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

Fuck! Amazing.

Keep your eye on the 26R too! Gorgeous but hideously expensive.

My old series 3 rx7 had a 13b Bridgeport in it. Was a very fun car. Was before they set 95db noise limits in new Zealand so was 116db at idle and 126db at 5000rpm but it would hit about 9.5 - 10k rpm on the odd occasion.

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Sorry for two posts I can seem to add more than one pic per post. This was my second rx7 series 5 bought as a rolling shell I bought a front cut and transferred everything into it. Was built it up as a street hack. The pic doesn't really show how orange it really was!

I wouldn't touch an rx8 most aren't serviced enough and carbon up as they need a good rev ever now and then. If you get one through the renesis motor in the bin and put in a 13b or 20b turbo in it.

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Nice. They've always been a rare thing. Now rare and expensive

Ah, but you can still get a brand new one built if you know the right people. Built and papered and on the grid at the Spa 6 hours. I very nearly went for it with a G12 but got a loft conversion instead :(

That is LOUD. Cool looking car!

Cheers man the blue one was one of my favourite cars. Still miss it now. I'll find a couple videos of it on YouTube.

Rotarys are fun motors but need to be built and tuned right otherwise you'll have drama. Sadly you don't really see to many in the UK.

It got painted this week. It is to be his swan song racer. He has had it since God was a boy.

If he doesn't mind, pics when it's finished please!

Hah, just like very classic race car now. With enough money you can get FIA papers for anything! My dad has been quite involved with Ginetta's over the years. First was a dealer when the G33 came out and then again recently selling G40's.

Someone had a Countach 5000S at classics on the common yesterday, is there any other cars that has such a disparity between how they look in photos and in real life, lenses just can't capture the absolute mentalness of them in the flesh

Where do I buy one?

I've always been super keen on RX7s and S2000s. I've driven a lot of 90s Japanese cars (and I mean a lot - uncle used to be a grey importer), and the RX7s always stand out for me. White FD Turbo with half cage, 150 on the A12, was louder than my current MX5 - which seems impossible. White FC on icy roads was an early foray into sideways action and I loved it.

I've never driven an S2000 but I drooled over one at a motor show years ago. I think it's the most ergonomic car I've sat in, which makes sense since it's designed for Japanese men who are about the same height as me. It felt very cosseting and quite special.

So nice!

My MX5 is not quite as loud at idle, but similar volume at 5000rpm.

9.5-10k must have been insane!!

You can buy RX8 bargains then whack a rebuilt Renesis in and treat it right. Rev 3 has the dash lights to tell you how to drive it correctly.

Yes! PICS!

Was it made of gold?

Actually what did the engine have done?

Regarding the Elan, I disagrre it is not nicer to steer and handiling wise, the original chasis and the spiders chasis improve things the differing rear drive possibilities. Of mass produced british cars it is better, but then throw in what Europeans were doing then you have a whole different set of cars to compare to.

But the Elan does have pretty lines and was driven by Diana Rigg in the Avengers....

hey! you can't argue with dogma... elan - best handling car, ever. :)

fwiw, the dude up there^^^ reckons that are superb on the road, but race prepped are a bit of a handful.

what euro cars are we comparing them to, anyway?

Who's your dad then?

Most Elans now have knackered driveshaft rubbers, but you can replace them with proper CV joint to fix that.

I've never driven one but I was told by an enthusiast that the best handling car ever is an Alfasud 1.3

I've driven an Alfasud... a mate had a tan-coloured four-door 1.3 ti and would let me take the wheel all the time. I was 17 so this was 1980 and the car must have been only about a year old. Fabulous feeling thing with a wonderful sounding boxer, amazing balance and chuckability. When the 205GTi came out everybody went mad for it, but it wasn't in the same league.

I've also heard of how sweet Suds are. The trouble is finding one to have a go in now that most of the rotted away. :-(

He runs a garage up in Northumberland called HHC Sportscars/Hexham Horseless Carriages. He's sold and specialised in TVR's since 1980 but having a love for all sportscars has dabbled in pretty much everything, especially low volume British sportscars such a Lotus, Noble and most recently Zenos.