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Hangman's Wharf, Movie, 1950 IMDB

Pictures provided by: Caboverlover

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johnfromstaffs EN

2021-06-16 15:17

This is very odd, there are, I think, 3 American cars in this film. They were very unusual in U.K. because the horsepower tax plus the high duty on petrol meant that the average Brit could not afford to run them. A small British car, taxed annually at £1 per RAC Horsepower cost £7 to £14 per year, around 1 to 2 weeks’ wages for a well paid worker/office type, a large American car with a 30 to 40hp engine cost more like a month’s money.

For that reason, they usually wound up as taxis in the provincial towns, or chopped into trucks or ambulances, since they could be bought very cheaply. The garage round the corner from me when I was a kid had a Packard 120. That, and their Chevrolet ex Army vehicle used as a wrecker were the only American vehicles seen regularly in the town, until the owner of the coffee bar got a Ford Fairlane.

-- Last edit: 2021-06-16 15:24:35

Jnglmpera JP

2021-06-16 15:20

johnfromstaffs wrote This is very odd, there are, I think, 3 American cars in this film. They were very unusual in U.K. because the horsepower tax plus the high duty on petrol meant that the average Brit could not afford to run them. A small British car, taxed annually at £1 per RAC Horsepower cost £7 to £14 per year, around 1 to 2 weeks’ wages for a well paid worker/office type, a large American car with a 30 to 40hp engine cost more like a month’s money.

Maybe a GI stationed in the UK left their car behind once they go back to the States? That's how a number of American cars ended up in Japanese hands in the 50s and 60s.

EDIT: I forgot you'd still be taxed the same... derp :whistle:

At least that would lessen the installation cost.

-- Last edit: 2021-06-16 15:22:05

johnfromstaffs EN

2021-06-16 15:26

This film is 1950, and the maybe American cars are all pre WW2.

GIs who could afford to bring cars over in WW2 did not yet exist, the wartime troops were very much foot soldiers, many from the black community. It would be the late 50s/60s before GIs brought many cars to U.K., the cars in this film may actually be Canadian products.

In the years following WW2, the Socialist government, following its usual mantra of “there’s votes in stinging the rich”, and not being able to see the wood for the trees, doubled the purchase tax on cars costing over £1000, (see below), and severely restricted the supply of any new vehicles to the home market, thus, at a stroke, signing a death certificate for firms like Lea Francis and not helping the carriage trade to survive or to compete in foreign markets either. The price of a family fug box shot up, and second hand (very second hand in some cases) cars became much sought after. The result was that by the late fifties the state of the national car fleet was so poor and the average age of cars on the road so high that compulsory testing of the mechanical state of safety related items had to be introduced. Thus, in September 1960, came the annual “Ten Year Test” for all cars over that age, the starting age being progressively reduced to cars over three years old now, with the exception of historic vehicles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchase_Tax

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOT_test

-- Last edit: 2021-06-16 17:27:05

chicomarx BE

2021-06-16 17:46

Not many 3 year old cars are a danger on the road. First safety inspection at 4 here, and the next at 6 - if it has less than 100,000 km, then annual.

johnfromstaffs EN

2021-06-16 18:18

chicomarx wrote Not many 3 year old cars are a danger on the road.


Depends who is driving them.

My company cars would have about 65 to 70k miles by 3 years, usually would have had one set of brake pads, and the front discs replaced, and third set of tyres all round. My 2000 Golf Estate had also had new front dampers by then. My 3yrs 4mths old Mercédès has just turned 10,000 miles, needs new tyres all round before long. As on my previous Mercédès, it has Continental tyres, which I shall again not be fitting as replacements.

-- Last edit: 2021-06-16 18:33:19

chicomarx BE

2021-06-16 18:41

Yes but people maintain a new car, they don't wait until it fails an inspection.
Michelin would be a fine choice, not because I own a few shares of that. Don't forget the spare wheel.

johnfromstaffs EN

2021-06-16 18:44

There is no spare wheel.

Baube QC

2021-06-16 18:55

which i never got why... ok, that little can of whatever its called can help for a small hole but what if your tire burst wide open ? gonna need a lot of those little cans...

johnfromstaffs EN

2021-06-16 19:27

They are runflat tyres, the space for the spare wheel is taken by the adblu tank. A lot of U.K. spec cars are this way these days. I also don’t have a jack.

I did think about buying a lightweight spare, but the wheels are different sizes and offsets front and back, so I may need two.

-- Last edit: 2021-06-16 19:35:02

Sunbar UK

2021-06-17 21:58

Some cars missing.

The post-war Humber at the Albert Memorial, Alison Maxwell's Austin EVW122 and edit: but not the Morris Minor low-light [MM] EUE693 driven by the nurse which I now see we have.

-- Last edit: 2021-06-17 22:29:58

Caboverlover US

2021-06-20 03:19

Sunbar wrote Some cars missing.

The post-war Humber at the Albert Memorial, Alison Maxwell's Austin EVW122 and edit: but not the Morris Minor low-light [MM] EUE693 driven by the nurse which I now see we have.

Thank you for letting me know about the missing vehicles. I gave Alison's Austin 2 stars considering you do not see it very often. However if you think the Austin should have 3 stars that would be fine too.

-- Last edit: 2021-06-20 03:20:10

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