Machines and engines

I love machines and engines as well!

By this I mostly mean cars… Does that count? I guess they are kind of a machine. I like how there are so many different cars and how different each one is, and how much they have changed.

My favourite car – machine – ever was my dad’s 1992 Vauxhall Senator. It had a really unique and powerful engine, a 3.0i litre 24 valve engine which allowed it to do more than 150mph. It was a really smooth engine and was really silent when it went along, I even helped my dad restore it to its former glory in 2015 – sadly, in 2016 when going across a junction a lady ran a red light and wrote it off when she collided with it. Such a shame as it was a really nice car. Ever since I have struggled to travel in cars, I can’t get used to travelling in anything other than the Senator.

 We now own a 1992 Jaguar XJR 4.0 litre – the car in my profile picture – it’s the Senators replacement, it’s a lovely car, fast and luxurious and as we live on private land believe it or not it’s the first car I ever drove. I was so proud when I drove it, even though I only did 7mph up our driveway ha ha.
 It’s engine is very big and whistles like the wind. My own car, a Volvo 850 SE 2.5 litre engine is quite small really and isn’t nearly as loud as the Jaguar’s or quiet as the Senators… But I love it all the same.

Other machines and engines I love is the RMS Titanic! This was my favourite topic at school. I’ve read about it hundreds of times and watched the movie loads and loads, especially the parts where the ship is sinking. I find it and its mechanics so fascinating.

It is lovely to hear about your cars! They definitely belong in this discussion.

What a terrible thing to happen to the Senator - it really upsets me when vehicles get damaged. To me they are like members of the family!

The first car I owned was a Mini Clubman Estate, but I learnt to drive in a driving school Metro. You are very lucky indeed to have first driven a Jaguar, and to have a Volvo as your own car. 

I found that 7mph felt very fast when I first took control of a car! I really enjoy going out in cars such as MGB roadsters where you feel like you are going faster than you are. 

Mechanics of ships are fascinating too. In fact I've never found anything mechanical that hasn't been interesting. I really like the smell of oil and grease and watching engines in motion. 

Hi Sunflower,

Aw I know, it was such a terrible end for the Senator! It was my dad’s favourite car, his pride and joy, and I loved it too. It really was like a member of the family, we owned it for a long time.

It was an automatic, black leather seats and my favourite part was the orange LCD digital dashboard… It looked amazing watching the numbers change as you went along.

The day the Senator got hit was when my mum was told she had a brain tumour. We were on our way back from the hospital. We stopped at traffic lights and when they went green we set forward, heading for a junction. I was watching the orange dashboard as I usually did. We were midway across the junction and my dad saw something silver coming from the right, he hit the brakes and turned the wheel but sadly the lady who ran the red light didn’t see us and hit the Senators offside front wing. The first thing I knew about the crash was three things, two bangs which was the offside headlamp exploding and the Senators radiator that also exploded sending liquid all over the road. And as I was watching the dashboard at the time I also saw the MPH start to decrease, I remember it was like this…

18, 17, 16, 15, 14… and then the dashboard flickered, the stereo jumped and the Senator came to a stop. I was in tears after, it was horrible. Never want to experience anything like that again.

I miss the Senator, it was such a nice car, but I do like the Jag! It’s a beautiful car and the square headlamps really set it apart from the rest.

Aww cool a Mini Clubman Estate… I’ve seen plenty online but never one on the road. I love Mini’s, the classics are so nice looking. That must have been a great first car! Definitely not many of those around now! My dad wants to buy one to restore at some point.

Yeah I found 7mph really scary at first as well. It’s an odd feeling driving for the first time, too much pressure on the accelerator and you’ll shoot forward! Even when driving my own car on the drive I don’t do more than 10mph, always so afraid that I’ll go too fast and screw up. It is a 2.5 litre but it’s very gentle which I think is why my dad gave it to me.
It’s fun learning in it but I can’t wait for when I’m actually driving it fully on the road…

Yeah mechanics are fascinating! I love seeing how everything works, it’s crazy to see what powers a car and a ship!
 I even watched my dad uncase his HiFi and what makes it work is incredible!

Aw I’m really sorry to hear about your daughter. It’s not a nice thing to experience or to watch happen to somebody you love and care about! But, I am really pleased that she’s doing really well now. Sending, you and your daughter, all the very best for the future.

It was an awful day, I try my hardest not to think about it now because it’s just so exciting. The worst part is we were only 11 miles from home, had they stopped at the traffic light we would have been completely fine. However the good thing is that no one was hurt, just shaken up a little.

 Just after the crash we accelerated forward following the other car and then pulled up at the side of the road.
The Senators engine was very choky and unusually louder now. When I got out the damage was unbelievable! The engine bay had shifted over from the hit and the nearside wing was poking out towards the road. The bonnet had propped up close to the windscreen, the offside door mirror was on the junction with a part of the bumper and the remainder of the bumper was only just hanging off.

The main thing was that we were all ok. It’s something I don’t think we’ll ever forget, but it’s best to remember the good times we had with the Senator. It was a superb car and there were some fun times.
 In fact one time was in 2010 when we were travelling home from my grandparents. It was bone dry and yet when we got to the area where we lived there was deep snow everywhere! The fields, houses and trees were just a white blanket. It was like someone had gone over them with a paintbrush.

 The remainder of our journey consisted of driving really, really slowly. We watched as other cars skidded and slid on corners and the Senator gracefully pushed through the snow and according to my dad it never felt like it was out of control, he always felt safe in that car, and so did I.

Ha ha I’ve always been inquisitive with things like that too! But my dad always kept his workshop locked up so I could never get a chance to use his tools when he wasn’t around. Sounds like you had some fun when you were younger

Aw thank you. Yes I love writing! It's a real hobby of mine and I spend a lot of time writing stories, usually about demons and a group who stop them and protect humans! I also enjoy writing books like Roald Dahl.

Aw I’m really sorry to hear about your daughter. It’s not a nice thing to experience or to watch happen to somebody you love and care about! But, I am really pleased that she’s doing really well now. Sending, you and your daughter, all the very best for the future.

It was an awful day, I try my hardest not to think about it now because it’s just so exciting. The worst part is we were only 11 miles from home, had they stopped at the traffic light we would have been completely fine. However the good thing is that no one was hurt, just shaken up a little.

 Just after the crash we accelerated forward following the other car and then pulled up at the side of the road.
The Senators engine was very choky and unusually louder now. When I got out the damage was unbelievable! The engine bay had shifted over from the hit and the nearside wing was poking out towards the road. The bonnet had propped up close to the windscreen, the offside door mirror was on the junction with a part of the bumper and the remainder of the bumper was only just hanging off.

The main thing was that we were all ok. It’s something I don’t think we’ll ever forget, but it’s best to remember the good times we had with the Senator. It was a superb car and there were some fun times.
 In fact one time was in 2010 when we were travelling home from my grandparents. It was bone dry and yet when we got to the area where we lived there was deep snow everywhere! The fields, houses and trees were just a white blanket. It was like someone had gone over them with a paintbrush.

 The remainder of our journey consisted of driving really, really slowly. We watched as other cars skidded and slid on corners and the Senator gracefully pushed through the snow and according to my dad it never felt like it was out of control, he always felt safe in that car, and so did I.

Ha ha I’ve always been inquisitive with things like that too! But my dad always kept his workshop locked up so I could never get a chance to use his tools when he wasn’t around. Sounds like you had some fun when you were younger

Aw thank you. Yes I love writing! It's a real hobby of mine and I spend a lot of time writing stories, usually about demons and a group who stop them and protect humans! I also enjoy writing books like Roald Dahl.