Monday 6 July 2015

HONEST - I ONCE HAD A 'NOBEL PRIZE'...



I've shown these photos before, but there's a reason for their reappearance.  I'm unsure as to which of the photos was taken first (possibly the colour one), but both of them were snapped in 1965.  The colour picture was taken outside the house I recently regained entry to for the first time in 50 years, and the b&w pic was captured in Port Bannatyne when we holidayed there in May/June of '65.  (That's #19 of TV CENTURY 21 I'm holding in my grubby paws.)


Look at the car though.  We had this car from 1964 to around 1969 or '70, and I remember reading early issues of TV21 right up to middle issues of FANTASTIC while being driven home from the shops after buying them.  The car is a NOBEL 200, the British version of the German FULDAMOBIL, and had a fibreglass chassis.  I only ever saw one other (at a distance), and though I've a strong impression that I was in our Nobel at the time, I now wonder if it might actually have been from our new vehicle (a RELIANT ROBIN) - which, if so, means it's entirely possible that what I saw was our own, former car.


However, let's not get bogged down with uncertainty at this stage.  The point is that it was a rare car, and even without the photos, the licence number (77 JJO) was lodged in my brain from an early age.  That's mainly because, another house later, it matched our house number - 77 - and the JJO has a rhythm about it which is hard to forget.  Looking back, it's the only number plate of the several cars my parents owned that I remember.  I'd like to think it's still out there somewhere, owned by a collector, and wasn't consigned to oblivion many years ago.


I tend to regard it as a long-absent family member with whom I'd like to get reacquainted.  If, by some slim chance, any of you happen to know of its whereabouts, or how I could find out its fate, then let me know, eh?  It'd be nice to hear that it still exists.

******

Update: Managed to find and buy a limited edition, white metal model (1.43 scale) of the car on eBay.  It was manufactured by a German company called BUDIG in around 2008.





2 comments:

DeadSpiderEye said...

I found the details for the Nobel register here: http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/club/417

Good luck

Kid said...

Thanks, DSE - I'll certainly be investigating that lead.



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