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

@Dammit is it back from painters / trimmers yet? Have you sourced a short engine so you can still drive it while other mods are going on ? The OCD in me is envious of the attention you are paying to it.

@lynx on the Audi A2, the lower wishbones changed from cast to pressed steel in 03, they are now rusting and coming of age in the last few months. Warning for potential buyers

shit that must just be all the fun. ace motor dude

Funny you should say that, I’ve just been on the phone to a place with regards to a short block.

I’m still vacillating about 3.7 or 3.9, I’m tempted to go with the shorter stroke of the 3.7 as I think it’d suit the character of the car better.

I’ve not yet got it back, however!

Interesting to know! Likely you can get pattern of thr cast items from the older variety and fit those?
Audi trying to loose slightly less money on each one sold.
I did se a very corrode a2 once, it's mot history was hilarious but thought I'd go see it anyway. I think it was parked on a beach for most of its life, every single ferrous item was dust. Whole rear end would have needed to be chopped out, it had corroded into a single mass. Engine qa fine though and daft roof worked perfect!

funnily enough, the cast ones are still available from Audi because they have integral ball joint, rather than replaceble ball joint, as in the steel ones.
£400 the pair, they are starting to get their money back.

You say daft roof, the amount of top end cars you see with them now.

Off on a road trip in my mighty 2004 1.8vvti Toyota Avensis next week. It's one of those really poorly designed Toyota engines (bad block, piston and ring design) that burns about 1l per 700 miles.
It doesn't smoke and you wouldn't know it burns loads of oil otherwise.
I don't drive that much, maybe 4-5000 miles pa.

This oil burning habit is costly. My question is this, 5W30 at Wilko is half the price of Halfords, are budget oils any good? I neither like or dislike the car but need it to be reliable for the family.

Bloody hell - a litre every 100 miles and it passes emissions? I'd use whatever is cheapest and change it every 3k or 1 year. Is it really specced for 5W oil? that's ever so light.

This, when iy was new 5w30 was maybe ok, try 10/40 instead. Change often and get cheap, not an engine the requires fancy oil. Whatever semi synthetic is cheapest at a parts factor. £12-20 a 5l bottle is prob right

His new mk3 turbo build is pretty amazing.

So I’m on my way back to Blighty. Currently in the middle of France, catching a ferry tomorrow afternoon.

On the way up we hit SR65/SP65 between Florence and Bologna which forms part of the Mille Miglia route and it was insane. The views are fantastic, it’s not so high up but the surface and corners are just pure enjoyment.

Then this morning we did San Bernandino pass which had a lot of hairpins but the bit at the top was a real joy. Volvo doesn’t really have enough lock for tight mountain hairpins so I had to keep slowing right down for them, it was one of the few times this trip I wanted the MX5 so I could do some sweet hairpin skids. The view from the top of the pass was something else.

3 Attachments

Cheers fellas, will try the 10/40 instead.

Wicked! Flip side is that the MX5 would be wheezing at 2000M....I remember being really surprised what a dent the altitude put in my GSXR when I first took it to the Alps. Ran hot too.

I was surprised how well the giant harley did in New Mexico when we did the Sandia Crest (~10,700ft).

View was pretty special too...

1 Attachment

Probs wouldn’t have made it, the tuning is Alpha N so it would have kept dumping in fuel for whatever air density is at Winchester.

Now living near a little sprint course, which is usually good for a wander around:

Wish this fucking thing had more than 3 gears

1 Attachment

Polo?

Mk2 golf auto?

Have a cigar!

What's the little aerial thing on the passenger side front grill?

For sprints and hill climbs you have to have a plate of a certain size on the front of the car that breaks the timing beam at the start/finish line

1 Attachment

^ What he said

Was kind of hoping for some thunderstormy action there today, but it looks like it all happened during the night.

Today's pick from the paddock:

Gti made to look like a Rallye(sp?) replica ?

Ah I see.

Does anyone ever cheat and add a little extension?