Where does your passion for cars/ bikes come from ?

Where does your passion for cars/ bikes come from ?

Author
Discussion

R33dk

Original Poster:

74 posts

112 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
Curiosity more than anything ......

Being a "young un" an that I believe my fathers choice in cars growing up followed by "fast and furious "
Plus the whole Gran tourismo play station generation.

What got you guys an gals into cars an all things internal combustion related ?

Dk

BritishRacinGrin

24,602 posts

159 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I've always liked cars, most likely because of my Dad being a petrolhead and the house echoing to the sound of F1 many sundays every year for as long as I can remember.

My interest in the way cars and machines in general work came from my history teacher at school explaining the steam engine and a few years later covering the arms race in the run-up to WWII with lots of specific stuff on the warplanes of the time.

jamieduff1981

8,022 posts

139 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I've always been fascinated by relatively complex machinery.

Oddly I've never had any interest in bikes whatsoever, but cars, aeroplanes, helicopters and powerboats all carry a lot of appeal for me.

Cars in particular proved very accessible money-wise so I've pursued that, although if I'm honest my true passion lies in classic high-performance aircraft such as late WW2 fighters with performance close to early jets but still having big piston engines. It's unlikely I'll ever own such a machine though due to wasting too much on cars and having a family to treat well.

Always nice to look though eh? biggrin

LimaDelta

6,507 posts

217 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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It was (and still is) always aircraft for me. I didn't really have much interest in cars until aged around 11 I read "Land Rovers" about a junior surveyor in the GAFA, which lead to a lifelong obsession with the brand. Car interest in general started when I learned to drive and realised the freedom it gave me. I'm an engineer so have an interest in the technical side of things, but must admit I will never be a 'supercar' fan (no bedroom wall Testarossa posters as a kid). Function before form every time.

R6VED

1,364 posts

139 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I am not really sure as my Dad, whilst he appreciates nice cars, is by no means a petrolhead - none of my family are really into cars, although both my BIL's are and my FIL - in fact my friendship with one of my BIL's which started because of a common love of cars, resulted in me marrying his sister :-)

I have always loved cars though. My daughter at 21 months is also a fan and loves Daddy's "brums" I hope that my little lad at 15 weeks will also be keen.

bennyboysvuk

3,491 posts

247 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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For me, it was riding bicycles at a young age and finding that you can slide them about at their limit of grip. I remember wondering why a thin bubble of rubber had come pouting through my back tyre as the inner tube tried to escape through the torn canvas on my first bicycle with a back brake. smile

The car bit came in when I first saw F1 on TV in 1989.

The very wet Aussie GP in 89


Then my cousin introduced me to motorbikes a few years later by way of a fast passenger ride on a ZXR750.

liner33

10,640 posts

201 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
I'm not sure , no strong role models in my family , my uncle gave me all his old custom car/street machine mags which may have given me my love of yank metal as did the plethora of US tv shows in the 70's

A mate of mine was bike mad and probably gave me a love of old Kawasaki's

But I was the only one who messed around souping up old cars and driving more unusual stuff

33q

1,550 posts

122 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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My blood group is said to be GTX.

Always mad on cars lorries and tractors

xRIEx

8,180 posts

147 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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No idea. I just like them.

adsvx220

705 posts

182 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
My ol man mainly. He used to be a team manager for a a small race team which raced group N saloons in the late 80's-90's. They then whent into thunder saloons which was a series for old super saloons and world touring cars, thinks big Jag xj's and BMW CSL's (they used to run a BMW 3.0 CSL in the UFO jeans Colours)

I was obviously born into this and the day I was born my dad was at the willhire 24hr at snetterton in there group N Suzuki swift at the time. So he had to race home from the race to support my mum.

So I grew up in Motorsport, was in the pit garage at 3 weeks old whilst my ol dear done the team catering at race and test days with the other women. My 2 uncles were in the pitlane, 1 on the fuel rig the other doing wheel changes. So a real family affair.

My ol man also had old vauxhalls, mainly cavalier SRI's his last vauxhall was a Vectra GSI in the early 00's. Motor racing was also always on tv. So yea I've been brought in a petrolhead enviroment.

Take a look at this vid. This is the 1993 willhire. I was 6. Lookout for the black and yellow Honda Civic. This was our car. This was when racing was exciting http://youtu.be/WhftUvmD8s8

Edited by adsvx220 on Friday 28th November 09:20

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I can't seperate nature and nurture for me - both my Dad and my Grandpa restored classic bikes and cars when I was a kid, so I grew up surrounded by cars and motorbikes and have oily fingernails since I was about 4 hehe My real love in life though is driving, particularly motorsport, and that was something that I grew into as I got older and I started racing as soon as I could afford it, two years after Uni.

toon10

6,140 posts

156 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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My parents tell me that when I was in a push chair I used to identify cars at the other end of the street and at night by the lights. Not sure how old or why but I always had a love for cars. Growing up my Grandad owned a garage which was a cool place to hang out. My brother also loves cars and spent his teenage years modifying them. Not in a performance way, he just bolted racing seats in, pool ball gear knob, CB, etc. Cool when you're 8 years old. We look back at the pictures of his old Fiat and have a chuckle these days.

GAjon

3,721 posts

212 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Dinky toys.

IndyH

43 posts

113 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Grand Turismo on the PS did it for me!

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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My mum and dad didn't own a car when I grew up, which pissed me off no end. I'm making up for it.

thatdude

2,654 posts

126 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
Nice question OP smile

My dad is a car mechanic. When I was little, he worked at a mercedes dealership (he still has his workshop coat) and occasionally he'd come home in the big recovery truck on a saturday which he'd take me and my brother back to the workshop in to collect his own car. Anyway, that wasnt what got me interested in cars. It was the private work my dad used to do, and he would be working away and I would just sit and watch. Occasionally I would ask questions (whats this? how does that work etc etc) so from a young age I started to appreciate the inner workings of a vehicle. I was often asked to hold a light, hold a spanner, pump the brakes for bleeding so on, so I got a bit involved too.

My dad has never not told me how something works when I;ve asked him. He always has time to show me why something is the way it is, or if its crap he'll explain why its crap and what a good thing is by comparison.

I have my interest in engines and mechanics and in general everything and anything (my curiosity has spread to chemistry - where I make my living - astronomy, music, photography) comes from those times sitting with my dad while he showed me how things work on cars.

When me and my brother got Gran Turismo we were able to "explore" a world of cars, and also some other finer details like vehicle set-up, so I became to consider lots about the dynamics of a moving vehicle. When I got my motorcycle (my first vehicle) I studied about it (how to do things like change the oil, spark plugs, etc etc) and my dad taught me how to do everything with it. The more I've done, the greater my confidence and I have come to enjoy working on vehicles (even though I like to have someone experienced to double-check my work). I'm now at a stage in my life where I can buy a house with my wife, and one thing I dearly want is a place to work on bikes (something out in the garden, or a garage) so I can refresh my current bike and, with all the hope in the world, buy a bike I really like but that needs work (something like a tatty honda SP1 or a tatty 1996-1998 fireblade) and slowly over time work on it and rebuild it.

I bloody love engines and cars and bikes and stuff I does.



Edited by thatdude on Friday 28th November 09:46

TWPC

838 posts

160 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Yes, a good question.

I think my interest in cars came mainly from my Dad. Before I was old enough to appreciate his subscription to Car magazine (this was in the 70s), I did wonder why we had a succession of slightly off-beat cars, Renault 16, Lancia Beta, Fiat 500, Alfasud 1.3Ti, Saab 99, when our friends had Fords, Vauxhalls, Peugeots (7 seater 504 estate for the big families), VWs and the occasional Merc.

Then I started reading his Car mags and asking about all the jargon: 'OHC, OHV, de Dion, oversteer' etc. He bought a Saab 900 Turbo in 1980 which was a seminal moment.

I am also fascinated by aeroplanes, especially piston-engined powered one (like a poster above). I, my Dad and uncle were like the mechanical geek team in our family. I liked cars and planes, Dad liked cars and steam trains, uncle Richard likes steam trains and planes. The uncle also raced vintage motorbikes and a Dellow trials car...

TWPC

838 posts

160 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
P.S. Here's a quick primer on Dellow cars for those like me who know little about them:
http://www.hagertyinsurance.co.uk/Articles-and-Res...

Fattb

99 posts

221 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
My Dad ! Had a R5 Gordini turbo, I remember a mercedes of the same era trying to get away from us one morning in the days when the M20 started at leeds castle, remember that guys face as we whizzed passed, the trend was set

toon10

6,140 posts

156 months

Friday 28th November 2014
quotequote all
Fattb said:
My Dad ! Had a R5 Gordini turbo, I remember a mercedes of the same era trying to get away from us one morning in the days when the M20 started at leeds castle, remember that guys face as we whizzed passed, the trend was set
I have a similar memory of my cousins R5 Gordini Turbo. He was a mechanic and had fettled with turbo. He took me on the A1 near Alconbury and a sales rep type in a Sierra Saphire came flying up behind. My cousin played wih him while he tried to overtake to let him think he had a chance then bang, he was off. I was about 13 a the time so it left a big impression on a young mind.