The new news 24 thread

[Tamworthbay]

No serious injuries? I heard a broken spine and a serated liver (driver and one marshal). It's frankly amazing it wasn't worse.

see my post above yours, it appears the first report was over optimistic.

[stuboy]

Decided id take off the 3 spoke 15s and put on the 4 spokes off my old mondeo.. i quite like them

[vulgalour]

I've been idly considering getting an Ambassador of the Austin variety to compliment the Princess.  Would mean moving the Rover on to do it, so probably not my most sensible idle consideration.  The Rover P6 desire has been squashed somewhat by the brake issue they all have, and the hauntings some of them have, and the rust the remaining examples have.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I've been idly considering getting an Ambassador of the Austin variety to compliment the Princess.  Would mean moving the Rover on to do it, so probably not my most sensible idle consideration.  The Rover P6 desire has been squashed somewhat by the brake issue they all have, and the hauntings some of them have, and the rust the remaining examples have.

 

 

Ambassador is for winners.  It's on the list of cars I would consider interesting...

[Richard]

Looks like a £9917 car but it's only £6917!

[wuvvum]

Could it just be residual clag from a previous OMGHGF that's just not been flushed properly?

Don't think so - there's too much of it for that.

[wuvvum]

Audi passed its MOT this morning, after I spent an enjoyable* Sunday morning fitting the new steering rack gaiter - what a fiddly twat of a job that was.  Now I just need to get the tracking done and sort out the chugging idle and I can put it up for sale.

 

Lancia has had an oil change - hasn't done much for the oil pressure reading (think the gauge might be dodgy tbh) but at least the level is now right.

 

Haven't managed to get the Raleigh Runabout to fire up yet.  It now has a nice fat spark, but the fuel tap is gunged up solid so no pez getting through from the tank.  I rigged up a separate tank and petrol started pissing out of the carb - turns out the float bowl gasket has had it (unsurprising really given how long it's been stood).  So I've ordered a new gasket, and will give the carb a better clean out and have another go.  The float is a bit dented but still floats, so I'm going to leave that for now.  I'm going to try and see if I can do something with the fuel tap - a replacement is about 25 quid, so not the end of the world but I'm trying to keep the costs down as much as I can.

[crapcarcollector]

Inlet manifold gasket and dishwasher tab? Worth a go?

 

 

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[Ghosty]

I've been idly considering getting an Ambassador of the Austin variety to compliment the Princess.  Would mean moving the Rover on to do it, so probably not my most sensible idle consideration.  The Rover P6 desire has been squashed somewhat by the brake issue they all have, and the hauntings some of them have, and the rust the remaining examples have.

 

Why, Reg?

 

Don't do that. You've put a lot of work into your R8, made it your own, and it's a great daily/do it all. Keep it, you never know what you'll need it for, and I wouldn't have the same amount of faith in an R8 as an Ambo.

The R8 is the most modern old car that's still feasible as a daily driver, and at this point in time they're seriously worth holding on to.

[vulgalour]

Pros to the Rover:

Cheap

Dependable

Reliable

Comfortable

Good mpg

Reasonable parts support

Looks nice

 

Cons to the Rover:

BORING

 

 

So you see my dilemma.

[320touring]

Pros to the Rover:

Cheap

Dependable

Reliable

Comfortable

Good mpg

Reasonable parts support

Looks nice

 

Cons to the Rover:

BORING

 

 

So you see my dilemma.

You could unboring it with a 1.8 boosted K series out a 75..

[Craig the Princess]

Ambassadors are great (need to get the red one's exhaust fixed and you could have a go) but are far less capable than a R8.

 

They desperately needed a 5 speed box for example. Difficult to fit rear seatbelts.

 

But the boot is vast.

[vulgalour]

320Touring: or... get myself a 2ltr Ambassador with power steering.  It's practically the same thing.

 

CtP:  I don't mind the 4 speed in the Princess, the Ambassador won't be any worse.  The 5 speed in the Rover isn't that amazing an advantage tbh, not for the sort of driving I do at any rate.  Don't carry back seat passengers more than about once a year, so rear seatbelts also not a concern.  Load space would be very welcome though.

[Craig the Princess]

Joke/

 

Do you want to buy a knackered clove brown one?

 

/Sorry, Mrs the Princess would never sell it.

[Craig the Princess]

 

Yum! Brown!

[Jim Bell]

Look at all the storage space on top of it! So practical!

And brown!

[DodgeRover]

Have you driven a montego Vulg? I know you had a maestro but they are a lot more refined.

You could practise your welding too, nothing dissolves faster than a Montego except a Rover 213.....

[vulgalour]

I wouldn't mind a brown Ambassador, I'm just that sort of person.  I could not in all good conscience deprive you and Mrs CtP of the joy of ownership.

 

This year, having the Rover and Princess at my disposal, has really taught me what I enjoy in a car and what fits my needs as a driver.  The Rover fits me very well, it ticks all the boxes a car should but... I dunno... I don't miss it when I'm not driving it.  I miss the Princess when I'm not driving it, I feel more comfortable and at home in the Princess and I like it more as a car.  The Rover is too modern and fancy for me, some days it feels like someone else's car.

 

Over the course of the year the two cars I've found that could replace the Rover are down to just two things:  Austin Ambassador, or a Citroen BX estate (lowest trim possible and petrol powered, please).

 

I'll stick with the Rover for now I'm sure.  It's not worth anywhere near what I've sunk into it and my personalisation of it has probably made it worth even less.

 

Dodge:  I have driven a Montego and lovely though they are, the seating position is an issue for me, much as it was with my Maestro.  I like them otherwise.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

IMG_20181118_140259659.jpg

Yum! Brown!

"VUK" - the Serbian for "wolf"

[320touring]

320Touring: or... get myself a 2ltr Ambassador with power steering. It's practically the same thing.

 

No.

 

Ones a wheezy old thing that was redundant before its inception and beloved of old fogeys who cannae drive.

 

The other is an Ambassador..

[Ghosty]

R8s aren't boring if you know how to chuck 'em. A lot of 88-91 Civic parts are bolt on mods, too.

Compared to a boggo Civic I even find a 416GTi to be wallowy (god knows how I managed to hoon my 416SLi, as it must have been even softer, GTis have notably firmer suspension, albeit by Rover standards).

As there is a justified reason to replace suspension parts on my GTi, I will be doing so, to make it handle like it goes (eat that Prelude). It seems to have nominated itself as my car to mess about with, whereas the Civic seems to just ask me to care for it, something I'm all too happy to do.

R8s are forgettable in a sense, I agree. But to an extent I think that's a good thing, as it tells you the car is doing its job. If 'boring' is your only criticism, that just means it's sensible and serving you well. As an old car person, you'd be hard pressed to do better for a blend of modern reliability and sensibility, combined with general old car styling and charm than an R8. As far as 90s cars go they're real diamonds in the rough, and the homeliness of enthusiast circles and common parts with so many other cars, be it Rover or Honda, mean they can live on longer than a lot of their contemporaries ever will.

[vulgalour]

I agree.

 

It's a very capable, reliable, easy to live with car.  Over the last three years it's served me very well (OMGHGF notwithstanding) and I've willingly thrown money at it to keep it in the best condition it can be.  I have literally no complaints at all.  It's a fantastic car.

 

However, there's something wrong with me because having a fantastic, capable, comfortable, affordable, reliable car is apparently not what does it for me.  I have previously been described as a motoring masochist and I suspect that's why I don't enjoy the Rover.  It treats me very well, it rewards the money and time invested by being very good at being a car.  I have no complaints, and that's the problem, apparently.

[Mrcento]

see my post above yours, it appears the first report was over optimistic.

 

She's still very lucky, when i saw it happen (i was watching live) my instant thought was "Jules Bianchi". There's was also where the car came down, basically on top of where a marshal had ducked. every angle of it i saw, there was a new area of worry, the driver she hit basically got her car within mm's of his head, the fence post her car flattened seemed to strike a marshal, the photographers in the hut that had basically just been walloped by the car itself....even where her head would have been in relation to the opening for the lenses meant there was a risk to her head/neck as the car fell. It was frankly terrifying. One that as a motorsport fan, you feel sick watching and feel like you just "know".

 

Thankfully, the results are probably as close to a miracle as is possible.

 

Yes, she has a broken spine, but the initial reports are that she has little to no risk of paralysis, she can move/feel everything, there's no spinal cord damage itself, it's skeletal and a case of carefully pinning it to allow it to heal and avoid causing spinal cord damage.

[New POD]

Decided id take off the 3 spoke 15s and put on the 4 spokes off my old mondeo.. i quite like them

I'm not sure whether I hate your car, or want to salute your don't give a flying fuck attitude to erm taste....

 

That is so horrid it's nice.

[plasticvandan]

Look at it another way,if you didn't have the rover,the Princess would still be on axle stands.

[Tamworthbay]

She's still very lucky, when i saw it happen (i was watching live) my instant thought was "Jules Bianchi". There's was also where the car came down, basically on top of where a marshal had ducked. every angle of it i saw, there was a new area of worry, the driver she hit basically got her car within mm's of his head, the fence post her car flattened seemed to strike a marshal, the photographers in the hut that had basically just been walloped by the car itself....even where her head would have been in relation to the opening for the lenses meant there was a risk to her head/neck as the car fell. It was frankly terrifying. One that as a motorsport fan, you feel sick watching and feel like you just "know".

 

Thankfully, the results are probably as close to a miracle as is possible.

 

Yes, she has a broken spine, but the initial reports are that she has little to no risk of paralysis, she can move/feel everything, there's no spinal cord damage itself, it's skeletal and a case of carefully pinning it to allow it to heal and avoid causing spinal cord damage.

Totally agree, it’s the worst crash I can ever remember in circuit racing, like you my gut dropped when I saw it and straight away you are thinking she is 100% dead. Seeing it back it still amazes me how she has come out of it so well. It shows how strong the cars are these days, plus a big fat dollop of luck thrown in.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Totally agree, it’s the worst crash I can ever remember in circuit racing, like you my gut dropped when I saw it and straight away you are thinking she is 100% dead. Seeing it back it still amazes me how she has come out of it so well. It shows how strong the cars are these days, plus a big fat dollop of luck thrown in.

 

 

I hadn't seen the footage until it was posted here.

 

My first thought (before viewing) were: 'Oh, that sounds bad.  Spinal injuries are no joke but it sounds like she's come out well, considering.'

 

My thoughts after viewing: 'F&$#@!G HELL SHE WAS LUCKY.  HOW DID SHE NOT DIE?!??!'

 

Yeah.

[Mrcento]

Totally agree, it’s the worst crash I can ever remember in circuit racing, like you my gut dropped when I saw it and straight away you are thinking she is 100% dead. Seeing it back it still amazes me how she has come out of it so well. It shows how strong the cars are these days, plus a big fat dollop of luck thrown in.

The way the coverage were quick to focus on anything but the incident was terrifying as well, was obviously because they had no info and didn't want to feed a frenzy or build speculation, but usually when they do similar in a race, it's because it's catastrophically bad.

 

I honestly think her survival (and everyone involved) was pure luck. If her car was a few mm's lower, the driver she hit probably dies. How she goes over the wall changes and the marshals likely don't avoid it. If it was a few inches higher, her car probably doesn't take the tiniest of flicks off the wall that cause it to lose a tiny bit of speed/change the angle of impact. If the structure she hit was any weaker, she and most in it probably die, if the structure was any stronger, the force of the impact alone probably kills her or does a lot worse damage to her.... basically the only way she and the rest could have got out of that was through a perfect storm of luck and circumstance. Thankfully she had an angel on her shoulder.

 

To be honest, if i was her escaping that as she did, i think i'd say a firm "fuck that" to motorsport and feel i'd already used up 8 of my 9 lives all at once.

 

Hell, i gave up my days of speed after the front wheels of a Calibra took off at 120+mph and i didn't even hit anything after touchdown.

[stuboy]

I'm not sure whether I hate your car, or want to salute your don't give a flying fuck attitude to erm taste....

 

That is so horrid it's nice.

salute your don't give a flying fuck attitude to erm taste....

 

ask my missus i dont give a fuck to what others think

[stuboy]

IMG_20181118_140259659.jpg

 

Yum! Brown!

why not on the road