SPOTTED: Volkswagen Golf MK1

This original Golf is in a sorry state.

I WAS saddened to see this MK1 Golf the state it was in. With the rotten bodywork - I mean you can see the crusty front wing on the picture is a prime example. Broken mirror dangling off, and flat tyres as well. If it looks this bad on the outside, god knows what it would be like underneath. It could be well and truly perished.

I'm convinced that this Golf has been sat there for years by just looking at it. With years of neglect from its owner, and quietly rotting away. It's likely to be SORN'd and there's not a chance in hell that it would be road worthy. It would get a fail by the MOT man from first glance.

Could this VW Golf be saved? Maybe, but I'm not sure. It would need to be up on a ramp to see how rotten it is underneath. 

If it can be saved, this car will cost a lot of time and money to be restored. There could be a lot of money fetched from this car. The original Golf is pretty much regarded as a classic car these days, and it's one that has gained a loyal following  - particularly from VW enthusiasts.

If this Golf cannot be saved. It'll be a car that'll Rust In Peace.

SPOTTED: Lancia HPE

LAST week out in Blackburn town centre, I spotted a Lancia HPE parked by. It was a sight for sore eyes. Mind you, seeing any Lancia on Britain’s roads is a treat itself. 

Car spotting - an enthusiasts hobby

SOME people will think I'm rather sad by doing this when they see me snap pictures of old or rare cars. That are seen parked outside on the street, or near a supermarket. But I do get a joy out of capturing the moment of cars that were once  common sight on the roads, that are now a rarity.

For example, if I post a picture of a Vauxhall Cavalier or a Ford Escort on Facebook or Twitter. There are chances that people will have like these pictures. With the responses, 'I can't remember the last time seeing one of these' or, 'My Mum or Dad had one of these and we had some great trips out in it'. It's the nostalgia factor that kicks in, and that gives them a warm feeling inside. 

If you're a car bore like me. This is probably why car spotting is such a great hobby - even if passers by see us snapping pictures of old bangers. Who are quite frankly, thinking we're sad bastards. Well, my response is let them think that, this is something that I enjoy doing. Rant over.

SPOTTED: Vauxhall Insignia VXR

This is no ordinary rep-mobile, and it might surprise a few Audi or BMW drivers out there.

Brown cars on the road

Tra la la la la. There were brown cars on the road...

BROWN cars were a common sight in the 1970s and the 1980s. But you don't really see any in that colour these days. Most brown cars were made over 30 years ago. So most of them will be scrapped, and surviving ones will be hidden and stored away in garages.

One week, I spotted two brown cars in the wild funnily enough. With a 1979 Leyland Mini in Blackburn. Which looks very similar to the one my father owned in his youth - yes he did have a brown Mini which was also his first car.

Spotted: Ford Fiesta MK2

When was the last time you remember seeing a Ford Fiesta MK2?

BRITAIN'S streets were once littered with MK2 Ford Fiestas. The Blue Oval's then-smallest car in their line up was a common sight like pigeons were in town centres at one point. I stumbled down Darwen town centre last winter and saw a MK2 Fiesta parked on the street. It looks like it's being used a basic little runaround like many have done at their disposal. 

A lot of MK2 Fiestas have vanished off the roads due to them rusting away, therefore being scrapped. A fraction of XR2s will have also been abused and written off by Boy Racers. So seeing one recently, still on the road was quite a treat.

I'm astonished on how tiny the MK2 Fiesta is compared to other "small" cars on the road. A reminder on how much "superminis" have grown in size. It wouldn't surprise me if the latest Fiesta is bigger than the Escort.