Cars you've loved and lost?

[Tahiti]

There are some lovely cars on here.

For me, it was this one...



Absolutely cracking fun to drive, short shift, Torsen diff, a car that women absolutely hated, slippery red leather, turned alloy bling. Oh yes.

It went to the scrapyard in the sky.

[RJM25R]

I was taking my sorted P1 past a 360, at up to around 100 - but then my acceleration slowed considerably compare to the Ferrari and I decided it was a better idea to throttle off and pull in.

'twas at Bruntingthorpe on the 2 mile straight, maybe the 360 guy wasn't giving it full beans but I ran out of balls at 140 lol!

I totally destroyed him on the cones though, left him for dead.

My Scoob had an sti closed block, tdo4, Sti top mount, warlbro, 4" hks and ecutek map by JGM for high torque, live mapped. We had it at 313 bhp at one point but the curve was spiky and the torque peaked at 304lb/ft @ 4200 but I wanted peak torque lower down and acceleration is better than top end to me lol! The power/torque curve was smooth as silk in the final map. 0-60 was estimated at 4.? but according to the speed gun at Silverstone (Trax 2008) my fastest was 4.3 (perfect start) and my worst 5.1 (average 4.7 over 6 runs lol)

Jgm are very highly recommended!

I had to sell the car to buy the cossie, before I got myself banned, dead or in prison..... I ran the cossie (my second one) with stage one for just under 2 years, and sold it cos I was scared of leaving it anywhere so used it less and less....

[hogthrob]

I forgot the Bean 11.9 I had for three or so years. Fantastically unreliable so most journeys were epic. I had it through the petrol crisis in 2000 and while the queues for unleaded and diesel went round the corner, no one was using the 4* pump. I used it mainly as a pub car, or for journeys where I didn't actually need to get where I was going, so I have very fond memories of it. Pic nicked from t'internet (of the actual car):

Crikey, it's Brum!

[Benc999]

There are some lovely cars on here.

For me, it was this one...



Absolutely cracking fun to drive, short shift, Torsen diff, a car that women absolutely hated, slippery red leather, turned alloy bling. Oh yes.

It went to the scrapyard in the sky.

I had a 216SLi at the time these came available, and regularly lusted after the BRM model after seeing the pre-release at Earls Court (I think might have been NEC). Cracking cars to drive... once you'd put some decent rubber on the wheels.

Very bling-y, but still very nice!

[Hamish]

Glad we're now getting some sensible (ones I could afford) cars. Seems to be a lot of Hairdressers on this forum!

[conquerorli]

Miss my RX8 231 with short shifter and racing beat exhaust......loved redlining this to 9000.......

[AndyRS2113]

My magazine featured Mk1 Focus RS.... sniff....

[Backward point]

VW related for me, in common with a few others. No photos, but I owned the fabled Scirocco Storm which was the former property of L J K Setright. The car was originally on VW's press fleet, and Setright was so impressed with the car when he tested it that he bought it once the various hacks had finished with it.

He then had GTI Engineering fit a Bilstein suspension kit, lowering the car by slightly more than an inch, together with 7x15 ATS wheels, all of which required some trimming of the wheel arches and fitment of a Zender body kit. GTI Engineering also fitted one of their 135bhp conversions, with a gas flowed head with larger valves and a lumpier cam which gave the engine similar characteristics to a 16 valve - not much below 3500rpm, then it all became interesting until the limiter cut in at 6750.

Years later I decided that I needed another Mark 1 Golf, so I found one with a solid shell and duly put my many years of experience in modifying VW's into it - Koni adjustables with H&R springs all round, front and rear strut braces, Brembo front discs with Mintex M171 pads on the front, new standard rear drums and internals together with Aeroquip lines and a BR Motorsport cross linkage. The wheels were 6x14 steels, but shod with a set of soft Yokohamas. The engine was built by BR Motorsport - 1800cc with a Schrick cam and Supersport 4-2-1 manifold. From the outside it looked completely standard.

But before the GTI's there was this:



1904cc, with a counterweighted crank and Porsche 912 conrods, everything balanced, twin Webers, Engle cam with Gene Berg valvetrain. This is the only photo I have in digital form, and it was taken before some subtle lowering was undertaken. Apart from the paintwork and engine machining I did all of the work myself, aided and abetted by a few friends as required. I sold it to a record producer from Glasgow, and apparently it's still around.


Regards

Ian

[glyn696486]

Had a great 2.0S six cylinder Capri in the 80s I bought in Germany




Won this in 1994 and had to sell it 6 months later as insurance was rocketing in the 80s

Ford Escort Cosworth big turbo

Now i am starting to feel old. I remember reading an article as a teenager by Mr Clarkson where he was thinking about buying that same cosworth. At the time he had been living in London for sometime and had not wanted to buy a car for the mere fact he did not need one. If i remember his then wife owned the car car in there house it was a BMW Z1, IMO a terrible car!

[Tahiti]

I had a 216SLi at the time these came available, and regularly lusted after the BRM model after seeing the pre-release at Earls Court (I think might have been NEC). Cracking cars to drive... once you'd put some decent rubber on the wheels.

Very bling-y, but still very nice!

Oh yes. At the time, most people I knew had a sporty Rover - mostly 220 turbos (including modified bubbles with the T16 turbo fitted). My brother also had a rather amusing 214 with a 1800 VHPD engine on throttle bodies. It would rev to 8,500RPM if memory serves me right - great sound in tunnels!

[Chris_in_the_UK]

Glad we're now getting some sensible (ones I could afford) cars. Seems to be a lot of Hairdressers on this forum!

Learn to cut hair then - at least you could afford a decent car!

[minkle]

MK2 Golf van. GTI kit, Jetta front end. Started out as a Mercedes dealer parts van down south and ended up very different in the north.
I loved that van and it was pretty close to my age. Cant find any pics either, it was a bit rough mind!

[RJM25R]

VW related for me, in common with a few others. No photos, but I owned the fabled Scirocco Storm which was the former property of L J K Setright.

Ian

Still missed. Rip.

[SimonH]

This:



whose life was cut short at a mere two years' old when, while bumbling along, I was hit head on by a stolen car out of control :(

These were the pre chav Impreza days but nevertheless I still think I'll have another classic one day.

In a way it saved my life because at the time I had an MGB and if I'd been driving that I doubt I'd be here to tell the tale...

[NickMSM]

Sold this Tommi Makinen Evo VI about 9 years ago, worth more now than what I got for it. Since lost tens of thousands on other cars, hey ho

[glyn696486]

Sold this Tommi Makinen Evo VI about 9 years ago, worth more now than what I got for it. Since lost tens of thousands on other cars, hey ho

stunner, and subtle!

[dickbrowne]

Not a car as such, but this is the mode of transport I most regret selling on



Here she is in the garage



And doing what she did best - no real sideways action, but she understeered liked a pig ;)




Other than that, my old Triumph Spitfire is up there, everything else was just transport...

[Mikey-r]

Some stunning machinery here.

I've had some nice cars (nothing in the Porsche/Ferrari league though). There's only one that I would buy back in a heartbeat:





I've owned cars that were faster and handled better but this was just the perfect all rounder. Sooooo much torque from that 400bhp V8 and a roar to die for when opened up!

Not a week goes buy when I'm looking at the "for sales". I'll get another but the good ones are getting few and far between.

[Benc999]

Some stunning machinery here.

I've had some nice cars (nothing in the Porsche/Ferrari league though). There's only one that I would buy back in a heartbeat:





I've owned cars that were faster and handled better but this was just the perfect all rounder. Sooooo much torque from that 400bhp V8 and a roar to die for when opened up!

Not a week goes buy when I'm looking at the "for sales". I'll get another but the good ones are getting few and far between.

Absolutely agree about the E39 m5. I had one as well and whilst I miss it, i found it getting dated and unreliable as it got old hence it came second to the 944 that I listed... So I don't miss it as much.... But when the XFR comes up for replacement the latest M5 is definitely on my list!

[Andrzej]

My Mercedes SL. Been gone a year now, and it was such a beautiful car. But eventually the inability of Mercedes to solve the boot leak problem on these cars no matter how much money I spent, became too much for me.

[Wexford]

My second car which was a red Citroen AX GT (F69 ODP) which i wrote off within 8 weeks of ownership a long time ago ;0(

I also miss my AX GT, although mine lasted about 2 years before I had to sell it because I needed the money, it's still the only new car I've ever actually owned myself, as opposed to company lease cars.

I also miss my 308GT4 and my stage 3 tuned Mini Clubman 1275GT (more like 1480GT)

I'm very happy with the XKR convertible though, it's mildly tuned, bonkers fast, sounds mighty and great fun with the top down.

[Tahiti]

The AX GT was a really cracking little car wasn't it? Weighed nothing, didn't look flash, handled beautifully, and had enough power to be fun.

[Plug]

I miss this one the most. My first V8, a 4.3 litre with over 300 BHP shoehorned into a C class.. man did it shift. It was debadged so it was subtle too, until you buried the loud pedal and it hurled itself towards the horizon..



Cheers,

Plug

[NJH]

My first car a 1985 Mini. Spent all the spare time and money I had back then on that car as it was always going wrong and we replaced the engine with a 1300 rally special. I used to go out in the rain especially to drive the thing as it drifted through corners wonderfully on wet roads. I don't think I have ever quite enjoyed a car as much since. Miss it loads but wouldn't want another one was a different time and place for me then.

[pstruck]

I miss this one the most. My first V8, a 4.3 litre with over 300 BHP shoehorned into a C class.. man did it shift. It was debadged so it was subtle too, until you buried the loud pedal and it hurled itself towards the horizon..



Cheers,

Plug

I like that. Subtle as you say. A bit of a 'sleeper' with a surprise in store for anyone who challenged you to a traffic-light grand prix.

[BrianT]

Just found a picture of my favourite car of all time. My wife and I used to buy them in pairs. In thirty or so years only seen about four on the road.......reckon the rest were in the workshop.

[Lampoc]

It understeered like a bastard, the brakes were crap, it had no air-con, the sub-frame was rusting away, the paint was faded, the synchromesh had all but disappeared.

I loved this car.... BRRRMMMMM

[BRGS]

Lovely to see a few TVR S on here, this is the one i was driving when i joined TZ-UK hence my user name. I did quite a bit to this one before I sold it and realised that each one was different from the next. The fusebox was a crazy thing.

[j0hnbarker]

Just found a picture of my favourite car of all time. My wife and I used to buy them in pairs. In thirty or so years only seen about four on the road.......reckon the rest were in the workshop.

Lovely - always liked the Europa. What were they like to reverse?

I have a feeling there was one near me when I lived in Leeds, but only seen it twice on the ring road near Horsforth.

[BrianT]

Lovely - always liked the Europa. What were they like to reverse?

I have a feeling there was one near me when I lived in Leeds, but only seen it twice on the ring road near Horsforth.

The early S2 Renaults were a bit dicey, they had two sort of pieces of bodywork that ran down from the rear of the roof to the boot/ tail. The twin cams and big valves were much better. In fact the interior mirror sort of framed the letter box rear window. Of course there was no way you could swivel round and look where you were going it all had to be done by mirrors. But the best driving position of any car, you put it on. You could always tell a Europa driver, he had a dirty right hand. Exiting meant opening the door and putting your hand on the pavement and sort of pivoting out.

[teadazed]

Miss my first car - 1990 Vauxhall Nova SR. Many years of reliable service including thrashing it all day at a practical performance car £999 challenge.

Definitely don't miss my Alfa GTV V6. Pretty, sounded great, drove nicely. Cost a fortune every year replacing bits that stopped working.

[jneds]

Only have pictures of a couple of the dozen VW's that have sadly departed over the years and are sorely missed. I'm still driving VW (Golf) and although it drives beautifully and never puts a foot wrong it just doesn't quite seem to make me feel like the old ones did or perhaps I should remove the rose-tinted spectacles.

G60 Corrado was a real license-loser and the previous owner had sent it off to Jabbasport for them to work their magic. The results were both scary and addictive and I had to sell as it became impossible to keep under the speed limit.



This is probably the car I miss the most , a run-out year 8 valve GTI which was a joy to drive.

[swanbourne]

I really enjoyed driving this back in 1975.



until it was replaced by this, which I also loved.



Eddie

[Optimum]

I really enjoyed driving this back in 1975.



until it was replaced by this, which I also loved.



Eddie

I recognise the Triumph but what's the red one?

[swanbourne]

^^^ Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, mine was a 1400cc twin cam.

Eddie

[RLE]

Just found a picture of my favourite car of all time. My wife and I used to buy them in pairs. In thirty or so years only seen about four on the road.......reckon the rest were in the workshop.

My dad used to have a yellow one when I was about six or seven. Ended up selling it when my sister came along. We both wish he'd have hung on to given what he sold it for back then

[BrianT]

My dad used to have a yellow one when I was about six or seven. Ended up selling it when my sister came along. We both wish he'd have hung on to given what he sold it for back then

Can't remember the name of the site but a few months ago I checked and IIRC there were only about twenty or thirty road registered on the DVLA thingy. Wish I could find the site again as I think my old TVR V 8S is quite a rarity. Although I the rarest listed is something like an Allegro GT or something just as mundane, whatever it was only one was listed.

[Tahiti]

howmanyleft.co.uk ?

[Bravo73]

Can't remember the name of the site but a few months ago I checked and IIRC there were only about twenty or thirty road registered on the DVLA thingy. Wish I could find the site again as I think my old TVR V 8S is quite a rarity. Although I the rarest listed is something like an Allegro GT or something just as mundane, whatever it was only one was listed.

http://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/

[glyn696486]

Only have pictures of a couple of the dozen VW's that have sadly departed over the years and are sorely missed. I'm still driving VW (Golf) and although it drives beautifully and never puts a foot wrong it just doesn't quite seem to make me feel like the old ones did or perhaps I should remove the rose-tinted spectacles.

G60 Corrado was a real license-loser and the previous owner had sent it off to Jabbasport for them to work their magic. The results were both scary and addictive and I had to sell as it became impossible to keep under the speed limit.



This is probably the car I miss the most , a run-out year 8 valve GTI which was a joy to drive.

Both stunners!

[BrianT]

Thanks for the link. Discovered that the Rover Marauder I once owned is extinct. Not surprising since I believe they only made about a dozen. For those interested they were made in the early fifties, two sweater convertible bases on a P series. I fact it looked a lot like the gas turbine engined car that Rover produced which now I think resides in The Science Museum Reg JET 1.

[jwg663]

Thanks for the link. Discovered that the Rover Marauder I once owned is extinct. Not surprising since I believe they only made about a dozen. For those interested they were made in the early fifties, two sweater convertible bases on a P series. I fact it looked a lot like the gas turbine engined car that Rover produced which now I think resides in The Science Museum Reg JET 1.

No heater?

I'm actually quite jealous of some of the cars shown here, having spent my life driving mostly skips on wheels.

[BrianT]

No heater?

I'm actually quite jealous of some of the cars shown here, having spent my life driving mostly skips on wheels.

No, or in common with most cars of that era an excuse.

We are spoilt these days. Another car I owned was a Lotus Mk 6, went like a rocket. Just checked the specs. 50, yes 50 bhp and a 0-60 time of 15 second a top speed of 89 mph. Mind you I could pick up the bare chassis with one hand and the bodywork could be measured in ounces rather than pounds. Don't see many of these around either.

[scooter]

Mine would have to be a 1967/68 Ford Anglia 105E which was a left hooker. I borrowed it off a mate long term for £80 should it get damaged.

It ended it's days when I hit Longleat Main Gates in 1976 having hit ice at about 20 mph. It was pre seat belt law and I broke my sternum on the steering wheel whilst my girlfriend popped through the windscreen to inspect the bonnet.

I remember receiving a bill from the previous Lord Bath requesting payment for reparation to his gates including gold leafing to the tips of the spikes for around £1500 which was an incredible amount of money then.

I really loved that car and felt sick when I saw a picture of it all twisted sitting in a breakers yard.

scooter

[keitht]

[swanbourne]

Is that the 2002 tii? My old adjutant had one and he could get the wheels to spin in third gear. IIRC, they were all orange (or seemed to be).

Eddie

[keitht]

Is that the 2002 tii? My old adjutant had one and he could get the wheels to spin in third gear. IIRC, they were all orange (or seemed to be).

Eddie

It is indeed Eddie.

I had fitted a 5spd box from an early e21, this necessitated shortening the prop, and beating a bit of clearance into the transmission tunnel with a hammer.

Went very well, was relatively sporty to drive, yet comfortable with a light airy cabin, she also stopped well...something of an revelation compared to other 70s cars I have owned.

Inca orange was the common colour, mine was a softer more mango type shade..known ( I think ) as Solei.

Turns out the this combination of colour and webesto roof was a limited run of 150..didn't know that when I sold it for about £1500, not long after restoring her.

She is sitting idle somewhere SORN'd...suspect I could not afford to buy her back now....

[Lammylee]

It is indeed Eddie.

I had fitted a 5spd box from an early e21, this necessitated shortening the prop, and beating a bit of clearance into the transmission tunnel with a hammer.

Went very well, was relatively sporty to drive, yet comfortable with a light airy cabin, she also stopped well...something of an revelation compared to other 70s cars I have owned.

Inca orange was the common colour, mine was a softer more mango type shade..known ( I think ) as Solei.

Turns out the this combination of colour and webesto roof was a limited run of 150..didn't know that when I sold it for about £1500, not long after restoring her.

She is sitting idle somewhere SORN'd...suspect I could not afford to buy her back now....

Attachment 3780



Attachment 3782

.
I saw this one on the Cat and Fiddle a few weeks ago, Gorgeous!

[Lammylee]

(See post below)

[.olli.]

this little one... I would love to have it back, this was a lot of fun