Car Talk

[Malanka]

I was being a little sarcastic in my Lexus post. It’s a lovely thing quiet reliable and it looks good too. We had a Mercedes before and their well known gearbox issues surfaced after two years. Got to the point that it didn’t like the flappy paddle changes at all. 

 

M

[ChrisB]

My favourite at the moment is the new Morgan +6 which was launched at the Geneva show in March. It retains the classic Morgan look but it's BMW 335hp six cylinder takes it to 62mph in 4.5 seconds and tops out at 160mph. A genuine hand built future classic for £80,000, not really too steep.

[ZimbiIV]

This was my favourite car.

Re-mapped by the previous owner.

0-60 2.8 secs

0-100 7.9 secs

405 bhp in a car weighing less than a metric tonne.

The figures were done by a racing driver at the Ring.

Never worried about enough power to overtake but worried if I had the brakes to stop.

An absolute doddle to drive in the snow. It stayed in the garage and I went brum brum!

paul 

[oldgregg]

The Toyota recall was hardly a fundamental system design fault - It was a manufacturing issue. And as usual they're sorting them without fleecing owners.

But I concede that hybrids are mostly dull and I don't personally have one, in fact I also have a Honda.

2 hours ago, Paul said:

I am rather partial to the f-type in all it's guises. 

Me too, beautiful car....

Best car I've ever driven was a VX220 Turbo. Basically a Lotus Elise but with some power. Unbelievably agile handling, and sub five second 0-60. Biggest problem was changing gear quickly enough.

 

[Malanka]

Done 130 with top down the ears take a battering I don’t go above 70 now with top down. Sucks the cap off your head. 

We drove to Cannes last spring for our 25th Anniversary, journey was amazing did the old route pre motorway was so sublime I loved every minute of it. Also drove the casino section of the Monaco GP Too that was fun, loads of waves from f-type fans. All the armco was up for the GP. 

 

M

[Malanka]

Millie is also v economical when driven like a granny she will do over 30 mpg at 70 mph, just blip the right foot a tad and that goes down to about 3 mpg. You also break  the motorway speed limit in all 8 gears. 

Most fun I ever had completely within the 30 mph zones or any speed limit to be honest as she makes quite a racket  and still doing 28mph or 38, 48 or 58 or 68. I just set the limiter and off we go saves losing license by being silly. I can get my speed kicks in Germany.

She going back to lease company in June so this is her last long trip. She is bang on the 80 odd db limit for noise. Uses 95 unleaded too don’t do the track so don’t use premium mechanics said I don’t need it with all the torque of the supercharger .

 

M

[Malanka]

The SVR is manual paddles ( sport mode) or gear shift no clutch or full auto. Has a dynamic set everything inc dampers up from scratch mode , this is my fav and use it all the time but it’s hard on your bum on cobbled Swiss streets. 

She was the Zurich launch car in 2017 same color and trim as the top gear one they drove to Geneva. 

that Morgan  looks too good to be real will look into it when get back to uk.

 

M

[Paul]

19 minutes ago, Malanka said:

Millie is also v economical when driven like a granny

Noooooo!

[Malanka]

When the rock band masquerading as Norse gods opens up at the back definitely not but yes she can. Hates it..... 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

5 hours ago, oldgregg said:

The Toyota recall was hardly a fundamental system design fault - It was a manufacturing issue. And as usual they're sorting them without fleecing owners.

But I concede that hybrids are mostly dull and I don't personally have one, in fact I also have a Honda.

Me too, beautiful car....

Best car I've ever driven was a VX220 Turbo. Basically a Lotus Elise but with some power. Unbelievably agile handling, and sub five second 0-60. Biggest problem was changing gear quickly enough.

 

Believe Vauxhall paid Lotus to sort out the handling on the VX220 and once had a Ferrari to play with but only for a few hours.

[Paul]

11 minutes ago, Pumpmedic said:

Believe Vauxhall paid Lotus to sort out the handling on the VX220

Lotus built the VX220, both the LHD varient for Opel and the RHD for Vauxhall at Hethel. It was in reality a Mk2 Elise with revised bodywork and the Rover K series from the Mk1 replaced by an Astra engine. Lotus chose a Toyota engine from the Celica for the Mk2 Elise. 

 

[oldgregg]

Yup, built at Hethel.

It's an Astra GSI lump in the Turbo, which was a lot more powerful and eventually more reliable than the 2.2's which have some funny issues. Not the lightest engine ever but the car was so light it didn't matter.

Only problem with it was the cooling, which they didn't uprate properly and so the Turbo version had a tendency to burst the coolant system if it had been used enthusiastically (and believe me you would want to).

When the VXR220 came along it had a bit more power and that's the thing they talked about.... But actually the coolant system had been sorted quietly as well and so that's the one to buy.

Sent from the Norfolk Broads Network mobile app
 

[Griff500]

21 hours ago, ZimbiIV said:

This was my favourite car.

Re-mapped by the previous owner.

0-60 2.8 secs

0-100 7.9 secs

405 bhp in a car weighing less than a metric tonne.

The figures were done by a racing driver at the Ring.

Never worried about enough power to overtake but worried if I had the brakes to stop.

An absolute doddle to drive in the snow. It stayed in the garage and I went brum brum!

paul 

Nice Tam, from a Griff 500 owner

[Chris1986]

From that angle the front reminds me of a BMW Z8. 

[oldgregg]

Yeah it does a bit.

Talking about BMW... Anyone seen the new Z4? Co-developed with Toyota and will also essentially be sold as the new Supra.

I can't find it now but there was an interesting video floating about a few weeks back where they were showing how Toyota does durability testing on components in their labs - There were quite a lot of BMW-designed engine components which failed testing and had to be improved so I think this will be a really good collaboration. A BMW built like german cars used to be, potentially! Hopefully they didn't let Toyota do the handling.

[VetChugger]

Further talking about the BMW, something I've been meaning to ask

Hope you have requested the indicators option!

[oldgregg]

11 minutes ago, VetChugger said:

Further talking about the BMW, something I've been meaning to ask

Hope you have requested the indicators option!

At least it's an option - I don't think Audi have it on the list? 

[Paul]

1 hour ago, oldgregg said:

Hopefully they didn't let Toyota do the handling.

I once had a Celica Turbo "Carlos Sainz", talk about grip, it had bigger kahunas than I did. I hope the new Z4 has gone back to the characteritics of the original, which was half decent. Recent Z series cars have been woeful, overweight, too soft, wallowy. I call it Golf GTi syndrome, start well and head quickly downhill. 

 

[oldgregg]

7 minutes ago, Paul said:

I once had a Celica Turbo "Carlos Sainz", talk about grip, it had bigger kahunas than I did. I hope the new Z4 has gone back to the characteritics of the original, which was half decent. Recent Z series cars have been woeful, overweight, too soft, wallowy. I call it Golf GTi syndrome, start well and head quickly downhill. 

I think the best Toyotas had a fair amount of help with the handling from a certain outfit not too far from here....

But yes the Z4 had become something that fat old men could fit in, rather than a sports car.

[ranworthbreeze]

26 minutes ago, oldgregg said:

At least it's an option - I don't think Audi have it on the list? 

I wondered where that stalk had gone to! my Saab used to have one.

Regards

Alan

[Cockatoo]

My favourite car to have owned:

[oldgregg]

I do like them a lot... But I don't have the ability to rebuild the engine when the apex seals go like you do!

[Cockatoo]

Shh don't tell anyone, but it's really easy

 

(I'll say that now I'm not doing it anymore)

[oldgregg]

This really winds me up...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47845971

Fiat Chrysler are basically pretending to be a sister company to Tesla in order to bring their average CO2 rating down and avoid the huge fines - Obviously Teslas have no tailpipe emissions (or a tailpipe) so it's a good wheeze.

How it's legal I have no idea.

 

[annv]

Hi Steve What is a APEX seal please. John