Have You Seen Any Interesting Cars On The Road Lately?

[Spider10]

I saw this in devon a couple of weeks ago

 

[ALFAitalia]

Hmm....i can't see that as an improvement over the standard Scirocco....

 

[SmartAmg]

Hmm....i can't see that as an improvement over the standard Scirocco....

Agree, it's different and that can be good.
But that looks a bit ungainly, to me.

 

[Darrell]

To be fair they are all made in the UK and there is a lot of work that goes into them. Plus they don’t build that many - there’s about a 10 month wait and they’re all built to order so you can spec what you want. It’s quite easy to spend 5 figures on a simple road bike these days! Perhaps unsurprisingly though Moultons biggest market is Japan, China and Korea.

I spent 5 figures on a road bike 6 years ago!!

 

[SpikyMikey]

Today I spotted a Reliant Scimitar convertible which I strongly suspect belonged to a teacher at my senior school many many years ago.

I also spotted this, I think it may be a Zephyr pickup, I guess a forerunner to the P100 I was fond of in my youth.

View attachment 176959

A quick noodle around the World Wide Wobble yields this :
The vehicle in the image is a Ford Zephyr MkII Coupe Utility, commonly known as a "Ute" in Australia.

• This specific model, the MkII "Highline," was produced by Ford Australia in Geelong for a limited period between 1957 and 1958.
  
  
• It combines a closed cab with a practical flatbed, making it a unique two-door pickup based on the Ford Zephyr.
  
  
• Survivors of this model are rare, especially in the UK, where only a handful are believed to exist.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

A quick noodle around the World Wide Wobble yields this :
The vehicle in the image is a Ford Zephyr MkII Coupe Utility, commonly known as a "Ute" in Australia.

• This specific model, the MkII "Highline," was produced by Ford Australia in Geelong for a limited period between 1957 and 1958.
  
  
• It combines a closed cab with a practical flatbed, making it a unique two-door pickup based on the Ford Zephyr.
  
  
• Survivors of this model are rare, especially in the UK, where only a handful are believed to exist.

Thanks Mike.

I believe in Australia they say you’re either a Ford or a Holden guy. I must admit I’m a Holden guy. I love a late nineties HSV GTS, the ultimate Vauxhall Omega.

After seeing the Zephyr I found myself looking for HSVs in the usual places. There are some Monaro and VXR8 kicking around but none of my favourite model

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I saw this in devon a couple of weeks ago

I’ve never seen one of those. Did you get any more photos?

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Nothing from the Festival of the Unexceptional?

I suppose that’s to be expected, maybe

 

[Darrell]

Nothing from the Festival of the Unexceptional?

I suppose that’s to be expected, maybe

I really want to attend this event but it clashes with our holidays.

Next year I’ll have to make an exception perhaps.

 

[del320]

I saw this in devon a couple of weeks ago

I’ve never seen one of those. Did you get any more photos?

All the details here.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Thanks Mike.

I believe in Australia they say you’re either a Ford or a Holden guy. I must admit I’m a Holden guy. I love a late nineties HSV GTS, the ultimate Vauxhall Omega.

After seeing the Zephyr I found myself looking for HSVs in the usual places. There are some Monaro and VXR8 kicking around but none of my favourite model

I was a GM kind of guy too and always though a Holden Commodore VF wagon with the Chevy LS3 lump was probably a bit of a hoot. Never sold in the UK unfortunately .

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I really want to attend this event but it clashes with our holidays.
Next year I’ll have to make an exception perhaps.

I say the same every year.

But then I also say that I'd like to buy something to take to it....

Like an unadulterated Mk 1 Golf 1.0 similar to the one I blew up at the end of a European tour). Both impossible to find and "bad thing."

 

[tmwsccsh]

Nothing from the Festival of the Unexceptional?

I suppose that’s to be expected, maybe

I didn't go last year or this because of the cost. Used to be much more economical but now it's ridiculously priced.

TMW

 

[Darrell]

I say the same every year.

But then I also say that I'd like to buy something to take to it....

Like an unadulterated Mk 1 Golf 1.0 similar to the one I blew up at the end of a European tour). Both impossible to find and "bad thing."


View attachment 176978

We’re taking this. Our little Fiesta.

 

[Bellow]

The answer is probably not.
The problem is everything is interactive. Because aero is by far the most effective way of getting lap time, you will find that wheel spring rates are up to a factor of 10 (!) greater on something like a Gp C Jaguar than a FF car. 1500 vs 150!
That means chassis stiffness has to rise by similar amounts to firstly to keep the car in the correct aero window, and then make any sense of the kinematics.
But the FF car has no aero load hence the springs more like something found in a Biro.
ARB's take the same sort of step up in rates. Think drinking straw to carbon drainpipe....

Given the difference in concept between the cars, both do a great job of optimising the lap time possible within their own vastly different regulations.

Thanks Mactech.
One final question - I promise!
I chanced upon a useful article re FF chassis tuning and in it the example given had overall weight at 500kg split front to rear 200kg and 300kg. So 100kg on each front wheel static and a quoted 80kg on the inner front wheel (and 120kg on the outer front) in cornering. Would this be the limit of what is possible within the constraint of a flexible chassis or merely a level of front axle weight transfer that gave the required over/understeer balance?
Seems a low amount of weight transference when saloons can **** a wheel in the air but if that's all required... FFs do seem to be constantly fighting oversteer though.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

I didn't go last year or this because of the cost. Used to be much more economical but now it's ridiculously priced.

£25 / head?

I guess you haven't been to Goodwood (£135) or Glasto (£390) recently? Even Simply Mercedes is nearly £20 a head now.

But agreed, it's amazing how much people will happily pay without a second thought.

 

[Ted]

Thanks Mike.

I believe in Australia they say you’re either a Ford or a Holden guy. I must admit I’m a Holden guy. I love a late nineties HSV GTS, the ultimate Vauxhall Omega.

After seeing the Zephyr I found myself looking for HSVs in the usual places. There are some Monaro and VXR8 kicking around but none of my favourite model

Don’t forget there was also the Chrysler Valiant - a large V8 with kicked up pipes at the rear.
Pretty rare car, from memory the management at Rootes/Chrysler could get them as company cars.
We used to get them in to have decent radios fitted.
Very nice for the time. RHD too

 

[Darrell]

£25 / head?

I guess you haven't been to Goodwood (£135) or Glasto (£390) recently? Even Simply Mercedes is nearly £20 a head now.

But agreed, it's amazing how much people will happily pay without a second thought.

Daughter and boyfriend are off to the Revival.
Camping!

 

[Mactech]

Thanks Mactech.
One final question - I promise!
I chanced upon a useful article re FF chassis tuning and in it the example given had overall weight at 500kg split front to rear 200kg and 300kg. So 100kg on each front wheel static and a quoted 80kg on the inner front wheel (and 120kg on the outer front) in cornering. Would this be the limit of what is possible within the constraint of a flexible chassis or merely a level of front axle weight transfer that gave the required over/understeer balance?
Seems a low amount of weight transference when saloons can **** a wheel in the air but if that's all required... FFs do seem to be constantly fighting oversteer though.

Again it is all so variable and interactive. The tin top car on racing slicks and high centre of gravity is obviously going to have much more roll weight transfer than a low C of G racing car on the regulation treaded tyres!
It is all about trying to share the load across the tyres and keep it as constant as possible. The tyre size split front to rear seems about right for the FF car their weight split. The way the tyre is loaded is a complex mix of C of G, suspension geometry, spring and damper rates, driver steering and throttle inputs and some very subtle changes on the ARBs.
My experience is that more experienced the driver is (and the better throttle control they have) it is understeer and not oversteer that becomes the limiting factor. Our first line of attack would be changes in low velocity damping (F + R, bump and rebound) It is rare to change the well established balance between front and rear bars.

 

[ToeKnee]

Daughter and boyfriend are off to the Revival.
Camping!

Love the revival, although not been for two years.