High speed doesn't excite me that much at all.

Most tracks dont see much more than 120.

I enjoy being catapulted out of bends and cornering like a mad man.

But we all like different stuff - I sort of apprecaite both sides of the coin.

The Lotus couldn't be more different to the GTR, but i'd happily look at the plus sides of either.

 

I like both.

However, an all-destroying ICBM is of no use to me on this pox-ridden island.

And Yewp is getting overcrowded and over-nannied too.

One reason I stick with the sideways-to-glory S2000; it feels terrifyingly fast at quite normal speeds.

 

The older I become, the more I feel many iconic cars of the past are best committed to memory rather than revisited.

My X1/9 is a case in point - it's hardly a Blower Bentley or Lancia Stratos, but I have always loved the little Fiat. A recent blast in my newly restored 1300 left both my wife and I hugely disappointed alas - so much so that I may well part company with it when the market eventually picks-up. I wish I hadn't gone back to it to sully my past memories.

The car is actually better than the original insofar as brakes and tyres are concerned but it very much of its time. Maybe if I'd always had one the shock of revisiting wouldn't be so great. This a result of S ownership and my daily driver - a relatively humble, but extremely competent Mini Cooper 1.6.

Maybe Gad' would prefer a Blower Bentley over an Enzo - but I suspect only for milliseconds into a drive as the reality of the arcane technology of the Bentley and the technical tour deforce that is the Enzo became evident.

 

[QUOTE=Polemicist,Sep 19 2008, 08:02 PM] The older I become, the more I feel many iconic cars of the past are best committed to memory rather than revisited.

My X1/9 is a case in point - it's hardly a Blower Bentley or Lancia Stratos, but I have always loved the little Fiat. A recent blast in my newly restored 1300 left both my wife and I hugely disappointed alas - so much so that I may well part company with it when the market eventually picks-up. I wish I hadn't gone back to it to sully my past memories.

The car is actually better than the original insofar as brakes and tyres are concerned but it very much of its time. Maybe if I'd always had one the shock of revisiting wouldn't be so great. This a result of

 

Spoke to my boss about the GT-R a few days ago after he said he was thinking of getting a newer 997 (he already has a 56 Carrera 4S).

So I put it to him - and he did say that

 

In my opinion it is about compromise.

I am sure this view will offend many purists however many old cars can be viewed through rose tinted spectacles, remembering the "good old days".

The reality is somewhat different.

I recently drove a fully restored and standard mk1 Ford Escort RS2000.

It was lovely to behold but was absolutely fecking useless.

Brakes, power, handling, all sh1t and very far from what I remember.

Conversely, a friend of a friend owns a Mk1 Ford Escort RS2000 with Cosworth engine and gearbox, proper (modern) brakes and suspension, and it is very nice to drive.

It sits a lttle lower than the standard car but apart from this, necessary modifications to the interior (transmission tunnel) and the exhaust it is pretty much identical to an original car.

Purists may condider this outrageous.

I consider it progress.

You retain most of the cars nostalgia and heritage whilst gaining a modern(ish) drive and reasonable reliability.

But seriously Gad, get real about the Midget.

It was shat when it was new, it was shat when it was not so new and it remains shat to this day.

 

he doesn't own an Escort, he owns some kind of homebrew kit car

you don't retain any heritage whatsoever

opinions make the world go round; we won't agree about the Midget

 

I am a little confused .

Granted, this is not a difficult state of mind for me to achieve.

However, aside from the nostalgia value, I am struggling to find the appeal of the MG Midget.

To my mind I have always found them not particularly pretty (although this is obviously a subjective view), cramped, slow, badly built, unentertaining in the handling department and generally boring.

Please do not be offended by my opinion.

I am merely trying to understand the appeal.

I owned one very briefly in the 80's and have therefore based my opinion on my experience.

On the plus side they are a relatively "cheap classic" and are a soft top, but the bad points outweigh the good points IMO.

I can see the appeal of the later MGB GT which is a very pretty and essentially very different car and can be relatively entertaining, especially in V8 form.

Again, I mean to cause no offence and seek only to be enlightened.

 

too fast.. i know i should subscribe to that too

 

I also appreciate both sides of the coin, loved the S for it's feedback but equally the AWD stuff for it's slingshot ability.

This GTR was on track at Pembrey today and TBH it looked quick but pretty ordinary (oh and btw it's up for sale for