Cars, cars, and more cars

OK just to play

I did briefly own and drive a 1951 split window VW with a 1100 CC engine that could manage 84 Kph on a unlimited Kph Autobahn.... Starter worked, wipers worked, shiftier worked, brakes worked, ....humm wonder how many here know what never worked ....hint winter

As I recall it only had 89,000 KM on the ODO...in 1974

Me too Fred. All of my automotive purchases have been pretty common yet unique to me in a special way.

Not a Mercedes (well the Crossfire was a SLK under the skin) or a Cadillac, Bentley, Jaguar, Lexus, or even a good old Ford 150 in the bunch. Many here have pictured their cars in the past and I loved seeing them. roddies the latest.

I'm enjoying my latest and probably last purchase, the 2007 Nissan 350Z most certainly the fastest best handling car I have ever owned. But the one I am having the most fun with is my mangled 1978 MG Midget. I gave Mark a ride in it yesterday, over the fields and through the mist, smiles all around. Differential whining and gears grinding. MG "Safety Fast" - Nothing safe or fast about it. Maybe back in the 1930's.

Dang it Bob

In 1983 I re-enisted for a BIG bonus.... every desire on earth to have the best of the best Corvette

BUT in Germany I had been reading a lot of magazines and already owned a very very good 1975 Datsun 240 ZX 2+2 with fuel injection that was bullet proof, reliable, and very very fast autobahn car... up to 125 MPH

At the time the Nissan 300 ZX 3L twin turbo was $10,000 LESS than the vette I wanted ----and had much better specs for acceleration, stopping, cornering Gs yadda yadda ---and I had experience with the brand...

So 1984 I ordered a 1985.5 special military sales for a  EURO spec 300ZX... for only $23,000... USA spec was 185Hp...Euro spec was 235 HP for the three liter engine (VG 30 ET)

with less than 200 miles on it I took to a German** local... think AMG or ROUSH

For $2200 US ( exchange rate very high in my favor)... I got twin Inter-coolers.... new brakes, lowered suspension, remap of brain, larger valves, larger injectors, higher pressure pumps, higher limit on waste gates and a Black on black Tee Top leather car that would actually autobahn at 185 MPH all day long....OK guys, I really did Pus out at 175 MPH.... most of the time

The danged thing was squirrely  (aero issues I am sure) over 160 MPH   but i seemed to be in control on the free to run what YA brung sections of A3 from Frankfurt to Heidelberg at the higher speeds... and do not think this is really amazing.... big BOX stock Mercedes cruisers frequently flashed their lights for me to get the hell out of their way as they zoomed by---- at what I estimate was around 190MPH easy.....

**  NOT going to describe the car...but this guy made my Renault R5 Turbo into an INSANE Machein




And just to tweek some few who may understand my Ford...side... I had this "Tuner" do all the work on my XR4Ti to get it to 203Mph.....

I made a LOT of money selling this car to a US Army general....

I'm not familiar with the R5 Fred, but I remember the Renault 4CV. One of my Navy buds had one in 1957/58.



I wanted one along with a VW Bug but waiting lists were long so I settled for a new 1958 English Ford Anglia. I should have waited.

I do remember the XR4Ti arriving with lots of fanfare. Awesome cars Fred.

Wards rated the engine in the 2007 - 2009 350Z as one of the worlds ten best. I have driven every Datsun/Nissan Z car except the 300. Thought at one time I would collect one example of each. The new 370 Z is radical, but the GT/R even more so. Record setter for speed at the Ring.

Must have been fun times on the Autobahn.

Bob

I only had those few Autobahn go fast cars because I spent so many years there in hooptie GI specials that were always in the right lane watching EVERY body pass me

Surprisingly each of my fun cars were sold slightly higher than what I paid..(fr the car) no value added for the modifications they had....

Did not bring back the Renault or the Ford.... the 300zx had to be sold to a State trooper... as it was still 55mph days in the area, and I was racking up very expensive tickets...fortunately none were the Reckless excessive speed I could have got busted for--- but as I recall on Virginia 95 north a 67 in a 55 ticket cost me $430 .....grrr

Family truckster!!

Best bang for the buck! I bought this mazdaspeed3 in new 2009, still have it. Wonderful car!

I grew up with GM cars (my dad did have a '59 Ford wagon, but i was pretty young and barely remember it) as a teen i loved hot rodding Chevys and as an adult it's always been GM, with an occasional Ford. Last summer after 15 years of Olds Auroras, I parted with my second Aurora....and i got me one of them there foreign cars:

I haven't had too many vehicles during the course of my life.. but I can honestly say that the most luxurious/comfortable one was a 1994 Ford Taurus LX, that I was fortunate to "inherit".. about 15 years ago. It had the more reliable 3.0L V6 engine and was a VERY comfortable cruiser..




I would load my 88-key digital-piano into the front-passenger side with the seat reclined.. and the back-seats stuffed with sound-gear. The trunk would be stuffed with speaker-cabinets.. and electronics support/tool-boxes.

That car was comfortable............ It was special-ordered in Kentucky from Ford Motor Company. It had a leather-gut.. power-everything... including a moon-roof. My favorite memories with that vehicle.. are the trips back and forth from Northern Rhode Island to Northhampton, MA.. a 90+ minute ride to visit a girl I was seeing at the time.

Mark, Mark and my Mark.........Mazda's, I/we love them. Rusty loads his with C/L models and travels to events and my Son's 1986 Mazda RX7 lasted him 21 years.

I have had several, RX-7's/MX-5's mostly but a favorite was a 1988 929 sedan bought new.



Mark's 1986 RX7 and My RX7-GSL/SE. I actually tried to buy the SE back a couple of years after I sold it, but the young lady I sold it to put it into a guard rail the week before and totaled it.



A 2001 MX-5

Remember when chrome was king. I can still smell the air!!

Now we are getting into it Mark. The Golden 1950's/60's. I remember when the all new models that came out in 1955 (except the 1954 Oldsmobile 88 "The 88 that couldn't wait". Check out the De Soto that Jimmy Stewart drove in Vertigo.

The other end of the spectrum. A golf cart that I built a stake body bed for. Came in handy in Florida.





Bob

'58 olds...what a machine!!!

Lol, so here's a real life story of mystery and intrigue...
Early sixties, my Grandmother was coming to visit, but wasn't due into town till noonish or something, in the meantime Dad took us boys out to catch a fish at a small lake outside of town. On our way back home as we approached the main highway (US 20) Dad spotted a car coming really fast from the east and as it got closer he recognised the baby blue and white top '58 Olds 4 door hardtop, here comes your grandma now, as she went flying by us with a with a flash of baby blue and chrome and a little o'l lady with her white hat on behind the wheel, barely able to see over the dash.

Hey do to the fact it's a golf cart I would say it is a woody wagon!! Fore!!!

Let's not forget the corvair, here's a dune buggy project. Not done yet...

Yours?

Wow, pretty radical. Plan for soft restrained seats.

Closest I ever came to a Corvair. Didn't work out. Not much body left from the rockers on down. But a good candidate for a ride like the one pictured.

Here's one from my first marriage and some others i had had took from the internet but close to what it was .. 510 Datsun  
Then after that we / she also 70 ? SS  
My Pu 56 Chevy We traded the SS for one these for some fun 78 spitfire
She took that when her family came for her stuff , so i got a yellow one till i flipped it on a dirt road So i go this heavy 65 SS convertible
No wait brain fart traded the SS for the yellow spit Dumb As Then 81 Toy PU Witch is all to Hell now and i been using a suburban for 3 yrs. there were a few in between but lets say i was rough on my vehicles

I love the internet and google IMAGES... one of these days I will get off butt and add a "all the cars I ever owned" photos essay...

Mom was a photo nut with her kids, Xmas..and 8mm movies to send to dad at some war one....sadly all lost on some move.... Army was pretty good for some lost or damaged household items experienced on almost every military move..

BUT ---I do remember my mom being real nasty on the phone about the lost box with ALL the family photos and movies... BUCK a POUND reimbursement only...my she was so pist

Funny how I was big into cameras and to this day have no good compendium of photos to share...long gone now but I bet I trashed 30 rolls of exposed film...not really knowing what was on them...ah the high end Minolta and Nikon SLR days...   I had telephoto lenses I never ever used....

Actually got into home developing in B&W for a brief period....

So Eric flipped a Spitfire and lived..... Lucky maybe.

Same as a person to remain nameless took his Spitfire out through the woods after a brake failure one prom night with a girlfriend. Messed up the front end of the Spit quite bad. We bought another and made one good one out of two bad ones.





Same nameless person who happens to be my best buddy on another prom night (with a different girl) maybe slightly messed up the bumper on my '74 Corvette.



No one hurt, and memories made....after Dad cooled off.

Looking forward to seeing your automotive compendium Fred.

Your pictorial past mirrors mine, 8mm S8mm, Beta, VHS, 35mm, and on.  

Bob

Labor of love, I restored this 73 911 2.4 porsche targa in a one car garage way back in the early 80's. I sold it for the down payment on my house I still live in today.

This is my 1956 Citroën 11B Normale I bought 28 years ago. I made some trips to England and Holland with it.



I also own a 1965 Panhard 24B. A very fast car. these pictures were taken in Antwerp. in 2008 and 2011.





Below in 1999 on the banking of the Brooklands race track (or what's left of it) in Weybridge, England:

Nice 911 Mark, I always liked the Targa, but I never found the courage to own one.  A 2000 Boxter was as close as I ever came.  Labor of love, right.  It takes a skill level and some dedication to restore any vintage car.

That Citroen drives me a little nuts, Lieven.  If I could get my hands on one in decent condition I would.  Classic style and proportion has an eye appeal for me.  You sure have kept it nice.  Simply marvelous.

Is that a 2CV/4CV with a Mercedes grill in line with your Panhard?  Curious as to what's under the Panhard in the building picture.  Looks like newspapers blown under the car, but I find that hard to believe in such a neat setting.

Bob