Anyway,eventually the Ford Pop went the way of all flesh,um steel and made way for a mini,Sir Issigonis' original model.Between you and me I think it was the first one off the production line,the one built on a Friday.This was an absolutely diabolical contraption,with an engine determined to leave home and make its own way in the world,unencumbered by the weight of a car body.And once,when taking a potential girlfriend to a job interview,the bonnet had obviously had enough trying to contain the escaping engine and flipped up,effectively blinding us,which was jolly for a few seconds;I blame that for my lack of success with aforementioned young lady.
That car didn't last long.But there again neither did my friend's mini,although his suffered from a different malaise.When it rained he ended up with a mobile paddling pool,water sloshing from side to side as he cornered.Apparently, in their wisdom,BMC or was it BLMC? constructed the mini with the body seams facing outwards and the water got in.He had the cleanest feet of all of us,though little wonder he also had more colds and sore throats.
I still hadn't learned from that disaster of a motor and got myself a Riley Kestrel,an upmarket Austin 1100.This actually was quite a nice car,what they'd call in the trade a 'tidy motor',nice bit of walnut veneer on the dash,fancier and more comprehensive instrumentation,and a satisfying turn of performance.I was so taken with the car I even fitted a leather gear knob.All was well,until I heard the knock from the rear end.11 and 1300's have subframes like the mini,which add extra weight to the cars.These like a few other ideas from the BLMC stable,weren't exactly planned but were a bit of a quick-fix.Anyway,the kestrel had a knock from the back and on crawling underneath,something I seemed to do a lot of with Leyland stuff,I discovered that the rubber mountings between subframe and body were separating.Ho-hum.Frankly the car wasn't worth getting fixed properly so I lived with the knock and just turned up the radio.
It's just a pity they never let Sir Issigonis produce his next project,the 9X,because by all accounts that would have been a cracker.Even though it was shorter than the mini,incredibly,it had more interior room and was a real tour-de-force in the use of space in a vehicle;actually a true four-seater.Unlike the mini,the 9X's sliding windows opened further so that the driver could poke his/her head out for a better view when reversing,though reversing something smaller than a mini had to be a doddle anyway,surely.If you're curious,the car actually looked pretty good,rather like the later produced Peugot 104.To be honest,when I first saw it I thought it was a 104! Just suppose they had put the 9X on the market,maybe BLMC or Rover or whatever new guise they took on would still be here and flourishing.Perhaps the U.K. would still have a national car company.