[creepy coupe]

"there's no lean on the turns" What compared to a bus?

[RobUK]

A motoring journo in a suit & tie ... and a beige one at that!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by LobB

Those were the days

When we broke the 10 seconds to 60 mph time in top end models of the ordinary man's car. Even the BMW 320i of the period was over 10 seconds to 60, and less than 110 mph top speed.

[Tengocity]

Originally Posted by LobB

My late father used to say that a car that could get to 100mph sub 20 seconds was quick. I learnt to drive in a 1.5 litre Alfasud, that had 86bhp IIRC. I look back to those days as the best of my motoring life. No electronic aids, no ABS, the tyres were 165/70 and the power extremely modest. The beauty of this was that you could drive the car to its limits, but not be going particularly fast!

Times have changed, but I don't feel I enjoy my motoring as much as I did back then.

I think that'll be as much to do with busy the roads are these days and how much nanny state interference there is.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by LobB

I agree Terry. However, there's something satisfying about thrashing a car to within an inch of its life, without the worry of a custodial sentence.

Don't worry, plenty of other things you can do to bag yourself time in HMP

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by LobB

My late father used to say that a car that could get to 100mph sub 20 seconds was quick. I learnt to drive in a 1.5 litre Alfasud, that had 86bhp IIRC. I look back to those days as the best of my motoring life. No electronic aids, no ABS, the tyres were 165/70 and the power extremely modest. The beauty of this was that you could drive the car to its limits, but not be going particularly fast!

Times have changed, but I don't feel I enjoy my motoring as much as I did back then.

The days you could tell if the engine was on peak power, or slightly off tune. Simply by the speed you could go a hill you regularly used, flat out. The evening 'the planets aligned', the atmosphere was spot on, you could get up the hill without it losing your 'best possible' speed.

The days you changed from cross-ply to radial tyres... Tried the Goodyear G800, or the Dunlop SP Sport. Turned your 'so-so' car into a sports machine.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

The days you could tell if the engine was on peak power, or slightly off tune. Simply by the speed you could go a hill you regularly used, flat out. The evening 'the planets aligned', the atmosphere was spot on, you could get up the hill without it losing your 'best possible' speed.

The days you changed from cross-ply to radial tyres... Tried the Goodyear G800, or the Dunlop SP Sport. Turned your 'so-so' car into a sports machine.

Don't forget Goodyear GPS's. "They were a major contribution to road safety"

[MashinBenzin]

Originally Posted by LobB

I agree Terry. However, there's something satisfying about thrashing a car to within an inch of its life, without the worry of a custodial sentence.

Just over a decade back, i was landed with a Chevrolet Matiz loaner for a week whilst my car was in for accident repairs. A truly appalling car in every respect and a nightmare on my 30 mile each way commute. Apart from one 3 mile section of B-road on my route home, which could be driven absolutely flat out from bend to bend. Hilarious and still in my 'recent' great drives list. Hated it for the other 57 miles per day.

Not having excess power or grip and having to extract the very maximum from both was great fun back in the day. Although I didn't appreciate all those skinny tyred 1.3s as much as I do with my rose-tinted glasses on.

[Wills2]

8.3 seconds to 60 back in 1974 was bloody quick! Cars did feel like cars to drive back then, mechanical and you felt everything, body lean wasn't a bad thing on these light cars it would give the outside tyres a bit more grip and progressiveness at the limit.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Wills2

8.3 seconds to 60 back in 1974 was bloody quick! Cars did feel like cars to drive back then, mechanical and you felt everything, body lean wasn't a bad thing on these light cars it would give the outside tyres a bit more grip and progressiveness at the limit.

'Dolly' Sprint was running 8.4 and the Escort RS 1800 Custom 8.7 secs.

Add to that we were only running 175 section tyres. On my Sprint I would tweak the steering feedback/sensitivity by adjusting the backlash pressure on the rack. Different world for driving than today.

[Lorcan]

Meanwhile, in Germany...

[mondo2126]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

The days you could tell if the engine was on peak power, or slightly off tune. Simply by the speed you could go a hill you regularly used, flat out. The evening 'the planets aligned', the atmosphere was spot on, you could get up the hill without it losing your 'best possible' speed.

The days you changed from cross-ply to radial tyres... Tried the Goodyear G800, or the Dunlop SP Sport. Turned your 'so-so' car into a sports machine.

ha ha 1970 1st car ford Anglia 105E car put on 5 1/2 j rims and 165 x I think 80 X 13s they were worth more than the car

[Abzynthe]

The oldest car Ive driven is a Peugeot 206 from 1998.

[AlwynMike]

I bought a 1974 "sports" car back in 1977.
Still got it.
7 point something 0-60 according to journos of the time.
Still keeps up with modern traffic, although there has been a little naughtiness applied to the engine :-)
Never has gone round corners very well!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by mondo2126

ha ha 1970 1st car ford Anglia 105E car put on 5 1/2 j rims and 165 x I think 80 X 13s they were worth more than the car

A mate had an Anglia 105E with 5 1/2 J wheels, plus a tuned 1500 GT engine.


Fitted 5 J rims and 155 section tyres to my HA Viva. Felt faster, even if it wasn't.