The Car Thread

[Stigmata]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

You are going to atheist hell for wanting a car. *wags moralistic finger*

Don't you realize that you killed 50 polar bears for even thinking of having that car? Pretty soon, Coke will be out of cute ferocious arctic predators to use in holiday marketing materials.

Now, as long as you don't insult ESFJs, I might consider you redeemable for your sin, so don't engage in any ESFJ-insulting.

 

[93JC]

#entersandman

Eating up the road and shredding the surf, the Holden Sandman has become an Aussie icon in the 40 years since the original legend made its debut in 1974. Now it’s back, with a modern twist and nose for performance.

The 2015 Sandman Special Edition is derived from the award winning VF Commodore SV6 and the sporty SS-V, and is available as a ute and or sleek Sportwagon. Whilst the Sandman is much more advanced than its predecessor it still retains the instantly recognisable surf livery and the groovy, orange shagpile floor rug as an additional accessory.

...

Sandman was originally launched on the HQ Holden in 1974 as a panel van and ute in a bid to increase Holden’s presence and appeal in the expanding recreational market. What ensued was a car that captured the imagination of a generation, and continued to be offered on the HJ Holden (1974-76), HX Holden (1976-77) and HZ Holden (1977).

After over twenty years in the darkness, Sandman was finally revived as a concept car at the Sydney International Motor Show, 2000. Based on VU Commodore, this Sandman was a Holden built, Mambo designed project that won wide acclaim.

The Sandman will go on sale in June, however people are advised to contact dealers early to avoid disappointment.

The original Sandman:

The new one:

If this Sandman's a-rockin' don't come a-knockin'!

 

[93JC]

The Beast of Turin

In 1909 French racecar driver Victor Hémery set a new "official" land speed record of 202.7 km/h driving a 200 hp Blitzen Benz, built by Benz & Company. In 1910 Fiat set out to beat the record with "The Beast of Turin": the S76.

Its 28.5 L (yes, really: twenty-eight-and-a-half litres) four-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower pushed it to over 217 km/h over a one kilometre run in 1911, but the rules of the official record were that it had to be set by making a run in the opposite direction within an hour, to negate the effects of a tailwind if any. The Fiat couldn't be prepared quickly enough, and its record was merely unofficial. (In 1924 Fiat smashed the record with a car called Mephistopheles anyway.)

Two S76s were built: one was sold prior to the First World War and the other was disassembled by the factory to prevent the armed forces of another country from capturing it. About ten years ago the one that was sold before the war was purchased by a British collector who had the car restored to its original condition, using the engine from the car that was disassembled as a donor. Last year they got it running again, for the first time in 100 years.

It made a "static" appearance at least year's Goodwood Festival. This year they got it moving under its own power.

https://grrc.goodwood.com/festival-...e-first-time-in-100-years#vDLFfUCVu8cDiH0Y.97

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Big car update. Got to work on my E36 M3 last weekend. Got the wheels off and got it on jack stands. Disassembled some of the front clip to get a handle on how well done the frame straitening was. Turns out it wasn't done perfectly... The panels and frame had to be massaged (aka banged) with a dead blow hammer for about 45 mins before we could get the mounting bracket for the left headlight to line up. Luckily its a go car not a show car, and none of the issues affect the suspension geometry. The rear brakes were spent so I'm ordering some stoptech rotors and ceramic pads. The shop has a fabbed cold air intake with heat shield that we're going to throw on, and we're getting some cheap used tires for me to thrash on. The entire interior has been taken out of the car except the dash. The carpets are coming out now. The only thing I'm going to put back in is are the seats which I will eventually either reupholster or sell for some race seats (maybe some Sparco's):

Before I worry about the seats though, I'll be painting the car black with a buddy of mine using some single stage paint that can be had on the cheap. Should be able to paint it for under $300 all in. And as you will see the car desperately needs it. Also need to sort out a door handle issue on the drivers side, but its not that big of a deal.

This was us mocking things up a couple of weeks ago, not how she sits now. I may be driving her by this weekend, I'm not sure yet.

Anyway her are a few pics from the Porsche driving experience I went to with my Dad, and some photos of the Amelia Concours d' Elegance and the Austin Healey we purchased at the auction (for considerably less that it was supposed to go for)!!!

My car is the black audi on the right in the above pic.

Gotta love that hounds tooth interior on a classic bimmer!

The Austin right after we won it at auction!

Arriving at the house.

Getting her off the trailer.

In the garage.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

And one more for good measure.

 

[SD45T-2]

I love it: I Desperately Want These Hilarious Fake Car Ads To Be Real

 

[93JC]

I love it: I Desperately Want These Hilarious Fake Car Ads To Be Real

It's too bad the Mark IV Golf/Jetta don't seem to hold up all that well; at the time, when new, they were a clear step in refinement and initial, apparent quality above the plebeian compact cars other carmakers were selling.

The ads for the cars were also great. I think they were some of the best pieces of VW advertising since "Think Small".

 

[kyuuei]

Okay seriously. WTF is up with all the new cars having the equivalent of sideways castle-style arrow slits for windows? The more transparency the better for me..

Vs back in the day

Windows do not have to be that boxy, but jeeze I got into my sisters car (not this style, a different car entirely) and it felt like I was driving a dark brick through some diving goggles because I had more blind spots than an old lady with glaucoma. Like, yeah, who cares if you can't see, at least the exterior looks a little more smooth I guess?

 

[Riva]

i like cars that look old. sports cars - except for a very few - turn my head. most of the vintage cars that were shared in the OP i liked very much.

 

[93JC]

Okay seriously. WTF is up with all the new cars having the equivalent of sideways castle-style arrow slits for windows? The more transparency the better for me...

Side impact collisions and roof strength in the event of a rollover. Seriously. Hoods are also much higher and blunter than they used to be for the sake of 'protecting' pedestrians from injury as much as possible.

 

[kyuuei]

Side impact collisions and roof strength in the event of a rollover. Seriously. Hoods are also much higher and blunter than they used to be for the sake of 'protecting' pedestrians from injury as much as possible.

I guess that makes sense, but I don't agree with it still. Visibility decreases causes so many accidents, and adding the car itself to the list of obstacles is annoying. I mean, I'm terrified of driving my sister's car because I literally cannot see anything around me. I have to stick my head out the window to back up because the area of view is far too small and narrow to actually tell if anything is truly behind me.

 

[93JC]

I guess that makes sense, but I don't agree with it still. Visibility decreases causes so many accidents, and adding the car itself to the list of obstacles is annoying. I mean, I'm terrified of driving my sister's car because I literally cannot see anything around me. I have to stick my head out the window to back up because the area of view is far too small and narrow to actually tell if anything is truly behind me.

You won't get any argument from me. My first car was a 1990 Dodge Spirit:

(not mine, but it looked exactly the same)

It wasn't a big car but it had a very long nose and a very large turning radius, which made it not very manoeuvrable in tight spaces. It was still very easy to drive because it had great visibility out the windows, and you could very easily tell where the corners of the car were.

 

[sprinkles]

You won't get any argument from me. My first car was a 1990 Dodge Spirit:

(not mine, but it looked exactly the same)

It wasn't a big car but it had a very long nose and a very large turning radius, which made it not very manoeuvrable in tight spaces. It was still very easy to drive because it had great visibility out the windows, and you could very easily tell where the corners of the car were.

Cars are getting so tiny now. My first car that I owned was an '83 Crown Vic. (and the first car that I drove in by myself was a '63 Galaxie)

I felt like I was driving a boat. Especially because the suspension had gone soggy in my Crown Vic and it would sway and bounce everywhere.

 

[93JC]

Cars are getting so tiny now. My first car that I owned was an '83 Crown Vic. (and the first car that I drove in by myself was a '63 Galaxie)

I felt like I was driving a boat. Especially because the suspension had gone soggy in my Crown Vic and it would sway and bounce everywhere.

Eh, I don't think they're getting any smaller at all, actually. Cars definitely got smaller in the latter half of the 1970s and into the 1980s, but I'd hazard that by 1990 they started getting bigger again and haven't really stopped since. Not to mention the proliferation of SUVs and trucks that took off in the early '90s; trucks have definitely become much bigger than before.

E.g. in '83 the LTD Crown Vic was the biggest car Ford made. Today their biggest car is the Taurus. The Crown Vic was 211" long; the Taurus is 202.9". The Crown Vic was 55.6" tall; the Taurus is 60.7". The Crown Vic weighed about 3,700 lb; the Taurus weighs over 4,000. The Crown Vic was longer but it was almost all just overhang. The Taurus is faster, considerably more powerful and more fuel efficient than the Crown Vic ever was but it's also wider, taller and heavier.

Take the VW Golf as another example:

Granted that photo makes the newer one look bigger by virtue of being closer to the camera but nevertheless the newest Golf is about a foot-and-a-half longer, over half a foot wider, two inches taller and 700 to 1300 pounds heavier than the original from the mid-'70s.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

My Stoptech Rotors and pads finally came in

 

[SD45T-2]

 

[93JC]

 

[highlander]

Saw one of these yesterday.

I had never seen one before.

 

[93JC]

Overpriced German junk.