High class obscure European saloons of the 1970s and '80s

[Vin]

What's 'high class' about a Fiat Argenta? Get outta here.

 

 

 

When they stopped making these there was no Luxo-barge at the top of the Fiat range. So they basically made the 132 'Bellini' to fill the gap. A 132 kitted out to the height of luxury ....proper shite

 

I can't find a picture of one though. So FAIL.

[The Liberator]

 

 

Is this the Bellini interior, or that of a lesser 132? Top velour-work either way.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Sounded great, drank petrol around town, wasn't hugely better on a run. Mine was gold with brown trim

 

Looks lovely! What powered these then?

[ChinaTom]

a 2.5 litre engine I think. Didn't they have a little issue with revving the engine while on full lock and throwing the valves out of the front wings?

 

 

This might be fun.

[Pete-M]

Some were 2.0, but I think that was mainly the mental Italian home market jobs and the Shamal?The cambelt thing is true, and wasn't it meant to be shared with the 2.5 flat four in the Gamma?I rebuilt a BiTurbo engine once. It's not something I'm ever going to contemplate doing again. Insanely fiddly.

[saabhappy]

Quite probably not. The Turbo R is a nice enough thing, but it's severely old technology and truth be told it does look a bit like the Yanks were too involved in styling it. The 2dr one I posted has a nasty bodykit, but the wheels are genuine Bentley ones.The Flying Spur reminds me of a huge Skoda Superb.Not to worry anyway, Poggles, the poster who knows all about class quite probably drives a reskinned Vauxhall Calibra. QED.

I know that bling wheels, even if they are of the Bentley pattern, look crap. I'm glad I don't need lessons in class from a Bavarian Bedpan owner - and Vauxhall and General Motors were but a cloud on the horizon when my machine was made. You're the 2-door coupé expert after all....

[TagoraSX]

Saw this on the bay....

 

1989 MASERATI 430

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-MASERATI-430-BLUE-First-Owned-by-ERIC-CLAPTON_W0QQitemZ120522948949QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item1c0fba4155

[Pete-M]

I'm glad I don't need lessons in class from a Bavarian Bedpan owner - and Vauxhall and General Motors were but a cloud on the horizon when my machine was made. You're the 2-door coupé expert after all....

Here is a little history lesson for you. I bought the BMW a couple of weeks ago because it was cheap, and better than walking. I even made a thread about it, and another one a couple of days earlier about what was out there on the market for a few hundred quid. I didn't go out looking to buy any specific car at all. Therefore, your little digs about me being a 2 door coupé expert are just making you look daft.

 

Here is the thread about me buying it. Here is a thread about me considering buying a Mondeo the day before. And here is a thread asking for suggestions about cheap runabouts to use for a few months.

 

These may help you with the kind of cars to attempt to have a go at me for owning, as they're all stuff I've had in the last couple of years. Enjoy. If you're bored, you can count the coupés. I'll give you a clue, the first one isn't a bedpan.

 

 

Enjoy. I did.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Saw this on the bay....1989 MASERATI 430http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1989-MASERATI-430-BLUE-First-Owned-by-ERIC-CLAPTON_W0QQitemZ120522948949QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item1c0fba4155

WANT Doesn't sound like too much money either...

[MrRegieRitmo]

 

Sorry to interrupt, but.....very much WANT!

[Pete-M]

UK spec job. 290 bhp, Full UK spec bits on it, climate, leather etc. I think it had something special with the gearbox as well. The original alloys were with it, but I rather like the ones that were fitted.66k miles with proper history, belonged to the owner of a Superbike race team. All the toys, and that active yaw control stuff works.

[brammy777]

Hey I tried to find some of those brilliant/retarded 80s B+B Mercedes on the web, but no luck. They did some truly amazing/stupid things to some classic Mercs, including putting ornate chrome on SELs, round the arches which followed on over the doors to the rear ones, using a full top to bottom grille like Audi does now, plus many other interesting/ridiculous things.

 

But considering they did this to a Polo, do you want to see?

 

[MrRegieRitmo]

But considering they did this to a Polo, do you want to see?

 

Sorry, I'm a little distracted by what's on the right...

[MrRegieRitmo]

Hey I tried to find some of those brilliant/retarded 80s B+B Mercedes on the web, but no luck. They did some truly amazing/stupid things to some classic Mercs, including putting ornate chrome on SELs, round the arches which followed on over the doors to the rear ones, using a full top to bottom grille like Audi does now, plus many other interesting/ridiculous things.

Do you mean like something along these lines?

 

 

 

[Tayne]

.

[Pete-M]

By pimped out Mercs, do you mean this kinda thing?

 

 

[brammy777]

To solve this confusion Ive scanned the pictures I do have, its not blinged or any of that crap, Its just overdone.

 

Check out the subtle styling cues to earlier Mercs. Oh did I say subtle? I meant hammer in the face.

 

 

Oh and Tayne, the Polo has a 3D bodykit. But the true shocker is those godawful wheels.

[Tayne]

.

[Pete-M]

[Station]

UK spec job. 290 bhp, Full UK spec bits on it, climate, leather etc. I think it had something special with the gearbox as well. The original alloys were with it, but I rather like the ones that were fitted.66k miles with proper history, belonged to the owner of a Superbike race team. All the toys, and that active yaw control stuff works.

And cheap to buy for what they are, they still look up-to-date modern 10 years later, the front end is so aggressive.Not a VR4, but still good for an estate:http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1998-MITSUBISHI-G ... 3a56befe66

[barrett]

@saabhappy, I usually try and stay out of this stuff but every post you make seems to be inflammatory in some way, everyone else is making an effort to make interesting posts and try and move on from the furore of the last week, can't you just chill out a bit? I still consider myself a 'new guy' around here but it's the regular posters like Pete and Pog that made me want to join up here in the first place, ie people that know what they are talking about but manage to have a sense of humour about it. I'm really not just trying to have a dig at you here, but i think if you deliberately try and piss off the 'old guard' (sorry guys!) then you are gonna find you've made a lot of enemies, which would be a shame because you obviously like old tat as much as we do and i don't see why we all can't just be a bit more civil.Like I said, i'm not trying to start anything, it's just AS has really got back to its old self the last couple of days and i've enjoyed reading every thread and not having to worry about people having petty arguments, and i really dont that to start up again!

[pogweasel]

@saabhappy: STFU!

LOLThat white SEL at the top of this page is actually quite nice*, no excess bodystyling, tasty wheels etc. And it's in the current vogue colour of essex stiletto white. I bet if you turned up in that to some Retro car event you could expect to recieve a certain amount of ego fellation.

[michiel]

That white SEL looks very

 

 

to me....

 

SGS did some 'awesome' Benzes too, but mainly SECs. Found this limo though:

 

 

And an interior shot of the Lorinser 1000 SEL:

 

 

For sale at 5500 euro apparently.

[ChinaTom]

I think this would be great to cruise about in:

 

 

This would look classy in the Little Chef car park. In fact I'd have to sit by the window to admire it while I tucked into my black pudding and eggs.

 

 

well, you wouldn't see another one on the A45 that's for sure.

[RedSparrow]

 

This would look classy in the Little Chef car park. In fact I'd have to sit by the window to admire it while I tucked into my black pudding and eggs.

quote]

 

What the frig is that?

I looks fantastic!

[ChinaTom]

I found it on a site about Sbarro but can't find it now!! I think the model name was Valera or something similar. It looks a little like an S-class modification. They did a lot of gullwing SEC's in the 80's. I recall as a kid I used to have a picture of a Sbarro Royale and was fascinated by it.

[saabhappy]

@saabhappy,

I usually try and stay out of this stuff but every post you make seems to be inflammatory in some way, everyone else is making an effort to make interesting posts and try and move on from the furore of the last week, can't you just chill out a bit? I still consider myself a 'new guy' around here but it's the regular posters like Pete and Pog that made me want to join up here in the first place, ie people that know what they are talking about but manage to have a sense of humour about it.

I'm really not just trying to have a dig at you here, but i think if you deliberately try and piss off the 'old guard' (sorry guys!) then you are gonna find you've made a lot of enemies, which would be a shame because you obviously like old tat as much as we do and i don't see why we all can't just be a bit more civil.

Like I said, i'm not trying to start anything, it's just AS has really got back to its old self the last couple of days and i've enjoyed reading every thread and not having to worry about people having petty arguments, and i really dont that to start up again!

Sorry you feel like that - I just happen to disagree with most of the posts from the people you mention and the aggressive tone they adopt. I also genuinely dislike the chromed wheels on the car as I pretty politely pointed out, and yet I was the one to receive the inevitable sneer about not knowing what class was. Some of the people on here are genuinely friendly and have started some really interesting topics on which I've posted plenty of genuinely non-combative replies. Others start from the premise that they know everything and sneer at everybody and yet you praise them up as exemplary. I wonder if I'll now get monstered for standing up for myself? As it happens I love most old cars, am a regular show-goer with my own, and I also like MGBs a lot. My signature was a response to one member in particular's obsessive attacks on perhaps the most popular "classic" car on the scene. I don't much like BMWs - less than that much actually - but if it's provocative I'll remove it. It IS possible to have a different view, you know, and surprisingly there are those who won't just curl up when the bullies get going.

[pogweasel]

 

What's with all these 'classy' cars anyway? Lots of these, whilst inherently RUBBISH still lie outside the realms of casual shite.

 

For 100% autoshite CLASS, look no further:

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. WOOF!

[ChinaTom]

Could this be common ground? Diplomacy at work? Hope so.

 

[The Liberator]

What's with all these 'classy' cars anyway? Lots of these, whilst inherently RUBBISH still lie outside the realms of casual shite.

 

For 100% autoshite CLASS, look no further

 

How about this for an uneasy compromise: