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

What the Bizzarini Stradale morphed into.

Oh IMO mini really feel fast as they are low to the ground, noisey and really give you a sense of speed and the rush or really direct steering.

Something I think that is missing for modern cars, the real sense of things happening and not in some sanitised bubble.

A far nicer looking car than the Pantera that followed it.

Does that dragGon / griffin remind any one else of gilbern?

Gilberns are such ungainly cars. that wide rear slab of a wing, or the unresolved 'sliced off' front.

This is how to do an Anglo-American GT. Get Italians to style it

So whats so special about this, no googling. Or looking at the photoname.

Mmm Facel Vegas, Mangustas and Iso Grifos (I love Isos especially the toaster bonnet) true Italian muscle cars.

edit - and the AC Frua Cobra. I remember when they were almost affordable!

OK Swiss-Italian-American but special.

So whats so special about this, no googling. Or looking at the photoname.

It's the Lamborghini 350GT prototype.
The very first.

It's the Lamborghini 350GT prototype.
The very first.

And......there was more ;)

This is unique too.

Gilberns are such ungainly cars. that wide rear slab of a wing, or the unresolved 'sliced off' front.

Alawys reminded me of a Austin 1100 front.

Shooting brake of the Aston Lagonda thingy?

It's the one and only Jensen G Type.
http://www.jensencars.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=52

Always reminds me of Touring's last ever design, the Lamborghini Flying Star
http://images.caradisiac.com/images/8/7/7/0/58770/S0-Photos-du-jour-Lamborghini-400-GT-Flying-Star-Concours-d-Elegance-186732.jpg
http://dark-cars.over-blog.com/article-1966-lamborghini-flying-star-concept-71330231.html

Do you guys think that there is a coming to the end of an epoch (more than an era) of small car manufacturers producing bizzare and beautiful shapes of car that are designed by pen and not some computer program to fulfill some drag co efficient and made light wieght for amazing fuel economies.

Or is the same as now with tiny car people like zonda or paganini producing exotica.

And......there was more ;)

What? It didn't have an engine or transmission for decades?
It was the only one designed by Scaglione?

Someone's coming to see the BMW. Feeling a bit sad about it.

What? It didn't have an engine or transmission for decades?
It was the only one designed by Scaglione?

Yes the whole engine story, and why it came about.

Often wonder why Scalione only came up with this as the design, i think, is so sleek and beautiful.

Ferrucio was not happy with the quality of it, so he went to Touring to make the production version. To be fair Franco Scaglione hadn't long left Bertone and was probably not set up to make a quality product. But Bizzarini's engine did not fit, so the bay was left out and the bonnet wired shut. The suspension was tack-welded in place after filling the engine bay with bricks to get the right height. Lamborghini started the company specifically to make better, more reliable cars than Ferrari, so I guess he really wanted the quality to shine.

Scaglione had a long and successful career at Bertone, but as an independent just did the odd special and racing car
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_Scaglione

You just make yourself look like a child who joins in as others do something so its clever.

There's some truth in that, I admit. You do come across as someone very knowledgable and passionate about cars. But some of your tales seem tall, and you stubbornly refuse to share any pics etc (which people here would be genuinely interested in) so its bound to give rise to some baiting. Anyway didn't I meet you properly over a beer at London Classic? You seem alright in real life!

Me in mates car a few weeks back, at Abbeville circuit. Good day out!

There's some truth in that, I admit. You do come across as someone very knowledgable and passionate about cars. But some of your tales seem tall, and you stubbornly refuse to share any pics etc (which people here would be genuinely interested in) so its bound to give rise to some baiting. Anyway didn't I meet you properly over a beer at London Classic? You seem alright in real life!

Me in mates car a few weeks back, at Abbeville circuit. Good day out!

Am genuinely sorry, I apologise as I did not take it in the spirit that was intended. Maybe a hitting a raw nerve that I failed to become a military pilot, and that was the loss of a very major childhood dream. Yeah more tom cruise hieght I know.

All my past cars have been cars needing work, they are not the showroom examples that I ended up with. They were all dogs theat had past through a few owners and got massive prospective bills by garages and then ended up in my hands. Hence owning some very limited exotica. My father, a great influence in this, bought and sold cars as a side line. Lots of the localish dealers got to know that we would take on odd cars that didn't sell (Lancia Y10 Turbo) or were out of the ordinary. There were also repaired cars that were cat D insurance write offs, that was the '75 carrera. There were lots of European rusty cars that were MOT failures for rust. The shiney out side rotten underneath. Have run business importing (Lancia's) cars from South Africa to England.

What can I say, I like repairing things. It gives my ego a great feeling of success and accomplishment to repair things. It give me pleasure to help people as people have helped me for cups of tea and dinner and wish to pass it on.

Maybe my baking cakes is filling this role ATM as working on cars and bikes doesn't seem to be filling that hole in psyche.

Sorry again for acting like a bellend, I hope you can forgive me. I'll make cake.

Jesus Christ lynx are you an English teacher? Tl;dr x100000
Chrome beig removed from mini at London mini centre.
Getting immobiliser and alarm fitted
New front discs and pads
Waxoyled
Thinking about plastidipping rims blackk

Tony of London mini centre is too rather shocked that there is no rust :P

Fuck no on Plastidip. Do it right...

How much then could I get for the set? Genuine 13" minilites