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

So ~£1,000 per year more than VED.

Has anyone replaced their dual-mass flywheel with a single-mass? Did you notice much difference?

My dad was an automotive engineer for AP and spent years working on what were then called twin-mass flywheels. They were developed and fitted by car manufacturers to reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), so I'd presume that replacing one with a single mass flywheel would result in an increase in NVH.

Yup, more nvh but less chance of exploding...

Rear suspension was replaced as there are more bushes in the rear than a 'normal' car, the car was starting to creek from the rear and the handling was bit strange and as he was keeping the car decided to replace all the rear bushes. It is alot quicker to get an exchange rear suspension with all the bushes replaced and new bolts. The discs and pads needed doing as well, so he had waited to get everything done at once sort of thing.

If it ever comes up in conversation, ask if they did a comparison of the dual clutch plate fitted to the alfa gtv. Also if the dual mass needs a different driving style less to no engine braking but more using the brakes.

Interesting. Too involved for me though. Thanks for checking it up, appreciated!

Outstanding work, on the car and the vid

To be honest I cant see much of a downside.

Tax the rich or those who want to drive polluting cars. Yeah it sucks if you're not rich and want to drive a fast car on the road. But sort of tough really.

I'd guess you cant be taxed on a track car? So could do that as antidote.

Yeah, I'd agree with your assessment if the transport links were good, but in Ireland they are poor at best.

All well and good having an untaxed track car, but you'd need something to tow it with, and space to store it, and even then, there is only one track in Republic of Ireland, and one north of the border.

I'm all for reducing carbon footprint, my car only gets driven a few times a year, but Ireland is a long way from enabling it sadly.

Yes however you can still drive a car cheaply no? As mentioned above with the mini. Its perhaps not a fun car but it does the transport job.

Fair enough on track car. Poor public transport isnt really acceptable in this day and age. Especially if tax on vehicle is so high. Such money should be funneled into PT. Very much as we also need here, in areas that are not London!

Today's ride saw 2 completely new cars to me, and a mystery ancient car with wire wheels and running boards, that I hope any experts on pre WW2 cars can identify.

Firstly behold the aesthetic beauty of this off road kit car based on a Ford Cortina, the Adams Rotrax.

Next we have an apparent Russian legend, a Gaz-21 Series 3 Volga. I think its some kind of top of the range one, it has 'Legend' on the back, and I can't read what the text says on the passenger side front wing, is it 'Garna'? Love the jumping stag on the bonnet.


I'm hopeless at identifying very old cars, but saw this near Hyde Park and got a rare and expensive feeling about it. I can't see any name badges on it, and can't make out the bonnet logo/ornament. Zooming in there's what looks like a small 'T' just above the fuel filler cap on the running board, but that's all.

I particularly like the aero partial spare wheel covers at the rear of the car, that I thought would help identify it, but I'm stumped as to what it is. Anybody have any idea what this is?

Oh yeh, sorry misinterpreted what you were saying. You can run cars cheaply, but they are diesel, so you've the moral issues to contend with.

Even for "cheap to run" cars, the tax is too high in Ireland.

Yeah, anyway just playing devils advocate.

Update: Thanks to a friends Dad who identified the mystery red car.

Turns out its a 1930's Alfa Romeo 8c 2300 Touring Spider, and is probably worth upwards of a million quid, maybe many millions. Wowsers.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1931_Alfa_Romeo_8C_2300_TouringSpider-Flickr-_exfordy.jpg

There's really no affordable motoring in Ireland. Anything with cheap tax and good fuel efficiency is violently expensive even secondhand, anything cheap secondhand prices are obnoxiously expensive to tax.

Insurance is daylight robbery for any car. It's an absolute mafia.

Anyway... 159 is for sale if anyone is interested.
140,000 miles. £3000.

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Looks as though the brakes don't work too well.

That looks lovely

It is. I hate selling it but can't justify the expense to keep it.

I popped into the Mercedes Indy yesterday on the way home from Heathrow, my battery had a date stamp of halfway through 2006 (car was registered Jan 2007), so it’s had a good run. £180 later and I have a fresh OEM (I think Varta?) battery, which if it lasts as long as the old one will be a result.

My God. Prices I'm seeing are well into several million USD. There's one for 12M.

Holy shit. Bit nerve jangling driving that around London then, he must have been a nervous wreck.

I think that car lives on Pemridge Gardens

Curious who that is. I don't know why.

really get 70mpg out of one of those?? impressive

Thing is it is a strong old girl. Wrought iron chassis no doubt. Any rude boi in a hot hatch prolly come off a lot worse. Plus peeps be all stand off amaze anyho.