Lamborghinis used as Covid-19 shopping trolleys

[rat rod]

Honk said:

Don't know sorry. He used to manage a holiday camp and had numerous interesting oldskool Lambos in shipping containers which he worked on for himself and others including David Price's Kermit.

The holiday camp now rents it's chalets to mainly immigrants who work the farms and fields around here,how things have changed.Anthony did some work on my Jalpa ,only small jobs, he knows his way round them blindfolded, Depending on the job he was reluctant to take any money so i would lend him a Cadillac for a few days when he had a Elvis weekend at the camp or store a car if he ran out of room, a bit like the olden days ,l'll swop you my 2 chickens for your pig . I would meet alot of old faces at Brooklands Italian day but has got to crazy busy for me so haven't been for a while. thanks for reply

[Fessia fancier]

Thanks for all the replies. P5B, you're most welcome.

While I remember, I was watching an Iain Tyrrell YouTube video with a black Dino 246 GTS, and in the background I think there were two Jaramas, one very dark green or almost black.

Anyhow, Dave Price and Anthony Hawkes were the guys. A third fellow came along to look at the car too. They were nice and friendly and enthusiastic.

Rat rod, I like your satnav explanation, and ahem, congratulations on great taste in cars!

Almost all my cars have been Italian, and when I've occasionally veered off that path I've usually found that other cars don't quite tickle my fancy as much. My Espada at 25 was quite good going but they were very cheap then. I have only managed two Lambos to date, and two Maseratis. A manual Gallardo must be a super thing to own.

Still have a 308 racer and the 328 I mentioned, to my eyes they are the perfect shape. Also had a 156 GTA which was super. Lancia are really my mainstay, in terms of interest from my teenage years, although the integrale has been out of production for 25 years now so no option but to move to Alfa/Maserati. But had lots of Betas, Themas (including an 8.32, which draws me back to the classifieds...) and especially Fulvias which I absolutely loved. I too am hoping to buy a Giulia QF one day, or at least I hope to once my psychiatrist tells me it is o.k.......

[rat rod]

Fessia fancier said:

Thanks for all the replies. P5B, you're most welcome.

While I remember, I was watching an Iain Tyrrell YouTube video with a black Dino 246 GTS, and in the background I think there were two Jaramas, one very dark green or almost black.

Anyhow, Dave Price and Anthony Hawkes were the guys. A third fellow came along to look at the car too. They were nice and friendly and enthusiastic.

Rat rod, I like your satnav explanation, and ahem, congratulations on great taste in cars!

Almost all my cars have been Italian, and when I've occasionally veered off that path I've usually found that other cars don't quite tickle my fancy as much. My Espada at 25 was quite good going but they were very cheap then. I have only managed two Lambos to date, and two Maseratis. A manual Gallardo must be a super thing to own.

Still have a 308 racer and the 328 I mentioned, to my eyes they are the perfect shape. Also had a 156 GTA which was super. Lancia are really my mainstay, in terms of interest from my teenage years, although the integrale has been out of production for 25 years now so no option but to move to Alfa/Maserati. But had lots of Betas, Themas (including an 8.32, which draws me back to the classifieds...) and especially Fulvias which I absolutely loved. I too am hoping to buy a Giulia QF one day, or at least I hope to once my psychiatrist tells me it is o.k.......

I think you must congratulate yourself as well , we seemed to have bought the same cars,Let me know when you go car shopping we may get a better deal if we buy 2. I do enjoy those Ian Tyrrell Video's ,he's a bundle of knowledge on Italian exotics and no doubt others.Without trying to bore everybody again i've also had 2 Thema's sadly not a 8.32 ,had a delightful 1.3 Fulvia coupe and a Monte Carlo,Lancia's are so underrated and probably the best kept secret. The 308 gtb is the true successor to the Dino, both shapes look like they were born looking that stunning not made by man. My GTB is more track day car than racer,had QV Windsor build it and got Nigel at the original "Emblem Sports Cars" build the engine to Sprint Pack spec now spins round to 8,800 rpm but has lost a bit of bottom end torque ,sounds amazing as it's straight piped and got rid of the metal air box and has piper craft sponge air filters instead, the induction noise from the webbers is outrageous but now won't pass any circuit decibel noise test.,I have to put the standard stainless steel exhaust back on for track days and even then it only just gets though.The Gallardo loves to be driven hard but is rubbish in traffic ,difficult to drive smoothly at low speed giving a jerky progress.It's a Gen 1 so might be something to do with it's gearing i've been told where as the F430 is a pussycat compared ,Select auto and it's Jekyll and Hyde character lets you drive it in the most heavy traffic like a Merc then turn it to sport or better still race and we are off,after saying all that i would still prefer a manual but at the time of buying it a low mileage manual had a premium of £30k/£35 over the F1 but i think the gap has narrowed now.Trouble is i got 2 cars that do the same thing so was thinking of either selling or part exchange both for a Performante , The perfect package with a rawness that's rare in modern cars. Just one more thing ff can you give me your psychiatrist's phone number please ! would be most grateful as mine jumped out of his window after my last visit.

Edited by rat rod on Tuesday 16th June 11:22

[P5BNij]

Iain's videos are a joy to watch and listen to, the knowledge and passion there is wonderful. I tend to get a little distracted though, looking over his shoulder at the exotica behind him in various states of undress. Harry's red Espada keeps appearing as does the one Iain has for sale in that lovely metallic rose colour with tan interior. It was on show at the NEC last year and looked beautiful in the metal.

[rat rod]

P5BNij said:

Iain's videos are a joy to watch and listen to, the knowledge and passion there is wonderful. I tend to get a little distracted though, looking over his shoulder at the exotica behind him in various states of undress. Harry's red Espada keeps appearing as does the one Iain has for sale in that lovely metallic rose colour with tan interior. It was on show at the NEC last year and looked beautiful in the metal.

Oh my god,I'm in love ! Forget the Performante i've just gone on p.h classified and seen that Espada you mentioned that LainTyrrell has , don't like maroon cars as a rule but this has a hint of pink in it, looks similar to a 50's Cadillac colour called Wood Rose, It shouldn't work but it does big time!. For once i'm lost for words your be glad to hear .

[Fessia fancier]

rat rod said:

I think you must congratulate yourself as well , we seemed to have bought the same cars,Let me know when you go car shopping we may get a better deal if we buy 2. I do enjoy those Ian Tyrrell Video's ,he's a bundle of knowledge on Italian exotics and no doubt others.Without trying to bore everybody again i've also had 2 Thema's sadly not a 8.32 ,had a delightful 1.3 Fulvia coupe and a Monte Carlo,Lancia's are so underrated and probably the best kept secret. The 308 gtb is the true successor to the Dino, both shapes look like they were born looking that stunning not made by man. My GTB is more track day car than racer,had QV Windsor build it and got Nigel at the original "Emblem Sports Cars" build the engine to Sprint Pack spec now spins round to 8,800 rpm but has lost a bit of bottom end torque ,sounds amazing as it's straight piped and got rid of the metal air box and has piper craft sponge air filters instead, the induction noise from the webbers is outrageous but now won't pass any circuit decibel noise test.,I have to put the standard stainless steel exhaust back on for track days and even then it only just gets though.The Gallardo loves to be driven hard but is rubbish in traffic ,difficult to drive smoothly at low speed giving a jerky progress.It's a Gen 1 so might be something to do with it's gearing i've been told where as the F430 is a pussycat compared ,Select auto and it's Jekyll and Hyde character lets you drive it in the most heavy traffic like a Merc then turn it to sport or better still race and we are off,after saying all that i would still prefer a manual but at the time of buying it a low mileage manual had a premium of £30k/£35 over the F1 but i think the gap has narrowed now.Trouble is i got 2 cars that do the same thing so was thinking of either selling or part exchange both for a Performante , The perfect package with a rawness that's rare in modern cars. Just one more thing ff can you give me your psychiatrist's phone number please ! would be most grateful as mine jumped out of his window after my last visit.

Edited by rat rod on Tuesday 16th June 11:22

Aha I like the idea of getting a discount for bulk buying! Thema wise I also had a couple of 16v turbos at the time, really good they were too.
Our GTBs sound similar too, I race mine occasionally in the HSCC 70's road sports (not to much effect). It is a vetro car which I bought quite a long time ago, and QV built the engine 3 or 4 years ago, which is really quite zingy with titanium rods etc though 8,800 rpm is dizzy heights. I used to do that pre-rebuild but they suggested using 8k ish would be more sensible.

Sorry to hear about your psychiatrist, I'll pass on mine once she has finished with me, should be done in four or five years....

On the Iain Tyrrell videos, they are treats and like P5B I too am always scoping out what is behind him. The Espada he has for sale is truly lovely in the pictures but a lot of money these days. Maybe the algebra we should have studied is does 430 + Gallardo = Espada !

[P5BNij]

Iain's had that gorgeous Espada for some time but keeps it running, it's been to the NEC at least once, which is a nice run down the M6 from Cheshire and back. In the flesh the colour combination is just right. Price wise I'd say it's probably about right, some of the earlier examples on sale are advertised with sky high asking prices.... it's an early S3 in RHD and in beautiful nick (would look even nicer with a set of Miura Campagnolos on it. But then what do I know, the only Lambo I own is a Kyosho 1/18th scale Urraco.... )

As affordable exotics go, within my budget I'm looking at the more recent Maseratis, but the deep love for Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Isos, Lancias, Monteverdis, early Alfas etc will never wane. It's not just the cars themselves either, it's the way pretty much all of the Italian manufacturers and styling houses are interlinked with so many of the designers and engineers moving from one firm to the other, and even back again in some cases.

Edited by P5BNij on Wednesday 17th June 14:13

[Bob the Cop]

Nice to see two of "MY" cars in this thread. I drove Jarama ELB420J back from the factory in 1972. It was then Brown!
I also drove this MK3 Espada back from the factory, I have to agree it is a fantastic colour, one of my favourites.

[SAB888]

P5BNij said:

But then what do I know, the only Lambo I own is a Kyosho 1/18th scale Urraco.... )

Edited by P5BNij on Wednesday 17th June 14:13

I also have the Urraco model in blue and the AutoArt Espada in metallic red, just like this one with the same interior colour and wheels. I remember choosing that one over other colours because it was completely different to the normal colours at that time.

[rich888]

Bob the Cop said:

Nice to see two of "MY" cars in this thread. I drove Jarama ELB420J back from the factory in 1972. It was then Brown!
I also drove this MK3 Espada back from the factory, I have to agree it is a fantastic colour, one of my favourites.

Brilliant, good to hear from you again, you really ought to start posting a blog or perhaps start your own thread on your life intertwined with Lambos because some of the stories you've been telling on here have been superb and have to be some of the best reads on PH.

[Bob the Cop]

Thanks for your comments. I have been absent for 18 months having treatment for the big 'C'.
I am now on the road to recovery and recently purchased a new motorbike!
I have been in contact with Del H during my absence and we both hoped that Roger Phillips would get his book done. Unfortunately he has not been well so the book is on hold.
If the book falls by the wayside I might have to take up the challenge. The little grey cells are still working.

[Fessia fancier]

P5B, I think modern day Maseratis do offer a lot. Quite a few Ferrari links, lots of go and quite rare. Still quite a special thing. We've had a ZF Quattroporte for 8+ years, and it has now done 117k, we're quite attached to it now as we've driven to Italy several times in it.

Bob the Cop, we'd love to hear some of your stories now you're well (for which congratulations).

Prompted by P5B's model comment, I just bought a green Jarama Minichamps model on eBay!

[rat rod]

Fessia fancier said:

Aha I like the idea of getting a discount for bulk buying! Thema wise I also had a couple of 16v turbos at the time, really good they were too.
Our GTBs sound similar too, I race mine occasionally in the HSCC 70's road sports (not to much effect). It is a vetro car which I bought quite a long time ago, and QV built the engine 3 or 4 years ago, which is really quite zingy with titanium rods etc though 8,800 rpm is dizzy heights. I used to do that pre-rebuild but they suggested using 8k ish would be more sensible.

Sorry to hear about your psychiatrist, I'll pass on mine once she has finished with me, should be done in four or five years....

On the Iain Tyrrell videos, they are treats and like P5B I too am always scoping out what is behind him. The Espada he has for sale is truly lovely in the pictures but a lot of money these days. Maybe the algebra we should have studied is does 430 + Gallardo = Espada !

Never was much good at maths but i think yours is about wright Please i don't need any encouragement,I'm glad it's all the way in Cheshire ,keep temptation away.As much as i love it ,it's far to nice and i would probably hardly drive it ,instead sneak into the garage at night and polish and stroke it .I have enough older cars that i don't use as much as i should and the 430 and gallardo are modern enough to drive more regularly ,the performante should do the job of both them but i might have to put my hand in my pocket as well.I found that i enjoy the clean rather than the mint cars more to be honest , I can drive them in any weather and worry less were i park them and don't have that O.C.D urge to spend half the night in the garage repolishing them after a wet run back from a show. The GTB is a classic case with it's brake dust,oil stained rear panel and the odd battle scar and speedo on it's second way round . Like your engine it loves being on the upper end of the rev's, been told not to take it up to the top end for long periods and in reality 7,500 to 8000 r.p.m should be adequate for track days unlike racing. The engine changes it's note to a hard edged bark 7,000 onwards as it comes on cam . Called in to see Mick and Phil the end of last summer and saw they have got 2 GTB's themselfs with 328 engines on throttle bodies which should work well.As you race do you know John Swift who i think still races in the Maranello or maybe called Pirelli series now ln his glass GTB that i sold him some 38 years ago so like me he's been around a while. On the rare occasions i see him i always ask him does he want a profit on it,never get a answer, he just laughs.

Edited by rat rod on Thursday 18th June 04:17

[rat rod]

P5BNij said:

Iain's had that gorgeous Espada for some time but keeps it running, it's been to the NEC at least once, which is a nice run down the M6 from Cheshire and back. In the flesh the colour combination is just right. Price wise I'd say it's probably about right, some of the earlier examples on sale are advertised with sky high asking prices.... it's an early S3 in RHD and in beautiful nick (would look even nicer with a set of Miura Campagnolos on it. But then what do I know, the only Lambo I own is a Kyosho 1/18th scale Urraco.... )

As affordable exotics go, within my budget I'm looking at the more recent Maseratis, but the deep love for Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Isos, Lancias, Monteverdis, early Alfas etc will never wane. It's not just the cars themselves either, it's the way pretty much all of the Italian manufacturers and styling houses are interlinked with so many of the designers and engineers moving from one firm to the other, and even back again in some cases.

Edited by P5BNij on Wednesday 17th June 14:13

You are not making it any easier putting those beautiful photo's up , It's not just the car ,it's that colour. Like most people can remember where they were when you heard about 911 or if old enough when John Kennedy was assassinated i can remember my first Espada experience. A local factory owner who always bought new Aston Martins always in silver every couple of years, DB5's ,DB'6 and DB'S so you can imagine my joy when out side his factory was a brand new brilliant silver Espada series one with Muira wheels ,as ff said it looked like a space ship , It was then replaced by a gold one with the bolt on later wheels,with the combination of colour and lack of those Muira knock off wheels it just didn't look as sharp as the first silver car.Then a Iso Grifo arrived , i think in silver with the 327 Chevy small block and that was replaced by the 7 litre big block facelifted Grifo with a raised square power bulge in the bonnet which at the time looked a bit odd but now seems to look fine. This was a bright metallic blue which later got changed to yellow by it's second owner. The only Italian cars around at the time were every day Fiat's so i spent a lot of time driving past his factory even if i wasn't going that way.He then must have grown up and bought a Mercedes 560SEC and as good as they are i stopped making a detour past his factory until his son's started buying Italian super cars 'So at 18 years old one son bought a brand new white Dina Spyder which after talking to him one night on the town in Bournemouth he took me for a drive around the town which imbedded the seed for my first Dino sadly not a spyder, He then bought one of last of the Carbs 308 GTS in Blue Chiaro then a Boxer 512 in Rosso Rubino, then went on to have a Black Countach Anniversary ,last time a saw him was in a very nice blue Bentley Corniche Convertible with his wife and kids aboard. His brother also had a Boxer512 in blue chiaro then went on to a Red Countach 5000 s from Portmands ,he then fell out with his dad and the Countach went back and was replaced by a new Red Jalpa and some cash which is a great car but not a Countach so wasn't long before he was in the ex Jimmy Savile Red Countach , again from Portman. Drove a Range Rover for a while as a family had arrived.And then a quite rare colour Anniversary Countach in Gunmetal grey ,After that it was followed by a love or hate it Alfa Zagato SZ ,You will be glad to know i haven't seen them for years otherwise this could turn out like "War and Peace", god knows what they have had or driving now .They bought a bit of colour to the car scene in our other wise dull town If you bare in mind i had graduated from a MGA and Healey to a scruffy E Type and even more scruffy DB4 that cost me hundreds rather than thousands around the same time so these guys were my hero's. Sorry know this could be boring for most but i know i wouldn't be the only one driving past that factory just to get a glimpse of these Italian beauties .

Edited by rat rod on Thursday 18th June 04:28

[P5BNij]

Fessia fancier said:

P5B, I think modern day Maseratis do offer a lot. Quite a few Ferrari links, lots of go and quite rare. Still quite a special thing. We've had a ZF Quattroporte for 8+ years, and it has now done 117k, we're quite attached to it now as we've driven to Italy several times in it.

Bob the Cop, we'd love to hear some of your stories now you're well (for which congratulations).

Prompted by P5B's model comment, I just bought a green Jarama Minichamps model on eBay!

A ZF equipped QPV is definitely on my radar, I've had my eye on one locally but there are still some good duo-select QPVs about that have been well looked after, if I do get one of these I'd just need to keep a slush fund should a new clutch be required at some point. I've yet to drive either type but have been a very willing passenger in a duo-select one doing 155mph down the back straight at Bruntingthorpe a few years ago. The shape is sublime to my eyes, the guy who runs a business a few doors down from where I work has one in dark blue and every time I see it go past my heart has a little flutter. I've also got my beedy eye on a couple of QPIVs, a different kettle of fish to the more recent versions but still a proper Maser to me.

We're straying off topic again, but what an interesting and heartwarming thread it is, a world away from the bile elsewhere on PH....

Edit : rat rod, apologies for posting those photos, honest....

Edited by P5BNij on Thursday 18th June 14:01

Edited by P5BNij on Thursday 18th June 14:02

[P5BNij]

Bob the Cop said:

Nice to see two of "MY" cars in this thread. I drove Jarama ELB420J back from the factory in 1972. It was then Brown!
I also drove this MK3 Espada back from the factory, I have to agree it is a fantastic colour, one of my favourites.

Got to ask Bob - how many times did you have to stop for fuel and croissants on the way...?

[rat rod]

Fessia fancier said:

P5B, I think modern day Maseratis do offer a lot. Quite a few Ferrari links, lots of go and quite rare. Still quite a special thing. We've had a ZF Quattroporte for 8+ years, and it has now done 117k, we're quite attached to it now as we've driven to Italy several times in it.

Bob the Cop, we'd love to hear some of your stories now you're well (for which congratulations).

Prompted by P5B's model comment, I just bought a green Jarama Minichamps model on eBay!

I don't understand why Maseratis are priced so low playing the underdog to Ferrari just like Lancia to Alfa , Not complaining as it makes them such a good buy.Nice to see someone actually drive and do some mileage in one and sounds like it's been reliable as well. As i've already said i have only owned 1 Maserati and that was 2000 Quattroport manual, I was surprised how fast it was but thought it was a bit twitchy on the limit and didn't think it would be on your side if things went pear shape. Could have been just my car as i have never driven another one. Sold it to a good friend who only bought it because his half French half Italian partner 's surname is Maserati (not sure if she's related)and thought she would love to drive a car with the same name as her but not being a car person she didn't quite get it. Same woman who after him buying a 1956 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 1 at a auction on impulse greeted him with "I didn't know we were going into the funeral business"it was stunning in velvet green (almost black) with traditional period white wall tyres to complement the dark paint , talk about deflate your bubble'she now drives a Peugeot 107 and is very happy in it. I would also love to hear some of Bob the Cop adventures driving Lamborghini's across Italy and France and getting paid for it. I've still got a copy of "CAR magazine" that has a article on Mel Nichols and other journalists driving 3 new Lamborghini's (a periscope Countach,a Urraco and a Silhouette all in gold) from the factory to London for the Earles Court motor show .It was that magazine that started me off on this obsession but don't buy it these days, I was going to do a road trip to Italy this spring and include some of the Mille Miglia but wasn't meant to be,still there's always next year, in fact we all got a lot of catching up to do .

Edited by rat rod on Thursday 18th June 21:17

[rich888]

Bob the Cop said:

Thanks for your comments. I have been absent for 18 months having treatment for the big 'C'.
I am now on the road to recovery and recently purchased a new motorbike!
I have been in contact with Del H during my absence and we both hoped that Roger Phillips would get his book done. Unfortunately he has not been well so the book is on hold.
If the book falls by the wayside I might have to take up the challenge. The little grey cells are still working.

Well that's a bit of a bd, hope you beat the damn thing. I hear on the grapevine that bicarbonate of soda works astonishingly well, something to do with being alkaline which the big 'C' hates. Google it.

I can't believe you have purchased a motorbike, I bought a Fireblade few years ago, actually thinking about this was quite a while back (2001), and was most impressed with how fast it went and how well it handled compared to the bikes I owned back in the 1980s, then considered that the only bit that wasn't as fast or as competent in this jigsaw was me, so decided to sell it before I stuffed it though a hedge forwards!

You could always create your own book with pics using the likes of blurb.com, one of my father's old friends has been creating one-off books for many years and they are quite stunning.

Actually having read all the posts on this thread think you all ought to get together for a grand melding of brains to create a true masterpiece

[Fessia fancier]

I agree with PB, this is a nice thread in the pleasant backwaters of PH, away from the hurly burly.

On the QP front I think the duo select is a tad faster than the ZF Auto (ours is a 4.2, I'm sure a 4.7 would be quicker) but it is still quick enough. Like you, I love the shape, when it was introduced it was one of those cars I really really wanted, which doesn't happen that often to me with a new car. Someone once said "Pininfarina is the master". So I waited until they became affordable. Ours is a metallic dark blue. On the way back from Italy we skirted up the Autobahn on the French/German border one year for no particular reason other than to stretch its legs up to about 140 mph. Still felt stable but the closing speed needed to be watched.

I tried a QV IV 3.2 which happened to be on sale close to where we live. That felt quick, especially on boost, and made a nice sound, but my heart was set on a V so I waited till the time was right for us. Even after 8 years, it is still a satisfying car to own. Only broke down once, failed alternator, although it has cost a bit to run over the years. Heck of a lot of car for the money now, and difficult to know what to replace it with, without spending a lot more to get less.

Rat rod, I know what you mean about the impact special cars had when we were younger. On the Espada front, the first one I saw was in Folkestone, where some relatives lived at the time. We were walking around and it was parked up, no idea who owned it. I must have been about 8 to 10 years old and I hadn't seen a car quite that amazing before, it really looked like nothing else. I didn't sit in it, let alone go for a ride in it, probably I would have fainted with excitement! It topped the Aston V8 I saw a few years before that, which belonged to an acquaintance of my Dad's. He did some time for fraud later on (not my Dad, the acquaintance...).

In those days it was rare to see any exotica, when I was a teenager I was delighted to see a new 328 GTS which lived in our town. That is, ONE. It was habitually parked outside and one day it was sadly vandalised, and it made the local paper. A 911 was still quite a rare sight.

I read the three Lambo Car article (some time after it was printed). Car had some super writers in that time, and the whole adventure was just impossibly exotic (well, unless you're Bob!).

In present times, even though I live more or less in the same area, exotica are all over the place, relatively speaking, but I particularly enjoy seeing the old stuff on the road.

[cgt2]

Fessia fancier said:

I agree with PB, this is a nice thread in the pleasant backwaters of PH, away from the hurly burly.

On the QP front I think the duo select is a tad faster than the ZF Auto (ours is a 4.2, I'm sure a 4.7 would be quicker) but it is still quick enough. Like you, I love the shape, when it was introduced it was one of those cars I really really wanted, which doesn't happen that often to me with a new car. Someone once said "Pininfarina is the master". So I waited until they became affordable. Ours is a metallic dark blue. On the way back from Italy we skirted up the Autobahn on the French/German border one year for no particular reason other than to stretch its legs up to about 140 mph. Still felt stable but the closing speed needed to be watched.

I tried a QV IV 3.2 which happened to be on sale close to where we live. That felt quick, especially on boost, and made a nice sound, but my heart was set on a V so I waited till the time was right for us. Even after 8 years, it is still a satisfying car to own. Only broke down once, failed alternator, although it has cost a bit to run over the years. Heck of a lot of car for the money now, and difficult to know what to replace it with, without spending a lot more to get less.

Rat rod, I know what you mean about the impact special cars had when we were younger. On the Espada front, the first one I saw was in Folkestone, where some relatives lived at the time. We were walking around and it was parked up, no idea who owned it. I must have been about 8 to 10 years old and I hadn't seen a car quite that amazing before, it really looked like nothing else. I didn't sit in it, let alone go for a ride in it, probably I would have fainted with excitement! It topped the Aston V8 I saw a few years before that, which belonged to an acquaintance of my Dad's. He did some time for fraud later on (not my Dad, the acquaintance...).

In those days it was rare to see any exotica, when I was a teenager I was delighted to see a new 328 GTS which lived in our town. That is, ONE. It was habitually parked outside and one day it was sadly vandalised, and it made the local paper. A 911 was still quite a rare sight.

I read the three Lambo Car article (some time after it was printed). Car had some super writers in that time, and the whole adventure was just impossibly exotic (well, unless you're Bob!).

In present times, even though I live more or less in the same area, exotica are all over the place, relatively speaking, but I particularly enjoy seeing the old stuff on the road.

The Mel Nichols Car article is easy to find now as its reprinted in the Car Best of the 70s book and Mel's own book, on Amazon. The chap who bought the Silhouette owned a chain of supermarkets, I know his son.