Classics you're embarrassed at liking

Turbo? - Suits you, sir ;-)

Not too sure about the above, but I'd love a Pug 505 GTi.

Made under license.

Ciao

Zak

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"Pete M" wrote

Speaking of dire names, what the hell was the story with the Toyota Cressida? Cressida, as in the bard's Troilus and Cressida, is one of the most famous faithless harlots in literature. What possessed them to call a car that? I mean what next - the Austin Jezebel? Nissan Judas? Ford Rebecca Loos?

I always thought that Vauxhall Vagina would have been a good name. It has a nice ring to it...

LOL And Humber Harlot and Datsun Doxy...

Jim

Pete M ( snipped-for-privacy@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

My ol' man had a 604GTi (metallic grey-green, B-plate) for a while. Lurvely car. Looked like a filing cabinet, hung the back out nicely, and sounded gorgeous.

Anybody see the BBC4 program on DeLorean last night? Eddie Irvine driving one, and complaining about the engine - "doesn't look right, doesn't sound right, no go" - with his 550 Maranello parked in shot.

No, really, Eddie? The PRV v6 doesn't look, sound or go like your v12 Ferrari? Wonder why.... It's not that bad an engine - good enough for Alpine and Venturi to build sports cars around - and it certainly sounded nice in the 604. It's not the lump's fault that Stainless Steel weighs a ton and that the US market emissions strangled the poor thing...

ARGGHHHH!! The worlds ugliest car! :-(

Years ahead of it's time. Would sell a bundle now.

The Rancho was the car which gave rise to the Renault Espace [first series being built by Matra] and started the whole 'calling-a-tarted-up-van-a-people-carrier' thing, damn them.

I can't see the link between the Rancho and MPVs ( apart from Matra , but then you clould link Ken Tyrrel for MPVs) , I was thinking more that it would appeal to all those that want the image of a 4x4 without any real use for one.

The Matra-PSA-Renault tie-up is detailed more here:

I tend to view the people-carrier thing as being what initially killed off the market for medium estate- cars. Now it's moved downmarket and we get plasterer's vans like the Renault Kangoo/Citroen Berlingo/Peugeot Partner tarted-up with windows and seats then sold to an unsuspecting public as "multi-purpose" vehicles.

[The Rancho was of course an extension of the Simca/ Dodge 1100 van beloved of urban florists in the late-1970s.]

My dad nearly bought one. I wanted him to buy one because it had lots of lights on the front. He bought a Nissan Prairie in the end - another pioneering MPV. I think saying it was a fat Nissan Sunny with sliding rear doors is a good description.

ss.

Austin sold them the licence to build them

our

Had one (briefly) once - I think it was a private p/x. Sort of metallic pale purple with purple leather interior. Looked like an aircraft carrier, handled like tthe Royal Barge. Deeply, wonderfully awful. But then, I always did fancy a Cadillac Eldorado convertible - the one with the huge fins and Monroe overriders - but only if it is in Thunderbirds pink. A mobile Mighty Wurlitzer.

Geoff MacK

On names - well, you started it - is it true that the Mitsubishi Starion should have been Stallion, but for the Japanese inability to differentiate between "l" and "r"? And the Vauhall Nova didn't go down too well in Spain as it comes out as "no va" - doesn't go? And the successor to the Silver Shadow was to have been called Silver Mist, until it was pointed out that Mist is German for dunghill, i.e. a pile of s*1t? Or are these just urban myths? Don't speak these languages.

Can confirm, though, that Volvo is Latin for "I roll".

Drifting a bit, I recall looking at the menu in the Greasy Spoon at Brands one time. Burgers, egg burgers, double cheese burgers and so on. But one with everything thrown in was... wait for it... the Gerhardt Burger. Nice one!

Geoff MacK

Similar question - I had a Volvo 1800S years ago and the lump looked remarkably MGB-ish. Coincidence, fortuity, collaboration or rip-off?

Geoff MacK

One of the best bits of marketing of all time. Take an unsuccessful obsolete van, add on some goodies and rebrand it. Brilliant.

Geoff MacK With apologies for so many posts - it's either this or my tax return. So be warned - there may be more to come.

In news:c7akh1$i4p$ snipped-for-privacy@news6.svr.pol.co.uk, Geoff Mackenzie decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

I had a '76 Oldsmobile Delta 88 once. Truly shockingly awful. Must have been heading for 20 ft long and over 6ft wide. 7.4 engine, huge great red velour / dralon buttoned seats, Formica all over the place pretending to be wood and that plastic chrome stuff that the Japanese still seem to use occasionally. 'Orrible, orrible car, but I don't half miss it.

marc ( snipped-for-privacy@jaceeprint.demon.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

You wanna bet?