RE: PH Service History: Sparing the horses

[avenger286]

Cris Guest said:

Ford Puma 1.7. 125 Bhp and about 1100 kg with a passenger and a full tank. Good ones are still below £1500 and point to point on a B road, there's very little this side of and Elise that can keep up. Best front drive chassis ever.

Loved my puma and used to rally one. On a bumpy b road there isn't much else that would be more fun and really fun on the limit. My current car (Twingo 133) would leave the puma for dead 90% of the time as well as being more comfortable and practical. Puma had a better box and stearing.

[H20DJY]

richthebike said:

It always makes me laugh when I see you in your Ka Dave... M3, nah. 997, nah. Classic RS, nah. Leave them all on the drive and take the Ka.

Its the best! You know the joy of a pocket rocket Rich....

[aaron_2000]

H20DJY said:

Its the best! You know the joy of a pocket rocket Rich....

Sometimes the cheap simple cars make for the most fun. What a car collection though

[s m]

avenger286 said:

Cris Guest said:

Ford Puma 1.7. 125 Bhp and about 1100 kg with a passenger and a full tank. Good ones are still below £1500 and point to point on a B road, there's very little this side of and Elise that can keep up. Best front drive chassis ever.

Loved my puma and used to rally one. On a bumpy b road there isn't much else that would be more fun and really fun on the limit. My current car (Twingo 133) would leave the puma for dead 90% of the time as well as being more comfortable and practical. Puma had a better box and stearing.

Not a car that you hear much about, the Twingo 133. They seemed to be the car that took the baton from the 106Gti and Saxo VTS. Occasionally see one and would have liked to have tried one as they were very highly rated compared to the headline grabbers like the Swift and Panda 100HP in this news article



The Fiesta, Mini and Swift were also-rans at the time

Plus they seemed to have that French hatch adjustability that a lot of other little cars lack

[billzeebub]

Buff Mchugelarge said:

I've got a Seicento Sporting Abarth. I know all about cheap smiles

Brilliant. My first car at the age of 17 was a brand new Cinquecento SX. It's 899cc gave me some of my best motoring memories. Road trip adventures with my brother all over the UK. It was such a hoot at low speeds.had some squeaky-bum/HGVs moments on motorways though

[sjabrown]

Only a few horses of power are needed for fun. Most fun vehicle I drive day to day is my 1.7 diesel Corsavan. With all of 60ish bhp. It's good fun hustling it along on a road you know well.

[richthebike]

H20DJY said:

Its the best! You know the joy of a pocket rocket Rich....

Certainly do!
Got a hankering for another run around, this thread isn't helping.

[BricktopST205]

No mention of the Ignis Sport which is really the original Swift Sport and one of the last ever homologation cars so has genuine motorsport roots but always praise for the Panda 100HP even though it is pretty much better in every way.

Had ours five years as a commuter. Great fun to drive as long as you don't frequent motorways!

[culpz]

Jonesy23 said:

The 100hp stuff is quick enough that you aren't really working at it, it just isn't a performance rocketship.

It's all what you're used to, at the end of the day. I'd agree with you. However, if you drive a standard C1 and then stepped into a Panda 100HP or a Swift Sport, it would probably feel like a rocket ship in comparison.

[paulyv]

aaron_2000 said:

Cris Guest said:

Ford Puma 1.7. 125 Bhp and about 1100 kg with a passenger and a full tank. Good ones are still below £1500 and point to point on a B road, there's very little this side of and Elise that can keep up. Best front drive chassis ever.

Forgot about the Puma. Think Tiff Needell had a Racing Puma and a standard one, fantastic cars.

Yep.

[culpz]

avenger286 said:

Twingo always gets forgotten about on pH for some reason!

It's usually because of how cheap 172/182's can be had for now, which, i believe, is what the Twingo is based on, chassis-wise.

I know the whole thing here is less-is-more but they still have usable performance, albeit much more of it.

[s m]

avenger286 said:

Another vote for the Twingo 133 cup had mine 5 years the only car I have ever kept for longer than 2 and will now keep there even more fun with an extra 35bhp and less weight! Also the 1.2 tce gt is also great fun.
Twingo always gets forgotten about on pH for some reason!

I noticed there was one in the photo thread that 0A started last night.....but you're right, rarely mentioned

[avenger286]

Love the ignis above looked at these but got a yaris t sport in the end.
172/182 can be had for peanuts but are usually very ropey at be bottom end of the price range and they could as well be a 1.2 in the looks department.
The 133 and the ignis sport both look nothing like the non sport models.

[angelicupstarts]

richthebike said:

H20DJY said:

I am going to have to put a shout in for the Ford Ka of course!

Especially the Sport. I don't think I will be without one for a while yet!

It always makes me laugh when I see you in your Ka Dave... M3, nah. 997, nah. Classic RS, nah. Leave them all on the drive and take the Ka.

Id 2nd this , I have had a couple of mk1 ford ka's over the years and for quick blat to work or shops id leave the more expensive stuff at home . th KA is such fun to jump in and go ....

[Dale487]

Peugeot 106 “Sports Chassis” (Quicksilver, Rallye & GTI) - my first car was a Quicksilver, 75bhp & 75lb/ft of torque from a 1.4 & 900kg is plenty quick enough on a back road. But I suspect a Rallye would be even better.

I’ll also put forward the Škoda Fabia Monte Carlo 105PS TSI - I got bored of waiting for the Up GT/GTI - it’s only 10bhp down & 137lb/ft of torque certainly made it feel quick. Some people have suggested power to weight & grip to power ratios are key to enjoyment - what about torque to weight ratio?

Regarding the Polo Blue GT - my Leon FR has the same power train is quick enough & very economical for a petrol (56mpg + on a decent run) but is lugging around an estate body - it must be very quick. But I always felt they were too close in price to the GTI (a bit like the Golf GTI & R situation).

[S100HP]

I'm down with this, I've had a couple of powerful cars (250/300bhp) and i reckon I have more fun in the Panda. Its such a hoot to drive it nearer the limit, and when you do you feel like you're doing double the speed limit when in reality you're around it. Certainly fancy a go in a Swift and a Twingo at some point in the future.

[gazza5]

My first car was a rover 25 1.4 impression. Think it had 82 bhp. Was a hoot to drive in all honesty, redlining it on a blast but couldn't get to silly speeds quickly, but it was also my first car, had fatser cars, remapped corsa 1.6t (222 bhp 233 Tourque), astra diesel, now got a golf r - golf r for me the fun is over too quick. Glad to experiance it but a quick flex of the right foot and thats it.

Only thing is I always have the biggest car, as I do the most driving - so can't see all 4 of us in a twingo!

[culpz]

avenger286 said:

172/182 can be had for peanuts but are usually very ropey at be bottom end of the price range and they could as well be a 1.2 in the looks department.
The 133 and the ignis sport both look nothing like the non sport models.

Not for the same price as a Twingo 133 they're not. 3k gets you a pretty decent example. The low-key looks could be an advantage. 172's do look pretty ordinary but the 182's do stand-out a bit more, with their dual-exhaust set up and the bigger wheels. It all depends on what you want, really.

[s m]

avenger286 said:

The 133 and the ignis sport both look nothing like the non sport models.

Bit of blurb on the 133

[horsemeatscandal]

Agree with the sentiment, completely.

Absolutely love my Swift Sport. Not once have I wanted more power, not even when failing to full away from an old Seat Toledo t'other day. Grips like a real en too.