What's British Roadkill?

[loserone]

I've just added MotorTrend to Amazon prime.  There's lots of hot rods.  It is good.

 

What's the British equivalent to these old MOPARs?  A mini with some bonnet stripes? A tuned Imp? A red top Corsa? 

We don't really have drag strips, so is there something which captured our imagination in the same way?

[tooSavvy]

Good point, m8

I browse many of the 'they fitted a cummins in a cadillac' & 'hopping-up' a modelA on bags.... ?

binky seems to be the raw edge of autolunacy (... drivable!) for us.

ah well

[Shep Shepherd]

Mark 2 Escorts fitted with Zetec engines? 

[jumpingjehovahs]

Mk2 Focus STs and the Golf R are definitely in that category. The ST especially seems to capture the imagination of the tuners, there’s 6 I see regularly in my village (3 in my street!) and only 1 is standard.


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[bunglebus]

The difference between us and the Yanks is one of space. They have endless land so have vast yards full of old cars just waiting to be rescued, we insist on cramming as many people on our small island as possible, so all the scrapyards and dragstrips now have houses on them, the yards that remain have to have a fast turnover of modern cars to sell parts to back street garages.

It used to be different, Street Machine and to an extent Custom Car used to be full of silly things like a Morris Minor body on a Capri "Chassis", Fiat 126s with a Rover V8 inside, boats on Reliant Chassis etc etc.

We just don't have the raw material at a price that makes it feasible to fuck about with it. 

[cort16]

Minis win the prize for the most modified I think . There’s not much that’s hasn’t been done to a mini and not usually in a good way .

I think drag racing led a lot of the hotrod scene. It’s not so popular hear as we don’t have the locations for it.

i watch a lot of the street machine carnage stuff in YouTube and the Aussies seem we’ll into the drag racing but using barra straight six engines instead of v8s. The turbo taxi series is especially good they must have blown up 5 engines trying to get it to run a 10 quarter mile 

 

[Out Run]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

I've just added MotorTrend to Amazon prime.  There's lots of hot rods.  It is good.

 

What's the British equivalent to these old MOPARs?  A mini with some bonnet stripes? A tuned Imp? A red top Corsa? 

We don't really have drag strips, so is there something which captured our imagination in the same way?

A “hoisty” 3dr down the Blockyards.

[St.Jude]

I'd have said Max Power era Vauxhall's and Citroens. 

[Asimo]

Surely it is the whole Rally  / Escort or Mini scene*?

There is a reason for the Escort / Mini "scene", and it all starts with their Rally championship history. The last time when cheap, shite and simple cars were modifiable to be competitive in a world motor sport championship.

The rally sport following in UK was absolutely huge in the 60s / 70s, far, far more popular than GP racing.

*Ok, and Talbot Sunbeam.

[loserone]

So I need a Talbot* 309 then? ?

[Roobarb]

Oooh. I’ve been thinking about this for too long. 

Living over here in the land of Merican Muscle and bling... for me the typified British car style is a Gentleman’s (or Lady’s) Cafe Racer. 

Essentially, while the US has catalogue bling, the UK has the old garden shed resourcefulness. We tend to make do with what we’ve got and then take it out for a Hill climb or a run around an old track (or even down to the pub, via the twisties). Very much Wallace and Grommet. 

Old cars on wire wheels, or poverty spec cars on steels as poverty spec may be the cheapest, but it’s also often the lightest in the good old tradition of Lotus. 

Typically seen without bumpers and wearing battle scars with pride not a fancy new paint job.

A few cars I think are typical British Cafe Racers...

[Roobarb]

Moooar

 

Photochopped but they they knew what they were doing...

This but without the bling rims (must have an Merican cousin).

And at the posh houses...

[somewhatfoolish]

I r disapoint with this thread; I saw a dead Bambi at the side of the road on Monday. In one memorable mid-summer rainstorm last year I was met by the bizarre sight of apparently the entire frog/toad population of Argyll and Bute attempting to get from one side of the road to the other. Several got squished as although I did try to steer round them it became like negotiating a Maltese quayside without standing on a cockroach.

[loserone]

5 hours ago, Roobarb said:

 Gentleman’s (or Lady’s) Cafe Racer. 

Essentially, while the US has catalogue bling, the UK has the old garden shed resourcefulness. We tend to make do with what we’ve got and then take it out for a Hill climb or a run around an old track (or even down to the pub, via the twisties). ...

 

5 hours ago, Roobarb said:

 

Really like these.  Oof

[dollywobbler]

I can tell you one thing. Inspired by Roadkill, I seriously want to go to a scrapyard and drive home in something I find there. Bit more difficult in the UK, but I reckon it is do-able.

[Austat]

18 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

I can tell you one thing. Inspired by Roadkill, I seriously want to go to a scrapyard and drive home in something I find there. Bit more difficult in the UK, but I reckon it is do-able.

Are there such things as Trade plates in the UK? 

[Kiltox]

2 minutes ago, Austat said:

Are there such things as Trade plates in the UK? 

Yes - the hard part is that a lot of stuff in a scrap yard will have a Certificate of Destruction issued which is a one way* deregistration process. 

*it can be reversed but isn’t easy

(the registration of a car in the U.K. lasts the lifetime of the car)

[Austat]

1 minute ago, Kiltox said:

Yes - the hard part is that a lot of stuff in a scrap yard will have a Certificate of Destruction issued which is a one way* deregistration process. 

*it can be reversed but isn’t easy

Can they be used for Barn/garage finds that are sorned?

[Kiltox]

2 minutes ago, Austat said:

Can they be used for Barn/garage finds that are sorned?

Yes. You need a motor trade insurance policy and the car must have a MOT or be roadworthy and going for a test/to a place of repair.  The trade plate only actually covers the tax 

[motorpunk]

On 5/10/2020 at 8:16 AM, Roobarb said:

Moooar

 

Photochopped but they they knew what they were doing...

This but without the bling rims (must have an Merican cousin).

And at the posh houses...

 My fellow MotorPunk writing mate, Darryl, has a thing for this style. He had a stand alone website for it at one point. The 'Cafe Roadster' style is described and shown here - https://www.motorpunk.co.uk/articles/suburban-outlaw-british-cafe-roadster/

He has an awesome little Midget in a hillclimb spec on the go;