Automotive bull5hit facts thread

[scaryoldcortina]

The Renault Laguna 2 achieved its five star euro-ncap safety rating by failing to make it all the way down the test track.

[fred]

Bub2006 was the stand in for the Fall Guy , and he still has moments of ''cunning stuntery''

[Tamworthbay]

Cameron's insane obsession with bombing Syria stems from a pathological hatred of Toyota hi luxs after one passed him going up a hill on a grouse shoot when his gold plated range rover was stuck in a bog.

[bub2006]

Bub2006 was the stand in for the Fall Guy , and he still has moments of ''cunning stuntery''

Oi Mr. That's not nice :-0

[Justin Case]

There seems to be a lot of, understandable, confusion about the background of the Wheeler Dealers presenters. Mike Brewer was in actual fact christened Michael Fotheringay-Fanshawe and was educated at Eton. His present persona was acquired when he volunteered to be the subject of a stage hypnotist at the Sunderland Empire, who unfortunately collapsed on stage before he was able to restore him to his normal state. 'Oldoutyeraand' was initially a desperate plea to the unconcious hypnotist to restore him to his former self.

Edd China, as the name suggests, was created from ceramics, actually in the craft marquee at the three Counties Show in Malvern.

[warren t claim]

The Renault Laguna 2 achieved its five star euro-ncap safety rating by failing to make it all the way down the test track.

All post 2000 Renaults achieved their five star encrap ratings because they were tested in real life conditions, ie on the back of an Iveco Cargo recovery truck.

[warren t claim]

Dominic Littlewood played bass guitar in the neo nazi rock band Skrewdriver.

[warren t claim]

There's much speculation over the identity of long term autoshiter Warren T Claim. Some say that due to his fondness for motorcycles and peroxide blonde bisexual slappers he might be much loved moors murderer Ian Brady. Others point to the fact that he's never been seen in the same room as entertainment legend Les Dennis.

[warren t claim]

The British Grand Prix was held at Aintree until Stirling Moss complained that the refueling stops were being made difficult by having to get out of his car to pay first.

[rml2345]

The 24 hours Le Mans was actually a drinking contest founded in 1694 and only became a race in 1906 when half a dosen atendees, suitably well lubricated bet each other they couldn't still drive and created a horrific spectacle .

The next year, more people wanted a go at racing whilst smashed off your face on Cognac and it became a Le Mans tradition. This part of the event grew until 1923 when it officially became a motor race. However, to this day it is still traditional to go to Le Mans and get utterly ruined.

[vulgalour]

In 1994 fun was deemed unsafe.  This is why so many cars from that date onwards are so utterly boring.  It was Belgium's fault.

[martc]

.... Others point to the fact that he's never been seen in the same room as entertainment legend Les Dennis.

 

I play the "true" card - no one in their right mind would be seen in the same room as entertainment legend* Les Dennis.

[Eddie Honda]

Volvo DL models: DL stands for Dominic Littlewood. He invented the centrifugal clutch, was a pioneer of early CVT systems and was a champion of consumer rights.

[STUNO]

In 1994 fun was deemed unsafe.  This is why so many cars from that date onwards are so utterly boring.  It was Belgium's fault.

 

 

Wrong ! In actual real factual terms, it was the fault of LAWYERS who found it easy to sue the manufacturers for millions if anyone drove like a dickhead and had an actual, real, factual crash. Because the car is unsafe. Heard of whiplash ? That is a legal term for "I took the headrests off because they were uncomfortable" = manufacturers fault. Rant over..

[HH-R]

The Laguna II is a high quality product.

[rml2345]

When launched, Laguna IIs were so comfortable, well made and reliable that they were in danger of dominating the sector. However, the European Union forced Renault to engineer faults into Laguna IIs to avoid them having a monopoly.

It's the same reason GM had to replace the Cavalier MK3 with the Vectra B.

[fred]

Wrong ! In actual real factual terms, it was the fault of LAWYERS who found it easy to sue the manufacturers for millions if anyone drove like a dickhead and had an actual, real, factual crash. Because the car is unsafe. Heard of whiplash ? That is a legal term for "I took the headrests off because they were uncomfortable" = manufacturers fault. Rant over..

RED CARD - that is a fact !!

[fred]

Oi Mr. That's not nice :-0

Just jesting Bub xx  Have to give me that quip cost me 40  quid lol

[taxi paul]

Chevrolet parts and electrical system are made of the same materials and to the Same specification has the stuff used on the space shuttle. Because NASA want to go to the moon and back . Not just break bits of shuttle and then wait two weeks to get back from the moon cos the parts aren't available.

[taxi paul]

People buy Ford cars because you can get parts at your local chippy when ordering your egg fried rice.

[burraston2006]

Second hand car batteries from the scrappy are twice as powerful,last twice as long and are quarter of the price of new batteries.

[quicksilver]

The Pontiac Aztek and BMW X6 are in fact the same car. When it became clear how badly the Aztek had flopped, GM sold the design to BMW for a couple of bucks, convinced they had ripped them off and they'd never be able to do anything with such a hopeless car. A few years later with some minor changes it reappeared as the X6, and because BMW is a prestige German brand and not a crappy American one, it became a huge success, much to GM's annoyance.

[Bren]

When rover were designing the 6 cylinder engine for the SD1 it was producing power outputs in excess of the 3.5 so it had to be "de - tuned."

 

Presumably this was done by losing a cylinder through HGF, camshaft seizure, or main bearing failure.

 

Incidentally, I was also once told that the great Bruce Lee died because he took pills which caused his muscles to explode.

[Station]

When Mini designer Ron Stephenson noticed the exhaust pipe was missing from his concept model, he cable tied his own personal 'Slik Lips' under the rear bumper.

During the presentation with BMW executives, Ron was clearly visible shagging the 'Slik Lips' from inside the car.

[inconsistant]

Just been reading up about the Morris Ital (is it really 30 yrs since they stopped production?) and although most people think that the Ital didn't have the famous Marina door handles fitted, they actually did, but you'd never know. Unbelievably, because of union dissatisfaction with changes to standard Marina production line procedures they ended up being fitted to the bodyshells and then further down the line non unionised workers removed them and fitted the restyled (but more complex to fit) Ital door handles ready for delivery.

[62 Austin]

The Renault "Le Car" was marketed (and sold) in The States about 1980. Were the residents of Great Britain so lucky? What about France? You'd think the name would be wrong.

[62 Austin]

I read in a motoring magazine decades ago that "The Austin America was so good that it was only allowed to be exported to the U.S. and none could be purchased by Britons."  Sounds like a load of crap to me. 

[62 Austin]

The initial export of Subarus to America about 1969 was the Model 360. Malcolm Bricklin was the distributor and claimed it was a real car. Yes, the 360 was better than all previous models. They  were in a weight class that made them exempt from safety testing in the USA, passed all safety tests and had 2-cycle, 2-cylinder motors of indifferent horsepower. Sales were dodgy, too as good as the horsepower. Overweight women bought these by the thousands cuz it made them look like thin supermodels. Some guy in California rented out about 100 on a circular track as kind of go-karts/bumper cars when they wouldn't sell. Fame people with 360s include Justin Bieber, Donald Trump, and The Shah of Iran.

 

Inspired by 60s tv ads in which every purchaser of a new Maytag washer got a box of laundry soap....when new owners opened up their spare tire compartment they found an actual donut. Some say without the streamlining, the Subie's 0-almost-60 time would not be possible.

[scaryoldcortina]

Hey, 62 Austin - this thread is for MADE UP facts, not actual ones!

[Felly Magic]

The much fabled Austin Maxi diesel currently holds the world land speed record of 1450 mph, which it achieved in only 2nd gear, beating the previous record of 1423 mph, set by ISIS in a Renault 20 TX bought off Leboncoin