For those interested in "Modern Classic" Cars

[Kickstart]

52 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

I really don't see the sense of painting anything that moves around black. It shows the slightest speck of dirt, which it picks up even when standing still, and any car with aspirations to "sportiness" just looks silly in black. 

 

 

Black almost never looks clean. Silver almost never looks dirty!

 

All the best

 

Katy

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

I really don't see the sense of painting anything that moves around black. It shows the slightest speck of dirt, which it picks up even when standing still, and any car with aspirations to "sportiness" just looks silly in black. 

 

Not to mention they use white primer just so the chips _really_ show up.

[MJI]

1 hour ago, Dunsignalling said:

Post-war, in the UK, presumably in a desperate attempt to brighten the place up, black paint on cars increasingly became the province of taxis, hearses, and the Lord Mayor's Limo and I still feel it should be.

 

It suited some of the more staid 1930s models but (IMHO) should have disappeared along with running boards! 

 

In more recent times, black has been so common as to have become almost a cliche, but thankfully (IMO) its popularity seems to be in decline of late, even on hearses. Our local Co-op is currently running a rather splendid silver one....

 

I really don't see the sense of painting anything that moves around black. It shows the slightest speck of dirt, which it picks up even when standing still, and any car with aspirations to "sportiness" just looks silly in black. 

 

John

 

 

 

The Scottish Hearse for the Queen is silver, but had a black wrap for her.

[monkeysarefun]

3 hours ago, Hobby said:

What's going on in that first photo, @monkeysarefun, there's a group of people in the bottom right all looking one direction? That last photo looks at first glance like the UK until you look closer, the loco (obviously to us!), the telegraph/electricity poles and the yellow and black roadwork barriers being the most obvious giveaways!

 

 

The caption said it was taken at the Point Londsdale Rip View lookout in Victoria and shows crowds waiting for a view of HMAS Melbourne (air craft carrier) and escort vessels as they entered Port Phillip Bay. 

 

The train photo is of Newcastle, so no wonder it reminds you of the UK!    (PS:OUR Newcastle..)

 

 

Final update, here's a pic from 1992 which shows that even that recently few  bought dark coloured cars! 

 

(definitely a few "modern classics" in there - that FJ Landcruiser would be worth a pretty penny, and there's that kombi, and a few now-classic Holden's and Fords.......)

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[peanuts]

3 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Post-war, in the UK, presumably in a desperate attempt to brighten the place up, black paint on cars increasingly became the province of taxis, hearses, and the Lord Mayor's Limo and I still feel it should be.

 

It suited some of the more staid 1930s models but (IMHO) should have disappeared along with running boards! 

 

In more recent times, black has been so common as to have become almost a cliche, but thankfully (IMO) its popularity seems to be in decline of late, even on hearses. Our local Co-op is currently running a rather splendid silver one....

 

I really don't see the sense of painting anything that moves around black. It shows the slightest speck of dirt, which it picks up even when standing still, and any car with aspirations to "sportiness" just looks silly in black. 

 

John

 

 

The silver hearse may be to in conection with muslim funerals have noticed the two local muslim funeral directors both use silver hearses 

[MJI]

I think it was that companies usual livery

[Dunsignalling]

9 hours ago, Kickstart said:

 

Black almost never looks clean. Silver almost never looks dirty!

 

All the best

 

Katy

And even white can get surprisingly grubby before it becomes obvious.....

 

John

[peanuts]

Seen two blasts from the near past yesterday saddly no pics as was driving a lancia y10 bit tatty but still going well then around the corner comes a pristine Alfa gtv6 in red 

[faulcon1]

On 30/11/2023 at 22:42, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

The caption said it was taken at the Point Londsdale Rip View lookout in Victoria and shows crowds waiting for a view of HMAS Melbourne (air craft carrier) and escort vessels as they entered Port Phillip Bay. 

 

The train photo is of Newcastle, so no wonder it reminds you of the UK!    (PS:OUR Newcastle..)

 

 

Final update, here's a pic from 1992 which shows that even that recently few  bought dark coloured cars! 

 

(definitely a few "modern classics" in there - that FJ Landcruiser would be worth a pretty penny, and there's that kombi, and a few now-classic Holden's and Fords.......)

 

 

Oh what a lovely photo from the past with a colourful facade on the sea side of the building and colourful road traffic which we took so much for granted at the time. A red XD Falcon wagon at the bottom of the photo although it could be an XE with a maroon Fairlane above it and a Mazda 929 coupe next to it with an XC Falcon wagon in front and to the left of the Mazda. Behind and to the left of the XC is a Honda Accord and behind it a Toyota Corolla either an SE or CS. In front and to the right of the XC wagon is an FJ40 Toyota Landcruiser. Drove one of those on a farm but the accelerator cable had broken and so a piece of fencing wire with a big round washer welded to the wire made an accelerator pedal. It was only for farm use and wasn't registered. The farmer even had an old Mark 1 Land Drover buried in the long grass on his farm. Above the red XD I can see a mark 1 Corolla and next to it is a Volvo where at that time Volvo drivers thought they could drive anyway they liked and in an accident no matter how severe the worst injury they'd get would be an ingrowing toenail. Next to the Volvo look like it could be a first generation Commodore. In front of the FJ40 is a Datsun and in front of that a Datsun Sunny wagon who's stopped because a mark 2 Cortina is reversing out. In front of the car obscured by people is a Holden Torana and in front of that is another XD Falcon wagon and beside that is a blue Datsun 180B The blue signs van looks to be a Toyota Hi-ace and next to it is a mark 2 VW kombi and there's a blue Volvo station wagon with a green Holden panel van two cars up from it. It maybe be some blokes "shagging wagon". Those were the days you took your girlfriend to the drive in to watch one movie of a double feature. The first movie was a kiddies movie and that's when you made love to your girlfriend in the back of your van. Then you'd buy her and yourself something to eat and drink from the kiosk centrally located in the middle of the drive in and then you'd eat, drink and cuddle for the second movie. Then you drove her home. A lot of today's grandmother and grand fathers lost their virginity at the drive in, in the back of a Ford or Holden panel van. Australians never went in for the big transit type vans that the Americans had.

monkeysarefun thought I was just a Ford bloke.       

Edited December 12, 2023 by faulcon1

[faulcon1]

I've kept a Wheels magazine from 1981 because it has my first car in it. No really my very first car owned by me was tested in Wheels Magazine in their April edition. It was a Suzuki Hatch 800 in Muscat Green rego No. LBT 147. I bought the car from a friend who worked for Ateco Suzuki the importer at that time of Suzuki motor vehicles. Peter Wherrett tested the earlier one the Hatch 540cc with drum brakes and cross ply tyres. Mine had radial tyres and a disc/drum combination as most cars had at that time.

Being young an stupid I fitted mine with a "peacemaker" exhaust system and it was anything but peaceful. The young blokes of today with their cannon mufflers on their WRX have nothing on the noise output of my "Peacemaker". I use to wake up the local area when I went to work in the morning. The front bumper bar never fitted properly from new but I had an accident in the car when I was perving on a blond girl on the footpath and I ran into the back of a stationary Valiant Charger. The front of my car was a mess and the rear of the Charger wasn't even dented. After the NRMA smash repairer fixed the car (which today would have been a write off) the front bumper bar fitted perfectly. 

29.5kw = 40hp and 59 newton meters = 43lbft my present car has 220hp more than my first car. You can se in the B&W magazine photo that the front bumper doesn't fit properly. In the colour photo that was taken post accident and the bumper is now a good fit. The interior shot shows dad's car in front a 1976 VW Golf LS rego No. HZH 182 The label on the inside of the windscreen is the rego label which we used to have at that time. It was a bit like a model railway transfer for you soaked it in warm water and then applied it to the inside of the windscreen sliding the backing paper off. You had to get it right the first time for if you tore it in applying it then you had to pay for another one. To remove the rego label from the windscreen one used a hard back razor blade.

In the front colour photo for Aussies, if you know Inghams Chickens which you can buy in the supermarket today, Mrs Ingham lived in that house over the road. She was very posh for she had an automatic garage door and nobody at the time in our area had one of those. The other thing that made her posh was that she drove a Mercedes when Australian and Japanese cars is what everyone else had in the area.    

Edited December 15, 2023 by faulcon1

[monkeysarefun]

58 minutes ago, faulcon1 said:

I've kept a Wheels magazine from 1981 because it has my first car in it. No really my very first car owned by me was tested in Wheels Magazine in their April edition. It was a Suzuki Hatch 800 in Muscat Green rego No. LBT 147. I bought the car from a friend who worked for Ateco Suzuki the importer at that time of Suzuki motor vehicles. Peter Wherrett tested the earlier one the Hatch 540cc with drum brakes and cross ply tyres. Mine had radial tyres and a disc/drum combination as most cars had at that time.

Being young an stupid I fitted mine with a "peacemaker" exhaust system and it was anything but peaceful. The young blokes of today with their cannon mufflers on their WRX have nothing on the noise output of my "Peacemaker". I use to wake up the local area when I went to work in the morning. The front bumper bar never fitted properly from new but I had an accident in the car when I was perving on a blond girl on the footpath and I ran into the back of a stationary Valiant Charger. The front of my car was a mess and the rear of the Charger wasn't even dented. After the NRMA smash repairer fixed the car (which today would have been a write off) the front bumper bar fitted perfectly. 

29.5kw = 40hp and 59 newton meters = 43lbft my present car has 220hp more than my first car. You can se in the B&W magazine photo that the front bumper doesn't fit properly. In the colour photo that was taken post accident and the bumper is now a good fit. The interior shot shows dad's car in front a 1976 VW Golf LS rego No. HZH 182 The label on the inside of the windscreen is the rego label which we used to have at that time. It was a bit like a model railway transfer for you soaked it in warm water and then applied it to the inside of the windscreen.

In the front colour photo for Aussies, if you know Inghams Chickens which you can buy in the supermarket today, Mrs Ingham lived in that house over the road. She was very posh for she had an automatic garage door and nobody at the time in our area had one of those. The other thing that made her posh was that she drove a Mercedes when Australian and Japanese cars is what everyone else had in the area.    

 

 

My mum had a Suzuki Hatch 800 in exactly the same green colour, also bought in 1981. I passed my driving test in it.

 

I still recall the rego plate was LGW690, though I have no idea how I remember that.

 

It replaced here previous car which was this (Rego plate BGA something or other...)

 

In comparison to the Fiat Bambino, which was 500CC with  10HP or something, the Suzie was like a pocket rocket!

 

 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Dunsignalling]

3 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

 

 

My mum had a Suzuki Hatch 800 in exactly the same green colour, also bought in 1981. I passed my driving test in it.

 

I still recall the rego plate was LGW690, though I have no idea how I remember that.

 

It replaced here previous car which was this (Rego plate BGA something or other...)

 

In comparison to the Fiat Bambino, which was 500CC with  10HP or something, the Suzie was like a pocket rocket!

 

 

 

 

 

By comparison with a Fiat 500, almost anything above a wheelbarrow is a pocket rocket. The motor was pitifully underpowered even for its size. Learner-legal 125cc motorbikes nowadays have about 50% more bhp. I had a 600cc Reliant 3-wheeler that would leave the things standing without even needing top gear.

 

I never worked out how anybody expected a lawn mower engine to drag a car and up to four people anywhere quickly enough for any of the occupants to still remember the purpose of the trip by the time they got there. 🤡

Edited December 12, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[MJI]

31 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

By comparison with a Fiat 500, almost anything above a wheelbarrow is a pocket rocket. The motor was pitifully underpowered even for its size. Learner-legal 125cc motorbikes nowadays have about 50% more bhp. I had a 600cc Reliant 3-wheeler that would leave the things standing without even needing top gear.

 

I never worked out how anybody expected a lawn mower engine to drag a car and up to four people anywhere quickly enough for any of the occupants to still remember the purpose of the trip by the time they got there. 🤡

 

My 100cc bike was more powerful than the earliest one, only the Abarth had more power than my 250s

[faulcon1]

Well for those who live in NSW in my younger days in that Suzuki the speedo only went to 140kph and the speedo needle was level. However I in my stupidity decided to see how fast I could make the car go. So I drove down Catherine Hill which is just west of Mittagong with the "pedal to the metal" so to speak and the speedo needle pointed vertically downwards at the blue high beam light indicator but not for long for once at the bottom on the flat it quickly returned to 130-140kph. I drove it at flat stick all the way back to the end of the motorway which in those days was at Camden. It consumed 25 litres of super petrol as unleaded petrol didn't arrive until 1986. 140kph in my present FG Falcon feels quite tame but in the hatch it was thrilling with the tiny 3 cylinder motor screaming it's head off. I've only done 140kph these days in the far western parts of NSW where there are no police or mobile camera cars because the amount of traffic passing in an hour can be counted on two hands and the roads are dead straight to the horizon.

Perhaps the Hatch was a pocket rocket because when you closed the car doors they didn't close with a clunk but a loud bong! due to being so light in weight.    

[faulcon1]

Quite early on in this thread someone in the UK said that a V8ute would be expensive to run in the UK. Well someone has imported a Ford AU V8 Ute into the UK and uses it on a daily basis as this HubNut video shows.

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

21 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

By comparison with a Fiat 500, almost anything above a wheelbarrow is a pocket rocket. The motor was pitifully underpowered even for its size. Learner-legal 125cc motorbikes nowadays have about 50% more bhp. I had a 600cc Reliant 3-wheeler that would leave the things standing without even needing top gear.

 

I never worked out how anybody expected a lawn mower engine to drag a car and up to four people anywhere quickly enough for any of the occupants to still remember the purpose of the trip by the time they got there. 🤡

 

The ones sold  here were actually built in New Zealand where Fiat had an assembly plant in the 1960's.  If you have ever driven in New Zealand its amazing that anyone thought they were  a viable option considering the mountains, but they did sell.

 

 

They were called the Bambina here.

 

I have a memory of my learn-to-drive days with mum beside me in the passengers seat and trundling up a long hill with about 1000 cars queued up behind me. There was no synchromesh so changing down was not a good experience and mum refused to let me move aside to let them pass.

 

We used to have an Irish  Setter at the same time we had this car. She loved to  sit in the back seat with one front paws on each of the  back of the passengers and drivers  seat - she would  stick her head out of the sunroof with a goofy look on her face and her ears flapping in the wind. 

 

From side-on it looked like a dog was driving the car and I've got to admit, that  did get  a lot of attention from the ladies, which when you are 18 was at least some compensation for having to drive around in your mums Fiat Bambina.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

10 years ago today I  bought  the ute.  I guess its a modern classic because they aren't making any more of them!

 

 

[45568]

Interesting commentary on classic modern Aussie cars compared to their newer rivals when in the bush.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-26/commodore-falcon-remote-communities-popularity-bush-mechanic/103233808

The last paragraph is particularly telling!

Cheers from WestOz,

Peter C.

[monkeysarefun]

5 hours ago, 45568 said:

Interesting commentary on classic modern Aussie cars compared to their newer rivals when in the bush.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-26/commodore-falcon-remote-communities-popularity-bush-mechanic/103233808

The last paragraph is particularly telling!

Cheers from WestOz,

Peter C.

 

 

Going on from that, remote long-abandoned vehicles now being hunted down  due to current mental market value.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[monkeysarefun]

 

Another reason for keeping it simple in the outback. I remember this from a forum back in the day. He never does a follow up on how it ended, so maybe its still out there?  (A 600km tow would probably be more than the car is worth!)

 

 

 

 01-26-2012, 07:53 PM:

 

Hi guys,

I need urgent help.. I\'m in the bush in Australia and I have a 2005 X5 and I have managed to lock the keys in the trunk while all the doors are locked.

Does anyone know how to get into an x5 without the keys? I have seen a few posts with people saying its possible but don\'t want to post on the net but I am stuck please can someone help me?

 

      01-26-2012, 08:14 PM

 

Someone has mentioned an impact sensor if anyone knows any details of this can they pm me please I am really stuck apart from breaking the window which doesn't help as its raining

 

      01-26-2012, 08:42 PM

 

If ur in the bush.. How r ungetting internet reception?? No one is going to tell u how to break into our cars lol that's a hell of a story u got there. Sounds like BS to me. Ur probably trying to break into someone's car..

 

      01-26-2012, 09:28 PM

 

isn't BMW assist available for that model year?

 

 

      01-26-2012, 09:54 PM

 

We have full phone reception I'll take a photo and show you

 

      01-26-2012, 10:50 PM

 

 

BMW assist isn't available for this model in Australia as far as I know. I have called BMW Sydney they will not send someone out to my location which sucks.. I can't post the photo from my iPhone so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it which I suspect you won't. I've tried hooking a wire over the door handle inside the car but the car seems to be deadlocked. Can't get to the button inside to unlock the doors. One forum mentions a impact sensor under the car but I have no idea where it is so I have no choice but to break the rear window to reach in and get my keys which is a huge pain in the arse no shop will have an x5 window anywhere near me until I get back to the city and I have a 700km drive back to the city !!!!!!!!

 

      01-26-2012, 11:09 PM

 

Either way I believe the impact sensor takes a significant amount of force to active. I also believe it severs a connection to the engine so u wouldn't be able to drive away anyway

 

      01-27-2012, 12:36 AM

 

Thanks Gmoney appreciate the comment. Spoke to BMW assist and the only option BMW assist said was to have it towed nearest bmw dealer is 600kms so too expensive or break the window. Shame my mate managed to rip a door seal trying to get a coat hanger in the door to pull the handle which didn't work anyway!! Good to know its so hard to break into shame the spare key is over 700kms away. Expensive hunting trip..

 

 

 

 

[big jim]

Just bought a couple of tickets for Japfest at silverstone in April, not a car show fan but the tickets are cheap through Kelsey media until 31st Dec and I know Dominic will love it, he might actually wash his car before it too

 

https://events.fastcar.co.uk/japfest/
 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by big jim

[Classsix T]

On 26/12/2023 at 11:45, big jim said:

Just bought a couple of tickets for Japfest at silverstone in April, not a car show fan but the tickets are cheap through Kelsey media until 31st Dec and I know Dominic will love it, he might actually wash his car before it too

 

https://events.fastcar.co.uk/japfest/
 

 

Went to two Japfests when it was semi-local (Northampton and Peterborough iirc) and Sister's then fella was interested. I'm not one for tricked out motors or vanity projects but there's usually something to please any Nippon autophile at these events, enjoy Jim.

 

C6T.

[Classsix T]

On 26/12/2023 at 06:59, monkeysarefun said:

 

Another reason for keeping it simple in the outback. I remember this from a forum back in the day. He never does a follow up on how it ended, so maybe its still out there?  (A 600km tow would probably be more than the car is worth!)

 

 

 

 01-26-2012, 07:53 PM:

 

Hi guys,

I need urgent help.. I\'m in the bush in Australia and I have a 2005 X5 and I have managed to lock the keys in the trunk while all the doors are locked.

Does anyone know how to get into an x5 without the keys? I have seen a few posts with people saying its possible but don\'t want to post on the net but I am stuck please can someone help me?

 

      01-26-2012, 08:14 PM

 

Someone has mentioned an impact sensor if anyone knows any details of this can they pm me please I am really stuck apart from breaking the window which doesn't help as its raining

 

      01-26-2012, 08:42 PM

 

If ur in the bush.. How r ungetting internet reception?? No one is going to tell u how to break into our cars lol that's a hell of a story u got there. Sounds like BS to me. Ur probably trying to break into someone's car..

 

      01-26-2012, 09:28 PM

 

isn't BMW assist available for that model year?

 

 

      01-26-2012, 09:54 PM

 

We have full phone reception I'll take a photo and show you

 

      01-26-2012, 10:50 PM

 

 

BMW assist isn't available for this model in Australia as far as I know. I have called BMW Sydney they will not send someone out to my location which sucks.. I can't post the photo from my iPhone so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it which I suspect you won't. I've tried hooking a wire over the door handle inside the car but the car seems to be deadlocked. Can't get to the button inside to unlock the doors. One forum mentions a impact sensor under the car but I have no idea where it is so I have no choice but to break the rear window to reach in and get my keys which is a huge pain in the arse no shop will have an x5 window anywhere near me until I get back to the city and I have a 700km drive back to the city !!!!!!!!

 

      01-26-2012, 11:09 PM

 

Either way I believe the impact sensor takes a significant amount of force to active. I also believe it severs a connection to the engine so u wouldn't be able to drive away anyway

 

      01-27-2012, 12:36 AM

 

Thanks Gmoney appreciate the comment. Spoke to BMW assist and the only option BMW assist said was to have it towed nearest bmw dealer is 600kms so too expensive or break the window. Shame my mate managed to rip a door seal trying to get a coat hanger in the door to pull the handle which didn't work anyway!! Good to know its so hard to break into shame the spare key is over 700kms away. Expensive hunting trip..

I was told/heard a tale many years ago of a prominent member of HM Govt. visiting a young offender institution and subsequently finding themselves embarrassingly locked out of their Westminster taxi. After much consternation someone had the lightbulb realisation that surely one of the incarcerated must have experience of bypassing the acquisition of a vehicle by legal means.

After some inquiry, a lad volunteered to help out the stranded minister...by putting a half-brick through the driver's side window and pulling the central locking.

 

An urban myth I'd suggest, but indicative of the lack of common sense at a govt level versus the nous of the common crim.

 

C6T.

[Dunsignalling]

16 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

I was told/heard a tale many years ago of a prominent member of HM Govt. visiting a young offender institution and subsequently finding themselves embarrassingly locked out of their Westminster taxi. After much consternation someone had the lightbulb realisation that surely one of the incarcerated must have experience of bypassing the acquisition of a vehicle by legal means.

After some inquiry, a lad volunteered to help out the stranded minister...by putting a half-brick through the driver's side window and pulling the central locking.

 

An urban myth I'd suggest, but indicative of the lack of common sense at a govt level versus the nous of the common crim.

 

C6T.

 

Quite possible, I doubt the incarcerated have access to wire coat-hangers...😉

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Dunsignalling

[Classsix T]

18 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

 

Quite possible, I doubt the incarcerated have access to wire coat-hangers...😉

 

Or half bricks, but I suppose it could have been any window busting accoutrement.

Good tale though, truth be damned.

 

C6T.