What cars do you have to own to qualify as a petrol head ?

[StuntmanMike]

TooMany2cvs said:

RobM77 said:

Some petrolheads base their entire existence on cars that I wouldn't dream of owning, like the 2CV for example, but it's hard to argue that a guy who is rebuilding a 2CV in his kitchen and owns 5 of them isn't a petrolhead.

Umm, thanks. I think...

Brilliant, Toomany you sound interesting, any chance you can take some pictures and put some stuff in readers cars, show us what your about.

[LukeR94]

TheAngryDog said:

Sorry Luke, my bad.

How are you finding vxr ownership anyway? I recall your thread about choosing which car.

Its going well; thank you for asking, still enjoying the car, need to learn to tone down the throttle bit, as it can get a little thirsty. I need to post up some updated pics on that thread. Infact thats what I will do tonight. Thanks for reminding me!

[Welshbeef]

swerni said:

Welshbeef said:

swerni said:

200bhp per tonne? bloody hell, I though you said it was quick ,

Well 240 bhp per tonne

Well what?

What do you think is quick?
Most people would consider an RS6 to be quick out of all the cars on the road

[crazy about cars]

Nissan GTR...

[Cotty]

eliot said:

007 VXR said:

A V8

/thread

What about an Elise?

[Notanotherturbo]

jamieduff1981 said:

steveT350C said:

Any TVR.

My stance though...

The straight six engine designed and built by TVR is the most powerful NA straight six engine ever put into a production car.

3.6/4.0/4.0s engines in cerbs, Tuscans, tamoras, T350s and Sags deliver around 320 to 370 bhp/ton (before mods Don!).

No traction control, just man fun!

Sounds good too

And possibly the most unreliable . any rolling road operator will tell you most never got close to their quoted power output either. I love TVR's but I hate it when manufacturers do that.

[so called]

I'm lucky enough to drive a TVR Tuscan and a MB CLS and often drive my Wife's RR Evoque.
I also get to drive about 100 American rentals per year so feel very fortunate as a petrol head.
However, I know that there are FAR greater PH chaps out there that would love to take my place so I will continue to say my daily 'thank you' to the great mechanic in the sky.

[Pixelpeep]

RobM77 said:

Nonsense. James Hunt drove an old A35 van because it was rear drive and had skinny tyres for low speed fun. Likewise, I drive a non M or M badged BMW on the smallest possible 16" wheels for exactly the same reason. If neither of us raced pure-bred racing cars as well, would that mean we weren't petrolheads?! Equally, am I less of a petrolhead in my sideways 320d with a grin on my face than a city boy driving his M3 or 911 cab with one arm out of the window?

Equally, is a guy who rebuilds standard Austin Minis for a living and has ten of them straddled across his house and garden not a petrolhead just because none of them are Coopers? err...

hmm - not sure. I get the point you are making but i don't think someone who rebuilds car and has loads in his garden makes them a petrolhead. There was that bloke that collected milk bottles and had them all over his house, doesn't make him a fan of cows or milkmen does it

If you are a true petrol head why would you buy a 320d in the first place?, whatever it cost, you could have got an older more powerful version surely?

[iloveboost]

You don't have to own any specific car or type of car to be a petrol head, you just have to be interested in cars and enjoy driving. Anything else is snobbery.

[007 VXR]

iloveboost said:

You don't have to own any specific car or type of car to be a petrol head, you just have to be interested in cars and enjoy driving. Anything else is snobbery.

What about Prius drivers ?

[RobM77]

Pixelpeep said:

hmm - not sure. I get the point you are making but i don't think someone who rebuilds car and has loads in his garden makes them a petrolhead. There was that bloke that collected milk bottles and had them all over his house, doesn't make him a fan of cows or milkmen does it

True! It's intent and mindset that matters, not individual cars. An old school friend of mine works for a major Landrover magazine and has several of the things in various states of build permanently around his house - he's a petrolhead, but without owning a Caterham, BMW or whatever. Equally I know people totally obsessed with Minis and they're obviously petrolheads too. A farmer who happens to have three landrovers in bits may not be a petrolhead. My point is that petrolheads come in all different flavours and it's unwise to be too prescriptive, which leads me to answer your second point:

Pixelpeep said:

If you are a true petrol head why would you buy a 320d in the first place?, whatever it cost, you could have got an older more powerful version surely?

I've spent a good chunk of my life driving fairly quick racing cars, and currently have a 2-Eleven as my second car. So the difference between a 330d and a 320d is, whilst noticeable, not really that significant to me. Why not the petrol BMWs? They all have a horrible lag on the throttle (other than the E90 M3, which I can't afford), so they're out straight away. What's far more important to me are the differences between what was available at the time for £10k on the secondhand market in terms of the diesel models. Firstly, the suspension and wheel options: it's much easier to find a 320d on 16" wheels with standard suspension (my preferred choice for that era) than a 330d. Secondly, bigger engines weigh more. Thirdly, dampers and bushes wear out over time, so if like me you're obsessed with handling, when you buy any older car you need to replace a whole load of things to get it to drive right. For example, a brand new Civic 1.2 would probably ride and handle much better than a 100k mile CTR for the same cost (not that I'd buy a FWD car for my daily driver, but it serves to illustrate a point). If a 330d was available for my budget with fresh enough dampers on 16" wheels then yes, I'd probably forgoe the slightly heavier engine and buy one, but it wasn't - nowhere near it in fact. Oh, and I must have a manual gearbox. Like most people, I'm limited by budget, especially on the daily driver, so you need to prioritise. I've been lucky enough to drive quite a large number of cars, and that includes pretty much the whole BMW range in E46 and E90 guise. I chose my favourite for £10k for clearly defined reasons, and that's enough to be a petrolhead. Because it doesn't agree with someone else's misconceptions or requirements in a car is neither here not there - I'm not buying the car for them. My priorities are driven by a love of driving, which is one of the purest sets of priorities that one can have for a car in terms of being a petrolhead.

[StuntmanMike]

WTF is everyone going on about 320d's for, what relevance is that car to this topic?
Reading through this thread I think most have it spot on, on this discussion anyone who bangs on about specific cars, or makes lists for chrisakes, comes across as a bit of a dick.

[LotusOmega375D]

What does this little lot say about me? In order...

Hillman Imp
Austin 1100
BMW 2002
Renault 5 Turbo 2
Renault GTA V6 Turbo
Lancia Delta Integrale 16v
Subaru Impreza WRX Bugeye (JDM)
Subaru Impreza STi 22B (JDM)
Lotus Omega
Lotus Evora

Had some dull work hacks too, mind.

EDIT just read post above. Apparently it makes me a bit of a dick.

[StuntmanMike]

LotusOmega375D said:

What does this little lot say about me? In order...

Hillman Imp
Austin 1100
BMW 2002
Renault 5 Turbo 2
Renault GTA V6 Turbo
Lancia Delta Integrale 16v
Subaru Impreza WRX Bugeye (JDM)
Subaru Impreza STi 22B (JDM)
Lotus Omega
Lotus Evora

Had some dull work hacks too, mind.

EDIT just read post above. Apparently it makes me a bit of a dick.

:ROFL: :ROFL: some nice cars there though.

[RobM77]

StuntmanMike said:

WTF is everyone going on about 320d's for, what relevance is that car to this topic?
Reading through this thread I think most have it spot on, on this discussion anyone who bangs on about specific cars, or makes lists for chrisakes, comes across as a bit of a dick.

I agree with you, and I made the same point (though more politely) early on. The 320d discussion arose simply because I was explaining one of many ways in which someone can be into cars, in my case that's handling.

Edited by RobM77 on Tuesday 26th November 19:46

[V8Ford]

Mr2Mike said:

Why would you buy a hot hatch just to go shopping in? Surely you'd just buy the small engined, economic models?

BTW, anything with an auto box is minus several million petrolhead points.

Damn, better tell those Pro Modified boys that their auto boxes lose them points, silly 2500 horsepower fools

[walsh]

Pah, its all cobblers.

Someone is a petrol head when they feel an affinity for a vehicle in a non-quantifiable/rational way IMO.

A 740i came past me with some sort of aftermarket exhaust, at full chat, on the way back home the other day. spotted in the mirror, I expectantly dropped the window, and was not disapointed. Rusty old burgandy barge, worth about 600 quid, still got me. 'Tis the way of things.

[deltashad]

walsh said:

Pah, its all cobblers.

Someone is a petrol head when they feel an affinity for a vehicle in a non-quantifiable/rational way IMO.

A 740i came past me with some sort of aftermarket exhaust, at full chat, on the way back home the other day. spotted in the mirror, I expectantly dropped the window, and was not disapointed. Rusty old burgandy barge, worth about 600 quid, still got me. 'Tis the way of things.

I bet the driver was smiling. 13mpg but who cares, listen to this!

[StuntmanMike]

Sorry mate, I don't think I've missed anything, what individual car you drive has got absolutely sod all to do with being a petrol head, my rant was really started by posters not naming what they drive, but posting what you should drive.
I still don't see what relevance a 320d has, anyway that wraps it up for me, my daughter wants her tablet back.

[Devil2575]

willisit said:

None. If you love cars, you can be one. As a youngster I'd know specs of pretty much everything on the road. I LOVED cars but was years away from driving. Why would that exclude anyone?

What about boats? With twin V8s?
Planes?

Since TG said you'd have to own an Alfa, I've heard about this phrase a lot and I think it's nonsense.. but that's just me. I know plenty of people who cannot afford to own anything that'd "qualify" but go to every Festival of Speed or Breakfast club...

This.