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

Most of the mainland UK ones are short courses on driveways of manor houses or in parks, they're quite different to the closed road ones elsewhere in Europe etc

This. Although Subaru driveshafts do shear quite easily so makes them easy to remove. Just take the car out, dump the clutch... That should do it.

cheers dude. Gotcha.

will be something to research in the new year.

I've got paddles in the Subaru... FUCKING PADDLES!!!

I'm so relieved you didn't buy a Corolla.

I have also just decided that I have to own a V12 soon.

A moment of madness...

All modern cars can handle E10 unleaded fuel, right? Was at the pump on Saturday and had a bit of a panic about what to put in my tank... I opted for the ethanol free, but lower octane, 91 option...

Should be fine, also - petrol is dirt cheap in Australia, use the proper stuff.

Cheap is relative, but you're right... And I'm a cheap bastard, that's a fact...

Looks like an ultra-rare 130TC Abarth model too. :’-/

Taking this out for a test drive on Saturday. Looking forward to it big time!

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It was an Abarth 130TC yep

Not a fan of the production car...but this.

Does it say you can run 91 on the inside of the fuel flap? Or Suby says 95 minimum

But that would shorten dammit’s inevitable journey to race spec outcome and thus deprive us of months of entertainment.
Also the Storm is a completely different vehicle isn’t it?

Shame, but it was being used as intended and will be back on the road I’m sure. I am reminded of a passenger journey in a very well sorted red one (a 130TC I mean) in the late 90s at an Italian car event in Lincolnshire. I used to hang about with my uncle a lot back then, and he was in the Italian owners clubs. I was lucky to ride in some incredible motors. Anyway this car was caged with six point harnesses and went very indeed. There was a b-road circuit around the event and he really caned it. Carbs roaring, exhaust blatting, air under all four wheels at one point. Glorious. The lust has remained with me. #csb

just got my hands on this.. ex TTE recce car from 91, runs on VEMS standalone, has a dog-engagement box with straight cut gears.. truly insane. these two items were added by a later owner, so the plan is to convert it back to stock and merge the parts into another toyota project i've got

Just says unleaded fuel, doesn't specify a rating... I'm sure it'll be ok but I'll call my local Subaru dealer today...

It’s sometimes also listed on a sticker under the bonnet

I'd definitely be using 95 minimum. The engine will be happier. 91 should be ok though as the computer will sort out the ignition and fuel ratios etc... Even E10 would be ok but I'd rather not. Check the cars log book, it'll tell you.

The lower the octane of the fuel the more of said fuel the car will use. Whether the higher efficiency balances the higher cost of a better fuel is something I'm doubtful of, but it's still a thing.

Related note - I'd hate to see what my C55 did in terms of MPG on basic unleaded, but as it's forbidden in the user manual I'm unlikely to try it.

So Munich Legends identified the following as suggestions for attention at next service interval (6000 miles away):

1. Remove wheel spacers, supply and fit locking wheel nuts
   
2. Passenger side suspension bump stop
   
3. Passenger side upper control arm
   
4. Alignment check
   
5. Driver side headlight bulb cover (cover clip broken)
   
6. Passenger side headlight (cover clip retainer broken)
   
7. Rear diff seals (current ones sweating slightly, not urgent)
   
8. New bonnet struts (current ones a bit slow to open but holding open just fine)
   
   

I also asked them to remove the towbar.

The estimate..... Just shy of £1400 for parts and labour!

I have the original wheel bolts, including locking ones in the boot. I'll remove the spacers myself! Rear wheel doesn't even need to come out to change the bumpstop, and assuming they're not seized the control arm is one bolt on the hub one on the subframe. The parts are £75, I'll prob to both sides to satisfy my ocd. Bonnet struts are £15 each.

I thought my days of diy mechanicing were over but going to save myself some cash and do the suspension bits myself, and nip to the local kwik fit for an alignment.

Headlights, drivers side i can get a new cover, but passenger side i might need to try a cable tie. There are 3 other retaining clips on the cover but it appears to be letting a bit of moisture in. New xenon headlight is nearly 300 + vat.

Diff seals can wait til they become a bigger problem. I'd really like a lsd at some point anyway. Towbar can stay for the time being.

This is awesome. What are the parts you're taking off going into?
And will you keep this in a similar spec to how it would have been when used by TTE?

I drove a Hyundai I30 today. In a it was the only convenient Zipcar kinda way, not a test drive kinda way, but I did go in open minded never having driven a Hyundai before.

I was impressed.

Hyundai have somehow managed to fit it with the worst manual gearbox of any car I've ever driven.

A quick Google found this on an I30 forum, so it's not just me.

The manual gearbox is the slowest and most ponderous that I have encountered in a lifetime of driving manual cars.