Machines and engines

My favourite engine is a Rover V8. I've had a few in various cars from an SD1 to a TVR and it's a joy to work on. Very logical, very simple, very small & light. Even the fuel injection was a doddle to work on. So many modifcations available to improve them. A perfect design.

The rover v8 was a much sought after engine back then,, as you say small in over all size, light and was used in just about anything and everything, I was lucky to own A p6 3500 automatic, wedge shaped, way ahead of its time, the whole dash reminded me of a space craft, so many dials and each lit up in green at night, very quick car, drank petrol, the reason I was lucky was that it was screeching and the owner was told it couldn’t be fixed,, was siezing up,

 I guessed it wasn’t, took a chance, paid very little for it.

 It was a blocked oil strainer, took Off the sump oh boy thick sludge,, cleaned it, changed the oil, turned it over, screech for a second then all nice and quite, it had fairly good oil pressure considering, they suffered with ever decreasing oil pressure anyway, I owned that when I only had a provisional license, my parents sat besides me or one of my mates with a full licence. Thank you for the memory mr plastic, 

I liked the P6 - interesting suspension for its day - horizontal front springs and a DeDion rear end.

I like the way the original 3500 V8s can be swapped for a 4600 with no mechanical mods - 150bhp magically becomes 330bhp for the cost of a scrap Range Rover.

You were lucky the engine had hydraulic lifters - low oil pressure stops the valves opening fully so self-limiting engine power when there's no lubrication to protect the bearings. Another accidental good design....

Looking at the cars you've driven, I'm guessing you like something with a lot of back end, and RWD. Definitely a thrill seeker, but you have a great strategy for flipping a bad investment, so that levels it out a little!

Plastic said:

I'm really not a fan of Zondas - it's just another Ferrari that crashed into a Wurlitzer jukebox and they didn't separate the wreckage.

Lololololol, this was probably the funniest think I've heard all week. Thanks! Lol, yeah, that does make sense, I won't be able to look at one now without thinking the flywheel is an old Motown 45 logded inside it!

Triumph Herald's are real nice looking. I liked a lot of Triumph's cars. My dad owned a Dolomite. The 2CV was a Bond car, when Bond was good, that's enough for me.

I ended up with a TVR because I fancied building a kit car. I looked at the market and deduced that the minimum price for anything was about 7k by the time paint, wheels, instruments etc. were added up.

That discounts building anything difficult to sell to recover the money if I hate the end product.

I started looking at the Cobra replicas - they are all basically Ford/Jag suspension with a V8 - the same as a TVR - and I can test-drive a TVR - and the hood works, it has a windscreen wiper that works, doors that open & close, electric windows etc. and someone has already debugged (mostly) the build.

Logical Asperger choice.

Mine had a straight-through exhaust - it was so loud that it made my ears ring. The clutch, gearchange & steering were so heavy that anything more than 10 miles was like being beaten up. Way too tiring to drive long distance. 10mpg sucks too.

I'm really not a fan of Zondas - it's just another Ferrari that crashed into a Wurlitzer jukebox and they didn't separate the wreckage.

Yes - I'm a thrill seeker. I'm so Aspie that I crave data input all then time. I'm a roller coaster fan, I've done aerobatic flying lessons, dived with sharks (no cage) - if it's a huge data-rush, then I'm in.

For a forever car, I'm thinking a Triumph Herald or 2CV - practical, simple and maintainable.

Plastic said:

I'm not impressed by most supercars - they all follow a simple formula. The only one that ticks my box is the Koenigsegg. Ferraris & Lambos are just fragile footballer's cars now.

Lol, yeah, they are pretty much awful. As I said I do like the Zonda, it's got it's own thing. Koenigseggs are a unique brand too, Christian von Koenigsegg seems like a guy who is really hands on. He actually cares about his product, every nut and bolt. There's a documentary on Netflix called Apex. It pretty much sums up the Hypercar market. It's an amazing documentary. It's all about a competition where they had a gentleman's agreement for a few track records. Koenigsegg show everything they can, and invite the documentary makers in. Koenigsegg is open about everything, you can really see his passion. Porsche are pretty open too. McClaren are friendly-ish. Pagani too. Ferrari on the other hand.......well they dive to lows I didn't expect. I actually hold a bit of contempt towards Ferrari. Tossers to be honest. I do like the Ferrari FF, it's more of a Grand Tourer. Weird blend of supercar, hatchback and estate "thing"!

Plastic said:

TVR & Lotus were just glorified kit cars. Shocking manufacturing design. Lots of washers to pack things out to get things straight. (I had a few).

I have the feeling you are quite the thrill seeker. You owned a TVR, which design faults or not, were real deathtraps in most cases (In a good way, lol), but a "drivers" car. Koenigseggs aren't the safest or easiest cars to drive!

Plastic said:

I like the stripped-down simplicity of rally cars - nothing on them that absolutely doesn't have to be there.

Rally was the testing ground for so much stuff too. I also liked the aspect of some of the "everyman" cars of those days being turned into absolute monsters.

Plastic said:

With all the up-coming hassle about emissions and hybrids/electrics, I'm looking at what classic I can use as a daily driver that is exempt from everything.

It's going to be a sad day. I'll miss seeing the odd classic on the road. It's wonderful to see one of those cars that made your jaw drop all those years ago, in perfect condition, and stiil being cared for lovingly. I'd imagine some hearts will be broken with all that.

Plastic said:

I'm not impressed by most supercars - they all follow a simple formula. The only one that ticks my box is the Koenigsegg. Ferraris & Lambos are just fragile footballer's cars now.

Lol, yeah, they are pretty much awful. As I said I do like the Zonda, it's got it's own thing. Koenigseggs are a unique brand too, Christian von Koenigsegg seems like a guy who is really hands on. He actually cares about his product, every nut and bolt. There's a documentary on Netflix called Apex. It pretty much sums up the Hypercar market. It's an amazing documentary. It's all about a competition where they had a gentleman's agreement for a few track records. Koenigsegg show everything they can, and invite the documentary makers in. Koenigsegg is open about everything, you can really see his passion. Porsche are pretty open too. McClaren are friendly-ish. Pagani too. Ferrari on the other hand.......well they dive to lows I didn't expect. I actually hold a bit of contempt towards Ferrari. Tossers to be honest. I do like the Ferrari FF, it's more of a Grand Tourer. Weird blend of supercar, hatchback and estate "thing"!

Plastic said:

TVR & Lotus were just glorified kit cars. Shocking manufacturing design. Lots of washers to pack things out to get things straight. (I had a few).

I have the feeling you are quite the thrill seeker. You owned a TVR, which design faults or not, were real deathtraps in most cases (In a good way, lol), but a "drivers" car. Koenigseggs aren't the safest or easiest cars to drive!

Plastic said:

I like the stripped-down simplicity of rally cars - nothing on them that absolutely doesn't have to be there.

Rally was the testing ground for so much stuff too. I also liked the aspect of some of the "everyman" cars of those days being turned into absolute monsters.

Plastic said:

With all the up-coming hassle about emissions and hybrids/electrics, I'm looking at what classic I can use as a daily driver that is exempt from everything.

It's going to be a sad day. I'll miss seeing the odd classic on the road. It's wonderful to see one of those cars that made your jaw drop all those years ago, in perfect condition, and stiil being cared for lovingly. I'd imagine some hearts will be broken with all that.

Looking at the cars you've driven, I'm guessing you like something with a lot of back end, and RWD. Definitely a thrill seeker, but you have a great strategy for flipping a bad investment, so that levels it out a little!

Plastic said:

I'm really not a fan of Zondas - it's just another Ferrari that crashed into a Wurlitzer jukebox and they didn't separate the wreckage.

Lololololol, this was probably the funniest think I've heard all week. Thanks! Lol, yeah, that does make sense, I won't be able to look at one now without thinking the flywheel is an old Motown 45 logded inside it!

Triumph Herald's are real nice looking. I liked a lot of Triumph's cars. My dad owned a Dolomite. The 2CV was a Bond car, when Bond was good, that's enough for me.

I ended up with a TVR because I fancied building a kit car. I looked at the market and deduced that the minimum price for anything was about 7k by the time paint, wheels, instruments etc. were added up.

That discounts building anything difficult to sell to recover the money if I hate the end product.

I started looking at the Cobra replicas - they are all basically Ford/Jag suspension with a V8 - the same as a TVR - and I can test-drive a TVR - and the hood works, it has a windscreen wiper that works, doors that open & close, electric windows etc. and someone has already debugged (mostly) the build.

Logical Asperger choice.

Mine had a straight-through exhaust - it was so loud that it made my ears ring. The clutch, gearchange & steering were so heavy that anything more than 10 miles was like being beaten up. Way too tiring to drive long distance. 10mpg sucks too.

I'm really not a fan of Zondas - it's just another Ferrari that crashed into a Wurlitzer jukebox and they didn't separate the wreckage.

Yes - I'm a thrill seeker. I'm so Aspie that I crave data input all then time. I'm a roller coaster fan, I've done aerobatic flying lessons, dived with sharks (no cage) - if it's a huge data-rush, then I'm in.

For a forever car, I'm thinking a Triumph Herald or 2CV - practical, simple and maintainable.