Rare Enough to Flash?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:42
Rare Enough to Flash? - Ed V
The "shapes that last" thread mentioned that Espace drivers used to flash each other when they were rare.
I've only ever had a Mini where this was done, and it was an enjoyable time of raod brotherhood - the kids loved it. Do MINI owners do it now?

Do any other cars' owners consider themselves 'a cut above' in this way?
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:47
Rare Enough to Flash? - GrahamF1
Beetles and buses do it.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:51
Rare Enough to Flash? - daveyjp
Us smart owners flash each other.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:56
Rare Enough to Flash? - Ian (Cape Town)
Not cars, but plates.
Our local numbering system means that you can easily tell whcih town a vehicle is from.
So if you are away from 'home' and see a vehcle from there, it is customary to flash and wave.
(This system also means that if you see an 'out-of-towner' in your home town, avoid him like the plague. he's bound to do something silly...)
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:57
Rare Enough to Flash? - Cliff Pope
When I had a 1947 Triumph Roadster I would wave on the rare occasions when I met another one. The old-style pre BPF double filament headlamp bulbs were much too rare to risk flashing.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:54
Rare Enough to Flash? - mfarrow
buses do it.


Only because they know each other! Although I've seen the rare occasion when buses from different companies have flashed each other.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 12:55
Rare Enough to Flash? - teabelly
Skyline and integrale owners do. There aren't many of them about so seeing another one is quite an event :-)
teabelly
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 13:06
Rare Enough to Flash? - Big Bad Dave
I was flashed by a group of girls on the party bus in Blackpool a couple of years ago but I didn?t flash back.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 13:11
Rare Enough to Flash? - commerdriver
Old camper vans do it. Used to be just other Commers but we quite often go through the summer without seeing another one on the road at the same time as we are.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 13:27
Rare Enough to Flash? - Happy Blue!
I came up to a new Subaru Forester like mine a couple of days ago. A fairly rare modern car so I waved as I overtook and was caught up at the next lights.

I looked over to the driver, who just scowled at me. We was a 50 something bearded University lecturer (at least he drove into Salford Uni a few minutes later) and obviously had no idea of what I was on about. Why then by a Scooby? - its very much a car for the discerning who know a little about cars in general and the reasons why they chose a scooby in particular.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 13:41
Rare Enough to Flash? - martint123
MX5's flip their lights up.
Most bikers nod to each other (including bikeplod) (well up here anyway).
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 13:52
Rare Enough to Flash? - Dynamic Dave
Most bikers nod to each other


They also flash the lights. But only towards other bikers without L plates, and never to an trail bike rider.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 13:42
Rare Enough to Flash? - runboy
Audi A2 drivers flash!
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 14:30
Rare Enough to Flash? - Citroënian {P}
In the early days of the new MINI people did flash, but a lot of middle aged _miserable_ women bought them, and they never flashed. Except one lady in Keswick in a Yellow One that almost crashed she was waving so much.

Certainly a year after we bought ours people had stopped flashing.

Our fabia is a really terrible colour, gold I think. It's pretty rare so I make the effort to wave when I see another gold Fabia and usually get a smile and a wave.

I've heard there's a wavey community of Multipla drivers too although I guess the early ones, not the new boring one.
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 14:33
Rare Enough to Flash? - GrahamF1
>> buses do it.


>>Only because they know each other! Although I've seen the rare >>occasion when buses from different companies have flashed each >>other.

I meant VW buses (campers), not public transport!
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 14:51
Rare Enough to Flash? - BazzaBear {P}
Had a few waves and flashes between myself and other Alfa drivers, although not so much the newer ones, since the 156 made them a bit more 'usual' a car, less of an enthusiast thing.
Waving is definitely done between Fiat Coupe drivers, but then you don't see that many of them.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 15:17
Rare Enough to Flash? - madux
MX5 drivers wave and point at the sky if they have the top off and you don't.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 15:44
Rare Enough to Flash? - Jono_99
Passed my test in '89 in a Turquoise Hillman Avenger. Even by then they were pretty rare. Once picked up then girlfriend and on the drive to my house, passed another Turquoise Hillman Avenger. We waved like long lost friends.

Alas, car moved on soon after to be replaced by an Austin Metro City (custard yellow) - surely the slowest / dullest car ever.

And the girlfriend did not last much longer...

Jono
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 16:02
Rare Enough to Flash? - Altea Ego
My father called it the neo n*** salute when he was a beetle owner. Thumb hooked under the rim of the wheel, 4 fingers raised to another beetle driver.

Personally I stick 4 fingers down the thoat when I see beetles.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 16:03
Rare Enough to Flash? - Altea Ego
Ah sweary thing does not like a german national socialist word.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 16:39
Rare Enough to Flash? - marsexpress
n***...harsh language should definately be censored....

n***s!!!!!!! :-P ;-)
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 17:03
Rare Enough to Flash? - trancer
"Thumb hooked under the rim of the wheel, 4 fingers raised to another beetle driver."

Thats the "proper" wave that US HGV drivers give each other. Owner-Operators just raise the index finger only, they are a class above regular company drivers so they only need the one finger. No waves given to dump-truck (tipper) drivers though, I don't really know why, I was just told not to by my HGV instructor so I never have.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 16:43
Rare Enough to Flash? - bradgate
We Scoobisti generally acknowledge each other
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 17:38
Rare Enough to Flash? - madf
It was impossible to flash other Lotus drivers in my 1967 Elan: the vacuum operated headlamps took so long to raise (no leaks! honest) by the time they were up, the other car was past....

madf


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Tue 8 Mar 2005 18:34
Rare Enough to Flash? - tr7v8
Same problem with the TR7. Solved by adding driving lights wired into the main beam circuit. Also vastly improved main beam lighting anyway. Mine are small round ones from the bargain bin of my local motor accessory shop for a fiver!

Jim
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 18:39
Rare Enough to Flash? - mjm
You probably had the throttle open too far! (as it should be in an Elan!)
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 09:29
Rare Enough to Flash? - madf
"You probably had the throttle open too far! (as it should be in an Elan!)"

Ahh the sound of the webers gobbling fuel, the bark of the exhaust, the rattle of the windup windows that did not fit :-)

Mine had been much modified 0-60in about 8secs and about 22mpg.
Elise owners used to flash me in surprise:-)

madf


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Tue 8 Mar 2005 22:05
Rare Enough to Flash? - owie
As the proud owner of a Fiat Coupe which is a very rare car most drivers will flash each other or vave.I seem to remember the same camerarderie when i had an Alfasud
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 23:05
Rare Enough to Flash? - Robin Reliant
In my Reliant days we tripod jockeys always used to flash as we passed. Never could work out if it was to acknowledge another member of an exclusive club or an expression of mutual sympathy.
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Tue 8 Mar 2005 23:58
Rare Enough to Flash? - scotty
Yeah, I remember the Reliant flash thing - probably because half of us was fair weather bikers and we were used to flashing other bikers anyway what hadn't passed our car tests (or was it sympathy .. i can't remember now).
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 08:49
Rare Enough to Flash? - Round The Bend
My first car was an MG Midget. I thought the flashing and waving was pointing out (yet another) fault with the car until someone enlightened me! Do MG drivers still do this?

Always like it when you make room for a bike on the road and they very slightly lift their left hand in acknowledgment as they speed off into the distance.

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Wed 9 Mar 2005 08:53
Rare Enough to Flash? - Altea Ego
Or lift a leg like a dog at a tree!
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 11:53
Rare Enough to Flash? - holly1
Yes, us classic mini owners flash each other - or better still wave and toot your horn.
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 20:32
Rare Enough to Flash? - roadranger
Saab drivers used to flash each other in the
days when the car was winning most winter rallys. Can't remember the model in the 70's but it had a freewheel system on the road cars and , racking my brains, was it a two stroke ?
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 20:49
Rare Enough to Flash? - malteser
Ah - the memories! I had a SAAB Monte Carlo once. Two stroke, freewheel, cornered on rails, went like stink, gobbled petrol & left a cloud of blue smoke in its wake! SAAB ruined a good car when they put the horrible Ford engine in the 96.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 21:00
Rare Enough to Flash? - henry k
Saab drivers used to flash each other in the
days when the car was winning most winter rallys. Can't remember
the model in the 70's but it had a freewheel system
on the road cars and , racking my brains, was it a two stroke ?

>>
Yes it was a two stroke and yes had a fee wheel. IIRC it had the radiator behind the engine.
Some light reading
www.saabtrader.co.uk/history5.htm
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Wed 9 Mar 2005 20:59
Rare Enough to Flash? - tack
In the 1960's when on holiday in France, to see another British plated car was a rarity. Not only would you flash, or wave, but would practically offer a share of your picnic and wine!

I think people flashed us because they could not believe that a gold coloured Fiat 850 could make it all the way to South of France with three 6' blokes in the back +Mum and Dad in front and the luggage on the rook rack.
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