Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Also, Giorgetto Giugairo retires :(

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/motoring-issues/2015/design-legend-giorgetto-giugiaro-quits-his-own-company-as-audi-takes-over/

Awesome career.

.

We had a hydrogen fuel cell van when I worked for westminster council. It was shite. It had a massively over-engineered gas tank, to comply with safety regs, so it barely had any space for an actual load. The fuel cell is a clever bit of kit, but it is really just a fancy way of powering an electric motor. You have to expend energy somehow to get your hydrogen, either by burning fuel to run an electrolysis plant, or using wind or solar power. If you're going to go that route, you might as well just charge a battery. With battery tech improving all the time, it seems like a bit of a dead-end for road vehicles.
The company who made our van were called Zevco, who seem to have folded. The blokes I spoke to when they delivered the van seemed to think that the best chance of success for the technology was for marine engines, where the weight of the fuel tanks is less of an issue.

I bought the car from a private dealer just over a year ago

the 'Engine Coolant Level Warning' light is on. It has been on for a few years now - when it first came on I checked the coolant

The problem with the 'Hydrogen economy' is that as vehicle fuel it has a relatively low specific energy. Ponder this; which contains more hydrogen, a litre of liquid hydrogen or a litre of petrol?

It is petrol.

The fuel tank was not over-engineered, it needs to withstand great pressure,
and prevent the hydrogen, the smallest molecule of gas there is, from just dissipating through the metal, which it will also gradually embrittle.

It takes a lot of energy to produce hydrogen, then a lot more to compress it.
Then you have to carry around a heavy fuel tank.
I find it hard to be enthused about the 'hydrogen economy'
Hydrogen

Anyone else read the 100k garages on Pistonheads?

Some interesting choices.

Picked up the W124 from upthread. Cracking car, great seller with the right attitude. Done a lot of proactive maintenance work so it's in very good nick for what it is. That said, it's not 100%, but tbh that's a relief so I can actually enjoy using it rather than just worry about about marking it.

Got some rust spots here and there though that I'm not sure how / if / when to tackle. Might leave it for a few months to see how things progresses.

Anyone got a good link for reading up on rust and how to treat it?

More pictures please!

I only started thinking about estates last week and how much more practical they are and how I should have got one. Sort of wishing I'd got a W124 or BMW E30 estate now.

I'm glad my necessary skeptical voice didn't put you off!

Cold galvanising spray, is a very high zinc primer that is brilliant to stop the rust coming back for a while.

buy a giulietta , much better can even in more basic spec . On my second .

Ring Talk

http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/a25967/stuck-between-mythology-and-reality-the-nurburgring-faces-an-uncertain-future-an-american-living-trackside-unlocks-the-gates/

FINALLY going to Goowood Rev on a racing day this year :D

Pics will come, just need to have a new star delivered :)

Ah ETO65T my old 911 Turbo, bought it in 2011 for 16k off eBay, fixed the engine, refurbed the wheels and laughed all the way to the bank when I sold it for 25k.

Four years later, no more work done and it's on the front page of https://www.silverstoneauctions.com/ with a guide of 65-75k.

FML.

What does 50k get you these days tho?

A garage in Wandsworth.

..with their numbers on their name
funny ow their missus always looks the bleedin same..

At least a couple of decent nights out at Charlie Chans.

@rive_gauche & @Hefty #repped

Chans - those were the days...

FML indeed. Porsche values have always risen well, but at the moment it seems so strong that even the less desirable (now!) seem worth a punt.

They're all increasing in value considerably - even 912's and 914's are worth a look.

i was looking at a 912 when i bought the b. just out of my range then, but waaaay out now. 996s seem to be the remaining affordable porsches that look likely to rise.

interestingly, a dude at work had his db7 written off by an apprentice at his garage and is now looking at e-types. they seem to be leveling off after the massive hikes around their 50th anniversary.

996 Turbo S is the one to buy now of that era...its not too late..but after the summer it will be.

My issue with 996's are that they're seriously complex pieces of machinery.