Little boring boxes with wheels

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Originally Posted by Tins

I remember that Aussie mechanics were terrified of a car that almost any corner store in rural France could fix.

I had an old magazine article written by the (very) late George Bishop, who could write beautifully. It was entitled "God, what a lovely Car" ( iirc). He and some colleagues had been on a cross country journey in a DS, with zero discomfort, at a good pace, the car oing its best magic carpet impression, and each occupant having plenty of room for themselves and their paraphernalia. Try that in an FJ. I know, I had an FJ. Second worse car I ever owned. Course, it wasn't new....

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They are designed for high speed travel (in there time). Though its only about 68hp (yeah right, on a good day) the early one I have here ... It'll take a while to get there, but you can cruise at 80mph all day. Your only problem is people in modern cars. I can go up the pentland mountains, climbing from melbourne to ballarat at 70+mph ... no worries, I pass everyone (why the aren't doing the speed limit is beyond me). However it just takes one car slowing me down ... and that's it, momentum is gone until I crest the climbs and can slowly "gather" the speed back.

My father has a late fuel injected 5spd Citroen DS. Still very slow, but you don't understand... in the early 70's. Most cars were. the citroen with its wheezy little 4cylinder could do 0-100 in about 10.5 seconds, and had a usable top speed of about 190km/h. At the time something like a V8 statesman wasn't much faster, and had nowhere near the top speed or cruising speeds.

My brother had one in the mid sixties, and one of its most impressive feats was being able to maintain speeds way over the speed limit (I was a young idiot at the time) over long distances regardless of the road - in an eight seat wagon powered by a 69hp motor. I managed to do Ipswich to Roma one night in 3.5hrs. Google currently gives 5hrs for the trip, and the road is a lot better (but probably has more towns - the old way was through Condamine from Dalby). But at least it had a lot better lights and brakes than anything else on the road at the time. And also was able to do the trip without refuelling. Unlike most contemporaries.

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Originally Posted by Tins

I remember that Aussie mechanics were terrified of any car that wasn't Holden, Falcon or Valiant.

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Fixed that for you John. Mechanics were scared of Volvo B21/23, simple single OHC slant engines. Humber, I was told to find a European specialist.

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Originally Posted by V8Ian;[URL="tel:3251968"

3251968[/URL]]Fixed that for you John. Mechanics were scared of Volvo B21/23, simple single OHC slant engines. Humber, I was told to find a European specialist.

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True. The local guy was terrified of mum's DB18 Daimler.

Interesting. He's spot on about new players and the brakes. And the flying analogy rings true to me as well, but not for the reasons stated. There was a woman near me in /Sydney who drove a CX 2200. You could hear, on a hot day, the thing coming from a block away, sounding like a Boeing attempting takeoff. Amazing car though. First time I ever saw a binnacle like that, let alone the "digital" speedo.

https://youtu.be/9AflojWmtAM'si=1_MRwF2PSDh_MtmU

Played spotto today in BNE traffic looking for cars 2000 and older. Got four. A falcon, a commodore, a pintara and an old ute.

Once cars hit 10 they definitely start thin out in the Big Smoke. By the time you get to 20.. astonishingly rare.

Several years ago, I was travelling on one of my fairly regular trips from Yass to here, when I gradually caught up with what looked like "an interesting car". The first thing noticed was that it was open, and clearly quite old. As I got closer, I could see better, and the most prominent feature was a very large steering wheel, set so high that the driver was actually looking through it, rather than over it. and through individual frameless screens for the driver and front passenger. I could not identify it until I finally managed to pass it - he was travelling just below the speed limit. It was a 3.5 Bentley, British Racing Green, of course.

Then in 2013 I spoke to the owner of a Rolls Royce Light Twenty in Yass.

About ten years earlier I saw a Vauxhall 30/98 in the Blue Mountains, and in 1988 I saw the prototype Rolls Royce 40/50, better known as the Silver Ghost in peak hour traffic in William St Melbourne.

And then, of course, y daily driver is a 1986 110, and my ute a 1970 2a.

There are a few older cars about!

Our car shed has a 15y.o. Mitsi ASX. Nothing wrong with it. A 10y.o. Kia Cerato. Nothing wrong with it. A 17y.o. D3. Presently having a gearbox recon. All are around the low 200k mileage.

The machinery shed has a 33y.o. 'Cruiser 'tilly. Nothing wrong with it. Closing in on 400k mileage.

Why should I buy a buy a new car?

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Originally Posted by Captain_Rightfoot

Played spotto today in BNE traffic looking for cars 2000 and older. Got four. A falcon, a commodore, a pintara and an old ute.

Once cars hit 10 they definitely start thin out in the Big Smoke. By the time you get to 20.. astonishingly rare.

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Hello Captain,

Wow, my 2004 Commodore would not have made your list because it is too new ... It is good to know that in some circumstances my Commodore is still considered to be too new ... woot - woot!

My newest Land Rover is a 1996 Discovery - however, it is neither road worthy or registered for the road. The one I want to get road legal first is a January 1993 Defender.

Kind regards
Lionel

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Originally Posted by Saitch

Our car shed has a 15y.o. Mitsi ASX. Nothing wrong with it. A 10y.o. Kia Cerato. Nothing wrong with it. A 17y.o. D3. Presently having a gearbox recon. All are around the low 200k mileage.

The machinery shed has a 33y.o. 'Cruiser 'tilly. Nothing wrong with it. Closing in on 400k mileage.

Why should I buy a buy a new car?

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[bighmmm] Is this a trick question