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Peak 1980s uber wedge barge anyone?


Strela

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 10 months later...
1 hour ago, Strela said:

Meantime the venerable Merc strides imperiously into its 37th year and clicked over 125k miles, taking in the Spring Scramble at Bicester, an exploratory trip to try some Bristols (very fine) and a 365 GT4 (truly epic), a highly recommended driving day at Tuckett Bros Model T Ford specialist (father and nephew pictured striking out to the future in a 100 year old car - love this photo), the Silverstone Classic, and an annual trip to Scotland. Not the most interesting car out there, but properly looked after these 107s just keep going. 

 

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4. At SLJ Hackett Bristol dealer, Warminster, 25th April 2019.JPG

16. 365GT4 2+2, Pucklechurch 31st July 2019.JPG

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Always a favourite of mine & my partner, they're lovely cars.

That colour is soooo cool.

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36 minutes ago, Strela said:

Do you have one? I first drove a 280SL because I wanted to try the engine with a view to buying a W123 saloon, but found the SL fitted the bill well enough, my mind was made up. I wasn't bothered about which engine, so I ended up with this nice little V8. I do about 4k miles a year in it and it bombs along so nicely I'm not even interested in trying the 500. Got caught speeding in it this year for the first time in 25 years of driving. Drove it from Galway to Oxford in eighteen hours last year, and did 1700 miles from Chipping Norton to Orkney and back the year before. It's taken big heap welding, an engine rebuild, new exhaust, brakes and shocks, period correct Michelin tyres (well worth it), most windows, a big bucket of orange paint and a lot else besides to future proof it. I'm not interested in having a trailer queen, but it's still not quite as good as I want it. I have thought about selling it to indulge other follies, but it's just such a delightful car I can't justify getting rid. It's about to go in for a service and MOT. It's passed the last six MOTs with no advisories, so we must be doing something right. 

The Bitter is a totally different animal. Anyone who has driven a Monza or Senator would find it a scream. It's a wonderful curio. Pulls like a train, drinks like a fish, donuts everywhere, looks like a four seater De Lorean, sounds bloody brilliant - an anonymous handbuilt piece of exotica and completely thankless nightmare to own, on the brink of extinction ever since it was produced. There's ploughing your own furrow. And there's owning a Bitter.

Hi

No, alas we don't an SL. It was one of those cars we always lusted after as they're just so cool, usually auto's & just look right in a solid '70's Germanic way.  Prices have really started to shift now so I doubt we'll ever get one.

I always rather liked the "panzerwagen" nickname too, as solid, they certainly are. I'd not seen one in that colour before, I like it a lot.

Nice motor, I hope you continue to enjoy it for sometime :-)

Must admit whilst I'd seen Bitters at shows I really don't know much about them.

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  • 2 months later...
On 11/15/2019 at 6:15 PM, inconsistant said:

Funny, I was just thinking of this thread and your car at the weekend when I came across the Bitter stand at the NEC show.  They are lovely cars.

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I think that belongs to my pal Rob. I’m due a ride in it when I eventually get into a position where he can stop storing my Jag for me. He has quite a collection.

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  • 6 months later...

Brill! The one thing that - to me - jars slightly about the way it looks is the curvature of the front plate, it's not missing some sort of mount panel that provides a flatter surface (e.g. E46 or F30 3 series) is it? Might a pressed steel plate sit more tightly than a plastic one?

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On 8/22/2020 at 10:18 PM, Strela said:

Finally back on the road!

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I still wake up in a cold sweat about the blue one I had.............which was an absolute nightmare. Picked up from outskirts of Brum about 8 years ago,.........on the drive to my sister's place in Bristol, the oil cooler exploded.......after getting that fixed, it broke down repeatedly with sundry electrical faults, and the exhaust back box falling off. Fitted an aftermarket rear box, which had the hilarious consequence of heating up the exhaust manifold so much in glowed orange in the dark. Then the fuel pump went south.....fixed that, and despatched it to SWVA with crossed fingers, preparing to lose a fortune. To my amazement, some poor sod in Norway bought it for a good price, and I escaped relatively unscathed in the wallet.

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19 minutes ago, Strela said:

Not wishing to retraumatise you, but here's a photo of yours (I think, on the right) in the only English language book on Bitters, published a few years before you had it. Car 333, I think. Mine is 334.

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Car 666 would have been more accurate.....that bloody thing was haunted................! Have you heard any other reports of glowing exhaust manifolds ?

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  • 6 months later...

Been a while since I've seen an update here - if I'm hijacking the thread I'll start a new one but being a wedge-lover I reckon it's worth resurrecting. After far too long sitting idle with only the occasional local run, the normally very reliable Mondial wasn't firing as it normally does. Today I replaced the plugs (access to one bank is tighter than a gnat's arse but doable with patience and the right combination of sockets, the other is easier but needs the big pipe to the throttle body removed which is surprisingly tricky to replace afterwards) and it's running great again. Old plugs were sooty so time for some more investigation, wondering if it's worth investing in the relevant Bosch fuel pressure tester before I start delving deeper.  

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