What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[hairnet]

Nice.   Out of interest was it built in Australia?   Have been told that RHD explorers were built there but not sure I believe it.

cant believe you chose exploder over a voyager

[Tamworthbay]

That's number two on my list of places to go. Just ahead of Baikunor Cosmodrome but just behind Pyongyang.

I've never been one for Torremolinos

  

I'd love to visit North Korea but I'm doubtful that passport control would let me through since they banned sarcasm.

It is possible to get into North Korea as a tourist, contrary to what the news would have you believe, but I doubt that you would get to see much. I would still love to go just to see what it's like, even though I know you would only see a very castrated version of everyday life and my love of going off piste and wandering around where the locals do probably wouldn't go down well.

[DVee8]

We are in Leeds for the weekend for my wife's birthday. The hotel has the blower Bentley owners club here. Some very nice car's in the car park.

[barmatt]

Nice.   Out of interest was it built in Australia?   Have been told that RHD explorers were built there but not sure I believe it.

 

Just checked the vin on a decoder thingy and this one was made in the States.

 

Had a bit of time today to check over the Exploder, the old boy I bought it from said he'd checked all the fluids the day I got it and he wasn't telling porkies, everything's topped up, oil and trans fluids look clean. There's a spare steel wheel underneath with a new tyre on it and he also gave me a spare alloy with what looks like a new tyre and I found a set of new rear brake pads in the boot. Pretty good result.

[eddyramrod]

I don't know if this is Grinworthy or not really but... we've got two Roffles swinging on tomorrow's draw, and I've gone for random numbers in both, meaning I could win with any one of eight different balls!  Also, I can't win both cars.  This could be exciting...

Erm....

[saucedoctor]

Went to Ballymena today. Saw a Ferrari FF, a lovely Fiat Strada and a MINTOLA Talbot Samba GL in gold, on Co Antrim plates so probably came from Parkgate Peugeot in Antrim. Had a belting Ulster Fry in a wee family run-place, with a can of Fanta "run under the tap", and where the only question from the young lady was "Did you get enough, son?" despite me being twice her age. Focus did 40 MPG for the whole trip, which ain't bad since I went the back road via Ballyclare and Antrim instead of the sensible way.

 

I now have "Sweet Home Ballymena" running round in my head thanks to M'Coli :D

[Cavcraft]

Watching that 'Story Of The Skinhead' on BBC4 on telly ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07yv0qj ) not only a brilliant programme, but living proof that Pauline Black is still absolutely smoking. Coming up to 59 (if the internet and my maths are correct) and yet still knocks spots off women less then half her age. 

[155V6]

I'll try & watch that tomorrow 

[Eddie Honda]

Volvo did a whole album called I am Rolling for the 60th anniversary of the company Stanky, plus additional songs for the 960 and the 850 T-5. We at The SVM are all legally obliged to carry a copy of it at all times or we lose our membership.

And singing "Some People Get All the Breaks" turned up to 11 in the house.

[Eddie Honda]

Fuck me, how did you get into Drax? I'm a jealous, jealous, jealous bastard!

Well you get "invited"

 

[Ghosty]

The Volvo video reminds me of this series of ads by Isuzu. 

 

 

Someone remixed it to a generic dance track too:

 

[M'coli]

We are in Leeds for the weekend for my wife's birthday. The hotel has the blower Bentley owners club here. Some very nice car's in the car park.

What hotel is this? They were on a rally yesterday starting from Bowcliffe Hall - about five miles from me - and I missed them

[inconsistant]

First visit to Goodwood circuit yesterday for a charity event... what a lovely place. Did a lap of the circuit in the 924, it was just a parade lap, but being Porsches the parade managed 70-80mph at some points which was very grinny.

[Tamworthbay]

First visit to Goodwood circuit yesterday for a charity event... what a lovely place. Did a lap of the circuit in the 924, it was just a parade lap, but being Porsches the parade managed 70-80mph at some points which was very grinny.

I had the pleasure of taking a team there four years on the trot when it was the last race of the season and this weekend. It's a slightly surreal place with the fake old supermarket and white picket fences. It seems even more nostalgic at this time of year for a reason I can't put my finger on. I love the place despite the fact that even though we were getting podiums at every other track we raced on we never once finished above 8th there and seemed to have weird problems every single year. They have now moved the final race to Rockingham which is a superb track and one we always did well at but doesn't have the atmosphere. We used to stay just down the road at a small b&b called the old store guesthouse which was superb and not expensive.

[DVee8]

What hotel is this? They were on a rally yesterday starting from Bowcliffe Hall - about five miles from me - and I missed them

Thope park the shire hotel and spa

[DVee8]

There was around 20 or so yesterday but some have been leaving this morning

[catsinthewelder]

I took the dog out for a stroll up the lane last night and there was so much moonlight I didn't need my headtorch. So being as I wasn't worrying about the battery running out I went right up to to top of the hill. My phone couldn't take pictures in the dark so I'll just leave you to imagine what these daytime photos look like with only moonlight.

 

 

I'll definitely be doing it again. Another grin was that I imagine I scared the shit out of someone parked in a Golf at the top of the lane when I appeared out of nowhere (from the top of the hill) with a HiViz coat and a huge dog.

[dollywobbler]

The moonlight was incredible last night. At one point, I was driving home on dipped beam. Main beam simply not necessary.

[dome]

Just on the ferry back from Mull after a weekend following the rally. Beautiful island, fantastic roads and an amazing atmosphere for the rally. John McRone was a well deserved winner after last year's horrible accident which killed his codriver. I can't begin to imagine how he felt.

 

The weather was pretty shitty yesterday which spoiled things a bit. The sight and sound of these cars flat out on tarmac is something to behold though and the island is a great leveller. Talent shines through. 6th place went to a Mk1 Escort against wrc machinery.

 

Highlights? The night stage on Friday night spectating on a fast section-mind blowing.

 

Following an official car on single track roads to the start of one of the night stages. Safe to say the boy knew where he was going. I won't divulge here the speeds that were reached but it certainly focussed the mind. Cattle grids get easier the faster you go...

 

The 330d performed flawlessly, new brakes recently fitted earned their keep and the only casualty was a loose undertray which is now occupying the back seat. Because racecar

[beko1987]

Just taken the xantia up the road and it works right again! Has its nippiness back, and is back to blowing out clag on highish revs, I must have de tuned it with the first cambelt.

 

Will take it easy tomorrow and be paranoid about every little noise etc then rag it to clear it out on the m40

[chaseracer]

Just scored a set of newish low-use winter tyres, not Ho Fuk Deathrings, accessibly local, on the right wheels, for 120 sheets.

 

Nice.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dunlop-Winter-Response-2-185-65-15-88T-X4-on-Citroen-Berlingo-15-Steel-Rims-/282216324884?

[stillOrange]

Today I saw a Dacia Duster with an aftermarket sport/loud exhaust...

[tooSavvy]

I bought an Amazon card £25 and it would not load to my a/c.

 

Rummaging thru t&c, on the website, I found 'contact us?'>> Ringback (put in your own mobbie and we will ring you straight back) >> which they did, from Dublin.

 

Very nice lady wrestled 'manfully' with server [i didn't hear her swearing, but felt her pain] and scored a home run

 

Sent a wholesome positive feedback, for her, and complained that the failure was $hite!!

 

 

1st fail to load out of mebbies 10 cards....

 

 

TS

[DVee8]

As mentioned earlier,some of the bentleys and others in the hotel carpark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DVee8]

Some more.

 

 

 

 

 

Also spotted this a little later

 

[M'coli]

Excellent stuff, DVee8 - thank you!

[Richard]

That's all very well, but this was in the car park of the hotel I stayed in this weekend.

 

2016-10-16_10-01-18 by RichardB5, on Flickr

 

2016-10-16_08-37-55 by RichardB5, on Flickr

[scaryoldcortina]

[wuvvum]

Not had much to grin about this weekend, but on the way back from Norwich just now I did get to indulge in a spot of BMW baiting in the ti.  Two 3 serieseses (E92s) pulled out in front of me from an industrial estate, making me brake quite hard.  They then hooned off down the road, only to get stuck behind a giffer in a liftback Corolla.  Giffer eventually turned off into a pub car park, and both Beemers floored it, as did I.  I had been slighty concerned that the 620 might be a bit down on power (not having driven one before this one), but it easily kept up with the 328i from 20 to 10.... ahem.  So it looks like all is well on that front.

 

Only drawback is I don't want to sell it now...

[dave21478]

That's all very well, but this was in the car park of the hotel I stayed in this weekend.

 

2016-10-16_10-01-18 by RichardB5, on Flickr

 

2016-10-16_08-37-55 by RichardB5, on Flickr

 

Fuck me. Coming soon to a ditch somewhere....

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCfFbQpmqWk