Ronan Glon

Auto journalist/historian. I like rusty old cars, guitars, and good beer.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

850: fix me.
Mini: SOS.
w123: I'm bored.
Beetle: remember me?
2CV: *poke* hi!
Mountain bike: singletrack?
An hour later:

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@richgoodingcom Holy hell, I can't tell you the last time I saw a Samba.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

It's a 1976ish model (two-stroke, 49cc, one horsepower) that has sat since the 2000s. Getting it running required replacing the coil, the condenser, and the points. It still needs tubes and tires before I can ride it on public roads, and I want to add a filter before the carb.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

That's the 101 sorted.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@richgoodingcom A la votre!

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@LobAllan Good on you, enjoy it. Cheers!

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@brendan_mcaleer @thealso Very cool, thanks! One more on my to-visit list.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

In-flight car-spotting, near MRS. Looks promising; I think the yellow van is an older Transit.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@thealso Woah, looks like it's well worth the detour. I couldn't see the others from the plane.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@thealso What gets me is the shape of the rear end. The first-gen Sevel vans were pretty upright. This one looks more angular, which is why I guessed Transit.

That's going to bug the hell out of me. I need to go sooner rather than later.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@brendan_mcaleer @thealso Woah, is it open to the public?

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@thealso I'll report back. I don't go down south very often but the next time I'm there I'll check out the place on ground level.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@thealso Aye, it could very well be a Sevel van. They're still common here.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

Original photo.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@petrany ... although the Sporting badge on the back. Man. At least it's from another Fiat.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

Survivor, daily driver-spec 500. Not restored, not enthusiast-owned, rough as hell around the edges, but still earning its keep. May it live long.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@petrany Lovely thing! Yellow works well on these.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@petrany Every town has at least one. Think it'll fit in my carry-on?

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

Best case scenario: replaced by a Dacia Logan pickup.
Worst case scenario: replaced by a chopped-up Marea.

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@_baldtires Excellent story!

[Ronan Glon @ronanglon]

@julkinen @petrany Singer, but for the A112.