Milton Keynes BL Autumn Rally - Just love these old cars
- Thread starter Brian
- Start date
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
I love cars from almost any era, but I might find that a bit of a challenge, I’m sad to say.
With the exception of the bypass hose there's not much that's difficult.
Nostalgia for some. Build quality was poor and the looks were dated but some great ideas for the time.
e.g. 5 speed gearboxes, hydrolastic suspension, transverse 6 cylinder front-wheel drive.
Ford Cortinas never got beyond 4 gears and only later Sierras finally got that much needed extra gear.
Frizzy
Liberal anarchist
Had two minis, ended up scavenging from one to fix other. Drove like a big skateboard, so much fun, so dangerous. In Denmark (lived there for six months) they were banned as the distance from head to screen was less than 30cm.
During eighties and nineties BL made the mini with thinner steel to save money, hence nickname in some US states of the ‘tinfoil toy’ again later banned.
When I bought my new style mk2 Mini Cooper s/h there was a original mini in its shadow, it looked like a toy compared to the little bmw Cooper.
Only way I’d drive a mini was if you fitted a roll cage.
During eighties and nineties BL made the mini with thinner steel to save money, hence nickname in some US states of the ‘tinfoil toy’ again later banned.
When I bought my new style mk2 Mini Cooper s/h there was a original mini in its shadow, it looked like a toy compared to the little bmw Cooper.
Only way I’d drive a mini was if you fitted a roll cage.
Brian
Eating fat, staying slim
You haven’t owned an Allegro so you don’t know what real shit is.
I just like looking at these old cars. You know at a glance what it is, unlike many mainstream cars these days, in their mundane colours and almost identical shape.
russel
./_dazed_and_confused
My dad had a Morris marina 1.3 for four years and the only thing that went wrong was an indicator bulb needed replacing, he replaced it with a Ford cortina it had two camshafts in the first year and then his car diy skills were used intensively from then on. I don’t understand why anyone would want to drive one today.
gintonic
50 shades of grey pussy cats
mine was my second ever car - bought with my hard earned in early 1983 - it lasted about a year until the floor fell out
MichaelC
pfm Member
Good grief, this thread reminds me of some of my horror vehicles!
Morris Marina, what can I say, first car and about all I could afford. Hysterical steering ie purely advisory. Turn the wheel, sometime later the car would change direction. Thankfully, not a particularly fast car. It eventuality gave up the ghost.
Morris Ital, a cheap and readily available replacement for the above. Replaced with some much more exciting vehicles.
Rover 216, bought cheap to use whilst another car was off the road. The Rover clearly did what it said on the tin ie get you from a to b, but shall I say it was hardly an experience. Wholly unforgettable.
Rover 820, blagged at very short notice to replace a Celica which eventually blew up. What can I say, it had an aircraft hanger for a boot. There you go, the positive.
All BL.
Funnily enough the Triumph Dolomite I had for six months or so was a real hoot.
Morris Marina, what can I say, first car and about all I could afford. Hysterical steering ie purely advisory. Turn the wheel, sometime later the car would change direction. Thankfully, not a particularly fast car. It eventuality gave up the ghost.
Morris Ital, a cheap and readily available replacement for the above. Replaced with some much more exciting vehicles.
Rover 216, bought cheap to use whilst another car was off the road. The Rover clearly did what it said on the tin ie get you from a to b, but shall I say it was hardly an experience. Wholly unforgettable.
Rover 820, blagged at very short notice to replace a Celica which eventually blew up. What can I say, it had an aircraft hanger for a boot. There you go, the positive.
All BL.
Funnily enough the Triumph Dolomite I had for six months or so was a real hoot.
cutting42
Arrived at B4 Hacker Ergo
A new company car Rover 420GSi was my only car from the BL lineage whilst my company tried a single vendor car policy. It was OK, reasonably fast for its day and class, well loaded with the current toys of the day but no AC sadly which was all I really wanted back then. I didn't miss it after its 3 years and replaced it with an early Mk1 Focus, a 2.0l Ghia with every option which was one of the most fondly remembered company cars I had. A real drivers car.
PaulMB
pfm Member
Looking at those cars, it seems amazing that a country that up to the 60s made beautiful things like Jaguars, "real" Rovers, Triumphs, MGs, Aston Martins, Bentleys, etc., could sink so low by the '80s. Many look like they came from East Germany or Czecoslovakia in the Soviet era, BUT with leather and wood inside. Strangely cuddly, in a way. In the mid-sixties my father had a 3-litre Wolseley which had a radio that took a few minutes to "warm up."
Brian
Eating fat, staying slim
Early naim...
eternumviti
Insufficient privileges to reply.
My fairly modern Sony TV takes a while for the brain to start working.
foxwelljsly
Me too, I ate one sour too.
It's a shame the XJ and SD1 suffered the ignominy of being built by BL. They can be wonderful motor cars.
Frizzy
Liberal anarchist
SDI was a miles ahead of competition, looked good , great v8, built by Oompa Loompas, only 70/80’s BL car worth having. My best friends dad had SDI, when it rained it was dangerous due to water running down inside windscreen, battery shorted and car aqua planed as brakes locked up giving no grip when wet. Handbrake could only be used on flat.
Love all jags esp type two or xj12.
Love all jags esp type two or xj12.