COOL CLASSIC CAR SPOTTERS POST!!!

[Trommel]

It's a Maxi - even worse than a Landcrab.

[anonymous-user]

I had been labouring under the misapprehension that the Maxi was a late iteration of the landcrab, but having looked it up I see that I was wrong.

I think that there is something curiously groovy about their very naffness.

[vpr]

Breadvan73 said:

Meanwhile, back in the mundane:-

Growing up around these utter pieces of crap I hated them....the worst things on the planet.

designed by a 2 yr old......look at those lines

[Yertis]

Evangelion said:

Surprised no-one remarked on this:



It's a Lamborghini Marzal - or should I say THE Lamborghini Marzal...

I suspect that more Marzals have been made than just about any other Lambo, the Matchbox version was extremely popular.



I have two myself.

[cheesyblob]

vpr said:

Breadvan73 said:

Meanwhile, back in the mundane:-

Growing up around these utter pieces of crap I hated them....the worst things on the planet.

designed by a 2 yr old......look at those lines

Oh yeah because Alec Issigonis was a 2 year old in 1969, 10 years after designing the Mini, which sold so well it remained on sell for 41 years with an engine based on the original and had sold millions, infact the design was so popular people still buy a car that's looks were inspired by it. And he was 2 years old 21 years after designing the Morris Minor which stayed in production till he was at the grand old age of 4, and people then complained that they could not buy one anymore. The Maxi is also a good car and IMO good looking too. It had Moulton designed Hydrolastic then Hydragas suspension, which are both very good, clever systems. The smallest engine (1485cc) had 74HP in a 978kg car so about the same as a modern supermini, in 1969. The largest engine was the 1748cc engine, which in HL (till 1979) and HLS (from 1979) form had twin carburettors and 91HP, so not slow at all. It had a five speed (or 4 speed auto) gearbox driving the front wheels which was quite a modern thing and was also one of the first hatchbacks in its class. It had very clever seats which all folded down and the backrest could also be put down right the way down backwards, which if it was done to all seats, would make a double bed. The engine was the E-Series, which made its debut in the Maxi, and was very modern at the time as it was an OHC design, when Ford had only stopped making Sidevalve engines 7 years before, or 5 years before Issigonis was born. The only thing wrong with the Austin Maxi was reliability. As this was British Leyland, they had to get one thing wrong that would ruin the reputation (but not actually ruin the car) of the car. Lots of things broke on Maxi's. To prove my point that reliability was the only bad thing about Maxi's, my Granddad owned six. Yes six. Why? Because they broke. But what did he do when his Maxi broke beyond economical repair? Bought another one. And he did that again four more times. The Maxi was Issigonis's last car (He was at the very old age of two by then, remember) but definetely not the worst. He also designed the Mini, the Minor, the Morris Oxford MO, the Landcrab and the ADO16, None of which were bad cars and infact were all very good IMO. However he was too old for his job by 1969 and passed away in 1988 at the age of 21.

[johnxjsc1985]

Cars like the Maxi where innovative for their time and at the time were a good car. Its not really fair to compare cars of that age against anything but their competition. My dad had a few Morris 1100's and 1300's cant ever remember breaking down and as a kid they felt quite nippy compared to a Herald or Minx.

[cheesyblob]

johnxjsc1985 said:

Cars like the Maxi where innovative for their time and at the time were a good car. Its not really fair to compare cars of that age against anything but their competition. My dad had a few Morris 1100's and 1300's cant ever remember breaking down and as a kid they felt quite nippy compared to a Herald or Minx.

Agreed. Like I said the Maxi had only one problem which was reliability, and although not all BMC/British Leyland products were unreliable, they all seem to have one problem that ruined there reputation:

The Minor didn't use much new technology, Morris just used old technology right to make a decent car. This idea was already something that the Americans liked (and they still do now) and it actually being a good cheap car would of made it a brilliant seller, but they didn't market it properly over there

The A30/A35 was the complete opposite really, it used modern OHV and Monocoque technology, which while it was very good, it was nothing like the class leading Minor

The Mini's body was made of cheese

The Marina and Ital both looked very nice (well the Marina did, and the Ital didn't look too bad) but they used Minor parts underneath which, as I've already said, was nothing new back in 1948 when it was launched

The 3-Litre used the old (but arguably legendary) C-Series engine and lots of people didn't like the front (IMO it looKs great)

The Landcrab wasn't really marketed properly IMO

The Princess looked odd

The smaller Farina saloon was the same as the Minor

The larger Farina Saloon was also the same as the Minor

The problem with the Allegro was the whole car

The ADO16, as you've said, didn't really have any problems that are easy to think of. Then again it didn't take the world by storm and drained rivals of sales, and I prefer the Maxi and perhaps the Landcrab, the 3-Litre and the Minor to it. Also, as shown in the abandoned classics thread, not everyone has fond memories of it

[LordBretSinclair]

You still need to ask 2 questions. Was / is the Maxi cool? Was / is the Maxi a classic?
IMHO no on all counts. That photo needs to be another thread, not this one.
(Sits back and waits for usual flack).

[na]

vpr said:

Breadvan73 said:

Meanwhile, back in the mundane:-

Growing up around these utter pieces of crap I hated them....the worst things on the planet.

designed by a 2 yr old......look at those lines

either personal opions which are free to be expressesed or back to the car snobbery

Leo many of the yank cars are and were not best designed or built and at one time you couldn't give an E-type away but they're respected today

and in my opinion so should the "mundane" stuff tha't probably rarer and more reprosentative of their times

heroworship and dribbling over cars are illogical so what's it matter which cars they are, each to their own if someone enjoys that's what matters and if others agree great, if they don't plenty more bits of metal and plastic to look at - or better still see being used, or photograph, or sit in, or passenger in - or drive

ETA: includes Tim - so he doesn't feel left out, AMV8 very much unloved at one time especially by Aston owners

I'm untouchable I've got a Spridget everone knows they are classic and very cool

Edited by na on Wednesday 1st June 20:20

[cheesyblob]

LordBretSinclair said:

You still need to ask 2 questions. Was / is the Maxi cool? Was / is the Maxi a classic?
IMHO no on all counts. That photo needs to be another thread, not this one.
(Sits back and waits for usual flack).

To the was questions your right IMO. The second one's pointless though as a classic isn't a classic until after at least 20 years IMO and some not until up to ~35 Years.

But as for the is questions, it is very cool to me (it is my favourite car) and i think it is a classic and so do a lot of people. BTW I'm not even old enough to drive yet, so it isn't an age related thing. call me weird for my favourite car being the Maxi when i'm not old enough to drive, but I like it for many reasons. Much more interesting than an Audi R8, Ferrari 458 and even a Bugatti Veyron IMO. Modern Supercars do nothing for me.

[SWH]

Nice sunny day in Brighton today:


Asked if I could take a photo, seeing as the driver was clambering out; only seemed polite, nice chap.

Later in the day, walking up from the seafront in Hove, opposite the Lansdowne Place Hotel; firstly spotted the French lovely, then hiding behind it was an SVX... good to see one in apparently good condition:

[Roy C]

LordBretSinclair said:

You still need to ask 2 questions. Was / is the Maxi cool? Was / is the Maxi a classic?

I'm not sure how much of the Maxi was actually Issigonis and how much was BL. It was a good idea, badly carried out. The Maxi was slow (all the ones I drove) compared to it's rivals. The best bit was the steering. The early cars had a cable-operated remote gear linkage (to the VW designed box) which never stayed in adjustment and the later cars had rods (which were badly made and fell apart). Whatever, driving Maxis always seemed like a quest to find elusive gears.
Was / is the Maxi cool? - not really.
Was / is the Maxi a classic? - one man's meat is another man's salmonella.

[droopsnoot]

garryb said:

Sorry no picture as i was driving but saw my first ever delorean in Girvan yesterday.

Garry

Was it on German plates by any chance? Bloke from work mentioned while he was on holiday in the North East last week he saw a German-registered Delorean.

[LordBretSinclair]

cheesyblob said:

To the was questions your right IMO. The second one's pointless though as a classic isn't a classic until after at least 20 years IMO and some not until up to ~35 Years.

But as for the is questions, it is very cool to me (it is my favourite car) and i think it is a classic and so do a lot of people. BTW I'm not even old enough to drive yet, so it isn't an age related thing. call me weird for my favourite car being the Maxi when i'm not old enough to drive, but I like it for many reasons. Much more interesting than an Audi R8, Ferrari 458 and even a Bugatti Veyron IMO. Modern Supercars do nothing for me.

Love your reply cheesyblob. I had pretty much the same ideas as you as a teenager many, many, many years ago. My dream car at the time was a frogeye Sprite. I reckon you're a true petrolhead in the making, good on yer.

[johnxjsc1985]

It may no tbe "cool" to a certain "type" but of its generation it was cool. Not my cup of tea but I can understand why people have a fondness for them. Seem to remember something about gear linkages or cable problems.

[Blown2CV]

johnxjsc1985 said:

It may no tbe "cool" to a certain "type" but of its generation it was cool. Not my cup of tea but I can understand why people have a fondness for them. Seem to remember something about gear linkages or cable problems.

I think BL cars of that generation were quite fraught with problems, but there is definitely a certain british charm... it is charming stness though, that's the thing. No-one is saying they are all-round good cars! I think a lot of it is being reminded of childhood, Dad's company car in the 70s etc.

[johnxjsc1985]

Vauxhalls had an equally bad reputation and virtually fell apaprt after about 4 years rusty as hell. We still had Hillmanand the Routes cars.

[na]

luckily all the heroworshipworthy cars like (as an example only) the Fezzas of the 60/70/80s were so well built, not to mention our ultra reliable home grown supercars

most cars were rubbish by today's standard

[garryb]

droopsnoot said:

Was it on German plates by any chance? Bloke from work mentioned while he was on holiday in the North East last week he saw a German-registered Delorean.

No it was on british plates a "W" if my memory serves me.

Garry

[anonymous-user]

Today on the Mall I saw a very classy late 1950s or early to mid 1960s Ferrari GT, looking very fine in blue. It might have been a 250 GT of this variety:-

Edited by Breadvan73 on Thursday 2nd June 18:00