Ben's Adventures In Tat - Further* Education Edition

[MisterH]

Good Evening Shiters 

My name is Ben and for most of my conscious life I have been a fan of the unusual and quirky in the automotive world. 

I am a young classic enthusiast, I passed my test last October having learnt in my Volvo 480ES

My passion for cars was started by my late grandfather's Audi WR quattro that he bought new in 1986, I wrote an article for PetrolBlog on it. As a result of this I have a taste for the quirky, left field vehicles that are often nearly extinct. 

My eBay saved search list is extremely long, but includes a raft of odd 1970s,80s and 90s cars, most of them performance intended* 

Currently the cars that I drive are the aforementioned 1988 480ES and a 1994 Rover 220GSi 3dr, the latter of which I am considering selling to make space for an Isuzu Piazza, of which I harbour much desire. 

The Piazza is my goal for the year, though a Mk2 Cavalier SRi hatch would be nice and an Audi 80/90 quattro still beckons me in my dreams. 

 

Anyway, I greatly look forward to contributing to this community, and continuing my Tat filled automotive adventure!

Cheers

Ben

https://petrolblog.com/2021/02/1986-audi-wr-quattro-ben-hooper/

[tooSavvy]

Velkommennz

[willswitchengage]

Good luck with the piazza, they're in big money territory on eBay now - when they even appear. I do seem to remember a member brought one to SF Wales a few years ago though.

Welcome anyway and I never knew eBay has a saved search function - that sounds like dangerous territory!

[Eyersey1234]

Greetings and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you will fit in well with chod like that. 

[808 Estate]

Greetings.

[stuboy]

12 hours ago, MisterH said:

though a Mk2 Cavalier SRi hatch

welcome aboard, id love a mk2 cav sri again..

[adw1977]

Welcome!  Nice Volvo you have there.

[eddyramrod]

Welcome, Ben :)

[MisterH]

1 hour ago, willswitchengage said:

Good luck with the piazza, they're in big money territory on eBay now - when they even appear. I do seem to remember a member brought one to SF Wales a few years ago though.

Welcome anyway and I never knew eBay has a saved search function - that sounds like dangerous territory!

Well they seem to top out at 4.5k for a decent one according to the club, most of them are traded within the club so I am looking there

[Cord Fourteener]

Someone say Volvo?

[MisterH]

Thank you everyone for your warm welcome, this forum hasn't got clear sections for things like Introductions, so it seems here is the right place....

[MisterH]

20 minutes ago, stuboy said:

welcome aboard, id love a mk2 cav sri again..

My grandmother had one in the day, and my father had a blue F-reg Mk3 SRi, he rated that highly apparently...

[Mrs6C]

Just now, MisterH said:

this forum hasn't got clear sections for things like Introductions

It does... but it's always nice to set up your own thread and use that to talk about your cars, so best of both worlds!

 

[Cord Fourteener]

@MisterHwelcome, and wow what a lovely 480! And R8 rover, you are clearly in the right place. 

I had a 440 recently,  and I started my driving career twenty odd years ago in the Rover. 

I've clearly moved up in the world,  I'm now on a 740!

[Skizzer]

Excellent choices! I nearly bought a 220 GSi 3-door last summer, having fond memories of a friend’s then-new one. 

Talk to me if you’re selling - I have too many cars already but am notoriously weak-willed.

[MisterH]

7 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

It does... but it's always nice to set up your own thread and use that to talk about your cars, so best of both worlds!

 

Yes, Nice to have the story it's own space, will probably end up being called something like Ben's Tatventures!

6 minutes ago, Tim_E said:

@MisterHwelcome, and wow what a lovely 480! And R8 rover, you are clearly in the right place. 

I had a 440 recently,  and I started my driving career twenty odd years ago in the Rover. 

I've clearly moved up in the world,  I'm now on a 740!

Yes the 480 is very different to the Twin-Cam Rover, I thought going from the gentle peppy Renault lump to the T-Series would be dangerous, but it was quite fun!

[MisterH]

1 minute ago, Skizzer said:

Excellent choices! I nearly bought a 220 GSi 3-door last summer, having fond memories of a friend’s then-new one.

Talk to me if you’re selling - I have too many cars already but am notoriously weak-willed.

Sure, I have someone I want to give refusal to and HubNut might be doing a video on it in April so it might be available after that, I had a change of heart last time, such is the way...

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Well that's a strong start, for sure.  Particularly the 480.  They all just disappeared off the roads suddenly.  I last saw one in the wild February last year  Oof.

[rob88h]

That 480 is Niiice. I’m a particular fan of the early shape alloys and black bumpers (and the look of its general functioning state - something my 480 is lacking!)

[Cord Fourteener]

2 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Well that's a strong start, for sure.  Particularly the 480.  They all just disappeared off the roads suddenly.  I last saw one in the wild February last year  Oof.

There was one parked up every day in my nearest town and I'd see it overtaking folk here and there if I ever saw it driving. 

It's on my Spotted page. Sadly our suddenly went. 

I regretted selling my 440 as soon as I sold it. 

[R1152]

Welcome, Sir - bonus points for avatar of the late Paul Darrow as Kerr Avon.

[MisterH]

36 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Well that's a strong start, for sure.  Particularly the 480.  They all just disappeared off the roads suddenly.  I last saw one in the wild February last year  Oof.

I have never seen one on the road, except in Bosnia, when I first encountered one (it had somehow escaped my knowledge prior to that

32 minutes ago, rob88h said:

That 480 is Niiice. I’m a particular fan of the early shape alloys and black bumpers (and the look of its general functioning state - something my 480 is lacking!)

Had to have an early car for me I, for all its faults, it is the one that saw the 1980s and had the original mirror shape, although the Two Tone does weigh on my mind...

9 minutes ago, R1152 said:

Welcome, Sir - bonus points for avatar of the late Paul Darrow as Kerr Avon.

"Don't you ever get bored with being right?"

" Just with the rest of you being wrong."

Easily my favourite character of all time, his performance was just sooo good, glad he still has his soundbites on JackFM...

[R1152]

4 minutes ago, MisterH said:

"Don't you ever get bored with being right?"

" Just with the rest of you being wrong."

Easily my favourite character of all time, his performance was just sooo good, glad he still has his soundbites on JackFM...

My late wife was a huge Paul Darrow fan.

[davehedgehog31]

A strong start to your motoring life! Welcome along.

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Welcome, bonus points for reminding me of Servalan and owning a Rover 220.

[Jon]

Welcome along, and what a nice early 480 you have. I remember them being out several years when I was a kid, before I noticed they had a traditional Volvo grille beneath the bumper!

4 hours ago, MisterH said:

The Piazza is my goal for the year, though a Mk2 Cavalier SRi hatch would be nice

 

Here's my early SRi, imported into NZ from the UK in 1986:

 

Here it is getting its wheels tidied up, after I managed to get a set of centre caps mailed over from the UK.

 

And here it is looking like it's straight from the early 90's, used on a weekend away last May. Like you, there was a Cavalier in the family (1983 estate, one of the very first), which swayed me towards buying this. I didn't need it but they weren't sold here new but the price was right, so I grabbed the opportunity when I could. It's certainly a very usable car but I need to solve the fuelling issue, as I'm sure this is down on the power it should have. Dollywobler made a video of it last year, when he visited NZ.

 

[R1152]

1 hour ago, The Old Bloke Next Door said:

Welcome, bonus points for reminding me of Servalan and owning a Rover 220.

Christ, if anyone defined "luvvie" it was Jacqueline Pearce: but boy, was she something to a pubescent teenager...

[MisterH]

7 hours ago, Jon said:

Welcome along, and what a nice early 480 you have. I remember them being out several years when I was a kid, before I noticed they had a traditional Volvo grille beneath the bumper!

 

Here's my early SRi, imported into NZ from the UK in 1986:

 

Here it is getting its wheels tidied up, after I managed to get a set of centre caps mailed over from the UK.

 

And here it is looking like it's straight from the early 90's, used on a weekend away last May. Like you, there was a Cavalier in the family (1983 estate, one of the very first), which swayed me towards buying this. I didn't need it but they weren't sold here new but the price was right, so I grabbed the opportunity when I could. It's certainly a very usable car but I need to solve the fuelling issue, as I'm sure this is down on the power it should have. Dollywobler made a video of it last year, when he visited NZ.

 

Ah yes, I did see the video on that, it is a lovely spec in the right colour too. I feel the Cav SRi is one of the definitive 80s cars, just has that look

[MisterH]

Forgot to include a photo of my former Ginetta G26, now gone to pastures new, and now white:

Lets have some love for Ginie the Ginetta, as her builder named her

[MisterH]

So, I have been thinking about my goal cars for this year

The Isuzu Piazza Turbo is still top, followed by the Vauxhall Cavalier SRi

However a new challenger has taken 3rd place (basically flights of fancy)

Does anyone know anything about the Vauxhall VX4/90 FD/FE? I love the way they look with their british muscle car vibes, yet I have heard stories, and of course they are rare, probably for a reason...