Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: Webby the Bear on 13 September 2011, 20:34:56
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.......... just watching old TG episodes and they had the BL challenge. dolomite sprint, princess and rover SD1.
now i know that TG stage everything (thats another argument ::)) where the door falls off the rover etc etc.
but............. were these good cars in their day?
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Not really no. Dolomite was reasonably quick in a straight line in its day, but didnt handle and rusted faster than it accellerated.
Build quality on all of them was appalling, as they were built by communists who resented anyone who could afford to buy a new car. :y ;D ;D
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SD1 had an interesting engine and that is where the good news ended.
The princess was just plain F-ing awful!
The least said about the Dolomite sprint the better!
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I should add I recall a friends dad saying that the fastest thing he ever saw on his Dolomite Sprint was the rear wheel overtaking him on the M1!
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I can still remember my first drive in an SD1.To this day I swear the steering wheel wasnt connected to anything. Lack of feel doesnt even begin to describe it. ::)
Dolomite sprint had an interesting valvegear arrngement where 16 valves were operated by a single camshaft.
Still looked 25 years out of date when it was launched though. ;D
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the SD1 was apparently styled to look like the ferrari daytona :o :o :o
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/250px-SC06_Ferrari_Daytona_Coupe_silver.jpg)
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the SD1 was apparently styled to look like the ferrari daytona :o :o :o
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/250px-SC06_Ferrari_Daytona_Coupe_silver.jpg)
Well they must only have had a cigerette card picture of one to work off then! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Yes they were pretty crap cars really. The strike torn 70s weren't a particularly good time to make cars though, in theory they had some good ideas eg the Maxi was one of the first 5 door hatch backs on the market, had 5 gears - loads only had 4. The Dolly Sprint was an early 16 valve car for the masses.
All Leyland's car were competing against each other in the market place too, which didn't help things ether.
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the SD1 was apparently styled to look like the ferrari daytona :o :o :o
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/250px-SC06_Ferrari_Daytona_Coupe_silver.jpg)
Well they must only have had a cigerette card picture of one to work off then! ;D ;D ;D ;D
hahahah definitely................
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/SD11-L.jpg)
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try again
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/SD11-L.jpg)
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strange how i disagree, from 1979 to 1992 I owned 11 SD1 v8,s including a janspeed twin turbo,very quick but the brakes were rubbish even after a change to jag calipers,
each and every one of them did sterling service, only one required a cam change due to wear, another required a set of wheel arches put in it, four required new boge self levellers,and one broke a rockershaft, which i changed at the scrapyard as it stil drove well on 7 cylinders,
all were thrashed as hard as i could(young and stupid then) everywhere i drove, only one was an auto, which within 2 weeks of owning it was changed to manual configuration, each and everyone of them was only run on duckhams 20/50 and MAN filters, fuel consumption for the performance was great, one i think had central locking problems whch turned out to be bad earths, the turbo clocked up 260 thousand miles before i sold it,preffered the twin su set up to the injection as it was easier to play with but the two vitesse i had were pretty good,
still get to play with a twin plenum vitesse when im in uk if it needs working on, they could have really done with an lsd as it was all to easy to light up one rear wheel, but thats about my major gripe,all in all a brilliant car in my humble opinion!! :y
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The Marina was a wonderful car. Beautifully built.......and it handled better than a Lotus... :)
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.......... just watching old TG episodes and they had the BL challenge. dolomite sprint, princess and rover SD1.
now i know that TG stage everything (thats another argument ::)) where the door falls off the rover etc etc.
but............. were these good cars in their day?
I had 2 facelift 2300 SE SD1s from new - one in 1983 and one in 1985 (last one was 3 speed auto!!). They were actually pretty good - one or 2 electrical faults - rear electric window and fuel guage - but recall no problems and quite good to drive. Also had the Austin Ambassador new in 1982 - I think I did 30000 miles in it in one year and replaced it with my first SD1. No problems with Ambassador but it did look crap I suppose.
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the marina..........
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/marinagt.jpg)
and the austin ambassador........
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/ado71amb_04.jpg)
i swear i'm not being sarcastic. i think they're good looking cars. better than that 80's hatrchback volvo... whatever that was called :-?
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I should add I recall a friends dad saying that the fastest thing he ever saw on his Dolomite Sprint was the rear wheel overtaking him on the M1!
Probably just about to tighten the wheel nuts when Red Robbo called them out on strike again. ::) ;D
I can picture the scene..........."Comrades,the capitalist management have yet again pushed us into an impossible position.They have requested,almost demanded, that we begin to produce cars which customers will find attractive,will be keen to buy,and - unbelievably - will be able to enjoy months of trouble free motoring after they have bought them. Make no mistake comrades, this is tantamount to slavery, and we must fight it to the bitter end.Im sure I heard one of them mumble under his breath, something about management having the right to manage ! Just who do these people think they are ?
I have no option but to defend your rights in this matter comrades, and therefore am ordering you out on strike indefinitely.
By the way, union subs need to rise by 35% from next week as comrade Jack Jones our General Secratary has discovered a serious leak in the roof of his stately home, and he says the cost of taking the Bentley to Downing St. for beer and sandwiches is becoming prohibitive.
We shall overcome comrades, we will achieve equality."
Exaggeration - a little maybe, but not by much. ;)
I think I just got a bit carried away. ::) ;D ;D
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Here are your options for early 80's cars of the SD1 ilk
(http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Images-V16-2/CC-Rover-SD1.jpg)
SD1
(http://www.zercustoms.com/news/images/Opel/Opel-Senator-Monza-Turn-30-1.jpg)
Senator+Monza
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2922067321_078c5cc834.jpg)
Granada
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Jaguar_XJ6_--_09-07-2009.jpg/800px-Jaguar_XJ6_--_09-07-2009.jpg)
Jag
And thankfuly, most of the above went round corners....except the SD1.
And I dont care what anybody says....the Rover V8 is a shite, under powered and unreliable engine.
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To answer OPs question, yes they were bad. For some reason, always fancied an SD1 though.
Austin Rover didn't really improve until their tie up with Honda.
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nice pics mark. that aint you with the senator is it??? :o ;D ;D
is that granada not a cortina???
my mum and dad had this in the 80's..............
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/vw_jetta_gl_4door_red_1989.jpg)
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Lol, a Jetta
Thats all you see in Beijing today!
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nice pics mark. that aint you with the senator is it??? :o ;D ;D
is that granada not a cortina???
my mum and dad had this in the 80's..............
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/vw_jetta_gl_4door_red_1989.jpg)
It looks like a MKII grandad to me, even before I read the numberplate...
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One of the key benefits of all the above is they had a proper rear axle setup!
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Lol, a Jetta
Thats all you see in Beijing today!
i remember my folks getting it from the local dealer when i was a little'un. i was amazed it had arm rest in the middle of the rear seats ;D ;D ;D
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My first car was a
Dolopofshite dolomite. To be honest 1850 Sprint, could really pick up its feet, although try to put it around a corner quickly and you'd come unstuck :D :D :D
My dad had one of those Granada's 2.8 Ghia X now that was a car. Was very comfortable, reliable & bloody quick. As for the Jag...... Well I can dream...... Had the series III 4.2 was a rotten old thing but was pure luxury & the engine was bomb proof. Keep dreaming about getting myself a series III V12 to tinker with...... if only ::) ::) ::)
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my mum and dad had this in the 80's..............
My dad, in the 1970s, had a Citroen DS Safari
(http://www.dsinasia.com/sitebuilder/images/Citroen_DS_Japan_safari6-310x235.jpg)
Mum had a Fiat 850 Sport Coupe
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Fiat_850_Sport_Coupe_100_1970.jpg)
(and I've found pics with same colours as my folks).
Mum's Fiat needed 5 star...
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now that citreon is an awsome looking car!!!!! my dad in his youth had what he calls an ''anglebox'' whareva that was lol
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I think in the 1980s my Dad was knocking about in:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Alfasud_orange.jpg/250px-Alfasud_orange.jpg)
Followed by, when I came along (poor dad!):
(http://www.vpoc.info/vpmetro/1.jpg)
And then:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Austin_Maestro_1982.JPG/250px-Austin_Maestro_1982.JPG)
Followed by, at the tail end of the 1980s:
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2922354376_97d8917439.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/schmatz/2922354376/)
The last two were diesels, although I also (much later) owned a Bluebird 1.8GS autotragic, which was an absolute shower of ..
[edit] P.S. Who else thinks TBs parents were rich? ;)
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Man father changed cars more often than his shirts.
We had Mini's, Renaults, Vx's, Triumphs loads of different ones......I guess thats what happens when your a motor mechanic and keep buying broken wrecks!
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P.S. Who else thinks TBs parents were rich? ;)
Far from, sadly. They would have been had they not had so many bloody kids ;D
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I had a Moonraker Blue twin plenum 3.5 Vitesse SD1 (like the one in Marks photo's) for about five years. Went OK and was quite ahead of it's time with the 'on board computer'. It had ETA on it so the faster you went the earlier the ETA got, obviously. When I got home one night my ETA had been cut from thirty minutes to just ten minutes and the mpg for the journey was 6mpg. ;D ;D
Contrary to Clarkson's tongue in cheek review, it was the door skin that came away from the inner, not the hinges. Oh, and you needed 22" rims to fill the gap in the rear wheel arch as the rust got higher. ;D ;D Apart from that it was a comfy car.
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my mum and dad had this in the 80's..............
My dad, in the 1970s, had a Citroen DS Safari
(http://www.dsinasia.com/sitebuilder/images/Citroen_DS_Japan_safari6-310x235.jpg)
Was it the Maserati version :y :y
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It sounds like I'm alone on this one, but I always thought (and still do) that the Dolly Sprint was a really good looking car! I remember back in the early 90's, a guy where I used to work had a blue one with a straight through exhaust and a full roll cage! He used to drive everywhere flat out, and you could here him coming from miles away! He used to drive the onsite traffic wombles crazy!! ;D :y
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....
Was it the Maserati version :y :y
Maserati engined cars were the SM :y :y
(http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=130573440746)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-SM-EFI-1972-/130573440746?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1e66c896ea#ht_720wt_1139 I've only ever seen a hand full of them, & most, surprisingly enough were in France ;) ;)
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It sounds like I'm alone on this one, but I always thought (and still do) that the Dolly Sprint was a really good looking car! I remember back in the early 90's, a guy where I used to work had a blue one with a straight through exhaust and a full roll cage! He used to drive everywhere flat out, and you could here him coming from miles away! He used to drive the onsite traffic wombles crazy!! ;D :y
When I were a teenager in Belfast and had just got my Chevette HS, a bloke nearby had an ex works Dolly sprint which he rallied. He had all the talk about how many hundreds of BHP it had, and how it would eat my car ailve,blah,blah.....
We had a race around the local back roads for about 10 miles. I had finished smoking an Embassy Regal king size while I waited for him to turn up at the finish point (his lock up).
He didnt change any of his claims, he just decided I was too mental to be allowed on public roads. ::) :D ;D ;D ;D
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....
Was it the Maserati version :y :y
Maserati engined cars were the SM :y :y
(http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=130573440746)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-SM-EFI-1972-/130573440746?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1e66c896ea#ht_720wt_1139 I've only ever seen a hand full of them, & most, surprisingly enough were in France ;) ;)
I've only ever seen one and Burt Reynolds was driving it in a film, hence my ignorance of Citroens. ;D ;D ;D
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It sounds like I'm alone on this one, but I always thought (and still do) that the Dolly Sprint was a really good looking car! I remember back in the early 90's, a guy where I used to work had a blue one with a straight through exhaust and a full roll cage! He used to drive everywhere flat out, and you could here him coming from miles away! He used to drive the onsite traffic wombles crazy!! ;D :y
When I were a teenager in Belfast and had just got my Chevette HS, a bloke nearby had an ex works Dolly sprint which he rallied. He had all the talk about how many hundreds of BHP it had, and how it would eat my car ailve,blah,blah.....
We had a race around the local back roads for about 10 miles. I had finished smoking an Embassy Regal king size while I waited for him to turn up at the finish point (his lock up).
He didnt change any of his claims, he just decided I was too mental to be allowed on public roads. ::) :D ;D ;D ;D
and are you? :-/ :-/ :-/ ;D ;D ;D
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P.S. Who else thinks TBs parents were rich? ;)
Far from, sadly. They would have been had they not had so many bloody kids ;D
;D ;D
Speaking of Dolly Sprints - I saw one at the weekend.. brown, only slightly rusty (amazing!), towbar fitted and being driven by two blokes who looked about 22.. I expected grey hair and a cloth cap when I got level, but no, surfer dudes in shades ;D
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P.S. Who else thinks TBs parents were rich? ;)
Far from, sadly. They would have been had they not had so many bloody kids ;D
;D ;D
Speaking of Dolly Sprints - I saw one at the weekend.. brown, only slightly rusty (amazing!), towbar fitted and being driven by two blokes who looked about 22.. I expected grey hair and a cloth cap when I got level, but no, surfer dudes in shades ;D
surfer dudes seem to like retro. like those hideous and overpriced VW campers!!!
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It sounds like I'm alone on this one, but I always thought (and still do) that the Dolly Sprint was a really good looking car! I remember back in the early 90's, a guy where I used to work had a blue one with a straight through exhaust and a full roll cage! He used to drive everywhere flat out, and you could here him coming from miles away! He used to drive the onsite traffic wombles crazy!! ;D :y
When I were a teenager in Belfast and had just got my Chevette HS, a bloke nearby had an ex works Dolly sprint which he rallied. He had all the talk about how many hundreds of BHP it had, and how it would eat my car ailve,blah,blah.....
We had a race around the local back roads for about 10 miles. I had finished smoking an Embassy Regal king size while I waited for him to turn up at the finish point (his lock up).
He didnt change any of his claims, he just decided I was too mental to be allowed on public roads. ::) :D ;D ;D ;D
and are you? :-/ :-/ :-/ ;D ;D ;D
Not now, but then........... ::) :-X
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surfer dudes seem to like retro. like those hideous and overpriced VW campers!!!
Now, see.. I'd really quite like a well sorted VW bus :-[
Although .. it might have to be this one: http://www.race-taxi.ch/indexx.htm
(VW Camper with all the running gear from a Porsche 911 993 turbo..)
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surfer dudes seem to like retro. like those hideous and overpriced VW campers!!!
Now, see.. I'd really quite like a well sorted VW bus :-[
Although .. it might have to be this one: http://www.race-taxi.ch/indexx.htm
(VW Camper with all the running gear from a Porsche 911 993 turbo..)
Ah man, I'd give my right arm for an early split-screen bus. I don't care how crap they are, they're just the height of cool 8-)
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the marina..........
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/marinagt.jpg)
and the austin ambassador........
(http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j453/Webbybear/ado71amb_04.jpg)
i swear i'm not being sarcastic. i think they're good looking cars. better than that 80's hatrchback volvo... whatever that was called :-?
Bloody hell,that's quite scary,I've owned both of them in my past.Actually the Ambassador was a comfy old barge which handled like an old barge :-/
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A comfy old barge that could also make you seasick with its rocking, particularly when using the handbrake on a hill.
:)
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A comfy old barge that could also make you seasick with its rocking, particularly when using the handbrake on a hill.
:)
Lol,even worse when the rubber rear suspension check straps were knackered ;D
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A comfy old barge that could also make you seasick with its rocking, particularly when using the handbrake on a hill.
:)
Lol,even worse when the rubber rear suspension check straps were knackered ;D
i did see the SD1 in the BL review trying to park in neutral with just the handbrake on, on a 1 in 3 hill on the TG review.....
before it even made it to the top it started wheel spinning and created a huuuuge cloud of smoke :o :o :o :o
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my mum and dad had this in the 80's..............
My dad, in the 1970s, had a Citroen DS Safari
(http://www.dsinasia.com/sitebuilder/images/Citroen_DS_Japan_safari6-310x235.jpg)
Was it the Maserati version :y :y
That was the SM
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my mum and dad had this in the 80's..............
My dad, in the 1970s, had a Citroen DS Safari
(http://www.dsinasia.com/sitebuilder/images/Citroen_DS_Japan_safari6-310x235.jpg)
Was it the Maserati version :y :y
That was the SM
See reply #31 ;) ;) ;)
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My dad had a Dolomite sprint back in the late 70's. I never drove it as i was only a child but loved it.
We were a bit of a Triumph family As my nan had a GT6 and my mum a Vitesse convertible later replaced with a stag. That little fleet kept my dad busy most weekends with running repairs!
Since passing my test I have had several rover SD1's. Think they are great cars and the sound of that V8 is music to my ears.
Never had a princess. Don't think I have ever even been in one. So cant really comment on them.
Do remember the marina though. A friends father had one. Even though I was only about nine at the time I could tell it was rubbish. Even as a child I could not understand why the design team though it was a good idea to curve the dash away from the driver so the radio faced the passenger seat! Probably the same person who thought it was a good idea to use the front suspension from an ancient morris minor.
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... Probably the same person who thought it was a good idea to use the front suspension from an ancient morris minor.
..... and to put a square steering wheel in the AllAgro :-? :-? ;D ;D :y
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... Probably the same person who thought it was a good idea to use the front suspension from an ancient morris minor.
..... and to put a square steering wheel in the AllAgro :-? :-? ;D ;D :y
My ex wife had a 1973 aggro with the said "quartic" wheel,when you let it slip through your hands it looked from outside like you were conducting a band :-X.it did'nt stay on long :-/
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... when you let it slip through your hands it ....
which was exactly what it was designed to prevent :y :y :y :y
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Funny how people would criticise the quartic steering wheel in the Allegro but hardly anyone remembers the oval wheel in the MKIII Cortina :)
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I find this discussion very entertaining as an owner of a BL 1500 Spitfire. I'm under no illusions, the thing rusts away in front of your eyes and has loads of weird quirks. It's 33 years old so is probably better built now than when it left the factory. But for me, this is the fascination - all of the cars mentioned here are cult cars (allegros, marinas, SD-1's etc) and the fact that they are so badly designed, awful to look at and dreadfully put together makes them interesting. A big part of our motoring heritage.
Driving a reliable, well built and designed car is boring.
And despite what my elder sibling may say, I'd love to have an SD-1 on my drive for this very reason.... :y
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It would probably be fun to have one as a hobby, something to keep yourself out of mischief on the days off work etc. And would probably be fun to drive on sunny Sunday afternoons etc.
To have one as everyday transport that you depend on to get to work everyday etc. would be a living nightmare imo. :y
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It would probably be fun to have one as a hobby, something to keep yourself out of mischief on the days off work etc. And would probably be fun to drive on sunny Sunday afternoons etc.
To have one as everyday transport that you depend on to get to work everyday etc. would be a living nightmare imo. :y
Completely agree...... my spitfire was bought as a daily driver but it was soon realised it wasn't practical or dry.....
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Funny how people would criticise the quartic steering wheel in the Allegro but hardly anyone remembers the oval wheel in the MKIII Cortina :)
I remember them, more so of the earlier 'tunnel dash' cars, but the oval was less noticable when it self centred than the quatic was :y
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And despite what my elder sibling may say
We all know if you cut him in half, there would be a Vauxhall badge through him, like a stick of rock ;)
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And despite what my elder sibling may say
We all know if you cut him in half, there would be a Vauxhall badge through him, like a stick of rock ;)
;D ;D ;D
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You all moan about the old Rover SD1 and turns out it can do something all our Omega's can't do. Run on coffee !!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-14917496
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1BnhZsS8a0
SD1 with a Spitfire Engine :y :y
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I've always fancied one of these :-[
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/austin-morris-2200-0-previous-keepers-1973-L-reg-land-crab-wolseley-/280737418202?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item415d410bda#ht_924wt_1137
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nice looking motors pete, & that 1 looks in bloomin good condition. :y
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I have had two Rover SD1 2400SD (or sd turbo) one in poo brown and the other in pillar box red ,fantastic cars in their day,wish I had kept hold of one ,very few and far between now I believe!!
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You all moan about the old Rover SD1 and turns out it can do something all our Omega's can't do. Run on coffee !!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-14917496
Surprising given the amount of "gasification" we indulge in. ::)
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I've always fancied one of these :-[
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/austin-morris-2200-0-previous-keepers-1973-L-reg-land-crab-wolseley-/280737418202?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item415d410bda#ht_924wt_1137
There must be something you can take for that Pete :D :D ;D
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I have to say I'm a big fan of BL. I know I'm probably going to get a bit of stick for this but the Vanden Plas Allegro is one of my all time favourites....
In the last 7yrs I've owned an Allegro, a Maxi, 3 Princesses and an Ambassador, for which I'm sorry :P
I will say you do have to be a bit of a weightlifter to get any of them round a corner! Very innovative for the day though - a 5 speed box in 1978
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It would probably be fun to have one as a hobby, something to keep yourself out of mischief on the days off work etc. And would probably be fun to drive on sunny Sunday afternoons etc.
To have one as everyday transport that you depend on to get to work everyday etc. would be a living nightmare imo. :y
Why would it be a nightmare to use such car for the purpose it was designed for?
The biggest issue I find with using an older car is one that no-one else has mentioned: it's that the heaters take ages to warm up and the fans don't work very well! So you do have to wipe the condensation off the screen occasionally.
Otherwise, they're cheap and easy to fix(head gasket on my Avenger, caused by me driving it 7 miles with a missing core plug, took an hour and cost £15 for the set, which turned up an hour after I ordered it), and rarely require odd/expensive tools.
You might want to consider the benefits of the value of your car going up, rather than sinking through the floor!
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Imo it would be a nightmare because the ride/handling/comfort and reliability are almost always poor by 21st century standards.Although admittedly often easier to fix when they do go wrong.
I can remember the clutch cable snapped on my Avenger just after I left the DTV workshop in Shepreth one Friday, in rush hour (around 1980), not only did it get me home (approx 50 miles) but I drove it around like that for over a week. ::) ;D
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I have to say I'm a big fan of BL. I know I'm probably going to get a bit of stick for this but the Vanden Plas Allegro is one of my all time favourites....
In the last 7yrs I've owned an Allegro, a Maxi, 3 Princesses and an Ambassador, for which I'm sorry :P
I will say you do have to be a bit of a weightlifter to get any of them round a corner! Very innovative for the day though - a 5 speed box in 1978
I owned a very low milage automatic version ,lovely inside with picnic tables ;),autobox was dire though,I swapped the engine and box from a 1750 aggro hls into it after which it went quite well :D
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I have to say I'm a big fan of BL. I know I'm probably going to get a bit of stick for this but the Vanden Plas Allegro is one of my all time favourites....
In the last 7yrs I've owned an Allegro, a Maxi, 3 Princesses and an Ambassador, for which I'm sorry :P ......
:o :o :o :o :o Good god! Do you wear a hair shirt while you drive them too! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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my dad had a princess during the miners strike in 84/85 it covered over 25k miles in the 12 months on flying picket duty, with 4 and sometimes 5 up burly yorkshire miners (no whippets or pigeons aloud) and usually on the return they had a couple of sacks of vegatables that had been borrowed from farmers fields...in 12 months it required a ball joint.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1BnhZsS8a0
SD1 with a Spitfire Engine :y :y
Or, more accurately, a Rover with tank engine. Just like the other V12 aero engined car, the Beast. Both use RR Meteors, which was developed from the Merlin, and is much more 'suitable' for such uses. Easier to find, and MUCH cheaper too. Lacking the supercharger, and with other revisions, they only make about 600hp, although I doubt that's much of an issue.
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It would probably be fun to have one as a hobby, something to keep yourself out of mischief on the days off work etc. And would probably be fun to drive on sunny Sunday afternoons etc.
To have one as everyday transport that you depend on to get to work everyday etc. would be a living nightmare imo. :y
Why would it be a nightmare to use such car for the purpose it was designed for?
The biggest issue I find with using an older car is one that no-one else has mentioned: it's that the heaters take ages to warm up and the fans don't work very well! So you do have to wipe the condensation off the screen occasionally.
Otherwise, they're cheap and easy to fix(head gasket on my Avenger, caused by me driving it 7 miles with a missing core plug, took an hour and cost £15 for the set, which turned up an hour after I ordered it), and rarely require odd/expensive tools.
You might want to consider the benefits of the value of your car going up, rather than sinking through the floor!
I managed to dehead a Sunbeam (same lump) in under half hour.
Had to replace head as I had skimmed too much off the original (running over 10:1 CR), and it cracked around the plugs (lasted about 2 years), replaced with a mildly skimmed one with new valves and PB guides.
I wish I still had that car :(
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Imo it would be a nightmare because the ride/handling/comfort and reliability are almost always poor by 21st century standards.Although admittedly often easier to fix when they do go wrong.
I can remember the clutch cable snapped on my Avenger just after I left the DTV workshop in Shepreth one Friday, in rush hour (around 1980), not only did it get me home (approx 50 miles) but I drove it around like that for over a week. ::) ;D
I found the seats in UK Hillman/Chrysler stuff to be very good, better than the late 80s and 90s stuff other people had.
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I've always fancied one of these :-[
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/austin-morris-2200-0-previous-keepers-1973-L-reg-land-crab-wolseley-/280737418202?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item415d410bda#ht_924wt_1137
There must be something you can take for that Pete :D :D ;D
I had an M reg 2200 for 3 years. There was allegedly a flaw in the engine design in that the pistons were quite short and prone to failure. The reason I say this is that the engine oil light came on in middle of nowhere - somewhere between Dobwalls and Bodmin at 10 pm travelling from Manchester to St Agnes. 6 week old baby in car. Police ran me to get oil and made journey to St Agnes. New engine (well short motor) was fitted in a garage built into one of the old tin mine workings in St Agnes. Borrowed an Allegro for the 2 weeks it took to get this lot sorted.
2200 was also prone to rust - it had a respray after about 5 or 6 years. Very smooth car I recall but fwd.
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lol the Bl stuff has gone full circle, they are so un-cool they are now cool!
I have a thing for them, i dont think they are the best cars in the world, but still a good laugh to drive around.
ive had many allegros, vdp1500s, austin 1100s, princess's metros marinas pretty much the whole line up.
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I have a thing for them, ..... ive had many allegros, vdp1500s, austin 1100s, princess's metros marinas pretty much the whole line up.
I'm not sure if you deserve a medal or need committing to an asylum? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I have a thing for them, ..... ive had many allegros, vdp1500s, austin 1100s, princess's metros marinas pretty much the whole line up.
I'm not sure if you deserve a medal or need committing to an asylum? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I've already put in a call to the men in white coats.. although I called them about Guy and his ancient Ford fetish and they've clearly not turned up yet since he's looking at another one.. ;D
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The Marina was a wonderful car. Beautifully built.......and it handled better than a Lotus... :)
;D ;D ;D You know how to tell em!
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I have a thing for them, ..... ive had many allegros, vdp1500s, austin 1100s, princess's metros marinas pretty much the whole line up.
I'm not sure if you deserve a medal or need committing to an asylum? ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I've already put in a call to the men in white coats.. although I called them about Guy and his ancient Ford fetish and they've clearly not turned up yet since he's looking at another one.. ;D
the doctors said i was insane....but they are all dead now whahahahahaahhaah
*dons silver foil helmet to stop cia taking thoughts
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the doctors said i was insane....but they are all dead now whahahahahaahhaah
*dons silver foil helmet to stop cia taking thoughts
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I find this discussion very entertaining as an owner of a BL 1500 Spitfire. I'm under no illusions, the thing rusts away in front of your eyes and has loads of weird quirks. It's 33 years old so is probably better built now than when it left the factory. But for me, this is the fascination - all of the cars mentioned here are cult cars (allegros, marinas, SD-1's etc) and the fact that they are so badly designed, awful to look at and dreadfully put together makes them interesting. A big part of our motoring heritage.
Driving a reliable, well built and designed car is boring.
And despite what my elder sibling may say, I'd love to have an SD-1 on my drive for this very reason.... :y
You missed out on all the evenings and weekends of helping Dad repair some of the UK's finest built motors in order to bring in a few quid. I also recall 2 VERY cold evenings ina shed near the railway sattion doing the brake pipes on a Dolomite (I had to be there to pump the dam brakes!)
It has to be said that the weidest was the Renault five with a knackered timing chain which required the engine to be removed to replace :o
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It has to be said that the weidest was the Renault five with a knackered timing chain which required the engine to be removed to replace :o
I have a soft spot for Renault 5's - t'was my first 'quick' modified car (a later GT Turbo, of course). Chavtastic, but a lot of fun.
Apart from the drive to Silverstone with the heater on full in the middle of summer to stop it boiling over.. ;D
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I find this discussion very entertaining as an owner of a BL 1500 Spitfire. I'm under no illusions, the thing rusts away in front of your eyes and has loads of weird quirks. It's 33 years old so is probably better built now than when it left the factory. But for me, this is the fascination - all of the cars mentioned here are cult cars (allegros, marinas, SD-1's etc) and the fact that they are so badly designed, awful to look at and dreadfully put together makes them interesting. A big part of our motoring heritage.
Driving a reliable, well built and designed car is boring.
And despite what my elder sibling may say, I'd love to have an SD-1 on my drive for this very reason.... :y
You missed out on all the evenings and weekends of helping Dad repair some of the UK's finest built motors in order to bring in a few quid. I also recall 2 VERY cold evenings ina shed near the railway sattion doing the brake pipes on a Dolomite (I had to be there to pump the dam brakes!)
It has to be said that the weidest was the Renault five with a knackered timing chain which required the engine to be removed to replace :o
they were certainly weird with the gearbox out front behind the bumper :-X