Inner Ring Road

Further to the "What If" debate, this post is telling. You treat(ed) it like a racetrack. You derived enjoyment out of the fact it was, by your own admission, a bit difficult. You like the fact it ISN'T inclusive - it separates the 'drivers' from the rest. Well, I think you're in the minority there. I agree the sliproads feel like coming out of the pits (and the Belgrade car park exit can be an absolute nightmare when it's very busy), and parts (especially between J4 and 5) feel like a rollercoaster. But I don't want them to feel like that. If I want to feel like I'm on a racetrack, you know what I use? A RACETRACK. I love karting - it's immense fun. Do I want that feeling everytime I get in a car? Hell, no! I'd just like to get to where I need to be in one piece and I'd like the bit in between to be as stress and incident free as possible. I don't want to feel like I've got to be a meerkat on caffiene just to have sufficient concentration to not be taken out by someone. "Oh, the guy isn't letting me off the slip road. I'll speed up. !"£$% the person in front isn't going fast enough - slow down. !"£$ that person behind is coming up quick !"£$ now the first person is trying to pull over. !"£$ there's someone in the next lane so I can't pull across, !"£$ I've nearly run out of slip road access". Give me an extra few minutes in journeytime where I'm more relaxed ahead of a tiny time-saving where I'm unbelievably tense anyday. Ask Rolf Harris if he'd prefer in the future to be famous for something terrible, or to have slipped quietly into obscurity

Nice one matchle55 - I've promised myself to go to the Historic Le Mans. My sister and her other half are going for the second year running in their XJ Coupe - look out for them on the way down to the ferry!

The Ring Road was there, couldn't do much about that, I found it to be quite useful and got as much enjoyment from it as I could, like the average Italian who buys a Fiat Nuovo 500 and then imagines that he is driving a Ferrari. When it was very quiet, I used to step it up a notch, maybe the double nickel on some stretches, but I didn't want SP40s any more than anybody else. You have to get a bit of fun wherever you can, even if it is only in the mind (ref Philip and Hall Brooks), make the most of what has the potential to be a drudgingly boring life.

I like your instructions for negotiating slip roads, great advice which I have tried to teach others, but it goes across some like a Giraffe's ****, and they still stop until a mile long gap appears. All in a day, eh. These days, everybody passes me, well all except the seriously scared who probably shouldn't be driving still. I would still miss the RR though if it wasn't for the 32 lane interchange (16 in each direction) situated two hours east of here..

Hi. There are six cars parked on an office frontage, it's the one that is reversed parked that looks like the Vanguard.

Is that the vehicle you mean Philip?

Hello Tony...If that's the vehicle Philip's on about, it's got the look of an Anglia Estate...maybe..

Got it in one there Norm definitely an Anglia

Hi & thank you Tony & Norm. That's the one. Is it a Standard Vanguard estate?

From the front grill I immediately thought it was a Ford Anglia 105E (there looks like there is another one parked two cars away) but I don't recall them ever releasing a model with a roof-line like that. It looks like an "estate" version?

Definitely not a Phase I Vanguard estate as they were much more 'boxy'

Ahh... it appears they did! Although seeing this photo makes me question the front grill of the vehicle questioned by Philip?

Tha Anglia was produced with two different grill plates.The one in the picture is like a deluxe grill plate. You paid a lot extra to get things like that.

Hi all I had wondered if it was one of these, but the one in question does not appear to have a split windscreen. Thank you all.

I think I'm right in saying the only 'different' grille was on the Thames van version

Hi, try this one, you could have no grill, half grill like this one and the full delux grill. This pic is through wikipedia. Oh, sorry but you could have the same on the van as well but even a passenger seat, heater and head lining was an extra also the air vent in the roof. The van came very basic.