250 GTO 3387GT TFJJ video being driven around London.

[miurasv]

jtremlett said:

cgt2 said:

BTW does anyone have and is able to scan the 250 GTO article from Supercar Classics ('86 I think)..?

I have it but I don't see why you can't buy your own copy you stingy git!

Which edition of Supercar Classics is the 250 GTO article in? Thanks in advance.

[cgt2]

I will have to go on a mission through the loft and find it at some point, I think the tagline was something like Into The Red, car was 3729, the famous EUP 977B which I think is presently owned by Brandon Wang. I seem to remember the front foglamps were missing. It was 1985 or 1986.

[jtremlett]

miurasv said:

jtremlett said:

cgt2 said:

BTW does anyone have and is able to scan the 250 GTO article from Supercar Classics ('86 I think)..?

I have it but I don't see why you can't buy your own copy you stingy git!

Which edition of Supercar Classics is the 250 GTO article in? Thanks in advance.

Summer '85.

However, if you don't have Supercar Classics, it was a really excellent magazine and most of the issues are worth having with some of best writers around at the time. I have read they went a bit bonkers with it in a money-no-object kind of way and hired all the best people. So it couldn't last unfortunately.

Edited by jtremlett on Friday 29th May 20:51

[cgt2]

jtremlett said:

ummer '85.

However, if you don't have Supercar Classics, it was a really excellent magazine and most of the issues are worth having with some of best writers around at the time. I have read they went a bit bonkers with it in a money-no-object kind of way and hired all the best people. So it couldn't last unfortunately.

Edited by jtremlett on Friday 29th May 20:51

Fully agree. Reading the Mille Miglia issue is what first got me interested in older cars as compared to what was made at the time.

[miurasv]

cgt2 said:

I will have to go on a mission through the loft and find it at some point, I think the tagline was something like Into The Red, car was 3729, the famous EUP 977B which I think is presently owned by Brandon Wang. I seem to remember the front foglamps were missing. It was 1985 or 1986.

Thanks. 3729 is owned by Jon Shirley and is now back to its original Bianco with number 10. Brandon Wang owns dark blue 4219GT.

quote=jtremlett]ummer '85.

However, if you don't have Supercar Classics, it was a really excellent magazine and most of the issues are worth having with some of best writers around at the time. I have read they went a bit bonkers with it in a money-no-object kind of way and hired all the best people. So it couldn't last unfortunately.

Edited by jtremlett on Friday 29th May 20:51

Yes, I remember. I did have the magazine back in the day.

Edited by miurasv on Friday 29th May 23:34

[cgt2]

miurasv said:

Yes, I remember. I did have the magazine back in the day.

Edited by miurasv on Friday 29th May 23:34

That's the one. All these years later I can still remember the cinematic description of opening a barn door in the early morning light to reveal the curves of the GTO. Fantastically written.

[jhoneyball]

i trust you have mel nichols' book of collected writings? "And the revs keep rising". all the great stories by him from Car magazine

[cgt2]

jhoneyball said:

i trust you have mel nichols' book of collected writings? "And the revs keep rising". all the great stories by him from Car magazine

Absolutely, I also recommend Tony Dron's book with musings from the 80s. My two favourites were LJK Setright and Russell Bulgin, both sadly gone, I wonder what they would make of today's world.

Looks like the Bulgin book is now very hard to find, I bought three copies when this came out as it was published after his death and sales were to Russell's nominated charity.

I agree with the author of this below, Russell to me was the Ayrton Senna of motoring writers. And in fact his piece about Senna driving a rally car is one of the best pieces of writing ever in my view.

http://speedreaders.info/17737-bulgin-very-best-ru...

Edited by cgt2 on Saturday 30th May 10:26

[Slippydiff]

cgt2 said:

Absolutely, I also recommend Tony Dron's book with musings from the 80s. My two favourites were LJK Setright and Russell Bulgin, both sadly gone, I wonder what they would make of today's world.

Looks like the Bulgin book is now very hard to find, I bought three copies when this came out as it was published after his death and sales were to Russell's nominated charity.

I agree with the author of this below, Russell to me was the Ayrton Senna of motoring writers. And in fact his piece about Senna driving a rally car is one of the best pieces of writing ever in my view.

http://speedreaders.info/17737-bulgin-very-best-ru...

I've only read a couple of Tony Dron's musings, one was absolutely hilarious and detailed how he'd outrun a panda or traffic car in one of his road test steeds after leaving the pub at speed one evening ... IIRC correctly, it entailed switching the lights off and driving down a long straight piece of road (he knew like the back of his hand) flat out over several big crests without lifting or braking, whilst ensuring he kept a count of the amount of crests he'd flown over, this to ensure he'd brake hard enough to ensure he could negotiate the 90 left or right that was situated shortly after the final crest on the straight,

I have to admit I didn't always "get" all of Russell Bulgin's stuff back in the day, but looking back at it now, he was an amazing writer.

I used to really enjoy Setright's musings on everything from 0-60 and 50-70 times, and the action/tactility of Honda automotive switches.

IIRC, he was so enamoured with the action of their switches, he contacted Honda UK and asked if the Honda factory R&D centre had a specific department for switches and switch action. He was over the moon to discover they did ...

Edited by Slippydiff on Saturday 30th May 23:37

[cgt2]

Slippydiff said:

I've only read a couple of Tony Dron's musings, one was absolutely hilarious and detailed how he'd outrun a panda or traffic car in one his road test steeds after leaving the pub at speed one evening ... IIRC correctly it entailed switching the lights off and driving down a long straight piece of road flat out over several big crests without lifting or braking, whilst ensuring he kept a count of the amount of crests he'd flown over, this to ensure he would brake hard enough to ensure hecould negotiate the 90 left or right that situated shortly after the final crest on the straight,

I have to admit I didn't always "get" all of Russell Bulgin's stuff back in the day, but looking back at it now, he was an amazing writer.

I used to really enjoy Setrights musings on everything from 0-60 and 50-70 times, and the action/tactility of Honda automotive switches.
IIRC correctly, he was so enamoured with the action of their switches, he contacted Honda UK and asked if the Honda factory R&D centre had a specific department for switches and switch action. He was over the moon to discover they did ...

That made me laugh, I remember that. LJKS also wrote a very memorable piece about how to steer a car on the throttle once. Absolute genius. Also loved his enthusiasm for Bristols.

Bulgin was way ahead of his time, amazingly prescient.

[Taffy66]

cgt2 said:

That made me laugh, I remember that. LJKS also wrote a very memorable piece about how to steer a car on the throttle once. Absolute genius. Also loved his enthusiasm for Bristols.

Bulgin was way ahead of his time, amazingly prescient.

I remember LJKS's personal test to test a car to see if it qualified as being genuinely fast in a straight line..If the time a car took to accelerate from 60-90mph was equal to or less than its 0-60mph time then it qualified.He mentioned it when he tested a 328GTB Qv during i think his stint at CAR magazine.

[Slippydiff]

Taffy66 said:

I remember LJKS's personal test to test a car to see if it qualified as being genuinely fast in a straight line..If the time a car took to accelerate from 60-90mph was equal to or less than its 0-60mph time then it qualified.He mentioned it when he tested a 328GTB Qv during i think his stint at CAR magazine.

Hi Taffy, I couldn't remember what the figures were he used, but I remember all too well that the stunning looking X-Pack Capri, 3.0S he test drove for Car magazine fulfilled his criteria perfectly

[thegreenhell]

miurasv said:

Yes, I remember. I did have the magazine back in the day.

Edited by miurasv on Friday 29th May 23:34

That cover photo was made into an Athena poster.

SCC also tested another GTO, Nick Mason's I think, against an Alfa Monza and Jaguar C-type, with the timing apparatus attached at Millbrook.

[miurasv]

thegreenhell said:

That cover photo was made into an Athena poster.

SCC also tested another GTO, Nick Mason's I think, against an Alfa Monza and Jaguar C-type, with the timing apparatus attached at Millbrook.

Do you know which issue?

[thegreenhell]

miurasv said:

Do you know which issue?

July 1990

[miurasv]

thegreenhell said:

July 1990

Thank you.