers/Jaguars etc and still wanted a good quality car with all the wood and leather when they downsized in later life.
We had one in the family many years ago,,,,,,,,, it was an automatic !!!!!,,,,,,,,,, With the exception of the steering showing the cars age,,,,,,,,,, (had to slow down for roundabouts),,,,,,,,,,, the car was that lovely to drive,,, it was almost "hallucinogenic" as it made the outside world all "dreamy" like a painting. The 0-20 mph was fantastic and it was fine at 50 mph all day long. It was a little "gem" of a car, and the smell inside was incredible. I shudder to think what a V12 Daimler must be like ???? As that was the "baby" of the fleet.
@@bradleyjamesclassics Thats OK,,,,,,,, it's true !!!!!!,,,,,,,, and when the run shone the sweet smell of the leather used to creep out of the back vents !!!!!!,,,,,,,,,,,, Yeh driving it through the countryside by Oxford and looking out the windows ,,,,,, everything turned "up-beat" ,,,,,,,,,,,, Yeh !!!!!!,,,,,,,,, I think a "Triumph Stag" would have the same effect ,,,,,,,, or a Rolls Royce !!!!!!! Hey I saw a black Silver Spirit 1982 a few years ago in the village,,,,,,,,, oh it was in "bad shape",,,,,,,,, the welding was on the outside and the wood cappings were gone,,,,,,,,,,, BUT THAT WAS THE SAME !!!!!!!!,,,,,,, it was "Authors Theme" by "Christopher Cross" !!!!!!!,,,,,,,, it was still beautiful. Bye for now. THANKS
I take my hat off to you, car is in very good condition, looked after, an excellent example of what it is. Unfortunately just reminds me of everything I don't want to look forward to in a car of this heritage. But at the very least if you keep it long enough it might be the only one in existence and worth something.
Was expecting to see a drive video..wondering how much quieter (from the cabin interior) this premium VP model really would be versus the regular Allegros ?
When l passed my driving test a old widow offered me a gold vanden plas 1500 6 thousand miles on clock for 500 quid told me to borrow it leather seats rear picnic tables full walnut on dash windows like a mini rolls Royce great drive as remember but then I pulled up outside the park and all my mates rolled around laughing driving it for a bet and other obscenities took the car back to the old dear and said thanks but not really me wish l had that chance again if you like it don't listen to others.
Even if you took it you wouldn't have looked after it. First car, mates take the piss but will arse about in it all day etc.etc.etc. Been there, done that....
15 years ago went quick and I owned a few Ford Capri's ..I used to be able to pick them up for £500 but now the prices are really hiked up. I'd end up paying between £3800 to 17 grand just for a 2 litre Laser now days. I am saving for another and making do with a Fiesta 2003 1.6 which is okay but it's not a Capri ! I can't moan about the refinements in a newer car I mean even my Fiesta is 18 years old but to me that is modern. It's funny to see the Allegro become a classic even I would actually consider one if the money was there because it's preserving history (British history). I'd love an Austin 1100 as it was my parents first ever car in 1968 and in 1973 I was a passenger as a newborn until they got .. a VW BEETLE 1303 s (Sunburst Red). I loved that car too I took a picture of my Mum as she kissed the back end of the Beetle goodbye back in 1982 (she handed me the camera to do so ). That photo is quite something a captured memory. Those were the days when people took pictures of more important moments as we had to pay to have the photos developed ..
I would like to have one of these, and spend (probably vast amounts of) money, to have an Americanized looking version made . The oblong headlights would look good as TWIN headlights, and the style could handle making the car wider to accommodate this! The car would be wide enough to be a more genuine 5-seater, and the grille is already quite wide, and would go with the widened car!
Ray Screen - wonderful!....I’ve been lucky enough to cover a fair few miles in this beauty!.....I have a lot of pictures from when she was restored! Enjoy her Ray!
It's like one of those ex-council houses that someone added a front porch on with neo-classical roman columns and temple style porch roof, thinking it's classy and stylish. Lmfao
the list of out of date badly made skips they turned out at that time was so long and they all had so many faults its hard to find a model that came near the top of the crap pile . These came close to the top . only the interior saves it . i would be glad to see them all gone for ever . a shameful part of british motoring history . sorry .
+Bradley James Classics i am old enough to have driven these when new . i dont look at them through rose tinted glass . its a nice example of its type its just its type was not a good one .
You obviously never drove a Morris Ital, Talbot Solara or Imp. If you were of a certain age you would have got used to push starting old VW Beetles owned by a girl at college you fancied. You got to push start their german car and then were too tired to get into bed with them. All the cars around that time were poor, even the good ones. This has a fantastic interior though which is more than all the others mentioned above do. "I would be glad to see them all gone forever" That's because you probably think an Italian well built car of that era needs to be kept for ever. If they haven't exploded in the meantime.....
@@zakelwe Build quality just didn't seem to exist anywhere outside of Japan in the 1970s. Fiat were a byword for corrosion, BL battled assembly problems, Detroit suffered design flaws and so on.
