That Proper Car Smell

[cobra kid]

We were at Crich Tram Village the other week and there was a collection of old Austin A something or others that had just turned up and a delightful Citroen DS.

The smell of them after they had switched off and sat for a bit was delightful!

[Hol]

Burnt oil and mildly heated electrics… ?.

Like a fragrant ozone.

[Martin_Hx]

My dad used to have a 5.3 V12 XJS, i know exactly what you mean

[Let off some steam Bennett]

I do enjoy a good sniff through a slightly open window of a classic car.

[Sideways Tim]

Driving home from the Le Mans Classic in 2022 we were passing through Stow on the Wold (I think) and whilst sitting in traffic in the middle of town, some old boy eco geezer decided to shout at my wife in the passenger seat that "You smell!, You're killing the planet, you stink!"

Now I think it was the smell of EP 90 on a hot exhaust (very slight gearbox oil drip) rather than my wife, but surely driving a 50 year old car opposed to a modern plastic stbox is kinder on the planet

[AmyRichardson]

I tend to leave the garage open after a run; I quite like it, but the tenant above probably won't appreciate the smell of hot oil and the waft of what's left in the float chamber.

[Decky_Q]

I was doing some fibreglass on a boat and gave my friend a lift afterwards in my diesel hatchback, he got in and said "f##k now this car smells like all your others!"

[crankedup5]

Sideways Tim said:

Driving home from the Le Mans Classic in 2022 we were passing through Stow on the Wold (I think) and whilst sitting in traffic in the middle of town, some old boy eco geezer decided to shout at my wife in the passenger seat that "You smell!, You're killing the planet, you stink!"

Now I think it was the smell of EP 90 on a hot exhaust (very slight gearbox oil drip) rather than my wife, but surely driving a 50 year old car opposed to a modern plastic stbox is kinder on the planet

Strewth!! wonder about the reaction if they ventured into a steam rally event

[swisstoni]

Oil, leather/vinyl/rubber. Heat for 2 hrs under hot sun = Summer!

[Writhing]

Two words.

Castrol R.

[Chunkychucky]

Writhing said:

Two words.

Castrol R.

This, I run my A35 on Castrol R and when I was on track at Combe a couple of weeks ago, all the marshalls I passed in the paddock stopped me to give an appreciative thumbs up Castrol R + leaded race fuel, a heady mix and useful should I ever fancy shutting myself in the garage with the engine running.

[RDMcG]

I recall many years ago as a young lad going into some of the local garages which had been there for decades, ( not dealerships) and the very distinct smell of oil, paint, exhaust all blended. Now all gone of course.

[AC43]

When I started pulling cars to bits and reassembling them it was A Series and then various Alfa, Fiat and Lancia engines which originated in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

So lots of burning and leaking oil (A Series I'm looking at you). And lots of hot cams and spit-back through Webers and Dellortos. And unburnt hydrocarbons leaving via the exhaust. Fumes, basically :-)

This of course accompanied by genuine popping and cracking on the overrun - not this fake nonsense that today's man-children force us to endure.

[MBVitoria]

I'm a secret car sniffer. Love to pop my head into the garage for an oily waft from our classic mini.

[mac96]

We seem to, so far, have overlooked the underlying smell of damp carpet that for me at least is firmly associated with cars I rode in as a child.
Probably due to the hidden holes in the floor.

[CraigyMc]

You can smell some photos.

XP5:

[miniman]

Lightly O/T but I have been going to Crich for more than 40 years now Great museum. Some of my Grandad’s ashes are scattered at the monument at Crich Stand.

[unsprung]

AmyRichardson said:

I tend to leave the garage open after a run; I quite like it, but the tenant above probably won't appreciate the smell of hot oil and the waft of what's left in the float chamber.

Would that happen to be the Talbot? (resident of the garage and not above)

[unsprung]

AC43 said:

When I started pulling cars to bits and reassembling them it was A Series and then various Alfa, Fiat and Lancia engines which originated in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

So lots of burning and leaking oil (A Series I'm looking at you). And lots of hot cams and spit-back through Webers and Dellortos. And unburnt hydrocarbons leaving via the exhaust. Fumes, basically :-)

This of course accompanied by genuine popping and cracking on the overrun - not this fake nonsense that today's man-children force us to endure.

We today can just barely begin to comprehend how, a century ago, motoring was quite a big undertaking. Never mind what passed for "roads" and "driver skill" at the time; there was the whole enterprise of getting a car started and keeping it running.

By "keeping it running" I'm not referring to maintenance; I'm referring to choke, spark timing, bad fuel, uncooperative weather, and unknowns like metallurgy and the limited understanding of ICE physics at the time. Grab your goggles! (we're gonna need 'em)

[J4CKO]

miniman said:

Lightly O/T but I have been going to Crich for more than 40 years now Great museum. Some of my Grandad’s ashes are scattered at the monument at Crich Stand.

Remember being taken by my granddad to Crich, must do another visit.

Chap at next door but one has an Austin Healey, that smells great when he starts it on a summers morning.