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

I’m very much enjoying C55 ownership, it’s exactly the car I wanted, everything is automatic (gears, lights, air con, wipers, etc) and it’s got the sort of effortless performance that 5.4 litres suggests. It’s also got a pleasing (albeit muted) muscle car soundtrack which is fun.

I’ll hopefully be dropping it off in the next two weeks for wheel-arch work and a first service, and should get the 996 back at the same time.

I stayed at a rather lovely manoir in the Auvergne on Sunday and parked next to the owner’s also rather lovely 1954 XK120 drophead.
Nice appropriate registration too.

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He also had a 70s Ducati cafe racer in the breakfast room. Ridden by a skeleton. Like you do...

have you looked into trains? we checked the jeeb on a train in paris nd flew down to nice. we were drinking wine on the balcony at 2pm and the car turned up at noon the next day. we jumped in and drove to Florence (mental drive!).

there are routes that go further east.

train site

i've never driven a RHD in a LHD (scum) country. how much of a ballache is it / will i die?

it's a piece of piss.

you will die, though, eventually.

This is dreamy. Holiday/ housing/ transportation goals here.

Not quite as exciting as @Dammit et al, but in case anyone's interested, my Honda Stepwagn camper is up for sale here

The worst is driving a manual lhd car. The bruises on your left hand from hitting the door for the umpteenth time, reaching for the gear stick!

It’s a bit early, but I think I am going to buy this for Ronnie.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F263634224897

A martini paint job and he will be COLLECTING knickers at nursery

Yeah, going to repair all the body work. A big part of the reason I took this project on is to improve my metal work skills, so it's all practise! I'm a boatbuilder by trade, so happy making templates for 3D sections/ compound curves. Just need to refine my welding a bit!
Repaired the rotten door today, and pretty happy with how it turned out. Needs a little more hammering along the bottlm edge, but once it's had a light skim of filler and a coat of paint, it should look like new, hopefully!

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Thats awesome. Looks like a 962 but (pedant alert!) I don't think they ever actually ran those in Martini colours. How about some ciggy sponsorship instead??

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Hahaha. Love the pedantry.

Looking good! If you're a boatbuilder could you work on my wifes' C70, that handles like one...

In other news, behold the new BaldMobile, civilized inside, comfortable, all the electronic toys and 33mpg with my leaden right foot. It can even overtake without prior written permission!

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You'd fit right in down here in Sydney. Just need a 4" lift and 33" mud tyres. Perfect for the morning school run.

Relevant. Watched many times. Such a beautiful machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxC-knQmkM&t=27s

That's the most common use for them around here too, the mud tyres go on in winter for me. As a landscaper I can justify a pickup as a ton bag of materials can be forklifted into the back. It is irrelevant that it would also take 4 bikes/my kayak.....

As Clarkson said about a car, it sounds like Gods plumbing.

Just spent a few days in Florida, and it was so refreshing seeing all those F-250s / similar actually being used for pickup related activities. Some were trailing pretty impressive loads that you'd usually only see small lorries pulling in the UK.

(although there were of course plenty of lifted-farkled-penis-extensions)

You wouldn't want an F250 with UK fuel prices, they do about 17mpg driven gently and unladen! The L200 will tow a 3 ton digger and trailer if you ask it to, which I might occasionally. It is also surprisingly pleasant to drive, even over long distances.

The Triton, as they're known here are pretty good really. Apparently better on road than the Hilux and just as capable. Loads of tradies use the Hilux, followed by the Triton. All with the side benefits of dirt bikes/MTB fitting in the tray.

Seems the real off-road crew use old patrols and landcruisers though.

Hilux suffered from the top gear effect.

Has that changed from the SJ with the diesel lump that vauxhall used, Disco's and early landies. Or basically cheap 4x4 that aren't going back on the road, as the vehicles are going to get trashed.