Classic Cars that Disappointed
Discussion
spoodler said:
I too was disappointed with a big Healey but after a day of driving began to warm to its character - I still felt a well sorted Spitfire was nicer to drive in every respect tho'.
Agree, I once borrowed a 3000 while my GT6 was being sorted out and the much bigger Healey was by comparison cramped and uncomfortable. My '65 Mk1 Cooper S, a lovely thing to behold and full of charm in its unrestored state, but it felt as rough as a bear's arse to drive despite the previous owner having tweaked the suspension in the ten years he had it. My current Mk2 S is sublime in comparison and has pretty much the same set up!
Never driven a big Healey but experienced (mature) friends in the trade don't rate them at all.
I was a bit underwhelmed with a very nice, standard XK150 fhc. Also I drove one of the Nigel Dawes XK120's and thought it was awful, not at all what I expected after reading the fawning articles in the press.
I recall TR6's being quite dire back in the day, although somehow I still rather liked them.
The performance of MGB's was becoming an embarrassment even in the 1980's when I owned a few.
I was a bit underwhelmed with a very nice, standard XK150 fhc. Also I drove one of the Nigel Dawes XK120's and thought it was awful, not at all what I expected after reading the fawning articles in the press.
I recall TR6's being quite dire back in the day, although somehow I still rather liked them.
The performance of MGB's was becoming an embarrassment even in the 1980's when I owned a few.
Twenty six years ago very little could keep up with my Renault 5GT Turbo (120 bhp) on a spirited drive in France. Barring Porsches and supercars, which you rarely ever saw, only the occasional Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 or Lancia Delta Integrale had the necessary get up and go and, crucially, handling, to keep with the little Turbo 5.
Fast forward a few decades and it seems every shopping trolley hatchback has 140 ponies or more at its disposal, and sporty hatches such as Focuses and Seats have well north of 200 bhp at their disposal. The point? Well any classic is going to feel very tame, in performance terms, against almost any modern. As a 'classic' driver it is about enjoying the occasion, rather than educating fellow road users on what a fast car drives like. Failure to get that is likely to result in the 'classic car which disappoints' scenario!
cheers Rick
Fast forward a few decades and it seems every shopping trolley hatchback has 140 ponies or more at its disposal, and sporty hatches such as Focuses and Seats have well north of 200 bhp at their disposal. The point? Well any classic is going to feel very tame, in performance terms, against almost any modern. As a 'classic' driver it is about enjoying the occasion, rather than educating fellow road users on what a fast car drives like. Failure to get that is likely to result in the 'classic car which disappoints' scenario!
cheers Rick
Doofus said:
I think that to be disappointed by a classic car is somewhat missing the point. Of course, a bad individual is a different thing, but a make or model has to be taken for what it is.
True, but if it was bad even by the other cars of the day, there might have been better cars available even in period. Or may be I've been unlucky with some of the examples I've driven.XJS - possibly a bad example, with poor shock absorbers, but what a barge, didn't help I'd just got out of my (then new-ish) TVR S. Rather killed a school boy dream. The MKII Jags were just cheap (fast) transport, and driving with all the family on board wasn't meant to be fun.
AC 2 litre saloon - I think Dad got it due to memories of being a farm student and his boss had one. Terrible to drive, Dad sold it soon after and was told later that the steering geometry had been fixed by the next owner.
16.9(18)hp Sunbeam (1932/3) the right hand gear change is reversed so that 4th is down and left, in to your leg. Although my younger brother likes it. You do sort of see the point of the VSCC founders, my 12/50 with a light weight tourer body is great fun, the Sunbeam with the saloon is better in poor weather, but a bit of a bus.
I used to quite like my other brother's MG-B (Plastic bumper Roadster), a working over-drive helped, and on a different note - his Fraser Nash is disappointing, as I need to move the seat back (it's fixed) to get into to drive. It looks fun, fun to rid in, but I can't drive it....yet.
I guess his TVR Grantura had a similar issue too! (Powerfully built PH stereotype applies...) 
BluePurpleRed said:
The Classic Car Club had a Lotus Elan +2 at point. It was supposed to have been played with by Spyder engineering to have some ford lump in it. It was spectacularly bad. I think they used steel for the engine mounts due to an issue.
Ok it was the +2 but I was expecting big things but it was a vibration laden mess that I just didn't like one bit for the whole weekend I had it.
I am ok with classics and I was pleasantly surprised by their XK150, Mini and Karmann Ghia so its not an old vs new thing at all.
My Elan Plus Two had an original Lotus chassis and was lovely to drive, although it had had various things bodged by previous owners. Ok it was the +2 but I was expecting big things but it was a vibration laden mess that I just didn't like one bit for the whole weekend I had it.
I am ok with classics and I was pleasantly surprised by their XK150, Mini and Karmann Ghia so its not an old vs new thing at all.
On a wider note, I don't think that this thread is really about old v new as everyone here is an enthusiast and probably experienced in driving old cars. We know that they won't drive like moderns, and simple speed is not the issue. We can leave the mindless fixation on power and speed to the General Gassing crowd who think that some hideous diesel-powered hatchback with mahoosive wheels is a car. Driving experience is what it's all about, and judged by that measure some classics don't live up to expectations.
Cars I've lusted after only to have my dreams shattered when hopping behind the wheel (a re-post of 2008).
I've had this twice, the first time with an pre-Ford V12 XJS convertible. I'd driven a new very late one and loved it, it was the dealers demonstrator. I then tried this beautiful looking earlier one, got less than 100 yards up the road and turned to the dealer sitting in the passenger seat and said I thought the front wheels needed balancing. He said no they're fine, they just all feel like this. I turned around and took it back. In hindsight I should probably have driven it a lot further. I think it had stood in the showroom for a while and the tyres weren't quite round. I've felt the same feeling in a few of the XK8 convertibles I've driven from Hertz's toy box. When you first get them at the airport you get the wheel wobble effect. 15 minutes later and they're fine and remain that way for as long as you have them.
The other one was with a Virage Volante. I'd lusted after the Virage since reading Gavin Green's piece on the car some months before it's release. But I really wanted a convertible one. When that came out I was in love, I was smitten. A couple of years ago I decided that it was time to stop just loving from afar and go and buy my self one. Tracking one down wasn't too easy. They only built 5 in 1995. Well I found one up in Scotland. Got a baby sitter for the day, and flew up with Mrs HEX to take a look. The owner's son took us for a drive and it was really nice, wifey drove it around the owners compound, she looked really nice driving it lick. I then hopped in for my turn.
Oh dear
Dream over
Can't put my finger quite on where we didn't hit it off, but my illusions were shattered. cry
I'd drive the coupe version and hadn't enjoyed it as much as my XJ6, it felt really solid and planted on the ground, but it felt really heavy and although you could aim it well it didn't feel too communicative. Once you'd set up a corner, it was really reassuring just getting to that point didn't do it for me. It didn't feel too quick either with all that weight. The Volante didn't have that sure footed feeling of the hard top.
Oh Well
I've had this twice, the first time with an pre-Ford V12 XJS convertible. I'd driven a new very late one and loved it, it was the dealers demonstrator. I then tried this beautiful looking earlier one, got less than 100 yards up the road and turned to the dealer sitting in the passenger seat and said I thought the front wheels needed balancing. He said no they're fine, they just all feel like this. I turned around and took it back. In hindsight I should probably have driven it a lot further. I think it had stood in the showroom for a while and the tyres weren't quite round. I've felt the same feeling in a few of the XK8 convertibles I've driven from Hertz's toy box. When you first get them at the airport you get the wheel wobble effect. 15 minutes later and they're fine and remain that way for as long as you have them.
The other one was with a Virage Volante. I'd lusted after the Virage since reading Gavin Green's piece on the car some months before it's release. But I really wanted a convertible one. When that came out I was in love, I was smitten. A couple of years ago I decided that it was time to stop just loving from afar and go and buy my self one. Tracking one down wasn't too easy. They only built 5 in 1995. Well I found one up in Scotland. Got a baby sitter for the day, and flew up with Mrs HEX to take a look. The owner's son took us for a drive and it was really nice, wifey drove it around the owners compound, she looked really nice driving it lick. I then hopped in for my turn.
Oh dear
Dream over
Can't put my finger quite on where we didn't hit it off, but my illusions were shattered. cry
I'd drive the coupe version and hadn't enjoyed it as much as my XJ6, it felt really solid and planted on the ground, but it felt really heavy and although you could aim it well it didn't feel too communicative. Once you'd set up a corner, it was really reassuring just getting to that point didn't do it for me. It didn't feel too quick either with all that weight. The Volante didn't have that sure footed feeling of the hard top.
Oh Well
This is an interesting thread and I guess, hugely subjective. My biggest disappointment was driving a MKI DB6 Vantage to/from Goodwood and then up and down the hillclimb a few times. Everything was just...dull, even with the Harvey Bailey handling kit; I was running an MOD V8250 at the time and would have chosen the Daimler over the Aston every day of the week. Both cars were running proven upgraded suspension, brakes and engines. MOD MKII Jaguars never fail to impress, they just do everything that's asked of them. Have always enjoyed the humble TVR S Series...uber cheap, not especially fast, just great value for money and proper period two seater fun. I have no idea why there's a huge resurgence in MKI & MKII Ford Escorts as they are but dull 70's run-a-rounds. The poor MGB is often much maligned, mistakenly, in my view...low power aside, it's the owners that often set the B's reputation with poorly cared for suspension. When looked after and correctly set up they handle superbly...though, as per first line, it's all subjective.
Berw said:
I drove a friends Contach a few months ago, destroyed an image I had for 40 years, huge disappointment.
For me the same sort story (but then around 2008), I was offered a drive in such Lamborghini Countach, I also had to be carefully with the clutch the owner told me, otherwise the car would eat clutches (read expensive)It was great to get the opportunity to drive such car, but it was not what I thought it would be to say the least...not a car for me, my Hartge Z3 was way better/greater to drive, also felt faster.
I never owned a VW Golf, but a long long time ago I thought, hm, maybe a Golf GTI would be nice to drive, so I went to some car dealer to drive such (second hand) Golf GTI.
Maybe that car was not that good? I don't know anymore, but when you floor it the car would sniff the right or left side of the street, depending of were the uneven parts were in the road, it wanted left and right almost at the same time, the front-wheels searching for grip :-)
not a car for me, at least that one.
Also wanted to buy a 964 Porsche (second hand) long long time ago, I really wanted a RWD but those were more costly then the AWD 964, so I thought, what could be wrong by that.
That car dealer told me, René, you will be disappointed with such AWD 964, but at that moment he had not a RWD example, so of I went, thinking, 250hp will be fine.
But the first few hundred meters I already felt that I could not get a sporty feeling from such car, it did not felt 'fast' and some other points I forgot, it was a good nice car though, but not for me.
Later on I bought a 964 rwd RS look (outside) but with a 3.8 RS (300ps) engine, felt way better.
It would surely add an atom of value to the "cars that dissapointed" thread if the contributors declared the state of the car they are evaluating and what they are comparing it; failing to do so makes their comments even more ludicrous. What value is there in declaring a Nigel Dawes XK120 for example, "dissapointing"? I've got one and yes, the performance is crap compared with my 458 but it's brilliant compared with my 1924 Bentley: that must be really crap then, and it doesn't even have a door on the driver's side.....
Breadvan72 said:
BluePurpleRed said:
The Classic Car Club had a Lotus Elan +2 at point. It was supposed to have been played with by Spyder engineering to have some ford lump in it. It was spectacularly bad. I think they used steel for the engine mounts due to an issue.
Ok it was the +2 but I was expecting big things but it was a vibration laden mess that I just didn't like one bit for the whole weekend I had it.
I am ok with classics and I was pleasantly surprised by their XK150, Mini and Karmann Ghia so its not an old vs new thing at all.
My Elan Plus Two had an original Lotus chassis and was lovely to drive, although it had had various things bodged by previous owners. Ok it was the +2 but I was expecting big things but it was a vibration laden mess that I just didn't like one bit for the whole weekend I had it.
I am ok with classics and I was pleasantly surprised by their XK150, Mini and Karmann Ghia so its not an old vs new thing at all.
On a wider note, I don't think that this thread is really about old v new as everyone here is an enthusiast and probably experienced in driving old cars. We know that they won't drive like moderns, and simple speed is not the issue. We can leave the mindless fixation on power and speed to the General Gassing crowd who think that some hideous diesel-powered hatchback with mahoosive wheels is a car. Driving experience is what it's all about, and judged by that measure some classics don't live up to expectations.
The ones that were surprisingly good, and bad.
A low mileage 1971 Mini Clubman, 998 cc and Hydro. It was lively, handled and rode well and I could have driven it all day.
A superbly restored Mark 111 Cooper S. Just bloody horrible.
1976 US import 911 2.7. 150 bhp on K Jet, low mileage, tight as a drum and just a pleasure to punt around.
1972 2.4S. Apparently the most desirable variant after the 2.7RS. Righto then. This one was fast but quite unpleasant, cammy, hard to drive, just tiresome.
1976 XJ 3.4, brown with beige velours. Tatty, high mileage but an absolute peach to drive. No wonder Jaguar sold them for so long.
1990 W126 Merc 300SE. Low mileage, mint and an absolute shed on wheels. To think folks bought these instead on an E32 730i or LS400.
A low mileage 1971 Mini Clubman, 998 cc and Hydro. It was lively, handled and rode well and I could have driven it all day.
A superbly restored Mark 111 Cooper S. Just bloody horrible.
1976 US import 911 2.7. 150 bhp on K Jet, low mileage, tight as a drum and just a pleasure to punt around.
1972 2.4S. Apparently the most desirable variant after the 2.7RS. Righto then. This one was fast but quite unpleasant, cammy, hard to drive, just tiresome.
1976 XJ 3.4, brown with beige velours. Tatty, high mileage but an absolute peach to drive. No wonder Jaguar sold them for so long.
1990 W126 Merc 300SE. Low mileage, mint and an absolute shed on wheels. To think folks bought these instead on an E32 730i or LS400.
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