first car

73 Ford Mexico

My first car was a D reg Escort 1.4l with a wonky steering wheel ....however that isn't as bad as what i'm driving at the moment until I find the E34 i want ......a montego !!!! oh the shame

tris wrote: 71 Hillman Imp with crossply RE-MOULDS!!

Mine was a '76 Gold Hillman Imp. Excellent car to learn to drive in.

This led onto Imp powered kit cars (one of which I still own) a Maserati, and finally the 540.

I think I can safely say without fear of contradiction, that the BMW is one of the best engineered and best built cars you can own.

Andy      West Midlands

Mine was a 65 HA viva, bought in 77 for £25.

It had crossply tyres, and I painted the bonnet mat black....yeah...so cool...bet your all jealous now !

It was the deluxe model.....which meant it had a heater !

Goldryder wrote: Did you have the optional matress in the back too Nigel?  pmsl

I didnt know you then.......layby lil lol

-'68 model mini van, ex AA patrol car, heavily and, uh, 'tastefully' modified mostly by a previous owner.

-it was a rare thing indeed.....way better handling than the saloon model, with dry subframes (moulton suspension) and good weight distribution. Superb, direct steering, good pedals (& with dodgy synchromesh I soon learnt to heel and toe) it was only let down by brakes that faded under hard use.

-had windows, seats in the back, chocolate brown (Ford 'Brazil' I think) metallic paintwork, 2" wheelarch extensions (blended and painted), matching brown shag pile carpet (told you it was tasteful...), 'magic wand' gearshift, electronic tachometer, crappy radio, stainless steel door mounted wing mirrors, obligatory green sunstrip, and an original 10" Moto-Lita steering wheel on a lowered steering column. And locks that didn't work- only a battery isolator and a hidden ignition switch saved it from theft.

-sadly the stage 3 tuned twin carb 1275 & straight-cut 'box had to go- at 17 I was completely uninsurable with these installed. Ended up with a 3-synchro box, horrible wheel spacers (that broke!!) and a sweet, very revvy (but insurance friendly) 850 lump. Even with this tiddler installed it would wind the speedo needle over somewhere near to the 'E' mark on the fuel gauge set below the big central speedo. The tacho would be reading well over 6000 rpm at this point and the 'woooooooooo....' noise was simply unbelieveable- nothing like as bad as with the previous engine/transmission tho'.....

-eventually after 4 different engines, 12 owners, 8 new sills, 4 new floor skins, 3 'A' panels, 2 fuel tanks, an unknown number of tyres, exhaust pipes, several accidents (ahem), and about 250000 miles over a total of about 27 years, it finally went off to the great scrappy in the sky. Although the car was no longer mine when this happened, I ended up with the steering wheel and the wing mirrors. Still got them in a box somewhere...

-A Top Motor...  Not one of the many cars I have owned (let alone the huge number I have driven) has had even a small fraction of the character and utility of that little car....

-now, a 'new mini van' in the same vein.....hmmmm, now you've got me thinking......

 

Only if you represent me when Nigel has me done for GBH 

Nigel wrote: If its a 71 why has it got a 65 plate on it mr solicitor, (anyone want free legal advice...feel free to pm horsey !!!)

It's got a '65 plate because I couldn't find a photo of a '71 model. Simple as that. Why are you complaining? It's still an Imp. And it's still tax-exempt. (BTW, that last sentence does not constitute "advice" of the type regulated by the Law Society in the conduct of investment business)

Nigel wrote: If thats you getting into the driving seat...you looked a lot better in them days lol How much was the op ?

Excuse me; I wasn't born 'til '71, Mr. Advanced Driving Instructor. And with the treatment I get from you, I sometimes wish I hadn't been born at all... *deep, meaningful sigh*

...and, anyway, it's a bit rich coming from someone who goes off to play with himself in the woods....

Nigel wrote: I wasn't by myself....I took the dog !

That's no way to describe your other half!

Edited by Horsetan