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Has anybody seen any unsual or amazing cars whilst driving about today?
I saw a Posrche Panamera on my way to work - I've never seen one of those before and thought it looked nice so I looked it up. For over £78k it ought to be nice!!
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I keep passing an old guy in an SLS lately. Turns out its my bosses neighbour. He bought it 'cheap' a year ago to make a profit on. It didnt sell and noww the depreciation is horrendous!!
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Not this week, but about a month ago I did see a car with the reg F599RED. Care to guess the make and model?
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Saw an old Peterbilt 359 being used as a heavy duty tow truck the other week. Got to get a proper truck to tow a Volvo piece of rubbish!
Cummins N14 sounded magnificent through the straight stacks. Far more exciting than some some banker's vulgar Aston or ferrari-rarer in this country too!
The truck was on the opposite side of the express way and I was so excited that I did a U-turn at the next roundabout-ahem.
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The truck was on the opposite side of the express way and I was so excited that I did a U-turn at the next roundabout-ahem.
You possibly might be a big saddo, unthrottled!
Is the SLS the flappy wing doors one? Yes my powers of description are superb. Like a DeLorean I mean.
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You mean 'gullwing' doors. Yes that particular bankermobile has those.
Sorry, but supercars are boring. The SLS has an auto-but fited with flappy paddles so the banker can pretend that he's driving a manual. That's saddo!
The truck will have a proper non-synchro with range change and a splitter. Driver has to rev match every gear-and remember which gear he is in. That's way cooler than arcade game style flappy paddles.
Then there's the jacobs brake. The staccato hammering is a noise to behold. A ferrari sounds like a 2 stroke chainsaw to me.
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So the trucker actually has to know his physics ;-)
When you say non-synchro there's no synchromesh in there? So you'd have to double-clutch to actually change gear.
Yes gullwing doors. Flappy.
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No synchromesh. With that many gears a good driver will float the changes, ie lift off the throttle until the torque on the gearbox is momentarily equal in which case it will slide out out of gear with no effort. If upshifting, let the revs fall a couple of hundred RPM and hope the dog angular speed is matched to the chosen gear. If it isn't the gearbox plays land of hope and glory-or over the pond, star spangled banner! Downshifting is the same but harder because the revs have to be raised.
two gear levers, 5 and 4 (20 ratios) compound unsynchronised transmission, armstrong steering:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol7StdtHEMc&feature=re...d
Way cooler than an SLS. Push it into drive and becoe a steering wheel attendant while the computer operates everything. boooring!
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www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/neil-lyndo...l
New AMG SLS...
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Told ya so!
Glad to see you read a 'proper' paper ie not the Grauniad!
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The last broadsheet....I've been reading the DT since I was 8. Good crossword ;-)
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Bit easy on a Monday. ;)
Well, sometimes.
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"Not this week, but about a month ago I did see a car with the reg F599RED. Care to guess the make and model?"
Went to a friends house (read Mansion) on Saturday, expecting to see his new Ferrari 458. In its place was a new 599. He had already sold the 458 as he didn't like it !. he also has a new Bentley Continental GT amongst other toys in his garages.
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not today but on Wednesday 1st June passed three Belgium registered DeLoreans on the A66 near Appleby, they were having a coffee I gueswhen I returned back past the layby about an hour later they had gone. Wondered if they were on the way to Belfast on some sort of pilgrimage ?
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Going up to Stranraer to get the ferry over you reckon? Did you see all the wooden caravans as well?
I saw a biker on what I think was an Aprilia RSV4 this morning - it was deffo a big meaty Aprilia anyway. Very smart indeed. The poor fella must have been a bit cheesed off in the torrential rain we're having up here today.
On an amusing note; I saw a guy in a mid-90s MX-5 coming off the m'way in the rain the other day. He had the top down and the downpour must've caught him by surprise, so he had put his cagoule hood up. The expression on his face was priceless!
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Saw a Range Rover Evoque up close and a Tesla electric sports car being driven on westferry road in Docklands. Think the Motor Expo is on.
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Taking my son to nursery yesterday, he did get quite excited by a brand new 8 series we were following.
No not the latest flagship BMW?, but a huge green 8 series John Deere tractor. Not a spot of mud on it anywhere. It was as quite impressive squeezing down the narrow lanes. Some farmers round my way certainly have the cash to splash, I would hate to think how much that would cost.
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The wooden caravans were gypsy bow top caravans heading for Appleby horse fair which took place on 2nd June until 6th june.
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Theres a hippy van i often see around here. Old VW van with bright decorations on it, Peace man and all the rest of it.
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Yes, certainly unusual, maybe unique: a shell-suited young male driver in a Citroen Saxo with standard exhaust & wheels.
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There is a beautiful rust and ding free Sierra Sapphire 4x4 cosworth in our village in Spain, when I first saw it I thought the old boy who drives it does not know what he's got, however, closer examination revealed a huge stainless exhaust, so he must be well aware. White, with Black leather interior, sounds lovely, and never been driven on a salted road.
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Bright red Vauxhall VX220 on my way to work today - seen him before. Looks like a go-kart!
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Last night on the ferry Caen to Portsmouth lots of juicy things including (inter alia) some pristine E-types and a row of three splendid vintage Bentleys. All coming back from Le Mans.
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I'm round at the Girlfriend's place and her old man has two dead Rangey's dumped on his and his neighbour's drive, plus one live one with a coolant leak, and his missus has a Merc CLK with a knackered alternator. My G/F's Freelander is on the drive with a shot battery and a soon-to-expire clutch, and my Polo is also here which needs new brakes. The old man's workshop is currently home to a knackered 3 series and a rotting 206 as well. Does that count as interesting or unusual?!!
P.S. any scrap dealers on here?! :-)
Edited by Problem_Polo :-/ on 14/06/2011 at 13:13
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img828.imageshack.us/i/caraw.jpg/
I saw this on the M4 on Sunday. Have no idea what it is and despite being a passenger did not manage to get a decent picture.
Any ideas?
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Yes, just a bit. It was torrential for 350 miles of our 350 mile trip. ;)
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LOL. I did A50/M6 for 120 miles on Sunday and we didn't drive home, we sailed instead....
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Very nice.
From the sublime to the ridiculous - on my drive home from work today I saw a dark grey 54 plate Nissan Micra with what at first looked like strangely peeling paint just above the headlights. On closer inspection, this turned out to be 'eyelashes'. There was a blonde girl driving it.
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There was a blonde girl driving it.
Least surprising statement of the day.
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LOL - they were 3D eyelashes for the headlights n'all!
I put women drivers into 3 groups; ones like me, that 'drive like a man' (so I've been told), ones that just want to get from A-B (most people) and ones of the sort who put all sorts of pink crap in the car and put eyelashes on the headlights. Those latter group let the side down.
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Woman up the road has just bought a new RS500 Focus in matt black. Coincidentally, last night I saw a Mk1 Lotus Cortina which is probably the spiritual ancestor of the RS500. Both fairly unusual but only one of them nice, and it aint the RS.
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Theres a flourescent pink Citroen Saxo not far from where i live, i see it reasonably frequently (if you dont see it coming you shouldnt be driving). Saw the driver the other day, she was in a pink furry tracksuit with pink hat and shades on. The car had pink seatcovers, pink steering wheel etc.
Now one of two things has happened. Either a) She loves pink or b) its an extreme way to stop her boyfriend driving her car.
Edited by jamie745 on 15/06/2011 at 16:20
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A pink Saxo? In Buxton? It's got some offensive (to me) slogan about the driver being a female dog on it.
Edited by Glaikit Wee Scunner {P} on 15/06/2011 at 17:04
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Have spent the best part of 4-hrs earlier today playing with the following:
IS-F
CT200h
RX450h
LS600 (yours for £100,000.35 apparently!)
Lexus Open Road Test Drive Day in Northamptonshire.
A most pleasant experience and if I'd know that lunch was also being provided I wouldn't have had one and a half breakfasts/brunches!
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... make that £100,035.00 ...
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In Derbyshire in the Peak District.
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Bumblebee yellow Lotus Elise S1 heading off towards Blackpool. You've got to ask.. why?!
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Saw my first MG SV yesterday, twice in the space of 2 hours! I believe the Qvale company cost the t***s running MG Rover about £75 million. As someone a few years after the company's collapse said " It's not a crime to be incompetent". That's true, the management hadn't got a ****ing clue how to prioritise what to do/develop, to keep the company alive. At the other end of the range, the Indica!!!!! Gordon Bennett!!!!
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Slightly turning this thread upside down.......
Has anybody yet seen any model of Infiniti on the road?
(Prompted by one of the adverts at the side of the page)
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Yes I have. I think it was an Infiniti G. White. I find them kind of tacky. I think I saw it on the M58.
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I think Infiniti will always struggle. There doesn't seem to be a USP; they're competing head-on with Lexus, which has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any; and they were launched at an unfortunate time in terms of the national economic situation.
Coming back to the unusual sightings topic, I saw a well-preserved late-40s Vauxhall Velox last week outside a pub in Dorset. Very unusual for a Vauxhall of that vintage to have escaped the tin-worm.
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Unusual, yes how about a Green Godess, bloke on street has this parked on the road and a yellow one on the drive. Even had a stalwart there last week. Now they were great fun to drive.
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Are the yellow ones N. Ireland ones?
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one more unusual sighting on friday Wallasey Tunnel, old army Scammel lowloader with a 105mm Abbot self propelled gun on the back, waiting for a police escort. they were fun to drive as well.
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Well I hope he put his £1.50 in the barrier...!
You get them over for the Wirral Show. Bit early though I suppose.
Edited by Bobbin Threadbare on 20/06/2011 at 23:47
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Unlike my mum who tossed a £1 into the basket-and missed!
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I've done that before; I naughtily got out of my vehicle and retrieved the pound. It's not women's fault our arms are short!!
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M25 Saturday. New McLaren road car in orange.
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Having just taken the dog for a drag round the block, I saw (and I say this facetiously) a man my age driving a Honda Jazz ;-P
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the dog for a drag round the block
Is this an actual canine or a (apt) nickname for the Mazda? One of my contemporaries has also got one! The hardest part is when he asked for my opinion. I racked my brains and managed to nod (sort of) approvingly and say "Honda reliability is second to none".
I was very proud of myself.
Edited by unthrottled on 21/06/2011 at 21:41
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A real canine. You leave my Mazda alone you horrible man! It's awesomely reliable and it has Bose speakers :-P
I'm sure the Jazz is lovely but they're so dull. My mother thinks it'd be a suitable upgrade to her Aygo but she isn't anywhere near old enough to have one.
Edited by Bobbin Threadbare on 21/06/2011 at 21:46
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So that we know whether Unthrottled was being rude or realistic - what sort of Mazda is it?
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It's a 2005 plate Mazda 6. It's dark blue. I keep it immaculate and I have never had to repair/replace anything on it. I tried an A4 and a Mondeo out too before I got it, but the Mazda won.
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That's a nice car. There have ben problems with the diesels but the petrol-powered ones seem to go on forever.
I was just hoping it wasn't an old-shape Mazda 2 or a Demio - but you don't sound like the type for one of those.
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Infiniti? I've seen a few coupes around here. This is Infiniti country! :)
Also saw an Aston Martin Rapide a couple of weeks back.
Edited by Trilogy on 21/06/2011 at 22:48
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Doesn't the Rapide come with a free woman in a revealing dress lying across the bonnet?
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And a complementary tuxedo and a Walther PPK replica. For me the James Bond association spoils the Aston's image.
That and the fact that they're cobbled together from bits from Ford's parts bin!
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I had to google the Demio. Oh. Dear.
I have a petrol 6. It's only a 1.8L but insurance is quite high on any bigger engines when you're under 30 and you've only been driving for a few years. I've put nearly 20k on what was already quite a high miler and it's run superbly. I'd have another, if I ever need to do a big motorway commute again.
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I was only tweaking your tail! Nothing wrong with Mazda (apart from their early attempts at diesels...and the rotaries...!). I've just never heard of taking the dog for a 'drag' whereas I have heard of taking a car for a drag.
P.S. I've just reread my post. Just to clarify-my aquaintance had a Jazz, not a Mazda.
Edited by unthrottled on 21/06/2011 at 23:16
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I was only tweaking your tail!
I know ;-)
I wouldn't have a diesel anything now - no long commute anymore, and I've learnt enough about DPFs from you guys on here to put me well off!
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Seen two " Mini Cooper 5 Dr models" on the motorway
What are they all about ? surley they must come in the same pretty class as the Porsche Cayenne. I'm sure they are up for the most ugly prize ! so is the cooper on steroids or was it just an accident or what ? Hidious comes to mind ! Is it a 4x4 or or what ?
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They're horrible aren't they? Like a Mini on steroids.
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Do you mean the clubman with it's silly fifth door on the wrong side for driving on the left!?
I just think old designs are best left in the past-retro is like your dad at a disco-embarrassingly bad.
I know the Cayenne is bad but I can't help but like it. I know I shouldn't. I just do!
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The Cayenne is a head turner, whether for good reasons or bad! What about the lovely Cayenne S Hybrid? <Braces self for storm of invective about hybrids from unthrottled>
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Hey unthroittled , no not the clubman hurst thing! This is even worse ! Its. A 5 dr mini on steroids ! Tbh I don't even know whether its 4wd ! It looks horrendous and a real contender against the Cayenne for being the ugliest ever !
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I've just googled it. Do you mean the countryman? It is truely hideous!
Sorry, but solely from an aesthetic point of view, I think the cayenne looks ok-bone stock. 90% of them seem to have rude boy body kits and horrid wheels.
A hybrid cayenne? Hybrids and petrols go well together so I can't fault the rationale-unlike a hybrid diesel. But trying to rationalise a Cayenne is an exercise in futility.
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Yep your right, I didnt know it was called the "countryman " untill I just googled it as well ! In the pics its half Ok but when you see one on the road in dark mettalic colour it looks reallly really wrong ! Hideious is an understatement ! so its actually a 4X4 as well !
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4X4?! What a stupid idea. The whole point of the mini concept was its minimalist lightweight construction. Now it has been reduced to a centrally mounted speedometer and a grille.
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Alas, others think it is ugly too: www.vehicledynamicsinternational.com/driving_revie...4
It does kind of look like a frog....
MINI isn't Mini though is it? It's a Beamer. We had a proper Mini when I was little. Orangey red, with a thin blue stripe around the body. I have no idea how my dad found it comfortable; his head touched the ceiling. It was pretty bare bones inside. Mum fitted me and one of the other little Threadbares in the back though.
Cars even made an impression on me as a little girl!
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True. But you'd have hoped BMW would stay true to the original ethos...like VW did with the new Beetle, or Fiat with the 500...um...er...
By most accounts, the mini one was a good car. But extending the franchise dilutes the marque.
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I hate the new Beetle. Any car with a flower holder should be squashed into a very small cube. Especially if you see them with flower stickers on the body. Gahhhh!!
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Yup. Along with cars sporting "little miss naughty" or "babe on board" stickers. With the occupant inside.
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Anything overtly pink too. There is a girl I see about town with a bright pink Street Ka. They really let the side down.
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"MINI isn't Mini though is it? It's a Beamer"
yeah but the ones I have worked on have a chrysler neon engine ! so its a real bitzer !
Head gaskets waiting to happen no doubt as the machining quality of the block finishes for the chrysler engines I have seen were never very good !
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A Chrysler Neon engine...? So the MINI is basically a shined up Scrapheap Challenge project ;-)
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always makes me smile when someone tells me how they own a "mini" I think Mini, BMW Chrysler ! no spare wheel and power steering waiting to combust ! wonderfull
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Minis always make me think of Austin Maxis, about the same size and just as unattractive. At least the new Mini coupe looks good and has a boot bigger than a handbag.
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Just bezzed it on up to Lancaster and back on the M6. It's like a smörgåsbord of weird vehicles.
Saw a Subaru WRX (navy blue) with a strange shaped spoiler, doing sixty-five. What's wrong with that guy...?! Maybe the spoiler prevents him from going any faster.
Saw a dove-grey Renault Laguna with a full body kit and illegal-lettering private plates (I'm guessing about 51 reg vintage thoough). It looked like the suspension had been dropped too, unless he had been shopping for bricks or something.
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Are you advocating speeding young lady?
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Well as far as I know 65mph is still 5mph under the limit on a motorway. Less of the 'young lady' - I'm your elder, not to mention better, cheeky whippersnapper.
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Most women dont like people to refer to them as older than anyone else. Usually "young lady" is a compliment. You're weird.
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Maybe I'll change my mind when I stop getting ID'd everywhere. Until then, I stay weird.
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You know when you get over 30 you'd take that as a compliment.
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You're what, less than a year behind me, rolling towards 30. Time to trade your Pug in for a Honda Jazz and get a zimmerframe (turbocharged).
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I dont get older, i just get better.
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Popped out this evening to go drop something off and on the other side of the road at the lights was a blue Ford Shelby Mustang, 2007 (i think) with white stripe, left hand drive.
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See quite a few American cars around here, the family that runs one of the local garages is mad on them, Lincoln Continental, Pontiac GTO and something else which will come to me later.
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60s/70s stuff or gen Vi or whatever they're on now?
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The Continental is a '71 model that much i do know. The GTO is a late 60s model i think.
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Niiice! There's some money tied up in the GTO.
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Last time i was there i mentioned that to him and he said he got an offer of 10 grand for it two years ago and didnt even entertain the thought.
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If Minis were as awful as some of you make out, they wouldn't sell so well. SWMBO picked up her fourth Mini in a row, and her second convertible, yesterday: a nice red one. I never went much for the creamy colour of the last one.
The salesman was telling her that the Countryman, ugly as it is, is selling like hot cakes - unlike the Clubman with its silly little rear door on the wrong side.
Edited by Avant on 24/06/2011 at 01:10
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A lot of reviews reckon that the MINI is a hoot to drive. I just think they're over-priced for what's inside.
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mechanically, I'm sure it's very good. I just can't forgive the urban chic retro image.
Fiat 500 and the Beetle also offend me. The styling hues miss the point. The originals were genuinely different. Who else put a horizintally opposed air-cooled engine in the back?( Ok, there were a couple of others but you get my point).
Taking a conventional bog standard Nissan Sunny and bending a few body panels to make it look like something else is not in the same league and deserves scorn.
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I think we're on the same page especially with the new Beetle!
Hey! My grandparents ran a Nissan Sunny for years! It was actually yellow as well. They had those seat covers made of wooden beads in it.
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The Sunny (one or two 'n's?) is definitely the Jazz's spiritual grandfather. The wooden beads seat covers looked like a medieval instrument of torture. You don't see them any more.
My grandparents wouldn't touch Japanese (the war you know-which also ruled out anything German) and ended up with a long succesion of Fiats. This was in the 1980's so there were a LOT of Fiats-each one with more faults than the last.
Edited by unthrottled on 24/06/2011 at 12:45
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Relief all round when they swapped it for a Fiesta in the early 90s, but they kept the seat covers.
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Clubman - bonkers design.
Countryman buyers - take a trip to your optician. Still, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Nissan Joke, sorry Juke reminds me of a 60s Guilia GT, step front, from the front - bizarre.
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My neighbour has just had his show condition bright red 1986 Ferrari 328 Mondial out. He told me it has less than 20k on the clock. Seems kind of a shame not to use a car like that. He's had it from new and drives a very bog standard Merc otherwise.
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