The cars you have loved, or are in love with. Tell us your car history and what each one taught you

[Gregadd]

yeah, back then the biggest problem was heat. hence the need for twin oil coolers.

 

[HedgeHog]

turbo lag is the reason for twin turbos. rather than getting a kick in the butt, there was a relatively smooth pull all the way to the red line.
the technology has come a long way since then. I would not have known my sisters' MB S550 had twin turbos in her V8 if I had not read it in the spec sheet.

That's not entirely true. In theory, the sequential twins is supposed to allow a more linear band but, in reality, it went to 4500rpm then dipped when the plumbing spooled the second turbo. That drop and subsequent ramp up in power caught a ton of unexpected owners off guard. Ahem. Going single made it more linear and it eliminated the rats nest of vacuum lines that tend to go brittle and leak. Oversizing the single turbo created massive lag but a properly sized one was beneficial. Also, because the exhaust port is just a hole on the side of the housing, it benefitted turbos a lot.

I just wished I still fit in mine....it just collects dust and spider webs.

 

[infinitely baffled]

That's not entirely true. In theory, the sequential twins is supposed to allow a more linear band but, in reality, it went to 4500rpm then dipped when the plumbing spooled the second turbo. That drop and subsequent ramp up in power caught a ton of unexpected owners off guard. Ahem. Going single made it more linear and it eliminated the rats nest of vacuum lines that tend to go brittle and leak. Oversizing the single turbo created massive lag but a properly sized one was beneficial. Also, because the exhaust port is just a hole on the side of the housing, it benefitted turbos a lot.

I just wished I still fit in mine....it just collects dust and spider webs.

Those pictures in tuning mags of the rat's nest definitley stuck in my mind.
Simplification is usually better. Iirc they can manage a t4 trubo nicely, for around 500bhp

 

[Gregadd]

Thanks for the nuanced explanation

 

[shakti]

not just a car, more a live style

picture from this year.

Land Rover Defender Heritage (one of the last built)

 

[Gregadd]

That's not entirely true. In theory, the sequential twins is supposed to allow a more linear band but, in reality, it went to 4500rpm then dipped when the plumbing spooled the second turbo. That drop and subsequent ramp up in power caught a ton of unexpected owners off guard. Ahem. Going single made it more linear and it eliminated the rats nest of vacuum lines that tend to go brittle and leak. Oversizing the single turbo created massive lag but a properly sized one was beneficial. Also, because the exhaust port is just a hole on the side of the housing, it benefitted turbos a lot.

I just wished I still fit in mine....it just collects dust and spider webs.

not me. For me it pulled smoothly to the redline. Maybe it was related to different drivivng styles.

 

[je2a3]

I learned how to drive in my dad's '59 Austin Cambridge A55/MKII, 4 speed column shift, no synchro on 1st and double clutch on 2nd due to worn synchro.

First car after getting a job = '83 Mitsubishi Lancer GSR 5 spd which was followed by a slew of econoboxes:
'86 Honda Civic 5spd manual
'93 Honda Civic "
'96 Honda Civic "
'04 Honda Civic "
'07 Honda Jazz - CVT/Auto (for commuting) + '82 retro'ed Mini 1000 - 4 spd. (weekend toy)

Now my wife and I use a '16 Honda Fit for city + '18 Subaru Imprezza for long driving. But I'm hankering for an MGB-GT as a weekend toy.

 

[Gregadd]

Honda Civic may be one of the most underrated cars. I know because iI had to chase one down with my Mazda RX7.

 

[rooze]

Ford Capri 2.0S was my first car. Drove it into the ground, literally. For the last 10k miles I drove it without reverse gear and with a garbage bag duct-taped over the hole in the roof where the glass sunroof once lived. Became an expert in handbrake turns due to the lack of a reverse gear.

Ford XR3 was next up. Crashed that into a garden wall and totaled it.

Ford RS Turbo - my first brand new car. It was stolen/recovered twice and went through 3 sets of new alloy wheels due to theft. Garbage car with horrible torque steer.

By age 25 I was finally done with Fords.

 

[je2a3]

Honda Civic may be one of the most underrated cars. I know because iI had to chase one down with my Mazda RX7.

The 3rd, 5th and 6th generation I had were light and had agile handling. Particularly nice was the wishbone front suspension which started with the 4th generation and stayed with the 5th and 6th generation Civics. When the 7th generation were fitted with MacPherson struts at the front, it felt heavy, underpowered and the sporty handling was gone. Not as much fun anymore.

 

[HedgeHog]

not me. For me it pulled smoothly to the redline. Maybe it was related to different drivivng styles.

That may have been what you perceived but that's not how it can happen. It's all in the dyno graph. The 1st turbo gets out of breath when the vac lines start to open the gate to the 2nd one. So it dips a bit before both power up to 8k rpm. That's also why lots of inexperienced owners spin out. I think the multi-link rear adjusts toe too aggressively and when people feels that dip and surge, they naturally react by lifting; which causes jounce and toe angle change.

Of course, if one drives it at 75-85%, it's damn fast and will probably not have these issues.

I modded mine a ton to increase damping, change toe links and went single turbo. I had that darty rear end/oversteering thing before but it's much better at the limit now. But the limit is higher so it scares me (more power than talent). Still, even in stock form, a lovey car. I feel it's timeless in look and the engineering isn't so bad. Just can't maintain it as if it's a piston car though.

My 2 cents of owning this since 95.

 

[HedgeHog]

I learned how to drive in my dad's '59 Austin Cambridge A55/MKII, 4 speed column shift, no synchro on 1st and double clutch on 2nd due to worn synchro.

First car after getting a job = '83 Mitsubishi Lancer GSR 5 spd which was followed by a slew of econoboxes:
'86 Honda Civic 5spd manual
'93 Honda Civic "
'96 Honda Civic "
'04 Honda Civic "
'07 Honda Jazz - CVT/Auto (for commuting) + '82 retro'ed Mini 1000 - 4 spd. (weekend toy)

Now my wife and I use a '16 Honda Fit for city + '18 Subaru Imprezza for long driving. But I'm hankering for an MGB-GT as a weekend toy.

My 1st car was a 77 Civic and I owned nothing but Civics for a bit (81 , 87) then 89 CRX Si. Loved the old Hondas...had nothing but them (88 Prelude 4WSi, 93 Prelude (forgot which model but had the VTEC-yo thing), 91 Integra. Hondas are great to drive!

 

[jn229]

One of my first cars was a ' 55 shoebox. Beginning to think few people today know what that is.

 

[gleeds]

Triumph TR-4a
BMW 320
1980 Mazda RX-7 "what a car!"
Audi 4000 coupe
BMW 530i
Mercedes 190 AMG 16 valve head, Bembro brakes and Getrag close ratio 5 speed gearbox (a sheep in wolfs clothing)
early Lexus SC400 (one of my all time favorite cars:!)
Mercedes E320 coupe
Saab Aero 6 cyclinder turbo (amazing car)
Dino 246 GTS 1974 as a lifelong must have and certainly not my daily driver (the one that got away!)

Nothing notable after that. Today I drive a 14 year old Tahoe Hybrid because my dog won't have it any other way

Future sights on an early Aston Marten Vantage (pretty affordable these days but as they say its not the cost of buying it, rather the cost of maintaining it

 

[infinitely baffled]

I learned how to drive in my dad's '59 Austin Cambridge A55/MKII, 4 speed column shift, no synchro on 1st and double clutch on 2nd due to worn synchro.

First car after getting a job = '83 Mitsubishi Lancer GSR 5 spd which was followed by a slew of econoboxes:
'86 Honda Civic 5spd manual
'93 Honda Civic "
'96 Honda Civic "
'04 Honda Civic "
'07 Honda Jazz - CVT/Auto (for commuting) + '82 retro'ed Mini 1000 - 4 spd. (weekend toy)

Now my wife and I use a '16 Honda Fit for city + '18 Subaru Imprezza for long driving. But I'm hankering for an MGB-GT as a weekend toy.

Loving the Impreza and mitsubishi lancer. Which impreza variant, and do you have the roads to make the best of it's awesome road manners?

But I must admit, I've never understood the Americans' love affair with MG.
A lotus elise, or if you must have an antique, a lotus 7 would tan it's backside on a British b-road. A toyota mr-s would do all the above for a fraction of the price, but you need to be able to function in a nostalgia- free environment ?

 

[infinitely baffled]

Ford Capri 2.0S was my first car. Drove it into the ground, literally. For the last 10k miles I drove it without reverse gear and with a garbage bag duct-taped over the hole in the roof where the glass sunroof once lived. Became an expert in handbrake turns due to the lack of a reverse gear.

Ford XR3 was next up. Crashed that into a garden wall and totaled it.

Ford RS Turbo - my first brand new car. It was stolen/recovered twice and went through 3 sets of new alloy wheels due to theft. Garbage car with horrible torque steer.

By age 25 I was finally done with Fords.

When i first started driving all my friends had xr3's. I hated the wide-boy image but they ran rings around my ancient but cool triumph herald.
It created a real identity crisis when my mum got a fiesta xr2. So...uncool...yet....so....fast

 

[infinitely baffled]

That may have been what you perceived but that's not how it can happen. It's all in the dyno graph. The 1st turbo gets out of breath when the vac lines start to open the gate to the 2nd one. So it dips a bit before both power up to 8k rpm. That's also why lots of inexperienced owners spin out. I think the multi-link rear adjusts toe too aggressively and when people feels that dip and surge, they naturally react by lifting; which causes jounce and toe angle change.

Of course, if one drives it at 75-85%, it's damn fast and will probably not have these issues.

I modded mine a ton to increase damping, change toe links and went single turbo. I had that darty rear end/oversteering thing before but it's much better at the limit now. But the limit is higher so it scares me (more power than talent). Still, even in stock form, a lovey car. I feel it's timeless in look and the engineering isn't so bad. Just can't maintain it as if it's a piston car though.

My 2 cents of owning this since 95.

A less grippy, more progressive tyre like a Falken f452 might help manage the transition between grip and slip a little more smoothly. I used them on my skyline until i graduated to an active rear lsd. At which point the car became so much more controllable when sliding that i also graduated to grippier tyres like Yokohamas and Bridgestones.

 

[Gregadd]

That may have been what you perceived but that's not how it can happen. It's all in the dyno graph. The 1st turbo gets out of breath when the vac lines start to open the gate to the 2nd one. So it dips a bit before both power up to 8k rpm. That's also why lots of inexperienced owners spin out. I think the multi-link rear adjusts toe too aggressively and when people feels that dip and surge, they naturally react by lifting; which causes jounce and toe angle change.

Of course, if one drives it at 75-85%, it's damn fast and will probably not have these issues.

I modded mine a ton to increase damping, change toe links and went single turbo. I had that darty rear end/oversteering thing before but it's much better at the limit now. But the limit is higher so it scares me (more power than talent). Still, even in stock form, a lovey car. I feel it's timeless in look and the engineering isn't so bad. Just can't maintain it as if it's a piston car though.

My 2 cents of owning this since 95.

with only slight modification this car was so dominant it causes the other car manufacturers to complain about it being unfair.. Are you talking about the R1?

 

[infinitely baffled]

My 1st car was a 77 Civic and I owned nothing but Civics for a bit (81 , 87) then 89 CRX Si. Loved the old Hondas...had nothing but them (88 Prelude 4WSi, 93 Prelude (forgot which model but had the VTEC-yo thing), 91 Integra. Hondas are great to drive!

The only one I've had so far is the Accord Type R.
Really excellent body control and supple damping, you can maintain high cross country speeds in point to point driving. But the engine was a bit meh, with my having grown so used to turbos. I even think the toyota version of vtec, vvti, is a better design than the original.
Then again, that is what toyota does best: take another manufacturer's innovative design and improve it
(Escort bda = toyota twin cam (yamaha engine)
Nisssn rb26 = toyota 2jz
Honda vtec= toyota vvti (another high revving yamaha masterpiece)

 

[infinitely baffled]

One of my first cars was a ' 55 shoebox. Beginning to think few people today know what that is.

You can include me?
Any hints?