Your Favourite Car

dodgerdog

BelgianBeerGeek wrote:

mfin wrote:

I used to have a Scirocco Mk1, loved it, drove like a Mk1 Golf but cornered a bit better. Dont have any photos but it was similar to the one in this pic. Have often thought of getting another but its the unavailability of the panels and body stuff compared to a Golf Mk1 which makes them too much of a chore for me now. (not to mention they're like rocking horse sh1t to find)

Still think the proportions and lines were so right for its time.

+1. I had one of these in GT form (no new-fangled GTI for me). An absolute hoot to drive and a joy to look at. I traded it in for a Sierra diesel

Had a Mk2 Scala which was a lovely car, and replaced it with a V6 Mazda 323 ZXi which was again a great car to drive, loads of oomph. Best handling was the Mk 2 seat Leon 20VT

AlexMac1973

Has to be my old Alfa 147(yep, it was rosso red), it was a charismatic car. When I parked up I looked at everything else on the high street and I always thought if I had a choice would I choose anything else. The answer was always no.

Ok, it had it's down sides. Like how it wouldn't start in the cold or how the clutch would not be there every so often when you put the clutch pedal down. But strangely, my favourite driving moment was when I inadvertently brought the M5 to a standstill. Sadly there had been a crash so we'd all had to stop just before Burnham on Sea, I was in the third lane and decided when I stopped that I would turn the engine off and listen to the radio whilst I was waiting to start driving again. Anyway, when the traffic started to move again after about 40 minutes the car wouldn't start, so being in the third lane I couldn't do anything apart from get out and ask the car behind if they had any jump leads. They didn't, thought I was in trouble at this point!

Luckily a truck driver decided to put his truck across the other two lanes and another driver belted round and said he would help, bit of a phew moment if I'm honest. So, there we were, me thinking please start and let's hope no police work out what's going on! Trust me on this, you will never see anyone ever being push started in the third lane of a motorway again. Talk about relief! The car starts & comes to life!!!! It was one of the most bizzare events you could ever imagine.

They say you're never a true petrol head until you've owned an alfa, I know why now! For 99 moments of pain it's that one moment of pleasure when you sit behind the wheel and everything comes together.

* I traded it in for a Focus ST, not my best decision as it ended up in a tree! :shock:

VTech

eek, focus st
Im with you on the alfa front, Ive not owned one but I love the history.

AlexMac1973

VTech wrote:

eek, focus st
Im with you on the alfa front, Ive not owned one but I love the history.

Do it, the Brera is a modern classic. It's on my list of to own once the little one is old enough to sit in the back.

doublem_1

A few of my very favourites:

Blacktemplar

Had an Alfa 156 GTA a few years back, awesome to drive, when it worked. Which wasn't very often as the wiring harnesses were made of spaghetti, and the body kit kept falling off. And then it needed a new engine - after 18 months.

Excited in a very childish way as I've been invited to an Audi track day this week, to drive the V10 R8, RS5 and TT-RS. Maybe not as iconic as some of the handsome metal in this thread, but the R8 has a Gallardo engine and is as fast as fupp......

VTech

Blacktemplar wrote:

Had an Alfa 156 GTA a few years back, awesome to drive, when it worked. Which wasn't very often as the wiring harnesses were made of spaghetti, and the body kit kept falling off. And then it needed a new engine - after 18 months.

Excited in a very childish way as I've been invited to an Audi track day this week, to drive the V10 R8, RS5 and TT-RS. Maybe not as iconic as some of the handsome metal in this thread, but the R8 has a Gallardo engine and is as fast as fupp......

The R8 is the gallardo, its great to drive, just remember that the car will keep going straight even when you think it wont, keep the power on and be careful of the rumble strips.

mr_goo

But most of all I want this.

mfin

Dodgerdog wrote:

Had a Mk2 Scala which was a lovely car, and replaced it with a V6 Mazda 323 ZXi which was again a great car to drive, loads of oomph. Best handling was the Mk 2 seat Leon 20VT

I had a MkII as well, but the MKII was 'just a car' really, niceish car, but to me the MKI was totally different, and the proportions and the stance were dead on, but the MKII didn't have it. The Corrado brought back some of the influence of the MKI, the main one being the line at the bottom of the rear window which sloped up on the MKI.

At the time there wasn't really an angle on an every so slightly dropped MK1 that didn't look good to me.

proto

I've almost finished this ground up rebuild. Original chassis was rotten (surprise!), sourced a good condition French chassis which I had shot blasted and galvanised, then starting putting it back together. Just got to fit the winsdscreen and sort out a few wiring issues. All suspension, brakes, engine, exhaust complete. Roof now fitted. New wheels in garage ready to be fitted. Car runs and drives. Remains to be seen if it'll pass it's MOT (target May!)

Garry H

My dad's Allegro from circa 1982. It had a square steering wheel!

CrunchyToes

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

team47b

Now we have moved on to real cars, in the process of restoring this one...




1956 BMW Isetta 300.

canny_lad

Mk 1 Golf GTI Campaign 1800. Stuck a 16v engine & box in it and discs on the rear. Went like sh!t through a goose but still didn't stop very well!

Still p!ssed that it got nicked & burnt out :evil:

proto

I"ve had a couple of Mk1 Golf GTis. Bought the first one new, 1800cc, Mars red in 1981. Fantastic car, but my employers forced a company car on me and I couldn't justify keeping it.

Next one came along in the early 90s, inherited from my brother in law's business. Also Mars red, but an earlier 1600cc model. Less torque, and needed to be worked harder than the 1800, but somehow more satisfying. It had done 1600000 miles when my wife managed to kill the engine ("I wondered what that red light on the dashboard was for"). Fortunately I'd stashed away a very low mileage Mk2 GTi engine (someone had fitted a VR6 motor), so I stuffed that in. Bit of a game (different length drive shafts, hoses and sensors completely different arrangement), but it worked a treat.

Ended up selling it a few years later when children wanted to learn to drive and I couldn't insure them

And yes, brakes were rubbish on both of them!!

canny_lad

I'd have one again tomorrow. Nearest I've got to the Mk1 was an 06 reg Octavia vRS TFSI, that was some motor. Shame about the 6 speed box though as my mark 1 vRS would pull 110 in 3rd.

RideOnTime

team47b wrote:

Now we have moved on to real cars, in the process of restoring this one...




1956 BMW Isetta 300.

That's a BMW. :shock: :shock:

team47b

That's THE BMW that saved BMW from going out of business!

R27 motorcycle engine, four stroke, four gears plus reverse, four wheels, 50mph, 65mpg, 0-60 not applicable

Monkeypump

proto wrote:

I"ve had a couple of Mk1 Golf GTis. Bought the first one new, 1800cc, Mars red in 1981. Fantastic car, but my employers forced a company car on me and I couldn't justify keeping it.

Next one came along in the early 90s, inherited from my brother in law's business. Also Mars red, but an earlier 1600cc model. Less torque, and needed to be worked harder than the 1800, but somehow more satisfying. It had done 1600000 miles when my wife managed to kill the engine ("I wondered what that red light on the dashboard was for"). Fortunately I'd stashed away a very low mileage Mk2 GTi engine (someone had fitted a VR6 motor), so I stuffed that in. Bit of a game (different length drive shafts, hoses and sensors completely different arrangement), but it worked a treat.

Ended up selling it a few years later when children wanted to learn to drive and I couldn't insure them

And yes, brakes were rubbish on both of them!!

Ah, happy memories. I had an '80 Mk1 1600 in Mars Red about 10 years ago. Bought it part-restored, finished it off, added some mild engine mods and just slightly lowered it. Looked almost standard (lower stance and new exhaust were the only giveaways), but flew around the lanes. By far the most fun car I've ever driven.

The real thing is long gone, but I've got a 1:18 scale model sitting on the shelf in the man-cave to remind me...

balthazar

proto wrote:

I've almost finished this ground up rebuild. Original chassis was rotten (surprise!), sourced a good condition French chassis which I had shot blasted and galvanised, then starting putting it back together. Just got to fit the winsdscreen and sort out a few wiring issues. All suspension, brakes, engine, exhaust complete. Roof now fitted. New wheels in garage ready to be fitted. Car runs and drives. Remains to be seen if it'll pass it's MOT (target May!)

That's fabulous. The headlamps look sad..! I expect they'll look a bit cheerier once it's got the MOT (well they'll have to be..!) I've nearly bought a Renault 4 —*just* my favourite of the demented european small cars— many times over the years, but never quite made it: now they're all out of reach, sadly. It would be a great urban accompaniment to my old Merc:



@team47b- my dad had an Isetta- I think he'll definitely go a bit misty eyed if I show him that! Fantastic.

team47b

@balthazar Portugal is overrun with Renault 4's they were once standard issue 'company' cars for council employees here and were imported as kits and assembled in Portugal to get around import tax.

have a look at these 238 examples!!!
http://www.ooyyo.net/used-renault-r4-fo ... D6617F384/

less than a couple of grand, throw in a holiday and transport back, bargain!

balthazar

team47b wrote:

@balthazar Portugal is overrun with Renault 4's they were once standard issue 'company' cars for council employees here and were imported as kits and assembled in Portugal to get around import tax.

have a look at these 238 examples!!!
http://www.ooyyo.net/used-renault-r4-fo ... D6617F384/

less than a couple of grand, throw in a holiday and transport back, bargain!

Oh sweet Jesus... don't! I need to somehow un-see that page.. too tempting!

Pituophis

There are some fine cars on here, but in my late teens I spent 12 months re building an old Mini from scratch with my old man (proper old school tin basher) from the floor up!
Stage 3 engine and running gear, proper built in flared arches, a real one off head turner and very quick in it's day.

The only photo we have of it between us, after hundreds of man hours of work, is one where it is 90% obscured by a couple of trees! :oops:

I'm 47 now, but if there is one car I would love to own today, that's the one (As it was then, not now )

Anonymous

Aside from the 80's Merc SL, one of these. Saw one recently and they are beautiful.

Sadly I don't know much about driving as I generally pootle about in a Defender 90, but I love the look of these.

Yellow Peril

I had a Reliant scimitar GTE some years ago. It was a nice car but stank of fibreglass, plastic and petrol all the time

dynamicbrick

Skipping over company cars, all of my cars have had character and I've loved them to bits (literally sometimes) at some point during their tenure with me. In no particular order of appearance the road to bankruptcy featured such highlights as;

Calibra Turbo - tuned it to 345bhp. 2.4 overbore, made 380lb-ft at 1900rpm. Incredibly quick, incredible grip, awful handing. Never actually broke down, but managed to disintegrate on a weekly basis. Surprising fanny-magnet in metallic purple.

Mercedes 190e 2.3-16 (or Merc Cossie to the proles) - a chassis so sublime it was joyous to hurl around. Adored it. Wish I'd never sold one of them - had two at one point. Single centre pivot wiper never got boring.

BMW E30 M3 - as above, only slightly quicker in a straight line, actually preferred the Merc as a driver's car, but the old M3 looked so utterly right.

Audi quattro Turbo - the original 10 valve. The noise alone was enough for me.

Lancia Integrale (Dealer Edition if you share my anorak). I couldn't fit in it, it broke down constantly, but it was so very incredibly Italian.

Alpina B3 3.3 - the most epic straight six engine. Like the Calibra it managed to eat itself from within constantly. Real love-hate relationship with it. Cost me a fortune. Looked the puppies. Greatest alloys known to mankind.

Mercedes 500e (the original one). The ultimate Q car. Like the 190s I had, the most fastidiously engineered thing I've ever owned. Barking mad, but entirely logical.

BMW E34 M5. Fast. Very fast. Like, 170mph on the motorway, erm Autobahn faBANGst. That'll be £7000 for a new engine please, Sir. Ouch.

Ultimately though, my favourite car is usually the one I currently own. On the basis of having had the current motor for over four years without ever having thought of changing, and given the metal I've previously owned, I think it speaks volumes for just how sublime it is. Ladies and gennelmen... I give you... the Volvo V70. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. In my defence, it is the full fat 300bhp R version with AWD, huge brakes, adjustable suspension, and all the rest of it. Uninvolving it may be. Dull as ditchwater at the not inconsiderable limit it may also be. But, it is very, very, good at being a car. It's not suffered a spectacular mechanical meltdown either, which is something of a first for me.

proto

Dynamicbrick, genuine LOL, great post.

BTW I know a fellow with three Integrales, 1 x road, 1 x rallye and 1 x in bits. All red ones. He's bonkers.

MattC59

doublem_1 wrote:

A few of my very favourites:

My cousins father in law (tenuous connection, I know !) has two of those. One's a Martini racer, like this



He's also got one of the two surviving Lotus 11s and Alain Prost's 1990 Ferrari F1 car ?!!?!? :shock:

dynamicbrick

proto wrote:

Dynamicbrick, genuine LOL, great post.

BTW I know a fellow with three Integrales, 1 x road, 1 x rallye and 1 x in bits. All red ones. He's bonkers.

Ta.

The Growler was during my Italian phase. At the same time I had an Alfa 156 GTA company car (every wire in the car was purple), and a custard yellow Ducati 900SS Superlight (less said the better).

Mostly, I walked to places...

proto

I had a yellow 750SS (half faired version). It was a pretty decent bike, to be fair. Bit gutless, but brakes and handling were fine, and probably a nicer motor than the 900.