The 18-22 Series was the name given to the wedge-shaped Austin, Morris and Wolseley models launched in March 1975. Just 6 months later the badge-engineering was dropped and with minor tweaks all models became the more familiar 'Princess'.
Top of the range was the Wolseley version shown here (priced at £2,838) which boasted a full length vinyl roof, velour seats with front centre armrests, push button MW/LW radio and a 2.2 litre six cylinder engine as standard, plus the famous illuminated grille badge. Just over 3,000 Wolseleys were built in those 6 months, making them incredibly rare today, and certainly the most desirable of all of the 'Princess' variants. It was also the last car to be badged as a Wolseley, a marque that had always been synonymous with luxury.
The t-shirt itself is based on one of the original press ads and showcases that distinctive grille and oh-so-seventies shape and colour. The wording is as the original ad, in the authentic Goudy Old Style typeface with the super-tight kerning between each letter and features a distressed look.
The high contrast style of the image means that it is only available in black, but the good news is that sizes go all the way up to 5XL!
Read the story of the 18-22 / Princess here on the excellent aronline website. -
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The 18-22 Series was the name given to the wedge-shaped Austin, Morris and Wolseley models launched in March 1975. Just 6 months later the badge-engineering was dropped and with minor tweaks all models became the more familiar 'Princess'. Top of the range was the Wolseley version shown here (priced at £2,838) which boasted a full length vinyl roof, velour seats with front centre armrests, push button MW/LW radio and a 2.2 litre six cylinder engine as standard, plus the famous illuminated grille badge. Just over 3,000 Wolseleys were built in those 6 months, making them incredibly rare today, and certainly the most desirable of all of the 'Princess' variants. It was also the last car to be badged as a Wolseley, a marque that had always been synonymous with luxury. The mouse mat itself is based on one of the original press ads and showcases that distinctive grille and oh-so-seventies shape and colour. The wording is as the original ad, in the authentic Goudy Old Style typeface with the super-tight kerning between each letter.Read the story of the 18-22 / Princess here on the excellent aronline website. -
As a proud Brummie I have fond memories of the WMPTE buses from travelling to school on the famous No. 11 Outer Circle route in late seventies and early eighties. The Outer Circle was the last route to still operate the front-engined buses with the open platform and conductor and I think my journey from the Fox & Goose to King's Heath was 12p back in 1978! These buses were then replaced by Daimler / Leyland Fleetlines in various guises, which were then replaced in turn by the MCW Metrobuses, built locally in Washwood Heath (all were usually powered by the legendary Gardner 6LX diesel engine). The single deck Leyland National was another very popular bus at the time, with their very distinctive noise, smell (and fumes) from the 'headless' Leyland 500 series engine. The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) was the public body responsible for public transport in the West Midlands metropolitan county from 1969 until 2016. The WMPTE logo featured here was current from 1969 until 1990 and the cream and blue livery of the buses was once a very familiar sight around Birmingham and the West Midlands.Join me on my nostalgia trip with one of these hoodies which features a distressed style logo for that retro look which is matched to the contrasting hood and drawcords. -
As a proud Brummie I have fond memories of the WMPTE buses from travelling to school on the famous No. 11 Outer Circle route in late seventies and early eighties. The Outer Circle was the last route to still operate the front-engined buses with the open platform and conductor and I think my journey from the Fox & Goose to King's Heath was 12p back in 1978! These buses were then replaced by Daimler / Leyland Fleetlines in various guises, which were then replaced in turn by the MCW Metrobuses, built locally in Washwood Heath (all were usually powered by the legendary Gardner 6LX diesel engine). The single deck Leyland National was another very popular bus at the time, with their very distinctive noise, smell (and fumes) from the 'headless' Leyland 500 series engine. The West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) was the public body responsible for public transport in the West Midlands metropolitan county from 1969 until 2016. The WMPTE logo featured here was current from 1969 until 1990 and the cream and blue livery of the buses was once a very familiar sight around Birmingham and the West Midlands.Join me on my nostalgia trip with one of these t shirts which features a distressed style logo for that retro look and is available in two colours that reflect the old bus livery - yellow haze with blue logo, or royal blue with cream logo. -
Introduced in 1964, the Vanden Plas Princess 4 Litre R remains the only production car that is not a Rolls Royce to be fitted with a Rolls Royce engine.
It was based on a modified version of the A110 Austin Westminster bodyshell and was sent to Vanden Plas Coachbuilders in Kingsbury, London, to be finished with luxurious fittings including leather seats and real burr walnut dashboard, door cappings and picnic tables in the rear. The 3,909cc straight six Rolls Royce engine was an all-aluminium version of their B series engine with overhead inlet and side exhaust valves, hydraulic tappets and a low compression ratio of 7.8:1, making its 175 bhp output quite impressive for the time. Priced at £1,994 (around £55,000 in today’s money), the car came with Borg Warner automatic transmission and Hydrosteer power steering as standard. Only 6,555 were built between 1964 and 1968 and few survive today, due to a combination of their strong structure making them a banger racers’ favourite and their prodigious 15mpg thirst making them virtually worthless during the early 70s oil crisis. The t-shirt itself is based on one of the original press ads in which BMC certainly made the most of the Rolls Royce link. The wording is as the original ad, and features a distressed look. The high contrast style of the image means that it is only available in black, but the good news is that sizes go all the way up to 5XL!You can read more about the history of the Vanden Plas Princess 4 Litre R here. -
Not all of us were lucky enough to go to University, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out! If you're a brummie who was schooled in the 'University of Life' why not let everyone know with this stylish varsity style contrast hoody.This hoody has a distressed style graphic for that retro look featuring the Birmingham coat of arms and is available in a range of colours with contrasting hood lining and drawstrings, giving a very distinctive look. It has a front pouch pocket. -
The Triumph Dolomite range was introduced in 1972 as a luxurious, well-equipped sporting saloon aimed at the emerging compact executive market. The Sprint version that followed in 1973 was conceived in order to remedy the gap in performance between the Dolomite 1850 and competitors such as the BMW 2002. The Sprint's cylinder head was revolutionary for a mass produced car, featuring a multi-valve arrangement with all 16 of them operated by a single overhead camshaft. This clever design gave the car a 0-60 time of just 8.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 119 mph, very impressive for the early Seventies. The car also had alloy wheels as standard; a first for a British production car. All of this came at a launch cost of just £1,740, which compared very favourably with its other sporting rivals. The mouse mat itself is based on one of the original press ads and shows a Dolomite Sprint in the launch colour of Mimosa Yellow with black vinyl roof. The period correct typeface is used. The high contrast style of the image means that it is only available in black, but the good news is that sizes go all the way up to 5XL!Read more about the Triumph Dolomite and Sprint range here on the excellent aronline website. -
The Triumph Dolomite range was introduced in 1972 as a luxurious, well-equipped sporting saloon aimed at the emerging compact executive market. The Sprint version that followed in 1973 was conceived in order to remedy the gap in performance between the Dolomite 1850 and competitors such as the BMW 2002. The Sprint’s cylinder head was revolutionary for a mass produced car, featuring a multi-valve arrangement with all 16 of them operated by a single overhead camshaft. This clever design gave the car a 0-60 time of just 8.4 seconds and a maximum speed of 119 mph, very impressive for the early Seventies. The car also had alloy wheels as standard; a first for a British production car. All of this came at a launch cost of just £1,740, which compared very favourably with its other sporting rivals. The mouse mat itself is based on one of the original press ads and shows a Dolomite Sprint in the launch colour of Mimosa Yellow with black vinyl roof. The period correct typeface is used.Read more about the Triumph Dolomite and Sprint range here on the excellent aronline website. -
Tiswas (an acronym for Today Is Saturday Watch And Smile) was a children's British television series that originally aired on Saturday mornings from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited. It was famously hosted by Chris Tarrant, John Gorman and Sally James and also featured Lenny Henry, Jim Davidson, Jasper Carrott and Bob Carolgees with Spit The Dog. Another infamous character was the Phantom Flan Flinger who became synonymous with the show and later was part of the classic 'zig-zag' logo, which was designed by Stuart Kettle in 1977. The t-shirt features a distressed style of this logo for that retro look and is available in a number of colours. -
Who could forget the classic scene when David Brent goes through big Keith's appraisal form in the classic comedy mockumentary 'The Office'? Keith's general disinterest and lack of any worthwhile answers during the Q&A session still strike a chord with office workers around the country, epitomising the time-consuming and often futile office appraisal process. Brent tries to hide his frustration but eventually cracks when he has to repeat the same multiple choice options for the 4th question; 'NOT AT ALL, to some extent, very much so or don't know'. You can watch the whole cringe-worthy clip here. This t-shirt is a text-based design based on Keith's consistent reply to those very options and is printed in white and blue on a choice of 7 different colours of t-shirt with selected colours available up to 5XL. -
Total Control Racing (TCR) was a toy brand from Ideal which appeared in the late 1970s, but unlike Scalextric, operated on a slotless track.The plastic track contained lanes of three metal strips about 2mm wide, which made contact with a configuration of two brass pads on the underside of the cars, providing power. The plastic track had two such lanes, and cars could change lanes with the flick of a switch on the controller. TCR sets came with "jam cars", a slow moving drone which both racers had to avoid crashing into. Like Matchbox's Powertrack, some cars featured lights.TCR was withdrawn from the market in the mid 80s and sets are now very collectible.The t-shirt features a distressed style logo for that retro look and is available in a number of colours. -
Taito changed its name from Taito Trading Company to Taito Corporation in August 1972 and introduced its first video arcade game in 1973. It established its American subsidiary in 1973 in downtown Chicago, Taito America. In 1978 Toshihiro Nishikado, a designer at Taito, created Space Invaders which became the company's most popular title and one of the most memorable games in arcade history, responsible for beginning the golden age of arcade video games.[8][9] The t-shirt features a distressed style logo for that retro look and is available in a number of colours.