Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Discuss the television and film adaptations of Enid Blyton's stories.
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Petermax
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Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Petermax »

Perhaps, for a moment we can turn our attention to the other missing stars from the 70's Famous Five series, namely the vehicles. One of the the most distinctive vehicles from the first series was the 1938 Morris 8 Tourer driven by Mr Luffy (played by Cyril Luckham) in Five Go Off To Camp.

I love vintage cars and appreciate the hard work that goes into their restoration and everyday running. A quick check on the DVLA vehicle enquiry facility revealed that the Famous Five Morris 8 still exists, and is taxed until June of this year.

The question is, does anyone know the present day whereabouts of the Morris? I have recently contacted the Morris 8 coordinator of the Morris Register, who was very helpful and promptly mass emailed my query to a couple of hundred Morris 8 enthusiasts! Alas, no light has been shed on the matter, so we have to assume that Morris 8 FMM 705 is probably in the hands of a private owner but not necessarily on the club/show circuit.

Another possibility is that the vehicle is owned by one of the many motor museums in the UK. Naturally I considered the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu but their online database does not list FMM 705.

ImageImage

I have also checked the DVLA website for details of the other more modern vehicles used in the series, but none have survived. Uncle Quentin's silver Ford Granada Estate met its demise in 1986. Now there's a vehicle I would love to have owned, the ultimate piece of memorabilia from the 70's Famous Five series! :wink:
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Julie2owlsdene
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

You could try and email the Classic Car Magazine, Petermax. Just a thought, they may be able to help.

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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Moonraker »

Or ask a friendly police officer to check the address..... :twisted:
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Petermax
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Petermax »

Moonraker wrote:Or ask a friendly police officer to check the address..... :twisted:
That is a very tempting idea, I have a cousin in the Hampshire Constabulary. Or maybe not, data protection laws are very strict and rightly so.

The Mystery of the Missing Morris 8 continues! :wink:
Julie2owlsdene wrote:You could try and email the Classic Car Magazine, Petermax. Just a thought, they may be able to help.8)
An excellent idea, Classic Car Magazine has a forum where I have already signed in and left a message.
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Wolfgang »

Petermax wrote: Uncle Quentin's silver Ford Granada Estate met its demise in 1986. Now there's a vehicle I would love to have owned, the ultimate piece of memorabilia from the 70's Famous Five series! :wink:
Hi Petermax,

I might be wrong, but the silver Ford that Uncle Quentin and Rogers used to drive looks like a Ford Cortina Mark IV (according to Wikipedia) to me, in Central Europe known as Ford Taunus. Granadas have also been used (as a police car, or the rogues in "Five get into trouble" drove a blue one). I personally wonder why so many Fords were featured in this series. Was Ford a sponsor?
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Petermax
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Petermax »

Wolfgang wrote:I might be wrong, but the silver Ford that Uncle Quentin and Rogers used to drive looks like a Ford Cortina Mark IV ............. I personally wonder why so many Fords were featured in this series. Was Ford a sponsor?
Wolfgang, you are absolutely correct, the Quentinmobile was indeed a Ford Cortina Estate. Sadly, none of the Fords featured in the series have survived. As regards Ford being a sponsor, this was unlikely due to very strict advertising laws on the use of brand names on television. (blatant product placement) It is more likely that the company supplying the vehicles to Southern Television had a fleet contract with Ford. Some of the vehicles used in the Five series also appeared in The Sweeney.
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Bannerman65 »

Cyril Luckham, was also in some Dr Who adventures, as well. He played The White Guardian.
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by TB3 »

It's a shame that Quentin's silver Ford is no longer with us - she was a character in of herself - my brother and I were watching some episodes the other day (first time we've watched them in probably...a decade) and were commenting on how we both had a fondness for the car - 30 seconds later, Dick walks out of Kirrin station, sees the car, grins, opens his mouth;

"There's the old car"

I swear, we both burst out laughing.

Has anyone noticed that that lurid-lime-green Ford appears as the villains vehicle-of-choice in both 'Secret Trail' and 'Finniston Farm', and that the rust-red Taxi that brings the kids to Demon's Rocks pops up once or twice in the concourse at Kirrin Station.

*

On the subject of old cars, anyone thought of trying to track down the bus used by The Barnies?
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Petermax
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Petermax »

TB3 wrote:On the subject of old cars, anyone thought of trying to track down the bus used by The Barnies?
What a good idea. Featured in Five Go Down To The Sea, the Barnies bus, JXT 482 was what appears to be a post 1950 Bedford OB. A quick check on the DVLA website did not yield any results, nor did a search of the Bedford OB website, http://www.bedfordob.com/" target="_blank which has a list of the seventy surviving vehicles of this type. It would appear that Mr Luffy's Morris 8 is the sole surviving road vehicle from the Southern TV Famous Five series.

Ford Cortina estate cars of the type used by Quentin turn up on Ebay occasionally, but not in silver.
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by TB3 »

Great work Petermax - shame that the bus seems to have gone to that great dealership in the sky along with many of the other seventies vehicular co-stars.

Since we're on the hunt for vehicles, here's a few aviation co-stars from the 1990s series

The Mystery Moor Cash-Running Plane
http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=G-ADPC&u=reg" target="_blank

Registry G-ADPC, a 1935-built Tiger Moth fitted with a single-cylinder Gypsy Major (appropriate name) engine. She served with the RAF from 1935 to 1941.

According to a report online the plane in question had a minor accident during a landing shortly after the series was filmed - you can read it at the link below;
http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources/df" target="_blank ... 500377.pdf

Jeff's jet, equipped with Quentin Kirrin's experimental Aquarius Radar System
The jet seen in the Billycock Hill 2-parter is clearly a De Havilland DH.100 Vampire 1-seat fighter jet. Tracking down a specific aircraft however is difficult, although Toby gives us a serial number (589) that may be valid. If anyone can find this jet please contact Flight Lieutenant Jeff Thomas, RAF Billycock Hill, Blynidshire, UK, EN1 D16 :wink:

The Civil Aviation Authority shows eight Vampires registered in the UK - they can be found by going to the page below and searching for 'vampire' under the 'aircraft type or name' field;

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?c" target="_blank ... 65&appid=1

NB: Small blooper regarding the jet - when Quentin inspects the plane you can see 'ejector seat' markings under the cockpit, and apparently these were not fitted to the Vampires until around the late 1960s. Guess that feature wasn't much help to the thief then.

The last aircraft used was the twin-prop-engine plane which flew in some RAF officials after the theft of the jet - the registry contains the numbers 740 (visible on the wing's underside when Quentin arrives by staff-car) but I can't make out the rest. It looks a bit like a flying boat to my untrained eyes.

Enjoy! :)
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Petermax
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Petermax »

TB3 wrote: Since we're on the hunt for vehicles, here's a few aviation co-stars from the 1990s)
Very interesting TB3, especially the Tiger Moth. What wonderful aircraft they are, with many still flying today. I was fortunate enough to have a flight in one nearly twenty years ago. The pilot was an incredible character called Bruce who could quite literally have stepped out of an Enid Blyton book, perhaps the Adventure series.

Image
Bruce McGarvie makes last minute adjustments, Petermax waits in the leading cockpit.
Queensland 1989

The historical discrepancies with the jet aircraft in Billycock Hill are probably of little consequence, the main thing is that the overall effect is correct and that the 1950s setting is depicted with maybe just a little poetic licence.

Now who would like to identify the Lockheed Starfighter that made a brief appearance in Five Go Down To The Sea from the 1970s series? :wink:
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Dick Kirrin »

About the Ford Cortina, I'd agree. I would have love to own or just to drive this car. Six cylinders, 115 HP Ghia trim line, quite good and pretty dear in the 70s.
Well, my Mondeo Estate is grey, too. What a coincidence. Or deep-rooted psychology? :lol:
Ford as a sponsor of a kids TV series? I cannot really see the point for Ford. Most kids do not (yet) drive. Not legally, that is. But if it was an early form of product placement, it somehow worked well with me. I drive and have driven Fords since I've passed my driving test. It also might be something to do with the fact that I got my first Ford as a present.
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Petermax
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Petermax »

Strolling past the exhibits at a classic car show today I spotted a Morris 8 Tourer in the distance. Could this be my Holy Grail, the fabled FMM 705 of Five Go Off to Camp fame? My pace quickened into a dignified trot as I went to investigate. As I got closer I noticed that the car was red not maroon and a check on the numberplate confirmed that once again the Famous Five Morris 8 continues to elude me. Nevertheless, here is a fine example, one of only a handful of Morris 8 Tourers left in the UK. The owner was unfortunately absent, otherwise perhaps he could have assisted me with my misguided quest! :lol:

Image Image

More photos may be viewed here.
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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

Nice photos, Petermax. Who knows, one day you may be lucky and just stumble across the correct car. :)

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Re: Five Go Off To Camp, Morris 8 Tourer

Post by Gary Russell »

Petermax - I doubt it's any help but the Morrris 8 belonged to a Mr Sexton, in 1977.
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