mistaking cars

[ikarl]

Over the years I like to think I've become pretty good at glancing at cars and working out instantly what the car is.

I can even do it with interiors of cars and always try to get the car right (from the interior shot) when I see one on tv.

Yesterday, I think I made my biggest mistake,..I glanced at a black MK1 Ford Focus that had morette headlights and first thought it was an e30 BMW

So, over to you, does anybody else do the same? and if so, any cars that you mistake for others?

[Aphex]

I usually play the game and get 'how did you know that, nerd'. Mistook a Mondeo for a Skyline from behind in the dark, nerd status revoked

[BritishRacinGrin]

It's happened to me, obviously, but no one particular mistake stands out to me.

However I did once go to a Brentwood forecourt with a good friend of mine to look at a £650 Skoda Felicia (to replace the one he'd just smashed into the front of an oncoming Astra). When we arrived, the dealer met us and gave us the usual speil- "Oh we've had more calls about that Skoda than anything else here..."

My friend replied something along the lines of "You've got bigger fish to fry... like that Ferrari!"

In fairness, the car he pointed at was bright red. A Bright red Hyundai Coupe (old generation)

[brillomaster]

often play this game, a while back we were a few cars behind a newish looking eurobox, and couldnt decide if it was a new Micra, a new Ka, a hyundai i10, or any of the other identical cars. in the end it was a micra, first i'd seen!

on a more exciting note, the other day my heart skipped a beat as i thought i saw a McLaren MP4-12C going the other way on a motorway - turns out it was just a boring Lotus Evora. however, the universe made up for it a few days later with a real McLaren on the mean streets of Banbury

[slipstream 1985]

audi tt -r8

[SV8Predator]

ikarl said:

I glanced at a black MK1 Ford Focus that had morette headlights and first thought it was an e30 BMW

Yes, I can understand your consternation....

Remarkable likeness.

[Ozzie Osmond]

I reckon the latest Mercedes A-class is easily mistaken for any Korean econobox.

[Buff Mchugelarge]

The latest shape Subaru impreza and Mazda 3 or any modern hatch tbh.
They all look alike.

/old man mode

[Benbay001]

When i got my S Type, i proudly announced that the X-Type i was looking at was "an XJ, which is a size up from my S Type"

[TREMAiNE]

I'm not too bad - I've mistaken a Silvia for an R32 Skyline before, as well as a Focus for a 599 (don't know how that one happened, it was broad daylight and up close!!!)

A friend of mine has had some classics:

Evo and Impreza mixup
Thinking an RX-7 is a Viper
Thinking an MX-5 is a Lotus Elan

[P I Staker]

I caught a newish Mazda 6 out the corner of my eye yesterday and thought it was a Vauxhall VXR8.

[poing]

Buff Mchugelarge said:

The latest shape Subaru impreza and Mazda 3 or any modern hatch tbh.
They all look alike.

/old man mode

That is a bit of a problem as we get older I guess. I spotted a nice Audi estate from behind in fashion victim white then I got closer and it turned out it was a Hyundai i40 estate. Nice looking car as it happens!

[andyalan10]

I drove an Audi hatchback recently.

I was pretty sure it was an A7, but having seen an A5 and an A7 on the forecourt of an Audi dealer I really have no idea what it was that I drove a few days previously...