Hi S,
There was indeed, the first ones were 1600cc so your memory is better than you had imagined. No rev counter either on the very early cars.
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Not sure mine had a working fuel gauge either…given the day we ran out.
Mind you, lessons were around 7s&6d…maybe 9 Bob … so I guess I got my money worth…
Now, for those here only just started shaving, Seven & Sixpence ( when there were 240 pennies in 1 pound) would be today’s 38 pence.
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Well I remember buying a pint of beer for 35p and that was in Central London, and I past my test in a Mk2 Escort, which was about as basic as you could get, after a few years of driving around in old Austins etc, I hired a Datsun 140J , what a revelation, it was pure luxury, fast ( for the time) smooth, quiet and all the toys and extras included, I didn’t want to take it back, and then I went and bought a Spitfire with almost zero suspension ,and the back end let go on damp roudabouts, but what fun on a sunny day on the then very quiet home county B roads ! 
yeah this car. newly modded, and smashed up has cropped up a few times, dunno if its still running 
Similar experience when my wheezy company Viva Mk3 sh*tBox spat yet another Stromberg diaphragm
Courtesy car was a Mk1 Civic hatch.
Holy bliidy Moly…it red lined like a lunatic, stopped, steered and braked like a fiend.
Boy was I loath to swap keys later.
And we wonder why the UK car maker base dissolved.
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Out of interest, do you know where / when that picture was taken? Did anyone take it on as a project?
In spite of the successful Mazda/Honda/Toyota sports car offerings, when you mention a "sports car " to anyone, they probably instantly think of a British/European car, Like MG, Morgan, Lotus, Alfa Romeo etc, but what about the Yanks, like or loathe their cars , they’ve produced some pretty meaty convertibles themselves, although I gather the Cobra was a UK/USA collaboration. .I would certainly include a few of these cars in my fantasy garage, …along with the other 50 that I’ve recently seen in Classic and Sports car magazine! ,here’s a few. 2|632x468](upload://f0IWY3vpWfozDEDgqX6LOY1xc5.jpeg) 
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I’d sell my left nut to own a cobra. My ultimate car. One day I will!
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The Cobra started life as an AC Ace , until Carroll Shelby dumped a 260 ci V8 in it, replacing its Bristol (nee BMW ) 2 litre six . Subsequent iterations were the 289 (cubic inch ie 4.7ltrs) and 427 ci ( 7litres) . The 289 is a lovely looking thing , as was the very rare 260 . The 427 is the basis for most Cobra kits, but God only knows why , as it always looked absurd , with bulging arches and a general porkiness which made it a parody of the svelte 289 .
Cobra anecdote - I interviewed a nice young guy at Shelsley Walsh who was hillclimbing his dad’s 260. He mentioned that it was the very car which Elvis drove in Viva Las Vegas . My flabber was duly gasted …
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TR8 for me.
Tony Pond…what a lad.
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Got to admit, that’s a fine example, like the colour, and the brown interior.
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I’ve always had a soft spot for the MG TF. The '50’s one, not the 21st C thing that was inferior to the contemporary MX5! 
Shame about the prices though!!! 
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Hmm, take the same car, add extra doors, colour code everything and delete a headlamp
And you have the 1967 Standard Herald. Its successor looked the same, but had wishboes up front and, gasp, coils at the rear.
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Fair enough and I take your word for it, but as a mechanical luddite myself , I look at a car and think , " yeah I like that " without always knowing all the history behind the car, which is fine if I just admire a certain car, but would be a problem if I was buying one as a project and going in blind.
Thankfully there are many enthusiasts out there , that will re build and cherish a car , and we in turn can admire the finished article
I am a Carpenter by trade but a totally ■■■■ car mechanic, and I take my hat off to all those owners that work on their cars and pull them about , and get them looking as good as they do.
I drove both (Not mine) 1300 and 1500. 1300 was really chuckable in a typical RWD way. The 1500 we better in a straight line but lost some of the chuckability. The 1300 was owned by a friend from new and only used for fun, kept in a garage, and if it got wet was washed and leathered off before putting away. Despite this it had an area of rust “bubbling” the size of my hand on the front wing at three years old
We owned two of these, both the later 1500 version. The first one did rust but the second was bought brand new and was one of the last production run - the “Bertone X1/9 Grande Finale” model. It was thoroughly wax filled and fine - once you had removed the silly rear spoiler fitted by some nitwit in Fiat’s marketing department (it bent the rear radio antenna every time you shut the boot!).
They were sweet cars, underpowered for the weight but wonderful handling. The mid engine meant a rather long gear linkage so gear change was like a FWD car of the era. The targa top was very neat, two rather small boot spaces and some slightly haphazard italian electrics, but my wife loved them and I used to enjoy taking it out when I could.
We only sold it when we moved to a rural location (single track muddy/icy/snow covered roads) - often wish I had just stored it somewhere for summer use but finances at the time did not allow. They are rare now, but definitely a classic to my mind.
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I believe the rear spoiler may have been fitted by the local dealers and some put them on back to front 
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