Monday, June 05, 2006

Options

Taxi enthusiast and journalist Murray Jackson sent me scans of his London Coach information packet. Included was a list of optional and standard equipment. The original owner ticked very few of the option boxes. Surprisingly he picked the most expensive and least common ones.

  • Leather Trim Package. Check.
  • Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel. Check.
  • Cellular Telephone System. Nope.
  • Imported Royal Brierly lead crystal decanter set. If it was ever there, it is long gone now.
  • De Luxe hi fi sound system. Nope. The bomb has the standard rear mounted Sony.
  • Sony color television. Nope.
  • Fixed front passenger seat. Check. This is somewhat rare.
  • Driver/Passenger intercom system. Nope.
  • Partition privacy curtain. Nope.
  • Rear seat folding armrest with cellular phone compartment. Nope.
  • Automatic power antenna. Nope.
  • Anti-theft system. Nope. Someone please steal this thing.
  • Dark tinted glass in passenger compartment. Nope.
  • Moon roof (manual vent type) Nope. This is the more common front moon roof.
  • Electric moon roof with manual visor. Check!
  • Luggage cover with straps for rear deck. Check!
  • Front twin driving lamps. Nope.
  • Front twin fog lamps. Nope.
  • Personal tool kit. I wonder what this was.
  • Spares kit. I wonder what was in this kit.
  • Set of four whitewall tires. No idea.
  • Spare tire and wheel. Nope. The bomb doesn't look like it ever had a spare tire in the boot. There aren't any wear marks in the tire storage area.
  • Tire jack. Nope.
  • Two tone paint. Nope.
  • Special colors/finishes. The bomb is standard Midnight Blue.
  • Parts and service manual set. Nope.

Total price in 1986 with options was $31,505. I bought a brand new car that year for $7,000.

Even without the spare and the jack, a London Taxi's boot won't hold much more than a pair of golf shoes, 3 golf balls, a pair a socks and a tooth pick.

London Coach offered this luggage cover as a solution. The cover snaps onto the back side of the body. A simple aluminum frame supports the cover. The inside of the boot lid has some rubber runners to support luggage. A pair of straps hold bags down.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello,
my name is Christian from Germany. I´m looking for such a hood for the trunk just like yours...
Are there still some available or do you have any hints, where to get this from, or do you have some pattern to make this by oneself?
Thanks for your help!
kind regards
Chris

July 18, 2008 6:13 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello,

my name´s Christian and i´m from Germany.
I like this hood on the boot.. i think it was sold by London Sterling, could not find it elsewhere.. Do you have any information whether this is somewhere available, or do you have some patterns to make this by oneself?
Would be nice, if you could help! Thanks a lot!
kind regards
Chris

July 18, 2008 8:33 AM  

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