Congratulations Jaguar!!!

[ATAG_Dutch]

I'm loving this. Bliss is getting to know my old friend Sternjaeger. Choice!

[ATAG_Bliss]

Originally Posted by ATAG_Dutch

I'm loving this. Bliss is getting to know my old friend Sternjaeger. Choice!

Yeah - I hate people that have 0 experience with what they are talking about.

I can't wait for him to show me his "builds" LOL

I figure I'll take some pics of shop so he can show me his wonderful car fabrication tools and shop where he does all his own fabrication to gain the superior vast knowledge of how to "drive a car" lmao. I'm figuring he's gonna show me a picture of a magazine. I would think that's about his only experience in any sort of serious car. Reading about it.

Oh and don't forget to show me your rides. Here's around 100k in just hand tools. The stuff required if you actually work on stuff/build stuff. I can get you pictures of the flow bench, tig, have a bridgeport as well.

I can't wait to see your shop or collection of all the amazing things you know how to drive and build.



And when the box you put your tools in is 14k alone, they neatly put your name on it for you



Oh, and here's some various car parts laying around in the shop. I've working on cars for just a touch.



Can't wait to see your shop and all the wonderful knowledge you've learned from building some very cool cars. The excitement is hard to contain!! I love talking to people that think they know something about cars and the only thing they've ever even think they've been taught is from some editor of a magazine. Pure class.

[ElAurens]

Originally Posted by brando

I bought a well-used 1953 Bristol 403

I've always wanted a Bristol, but they are quite rare on my side of the Atlantic. Now I understand they are gone? Or off to China or some such nonsense? (Yes there are Americans that understand about Bristols...)

As to all this talk of numbers and time to speed, etc...


Pfffftttt...


I've driven fast cars that were boring and slow cars that were incredibly entertaining. I drove a 1923 Model T Ford touring car this morning that is certainly anything but fast, and it put a huge smile on my face. Because it was fun, and fun is not defined merely by the numbers a car can generate on the track. I also had our 1956 Lotus XI Le Mans out on the side street next to our museum today, getting ready for the Monterey Historics in August. All of 1460cc and 118bhp, and it was an utter blast.

I guess I've always taken a more cerebral approach to motoring.

[ATAG_Bliss]

I agree with you El. Horsepower is just an addiction. Once you have it you gotta have more and more and more.

I once bought an old xj12. It was right hand drive, didn't run, but the body/interior was decent. Can't exactly remember the year, but I know I paid $300 for it. Finally got it to run. I just remember all the crap I had to make for the engine. Previous owner had taken it apart to try to fix it himself, so along with a box of "goodies" was a whole bunch of broken bolts, vacuum hoses, wiring he'd cut with a pair of side cuts etc. Then I found out the transmission was junk. Wouldn't go backwards. Direct clutch sun gear was completely broken out of the drum (a coat hanger and a torch to the rescue!) Went through it and finally the old girl was on the road albeit it would vapor lock after about 50 miles all the damn time. Not much fun driving a RH drive car in the states, but it definitely got a lot of looks. But it was a driver car. I wasn't whipping donuts in that thing.

[ATAG_Dutch]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

All of 1460cc and 118bhp, and it was an utter blast.

Shit El, mine's a 1600 and gets the same bhp and it doesn't matter whether I'm going to the supermarket or hooning down a sunny country road, I always have a smile on my face.

It's the kind of car that people snigger at until they've driven one. Especially in the land of endless straight roads followed by a 90 degree bend followed by endless straight roads etc.

But I think it's pretty good, and an ideal replacement since I packed in riding bikes. I can put the soft-top down, trundle down the lane and smell the summertime blossoms. I also get hit in the face by wayward bees. but I can live with that after open face helmets.

Anyrode up, time for bed. See you chaps!

[Sternjaeger II]

Originally Posted by Outlaw

First, calling a Ford GT a muscle car is just a plain stupid thing to say.

oh isn't it? And what is it then? An exotic car? A supercar? It's just a piece of expensive muscle car, and that's how it's treated by owners like the gentleman of a few pages before. Automotive stupidity. Further evidence of that is that Jeremy Clarkson bought it (and had endless problems with it until he decided to sell it).

Beyond that...

You're correct if your definition of an, "engineering marvel", is a car that requires a $5k+ engine out service every 15k miles or 3 years. Admittedly I'm not up on the newer ones so they may be a little better but, still, there's not much engineering marvel in them. They are simply race engines and suspensions with a crappy car wrapped around them. Admittedly the 328 and older are smokin' hot to look at (the newer ones are really bland IMO), but, that's about it.

GM's stock 2 liter turbo Ecotec engine has as much torque as a 3.5 liter Ferrari 355 engine. The difference is the Ecotec produces it at 2600 rpm while the Ferrari needs 6000 rpm. With a $600 ECM reflash that does not void the factory warranty the Ecotec will produce 290 bhp and 340 ft-lbs of torque (as much torque as a Ferrari 430 at less RPM).

My turbo Ecotec has 35k miles on it with no issues (although I have replaced the tires already).

Anyone can make a race engine that's design life is one race (or 15k miles at 500 miles/month) and slap it into a car with ridiculous maintenance requirements

An engineering marvel is a solid engine that lasts.

Now don't get me wrong, my next toy car will probably be a Ferrari, but, they are not, "engineering marvels", by any stretch of the imagination.

And just for the record, a Laguna Seca Mustang handles at 1.03g (as compared to the 1.02g of a 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia).

--Outlaw.

LOL all that palava and then you're gonna get yourself a Ferrari?! Brilliant

[Sternjaeger II]

lol Bliss, you're doing exactly what I was talking about, you're measuring your driving skills on how long your list of tools is or how fast your car goes (allegedly...). That still doesn't make you a better driver than me. And to be honest I'm not in for a race with you man, my point was that your sort of addiction (as you defined it yourself) is just a translation of your small penis syndrome into having something that goes faster than people that can afford better cars than yours.

Some words about my experience: I don't have an alleged racing pedigree as you do, but my family has always been one of petrolheads. We regularly had Porsches, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, BMW and Mercs in our garages, plus the odd British Morgan or Mini, and we all liked doing bit of tinkering with them. My uncle worked for Snap-On and that meant we always had a lot of quality tools around, nothing too fancy (I think the biggest piece of technology we had was a lathe!), but enough to do our own maintenance/experimenting etc...

I did some racing in my younger years, but it was amateur stuff really, done for the fun of it on mono-brand championship (where you measure the driver's skill, so the winner is not the team with more money, but the one with the good driver, all in all it's a sport), and boy did it teach me a lot!

At the moment I'm driving an Alfa Romeo Brera (had another one and swapped it for a 3.2 V6). It's 320hp (stock setup is 265), AWD and a pure joy to drive (and looks fantastic!). Then (and that hopefully shows that I am a real all rounder) I'm about to acquire a '68 Mustang with a stock V8, because I can also appreciate American classic cars for their beauty.

If I want to race I just go see a couple of friends of mine down at a place called Silverstone (I'm sure you might have heard of it..) where I can try the latest performance cars that they have available at their club and thrash mine around (talking of which, I just bought and installed a new set of brakes, pads and hoses for it, EBC Red Stuff is amazing! But I'm sure you'll tell me you probably forge your own discs right?).

So I think of myself as an all rounder, that can sit on a performance car or factory spec saloon and know how to drive it properly. Learning about stuff like the quirks of slip-diff or performance driving (the aforementioned heel-and-toe which you probably never used..) is what makes a good driver; wobbling your steering wheel left and right trying to keep straight a car that was not designed to put down all that power ("the thrill of being killed", seriously??) is just stupid and irresponsible, because I'm sure you do your fair share of racing mainly on roads..

So the crass, puerile, irresponsible driving of your kind is something I will never understand.

You drive a fugly piece of trailer park junk with a ridiculous bonnet and feel like the new Andretti, and you know what, good for you, we normally laugh at your delusional kind, but don't come around trying to teach me what makes a good driver, cos you certainly ain't one, especially cos you don't seem to understand that

1) it's not all about going on a straight line.
2) it's not about winning, it's about having fun. You sound like the Charlie Sheen of automotive delusion.

[scottnmegs]

I appreciate any car that is done right, however I would love to see a car such as 2500hp Mustang registered?? Definately not here in Australia, I would be waiting with defect book in hand! wink..wink..

A lovely car nonetheless, this is a real drivers car Datsun 1600/510, I am currently doing one up from a rusty old wreck, 100k on tools?? I can manage on about 3k? Biggest wallet, if I had a unlimited budget I would just go buy new Nissan GTR and just drive it, not talk about how good I am when I drive it.

Any car is good, just drive it!

[swiss]

Originally Posted by scottnmegs

100k on tools?? I can manage on about 3k?

Decent quality has it's price, those trollies alone are ~$1000 a piece.
It's also a matter of what exactly you want to do, for changing oil and tires 3k should easily do...

(If I were Bliss I'd keep the shop a tad cleaner and tidier tho, lol)

[Skoshi Tiger]

Originally Posted by scottnmegs

I appreciate any car that is done right, however I would love to see a car such as 2500hp Mustang registered?? Definately not here in Australia, I would be waiting with defect book in hand! wink..wink..

A lovely car nonetheless, this is a real drivers car Datsun 1600/510, I am currently doing one up from a rusty old wreck, 100k on tools?? I can manage on about 3k? Biggest wallet, if I had a unlimited budget I would just go buy new Nissan GTR and just drive it, not talk about how good I am when I drive it.

Any car is good, just drive it!

OMG!!!! a Dado!

Six or so years ago The WA Charger Club went down to the Collie power house sprint track, One of the guys took his Dado down and put her around the track as a bit of fun.

Unfortunately he hit the gravel and rolled it and it turned out to be the beasts last trip!

It's good to see one looking so nice!