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www.leylandprincess.co.uk Wedge
Stories A
TORCARS DISCOVERED I must
admit I’ve always been a Maxi fanatic, living in Chester-le-Street stuck
between Newcastle and Durham (wer’e not a hotbed for BL stuff here unless you
love Marinas!) and didn't pay much attention to Princess and the earlier
18-22/Wolsley Six Series until around 1996 when after just passing my
driving test I happened to be walking down the road and there before me was a
Nautilus Blue Ambassador 1.7HL parked at the side of the road. It was just
after Jim Inshaw had been in "Popular Classics" with his garden
full of Princesses. I thought
to myself you don't see many Ambassadors these days (back then!!) and I then
thought what had happened to all the Princesses in the North East? All
scavenged for the 4-pot brake callipers I would think. I walked
on, musing this thought as I crossed the road and passed my eyes over a local
car park to view the rooftops of the then familiar late 90s models aka
Mondeos, AXs Cavalier Mk3, Rover 600, etc. But then I had to look again. Was
that a Princess on the far side? I would
mention Victor Meldrew here but not to waste your time. It was a Russet Brown
2200HLS on a V plate but something else made me hop over the low waist height
wall to investigate it, for it had hinge points above the rear
window! Now being
a Maxi enthusiast all my life I do know a little bit about other
Austin/Morris bedfellows and I certainly knew the Princess was never a
hatchback, but I do remember Crayford did a Princess Estate conversion; could
this be one of them? Well I had
a close look at the rear shut lines and indeed it was a tailgate, and it also
had Marina rear C-post side vents but it wasn't the Crayford. It was made by
Torcars. Gasping at
my excitement at this find I looked around for a pen and paper, made a quick
note and, as you do, placed it under the wiper. A couple
of days passed and I got a phone call.. It belonged to a chap in the nearby
village of Sacriston and his name was Allan. Well Allan was a lovely simple
fellow happily married and content with his daily goings on until about a month
beforehand, when driving his little Yugo It decided to fatally breakdown in
the village High Street. He rang some of his mates who moved the
aforementioned Serbian for him to a local garage where this Princess was for
sale. They all mentioned he should ditch the Eastern Block and try Brummie
Block instead and that was how he came to have it. When he
got my letter he thought it was his mates pulling his leg, but I proved to
him I was genuine, a real in the flesh BL anorak, or BL anorak we should call
ourselves! I went up to his house viewed and admired it and showed him Jim
Inshaw’s article in the magazine. He was really pleased that some people did
appreciate his choice of car. He was even more overjoyed when I explained his
Princess was really rare!! He only
had the V5 for history but it did show the first owner, a disabled chap in
Washington Tyne and Wear who had the Torcars version so he could put his
wheelchair in the back. Sadly there had been a misunderstanding when the first
owner parted company with the Princess and hence its history was lost but
never the less it was still now "Owners Club Aware". I rang Jim
Inshaw, Colin Corke (The Reverend Allegro!) and a couple of other interested
BL bods. Well sadly
to say about a two months later I got a phone call, it was Allan only to say
someone had pranged his Princess and it was off the road where which it
stayed for the next four years until about 2002 when Allan got a much nicer
car and decided that the Princess would have to go. I quickly thought I can't
take it on. Too many Maxis sadly, so I rang a few folks at the Princess and
Ambassador Club and Terry Miller the spares chap said he would gladly welcome
it. That
weekend I went up and cleared the garage with Allan and got it started. At the time I had a good friend who could
deliver it to Lincolnshire and Terry sent him payment to deliver it and
the following Friday it was duly loaded on the back of the wagon and we set
off to Spalding. My mate remarked what’s he daft over this scrap for? He just
didn’t understand. This Torcars is the only one known to still exist! It is now
happily in Terry Millers hands and every year I am at the BLMC day at
Peterborough he assures me it will be put back on the road. Ian Pennick Chester-le-Street Added 28th
January 2008. Tell us
your Princess story. Email it to me and I’ll put
it on the site, and don’t forget the pictures! |
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