Cars, Motoring and Related

Every now and again I get the chance to mix work with my love of cars, be that taking customers on a Palmer day at the Bedford Autodrome or sourcing various bits for Fords research and design centre. Recently however I have been asked to source two used diesel Land Rover Discoveries as site vehicles.

Now, whilst Disco’s have never really done much for me, the request was interesting none the less. The vehicles needed to be of a relatively minimal cost, as their life expectancy is usually around a year due to the hard life they get, but the still needed to be presentable when delivered. No tall order then!

I must admit I went in slightly sceptical. Land Rover Discoveries have never has the best reputation for build and reliability, especially at the age I was looking, so I was expecting to find some real rubbish. Couple that with various buying guides suggesting that if mechanical or electrical maladies hadn’t sidelined the vehicle, tin worm will have done.

Indeed, at the original budget of £1000, this seemed to be the case. As it was being used on a private site, there was no need for tax or MOT, but all this uncovered were the vehicles that should have been targeted by the scrappage scheme. So, I upped my figures to £1250 to see what else was about.

The first on I stumbled across was a Series 1 200TDi with 155k miles on the clock in green, still with no tax or Mot but looking considerably cleaner than any of the other vehicles I’d seen. Being a reasonable distance away, I decided to phone the vendor – a trader – and grill him about the car. For a change, I was met with an honest sounding guy who was selling the vehicle on eBay as it had been taken in part exchange for a newer car. Whist it wasn’t perfect, he assured me that it was clean enough and would easily go through an MOT with out any problems. I decided to make a snap decision and took the car for £1200 including delivery.

When it arrived a couple of days later, I was pleasantly surprised by the over all condition. Outside indeed had a patina of wear that befitted an L plate off road vehicle, but with a lick of polish it would shine up nicely. Whilst there was a little corrosion in places, nothing significant could be seen and a quick inspection under the bonnet revealed that several components had been replaced recently, water pump included. The engine fired first time and revved cleanly with out any smoke or sooty deposits.

Unfortunately, due to its lack of legally required documentation, I was unable to take it for a proper drive but the trundle around the car park revealed that apart from the somewhat tired dampers there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

The second car I stumbled on was a little better. Again using the wonder site they call eBay, this one had slightly higher mileage but was two years younger and benefited from the revised interior. Still with tax and MOT, it had 185,000 miles on the clock but had received a recon engine some 30,000 miles previously. Again, being fifty miles away I decided to grill the private seller, who was more than happy to give me the information I needed. Again, making a snap decision I offered £1100 and after some thought he accepted my offer.

This time though I had to collect it and armed with AA card I headed north. When I got there, again I was pleasantly surprised. Certainly this vehicle has never been used for what it was intended (unless Land Rover had a secret brief to design Discoveries to solely do schools runs) and all round it was in excellent condition. Lack of diesel aside, I jumped straight in and headed homeward bound, using a selection of B roads and motorways.

Amazingly, the car pulled from 1000rpm upwards cleanly and with some gusto. On the motorway it settled in to a gentle but not intrusive hum and when it came to motorway inclines a gentle flex with the right foot produced just the shove it needed. The suspension, whilst in need of a new set of dampers again, was quiet with no clonks or untoward movements.

Now, I have never been one for 4x4 vehicles, but even I was impressed – so much so I made a call to the customers informing him in a half joking manner that it was far too good for what he wanted and that I was keeping the vehicle!

What did occur to me on the drive back though was how lucky I was to get this vehicle. Had the guy selling it been of the mind to purchase a new vehicle, this is the sort of car that would have ended up in the scrappage scheme….. and that would have been a genuine shame. The bargains are still out there, despite various reports of the demise of the cheap used car market, you just have to search a little harder for them.

I’m back driving the Integra at the moment, after a period of running the MG because of its kart lugging tow bar. Jumping between the two cars is always an eye opener because despite both being front drivers, they go about ride and handling in such different ways. In some aspects this goes without saying. One is a thinly veiled race car, the other a sporting saloon. However, when the road car starts out performing the track biased car in disciplines you know it shouldn’t, something is quite clearly not right.

Everyone has one, a route which they take on a regular, if not daily basis that gives their car a work out and sets a benchmark in their own mind as to how a car should perform over a certain stretch of road. For me it is my journey to work and from every day. It isn’t a particularly long or high speed trip, but what it does incorporate are some testing twists and turns - points where full acceleration can be used and some uneven road surfaces, ideal for checking the performance of the cars chassis.

Even before I did this journey, things on the Teg didn’t feel quite right. It has never been the sharpest car on turn in, instead its party piece is medium to high speed corners, where it monsters sweeping bends with a complete sense of stability and security. Today however, even a moderate speed roundabout was causing tyre squeal of monumental proportions.

After checking tyre condition (worn, but still a couple of thousand miles left), and pressure (spot on the recommended 30psi), I was left scratching my head. Prior to purchasing the Goodyear GSD3’s the car was wearing, I had run a set of budget Cheng Seng Deathmasters (it was supplied on these by the UK import centre!). These tyres, due to their wooden construction, needed to be run at low pressures to work, so I figured it was worth trying it again and dropped the pressure by 4psi per corner.

Aside from making the ride a little softer, grip was marginally better but the squeal was still there – comically so. A brief net search suggested that aside from the tyres themselves, my problem could be related to a loose or moving suspension component. Whilst a driveway and jack inspection revealed nothing, I figured it would be best to get the car booked in at my local suspension and tyre specialists – Elite – to have a proper look.

Elite’s equipment is probably not unique, but it is one of the best places I know to get anything tyre related sorted. If you ask for a full check, you are presented with a printout showing the current set up of the car including caster camber and toe settings, both for front and rear axles. Their system also references factory settings so it can give you an idea by how much the geometry is out. My printout showed that whilst everything was there or thereabouts, I was toeing out quite a lot, which could explain why the turn in wasn’t as good as expected. A tweak of the tracking and a new set of Toyo T1R boots later, I was a couple of hundred quid lighter and on my way.

Yet again though, Elite had done their job. The front of the car now seemed a lot keener to turn and the annoying squeal had gone, and that’s before the tyres had even been scrubbed in. I now look forward to several more thousand miles of happy high speed driving.

It never ceases to amaze me, every time I visit Elite, how much better something so simple can make the car feel. So, if your car is feeling a little off colour in the handling department, before you do anything else, get your geometry properly checked. Not only may it save you several hundreds of pounds, but you too may have a new found love of your car.

I had an unusual request this week, to look for a wheel chair converted Fiat Doblo. Now I am familiar with the Doblo, a brilliant cheap little utility vehicle, but wheel chair conversions were new to me so I was going in a little blind.

The request had come from a neighbour, whose wife is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. Unfortunately in recent months her health has deteriorated to the point where unless she is a wheel chair she is more or less immobile – not a nice situation for any one but an especially frustrating one for the couple who until recently had enjoyed an active out door life style.

Being of the older generation and quite a proud man, my neighbour had decided to turn down the offer of a leased Motability vehicle, preferring to purchase a used car on his own terms. However, he didn’t know where to start, either on the specification of the conversion or even how much to pay for one. What he did know is that he wanted a Fiat Doblo based car, having previously owned various Fiats.

Not really having much more of a clue, I decided that eBay was as good a starting point as any and at least from there I could see who was doing the conversions, how many different types there were and if indeed the Doblo was the best bet for his needs. Surprisingly, quite a few listings came up for various converted vehicles which it would seem come in many different forms.

Amongst the more common low floor or high roof Doblo / Kangoo / Berlingo conversions, there were a whole plethora of vehicles from Suzuki Wagon R’s through to Mercedes B Classes with varying styles of ramps, extensions and seating arrangements. The other point that I noticed was the disparity of pricing between the vehicles of exactly the same specification and type. I know it’s a specialist market but some dealers were happier to capitalise on this than others.

After many hours or research, reams of print outs and a slightly better understanding of the whole system, we decided to take a look at a vehicle being advertised at a dealer locally. The high roof, powered access Fiat Doblo appeared to be the best for their needs and the 2007 model I had found registered only 1400 miles on the clock and came in at a comparatively bargain price of £7495, little if any more expensive than a non converted model.

Armed with a wheelchair but not unfortunately the lady concerned, we prodded and poked around the converted vehicle, folding flaps, winding winches and folding seats. This particular conversion left the basic vehicle pretty much intact. The winch mechanism was concealed beneath the standard rear seats, along with the frontal chair restraint anchors. The boot floor had been replaced by a laminated surface which housed various quick release channels for further anchoring points, but fundamentally was still flat and as Fiat originally intended. The only give away clue that this wasn’t a standard vehicle was the ramp mechanism, which should it be required, could be removed in a matter of minutes. Overall this was a neat conversion that could either be used as a family five seater or as a three seat plus wheel chair vehicle.

Sadly though, the complexity of the anchoring system was a little daunting for my guy who was concerned that despite the quick release buckles and ratchet mechanisms, he would not be able to secure his wife securely in his advancing years. In some ways I could see his point, but with out a bespoke chair and anchoring system there really wasn’t going to be any other way to do it. The dealer wasn’t too worried though as apparently a lot of interest had been shown in the vehicle by various local taxi companies. After spending the best part of an hour getting to grips with the car, I can see why.

A wasted trip then? Not at all. My neighbour has now decided that for the sort of journeys he will need to do in the future a cab may be a better bet, especially if they are equipped in the same way. I am now trying to find him a local taxi company that can accommodate. For me, a couple of days of education and a healthy dose of respect for the needs of another sector of the motoring public.

It went something like…” I want a convertible, I’ve always wanted one and as this is my choice of car, so that’s what I’m going to have”. It was a stupid thing for me to do, agreeing to alternating “good” cars with my nearest and dearest.

So there I was, the HSV which had been my decent car was to be sold and a convertible bought in its place. You may remember the big Holden had been a bit of a love hate relationship for me, so in some ways it was a bit of a blessing, but being stuck with a 1.25 Fiesta Zetec, whilst not the worst thing in the world, was hardly on the top of my priority list of cars to drive daily.

There was one stipulation though; I wanted to be able to drive the new car, what ever it was. So the search began. We both tested various drop top machinery from Renault Megane’s to Mercedes SLK’s but the one thing in common (for me at least) was the inability to fit in the cabin with the roof up. You see, I have a rather long upper body. Fine in a people carrier but so it would seem, not in a drop top.

When we’d exhausted the list of main stream cars, my thoughts turned to the more specialist machinery. Now, you may not think these days considering the how common they are, but on the list was a Porsche Boxster. A decent 2.7 was the car of choice and a quick search picked up a nice looking car fitted with the obligatory climate control and 18” Turbo design wheels all riding on the sports pack suspension set up.

The test drive went well, I fitted with room to spare and the car felt how it should do, taught and punchy, in fact how I’d perceived a Boxster to feel. So the deal was done and my good lady was now the proud owner of a silver Porsche. At first I wasn’t too keen. There was nothing wrong with the car it was more the image it purveyed. Couple that with feeling quite exposed when the roof was down, I did my best to avoid driving the car too regularly.

Then early one Sunday, I got the chance to use the car for its intended purpose - a good hard blat around some deserted country lanes. I was sold! The steering was beautifully weighted with a stream of information fed back through the leather covered wheel rim. It was no Elise, but as a package it asked for a lot less of a compromise than the little Lotus. The engine was punchy, smooth and tuneful and had just enough grunt to do the chassis justice despite being the lowly 2.7 model.

It was addictive though and it wasn’t just the car, it was the whole Porsche experience. Anyone who is enthusiastic about their cars and has owned one will know. It doesn’t just stop with the four wheels you’ve just purchased; it’s the books, dedicated magazines and the oodles of tasteful accessories that you can buy. There is something about the Porsche company and its rich history that give you a thirst for knowledge. For anyone that thinks this sounds over the top and in the realms of being a bit stato, before I owned the car I felt exactly the same and I know I’m not the only Porsche owner that has experienced this strange phenomenon.

Then eighteen months later it happened and for once it didn’t come from me. The Porsche you own suddenly isn’t good enough and you want better, faster, more. I guess this is why there are so many tuning and aftermarket companies because there is only so far you can go with the “standard” range. Admittedly, the 2.7 was the base model of Porsche’s entire range at the time, so there was room for manoeuvre, but I wasn’t entirely sure considering how sweet this car was. Anyone who is married knows, sometimes you just have to sit there and say – “Yes dear!”

Geed up by various other enthusiastic members on the Boxster internet forum……... “I want a 3.2S, in Cobalt Blue with the PASM pack, leather interior and sports seats”. Sigh……..

Tempering her enthusiasm with a little bit of sanity, I suggested that we have a look round at what was available and ideally find a decent 3.2S in 986 facelift form, which did away with the most annoying part of the original car, the plastic rear screen. Whilst it would have be nice to find one in Cobalt Blue (a special order colour when new), I suggested it may be worth keeping an open mind preferring to buy on condition.

Fortunately the search didn’t take long and quite quickly we’d managed to find a clean looking second generation 3.2S in Polar Silver (another special order colour that suited the car far better than the proposed dark blue), not far from us. With full leather seat, Bose stereo, Turbo 2 wheels, and climate, the spec was better than the previous car but it was missing the sports pack suspension, which as we would find out was a blessing.

It was the drive home that highlighted how much better the standard set up was. Bumps and lumps that would have previously jarred both driver and passenger were now smothered and along the bumpy back lanes of Essex the car covered ground with a fluidity previously missing. Coupled with the extra power, this Boxster was a completely different animal, more aggressive, harder charging, more involving. It was an even more addictive machine.

Together my good lady and I had eighteen great months with this car, during which time it saw many adventures which included ending up on Top Gear (the US edit version) where it was used as a studio car to trekking the length and breadth of the UK. Oh and yes, I did get to thrap it round the TG test track a couple of times as part of the deal.

It was a sad day when it departed our tenureship, but it was for the best. The whole “Porsche experience” had got to my good lady and she was becoming neurotic about the car, parking miles from anywhere so to prevent it getting door dents and spending complete weekends polishing and detailing the exterior. That’s not what a car is all about, especially one as good as the Boxster S. They’re for driving and enjoying, not for sending people nearly ga ga. I would have loved to have kept it, but by this time I had accumulated some other cars to my ever increasing collection, and enough was enough.

Would I have another one? Definitely and a quick look at the classifieds show they’re a bit of a bargain now. Still need to make a bit of space though……

Motor bikes, not something I’ve ever really been interested in. I had a brief flirtation with liking them at the time when Street Hawk was being shown (ooof…. that shows my age) but other than that they have held no interest what so ever for me. This week, however, has been a bit of a bike week and whilst I respect them a little more now, I still can’t get enthusiastic about motorised two wheeled transport.

So, how comes I have been playing with them? For once, it’s a work thing. Without going in to too many boring details, I have a customer who lives in South Africa. Being semi retired he is able to spend most of his time, when he hasn’t travelled back to the UK, bumming around on bikes. Nice life, if you are in to that sort of thing. Unfortunately the equipment he wants isn’t readily available out there, so he goes on a spending spree on his return, which means I get the responsibility of picking the equipment up and getting it ready for shipping.

This time, he wanted two complete Honda XR650’s, or as I am lead to believe, also called Super Moto’s. Last time I collected a bike for him I ended up in Wales, so this time I kept my fingers crossed that he could find something a little more local. Bike number one was found and thankfully was only ten miles away. Later the same day, the e-mail with bike number two landed on my computer and this time I was not quite so lucky.

Now the Isle of Man is somewhere I have always wanted to visit but I figured it would be more of a holiday or leisure destination rather than somewhere I would have to go for work! On contacting the seller, it turned out I still wouldn’t be able to take my first visit to the motoring heaven Isle as the bike was to be shipped to Lancaster Docks, from where I could collected it. Still a bit of a slog from my Essex location, but not as time consuming as it once appeared to be. So, next week I am heading north.

For now though, I was still stuck with bike number one. As it arrived after my customer’s departure from the UK, I get the inevitable questions….. “What’s it like?” I’ve known him for quite a few years now, and he knows cars are my thing but he still asks. “Yeah, it looks okay.”…….. I don’t bloody well know!! It’s a bike. Looks clean enough to me, but I am buggered if I know what’s going on underneath or even have a clue to a tell tale sign of what a bad one looks like.

To get it ready for shipping, the bike needs to be drained of all fluids, and in this case stripped back to leave just the chassis and engine (previous problems with whole bikes ending up in SA in a considerably worse condition than it left the UK, but that’s another story I which involved me and an American Chopper which came from the states…… for another time may be), and the rest of the equipment packed safely in bubble wrap. Now I’ve taken a fair few things apart in my life – cars, karts, lawn mowers, even a part of train once, but never a bike, so this was going to be a new experience.

After five hours, there I was surrounded by a bubble wrap mountain full of parts and a surprisingly small engine and chassis assembly. What struck me was how easy it all was to take apart. If it had been a modern car, there would have been various specialist tools and unique procedures to dismantling, but with the bike just a socket set, a screwdriver and a couple of standard metric spanners and it was all done. There wasn’t even a Torx key in sight. As the Meerkat says….. Simples.

So tell me, what can’t cars be like that? Why do they have to be fitted with manufacturer specific fasteners, sealed units and customer proof fittings? What happened to the good old fashioned car that could be worked on by the Sunday mechanic? This bike at least had been created with simple elegant design, ease of use, ease of maintenance, and for that reason I can imagine seeing it still running in fifty years time. A lot more than can be said about the majority of the bikes four wheeled modern brethren.

Considering my dislike of self shifting transmissions the past couple of weeks have seen me dealing with more than my fair share of them, from an unreliable Audi to a life saving Honda Jazz.

The past couple of weeks have seen me laid up on my sofa at home, leg raised and immobile after snapping the ligaments in my left foot. This has given me time however to deal with the first of my auto box problems, my mothers Audi TT 3.2 fitted with their DSG twin clutch semi auto transmission.

About three weeks ago I got a call from my mother who had broken down. She had pulled up with the dash board flashing gear box fault and the car not able to do much more than about 15mph. As she was close by, I headed to see her, armed with my trusty electronic diagnostic unit to see if it was a quick “reset” fix.

On plugging the unit in, I was greeted with a “Gearbox Solenoid” fault code, and despite a clear down and reset, the car was still not working. As our local Audi dealer was over twenty miles away, I decided to limp it down to our local independent garage whose superior diagnostic equipment may be able to re-enable to car. Sadly, they came up with the same diagnosis but because of the complexity of the gear box, they passed on the repair, but very kindly trailered it to the local Audi dealer.

A couple of days later I receive a phone call from the dealer with the bad news, £1800 plus the VAT, as the ECU has apparently failed. The ECU? Hang on, the car is only five years old, and this piece of equipment has failed? I could have accepted that if it had been a mechanical item that was subject to wear and tear, but an electronic module, that is both service free and abuse proof? Also, it was hardly as if the car was driven hard every day, this is my mother after all, a lady in her advancing years who rules of right and wrong won’t allow her exceed the speed limit, let alone abuse a DSG box! No, I wouldn’t accept it.

Very politely I suggested to the service guy, that he should get straight on to Audi UK customer services and request a good will claim. Being realistic about the situation and aware the car was out of Audi’s warranty, I would be happy to take a part settlement. I know how these things work; my every day real life sees me dealing with power tools, which despite the price disparity, share uncanny customer service issues.

After a couple of days, I finally receive a phone call from Audi UK, stating that under their company policy, the car is too old for a good will claim and we would be liable for the entire cost. Also, it didn’t reflect very well that we had purchased the car from an Audi franchised dealer!

Hmmm. Audi franchised dealers. These are the guy’s that when we went originally to purchase the car (all be it a second hand one), we were ignored and those that did speak to us never contacted us back. The dealer we did purchase the car from may have been a reputable independent, but their customer service was streets ahead of anything the main dealer offered! May be that’s something you should look at Audi?

The question I have to ask is, bearing in mind these gearboxes are now fitted to other VW group products, is do Audi (VAG) think that five years is an acceptable life span for this piece of equipment, and if they do is £1800 plus VAT an acceptable cost. Considering that this gearbox is now fitted to a SEAT Ibiza - On the road price £12,350 – what happens when this car has a similar failure in five years time? Do you scrap the car because it is uneconomical to repair? Considering the current environmental issues surrounding the motor industry and its products, this isn’t a great advert for them.

As it stands, I have not accepted their decision and intend to fight them further. Watch this space.

Now my two weeks of enforced rest is up however, I have to get off my back side and get back to work. Unfortunately to do that I need a car and as my ankle is still not repaired properly yet (the physio reckons another three weeks before I should try operating a clutch again!!), I need an automatic car. This means that I get lumbered with the company dodgem (sorry, pool car), a Honda Jazz.

Fitted with a paddle operated CVT box, with a pre-programmed seven speed option, it is actually quite good fun to pedal along in sport mode, even if it isn’t that fast. It takes some getting used to though, finding the optimal change up points, but once you’ve cracked it, it’s far quicker than the standard auto option. That said, I still don’t think it is a patch on the regular torque converter style box fitted to the Nissan Note I tested a couple of months ago.

Even so, I am still looking forward to getting back in to a standard manual boxed car. It has been an experience though, not one I wish to repeat too soon. If I had to recommend an auto car though, I certainly wouldn’t suggest anything from Audi or the VW group. That’s not because of sour grapes, it is down to the fact I don’t believe that they have the durability of some of their rivals.

No, if I had to recommend one, it would not be of German origin. It may sound like a cliché, but the old adage still stands, if you want a reliable car, buy Japanese.

It’s happened. I have officially become old!

Why?

I have fitted a tow bar to the MG, so that I can….. well…. tow things. I’m slipping rapidly in to middle age! This isn’t quite the full story though.

About a month ago, I decided that I was getting a bit portly and some exercise was needed. Being a gym hater, I pondered all the other types of exercise that I could do to reduce my girth and the only one that really gave me any enthusiasm was karting.

I used to kart quite a bit, mainly endurance racing, which took me all over the country and used to keep me very fit. In recent years however, I gave it up, mainly down to the difficulty of trying to get reliable team mates. Unfortunately, once a racer, always a racer and in the back of my mind I have always wanted to get back out on track. This time though, I decided that I needed to be self sufficient and that my involvement would be on a strictly open practice day basis, just to get me fit. Well, that was the plan anyway.

The idea was to purchase a cheap twin engined Honda Prokart, which would be inexpensive, reliable and easy to run. Maintenance is generally non existent and a decent race set up one can be great fun, unlike the heavy clunker hire versions that you find at many an arrive and drive kart centre. So I hit eBay with a mental limit of £500 and an itchy bidding finger.

A couple of days later I was picking up my winnings, an unknown chassis make complete with newly rebuilt trailer and spares package (read a load of karting bits the guy just wanted to get rid of!). It wasn’t the most wonderful kart in the world, but for the money it was right and I could get back on track again. The only thing I would need to do was adjust the seat to fit.

This is where it all started to go wrong.

There are certain things that you do in life that give you pleasure. They shouldn’t, but they do. Prepping a kart is one such thing for me. There is something very cathartic about cleaning down, tightening, tweaking, and generally working on a kart for me, and I hadn’t realised it until this point.

Looking a lot better for its tinkering, the kart and I ventured on to track the next day. I had decided that it was just exercise, and it didn’t matter if the kart wasn’t that quick, the important thing was that I would be building my stamina and getting fit. Except that it didn’t happen like that. At the track was another Prokart, which whilst neatly prepared would have not caused me any problems in the past. Today though, he was quicker, no matter what I did, and that didn’t sit well with me.

Aside from my extra weight, main problem were the tyres. Fitted to the kart when purchased, it was clear that the compound was too soft and they were creating too much grip for the chassis. The next issue were the engines. Ignoring the grip issues, they were feeling lazy and unable to rev out properly. So, off home I headed with a mental list of bits I needed to get the engines feeling stronger and me lapping quicker.

As I sat on eBay surfing for newer chassis, valve springs, Alfano digital readouts and race prepped engines, I realised something. Gone was the mind set that I was doing this as a cheap way to get fit, it was now about winning, being the fastest and best. I wanted to race again. I wanted to win.

It’s a curious thing, human nature and the need for competition. As much as we try to fight it, we always manage reverting to our basic instincts. At this exact point in time, I have an engine stripped down on my work bench, several bids in on eBay and order in for a new race suit. Inside the fire is still burning. Where did it all go wrong…….?

Many years before some bright spark at Vauxhall realised there may be a market for a cut price super saloon from Australia, an Aussie bloke called Rod decided that he was going to bring the Antipodean equivalent of a BMW M5 in to the UK for us Brits to enjoy. When I discovered this was happening, there was only one thing I could say….. I Just Want One!

My love of Holden started one rainy Saturday afternoon, when the BBC broadcast what I believed to be the best motor racing I had ever seen, the Hardies 1000 from Australia, a race petrol heads would come to know as Bathurst. Racing round the track were not only the Rover SD1’s I supported at the time in the British Touring Car Championship, but V8 engined Fords and Vauxhall Senators with big spoilers! The noise, even on the television, was fantastic and the racing was close. I was in heaven!

My quest for knowledge at that age was endless and within weeks I knew all about the cars, the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon and the legendary drivers such as Peter Brock and Alan Grice. The cars were different and far more interesting than the bland Sierra Cosworths that were starting to fill the European grids. Over the years I continued to watch the Bathurst race and follow the fortunes of then Holden Racing Team.

Roll forward a good few years. I had spent the best part of six years driving Peugeot 306’s and I wanted something different. Business was good, company car tax rules were different and it was suggested that I buy a new car, to prevent the tax man taking too much from the company. The itch to own a V8 had never gone away so I looked around at what I could get. Aside from anything uber expensive, I was really only left with two options, a left hand drive officially imported Chevrolet Camaro or a used BMW M5. Unfortunately, neither really did it for me. Then one day, in a quarter page add in the back of Autocar came my answer, the Holden Special Vehicles GTS.

I contacted HSV UK, who at the time were the importers and to my luck one of the original demo cars had just come up for sale, a Blue VT1 model of which there were only three in the country. A quick trip to Milton Keynes where they were based and a test drive later, the Holden was mine!

The VT1 was the first of the “new shape” cars, effectively a Vauxhall Omega with a couple of inches added. Fitted to it was a 5.7 litre LS1 Chevrolet engine from a Corvette. This engine was a simpler than the later models, but still kicked out 300bhp and made the most incredible V8 noise. Being an earlier car, the body trim was highlighted with a goldy silver paint. Initially I was a bit put off by this colouration, but as time went on it grew on me to the point where the later models that were all body coloured looked almost a little bland.

It attracted attention every where it went. It was very different from anything else that was available at the time, and the noise was just stopped people in their tracks. A little bit of research also revealed the car I had was actually the press car, most famously driven by a Mr J Clarkson in one of his videos (yes, they were still video’s at the time).

Sadly though, as the months went by, the dynamics disappointed. The steering was dead, and the suspension a little too soft for my liking. Don’t get me wrong, in no way did the car handle anything less than perfectly, it just lacked involvement in every day driving, unless you were travelling at speeds way in excess of the national limit. In some ways it was boring, and far too sensible for me, after all it’s a little anti social to go sideways (one of the HSV’s best party tricks) in to Tesco’s car park. Perhaps my jump from hot hatch to super saloon was a too bigger leap?

Recently I drove one of the race prepped HSV’s as used in a one make series in the far East, at the Rockingham Circuit in Northampton. Certain items such as the gearbox and steering had been retained for these particular cars and driving it was like being taken back eight years. The speeds used were obviously higher than on road use but the underlying feeling of frustration was still there.

Despite all of this I still look back on my time with the HSV with fond memories, to the point where, on long journeys, I miss it refined long legged nature and big comfy seats. Would I have another one, or even its grandson, the VXR8? You bet. Still beats an M5 for me every day.

Well, I’ve had the car a month now and all seems to be going well. The replacement inlet manifold is working well with no rattles or noises and no other problems (touch wood) seemed to have manifested themselves. This doesn’t mean that the car has been left alone though.

After the issues with inlet manifold, I decided to try and prevent the problem occurring again, so one of the first jobs on my to do list was fit an oil catch tank. The premature wear on the actuation arm is thought to come from the oil vapour that is recirculated in to the inlet manifold. The oil, along with various particulate matter is supposed to get in to the ball and socket joint and create premature wear. By fitting an oil catch tank, this problem is supposed to be eliminated. Thirty quid on eBay and about ten minutes worth of fitting later, the ZS was fitted with a shiny silver aluminium oil catch tank. Let’s just hope it work!

Next up was the stereo. One of the most important safety features, in my opinion, that can be fitted to any car is a blue tooth hands free kit. However on trying to fit the Mutant unit that I had kicking around, I found the aperture for the radio on the ZS is not deep enough to accommodate anything other than the standard fit unit. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I was not prepared mess the look of the dash up and sit the head unit further forward, so I took to the plastic moulding at the back with a hacksaw blade. Fortunately there are no wires or cables running behind, so it was a relatively simple job. Once out, the stereo fitted straight off.

Another important safety item, the front tyres were next on the list. I knew the tread was getting low when I bought the car and preferred to negotiate a discount rather than get the dealer to replace them, and put on some Chinese no branded make that would send the car understeering off in to the scenery. As this is effectively my third car, top notch tyres were less of an issue, although I still wanted something that handled and stopped come rain or dry. A quick look at black circles revealed that other than the ultra cheap Hung Well death masters, the Kumho was the next best bet. Having used Kumho’s before on my mum’s TT, dad’s Jazz and one of the company vans, I was fully aware that they were a good tyre, in every case before out performing the original fit equipment.

Once on, their 100% success record was unbroken, the car gripping and handling in all conditions. For £65.00 per tyre, I figured this is probably one of the best value bits you could buy to improve the MG.

Lastly was something that was purely cosmetic. I’ve always thought the ZS lacks something in frontal visual drama, so I thought I’d look round for an after market front spoiler / splitter that doesn’t look chavvy! I eventually found one from Poland that seems to fit the bill, understated and looks almost like original equipment. One hundred pounds later, it’s ordered and on it’s way so I wait with anticipation to see if it’s as good as the photo’s look!

The most important bit though, of course, is driving the car and from that aspect I am smitten! I am pleasantly surprised by the overall competence of the package considering both the age of the design and budget that MG had when they were creating the car. The ride and handling is excellent and certainly doesn’t feel like it comes from a base that dates back to 1995. The engine, whilst newer, spins sweetly and has plenty of torque. The seats, also used in the MG ZT are big and comfortable, whilst being supportive. Ironically for a car with so much sporting intent, it also does an amazing impression of a great cruiser. Shame it never came with cruise control then. The only issue, as I mentioned in the last report, is the quality of the cabin materials, even though they are screwed together well and don’t rattle or squeak.

Whilst cruising along the M11, I pondered about how good a modern day MG would have been like if the company hadn’t have gone to the wall; the great wall that is. Not what we are expected to get at some point, a Chinese MG but a genuine British engineered ZS replacement, the sort they had in the pipe line in the form of the RD60. We’ll never know though and that’s sad, not only for me as I’ve taken a bit of a shine to my MG, but to thousands of other people, be they MG Rover workers or other enthusiastic owners.

For a relatively humble car, the Peugeot 306 has had an impact not only on me but on thousands of other people. It was a vehicle that had as greater reputation for being a cracking diesel as it did for being a stonking hot hatch. In fact, so great was the impact that I ended up owning four of them in various different flavours.

After my 309, I was sold on Peugeots. When the chance to have a company car came up, first on my wish list was a 306. Unfortunately I was still quite young and the insurance companies were not on my side, so again I had look for the most potent model that was still insurance friendly. Enter the 1.8XT. With only 105bhp from its 1.8 8V petrol engine, it was a tad slower than the 309, but as a package the car was so much better.

First up were the looks. The rounded body and voluptuous hips were a million miles away from its slab sided predecessor, not only did this car have functionality it had beauty too. Inside also, Peugeot took a massive step forward with the quality of its materials and design of its cabin. The dash top glove box, covered with the same fabric as the seats on the XT, was a novel feature that proved useful (although when air bags became the norm on later models this disappeared).

The whole car was wider, which not only improved the interior space, but transformed the way the car handled. Gone was the slightly rolly polly body control, replaced by a flat footed but still game chassis that still had the ability to entertain as well as comfort the passenger. Even the XT, which could only really be described as a regular model sat on a set of 175 x 14 tyres, went round corners in a way that shamed many a hot hatch of the time.

My tenure of this particular car only lasted eighteen months as this vehicle seemed to have the engine from hell. After going back under warranty for engine bottom end bearings, engine management and several other issues, I had to suggest that I swap it. Again though, I was sold by the handling so there was only one car to have, an XSi.

With 123bhp this had usefully more grunt, along with all the sporting paraphernalia that I had desired since my first Astra. That said, it was still quite subtle, and in its Diablo Red metallic colour (arguably the best colour for a 306), it looked smart. Handling again took a step forward with revised damper rates, stiffer springs and wider tyres, but in true Peugeot fashion, this was done without ruining the handling. The two litre engine was a gem and being an eight valve lump had plenty of low end torque, even if it didn’t rev its heart out.

As it turned out, it was also the best built 306 I’d own, never once during my time of ownership did it rattle or squeak. It did have its downsides though and like many a Peugeot owner of the time I would have quite happily taken a sledge hammer to the push button keypad that operated the immobiliser. This was another car I wish I could have kept, but this was only in hindsight as at the time there was one car I wanted more, the GTi-6.

The GTi-6 was a true revelation and the first properly quick car that I’d own. Performance compared to my other 306’s was in a different league and the six speed box was more than just a novelty. Handling was broadly the same as the XSi, if not slightly lighter on its feet although this may have been something to do with entering any particular corner around 10MPH quicker than I had done previously. The steering was fluid and spoke to you in a way today’s electrically assisted systems do not. It was a real driver’s tool and had qualities that I have been unable to find in more modern machinery.

I ended up owning that car for nearly four years, I loved it that much, until I was told that I had to change it (company car policy). The problem was I didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to get to replace it, so I went for something completely different. More about that in another blog.

The 306 itch never left me though and the time I bought another one I had opted out of the company car scheme down to the government changing the taxation rules. Also the house hold car count had grown to two, one performance car and one shopping car. This time the 306 was the shopping car.

The XS I ended up acquiring by accident. I had a plan to build myself a “light weight” 306, something cheap and cheerful. I asked a friend who dealt in category C and D write offs, if he could find something suitable on which I could create my shopping come track day car out of. A couple of weeks later he gives me a call saying he’s found a black car that looks a bit tasty for a couple of grand, virtually no work needed and not actually written off. When I get the chance to see it, it turned out to be a 1.8 16v XS, a model I’d never heard of.

Doing a little more investigation is turned out to be a little bit of a sweet spot in the 306 range. Built as a run out model, it came fitted with the free revving 115bhp, 1.8 16v lump from a 406. Body kit (as with most late 306’s) was the same as the GTi-6, as was the widened track rear axle. The best bit was group 5 insurance. On the road it didn’t disappoint either, being suitably feisty and handling with the same sort of aplomb as the 6. So good was the car he found that I decided not to strip it, instead keeping it original.

Sadly though, it was now where near as well built as previous models I had owned, and after a couple of years, my love affair with the 306 was over. The new airbag seats were no where near a comfortable, giving me back ache, and there was an incredibly annoying rattle from the back of the dash. It was time to move on.

I will look back on my 306 days with great fondness, it was a fantastic all rounder and one of the most entertaining cars I will probably ever own. Sadly though, Peugeot followed it with the 307 and 308, cars now where near as good, despite being better built. One day they may make a return to their former glory, but for now I am happy to have the memory of four of their best models.