Pretend What Car - Classic 2+2, ideally with a V8

[Herbs]

This thread has



a Lotus Esprit written all over (if you ignore the 2+2 option) or a



to meet all criteria except v8

[V8RX7]

braddo said:

V8RX7 said:

As usable as 944/968 / most coupes.

I have 2 daughters aged 3 and 5 and they both fit in easily - they love it as their feet touch the floor.

I think with one in the front and one in the back I'll be able to use it until they are 10-12ish maybe longer.

(My wife refuses to get in it as she's terrified of speed so I only use it as a 3 seater)

Good to know

I'm guessing that's without booster seats?

Yes the rear seats are bucket shaped so I doubt you could find a booster to fit but the belt goes over the 5yr olds shoulder fine. The 3yr old tends to go on a seat in the front.

[TurboBlue]

renrut said:

Bit of a game and also give me food for thought in a years time and give me impetus to start saving up.

Scenario - I *need* (yes I really do) a car suitable for fun weekend motoring and a little bit of track day hooning.

This car must be capable of seating myself, my missus and young child still in car seat safely.

I *need* acceleration.

I *need* capable handling with good steering feedback.

I would like classic car looks and style.

I would like something different from the pack, so old or interesting or quirky a plus.

I wouldn't like to spend more than about £10K but this is just a 'guide price'.

I would like a vaguely usable boot for an overnight stay somewhere, pushchair fitting not necessary but a bonus.

I would like it to be capable of 30mpg on a run, what it does on a track or when pressing on isn't relevant as that is fun I'm paying for

I would like a soft top or targa but coupe is fine. I don't *need* a 4x4, saloon or 5 door hatchback.

I like spannering but I don't want to have to spend 10yrs restoring a pile of rust to a car shape.

I would like a V8, but other interesting engine layouts will be considered.

What are my options?

First thing to spring to mind is a Cerbera but they're a bit out of this budget now.

How about a Renault Alpine GTA Turbo – they are available much cheaper than this but this does look like a good one, rare colour too.
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[saaby93]

My vote



V8

[Slow]

I vote for a supra. Forgot they were 2+2 untill that just got posted.

[renrut]

The 2+2 option isn't negotiable. I'm currently restoring and building a K series midget which should have have similar performance characteristics to an elise (0-60 ~6s, 700kg, 40mpg) but in a classic shape and a semi useful boot. But its only a 2 seater so near useless as soon as Jnr is allowed into anything that isn't a steel reinforced cacoon.

I like the Maserati idea but everything I've read about them has proclaimed doom unless you have a spare engine sitting about.

I like the Renault GTA, very cool.

300 - XJS' have popped into my mind, I love the shape and a 4.0 with manual box would be something to look out for. Performance on them doesn't seem to be that startling though as stock. But I could get a good one for £5k then make it faster as you suggest and not something I'm adverse too, it is afterall a toy car.

[renrut]

saaby93 said:

My vote



V8

Is that a Daimler Dart? i.e. SP250 tiny daimler 2.5l V8 in a fibreglass body? My uncle had one of those before I was born. I thought they were 2 seaters?

ETA - turns out it is a seater! To quote wiki "The car was described as a 2+2, but the bench-like rear seat offered very limited leg room unless the front seats were pushed fully forward. " Ok not likely to see the 30mpg but it ticks pretty much every other box.

Edited by renrut on Monday 14th January 14:43

[saaby93]

renrut said:

Is that a Daimler Dart? i.e. SP250 tiny daimler 2.5l V8 in a fibreglass body? My uncle had one of those before I was born. I thought they were 2 seaters?

You can just see the rear bench in the photo so it's a 2+ as many as you can squeeze on the bench

[soxboy]

Totally ignoring the V8 part of it but what about an Audi ur quattro? It has a great 5 cylinder warble with turbo kick (eventually), room for 5 plus not bad boot, plenty of track mods and not bad economy on a run.

Also 911 Carrera 3.2 targa? ( although a bit more cramped)

[renrut]

soxboy said:

Totally ignoring the V8 part of it but what about an Audi ur quattro? It has a great 5 cylinder warble with turbo kick (eventually), room for 5 plus not bad boot, plenty of track mods and not bad economy on a run.

Also 911 Carrera 3.2 targa? ( although a bit more cramped)

I'll be honest the UR quattro isn't really my cup of tea looks wise and I've never found 4wd to be particularly inspiring from a driving feedback point of view.

911s are on the list but the 964s are getting pricey so a 996 would be the only one I could afford.

[TurboBlue]

renrut said:

I like the Renault GTA, very cool.

This is the club for the GTA if you want any further information about Renault-Alpine in general
http://www.renaultalpineownersclub.com/

[AA121]

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

or double your budget and get this

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[Dusty964]

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

A 928 for 5k. Manual. Won't get 30mpg but a great place to be

[renrut]

Dusty964 said:

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-pa...

A 928 for 5k. Manual. Won't get 30mpg but a great place to be

But 5K buys a lot of fuel!

[DonkeyApple]

renrut said:

But 5K buys a lot of fuel!

It'll also buy you a set of seat motors.

We have one of the first 928 into the UK, a 1978 with 20k. A brilliant car in many ways but parts supply can be difficult and costs huge.

[renrut]

DonkeyApple said:

renrut said:

But 5K buys a lot of fuel!

It'll also buy you a set of seat motors.

We have one of the first 928 into the UK, a 1978 with 20k. A brilliant car in many ways but parts supply can be difficult and costs huge.

A 928 is probably not my cup of tea then! Although working on old MGs has warped my sense of how expensive parts should be!

[Prawo Jazdy]

renrut said:

XK8 is a good suggestion though.

I don't know about the '8, but an XKR does not fulfill your handling requirement. The steering has nothing you could really call feedback and the handling feels a bit clumsy (this may be the 20" wheels though).

[robsco]

Cerbera, every day of the week. Makes no difference which engine you go for, if fast enough to you is a sub-7 second dash to 60, you'll be flabbergasted regardless of the engine. Early 4.2s are the best value. The most important thing to check is the chassis, a lot of them are getting tired now and are in need of overhaul, which isn't especially cheap. If you look towards a Speed Six, it would obviously be very wise to buy one with the engine already rebuilt (and preferably not by TVR themselves!).

To give you an idea of economy, I have seen as much as 27mpg from my Tuscan (Speed Six engine) and my old 4.2 Cerbera would do 25 at a push on a long run, but usually averaged out into the late teens.

[markCSC]

How about a V8 Supra?


http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f110/toyot...

[rudecherub]

V8 & high mpg!

Since we're pretending, let's ignore the budget.

Something like this

or in another flavour.



Of course you could start with something older and cheaper, designed to carry an old school cast iron engine, and swap that out for a modern turbo diesel v8



& eg v8 land rover 4.4 £4,500.00

Edited by rudecherub on Wednesday 16th January 10:43