Collection Day - Warning! Beige & Brown Talbot contained within

[JohnK]

I started work at 4.30 this morning to give me a chance of an early finish to go and do a collection.

 

Plan is to leave here about 12, go to pick somebody up on the way to Thirsk and pick another shiter up from there around 1 o'clock. We will then do some collectioning and make our way back.

 

Anyway for now, I'm working hard...

 

[JohnK]

Lunch procured and first leg transport engaged. Let's get this show on the road.

 

 

[JohnK]

7 minutes in ...

 

 

I have a feeling it's going to be one of those days.

[spartacus]

Is there a clue in that screen shot?

4.30 am! Good effort in the name of shite.

[JohnK]

No fuel shot as there is half a tank.

 

Just fuelling ourself up with food now and then off we go...

 

[M'coli]

One again AS is a hub of great international activity...

[Ghosty]

Pulled it off eh?

Enjoy the ride back, it'll be very comfy.

[Junkman]

There are two English dialects. The one that I understand and the one I don't.

Three very nice gents speaking the latter showed up today and took my Talbot away.

Which rhymes.

[hairnet]

ah divvent wanna pay 500 poond like

[hairnet]

Pulled it off eh?

Enjoy the ride back, it'll be very comfy.

the head off it maybe

[Junkman]

So yeah, I hope I didn't promise too much and the car meets the expectations.

[hairnet]

if hes made it home then thats a yes (probably)

[Bren]

Hammond, Mayand Clarkson travelled to far flung places in exotica.

 

Autoshite goes to Thirsk for a Solara.

[JohnK]

I really liked the look of this car when I first read about it in Junkman's thread. I felt a twinge of excitement when I read it was available to buy.

 

Nothing could have prepared me for how attached I've become to this car today!

 

Detailed write up to follow, in the mean time have some pictures of my meeting with a Maserati Quattroporte today. Unfortunately the video from the dash cam hasn't been cropped, so we have to make do with stills ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

To quote Junkman - 'this is a very fast car'

 

Mr Maserati certainly didn't seem impressed.

[Junkman]

I had a secret hankering for one of those Masers.

Until today.

[doubleyeller]

Absolutely dreadful cars - well done!!!!! 

[Junkman]

Absolutely dreadful cars

 

That's what I always thought, too. Until I drove one.

Or are you referring to the Maserati?

[doubleyeller]

The Solara - never driven one, but I'll never forget the "Skeleton wanking in a biscuit tin" tappet rattle from the one that belonged to the grumpy old codger next door when I was a kid!!

[Junkman]

JohnK, does this one rattle? Just one little bit?

Please confirm it doesn't. It just pulls away from a Maserati.

[richbraith]

Had a lovely ride out today to collect this...thanks to John for giving me something to do!  I can also recommend the L series MG ZS when he decides to part...I got quite attached to the clatter over 60 quiet miles of M62 (currently has no music).
And that Talbot is the coolest thing I've seen in...well, since I saw a Fiat 132 unexpectedly about three weeks ago.  But it is cooler than Oscar Pistorius's reception at the Steenkamp family barbecue.

I'm also secretly glad I couldn't edit the dashcam footage of the Maserati getting owned, as it would have been accompanied by my gales of laughter!!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

It's a lovely car, and I really enjoyed driving it. The seats are more comfortable than most settees, it rides lovely and has exactly the right amount of power. 

[Ghosty]

That's a Ghibli, Quattroportes are bigger.

[matty879]

i can only remember the boxy shape quatraporte,remind me of an early alfa 164,lancia gamma must be my age.

anyway i was once the proud owner of a talbot alpine,so this has brought back memories,i used it as my daily commute from south cheshire to uttoxeter 7 days a week,speedo reading 120mph on the a50,and to this day i have no reason to doubt it given my journey times

[brownnova]

That is ace! (Talbot not Maserati)

 

Two tone ftw!

[garethj]

A friend of mine was supposed to test drive a Maserati yesterday at one of their dealers, it was a convertible and up for £80k.  Sadly they called yesterday morning to cancel as the diff had gone.

 

Looks like you definitely made the right choice with the Talbot, excellent work.

[Faker]

I fukking love that solara! My dad was a Chrysler and Talbot nut when I was a nipper! We'd quite a few alpines and solaras. His last was a gold solara which he tarted up quite nicely. Nice stripes with refurbed alpine s rims, a samba steering wheel (he hated the standard one). Ah the memories. I can remember him shouting "keep your feet on the mats" and "no sweets in the car"! I'd love an alpine or a solara.

[JohnK]

What a lovely view this morning (and a reminder my jump leads are still on next doors drive)

 

 

It's been approved by the boss after rigorous testing this morning...

 

 

 

I can confirm there is NO TALBOT RATTLE. Most disappointing!

[phil_lihp]

That is a cracking car, however I don't think I ever saw/heard one without the harsh, rattly engine so yours must be broken, please get it fixed.

 

As there was a dealer in the town, a good portion of my parents' neighbours in the late 80s/early 90s had Talbots - Horizons, Sambas and one pale yellow Solara which I always thought looked quite posh compared to the series of rusty BL and Ford offerings my parents ran at that time.  There hardly seem to be any left now so it's great to see one as good as this still in use.

[holbeck]

Nice. Very jealous of you, I would have loved this but fear it would have been a Talbot too far to remain married.

[barefoot]

At the risk of going against the flow, back in the day, these always seemed a bit cheaply made and inferior to a Cavalier 2 (which is what I bought).

The gear change seemed to resonate through the floor, sort of clonky in a way that the Cav never did & I remember the electric windows looking like they'd been added in the show room with external motor packs where the keep fit handles had been originally.

However that was thirty years ago & I can't remember the last time I saw either a Solara or a Cav 2 - so well done Sir!