HMC architecte britannique

[Bren]

2 hours ago, HMC said:

Fleet news- Abarth 595 was bought by @Wack, and another forum member is due to collect the Boxster tomorrow. 
 

So currently the only car I have use of is the Austin 7…..

 

Although I have another vehicle on the way. I decided to use the Abarth money to get another silly car, and have less tied up in the token modern. I’m yet to buy the token modern (will be a sub 1k buy) but the other silly car is a 1997 Ford crown Victoria p71 police interceptor. Part of the us government fleet, specific use unknown……

 

 

Should be with me by the weekend.

My eldest son's favourite car.

[Spiny Norman]

An Austin 7 and a Crown Vic, that's got to be the best two car garage ever.  😎

[sutty2006]

Was that crown vic on eBay? Spotted a couple of those from same seller. Cop shocks, cop motor? 

[bunglebus]

On 19/02/2023 at 15:13, HMC said:

That picture highlights the utterly ridiculous size that cars have bloated too. No wonder driving and parking is so stressful now!

Well bought - I used to work at a garage where the owner had a collection of cars including several of these

[Wack]

Superb, was it a detective's car, the dash looks too nice to have been a liveried car 

I rented a Lincoln town car in the US, the engine was a V8 but it was that lazy it was unbelievable, I had an xk8 at the time so was used to V8 power but this, it made more noise but didn't go any faster when you put your foot down 

[Schaefft]

A '97, very nice. I've always been a bigger fan of aero crown Vic starting in '92. A lot of decontenting happened over the years since private sales dropped constantly and the '98+ went very conservative styling wise so this would always be my preference. Should be a car that could last forever, not that it matters in this case.😄 P71 spec should give a little extra oomph, I think most came with a dual exhaust.

[trigger]

That looks a lot of fun! 

On a side note what did you think of the Fiat Abarth? I'm regretting missing the advert as I would have done a deal with the Golf Cabriolet as Mrs Trigger really wants one, I'm just curious if they are any good? 

[danthecapriman]

Love the Crown Vic! Those 90’s ones are great looking big sedans imho. Iconic American cop cars! 
I like every generation of Crown Vic tbh, one’s definitely on my bucket list.

[sutty2006]

I would 100% daily a crown vic. Would love a 2012 one, before they went out of production. 

[Yoss]

Are you on first name terms with your insurance company? You must talk to them a lot. 

[Matty]

4 hours ago, Yoss said:

Are you on first name terms with your insurance company? You must talk to them a lot. 

Nah, he's got one of them multi multi multi car policies 

[jonathan_dyane]

Oh man I have so much want for that Crown Vic!

Do drop me a PM if/when you want to move it along 

[2flags]

Yet another cool car! A wafty Yank and a baby 7. What are you looking at for your 'everyday' car? 

[HMC]

Just now, 2flags said:

Yet another cool car! A wafty Yank and a baby 7. What are you looking at for your 'everyday' car? 

IVe just bought a focus mk2 5 door. 1.6 vct vvt something ghia . A bit battered but just the invisible, disposable transport I was hoping for. 

[2flags]

Good choice. They really are the rep mobile of their day. We had them as driving school cars, not all that quick but reasonable on fuel. Used to get 40mpg teaching. 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

I saw that advertised and if I wasnt in  " financial Cafe Racers" ** I would have been severely,  severely  tempted. Looks to have had a very well cared for life given its government use and mileage,  you can't usually hide the interior wear if they have been given a remotely hard time.

 

Very well bought. Jammy bastard***

 

 

** it's the one before financial Dire straits. Look a free dad jokes and music trivia

 

*** another dad joke, sorry not sorry.

[dollywobbler]

On 2/26/2023 at 10:54 PM, artdjones said:

I think 7s had four wheel brakes from the start, one of the first British cars to fit them.

Four wheel brakes yes, but for the first few years, the handbrake operated the front brakes and the pedal the rear brakes. They're terrifying to drive as the pedal does pretty much nothing.

[HMC]

Grabbed a few pics of the newly acquired token “modern” something versatile and disposable, invisible and cheap.

1.6 “115” so IRRC a sort of vvt duratec. It’s been knocked about a bit, ghia so nice upholstery and heater screen etc.

 

[sierraman]

For A N Car you simply cannot do better. Cheap enough, get the parts everywhere, did an oil change on ours last week for just over £20, set of plugs £9 delivered...

[HMC]

1 minute ago, sierraman said:

For A N Car you simply cannot do better. Cheap enough, get the parts everywhere, did an oil change on ours last week for just over £20, set of plugs £9 delivered...

That’s it, I just wanted something durable and low key, and it drives really well, Um compared to a 1936 Austin 7 😂

[sierraman]

They’re a bit rattly first thing from stone cold but that’s the Ti-VCT for you. 

[trigger]

That era of Focus is excellent although I'm not keen on the 1.6 petrol myself, the best model is the 1.8 TDCi in my opinion.

[HMC]

Glad you said that, stone cold this morning I did think it was a bit rattly initially from the top end.     @sierraman I used  your buyers guide thread to help with the purchase, good read with a lot of practical detail.

[HMC]

4 minutes ago, trigger said:

That era of Focus is excellent although I'm not keen on the 1.6 petrol myself, the best model is the 1.8 TDCi in my opinion.

I was a bit scared off the diesels as an old banger, rightly or wrongly.

[grogee]

Amateur! PowerShift or bust.

Usually both

(Well bought btw)

[LightBulbFun]

47 minutes ago, HMC said:

Grabbed a few pics of the newly acquired token “modern” something versatile and disposable, invisible and cheap.

1.6 “115” so IRRC a sort of vvt duratec. It’s been knocked about a bit, ghia so nice upholstery and heater screen etc.

 

would be interesting to see a direct review/back to back comparison between this and the Austin 7 given these where both very much the "an car" of their time, although perhaps the Austin 7 is maybe better compared to something like a K11 Micra? in terms of market placement so to speak 

 

the Crown vic is awesome! I remember when a good few years back when I first actually looked up the crown vic I had no idea the older styling type existed, I was of course familiar with the 2000's style, but no idea the older ones existed, funky looking things! 

[EyesWeldedShut]

On 2/27/2023 at 6:58 AM, sutty2006 said:

Cop shocks, cop motor? 

It's dark and we're wearing sunglasses?

[Dan_ZTT]

I am perennially jealous of your motoring choices sir

Do you think either the 7 or the Crown Vic will be long term keepers? if not I'd be extremely tempted by either one

[sierraman]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Glad you said that, stone cold this morning I did think it was a bit rattly initially from the top end.     @sierraman I used  your buyers guide thread to help with the purchase, good read with a lot of practical detail.

They all do that, quietens down once it’s warmed through. Only noise to be wary of is a loud death rattle as it starts up which is the VCT. Not that common an issue. 

[HMC]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

would be interesting to see a direct review/back to back comparison between this and the Austin 7 given these where both very much the "an car" of their time, although perhaps the Austin 7 is maybe better compared to something like a K11 Micra? in terms of market placement so to speak 

 

the Crown vic is awesome! I remember when a good few years back when I first actually looked up the crown vic I had no idea the older styling type existed, I was of course familiar with the 2000's style, but no idea the older ones existed, funky looking things! 

Good point, the 7, focus and crown Victoria are all just simple workaday transport of their era, no frills, no nonsense.