Yes, I'm more familiar with that model of Ford Anglia, a handful of which were still around when I was a child.

It's a Marcos!

Does that white dashed line mean you can park on the pavement?

Quote :

Ford Capri left on Swindon drive for 30 years finally moved

The Ford Capri in Old Town gained fame among locals who often wondered why it was left untouched for decades.



And the car caused another stir over the weekend after it was removed from the Deacon Street driveway it sat on for 32 years.

Jordan Davis was surprised by the high interest in his grandad's story and decided to put the many rumours to bed.

Noel Jones, who was well-known in Swindon, died earlier this year.

He bought the Capri in 1972 and travelled in style for 18 years until he was forced to stop driving because of a slipped disc.

"He paid more for the car than he did his own house and he got it brand new out of a show room," Jordan said.

"It was his pride and joy and he didn’t want to get rid of it.

"The reason it was left for wear and tear for such a long time was for a completely different reason than what everyone thinks.

"It was not because of the various amount of stories people have come up with like it was his son's or it had history to do with his wife.

"The main reason was because he didn’t want anyone reversing on his drive because there’s no parking in the town centre - as funny as it sounds! It was literally that simple."

Noel was a builder who worked on the Oasis and the Gorse Hill Community Centre.

He was a well-known figure in Swindon and could often be found in The Savoy, The Sir Daniel Arms and in the bookies.

He loved to travel and drove his MK1 Capri sports edition Ford around Europe. He also enjoyed taking his daughters Sarah and Lisa and his grandchildren to Florida every year.




Jordan added: "I am very proud to call him my grandad as he was a amazing man and a legend.

"I inspire to have a mindset like his and love life as much as he did.

"He was a very friendly person and would always quote nice comments like 'happiness is the best medicine' and he would always wish people good luck."

Sadly, the ancient car has fallen into disrepair and Jordan says it cannot be restored.

Swindon's landmark has been sold for "spares and repairs".

"It will not only be missed by his family because it has been there so long, but also by all the people of Swindon," Jordan said.

Back in the 70s, Ford marketed the Capri as "The Car You Always Promised Yourself. British magazine Car called it a "Cortina in drag".

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/20240289.ford-capri-left-swindon-drive-30-years-finally-moved/

Turning around in the street where the Capri was located, who knew that Swindon had a "skyline"?

Quote :

The main reason was because he didn’t want anyone reversing on his drive

I can relate to that.

Surely something along the lines of installing a couple of lockable, collapsible bollards would have been a slightly more aesthetically pleasing deterrent to invest in. And it would mean his visitors could actually park on his drive.

But you'd have to driver all the way across the pavement to even get to his drive, that's some inept turning right there.

People do the oddest things because of parking.

I heard of someone who would only take her car out once a week, at 6.30am, because she didn't want her parking space to be open to unwanted vehicles.

And then she sold her house because she couldn't stand the situation any more, and lived in hotels for a year.

It's Wendi, isn't it.

Imagine Wendi behind the wheel

Wendi behind the wheel of her Mini Metro on the streets of Sheffield.

I would say but she can't drive*, but judging by that second picture…



*

Bl*mey!

Talk about olden day good times.

Norfolk Park flats were great.

They had a great view of the cemetery.

Butterfield wrote:

I wonder if I can find out exactly which street that is and see what it looks like now, via Streetview?

It's a major challenge. It was a big estate and had numerous roads...

It looks to be near the top of the estate...