Which Car Do You Remember with Affection from your Youth?

[Profpointy]

Rover P6 V8. The British Citroen DS. Futuristic styling, though brawny rather than elegant. Futuristic, comfortable, fast, good handling. And then came the B and the V8. Problem keeping up with bank robbers in Jags, Sir? Then the P6B V8 is just what you need. If you were hard as nails, yet sophisticated and on the side of the good guys, you drove a P6 V8. It was the Lewis Collins of motoring.

View attachment 390422

I adored them, and in '97 I finally acquired a 1971 P6B V8 in almond, just like the one in the pic. Such comfort, such style, 14 to the gallon. Sadly sold in 2002 to pay my divorce solicitors bill, and sadly missed. I may yet have another.

I did have a drive in a v8 P6 my boss had inherhited. Despite it being banger condition it was a splendid car which exuded quality and fine engineering and seemed to be on rails round twisty lanes. Definitely on "the list"

 

[Blue Hills]

Thanks for starting the thread cycleops. Look forward to looking at more of it later and may post when on a better keyboard.

One of my first impressions is that a fair few folk have no shame about showing their age. And why not?/more strength/pedalling to them.

 

[Levo-Lon]

A bloody fast tub of ice cream! I had one with the optional close ratio box from the competition pack, and it went like greased weasel s***.

Mental cars..150 bhp and torque steer for England

 

[Profpointy]

A bloody fast tub of ice cream! I had one with the optional close ratio box from the competition pack, and it went like greased weasel s***.

Is this still the p6?

 

[furball]

When I was little my friends dad lifted up the bonnet of his car, I couldn't understand where they put their cases when they went on holiday. My dad had a VW Beetle.

 

[gbb]

I bought a Renault 16 TL in 1985 for £200 and ran it for a couple of years. Bench front seat, column change and torsion bar suspension. Lovely comfy ride. Very underrated and practical car. Mine was the same colour as this.
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I hired one just like that..ooh, mid 1980s perhaps. Column change took a few miles to get used to but exactly as you say, roomy, comfy...and refined as well. I did like driving that.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Has anyone mentioned Austin Maxis yet? https://www.simplyeighties.com/austin-maxi.php#.WlH9-Khl_IU I had one in the early 80's It was a very comfy ride and also a comfy sleep! If i'd had one over the limit i'd put the back seats down and get the sleeping bag out the boot. My Maxi's life ended the day i was hit by a wagon on a country road. I went back the following day to survey the damage, only to find all its wheels had been nicked! Ah well,happy memories and all that!

 

[Bonefish Blues]

BTU327F, a Vauxhall Viva Estate in Peacock Blue.

 

[gbb]

Poppa had one of these. Every holiday at the grandparents meant trips to the pub in this View attachment 390368

The engine goes well in a sidecar 'oufit'

View attachment 390423

When I was maybe 14, so very early 1970s, dad had a Hillman Husky and an Imp. We lived on a mothballed RAF airbase at the time and one day the Vintage Motorcycle Club descended on the runway for an event, mostly standing start 1/4 milers probably on every kind of bike from Velocettes to Triumphs..almost all ancient bikes even then. But (I'm taking my time getting to the point) one guy had a drag bike with an Imp engine, fastest bike there by a country mile...it was all pipes and chrome...awesome to a 14 YO. I can still hear the distinctive vroom from it now,

The smell, the noise, it was the best thing ever at the time.

 

[gbb]

Has anyone mentioned Austin Maxis yet? https://www.simplyeighties.com/austin-maxi.php#.WlH9-Khl_IU I had one in the early 80's It was a very comfy ride and also a comfy sleep! If i'd had one over the limit i'd put the back seats down and get the sleeping bag out the boot. My Maxi's life ended the day i was hit by a wagon on a country road. I went back the following day to survey the damage, only to find all its wheels had been nicked! Ah well,happy memories and all that!

Ah the Austin Landcrab as they were known. Terrible subframes and I did actually see one once, hopelessly ''crabbing' along as it' subframes had gone. Good car for space and comfort though.

 

[Cycleops]

Yep, primus stove for tea, boiled eggs with salt in the lay by

Except in our case it was a meths stove stood in a old cake tin. Still get nostalgic whenever I smell it.

 

[Andrew_P]

Although this has kind of turned in to a first car thread, I do remember with fondness how I felt at the time I first got in to my Manta and started it, it felt like the whole world had open up to me. Even took it abroad before I was 18 which felt like a new frontier.

Quite literally the day I steped in to that car with my full licence was the last day I rode my bike. I guess this would have been the same for a lot of us at the time it took until 2009 for me to get back on a hire bike on holiday and that moment felt exactly like it did starting up my Manta. It was one of my kids nagging me I did it begrudgingly but you couldn't get me off the thing for 10 days and the first weekend back I went and bought a Hybrid. The conversion from Petrol Head back to cyclist was quite incredible and if anything more of a life changing event than the car.

 

[Illaveago]

The engine goes well in a sidecar 'oufit'

View attachment 390423

The engine was originally made by Coventry Climax.

 

[Cycleops]

I still find that beautiful even although I like modern cars. Always fancied a Triumph Stag too although I know they had engine problems and a lot of people fitted the Rover engine to them.

The best British car we never had! The muddled thinking of BL was truly staggering, they could have dropped the Chrysler V8 in from the Range Rover etc but instead decided to weld two Dolomite engines together, amazing.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Ah the Austin Landcrab as they were known. Terrible subframes and I did actually see one once, hopelessly ''crabbing' along as it' subframes had gone. Good car for space and comfort though.

If i remember,Minis ( I had 4 in my youth, ranging from an 850cc to a Clubman 1275 GT) also suffered from corroding subframes. One of the main requirements of having one inspected by a mechanic was to get the subframe checked out. If the mechanic came out from under the car shaking his head you knew it wasn't worth the money.