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MG TD TF 1500 - Desmo Speed Goddess - Lily Christine IV

OK, today while waiting for my water test to complete (just letting it warm and dry up to make it easier to look for leaks, but so far, none!) I thought I'd finish up a small pointless but fun vanity project.
My car is called Lily Christine IV and her fictional predecessor, Lily Christine III, was described as having a "chromium nude leaning over at a dangerous angle" on her bonnet... so I've always wanted to find one and do the same.
With the help of various forum members, I was able to find what I wanted, a reproduction "Speed Goddess" by Desmo (not sure what "Desmo" was), and purchase it on ebay.
Today I made a plywood wrench to fit my radiator cap, removed the cap, drilled a hole for the goddess, and installed, using a small piece of inner tube cut out to go between the goddess and the cap, tapping the cap for the 1 M6x1 bolt that holds it in place. I also added a locking washer and the nut, and here is the result...
Totally unnecessary, completely non-original, but great fun.
Geoffrey M Baker

It looks considerably larger than it is, due to camera angle and closeup photo. It's about four inches high.


Geoffrey M Baker

Geoffrey,

Looks great!

From now on TD3966 has a sister in Arizona...

Jasper



JL Nederhoed TD3966

That's great Jasper!
Geoffrey M Baker

Just perusing fleabay, here a pic of a PA with your goddess by the looks of it. Desmo was just a accessories manufacturer I reckon, I dont know if their factory provided parts for the car makers, but their aftermarket mirrors etc are still copied.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Young-Man-Driving-Classic-1934-1935-MG-PA-midget-Roadster-Sports-Car-Photo-/361373012280?hash=item5423829138
mog

Thanks mog, in an earlier thread we talked about the legality of these kinds of accessories and I said all you would ever need to defend the legality of such an accessory would be period photo showing that they existed at the time. You've just made the case. 😃
Geoffrey M Baker

Thats handy then :). Posted the template, for some reason emails didnt get to me from here?
mog

I'll let you know when I get it, mog. I emailed you twice, not sure why you didn't get it...
Geoffrey M Baker

Is this the original Lilly Christine?

Lilly Christine, a.k.a. "The Cat Girl," was a famous and beloved burlesque exotic dancer and men's magazine model of the late 1940's up until the early 1960's with a mesmerizing stage presence, a wild mane of long peroxide blonde hair, and a simply spectacular 37C-22-35 voluptuous bombshell body. Lilly was born as Martha Theresa Pompender on December 17, 1923 in Dunkirk, New York. Although there were rumors that she had a Norwegian father and a Swedish mother, Christine in reality was actually of Italian-Polish descent. She first began dancing in 1948 and proved to be a major headliner performing her trademark voodoo love potion dance at Prima's 500 Club in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lilly was prominently featured doing her other signature stalking cat dance in the Broadway stage production of the musical revue "Michael Todd's Peep Show," which ran from June 28, 1950 to February 24, 1951 at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Moreover, Christine graced the covers and/or posed for centerfolds in such adult publications as "Rogue," "He," "Modern Man," "Gala," "Tempo," and "Cover Girls." She had uncredited minor parts in the movies "Two Guys from Texas," "My Wild Irish Rose," "Two Guys from Milwaukee," and "Irish Eyes Are Smiling." Lilly Christine was still dancing and drawing huge crowds in nightclubs down south when she died from peritonitis at the tragically young age of 41 on January 9, 1965 in Broward County, Florida.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: woodyanders
P Hehir

Lily Christine III was a small battered sports car in a series of novels written by Edmund Crispin. They were detective novels featuring Gervase Fen, detective and Oxford Professor. Set in and around Oxford in the period before and after WWII. Lily Christine III was thoroughly unreliable and would stall at critical moments, and Fen would usually get out open the bonnet, and strike the engine with a hammer.
She was named after the original Lily Christine who as you say, was a famous burlesque dancer. She sported a steatopygic chromium nude leaning forward on the bonnet at a dangerous angle.
Geoffrey M Baker

Steatopygic Geoff? Never! Lily Christine had a delightful rear end. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Desmo provided the scuttle mounted rear view mirrors on TD and TF models. Look on the backside of your original mirror for their stamp.
A Peddicord

I must admit I had to look up the meaning of steatopygic I must also admit that it reminded me of a beautiful young lady I dated in high school. .
Larry Brown

This thread was discussed between 02/12/2015 and 06/12/2015

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