Idiosyncratic features to be savoured

[probably chalk]

I had a Volvo 480 in the mid-90s (a car I look back on very fondly indeed) which, if you so chose, closed all the windows and the sunroof when you locked the doors. Since then I've never understood why all cars don't do the same.

[TooMany2cvs]

probably chalk said:

I had a Volvo 480 in the mid-90s (a car I look back on very fondly indeed) which, if you so chose, closed all the windows and the sunroof when you locked the doors. Since then I've never understood why all cars don't do the same.

I had a Mk3 Golf - did exactly the same if you turned-and-held the key in the doorlock. And, IIRC, if you turned-and-held it the other way, it opened them all.

[SWoll]

Evilex said:

kapiteinlangzaam said:

My parents had an original Multipla from 2003-2016. Bought new of a Fiat dealers forecourt for 9995, which made it quite insane value.

Looks are obviously love/hate, but the rest of the car was undeniably fantastic. IIRC it was built on a sort of space-frame, with the all the suspension etc hanging off it and the engine etc bolted on. This resulted in a very low centre of gravity (= entertaining handling) and also realised the quite ridiculous amounts of interior space.

Great cars, really very great cars.

It's nice to find someone that "understands". Thank you.
From what I've seen of the underside, it is some sort of space-frame. Certainly not a monocoque. There's enough room under the (flat) floor for another 2 66l fuel tanks! Presumably that's where the gubbins for the bi-fuel versions goes..

(Edited for...) Two people understand! I forgot about the US gallon thing with the OBC!

Edited by Evilex on Tuesday 28th March 21:15

Had one on holiday in Greece for a fortnight about 10 years ago. So much better than the Zafira we had the following year and a genuinely characterful and clever piece of design.

[AMGSee55]

The picture below is not my car, but back in the early 90s I owned an '84 BMW 728i - as a base model it did not stretch to air-con, but had 'electro-pneumatic' heating and ventilation controls - ref the piccie they are the 6 rectangular buttons directly above the radio and in simple terms replaced the usual levers of that era with switches which controlled a series of valves and so on.

Apart from being tech overkill (god knows what it would have cost to fix - mine never played up fortunately), it created noises akin to someone trying to break wind discreetly, combined with the odd moan and sigh. It was a source of amusement for many a passenger punching the buttons randomly to see what it would compose next!

[Digby]

TooMany2cvs said:

probably chalk said:

I had a Volvo 480 in the mid-90s (a car I look back on very fondly indeed) which, if you so chose, closed all the windows and the sunroof when you locked the doors. Since then I've never understood why all cars don't do the same.

I had a Mk3 Golf - did exactly the same if you turned-and-held the key in the doorlock. And, IIRC, if you turned-and-held it the other way, it opened them all.

My 1989 BMW E34 5 series did the same.

[Evilex]

Having read about the "handed wheels" earlier, reminded me of the directional Toyota Supra (2, not the Celica Supra) wheels. Mirror-imaged from left to right. To aid brake cooling... presumably they were shaped to draw warm air out or force cool air in. Hope they were the same width front & rear, or that SERIOUSLY limits the interchangeability of the wheels ! I'm fairly sure they had a rotating direction cast into them.

[Matt-il77s]

probably chalk said:

I had a Volvo 480 in the mid-90s (a car I look back on very fondly indeed) which, if you so chose, closed all the windows and the sunroof when you locked the doors. Since then I've never understood why all cars don't do the same.

They do! My 54 plate Volvo s40 and my last 64 plate Astra do. Push and hold the unlock button (on the key) and all the electric windows open, push and hold the lock button and they all close. Lots of modern cars do

[Benjo42]

Gorbyrev said:

Citroen C5 has the handbrake on the front wheels.

My dad was an ex-top flight kart racer in his day and used to like a tool around safely in a car at appropriate times. One xmas he had a 205 GTI and took me into a car park to do handbrake turns on an icy morning. I had no idea why we had gone into an empty car park before it happened! I was probably around 11-12 yo.

Anyway he bought a Xantia when I was in my late teens and he had not driven silly or fast in years(it kind of saddens me a tad but I'm glad he still thinks he could "thrash me" in a kart). So, soon after he bought it, it had snowed. Going down a long straight road next to an airfield, a dab of handbrake was on the menu! Until the massive disappointment of the handbrake operating the front wheels!!! Luckily he hadn't scandy' flicked into it before hand. Despite that, I think it's been his favourite car for around 20 years, up until a month ago when he got an i3.

I'm in my early 30's now.

[Gorbyrev]

Benjo42 said:

Gorbyrev said:

Citroen C5 has the handbrake on the front wheels.

My dad was an ex-top flight kart racer in his day and used to like a tool around safely in a car at appropriate times. One xmas he had a 205 GTI and took me into a car park to do handbrake turns on an icy morning. I had no idea why we had gone into an empty car park before it happened! I was probably around 11-12 yo.

Anyway he bought a Xantia when I was in my late teens and he had not driven silly or fast in years(it kind of saddens me a tad but I'm glad he still thinks he could "thrash me" in a kart). So, soon after he bought it, it had snowed. Going down a long straight road next to an airfield, a dab of handbrake was on the menu! Until the massive disappointment of the handbrake operating the front wheels!!! Luckily he hadn't scandy' flicked into it before hand. Despite that, I think it's been his favourite car for around 20 years, up until a month ago when he got an i3.

I'm in my early 30's now.

Cool story - hadn't though of that. Perhaps you can do handbrake turns in reverse! Never tried in the C5 as it really is a pair of comfy slippers more than a car.

[TooMany2cvs]

Gorbyrev said:

Cool story - hadn't though of that. Perhaps you can do handbrake turns in reverse! Never tried in the C5 as it really is a pair of comfy slippers more than a car.

All hydraulically suspended Citroens have front-wheel handbrakes - except for X7 C5s (the post-2009 "German" ones), C6s, and the tiny handful of (rear) hydraulic Tractions. It's so that the handbrake and gearbox don't take the full weight as the car sinks, if you've left it gear. The rear suspension trailing arms mean that the wheelbase lengthens as it goes down. 2cvs and H-vans have front wheel handbrakes, too.

[Evilex]

Gorbyrev said:

Cool story - hadn't though of that. Perhaps you can do handbrake turns in reverse! Never tried in the C5 as it really is a pair of comfy slippers more than a car.

You can do reverse flicks very well in cars with a handbrake that works through the front wheels. My mate had a BX for a while, and that was its party trick...

[WinstonWolf]

wildcat45 said:

M4cruiser said:

Few will remember this car, and even less remember (or even know about) the special feature:
You see that second stalk on the left, it's the light switch. You turn it once (side lights) then you can put the dipped headlights on by moving the stalk down; or - you can turn it twice and put the main full beam on by moving it down. Such flexibility.

Alpine/Solara? I think our Horizon had a similar arrangement.

Can I add the front passenger seat in some Volvos that folds flat with the seat fire and aft in the right position the headrest tucks under the dash. It turns the car with the head rests down into a single seat van. Not sure if it still a feature today?

And the ticket holder on the edge of Volvo driver side windscreens.

I'm pretty sure you could fold the passenger and the rear seat down in my V50 saloon, you could get a whole carpet in the bugger rolled up.

[saaby93]

TooMany2cvs said:

All hydraulically suspended Citroens have front-wheel handbrakes - except for X7 C5s (the post-2009 "German" ones), C6s, and the tiny handful of (rear) hydraulic Tractions. It's so that

the mechanism binds and you get through one brake pad quicker than the other on each wheel, and discs

[Shakermaker]

Gorbyrev said:

Skoda Favorit had a really handy rechargeable torch with a charger hardwired into the loom.

Which of course was also a feature on many, many BMWs, certainly all the ones I owned. Is it still something they have in the new models?

[TooMany2cvs]

saaby93 said:

TooMany2cvs said:

All hydraulically suspended Citroens have front-wheel handbrakes - except for X7 C5s (the post-2009 "German" ones), C6s, and the tiny handful of (rear) hydraulic Tractions. It's so that

the mechanism binds and you get through one brake pad quicker than the other on each wheel, and discs

I've never had a problem.

Now, if you'd suggested them going out of adjustment before you'd even got the wheelnuts back on...
<fond CX memories>

[Twoshoe]

Another Citroen oddity - the rear window switches in the BX were mounted on the rear end of the console that ran between the front seats. There was also no other means of operating them from the front (or of isolating them to render them child-proof).

Also, the tailgate, bonnet and possibly other panels were plastic to save weight.

[P5BNij]

The Fiat Dino Coupe has an air vent in each C pillar which opens and closes via a valve as you speed up and slow down.

[tomtom]

Shakermaker said:

Which of course was also a feature on many, many BMWs, certainly all the ones I owned. Is it still something they have in the new models?

No

[saaby93]

AndySheff said:

Sad Weevil said:

Riley Pathfinder gear lever:

Cool ! Even has a toilet roll holder on the door.

Saw that too... What's it for?

[Gorbyrev]

TooMany2cvs said:

Gorbyrev said:

Cool story - hadn't though of that. Perhaps you can do handbrake turns in reverse! Never tried in the C5 as it really is a pair of comfy slippers more than a car.

All hydraulically suspended Citroens have front-wheel handbrakes - except for X7 C5s (the post-2009 "German" ones), C6s, and the tiny handful of (rear) hydraulic Tractions. It's so that the handbrake and gearbox don't take the full weight as the car sinks, if you've left it gear. The rear suspension trailing arms mean that the wheelbase lengthens as it goes down. 2cvs and H-vans have front wheel handbrakes, too.

Awesome - I love this place!