andreadavide

I've driven a Belgian one during the Kosovo crisis ten years ago and it was a really nice miniaturPanzer (as they called it). There was one for sale for two thousand quid on this forum some weeks ago, but being it diesel converted I couldnt get it, because here in Italy an Iltis would be tax extempt, but it need to be original or it cannot even be registered. On the topic of cheapness of MV, the only one that satisfies this requisite is the good old Alluminium bucket filled with rust (aka Land Rover)... Andrea

I don't know if this would be considered advertising, if it's the case please the mods will delete my post. ISTR that the difflock.com stores has pretty nice yellow nipple caps... Andrea

Funny how this seems tailored on my attitude with my Ford Model T. It was a workhorse in Argentina, the four coils system has been replaced in the fifties by a conventional alternator-coil-dizzy, there is not a gram of chrome remaining... and so on... But this is how she was in (civilian) service. Andrea

TVR recovery vehicle,for whn you lose control and end up in the ditch? That's the winch is for.... 8-) Andrea

If they are small colour photos with the portrait of HM on one side and of an historic person on the other I may be interested.... 8-) Andrea

Jeremy Clarkson wouldn't love me... I have a beard. I started in the Army, where ,in Italy, you were allowed to have a beard as long as there is a gap between hair and beard (allegedly to allow effective gas mask wearing). Don't know about today regulations, as a reserve officer I am above these rules... Andrea

Beg to differ, although the design of the Vespa is Italian, the moped, weapon, and army are French... The mafia pardons you, but there is a Baguette waving mob coming to you... 8-) Andrea

Tell Bitzer to hide the keys from Shaun and Timmy, they may be tempted to try starting the Daimler...

Add a kidney, too... However I'd love to build a Schwimmwagen replica starting from a beetle... In the UK you can, do it before it becomes illegal! Andrea

Just SWL (in Italy you had to be licensed to have a receiving station other than broadcast). Then the law (a remnant of fascist legislation) was repealed and now I have an useless piece of paper hung over my radios... Andrea

Having served for a certain time in the Artillery, when I got married I had a few former colleagues that joined the Artillery Association here who wanted to give me a Bofors 40/70 (the Artillery Association has a priority in buying artillery decommissioned by the army, at scrap price!) for the garden. I have room enough, living in a farm, but the other half opposed vehemently. A pity because the barrell is high enough to have made a perfect swing support.... Andrea

Here:

That's some serious MV-spotting! Andrea

Wen luck fails... "Mancò la fortuna, non il valore" You know where it's written, do you? Andrea

Also AFTER the Nazis were defeated. They had their last pogrom in 1946... Andrea

"Dessert rats"... as seen in "Ratatouille"? 8-) Just kidding 8-) Andrea

I got from a friend a wheelbarrowload of military land rover parts, including four demountable wheels, a seriesII radiator with the top without any leaks!!!.... ... and finally the elusive, missing Warner socket. Now my 1963 88" is perfect. By the way, the Warner socket will not be wired and will have apurely ornamental use... ... unless I do some surgery and adapt it to a LPG filling hole... Andrea

According to the surrender of Italy to the allied forces at the end of WWII, the Air Force transport fleet of Savoia Marchetti SM82 should have been destroyed. However they could have been useful for relief operations nd such proved just after the war. We must bear in mind that, for instance, just from the land surrended to Yugoslavia, the refugees coming to Italy amounted to some hundred of thousand of people. So the planes were given to the Military Branch of the Order of Malta, thatis an organisation consiedere, under international law, as an autonomous state. Of course the Order of Malta had kept neutral in WWII, so they could use the planes for international rescue and relief operations. The planes were, however, flown and paid for by the italian Air Force. Andrea

I can only imagine the damage done (by swearing) to the immortal souls of the poor people who had to fit the round tyres on the elliptic wheels, they aren't even of the split type... Andrea

Dvla?

Funny thing is that the chang Kai Shek's Chinese army at the beginning of WWII was trained and equipped by the Germans and there are some period pictures depicting soldiers that at first look would have mistaken for Germans. Andrea

I will post the plate of the New York Civil Air Patrol received as a gift from an american friend. Hironically I got it in the post on September 11th 2001....

Dear all, I would like to take from Clive Elliot's hands a few aircraft compasses. Problem is that I am in Italy, commuting between Pisa and Milan. Does anyone of the forum know of a commercial carrier (besides parcelfArce)? OR, is anyone planning a vacation to Italy next year? Andrea

On the topic of what fluid to use, I've used with success water. Once you get back to the base it's just a matter of fixing the leak and flushing the system, whereas engine oil will destroy all the seals (but it may be a trick to have them swell and fix some leaks). As a matter of course, however, every time I had a clutch hydraulics failure on a Land Rover (or on my UAZ469 for what it matters) I have rebuilt the whole system anyway. Andrea

The Life archive is a source of surprises... Andrea