Classic car spotting this week.

I remember in high school talking with a friend as to whether it was pronounced "mare koor" or "mercur" (like mercury without the y).

Between Merkur, Skoda, and Peugeot, all in the 80's, I learnt early to never buy a niche vehicle.

(A friend after high school bought a used Skoda with 55hp of raw air-cooled power, and I knew it wouldn't be good).

We used to have a Skoda 110LS back in the 70's, my father had a sense of humour, and you needed it with that piece of crap.
The police in this country have recently started using Skoda's as their car and one of the latest jokes that started up is that crime has plummeted as no self respecting criminal would be seen dead in the back of one.

Spotted in Tarporley, Cheshire during her majesty's jubilee celebrations last summer.

Spotted in Cornwall UK today.

^------ That's my kind of car, one of the last of the Austin-Healey Mk III BJ8s in golden beige metallic, most likely near the end of production in 1967.

Hood louvers must have been added during restoration.

I have a 1966 BJ8 as has been seen here on occasion.

Found in France while watching the Tour in 2017. At over 30 years old I guess it's now a classic.

I bought one new, after running-in took it to Scotland on holiday for a couple of weeks, and when I got back said to the dealer that I did not like it and wanted to sell.

So, what was wrong with it? First weight, about 300kg too heavy for a two-seater of what should have been adequate power. That meant it was the only car I've ever owned that I bounced off the rev-limiter, and that includes the racing cars.

Next handling. Grip, it had fantastic grip, but the steering was so dead (to reduce torque-steer) that you had no idea how close to the limit it was. I didn't ever lose mine but my dealer friend would spin his a lot at Snetterton despite being a racing championship winner in front-wheel drive Metros. He could also get my 4-seater FERWD Lotus Excel around Snett faster than he could get his own two-seater mid-engine Esprit with exactly the same engine....

..... however he did spin the Excel many times which meant I got a new radiator fitted gratis the next week. Radiator mounting being a weak point on the Excel and spinning would strain the rad too much.

Brakes? Weaved a lot under hard braking on bumpy roads. The rear suspension was not stiff enough laterally and Lotus beefed it up for the S2. (The Excel weaved under very hard braking too but it came from the front and was never a problem. Used judiciously could get nuisance tail-gaters to back off 😉)

Weather proofing: I carried a plastic sheet to protect the driver's seat and a paint tray to collect what would otherwise have gone into the carpet. That was when brand-new less than the fingers of one hand weeks old.

What else? The whole front structure was incredibly complex and a collision from which the only visible sign was a broken number plate resulted in an invoice to my insurance company for four grand. I was trying to get out of a car-park with very bad visibility to the sides and it was clouted on the side of the nose by a car passing by well over the speed limit.

So why hadn't I found out all this before ordering? Well, I had never driven one but I had seen the prototypes running around near the Lotus F1 Team base at Ketteringham Hall which I regularly visited at the time and had casually said to my local dealer that I quite fancied one. He took that as an order and surprised me one day by saying my new car had arrived. What new car? The Elan! More than thirty years later we are still friends, but I'm not in a position to buy new Lotuses at a whim any longer 🙁 Come on Lottery! I really, really want an Emira.

Enough sad English cars that never work properly.

Here's a proper sports coupe - an R33 GT-R sitting pretty on period correct Advan Racing wheels.

Cornwall? Of course, as these are really cool surfing wagons (especially the estate versions).

Bristol UK. Lotus Elan same owner for 50 years. His only car and daily runaround.

Nice! That car is on a 1972 L-plate so quite likely the same owner from new.

Lotuses, despite the common perception, can be very reliable. But, a big but, they have to be properly maintained by someone who really knows what they are doing and that is very expensive. Any attempt to skimp or short-cut and save money will bite you or the next owner later.


I used to be an Area Organiser for Club Team Lotus, the F1 team supporters club, and was sometimes asked to give a car that one of our members was thinking of buying the once-over. One occasion was an Excel like mine quite nearby, so I took the prospective buyer to see it in my own car. When we got there I told him not to look at the car but to watch the seller. I opened the boot, put on my overalls with the Lotus badge on the breast pocket. Then lifted my trolley-jack out.

The seller's face went white. "Thanks, I've seen enough." said the prospective buyer. 😁 😁

A few friends parking their cars under the trees for a car show in Canberra. 3 of the 4 cars drove to and from Canberra from Melbourne (1600km round trip), the GTA in the back was trailered. I've always had a soft spot for the yellow Giulia Super wagon. It was a service car for one of the dealerships back in the day. Wagon bodywork done by Colli.

Yep a 1977 Maserati Merak SS. I think I posted another friend’s orange one earlier in this thread.
Jock’s Colli wagon is amazing. Beautifuly restored and a great driver. He also restored a Romeo van. I first saw them side by side at the 100 year Alfa Romeo celebrations. Fangio’s Alfetta Tipo 159 was there. What a glorious noise that thing made. Anyway don’t get me talking about Alfas, I won’t stop.