Sports-car shopping in south London

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For old-car enthusiasts, the suburbs of London can be an interesting place to go for a stroll. On a recent walk, I clocked everything from several Morris Minors, Volkswagen Beetles and old Rovers to rarities such as a Daimler Consort, Beardmore Mk. VII taxi and '62 Rambler station wagon, all parked at the side of the street or just off it. All in all, it made for a pretty interesting afternoon stroll.

We don't see sights quite like this anymore, though. What an exciting showroom, stuffed full of exotic sports-cars, some of which, being second-hand, might have been quite attractively priced. The most ordinary car we can see is the Austin Cambridge in the far left of the window. Next to it, the MGA and MG TF both offer something a little racier for the sports-car enthusiast, but it's what's on the other side of the building that really gets our attention.

The Austin-Healey 100, named for its 100mph top speed, would have been hot stuff when the picture was taken in the late 1950s. One of the salesmen has painted 'Disc Brakes' across the windscreen which was, of course, quite the selling point. Similarly impressive is the Jaguar 2.4 or 3.4 Litre parked by the roadside. That, too was a disc-braked car with a 100mph top speed, or 120 mph if it was the 3.4. A figure like that was pretty earth-shattering for a saloon car which could seat five in the utmost luxury and comfort. By far the most interesting cars, though, are the two which have been wheeled out onto the pavement for all the world to admire.

On the left is a Lotus Mk. VI, of which just 110 were made between 1952 and 1957, just before Colin Chapman discovered more widespread commercial success with the Lotus Seven. The other car is an HRG 1500, another rarity - only 242 HRGs of all models were ever built - with some interesting provenance. In the early and mid-1950s, it had been actively campaigned in motorsport by Mrs. D. Osmond in such events as the Exeter Trial and the Birmingham Post Rally. Also visible in the shadows, just behind the Lotus, is an Aston Martin DB2/4.

As well as the cars themselves, there's a price list in the window which also makes for interesting viewing:
1934 Aston Martin £1350
1958 MGA £815 | '58 MGA £775
1958 Tojeiro Climax £975
1956 Austin Healey £725
1952 TD MG £445
1954 MG TF £365 | TF £575
1948 MG £275
1951 Jowett Jupiter £375

We might well wonder what's become of it all. Eagle Motors was located at 1124 London Road in Norbury (actually in Surrey, but only a stone's throw from the London boundary), at the corner with Kilmartin Avenue, where there was a clear view down to the newly-constructed Crystal Palace transmitting tower. The building still stands, but these days it's a pretty depressing sight as it has obviously been vacant for some years and is slowly falling into disrepair. Happier news, though, is that at least three of the cars still survive. The 1954 MG TF and 1958 MGA continue to be taxed for English roads, while the HRG has found a very enthusiastic owner all the way across the world in New Zealand.

Words: Zack Stiling; photograph: Stiling Collection
 

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