News this week that the best of British car manufacturing has been immortalised in a new set of stamps from Royal Mail.
Dubbed the 'British Auto Legends' collection, the stamps celebrate some of the most iconic and beautiful British cars ever made. The first set, entitled Thoroughbreds, features the Jaguar E-Type, Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Aston Martin DB5, MG MGB, Morgan Plus 8 and the Lotus Esprit.
The second set, called Workhorses, features classic working vehicles including the Austin FX4 Taxi, Ford Anglia 105E and Land Rover Defender 110. Naturally, there's also a Morris Minor Van in Royal Mail livery.
The sets also pay tribute to Aston Martin, which is current celebrating its centenary, and also to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Henry Royce.
We think they look fantastic and, as far as our non-stamp-collecting experience goes, we also think this is the first time Royal Mail has released a set of automotive-themed stamps.
Has our mail delivery institution missed a trick, though? A quick office poll reveals that other motoring greats, like the Rover P5 Coupe and Triumph Stag, really should have made the final cut. Even the Bentley Mk VI from 1951 has been floated as a stamp suggestion.
What would you like to see added to the list? Answers on a postcard, please.
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Nice!
Iconic or not, I think the stamps are beautiful and would love to receive mail with one attached.
ps - any chance we'll see a stamp featuring the R-Type Continental?
Silver Shadow
Conceivably the most overused word of the decade, whatever 'iconic' describes the Silver Shadow is decidedly not it.
Some bad choices in there
Jeremy Clarkson got it right when he said the RR Silver Shadow has the same styling as a Lada Riva. And (despite my username) I think the MGB is the most overrated shed of a "sports" car ever made.
I would have picked the current RR Phantom, easily the best RR made since the great pre-war vintage models. And for the "workhorses" section I would chuck in the good old LDV 400/Convoy van, the iconic Royal Mail vehicle and proper British van. You still see scores of them around with their faded red paint looking like they will go on forever.
A current model
would look too much like a commercial, which is why they might have chosen a Silver Cloud in place of your Lada.
Since when has the Triumph
Since when has the Triumph Stag become one of the motoring greats?The only way you'll get that on a stamp is if the Royal mail bring out a new collection called 'British auto legends of the hard shoulder.'Then we can all see the Stag in its prefered stationary position;bonnet wide open,and mostly obscured by the smoke rising from yet another over-cooked engine.