Seeker_UK
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
Another interesting and different looking car. The facelift Cactus is a bit more conventional looking and the worse for it.
Old and new Mini next to each other
- Thread starter Tony Lockhart
- Start date
Another interesting and different looking car. The facelift Cactus is a bit more conventional looking and the worse for it.
SteveG
pfm Member
I don't remember mine as being particularly bad to drive (and I used to get to drive lots of cars in those days as I helped in my uncle's garage during the holidays) other than needing care not to spin it, as when the back came out it wasn't easy to catch. I think I only actually spun mine once though, on a motorway slip road in the wet. Managed to keep it on the tarmac though!
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
There’s an echo of a Skoda Fabia in that rear, and not in a good way.
Jezzer
Unspecified
This was when Sweden still was a big nation in Rallying (long before you had to have Sebastien in your name
), so there where fierce competition. You can make a rally car out of anything, even a Lada.My dad also had Ladas in his older days (shamefully for me). Terrible, BUT, they where very good in the winter. Heat came in very quickly, but, most importantly, handling in snow was vey, very good (a carry over from Fiat, perhaps?). You could drive as you wanted, with or without perfect slides through the corners. Great fun!
Parts on my Porsche are clearly labeled for other VAG brands. The instrument cluster on my neighbours Seat looks suspiciously alike. Terrible but true.
In 1978 a Swedish TV car magazine managed to put a Skoda on the roof while doing an elk test (Merc A class style
) . The factory got upset and demanded a redo, now with a test driver from the factory and even the Check ambassador present. Same result.Sales went to nearly zero after that.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Oh I know! I went to every rally in the U.K. I could during the 80s.This was when Sweden still was a big nation in Rallying (long before you had to have Sebastien in your name
But let’s make this clear: as much as the owners/drivers of Ladas were enjoying themselves in their cheap as chips cars, they were comically slow. And that was the idea behind them really, as speed costs, and they couldn’t afford it.
Barrymagrec
pfm Member
The water pump on my S type Jaguar was marked Ford - I only know this because it failed.
Old blokes getting pedantic about mini/MINI. The MINI is just a modern interpretation of an old car. Safety standards mean they simply can’t make these things to be small! Fine from the front but they’ve ruined those rear light clusters.
If they can't make them small, how come we have the Fiat 500?
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
They’re small, but still bigger than the original, aren’t they? And some 500 models are as obscene as some minis.
Generally people don’t want tiny cars. They think they do, for driving and parking in busy towns and cities, but as soon as you need to carry a passenger and some shopping, their limitations surface. The Golf class is about optimum for most, but SUVs are trendy.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
A less exaggerated comparison pic
Jezzer
Unspecified
Yes I did. The new 500 is 10cm narrower and 25cm shorter than the MINI - so it’s smaller but not small. They’re both massive compared to the originals.