Gear Heads: Car Corner

[Lincoln Thorn]

Howdy Dear Friends!

I thought it would be a fun idea to have a segment where people could post pictures or talk about some of their favorite cars/motorcycles/Vespa’s/etc… they’ve had through the years.

Regale us with some stories of that first car you bought with your hard earned money, teach us about hard lessons learned about the importance of car care, and mesmerize us with tall tales of your perfect car stories.

[Chip Gelmini]

I modified this wagon to pull behind my Wolf RX50. Perfect for quick rides to the grocery store.

[Steve Klare]

1968 Ford Torino GT Coupe
302 V8
Holley 4 Barrel Carb.
Headers
Dual Exhaust.

It's a remnant of my twenties!

A friend once asked me if my speedometer is correct because he looked down that day and caught himself doing 90 (-in a 55!). He described it as "a Moonshiner's car". It's very big, smooth and fast.

On Hiatus these years while adulthood has been expensive, I store it in a (very patient) loved-one's garage.

I hope to return it to the road next spring.
.

[Graham Ritchie]

Great topic Lincoln

As a X motor mechanic from the dark ages of British cars I drove mostly junk, never had the money for anything better. One piece of junk was a Austin A40 farina, now what caught my attention of late is of actor Sam Neill driving his A40 farina around here in the south Island, well that made me smile that one is in much better condition than what was mine in this below photo.

This is me admiring my paint job on Yvonne little Morris Minor with our little Hillman Imp in the garage early 1980s photo, which had a bad habit of overheating going up hill. About a year or so we went to a swap meet where both American and British cars plus others were on display. I am looking forward to the next one, its certainly fun to talk to the owners

[Ozzie Williams]

Yes a great topic...

I have a very bad habit of not getting rid of cars and motorbikes. Here is one I have owned for 30 years now...this is it at the Harpenden Classic Car Show a few years back (held pretty much next to Harpenden Halls of 9.5mm show fame). I used this to go to a boot sale a couple of weeks ago...so it is still going strong!

[Graham Ritchie]

This Triumph was my favorite manual 1980s-90s car, I fitted power steering a bigger engine and air shocks for towing, also a larger radiator . The car was very comfortable to drive plus it had overdrive as well. I should have kept it

Back in my mechanic days I took some photos when I worked for Avis during the winter 1976. We were talking about those small rental cars just the other day, and can't imagine folk hiring a "Mini" these days like the did back then. We had quite a line up of cars from the small Mini, the Morris 1100, Escort, Holden cars, which were very good, Marina, Leyland P76 and others I cant remember

As far as the motor trade went, Avis were a great crowd to work for. I remember the service manager got the cleaners to make some water bombs, then with him leading the charge went round to the Hertz forecourt, letting lose at Hertz with them cant imagine that happening these days

Anyway I did take some photos, one being my little work bay, complete with heater and most importantly a radio, another photo is of this particular mechanic welding, who in later years would become the service manager.

[Terry Sills]

Anyone really interested in viewing vintage and veteran cars should take a trip to Haynes Motor Museum, near Yeovil. A fascinating and vast collection of motors of all ages and types. Really worth the trip.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hayn...hotos&tbm=isch

[Graham Ritchie]

Wish that museum was closer. the photos look real interesting.

The 1980s with our 1966 MK2 Ford Cortina, another Triumph 2.5 in the single garage and a 1938 Morris 8 on its right.

[Graham Ritchie]

A old favorite of mine......"BEEP BEEP"

[Ozzie Williams]

Wish that museum was closer. the photos look real interesting.

The 1980s with our 1966 MK2 Ford Cortina, another Triumph 2.5 in the single garage and a 1938 Morris 8 on its right.

Hi Graham. It does not go without saying that you have posted some of the best scenes of the 1980s car world that are possible to behold! A time I remember only too well...

The 2000tc is a fave...but in 1982 this was my vision of modern (still running today...but with nowhere to go!)

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Ozzie

That's is a nice car you have hopefully you will soon be out and about in it soon.

When I came to NZ in 1973 there were still many old British cars on the road, far more than you would ever see in the UK at that time. The cars in NZ did not seem to rust out the same, also cars were expensive to buy or bring into NZ for quite a while back then.

One other car I should have kept was a Ford Cortina MK2 GT, it was the sports version with a vinyl roof, wood grain dash etc. I paid $700 for it and sold it later for about the same, now if you can find one it would be worth big money, however back then it was just another car to get you from A to B.

Another gem from my past, was this old MK 1 Consul. I paid $300 and later sold it for $340 Yvonne liked it and thought it was a comfortable car to drive, also it really was built like a tank. I bought it in 1977 and sold it around 1980. The funny thing was it was fitted with vacuum wipers. Going up hill they would almost stop, going down hill they would go flat out .

When I worked for Avis, Holden cars were very popular. I was given the use of this Kingswood to use while I spent a week helping out up in Picton, top of the South Island. Its now considered a classic, once again it was just another rental. On my way back to Christchurch I was given another Holden to take back. Avis was a brilliant company to work for and the odd trip away, was a great way to see the country, and get paid for it.

[Mitchell Dvoskin]

I have had many fun cars over the years, but the 1989 Ford Mustang 5.0 Liter Convertible was my favorite.



Coming in a close second was my 1980 Triumph TR8 Convertible. I undoubtedly have, but can not find, a picture of it. This was the car where I discovered that the British never fully figured out electricity. What electric genius decided to mount the solid state computer control module on the engine firewall where it would constantly be going from very hot to very cold. Fortunately this was corrected by the dealer under warrantee when it failed. They moved it to under the dashboard. For many years I had a British mechanic who was from the factory in Coventry and brought over here by British Leyland to work in their USA headquarters. He then left and opened his own repair shop, not cheap, but when he fixed something it stayed fixed. He has a sign in his shop that read "Why Do The British Drink Warm Beer. They Have Lucas Refrigerators".

The best handling car I ever owned was a 1974 Fiat X1/9. It is the only car I ever had to push into a service station (more than once). If he British never figured out electricity, judging by this car, the Italians never figured out mechanical engineering. While those who own expensive Italian Ferrari's and Maserati's may have spare cars for when their Ferrari's and Maserati's are in the shop, us mere mortals expect our cars to run most of the time. Everything you could design wrong in a car, Fiat did. It was a mid engine car, and when you popped the hood (bonnet?) to get to the engine, everything you would need access to for regular maintenance was in the most inaccessible locations you could imagine. A tow truck operator told me that Fiat stood for "Foolish Italian Attempt at Transportation". Actually the word he used was not foolish, but another "F" word that probably will not get past this forums software filters.

[Graham Ritchie]

Mitchell you wouldn't like to swap your Mustang with my 1997 Toyoto Starlet would you?

If you want a good laugh watch this, my cousin once had a Robin Reliant. I was really careful not to say anything negative about it, as this "thing" was his pride and joy. .

[Steve Klare]

I had an '88 Mustang GT hatchback: it has to remain the best car I will ever have!

It was everything you'd think, it was fast and it handled beautifully, but it was also spectacularly reliable: in 220,000 miles and 25 years it was on the hook just once! Gas mileage was pretty decent, especially all things considered. It was terrifying in the snow with that V8 in a small rear wheel drive car, but after I got married I always had a FWD or AWD alternative and I could dig the Mustang out after there was pavement again.

It was very special: I typed out a list of what I wanted the car to be and slapped it down on the desk at about six Ford dealerships: "I want THIS car.". They'd say "We have one just like it except it doesn't have the sunroof and it's a different color.", and I'd say "You aren't listening.". They had to build one for me. I had to bring a knowledgeable friend to the dealership to bring it home: I didn't know how to drive a stick shift at all well just yet. (I learned quickly!).

That car did all sorts of things I never imagined it doing. After we got married we started to canoe, so all of a sudden it had roof racks. A few years after that, we bought a camper and it got a trailer hitch. We were coming home from vacation and climbed the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia with the trailer. I was up in overdrive, motoring along when the hills started, so I dropped down to fourth. It became steeper: third. Finally we are basically looking up at the sky through the windshield and I am roaring along in second gear. The trailer was almost dangling on the hitch and we are still up at the speed limit! We went up over the summit and I upshifted into third and let it coast down the downhill side. The engine temperature came nowhere close to the red mark and it was basically just another day at work for that big old V8! (It pays to remember: tamer versions of this engine are found in trucks! -and similar versions are found in highway patrol cars.)

-it was quite a show!

[Graham Ritchie]

Great story Steve

All this talk about cars reminded me of my 1980s LP Album Heartbeat City by "The Cars" I had a listen to a couple of nights ago, now one track in particular that should be played while driving with a CD not a LP of course, is the huge hit "Drive" Its real 80s stuff that was played a lot on the radio at the time. I think the art work on the cover is really great to .

Here are a couple of photos I took of the cover