Has Motosport Influence Your Car History?

Has Motosport Influence Your Car History?

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Discussion

robm3

Original Poster:

4,927 posts

226 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Was watching an Australian V8 Touring Car race on the weekend and thought, I'd rather like a V8 Holden HSV.

Then I recalled back in the early 90's I brought a Volvo 850 T5R mainly because of how good they looked in British 2lt Touring.

But it get's worse than that. I also suspect I was heavily influenced to buy an M3 because of the BMW POWER badge on the rear of the 2001 Williams F1 cars I enjoyed watching (strangely I also had Alliance Insurance with it too).

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's been weak enough to be influenced by Motorsport???


danjama

5,728 posts

141 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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There's lots of cars in motorsport past and present I'd buy if I had the budget! It's completely natural for us PHer's I think.

Still get a little itch when I see one of these biggrin (memories of TOCA on PS1)



Lately I've been looking at MG ZS180's and to me that looks like it should have been a touring car! Great body shape.

chevy-stu

5,392 posts

227 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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I definately got my old Manta after watching the tear through the woods in Andrews-Heat for Hire livery in the RAC rally on the telly as a nipper...

GravelBen

15,655 posts

229 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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I'm sure my serial Subaru ownership is at least partially related to having grown up watching rallying.

Baryonyx

17,990 posts

158 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Yes. I love watching small hatchbacks rallying, which was a direct influence on me buying a 106 Rallye. I loved that car, and I loved taking it down B roads locally, many of which have hosted tarmac rallies before.

LasseV

1,754 posts

132 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Yes it has, very strongly actually.

Dan Friel

3,615 posts

277 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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danjama said:
Lately I've been looking at MG ZS180's and to me that looks like it should have been a touring car! Great body shape.
Err... http://gallery.brit-cars.com/zr-zs-zt-press-photos...

jhonn

1,556 posts

148 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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I was going to say 'No', 'Uh-uh - not me'; then I remembered my blue Impreza Turbo bought around the time WRC was really big and Colin and Richard were doing their thing.

So I'm going to say yes (though I think it was mostly subliminal) winksmile

forzaminardi

2,281 posts

186 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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I wouldn't say it directly influenced my car choice, but its probably a factor that helps.

Toyota made little or no real effort to promote their F1 team, or link any of their more fun models to it, but I liked the team and I enjoyed having a Toyota whilst it was going about its short-lived and mediocre business. I had a Toyota F1 keyring for my Celica and named it (the Celica, the keyring didn't have a name) "Jarno" after Jarno Trulli.

I like that Honda are back in F1 in time for me to enjoy my S2000, especially with McLaren. If there becomes available a tasteful "McLaren Honda" decal I might have one.

If I'd been buying 2 litre saloons in the 1990s I'd probably have been strongly persuaded toward an Alfa, Volvo or Honda on basis of BTCC thrills.

Motorsport has definitely influenced my choice of savoury snacks, footwear and financial services though. I bought a pair of Kickers in my youth because they sponsored Ligier (or Prost) back in the day, and I bought a packet of Ruffles crisps in Spain because they were a sponsor of Rubens Barrichello/Jordan. I also opened a RBS bank account on basis of Williams chosing Nick Heidfeld to drive in 2005. I felt they brands should be rewarded for their stalwart support.

On reflection, you may take from all this that I like mediocrity in F1.

Feirny

2,500 posts

146 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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I have a Megane R26, produced to commemorate the F1 Championship wins of 2005/06.

So maybe I was influenced a litte.

McSam

6,753 posts

174 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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I grew up with BTCC in the late 90s, and when I was looking for my first track day car plenty of people were extolling the cheap, lightweight virtues of an MX-5 or the true sports-car feel of an MR2. But I found it completely impossible not to buy an E36, because it just looks like it could be a touring car biggrin

In fact, all of the six cars I've owned have been saloons. That's getting to be too much for coincidence!

Miglia 888

1,002 posts

146 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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chevy-stu said:
I definately got my old Manta after watching the tear through the woods in Andrews-Heat for Hire livery in the RAC rally on the telly as a nipper...
Same here.

Loved watching these in 84 & 85:


which definitely influenced getting one of these in 86:



And then these V8 heavyweights dominating DTM in the early 90's:


definitely influenced having one of these later in the 90's:

Deranged Granny

2,313 posts

167 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Race on Sunday...

scrwright

2,602 posts

189 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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Being a skint student I couldn't afford a Manta or Quattro but wanted to be a rally god on the cheap, so thanks to the below..


I had 9 different rear engined Skoda's in my early years

Boydie88

3,283 posts

148 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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robm3 said:
Was watching an Australian V8 Touring Car race on the weekend and thought, I'd rather like a V8 Holden HSV.
What I was going to answer with after just reading the thread title.

I was in Australia in October and lucked out that a free day on my tour in Gold Coast was while the V8s were in town. Absolutely brilliant. I wanted a VXR8 before hand, now I'm craving one, it will be my next car even though the Volvo's made a better sound.

Edited by Boydie88 on Thursday 22 January 11:30

DanielSan

18,747 posts

166 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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My last few cars have been EP3 Civic Type R, Astra VXR, DC5 Integra Type R, S2000, Impreza Sti. There may have been some motorsport influence in one or two of my choices hehe




Hasbeen

2,073 posts

220 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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It sure effected my choice of car. For quite a few years I had to drive a road car capable of towing my Lotus, then my Brabham in their trailer. With tyres & some spares these were quite heavy, so I was reduced to driving something big heavy, & with reasonable torque. This included a Humber Super Snipe, then a V8 Chrysler Royal.

It is hard to imagine anything less attractive as daily drivers, but there wasn't much choice. Fun road motoring was not available.

DeanoX

164 posts

204 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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GravelBen said:
I'm sure my serial Subaru ownership is at least partially related to having grown up watching rallying.
Yes - choice of impreza for me was directly influenced by watching them rally.
later choices have been influenced to a lesser extent but am happy to support brands that support motorsport.

for example I wouldn't claim I thought there was any direct correlation between an Audi Le Mans R8 and the wife's A4 Avant...but I'm happy to buy a brand that has clear motorsport commitment. Similarly for Mercedes and F1.

LordHaveMurci

12,034 posts

168 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
quotequote all
jhonn said:
I was going to say 'No', 'Uh-uh - not me'; then I remembered my blue Impreza Turbo bought around the time WRC was really big and Colin and Richard were doing their thing.

So I'm going to say yes (though I think it was mostly subliminal) winksmile
Me too biglaugh

DCLXIV

361 posts

134 months

Thursday 22nd January 2015
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First car: Fiat Punto, no real racing pedigree.

Seconc car - Lexus IS200, at least partly influenced by the various models runing in the BTCC in the 00s.

Current car - Vauxhall Monaro - have wanted one ever since seeing these beasts dominate the Bathurst 24 hours in 2003: