Discussion
Over the past few weeks I have had loads of larfs about the Nova brigade, but everybody has to start somewhere. (What's sad is most of the little oiks don't aspire to anything better than a bean can exhaust and blue washer lights).
I'll start the ball rolling, my first car was an 850 Mini, 1962 model complete with original gearbox where all the synchromesh has disappeared out of the sump drainplug. I soon learned how to double declutch and heel 'n' toe. Not long after I bought it there was a heavy fall of snow so I went to a nearby empty car park to practise handbrake turns. I still remember the feelings of abject fear and helplessness when I went into my first 360.
To keep the record complete, my first bike, in common with Martin Brundle, was a Garelli. And that's where the similarity ends. In case you all think a Garelli is an Italian superbike, mine was a 49cc step-thru complete with pedals.
Come on all you PH'ers, you haven't always driven England's finest sports car. What did you cut your motoring teeth on?
I'll start the ball rolling, my first car was an 850 Mini, 1962 model complete with original gearbox where all the synchromesh has disappeared out of the sump drainplug. I soon learned how to double declutch and heel 'n' toe. Not long after I bought it there was a heavy fall of snow so I went to a nearby empty car park to practise handbrake turns. I still remember the feelings of abject fear and helplessness when I went into my first 360.
To keep the record complete, my first bike, in common with Martin Brundle, was a Garelli. And that's where the similarity ends. In case you all think a Garelli is an Italian superbike, mine was a 49cc step-thru complete with pedals.
Come on all you PH'ers, you haven't always driven England's finest sports car. What did you cut your motoring teeth on?
Bikerkeith - true what you say, we all started somewhere.
I learned to drive in a 4 speed Fiat Panda. Damn thing was slow, understeered even at parking speeds, not to mention damn ugly. However, the clutch pedal was pretty aggressive and was virtually in or out of gear - with precious little in between.
Looking back it taught me to be smooth (along with nagging from the old man) in a car, a good deal of mechanical sympathy, a fair bit of how to look after and repair an engine and a morbid fear of hitting anything (hey, it was a Panda... paper has better strength characteristics).
Sort of miss it in a nostalgic, never want to drive it again type way...
I learned to drive in a 4 speed Fiat Panda. Damn thing was slow, understeered even at parking speeds, not to mention damn ugly. However, the clutch pedal was pretty aggressive and was virtually in or out of gear - with precious little in between.
Looking back it taught me to be smooth (along with nagging from the old man) in a car, a good deal of mechanical sympathy, a fair bit of how to look after and repair an engine and a morbid fear of hitting anything (hey, it was a Panda... paper has better strength characteristics).
Sort of miss it in a nostalgic, never want to drive it again type way...
My first love is still an 1960 Land Rover 88"!
I always fancied a British sportscar; (top-of-the-list: Aston Martin DB6), but a short look on my bank account when 17 revealed that money was to short
Instead of trying to substitute a sportscar by a 'fast' car (Nova/Escort/Golf/Astra, etc.), I substituted the 'real thing' by another 'real thing':
The Land Rover is British throughout, has an alloy body, too
, instruments in the centre of the metal-dashboard, LUCAS-electrics, imperial threads everywhere, etc.
It's a budget transport for getting to university, and still as rare as AMs here!
I always fancied a British sportscar; (top-of-the-list: Aston Martin DB6), but a short look on my bank account when 17 revealed that money was to short
Instead of trying to substitute a sportscar by a 'fast' car (Nova/Escort/Golf/Astra, etc.), I substituted the 'real thing' by another 'real thing':
The Land Rover is British throughout, has an alloy body, too
, instruments in the centre of the metal-dashboard, LUCAS-electrics, imperial threads everywhere, etc. It's a budget transport for getting to university, and still as rare as AMs here!
A BSM Metro in a really mucky blue colour. Prior to that a Nissan Sunny in white. Mmmmnnn...desirable !! 
In fact the descrptor for the colour could also be applied to my driving instructor - insisted on taking routes past all the girls schools around Sutton and Carshalton so he (we ?) could have a ganders.
When I passed I was too skint to buy my own motor so I drove my dad's SDI Rover for 2 years....now that was a proper fat bloke's car. No PAS (ex police) and could do 120 easily.
>> Edited by GregE240 on Friday 21st June 14:02
In fact the descrptor for the colour could also be applied to my driving instructor - insisted on taking routes past all the girls schools around Sutton and Carshalton so he (we ?) could have a ganders.
When I passed I was too skint to buy my own motor so I drove my dad's SDI Rover for 2 years....now that was a proper fat bloke's car. No PAS (ex police) and could do 120 easily.
>> Edited by GregE240 on Friday 21st June 14:02
First car I had was a Renault 12 TS Estate. It had once been yellow but the bloke who owned it before me had painted it. With a Brush. In Hammerite Gold.
Unfortunately getting Hammerite to stick to the paintwork on the roof had proven a bit hard..so you could see the original yellow through the paint in long streaks - class.
I bought it for £200 because the big ends were knackered. My mechanic mate and I dropped the bottom of the engine off, took out the crank - it had shims attenmpting to hold it in place! Got it reground and put the lot back together.
It then did about 25,000 miles with me driving until the engine finally let go at 85mph on a straight bit of the A5025 on Anglesey.
During the time I had it:
1) The gear-lever literally dropped out of my hand...as the gearbox and engine changed angle suddenly due to the engine mounts going.
2) The rear suspension came up through the bodywork on a remote country road and the car braked from 40mph to nothing as the wheel-arches neatly sat on the tyres.
3) 1st and 2nd gear gave up driving from Bristol to Anglesey. Luckily I had good clutch control and could pull away in third...or just not stop. Drove it in the middle of the night so I could go through traffic lights on red!
Ahhh. Fond memories. NOT.
Nothing I have had since has been as bad.....
Unfortunately getting Hammerite to stick to the paintwork on the roof had proven a bit hard..so you could see the original yellow through the paint in long streaks - class.
I bought it for £200 because the big ends were knackered. My mechanic mate and I dropped the bottom of the engine off, took out the crank - it had shims attenmpting to hold it in place! Got it reground and put the lot back together.
It then did about 25,000 miles with me driving until the engine finally let go at 85mph on a straight bit of the A5025 on Anglesey.
During the time I had it:
1) The gear-lever literally dropped out of my hand...as the gearbox and engine changed angle suddenly due to the engine mounts going.
2) The rear suspension came up through the bodywork on a remote country road and the car braked from 40mph to nothing as the wheel-arches neatly sat on the tyres.
3) 1st and 2nd gear gave up driving from Bristol to Anglesey. Luckily I had good clutch control and could pull away in third...or just not stop. Drove it in the middle of the night so I could go through traffic lights on red!
Ahhh. Fond memories. NOT.
Nothing I have had since has been as bad.....
cf Loosest Woman thread. My first car came via a deal with my parents, "If you don't have a motorbike, we'll buy you a car". Agreed!
Managed to hide the Honda SS50 at a freinds house for about 8 months, then passed my test and a G reg MK1 Escort estate 1100cc arrived on the drive! Dark blue, with Rostyle wheels and a small leather rimmed steering wheel, Fantastic!
Managed to hide the Honda SS50 at a freinds house for about 8 months, then passed my test and a G reg MK1 Escort estate 1100cc arrived on the drive! Dark blue, with Rostyle wheels and a small leather rimmed steering wheel, Fantastic!
My first car was a White '78 Hillman Avenger 1300 Super, my folk's old hand-me-down family car. The engine was oooo bad when I got it the 1300 boat anchor was ditched in favour of the 1600 (although I tell you the difference was hardly astounding). Had great plans of shoehorning in a Rover V8 eventually but in the end common sense prevailed and she was pus out to pasture after 14 yeas loyal service in the family.
Never missed a beat really apart from losing 1st and 2nd gear once (happened to have a spare gearbox that came with the new engine so an hour with the spanner and she was as good as new), a stone through the radiator once and front suspension sooooo worn if yo tried hard enough you could get the front wheels off the ground by bouncing the car!
Really miss the old girl but she was exchanged for something a little more suited to eventual modification to a Rover V8 (Triumph TR7).
The story has a happy ending though.... when we were taking her to the knackers yard there was a Maori bloke there dropping off an old chassis at the dump.... he told us that "That would be perfect for my kids to play about in" and promptly loaded it up and took it away.To this day I believe it sits behind a barn rusting happily in retirement, keeping a load of young tackers happy.
Never missed a beat really apart from losing 1st and 2nd gear once (happened to have a spare gearbox that came with the new engine so an hour with the spanner and she was as good as new), a stone through the radiator once and front suspension sooooo worn if yo tried hard enough you could get the front wheels off the ground by bouncing the car!
Really miss the old girl but she was exchanged for something a little more suited to eventual modification to a Rover V8 (Triumph TR7).
The story has a happy ending though.... when we were taking her to the knackers yard there was a Maori bloke there dropping off an old chassis at the dump.... he told us that "That would be perfect for my kids to play about in" and promptly loaded it up and took it away.To this day I believe it sits behind a barn rusting happily in retirement, keeping a load of young tackers happy.
1. Volvo hand-me-down from grandad. Shocking. 1.4 litres of no grunt at all. Drove like a barge, but safe as houses, apparently.
2. 1.4 Metro Gta. Quite a fun little runaround - I used to thrash it like nobody's business, and it never had any problems. Was broken into at university 3 times, and the buggers nicked all my CDs but not my sunglasses...obviously not cool enough.
3. Alfa Romeo 155 2.5V6. A serious step up from the Metro! Lovely V6 noise, and quick enough in a straight line, but I wouldn't recommend going too quickly round corners...
4. TVR Chimaera 4.0 Wanted one from the first time I saw it at a motor show (1994ish?) when I was about 17...finally bought one last year. Excellent!
2. 1.4 Metro Gta. Quite a fun little runaround - I used to thrash it like nobody's business, and it never had any problems. Was broken into at university 3 times, and the buggers nicked all my CDs but not my sunglasses...obviously not cool enough.
3. Alfa Romeo 155 2.5V6. A serious step up from the Metro! Lovely V6 noise, and quick enough in a straight line, but I wouldn't recommend going too quickly round corners...
4. TVR Chimaera 4.0 Wanted one from the first time I saw it at a motor show (1994ish?) when I was about 17...finally bought one last year. Excellent!
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