HMC- XK8 Starts!

[eddyramrod]

Glad you made it home ok!  Not that I ever doubted you would, of course...

[SiC]

Naturally you had to be wearing 70's brown corduroy trousers on that journey too! 

[Crackers]

Just now, SiC said:

Naturally you had to be wearing 70's brown flared corduroy trousers on that journey too! 

EFA.

[hairnet]

crayzee muh fukka

so the trip home cost more than the car obvs

lpg asap

 

[HMC]

Awaiting the arrival of a shiter on a collection mission. Huggy is the transport to the vehicle being collected. A corner of Gunnislake railway station looking a bit like 1980s Chicago. Sort of.

[gadgetgricey]

I remember that train station well.

Its an incentive to buy a car from you, so you get a ride in Huggy.

Tickles me that you were not able to get the entire car in either picture (close on the first)

[SiC]

Pictures are all good but we do need a v8 burble video!

[Matty]

Another vote here

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, HMC said:

Awaiting the arrival of a shiter on a collection mission. Huggy is the transport to the vehicle being collected. A corner of Gunnislake railway station looking a bit like 1980s Chicago. Sort of.

That second photo looks like it was taken by @tooSavvy.

[HMC]

I’m relaxing into ownership a bit it’s inspiring confidence in a way that a regularly used old car does. Initially I was a bit wary and scared of using it. I can’t explain why to be honest. I’ve had large American cars before. I do have a dislike for Old cars that are ‘displayed’ primarily and not used and huggy falls into the latter category, much to the credit of @eddyramrod . It’s a turnkey classic as the Americans might say. Hence I took this wonderful barge to collect @95 quid Peugeot from the station today. I almost took the k11 micra instead until I decided to choose life.
 

The inhibitor switch is still a bit of a pain so starting usually involves turning the key with one hand, jiggling the transmission selector with ‘tuther if it doesn’t start straight off. In a way I view this as a sort of immobiliser measure as it’s not immediately obvious how it starts when it doesn’t on the key. Nevertheless I may clean the switch up, replace or bypass it @Zelandeth.

Downtown LA? 

 

In other fleet news the z3 is moving on to another shiter in a swap deal. I is excite.

[danthecapriman]

This is a fabulous old beast of a thing. Despite its rough looks it’s one of those cars I bet would drive anywhere without major issue. Long may it live!

That street scene is funny too, quaint English street scene… with a dirty great big yank tank parked in it! Love it!

[eddyramrod]

6 hours ago, danthecapriman said:

This is a fabulous old beast of a thing. Despite its rough looks it’s one of those cars I bet would drive anywhere without major issue.

Well it just drove to Devon! 

I'm so glad to see it getting some use.  It wasn't getting any with me because I had nowhere to go, and a wife who wouldn't go there in Huggy anyway after the alternator issues 4 years ago.  Long may Huggy reign.

[Dobloseven]

11 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

Well it just drove to Devon! 

I'm so glad to see it getting some use.  It wasn't getting any with me because I had nowhere to go, and a wife who wouldn't go there in Huggy anyway after the alternator issues 4 years ago.  Long may Huggy reign.

Hope HMC is covering him up. After all those years oop north, he'll be getting sunstroke! Seriously, this to me, is what AS is all about. Keeping cars in use, way beyond their planned life. There's no real sense in any of it, which just makes it even better and more satisying

[PhilA]

Yup. Drive them and they're happy.

The Chieftain sat for 7 months and took weeks to settle back into driving properly without things falling off or breaking or generally just stopping working.

Inhibitor switch is a good theft deterrent, despite that fact TADTS because let's face it, security extends to the fact you can shut the doors on most Americana built before the 90's.

Enjoy it, drive it. That's what it was built for.

 

Phil

[HMC]

I’ve sort of forgotten to introduce the k11 micra, I’ve been pottering about in it for a while. I know these can polarise opinion, even here, but I think they are brilliant. Something with body roll, easily provoked tyres, and motoring simplicity. It’s got more in common with older cars than new ones.

It’s a 2001 , a later 1.4 example. It’s invisible transport that’s also characterful.  Carefree motoring for when you want to go from point a to b. As my other vehicles attract/ demand attention, sometimes it’s nice to go under the radar.  
 

Wierdly it has a towbar (!) It also has no lacquer on neither the roof nor bonnet.

 

 

[Marm Toastsmith]

The perfect car.

[HMC]

8 minutes ago, Marm Toastsmith said:

The perfect car.

We both agree on that one! 😂

[High Jetter]

Y...GAF seems to sum this up quite well 😃

[Fumbler]

20 minutes ago, HMC said:

I’ve sort of forgotten to introduce the k11 micra, I’ve been pottering about in it for a while. I know these can polarise opinion, even here, but I think they are brilliant. Something with body roll, easily provoked tyres, and motoring simplicity. It’s got more in common with older cars than new ones.

It’s a 2001 , a later 1.4 example. It’s invisible transport that’s also characterful.  Carefree motoring for when you want to go from point a to b. As my other vehicles attract/ demand attention, sometimes it’s nice to go under the radar.  
 

Wierdly it has a towbar (!) It also has no lacquer on neither the roof nor bonnet.

 

 

What's it like with the 1.4? Is there much POWAH at the wheels with the massive displacement?

[Matty]

38 minutes ago, HMC said:

I’ve sort of forgotten to introduce the k11 micra, I’ve been pottering about in it for a while. I know these can polarise opinion, even here, but I think they are brilliant. Something with body roll, easily provoked tyres, and motoring simplicity. It’s got more in common with older cars than new ones.

It’s a 2001 , a later 1.4 example. It’s invisible transport that’s also characterful.  Carefree motoring for when you want to go from point a to b. As my other vehicles attract/ demand attention, sometimes it’s nice to go under the radar.  
 

Wierdly it has a towbar (!) It also has no lacquer on neither the roof nor bonnet.

 

 

Huge fan club for these. Driven a couple and can see why. Such a shame they rot like absolute fuck though. Really good little cars but so hard to preserve

[wuvvum]

I had a go in a 1.4 K11 once - was surprisingly rapid.

[PhilA]

6 minutes ago, Matty said:

Huge fan club for these. Driven a couple and can see why. Such a shame they rot like absolute fuck though. Really good little cars but so hard to preserve

They are competent and not unpleasant little cars. We had the one before it (same car, pre-facelift) as the company loaner hack. 

What ultimately killed it was the weight to tire ratio as one of the students overestimated the handling on the cusp of driving fast and stacked it neatly into a tree.

My mother bought a 107 (so Yaris) and it felt the same to drive. Like a wheel dolly on a shop floor, very level and dull but ultimately good at its job.

Phil

[Matty]

4 minutes ago, PhilA said:

They are competent and not unpleasant little cars. We had the one before it as the loaner hack. 

What ultimately killed it was the weight to tire ratio as one of the students overestimated the handling on the cusp of driving fast and stacked it neatly into a tree.

My mother bought a 107 (so Yaris) and it felt the same to drive. Like a wheel dolly on a shop floor, very level and dull but ultimately good at its job.

Phil

When I had small cheap cars they were mk1 and 2 unos and an early mk1 punto. Now they were fun small cars. The italiens really know what they're on with (or at least used to) with small 4 pots. The FIRE engine was a joy both 999cc and bigger. Loved my unos but then I was o lying a bit of a kid at the time. Bought a mk1 yaris for the mother in law. Now that's a car to admire rather than like. Automotive cockroach. Laudable build quality but zero character.

[SiC]

One for the hopeful towbar thread?

[andyberg]

59 minutes ago, HMC said:

I’ve sort of forgotten to introduce the k11 micra, I’ve been pottering about in it for a while. I know these can polarise opinion, even here, but I think they are brilliant. Something with body roll, easily provoked tyres, and motoring simplicity. It’s got more in common with older cars than new ones.

It’s a 2001 , a later 1.4 example. It’s invisible transport that’s also characterful.  Carefree motoring for when you want to go from point a to b. As my other vehicles attract/ demand attention, sometimes it’s nice to go under the radar.  
 

Wierdly it has a towbar (!) It also has no lacquer on neither the roof nor bonnet.

 

 

Good choice of runabout, we love our little CVT K11. Purchased from @Cavcraft, it's a great little car. Guaranteed to always start and it just gets on with being transport. No fuss, no bother. Plenty comfy enough with enough room. Not much to go wrong.

[PhilA]

23 minutes ago, Matty said:

 Laudable build quality but zero character.

Agreed. I'll buy squeaks and rattles if the vehicle has proper Italian charisma.

[HMC]

Turns out Johnny cash (“Tommy Brown”)  also favoured Laredo tan Cadillacs…

“It’s gotta be brown damn it!”

Just watching columbo on 5 usa

”I Shot a man in Reno just to watch him die”

becomes for HMC

”I bought a 73 coupe de ville just to watch it rust” 😂

7.7L do make a lovely noise mind.

[HMC]

Did a swap with @purplebargeken - z3 for his Toledo.

@worldofceri did the logistics brilliantly as usual.

My first bit of fiddling (I ordered them before the car arrived!) was to replace the number plates.  It had on it (to my eyes) a pretty characterless replacement set. I designed a new set on Plates for cars. I wanted a gritty sweeney esque mid 70s vibe.  I wet and dried them with 2000 grit to mellow them into the car….

 

[purplebargeken]

Ooooh, nice.

[worldofceri]

Briefly puzzled there. I thought you’d photoshopped a different plate on the pic I sent you!