DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

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Lovely cars in their day (many 'celebrities' of the era bought them - including Stirling Moss I seem to remember) but very expensive to restore & difficult to find spares for nowadays I would imagine.

A particular feature I remember was the steel dash painted to resemble (very effectively) a wooden (walnut ?) finish ...


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Hi Andy,
Yes I’m mental!
Look at car and classics HK500
In Marseille, just bought it part restored but good provenance.
The body finished and interior leather done ( in black which is a pity because looks stunning in a lighter colour.)
Car is original Brunswick blue which a royal blue.
Originally registered in England

Lightweight_911 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 11, 2026 11:41 am .

Ken Dodd collecting his new Reliant Sabre from Argyle Motors showroom in Birkenhea

Apparently that’s the car he was driving when he fatally ran over his father’s poodle.

I tried to stop him Andy....
Hope your well.
Dave

Martin P wrote: ↑Sun Jan 11, 2026 5:10 pm Hi Andy,
Yes I’m mental!
Look at car and classics HK500
In Marseille, just bought it part restored but good provenance.
The body finished and interior leather done ( in black which is a pity because looks stunning in a lighter colour.)
Car is original Brunswick blue which a royal blue.
Originally registered in England

It will be wonderful Martin.
Not many cars are as stylish, fast and unusual.
Hope it all goes well and look forward to seeing it one day.

jb wrote: ↑Mon Jan 12, 2026 8:43 am

Martin P wrote: ↑Sun Jan 11, 2026 5:10 pm Hi Andy,
Yes I’m mental!
Look at car and classics HK500
In Marseille, just bought it part restored but good provenance.
The body finished and interior leather done ( in black which is a pity because looks stunning in a lighter colour.)
Car is original Brunswick blue which a royal blue.
Originally registered in England

It will be wonderful Martin.
Not many cars are as stylish, fast and unusual.
Hope it all goes well and look forward to seeing it one day.

I have pencilled in a completion date of 2040 Unfortunately, it is unlikely I will still be on the planet at that point.

Lightweight_911 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 11, 2026 5:02 pm .

Lovely cars in their day (many 'celebrities' of the era bought them - including Stirling Moss I seem to remember) but very expensive to restore & difficult to find spares for nowadays I would imagine.

A particular feature I remember was the steel dash painted to resemble (very effectively) a wooden (walnut ?) finish ...


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Andy, yes Sterling Moss had one for a time and it was a "celebrity" car. The HK 500 is beautiful to look at and to my eye the best of the variants. Many years ago I had the opportunity to drive one belonging to my car trader cousin. Actually part of his stock to sell. I recall it was in quite good order and a LHD auto. It was quite quick but steered like a badly behaved boat. The latter burst my "I would like one bubble".

Owners included;
Pablo Picasso
Ringo Starr
Stirling Moss
Ava Gardner
Tony Curtis
Dean Martin
This car was was supplied by HWM in Walton on Thames

As Andy says the dash is metal which was painted by a skilled artist to resemble burr walnut.
I need to find someone to do that.

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In the days before the omnipresent pouting 'fish lips', orange tans, Groucho Marx-inspired eyebrows & other cosmetic 'enhancements', came 'celebrities' like the ever cool Francoise Hardy :

Sigh...

And let's not forget Nina Rindt... Sigh (again).

That would have been a difficult one to explain away, assuming it went over!