Spot of the day, Part 5

[Paul H]

6 minutes ago, johnlambert said:

I wasn't expecting to see a Citroen BX tonight.

 

Can't rememember the last time I saw one of these.  So much '80s & even '90s stuff has just disappeared off the roads.

[Vince1159]

18 hours ago, Paul H said:

 

Can't rememember the last time I saw one of these.  So much '80s & even '90s stuff has just disappeared off the roads.

I think what killed those was the hydralic suspension,an uncle had three that were in great condition but ended up being scrapped because of the price of repairs which usually involved replacing most of the pipework...

[MR2Don]

Couldn't swear to it, but something orange with a tall spoiler on the back and in orange went past me as I was walking home, making a lovely Porsche type noise. 911GT3 (RS?) maybe.

[Paul H]

5 hours ago, Vince1159 said:

I think what killed those was the hydralic suspension,an uncle had three that were in great condition but ended up being scrapped because of the price of repairs which usually involved replacing most of the pipework...

 

With Citroen suspension, I've often wondered if the issue was garages etc not understanding it or knowing how to deal with it.  Aside from the 205 GTi, PSA cars of this era seem pretty much forgotten, yet were often better than rivals which nowadays have big followings.

[MR2Don]

On 11/3/2021 at 9:20 PM, johnlambert said:

I wasn't expecting to see a Citroen BX tonight.

I got propelled into one of those years ago, while cycling to work. Accident caused by a local High School girl who wasn't looking at the lights at a crossing, then saw them and stepped backwards, straight into me, propelled me off my bike at about 15mph, straight into the side of a BX!😳

[johnlambert]

15 hours ago, Paul H said:

 

With Citroen suspension, I've often wondered if the issue was garages etc not understanding it or knowing how to deal with it.  Aside from the 205 GTi, PSA cars of this era seem pretty much forgotten, yet were often better than rivals which nowadays have big followings.

As a former BX owner, part of the problem is Citroen apparently not stocking spares and/or the dealers apparently not caring if the spare parts you ordered were correct or not.  There are some good specialists who need not be expensive, and the system itself is not complex, just different.

 

I am told, although I never tried it myself, that changing the front suspension spheres (effectively replacing the spring and damper) is not much more complicated than screwing in a lightbulb.

 

 

[von Race]

I don't know much about this Citroen except, and I quote, "it has white frothy stuff coming out of the radiator". Shame 😔

[Pete in Lincs]

Citroen SM. From memory, silky smooth drive with a Maserati engine. 

Sounds like a head gasket has failed. If you have a large Swiss bank account it might be a good buy. Otherwise, run away!

It would probably cost quite a bit to replace that missing wheel trim. 

Here's a link to Jay Leno and an SM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QH6q3C_W3k

 

[Paul H]

'Tis indeed a Maserati engine in these.  Very cool looking cars although the one shown is a USA market example, which has the exposed sealed beam headlights to comply with the Federal regs - elsewhere, the glass centre cover was continued across the whole front of the car, with smaller rectangular lights under it.

 

Given the engine's origins, I've often wondered if a later Biturbo engine would fit...

 

Oh, and must resist the temptation to buy the amazing looking 1:24 resin kit of one which is available...

[malpaso]

On 11/3/2021 at 2:25 PM, Camwader said:

A rare British classic in Sainsbury's this morning.

 

 

Blimey I never realised any were actually sold.  These ACs were in the Observers books and Motor Shows at Earls Court for years in the 70s and 80s but seemed to be things of myth in the real world!

[Camwader]

There were only one hundred AC 3000MEs produced, seventy built at Thames Ditton by AC, thirty built at Hillington in Glasgow by AC Scotland. There's plenty of information online about its development and commercial failure. Lots more photos here: AC 3000ME Photo Album 

[Six97s]

14 hours ago, von Race said:

I don't know much about this Citroen except, and I quote, "it has white frothy stuff coming out of the radiator". Shame 😔

 

I used to think those (and the CX) were quite ugly, but now I kind of like the idea of wafting around in one.

 

My spot today is another Citroen - a W-reg Dyane in yellow with an orange fabric roof, and believe it or not, towing a trailer...  🤨

[Windy37]

13 hours ago, malpaso said:

Blimey I never realised any were actually sold.  These ACs were in the Observers books and Motor Shows at Earls Court for years in the 70s and 80s but seemed to be things of myth in the real world!

Thought there was only me who had Observers Books and visited Earls  Court Motor Shows !! 

 Gary 

[Pete in Lincs]

3 hours ago, Windy37 said:

visited Earls  Court Motor Shows !! 

I was thinking the same. I went, with a couple of mates, to the 1973 Earls Court Motor show and saw the AC there.

I wish I still had that big carrier bag of manufacturers sales brochures that I gathered up..

[Vince1159]

On 11/5/2021 at 12:46 PM, johnlambert said:

I am told, although I never tried it myself, that changing the front suspension spheres (effectively replacing the spring and damper) is not much more complicated than screwing in a lightbulb.

 

 

On Wheeler Dealers Mike bought a DS and Edd did that which solved the problem...

[von Race]

21 hours ago, Paul H said:

 

Oh, and must resist the temptation to buy the amazing looking 1:24 resin kit of one which is available...

That's about the only one I could come close to affording!😆

 

 

Thank you for the link Pete. Good information on a car I really didn't know much about.

[Julien]

Not a rare car but a strange sight Merc CLK convertible hammering down the outside lane of the motorway in terrible conditions with the roof still down!

[stevehnz]

Out & about today & in top spotting fettle, the first weird cool vehicle spotted was this 1989 Volvo 360 GLT, never a common vehicle out here, I can't recall seeing one for years, though they were a car I rather liked the specs of & they seemed to go OK, this one was well used but tidy enough for its age.

A bit further along on a stretch of road that attracts cars for sale, was a 1974 Triumph Toledo, still registered & for sale for what I thought was a bit up there, but maybe they're collectible nowadays though I have my doubts. It had quite a bit of "patina" not quite as bad as tatty but getting there. Definitely a rare one  & unseen for ages.

Now if it had been a two door I might have got excited, long having harboured a dream of building a 2 door Dolomite Sprint as a Targa racer, it is what I always reckoned BL should have done with theirs.

Steve.

[Whofan]

Spotted this one parked up outside a mototbike spares place between Kidderminster and Stourport;

 

 

 

Interesting weathering, I thought!

[Julien]

It’s 1.47 for petrol here!

[MR2Don]

5 hours ago, stevehnz said:

though they were a car I rather liked the specs of & they seemed to go OK,

Volvo 360GLT - Yes, used to have one, went well but very heavy steering, which is why it went west eventually, wife just couldn't build up her muscles enough. Used to tow our trailer tent with it, no issues.

[Vince1159]

3 hours ago, Whofan said:

Interesting weathering, I thought!

I think it's supposed to be a 'Rat Truck' but doesn't look anywhere near rusty enough...

[MR2Don]

OK ,very little to go one, so maybe somebody can help. Heading South on M11 as we were heading up to Duxford (ever been there,🤔😉👍 ), so there was a big concrete barrier shielding the bottom half, but something American, I'm pretty sure; the most noticeable feature was the upper rear quarter, was a triangular shape going from wide at the top down to virtually zero at the bottom. Car was blue - anybody got a clue I can follow up.

[Spiny]

22 hours ago, Julien said:

Not a rare car but a strange sight Merc CLK convertible hammering down the outside lane of the motorway in terrible conditions with the roof still down!

 

Not as daft as it sounds, I had a similar experience in a colleague's Lotus Elan when it started raining hard - so long as we could keep above 60 the airflow took the vast majority of the water over your head. Once you slow down is when the rain gets you - fortunately we got through the rain before hitting any traffic.

 

37 minutes ago, MR2Don said:

OK ,very little to go one, so maybe somebody can help. Heading South on M11 as we were heading up to Duxford (ever been there,🤔😉👍 ), so there was a big concrete barrier shielding the bottom half, but something American, I'm pretty sure; the most noticeable feature was the upper rear quarter, was a triangular shape going from wide at the top down to virtually zero at the bottom. Car was blue - anybody got a clue I can follow up.

 

Sounds a lot like a mid-1960s Plymouth to me - that weird inverted triangular C-pillar is a styling tweak which I always find awkward.

[malpaso]

On 11/7/2021 at 4:49 PM, MR2Don said:

Volvo 360GLT - Yes, used to have one, went well but very heavy steering, which is why it went west eventually, wife just couldn't build up her muscles enough. Used to tow our trailer tent with it, no issues.

My mum had a turbo one (ex- dads company 's car).  I used it on occasions, it was a rocket.  I went upto Lincolnshire and wound it up on the long straight roads, brown trousers at every corner though - no steering at all.

 

Volvo also recalled all of them for brake master cylinder!  At which point my Dad's firm demanded the previous costs of a full master cylinder replacement from the Volvo dealer - fortunately that incident had luckily not resulted in needing a new colleague, although I believe his life flashed before him!

 

PS I just remembered that apart from impossible steering and inoperative brakes, the turbo lag was appalling.  Plant the loud pedal and you had plenty of time to consider the failings of the brakes and steering before the actually impressive acceleration kicked in.

 

But it was the first car I drove with heated seats, so that's a credit for the model...