gallondrunk

Bad news.
This is now reduced to £2,884.67 and located 25 miles from Wimereux.

http://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/776378930.htm?ca=7_s

 
I.
Must.
Resist.

DO NOT adjust your sets.
 
A RHD Lincoln LS 400.
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-LINCOLN-FORD-JAGUAR-BLUE-RHD-/321743750532?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4ae96c0584
 

This is the top half of a montage I decided to start work on today.  The original is A3 in size and is proving something of a battle to work on in my limited space.  I wanted to see if I could do something a bit different at a bigger size even though the cars themselves will be smaller than usual.
 
I wouldn't like to try and do a commission of a single vehicle at A3 in my current work space, it's definitely not practical.  A montage can at least be shuffled about a bit easier so I can focus on the various bits in the image.
 
I've got a list I'm working from for this one and I'm picking cars from as many different countries as I can fit on the page without duplication.  So far we've got Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy, France and Australia and I have designs on Spain, Korea, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Poland at the very least for the rest.

Another day, another car.  This is a picture that was threatened as a pick-me-up for a friend of mine who had some pretty shitty luck, he's the sort of person that a 1.1 Allegro in white can cheer up, he should be on here really.  This one's not for sale, but that doesn't mean I'm averse to drawing more Allegros, far from it.
 

 
I didn't have a single photograph to work from on this one that was the right spec so I had to piece it together from various references as is sometimes the case.  Turned out reasonably representative of the car in question, but the scanner really didn't like the shading on the white paint and has decided to omit much of what you can see in person.

This is a sketch of a Riley 4/72.  This, as it turns out, is one of the most complicated front ends of a car ever devised.
 

 
 
I liked the idea of drawing this rare Riley anyway, but then I realised as I neared completion of the details of the sketch that I had an issue.  What if Colc wants the artwork finished to look like his car and is willing/able to pay for that?  If so, it would be silly of me to complete the picture and not give him that opportunity so that's why I'm just putting the sketch here and dropping Colc a PM.
 
If it turns out he'd just like to see any Riley 4/72 in my unique drawing style then I'll complete it to my own tastes and add it to the portfolio, making it available to purchase by anyone whose eye it catches.
 
In other news, I had fun drawing something inspired by Japanese culture.  Those of a nervous disposition should probably avert their eyes from this one.  My favourite bit is the burnout clouds.
 

2.4, 5 pot...I've got one of those...Luuuurve it :-D
 
Here's a shit picture of it parked up at work...
 

The Perodua range is for champions, especially when they first started being imported. I love them - Cute, tiny, and unashamedly old school. The Nippa nails all of these qualities.
 
An excellent purchase. I'd love to hear more about it in the future.
 
 
 
 

MOAR!
 
By happy co-incidence, I ordered the wrong laptop battery on Ebay, and it arrived yesterday. The sender was based 5-miles away from the bloke selling the car. Sherlock's deductions are not required here. Even though they said they didn't deal with members of the public, they were actually superb when I just turned up. Which I said I would when they emailed me to say they didn't deal with members of the public. Batteries were soon swapped. My day was just full of Epic Win. Speaking of which, the industrial estate provided an opportunity for more pics. What bloody colour is this? The V5 reckons gold. I reckon it should just be called Giffer.

 
If you think it looks tiny from the front, check out the rear! Turning around to reverse is alarming as you almost headbutt the rear window. Despite there being another seat back there!

 
Original dealer sticker still present. Sadly not the same one as the video.

 
The battery saga had left me dangerously low on fuel, as I ended up wrong-laned past two petrol stations, before a short stretch of motorway. Then, with battery saga resolved, the sat nav wanted to take me straight back onto the motorway. I told it to find a petrol station instead. It found one of those ones where there's not really enough room for two cars between pumps. Unless one is a Nippa!

 
From 'fumes' to full was £23 exactly! The same price as my 'bargain' train fare. Chocolate was consumed and I hit the road.
 
It must be said, this thing buzzes along very merrily. It doesn't have quite the top-end zing of the Sirion (which had 989cc to the Nippa's 847) but it seems to have surprising levels of torque, so I wasn't ragging it like I had the Sillion. The ride is bloody awful though. Cats eyes had to be avoided. White lines had to be treated with respect. It does seem pretty grippy, but road and wind noise levels are hilariously high. It'll blezz along at 70mph no bother at all - even an indicated 80mph at one stage. I have no idea what RPM the engine is doing at these speeds, as there's no rev counter, and the engine is pretty much impossible to hear above 40mph. Even though someone has fitted 'low noise' tyres to it. Maybe some attempt at sound deadening is required. 
 
Photos were few and far between, as I knew bad weather was forecast. I just wanted to keep moving. Other road users don't seem to mind getting passed by a Perodua though - I even overtook a Porsche Cayenne GT3! Which was doing 60mph on a dual carriageway...
 
After passing through hilarious Pant, I stopped for a photo. Some may recognise the location.


 
Newtown was fun* as usual.

 
This at least allowed time to marvel at how crap the Nippa is to drive in traffic. Like the Sirion, it has a weak tickover, so giffer-revs tend to be needed. Trying to potter along on tickover in gear is just impossible. It won't do it. The idle was also getting lumpy at this stage. I'm hoping new plugs will cure that. It does need a service.
 
Being stuck in traffic allowed me to absorb the magnificent interior, of which photos will have to wait for now as I don't have any. There's LOTS of exposed metal, even on the roof. Switchgear is pretty much hidden too - that for the rear wiper is near your left knee and invisible from the wheel. The fog light is right next to it. The heated rear window switch is also invisible, which is probably why I only noticed it was on after several miles. I wonder how long it had been on...
 
The driving position is pretty good - pedals are straight ahead. Like the Sirion, it lacked under-thigh support someone but didn't seem as bad. It made up for it with very poor back support and seats that are so small that even I feel like I'm falling off them. The wiper blades are all completely shot. I think the rear might be the original. Therefore, hitting rain at Oswestry (just as I had when collecting the XM - does it always rain there?) was not entirely enjoyable. There is no mist function, but there is the great luxury of intermittent wipers. That really is a great luxury when the interior light doesn't even come on when you open the doors. Locks, windows and steering are all keep fit too, though you can reach every lock (and even window winder) from the driver's seat quite comfortably. A Blaupunkt stereo is fitted. It even works. There is a digital clock, but I think it has a habit of randomly resetting.
 
The gearchange is remarkable, presumably because there's so little wear in the linkage. Wonderfully direct, though I do find the lever rests against my leg in fifth. 
 
Anyway, I neared home. I thought I'd better fill up again, as the tank had dropped to half. 

 
Insane. It had cost me £12 to get home! That's 55mpg and a lot cheaper than the train. 
 
It should be the ideal Mini replacement really. Sure, it doesn't really handle all that well, but it grips well enough and importantly, the lack of steering assistance means you can feel what's going on. Hopefully it'll get the Mrs-DW seal of approval...

So, having a little extra paid work naturally meant that I was on Gumtree quicker than a mong. I quickly found a very suitable steed, needing something that had as few frills as possible to keep Mrs DW happy, but enough quirk to keep me happy. The excellent* photos drew me in, as did the two-line description. Actual size.

 
But was it the right choice? Handily, I found some excellent* sales information to convince me.

 
I emailed the seller, who turned out to be one of those rare LEGENDS. The car had just 24,000 on the clock, believed genuine and both seller and car sounded ideal. Especially when he noticed how little MOT was remaining (one month) and knocked the price down from £350 to £300. For a 16-year old car. That was barely run in. Logistics were challenging, due to actually having a job. I got today off, hit National Rail, found a £23 train ticket to Bootle, Liverpool and then spent two days desperately hoping no-one else would buy it. I wasn't quite brave enough to send a deposit. Which is is most unlike me. 
 
Collection capers will follow after food! Watch this space...

Just for you, my dear chap.
 
Poor man's Metro GTi, but this thing is mintier than mint. 21K miles from new, came with receipts for everything, including the docket for the car itself. 10 grand's worth. As you can see, it's been lowered, but all original bits are there. Powder coated and carefully stored. My mate is obsessive about his cars - has been known to remove the DOORS when cleaning them.
 
Pity he's not so careful with his IT equipment - this netbook is a fucking mess.  
 
 
 

The Nova of Oldness. 1985 car IIRC. From about 5 years ago.
 
 

Cav SRi 130. I've been in this - it even smelled new. It's no MG Montego, mind, but what else is?
 
 
 

MOAR
 
Corsa

I am currently trying to make a mess backup of my mate Gary's laptop. He is that most mental of persons: a Vauxhall apologist (I've posted pics of his MK1 Astras in the past)
 
If there's any interest, I'll post some more pics
 
Here's a taster
 
 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lincoln-Continental-Coupe-mark-IV-1973-american-classic-/261767741413

 

Cavcraft employs a team of 70 analysts to track market trends. 

Suddenly remembered how much I enjoy drawing. Apart from doodling with a biro when I'm on the phone at work, I never give myself any time for it these days.
 

 
While watching telly tonight. Just pencil, biro and marker, and I'm a bit cross that all my nice Chartpak markers have dried out since I left uni. Never mind.
 
I've just rekindled an old passion and it makes me feel all warm inside.

Wow.
 

In 2010 myself and Mrs* Gallondrunk were shopping for a new car. We'd spotted a seemingly tidy Daewoo Lanos 1.6SX in the classifieds with 29k, 12 months MOT and a FSH. It wasn't especially cheap (for a Lanos), but for a completely coddled car that might last us a decade it seemed quite a good idea.
 
It wasn't quite what we expected. There was no MOT whatsoever - the dealer said we could have it tested at a discount (of course, it'll sail straight through). The FSH turned out to be the Daewoo Deal three years free servicing and nothing else.
 
The 29k had mostly all been added in those first three years, and it had not been driven or tested for four. The oil had the consistency of Canadian tar sands, the sunroof seal broke off when we tested it, all four tyres were badly cracked and there were deep parking scratches everywhere.
 
It seemed to be the epitomy of conceited car advert tactics. I hope no-one had the misfortune of buying it.

Wow.
 

Mine was only the 1.6 slant 4, but was a very capable vehicle.  The tail-down stance in the photo is not from overloading, at least not by me; it's just worn suspension.  As it was, it was a great thing for hooning around town.  Low weight (it's just a big empty box) and wide track meant it actually cornered quite well, and had some handy acceleration, at least at town speeds.  It was also several hundred percent more comfortable than the contemporary Transit, despite inferior seats.

Unbelievably, my trader mate has managed to knock this out for £280, six scrap batteries and two scrap catalytic convertors!
 
Right, in other news (this is now going to be my official* wanky blog thing, now) I've just managed to secure the holy grail of all Corsas. This time I've doe it the right way by buying it on the strength of one picture...
 

 
and it doesn't have a battery AND it was last MOT'd in 2013. WCPGW?
 
 
And for good measure I might be getting this, too...
 

 
 

1.7td Cavalier £399.......................................
 

 
http://www.gumtree.com/p/vauxhall/cheap-car-for-quick-sale-on-gumtree-vauxhall-cavalier-gls-1.7l-td-diesel-mot-08-2015-bargain-%C2%A3399ono/1099301243

Wow.
 

Wow.