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

focus st
astra vxr

GTI

2 yo 335 m sport

lease 340

Nearly new... Ish

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201604273379990

Will be going down the route of PCP, so would ideally be brand new to avail of lower APR and servicing/warranty packages. Still setting a limit of 25k, which is where the gt86 currently lies.

The gt86 is pretty perfect on paper, but the looks are a bit chavvy, and it's not european...

The megane/focus/astra are nice, but just a little out of range maybe, golf is too much.

I quite like the clio, but the DCT gearbox has gotten a bit of negative press. Maybe the fiesta is the best option? But is it the oldest, might be getting a revision soon?

Fair enough. Gt86 is nice.

Focus RS.

Just been detailed. 1996 Maserati Ghibli GT in Verde Tundra. Some pics as promised:

Cool

Oh my.

That's gorgeous!

@b&d and @BRM - thank you! I believe she's the lowest mileage Ghibli II on the road in the UK. I've been very fastidious over getting her up to spec. Nothing left to do now except for a couple of small paintwork bits. Should be going to Brands Festival Italia :)

I'm not jealous at all. Cool as fuck.

hitched to paris as a student and got a lift round the peripherique in one of those
proper turbo feel and the whole of the cockpit was trimmed with leather

possibly the best hitch ever

Lovely!

Now show us the golden cornish pasty clock :)

That must have literally been a blast! The peripherique is an odd road anyway, sort of like an urban track. Remember all the Black Prince footage on his GSXR1100?

The turbos can lull you into a false sense of security. They spool up gently and progressively if you accelerate smoothly but if you put your foot down it's Jekyll and Hyde! The whole engine note changes from a rumble to a roar and you get an almighty kick in the pants :)

Loving this Amzon Estate @Dammit
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1968-Volvo-Amazon-Station-Wagon-/142011582873?hash=item21108cc999:g:B-MAAOSwVyRXTzWG

That's lovely! They're really rare over here as most of them was used by companies and run into the ground, heaps of sedans around though

Loving the Marcello Gandini action on the last two pages.
My dad had a black Citroen BX GTi 8v. It was fantastic. I loved that car better than anything else he ever owned. He got it over the 16v because it had better in-gear acceleration. Plus in its first form the 16v bodykit was a bit of an ugly thing.

And the Maserati Ghibli is delicious. Those wheels are fantastic. Maserati might sell more cars now, but back then they would never have made the Ghibli a 4 door saloon with a tractor engine. How an engine looked and sounded was every bit as important as how it went.

One for Dammit. Volvo, rear wheel drive, plenty of space for bikes.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-VOLVO-740-HEARSE-CUSTOM-PROJECT-HOT-ROD-GOTH/282064964760?_trksid=p2141725.c100338.m3726&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20150313114020%26meid%3De1a5b8257b4e4b5bbd69ae205eab1d23%26pid%3D100338%26rk%3D13%26rkt%3D30%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D142011582873

I'm just popping in...I am definitely going to read this thread from front to back. I'm a car nut that's had an odd mix of old cars over the years.

This is just a random question.

For people that collect classic wheels/rims...it can be muscle car, sports car, race wheels, rare old school wheels, what was your favorite set you've personally owned?

About 10 years ago I had a set of Japanese SSR XR4 Longchamps in IMMACULATE condition. Looked factory fresh.
Rear: 15x8.5 -16 offset
Front: 15x8 -8 offset

Took me forever to find a decent set. They were a popular circuit wheel in the 80s/90s.

And my excuse to post a pic of them on one of my past cars.
73 240z, 280z block./3.1 stroker, triple 44mm Mikuni, custom coilover setup, 280Z 5 speed/rear end.
Loved this car so much. Longchamps fit it well.

The rims fit perfectly...lip lined up with the fender lip and sucked right in on bumps. It ended up slightly lower to even things out.

Can't believe how much time I spent on online offset calculators just making sure the lip is flush. Nothing worse than concave rims or the tuner family Nissan that has 15x8 -0 sticking 2" past the fender. I would study rim offset/widths vs different tire combos like it was a science. haha

Now I drive an old Japanese 4x4. I miss the stupid stuff but at the same time I don't.
Just hope I don't come across a 60's/70's Alfa GT 1300 JR (stepnose) or similar.

Cool story bro

Focus RS!

BQ - the fact that they make the Ghibli III also as a 4 door diesel is simply sacrilege. It doesn't deserve to carry the name. The petrol Sport package does redeem itself somewhat.

Fucking SSR Longchamps. Dreamy wheels on a dreamy car. You can come here any time!!

Someone on here but not on the thread has just bought a 1300 GT JR for resto so watch the fuck out.

no joy with the garage, btw. all pricey as tits