Null's ultimate Dream Car Thread - A CV8 Monaro in Austria
Discussion
I dropped off the Monaro at my mechanics on Monday morning and just got it back from them.
Pedders quick rack, drop links, tie rod ends and a Mishimoto power steering cooler with custom piping are now installed.
One step closer to getting my car on the road
Pedders quick rack, drop links, tie rod ends and a Mishimoto power steering cooler with custom piping are now installed.
One step closer to getting my car on the road
Edited by Null.Performance on Tuesday 28th April 18:20
Lincsls1 said:
^^^ Nice work.
Be sure to give us your verdict on the rack change, thinking about this mod myself.
I would say it isn't transformative, but if you're in the area anyway it's worth doing.Be sure to give us your verdict on the rack change, thinking about this mod myself.
It does mean mini roundabouts and such can be achieved with hands staying on the wheel at 9 and 3, and it does perhaps make the steering feel a touch more direct, but without jumping back and forth between the two I'd be hard pushed to remember much difference.
I have a much smaller steering wheel on mine now (330mm) and would say that made much more of a difference in my perception / feel of the steering than changing the rack.
SturdyHSV said:
I would say it isn't transformative, but if you're in the area anyway it's worth doing.
It does mean mini roundabouts and such can be achieved with hands staying on the wheel at 9 and 3, and it does perhaps make the steering feel a touch more direct, but without jumping back and forth between the two I'd be hard pushed to remember much difference.
I have a much smaller steering wheel on mine now (330mm) and would say that made much more of a difference in my perception / feel of the steering than changing the rack.
That’s my issue. Unless the rack needs changing, is it worth it to save 1/2 a turn? I have a 330mm Momo wheel and for fast road driving I don’t think the difference would be noticeable. It does mean mini roundabouts and such can be achieved with hands staying on the wheel at 9 and 3, and it does perhaps make the steering feel a touch more direct, but without jumping back and forth between the two I'd be hard pushed to remember much difference.
I have a much smaller steering wheel on mine now (330mm) and would say that made much more of a difference in my perception / feel of the steering than changing the rack.
As and when the rack needs changing I’ll obviously do it but until then, I’m happy with how the fat b
h handles. In fact, she surprises me constantly Fantastic news - The big day has finally come!
Seven months after I flew to the UK to buy my Monaro, the car passed it's government mandated exotic / foreign inspection ("Einzelgenehmigung") today with ZERO advisories on the very first try and is now the first ever fully legalized and roadworthy Holden vehicle in Austria!
I have been smiling the whole day and just cannot seem to stop - what an incredibly long, sometimes frustrating waiting game it has been
It took the poor guy at the office a full hour to go through all the vehicle data and documents I provided, and he had to enter every bit of vehicle data into the governments massive vehicle database by hand, since nobody has ever tried to legalize a Monaro in Austria before
Afterwards, two government technicians inspected and test drove the Monaro for more than an hour. Their inspection was somewhat similar to an MOT, just much more in-depth.
I had a good chat with the technicians afterwards and they were smiling from ear to ear, just like I was. They had never dealt with a Monaro, or any Australian made car before, and were really impressed by it's condition. They were very interested in getting to know more about the car, it's history, as well as my future plans with it. Genuine, like-minded petrol heads, who just happen to work for the government - who would have thought
I am currently in negotiations with my insurance company to get the car insured under their exotic/classic car policy programm, which would drastically reduce my annual premium. The stupid "private-individual-who-was-dumb-enough-to-import-a-used-foreign-car-tax" aka "Normverbrauchsabgabe" will also be paid tomorrow.
Guys, I am literally just a few more days away from being issued regular Austrian license plates! Once the plates are here, I can finally, and fully legally, drive my dream car on Austrian roads!
Seven months after I flew to the UK to buy my Monaro, the car passed it's government mandated exotic / foreign inspection ("Einzelgenehmigung") today with ZERO advisories on the very first try and is now the first ever fully legalized and roadworthy Holden vehicle in Austria!
I have been smiling the whole day and just cannot seem to stop - what an incredibly long, sometimes frustrating waiting game it has been
It took the poor guy at the office a full hour to go through all the vehicle data and documents I provided, and he had to enter every bit of vehicle data into the governments massive vehicle database by hand, since nobody has ever tried to legalize a Monaro in Austria before
Afterwards, two government technicians inspected and test drove the Monaro for more than an hour. Their inspection was somewhat similar to an MOT, just much more in-depth.
I had a good chat with the technicians afterwards and they were smiling from ear to ear, just like I was. They had never dealt with a Monaro, or any Australian made car before, and were really impressed by it's condition. They were very interested in getting to know more about the car, it's history, as well as my future plans with it. Genuine, like-minded petrol heads, who just happen to work for the government - who would have thought
I am currently in negotiations with my insurance company to get the car insured under their exotic/classic car policy programm, which would drastically reduce my annual premium. The stupid "private-individual-who-was-dumb-enough-to-import-a-used-foreign-car-tax" aka "Normverbrauchsabgabe" will also be paid tomorrow.
Guys, I am literally just a few more days away from being issued regular Austrian license plates! Once the plates are here, I can finally, and fully legally, drive my dream car on Austrian roads!
It finally happened - the weather was nice enough today to take my childhood dream car on it's first legal drive on Austrian roads!
I filled up the tank with 98 octane, checked the tire pressures and had a wonderful time cruising a stretch of autobahn and some of the A- and B-roads around my hometown. Austrian autobahns are not derestricted, by the way - our speed limit is 130 kph / 80 mph. But you know, I just had to do one, or maybe a couple, on-ramp pulls from 50 kph to 150 kph
Oh my god, this thing is so damn fast
After what were basically the first 100 kilometers behind the wheel of a foreign RHD car in my LHD home country, I already feel brave enough to start tackling some twisty B-roads and mountain passes next - Let the good times roll!
He are some pictures from today:
Btw . I know my front plate is still mounted awkwardly
I have already come up with a solution that will allow me to mount our large Austrian plates to the Monaro's front end in a more elegant way.
Once my vanity plates arrive, I'll fix that issue permanently
I filled up the tank with 98 octane, checked the tire pressures and had a wonderful time cruising a stretch of autobahn and some of the A- and B-roads around my hometown. Austrian autobahns are not derestricted, by the way - our speed limit is 130 kph / 80 mph. But you know, I just had to do one, or maybe a couple, on-ramp pulls from 50 kph to 150 kph
Oh my god, this thing is so damn fast
After what were basically the first 100 kilometers behind the wheel of a foreign RHD car in my LHD home country, I already feel brave enough to start tackling some twisty B-roads and mountain passes next - Let the good times roll!
He are some pictures from today:
Btw . I know my front plate is still mounted awkwardly
I have already come up with a solution that will allow me to mount our large Austrian plates to the Monaro's front end in a more elegant way.
Once my vanity plates arrive, I'll fix that issue permanently
Finally a hint of summer in Austria over the weekend, so I jumped at the opportunity to go for the first long drive with the Monaro.
I visited some of my favourite scenic routes and it was total perfection. I am so in love with this car.
And I must say now I absolutely enjoy driving a RHD car in a LHD country, that's just the icing on the cake to top off the driving experience.
I visited some of my favourite scenic routes and it was total perfection. I am so in love with this car.
And I must say now I absolutely enjoy driving a RHD car in a LHD country, that's just the icing on the cake to top off the driving experience.
Welcome to the forum. So nice to read a thorough bunch of posts and well done you for doing what you've done. I love people who dare to be different, good on you. Also you have a fantastic command of English. There are many English people who you'd put to shame frankly! I hope you have many years of enjoyment from your Ro. It's a lovely example too.
99PBATR said:
Welcome to the forum. So nice to read a thorough bunch of posts and well done you for doing what you've done. I love people who dare to be different, good on you. Also you have a fantastic command of English. There are many English people who you'd put to shame frankly! I hope you have many years of enjoyment from your Ro. It's a lovely example too.
+1 couldn’t have put it better myselfGassing Station | HSV & Monaro | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff