Maybe Betty isn't so big...

Tonight, 6pm.

This feels a particularly necessary Pride month as tolerance seems in short supply. Tolerance is everything and I say that as someone who has dared to drive an Aussie Ford and a Holden.

We will be Live on YouTube very soon to reveal which car is up for sale! Clue - it's quite scruffy. No, wait. That's all of them...

Some very big news! youtu.be/2wru0mgiNRE

After Volvo took full control of DAF's car division in 1975, the Dutch firm's 66 soon adopted the new marque name. The saloon is featured in this 1979 brochure, here showing the compact size of the Volvo 66GL, with a glimpse of its big brother, the 343, also built at the factory in Born. #carbluesky

Nice!

Full body goosebumps with this track. Suzanne Vega, The Queen and the Soldier. So sad. So powerful. youtu.be/pcFa9VZxkBc?...

We almost went camping today. Glad we didn't!

Opening a hybrid battery? Would not recommend. youtu.be/DwCEF9xXE00

Holy smokes. Humidity has just gone through the roof here. Storms out to see. We've closed the windows and are making our own air con out of frozen food and a fan.

To make way for the Probe, my beloved S60 will be going up for sale next week. She’s booked in for a major service, cambelt and all fluids etc on Friday. Covered just 53k and has an immaculate service and MOT history. Will be sad to see it go, but needs must.

That's me digging into the battery pack of the Prius. Under supervision with lots of safety gear! Tonight's viewing pleasure for you all but did it work?

By heck it's hot. The building does not seem very keen on cooling down. Neighbours would probably prefer I don't sleep in the garden...

Just had to reboot the Prius to get up a hill. They really need the hybrid battery to function!

Factoid: As Japanese cars went, the 1st-gen Impreza had an impressively long life (1992-2000) though as this 1999 ad subtlety notes that didn’t mean it lost any competitiveness over the years…

Volvo action! youtu.be/9Wy4UBzfWFc

Escort on family duty last night, a quick 200 miles and briefly reunited with the Subaru Forester. Silver 90s class in the car park.

Do you like my new birthday T Shirt? I do! Jim'll Paint It mixing Prodigy with Lord of the Rings.

The full diary of the Spain and Netherlands trip. Crammed a lot into that week! youtu.be/CDpKGNM4MAo

Do love a flouncer. Someone has unsubscribed because they watch HubNut for car videos (of which there are over 2000) not videos about a Spanish house (of which there are 2). Don't like a video? Don't watch it! There are plenty of channels on my own sub list for which I don't watch every video.

Note that Aussie Marinas always had RHD wipers. In the UK, only the very first few months had this set-up. Changed to avoid lifting at speed. Apparently not an issue in Aus!

One of two Yaris Versos I saw at EMWalhalla. Both were really tidy, in just the way ours isn't.

I bought the cheapest Prius in the UK and attempted to drive 270 miles home. Unsurprisingly there were issues... youtu.be/EoUWKVD6QV0?...

Lancia Thesis is an unusual one. 16k built, unique platform but Fiat five- or six-cylinder engines. Seen at EMWalhalla. youtu.be/F0IQUipqX70?...

Yes!

This was stunning. Sadly I utterly failed to actually get anywhere near it.

Crafty eh?

Well Merle is officially listed for sale now Will be sad to see him go but plans are coming in future. Message me if interested

Be careful where you park. British Ironwork Centre again! An ideal lunch stop. But what's the car?

BALLS. Nurburgring 24hrs this weekend and I'm busy. Lots of driving to do! Not watching because of Verstappen, I watch every years because it's amazing. Yes, the Dacia Logan is taking part.

Polo is a bit naughty but I see why they had to make this move. (Parking machines are out of action at this time of night to be fair).

The Gilbern marque wore its Welsh dragon badge with pride and at the start of the 1970s was selling the rather smart Invader, described as a luxury GT saloon. Ford's 3-litre Essex V6 provided the power unit and gave the car performance to match its looks. #weirdcarbs

More EMWalhalla fun! youtu.be/AF9k4LQv2_g

4:30am alarm not entirely appreciated. Leaving plenty of time for security before my 58-minute flight. Time in which I could have driven to Dunkirk for a ferry home if I was in my car.

This took a LOT of editing! A truly incredible car show. My report is about an hour long. Tata Indica DIESEL that anyone at the show could drive and this stunning Daihatsu Max Cuore.

I'm getting snippets of news from back home and I'm not liking it very much. But I am split because the two-party political system definitely needed a shake up. Despairing about the inward-looking approach that is taking over however.

Der Snoek Fabriek in demo mode. @upndown.bsky.social

In the UK, we were denied the C15 with rear wiper. We only got the single-door early on too. This is a facelift diesel spotted here in Spain.

Adorable!

#MayThe4thBeWithYou Renault utilised Star Wars-inspired artwork as part of its 1982 brochure on the 5 range. It featured as a backdrop on a spread describing the 5 Automatic, a well-equipped standalone model within the 5 mk1 line-up. #weirdcarbs

Factoid: An important message in this Allegro ad & relevant at a time of rising fuel prices. Alas, it was a message falling on deaf ears as production would be cut back to just 1,000 cars a week by November 1978.

F1 just too fast-paced for you? Don't worry. I've got your covered. Tractor action at 6pm tonight.

Incredible Tata Loadbeta spot today. It was owned by a Northern Ireland dealer for years, never used. It has one MOT pass to its name, last year, with just 176 miles on the clock. It is now in Wales.

I drove an SUV and I liked it. @upndown.bsky.social may never speak to me again... youtu.be/HVkvOeW5Iyw

I did this once in Birmingham in 1996. In my first 2CV. Oops. That sinking feeling when you realise the queue isn't parked cars... Fluked a gap in traffic at the junction and just kept going.

27.5mpg for the Aussie barge (about 23mpg US, 10.3l per 100km). Really not bad, especially considering the amount of stuff she carted to Rustival! Still hasn't had a wash in weeks...

We currently own many three-cylinder cars! They're quicker than the two cylinder cars at least.

What's starting? What's broken? (Everything) What's being sold? What's being painted? youtu.be/acfLEJHmheU

Dusk on tonight's dog walk was quite magical. Not bad for 9pm!