royaloak Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I'd be quite happy to 'ruin it', as I find competition cars far more interesting than wheezy, bog standard run of the mill family saloons - but each to their own, eh?! I dont have a problem with people restoring competition cars but this isnt a competition car is it, and there are only so many shells left and most used for competition end up ruined. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chriswright03 Posted July 30, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 30, 2018 Appears to be left-hand-drive. Indeed which suggest it probably came from Turkey as both in the South and the North they drive on the left. Looks to be in reasonable condition due no doubt due to the climate. Let's face it if Renaults can still be in one piece from the 70's here rust isn't a big issue. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I dont have a problem with people restoring competition cars but this isnt a competition car is it, and there are only so many shells left and most used for competition end up ruined. The majority of historic rally cars are built from standard road cars. 'Restored' competition cars are generally ex-works jobs that will cost you more than a brand new Lamborghini. Or two.... I'd still happily 'ruin it', as I'd prefer to see it actually out competing in a rally, race or hillclimb than sat on a field in a 'classic car show' which bore me to tears.... My son, three year old grandaughter & I were out watching the Harry Flatters Rally on Epynt in the pouring rain yesterdy - Escorts, Minis, Avengers, Cortinas, TR7s, an M3, Delta Integrale & many others being thrown around teeming wet tarmac stages - wonderful !! But, I'll say it again, each to his own.... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted July 31, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2018 Or keep it as the model it is instead of ruining it. Or if required tasteful upgrade. Basically if 1300 fit 1600 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 The majority of historic rally cars are built from standard road cars. 'Restored' competition cars are generally ex-works jobs that will cost you more than a brand new Lamborghini. Or two.... I'd still happily 'ruin it', as I'd prefer to see it actually out competing in a rally, race or hillclimb than sat on a field in a 'classic car show' which bore me to tears.... My son, three year old grandaughter & I were out watching the Harry Flatters Rally on Epynt in the pouring rain yesterdy - Escorts, Minis, Avengers, Cortinas, TR7s, an M3, Delta Integrale & many others being thrown around teeming wet tarmac stages - wonderful !! But, I'll say it again, each to his own.... Each to their own indeed - I always enjoy looking at the restored / concourse line up at Beaulieu when the annual Mini Cooper Register day is on, they really are a feast for the eyes but the modified and customised cars hit the spot even more, whether the mods are period or not. It's nice to see something a little bit different sometimes, this is one of the reasons I chose a non factory (but period) colour when I had the Cooper S restored. Originality is nice, but it's not the be all and end all. One car I wouldn't dare change if I were lucky enough to own it would be Keith Richards' Bentley S3 Continental Flying Spur known as 'Blue Lena', a wonderful period piece all by itself, imagine what stories it could tell... this is from the 'Beggars Banquet' photo shoot in Derbyshire in June '68... Wouldn't mind Brian Epstein's Maserati Sebring either... I wonder what happened to George Martin's Herald, which John Lennon passed his driving test in... 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 ….I wonder what happened to George Martin's Herald, which John Lennon passed his driving test in... GM Triumph.jpg Yer man there looks a bit like Edward Fox.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Yer man there looks a bit like Edward Fox.... ''I never wanted to be King y'know Wallace...'' Always thought that should any film producer be brave enough to make a proper film about The Beatles before it's too late, the actor Jonathan Newth should play George Martin, not only for his resemblance to him but his voice is remarkably similar... (When I say proper film I mean accurate and well made like Apollo 13 etc, with the right casting, locations, period detail, the rights to the original songs and avoiding silly myths it could be rather wonderful, a once in a lifetime film). 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 ''I never wanted to be King y'know Wallace Wallis...'' ... FTFY 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobby Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 I wonder what happened to George Martin's Herald, which John Lennon passed his driving test in... GM Triumph.jpg Not showing on DriveArchive which probably means its scrapped. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve K Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 (edited) Steve, Thank you. I'm aware of the pre-cat issue and the potential issue with the rear subframe is there anything else that I should be aware of, anything that tends to wear prematurely? What's the best way to inspect the rear subframe – does the car need to go on ramps so I can get underneath or can it been seen from above. I have a practical car so storage space is not an issue for me. (For the benefit of others, replying to a query about early Toyota MR2 roadsters) Hand on heart, the rear subframe issue wasn't something I was aware of. Googling, I see that it's a popular topic for discussion, but this area has never been even mentioned after any of the many services and MOTs that it's gone through since I bought it. In fact, hardly anything ever gets mentioned at the MOT - either I've been incredibly lucky, or Toyota make quite good cars... ! The pre-cat problem I was aware of - I bought my car at 10-years-old with pretty low mileage, but as it approached 100,000 miles, I had my local garage hack all of the pre-cat matrix out of the exhaust, so stop it being sucked back into the engine. Many miles later, I've had no issues with the engine, and no problem meeting the MOT emissions requirements, even without the pre-cat honeycomb. The only expensive and unexpected bills that I can recall in 7 years and over 100,000 additional miles - the steering went very tight about 4 or 5 years ago, and necessitated the replacement of one CV joint, and on another occasion, one headlight became rather hazed and yellow and had to be replaced (the other one is on the turn, but I've now got some paste that I apply with a drill & mop!), and I honestly can't think of much else. Yes, of course it's gone through the usual amount of tyres, pads & discs (but no more than any other car would), and I had to replace the 2 rear calipers some while ago. It's had a new radiator, but that was stone damage, as I recall, and not some inherent fault. The roof is starting to fray a bit, but it's still air- and water-tight, although I did buy a patch repair kit on Amazon to fix a couple of tiny holes that would have grown if left alone. One other thing which does need occasional attention is that the drain holes which carry rain from around the soft-top do eventually get clogged with leaf matter, leading to overflow into the passenger compartment. I didn't realise this until I had to start mopping large amounts of water up from behind the seats! Fortunately, the fix is quite easy - whip off the air intake covers, and the drains can be rodded fairly simply. The resulting "splosh" sound, followed by a litre of dirty water on each side is very satisfying! Edited August 1, 2018 by Steve K 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 For lovers of old Escorts and Historic Rally ones in particular, keep your eyes peeled for Classic Ford's feature on the Motorsport Tools new build shells. They were in today doing the photoshoot for that and for staff member Steve's Cortina (Mk2 I think?, all will be revealed in print!) They are showing the before and after of the Escort build - one of the plain shells, all the bits to convert it and the finished shell. This is the scene as we were tidying up - L to R the Boss' Forest and tarmac cars, the kit of parts and the unfinished shell. A finished shell will set you back a mere £25k! 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 Meanwhile, on Flickr.... 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 A finished shell will set you back a mere £25k! Unfortunately that means I'm about £20K short for just the shell....!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Unfortunately that means I'm about £20K short for just the shell....!! You need to shell out a bit more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 For lovers of old Escorts and Historic Rally ones in particular, keep your eyes peeled for Classic Ford's feature on the Motorsport Tools new build shells. They were in today doing the photoshoot for that and for staff member Steve's Cortina (Mk2 I think?, all will be revealed in print!) They are showing the before and after of the Escort build - one of the plain shells, all the bits to convert it and the finished shell. This is the scene as we were tidying up - L to R the Boss' Forest and tarmac cars, the kit of parts and the unfinished shell. DSXT3189-Edit.jpg A finished shell will set you back a mere £25k! At first glance that whole scene looks like an excellent model! Being on nights this week I've only just got out of bed - her indoors reports that during my slumber a long low and very fruity sounding sportscar wafted past the house, she thinks it may have been a Marcos GT. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinZaPint Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 My 1965 970 Cooper S with the then bonnet mascot! taken in the early 70's lovely car very free revving. I later had a nasty accident in this car, met the wife! that was 43 years ago! 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Hmm, my CX seems to have been "papped" a few times by Flickr people... 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted August 2, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 2, 2018 Looks nice in that shot, Ivan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Hmm, my CX seems to have been "papped" a few times by Flickr people... Well a fab car like that deserves an audience 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglian Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 @ Steve KThank you for your reply – it sounds as if the design of the Mk3 MR2 is pretty bullet proof. Have you had to have the clutch changed yet – do you know how many miles/years they typically tend to last? Do you service the car yourself or does the local garage who modified your pre-cats do that? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 (edited) Saw a fine condition and only lightly modified Datsun 240Z last evening. Gave my self quite a shock when it occurred to me that it must be nearly 50 years old... I can remember cycling to Heathrow Airport car park for the start of the RAC Rally and seeing the works cars in the line-up along with the Datsun saloons. steve Edited August 2, 2018 by steve1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium uax6 Posted August 3, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 3, 2018 (edited) A quick hop to Calais on Wednesday saw a few classics out and about, the highlights being a nicely modified green MG Magnette, which really looked pukka (and no minilites!), a diamontie encrusted Isuzu Trooper (nicknamed the Super Trooper) which was on some sort of banger-trip, and then two Germans turned up with two trailers. The first had a pair of Messerschmitt bubble cars on, the second a single one. Is there a Messerscmitt rally this weekend somewhere in the uk? Andy G Edited August 3, 2018 by uax6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 (and no minilites!), Boo!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve K Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 @ Steve K Thank you for your reply – it sounds as if the design of the Mk3 MR2 is pretty bullet proof. Have you had to have the clutch changed yet – do you know how many miles/years they typically tend to last? Do you service the car yourself or does the local garage who modified your pre-cats do that? I knew there was something else I should have mentioned! As it happens, the clutch is just beginning to slip if I try to accelerate too hard at lower revs. I've been quoted £400-ish by my local garage (and well north of £500 from the main dealer) to replace it, but I'm going to hang fire until it becomes a nuisance and/or I've got a load of money I longer need. Joking aside, it's perfectly driveable at the moment, but it's a job that will need doing this year, I guess. I don't think I've seen any old bills for a clutch change, but I don't want to blithely say "theyall last 140,000 miles", either. However, it looks like mine probably has... You'll no doubt have picked up from the picture of my dashboard that mine has the SMT ("sequential manual transmission") gearbox, the sort that Porsche would call "tiptronic". This is great fun - you can either change gears using buttons on the steering wheel, or knock the gearstick back and forth to change up or down. It's not an automatic, as some people think - the only gearchange the car will ever do for you is to change into first as you pull up to a halt. It even blips the throttle during downward changes if you're getting a shift on - what larks! When I was looking for a car, I knew I wanted to try the SMT version, so I sought the lowest-mileage one I could find at a sensible price. I needn't have worried - it's not low mileage now, not by any standards, and it still works fine. The gearstick is sometimes a little stiffer than it used to be, particularly in cold weather, but not enough to make it hard work, and once or twice, it's got stuck in "drive" and needed a little assistance to get into neutral (which you have to do to get it to start). Note to prospective owners of SMT MR2s: keep small flat-headed screwdriver in glove box! To confirm the answer to your last question - I've always felt I didn't have the time/space/skill to service the car myself, so I had it looked at by Toyota main dealers up to 100,000 miles, and then my local garage after that. But if you have the necessary knowledge, I doubt whether the MR2 is any harder than other cars of that age to work on - apart from everything being a little cramped under the bonnet. A good sets of ramps would be essential, I think. Final top tip - Toyota main dealers (or at least mine) might be expensive as far as hourly rate goes, but they are ridiculously cheap for tyres. I had all 4 done (2 x 15", 2 x 16") earlier this year, and got change out of £200. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickstart Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 The Tiptronic system normally is an automatic which is manually over ridden. Is the Toyota system an controlled conventional gearbox (the the Alfa Selespeed system) or a dual clutch setup? I presume the former All the best Katy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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