Weird car facts...

[Waugh-terfall]

NadiR said:

I'm also pretty sure that the DB7 used the tail lights of the Mazda 323.

Yup, from the BG-series fastback, but with trim over the ends of the indicators to shape them.

[XitUp]

For fks sake.

Part sharing is not weird or interesting. Stop mentioning it.

[ZOLLAR]

XitUp said:

For fks sake.

Part sharing is not weird or interesting. Stop mentioning it.

Agreed back on topic.



The indicator lens on the Murcielago and the Mk3 Mondeo are the same.

[HereBeMonsters]

Camoradi said:

The part number for a Ford Granada 3.0 litre engine and a Ford Fiesta Mk1 window winder handle are only one digit different




It took about 4 hours one Saturday morning in the early 1970s to work this one out

Didn't the first Fiesta only come out in 1976?

[Craigyp79]

tali1 said:

The Merc W124 also had the stubby mirror- BUT NO other Mercs did. NEITHER am i aware of other Euro cars ever having them.

I see plenty here in France, even on new cars which must be an option over here!

[ZOLLAR]

HereBeMonsters said:

Camoradi said:

The part number for a Ford Granada 3.0 litre engine and a Ford Fiesta Mk1 window winder handle are only one digit different




It took about 4 hours one Saturday morning in the early 1970s to work this one out

Didn't the first Fiesta only come out in 1976?

[5lab]

The Riddler said:

5lab said:

volvo 340 autos have an LSD and go just as fast backwards as forwards

Depends on which Auto box, it's only the CVT Transmission that goes as fast forwards as backwards. Same or similar system as in the Daf 44(?)

340s only came in cvt or manual, there were no normal autos available.

480s had a function whereby if you used full throttle the car would shut down most ancilleries such as air con and heated rear screen to reduce load and make it go faster. Kinda like primitive overboost

[LuS1fer]

ZOLLAR said:

HereBeMonsters said:

Camoradi said:

The part number for a Ford Granada 3.0 litre engine and a Ford Fiesta Mk1 window winder handle are only one digit different




It took about 4 hours one Saturday morning in the early 1970s to work this one out

Didn't the first Fiesta only come out in 1976?

Only in LHD. the RHD version never arrived until 1977.

On which note, the name Fiesta was originally owned by General Motors who allowed Ford free use of it for the car. I'll bet that shot in the foot still hurts.

[Hugo a Gogo]

the first every car journey of any distance was TWOC

Karl Benz's missus. Bertha, took his Patent Motorwagen to drive to her mother's, 66 miles away, without telling him

[ZOLLAR]

LuS1fer said:

ZOLLAR said:

HereBeMonsters said:

Camoradi said:

The part number for a Ford Granada 3.0 litre engine and a Ford Fiesta Mk1 window winder handle are only one digit different




It took about 4 hours one Saturday morning in the early 1970s to work this one out

Didn't the first Fiesta only come out in 1976?

Only in LHD. the RHD version never arrived until 1977.

On which note, the name Fiesta was originally owned by General Motors who allowed Ford free use of it for the car. I'll bet that shot in the foot still hurts.

Ah that would explain why I can only find fiesta 77 onwards on my system

[Alfa numeric]

The Austin Ambassador was only ever made in RHD.

Similarly, IIRC the first LHD Bugatti ever made was the EB110.

[Waugh-terfall]

tali1 said:

Negative Creep said:

Waugh-terfall said:

sebhaque said:

Apologies if it's already been mentioned, but the Mercedes 190E had different-sized door mirros on each side.



You can just about see it in this picture - the passenger side mirror is a square, whereas the driver's side mirror is the traditional rectangular shape.

Anybody know why?

Generally a Euro thing, lots of older VWs and Audi's are the same. Narrow German city streets apparently. It was still normal to be without a passenger mirror on cars here in the early 80s.

My Grandparents have a RHD 190D as a runabout in rural France where the roads a massive and they can get right over to the verge, yet they're lost two stubby mirrors...

The Merc W124 also had the stubby mirror- BUT NO other Mercs did. NEITHER am i aware of other Euro cars ever having them.

W210s did too.

[tali1]

Waugh-terfall said:

tali1 said:

Negative Creep said:

Waugh-terfall said:

sebhaque said:

Apologies if it's already been mentioned, but the Mercedes 190E had different-sized door mirros on each side.



You can just about see it in this picture - the passenger side mirror is a square, whereas the driver's side mirror is the traditional rectangular shape.

Anybody know why?

Generally a Euro thing, lots of older VWs and Audi's are the same. Narrow German city streets apparently. It was still normal to be without a passenger mirror on cars here in the early 80s.

My Grandparents have a RHD 190D as a runabout in rural France where the roads a massive and they can get right over to the verge, yet they're lost two stubby mirrors...

The Merc W124 also had the stubby mirror- BUT NO other Mercs did. NEITHER am i aware of other Euro cars ever having them.

W210s did too.

These stubby mirrors seem to very elusive on all but 190 and W124 -any pics of others please?
If it is to narrow german streets why not on S class and large wide luxury cars ?
And how come the UK does perfectly well without stubby mirrors for vast majority of cars - and the Uk is notorious as a cramped and tiny island Is far larger Germany really that cramped???

[blueg33]

When in BL's ownership, Land Rover made something like 6 weeks production of Range Rovers with wooden wheels.

They also tried to save some money by making Range Rover dipsticks half an inch shorter - resulted in a fair few warranty claims where engines were damaged by being over filled.

Austin Princess body shells were rusty before they were painted.

[Chris Stott]

In the process of looking for a new company car which involves trawling through web sites and brochures.

During my travels, I discovered

A new 320d SE costs the same as a 520d once you bring it to the same spec... either one is very expensive or the other is very good value for money.

I also discovered that the 3 and 5 series don't have split rear seast as standard.. surprising for a modern car.

Audi A4/5 S-lines have Xenons standard, but not something as mundane cruise control.

I'm turning in to an even bigger spec geek than I used to be

[Silent1]

Futuramic said:

Cyder said:

38911 said:

Most car radios have the volume knob on the left, as they are designed for LHD markets (volume within reach of the driver).

Indicator stalks are also mostly on the left, again for LHD markets so drivers can change gear and indicate simultaneously.

Most Manufacturers dont bother changing these for RHD markets. (1990s jap cars had stalks on right as their home market is RHD - no idea why they stopped doing this)

Qashqai (Dualis) in Australia has indicator stalks on the right but for UK it is on the left.

Confuses the hell out of me when driving the Aus spec about as I always manage to put the wipers on instead of indicate.

The Botnar era Bluebirds, T72 and U12 types, had the indicators moved from right to left in 1988 or thereabouts at the time of the facelift. It was possible to get one with the newer plastic front grille and right hand indicators although mine was fully modernised with conventional controls. I've always thought that the answer would be standardisation. Most people are used to left hand indicators thus prefer them. In other countries, such as Australia, where LHD converted imports are rare then right hand indicators are still the norm. I was a passenger once in an Australian Ford Falcon limousine; that had RH indicators.

In australia IIRC it's a legal requirement for the indicators to be on the right.
Also it makes sense you're far more likely to need to indicate/dip your headlights when going round a corner/changing gear.
All companies that put it on the left are shafting us because they can't be bothered to change it when they don't have to.

Just check any japanese car and you'll see that they have them in the proper place and TBH i prefer it as it's just simply better.

[Urban Sports]

Chris Stott said:

In the process of looking for a new company car which involves trawling through web sites and brochures.

During my travels, I discovered

A new 320d SE costs the same as a 520d once you bring it to the same spec... either one is very expensive or the other is very good value for money.

I also discovered that the 3 and 5 series don't have split rear seast as standard.. surprising for a modern car.

Audi A4/5 S-lines have Xenons standard, but not something as mundane cruise control.

I'm turning in to an even bigger spec geek than I used to be

I found the optional extra rear folding seats issue when I had a trip to B&Q for a couple of planks of wood.

Needless to say mine didn't have them

[RicksAlfas]

Craigyp79 said:

tali1 said:

The Merc W124 also had the stubby mirror- BUT NO other Mercs did. NEITHER am i aware of other Euro cars ever having them.

I see plenty here in France, even on new cars which must be an option over here!

Yup. My mate in France has a Golf 4 with odd wing mirrors. He asked me to get him a full size mirror from the UK to take over for him to make them matching.

[Silent1]

blueg33 said:

They also tried to save some money by making Range Rover dipsticks half an inch shorter - resulted in a fair few warranty claims where engines were damaged by being over filled.

Can you provide a reliable citation for this please, as frankly it sounds like mythical bks.

[darkcat]

The exact same wing mirrors feature in the Citroen CX, the TVR Chimaera, the Aston Martin Vantage 550, and the Jag XJ220...