What was your first car?
Discussion
MK1 ford Capri, bright yellow with extra wide tyres and an exhaust made from scaffolding poles. The doors opened when you drove over a bump in the road and one wheel fell off. Also, the fuel line popped off and emptied the contents of the fuel tank over the engine at 70mph on a motorway...
1993 Volkswagen Polo CL Coupe, 1.3 litre (55bhp), zero electrics or mod-cons, few mods - dropped about 80mm on 13" Ally Cats..
Bought for £400 in 2008. Cost 4 times that amount to insure...
Great first car though, it was old back then, let alone today, as it was basically just a restyled Mk2 Polo, allbeit fuel injection rather than carb'd. But super basic, no driver aids - PAS, ABS, stability etc..
Bought for £400 in 2008. Cost 4 times that amount to insure...
Great first car though, it was old back then, let alone today, as it was basically just a restyled Mk2 Polo, allbeit fuel injection rather than carb'd. But super basic, no driver aids - PAS, ABS, stability etc..
It was a Mk3 escort estate with the 1.3 pushrod engine. Free, as it was an MOT failure. 50/50 white and rust. We welded in a new floor and it ran for two years. The head gasket blew outside on a steep hill outside Exeter, so the AA recovered it back home to my hpuse in Essex. I replaced the head gasket, and on a test drive noticed a knocking rumble from the front. Decided i could fix that when i was back in plymouth. This was a mistake as the wheel bearing failed in a specular way on the M25, nearly leaving me smeared over the front of an HGV. The AA recovered it again and this time condemned the car. It was weighed in shortly after.
Happy days.
Happy days.
Mini City E. The E was for economy, I think, and it had a really tall fourth gear which, in effect, meant you could really only use it when going down hill!
Anyway, it got the ubiquitous Peco Big Bore, LCB, cone filter etc. and I learned how to gas flow the head (thanks Mr. Vizard!) - in the end, it was putting out a heady 50bhp! And I could use fourth on the flat
Anyway, it got the ubiquitous Peco Big Bore, LCB, cone filter etc. and I learned how to gas flow the head (thanks Mr. Vizard!) - in the end, it was putting out a heady 50bhp! And I could use fourth on the flat
A 1973 Mark 1 1300 L Escort. Same colour as the pic below except a two door. Used that pic as it also had the same wheels. Was mechanically pretty good as it had a twin choke Weber and Piper cam. Also a rorty exhaust. Very scruffy thought so I started tarting it up by removing the chrome and adding Mexixo wings. Came to an abrupt end on a narrow road against a Mk3 Cortina, this was in 1988 when they were worth a couple of hundred quid so off to the scrapper it went
Volvo 122S Amazon, about the condition of the one in the picture (after i'd filled the holes with wob), think i paid just under £100 for it in 1972.
Unusual model in that it had been imported from South Africa and the rear indicators were red like US cars which didn't unduly bother the MOT chap of the day.
Also had a 4 branch exhaust manifold, which was the only obvious external modification to the engine and a rivetted on badge stating ''Engine Conversions by University Motors Salisbury'', whether Salisbury in England or a Salisbury in SA i know not, what i do know is that it went like hell for an 1800 engine of the period with quite astonishing chuckability on its Michelin radials and all round coils when most cars made in 1959 (that model made from '56 onwards) sat on rear leaf springs with cross ply tyres.
Unusual model in that it had been imported from South Africa and the rear indicators were red like US cars which didn't unduly bother the MOT chap of the day.
Also had a 4 branch exhaust manifold, which was the only obvious external modification to the engine and a rivetted on badge stating ''Engine Conversions by University Motors Salisbury'', whether Salisbury in England or a Salisbury in SA i know not, what i do know is that it went like hell for an 1800 engine of the period with quite astonishing chuckability on its Michelin radials and all round coils when most cars made in 1959 (that model made from '56 onwards) sat on rear leaf springs with cross ply tyres.
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