Wind-Up

On the way back from Somerset the passenger side window fell out – Oh, the joys of vintage car ownership! Luckily at that exact moment we happened to pass an AA van which was parked up and the mechanic was having lunch. He very helpfully temporarily fixed the glass in place so we could continue the journey (raining again). When I got back I ordered a new window rail from the very efficient Douglas Valley Breakers (at half the price of a new part from Porsche) and headed down to my local vintage Porsche specialists HP Motorsports, who were great

While I was there I saw this beautiful 911 Carrera:


Then when I went to pick up my car the next day this beautiful Ferrari 330 2+2 pulled up:

Friends

Me and my friend Dave drove down to Sommerset in the 911 to visit Sid. The car survived a huge downpour for most of the journey, and was surprisingly comfortable, even on a long trip like this (200 miles)

When we arrived I parked infront of Sid’s Saab 900, also blue and made in 1981…

911 in Motion

Here is the new car in action. This is the first day I got it, and I was horrified to learn that I had to pick the dog up on the way home! – she seemed to like it though

1981 911 SC Targa

Last week I took the plunge and bought this beautiful 911 from a private seller in Southampton. This is my first 80s supercar and I am totally in love with it! The colour is 30T Light Blue Metallic, the interior is blue with grey flannel. The condition of this car is not perfect, with some minor paint blemishes etc, but I had it checked out by Porsche specialist JMG who gave it the all clear and confirmed the seller was asking the right price taking everything into consideration. This is an amazing car to drive, so I’m going out in the sun for a spin, bye!

911 – tail or no tail?

The gold one is from 1982 the blue 1981

UPDATE: As far as I can tell, the spoiler on a 911 has no practical function unless it is a turbo model. On the turbo there is a larger engine which needs extra ventilation and Porsche decided that instead of redesigning the back of the car to allow for this they would put on a rear spoiler which has the dual function of allowing the ventilation and holding down the back end at very high speeds. What happened next was that people ordering the non-turbo models liked the look of the rear wing and asked for it as an extra on their cars. By 1980 it was added as an official factory option and thats why so many 911sc and Carrera cars from the 80s have them. So I actually prefer the simplicity of the exposed rear, especially on the Targa model with its beautiful wraparound back window

Esprit Variants

To illustrate my point in the previous post here are the various S models

Red Esprit

Like many car designs, in my opinion the Esprit got progressively less attractive over its long production life. This is a 1982 S3 and still retains some of the beauty of the original 1975 design. Perhaps the problem is that the original designs were often tweaked over the years by in house designers or engineers, and the original vision of the often iconic designers (people like Pininforina or Bertone, or in the case of the Esprit, Giugiaro) was lost. The dilemma for todays buyer is that the ongoing tweaks often resulted in far superior handling and performance, plus the fact that younger cars are generally more desirable, and the result is the more attractive car is an inferior drive

This one is on Car and Classic, for around £6800. From the seller:

“THIS IS MY SONS CAR , HE IS AN ACTOR AND CAR IS NOW ON SORN, LOADS OF HISTORY , JUST SPENT £400.00 ON NEW FLYWHEEL ITS NOT TAXED BUT WHO EVER BUYS IT IT WILL HAVE A BRAND NEW MOT, MY SON REQUIRES A SMALLER CAR ,SAY A 5 SERIES BMW UP TO £1000.00 SO A P/EX IS POS , THERE ARE NO KNOWN FAULTS ON THE CAR AND IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE HISTORY U WILL KNOW WHY …ITS GOT ALL THE MOTS ! OH YES IT HAS , FROM 1985 !THERE IS A BILL HERE FOR OVER £3.000.00 FOR COMPLETE OVERHAUL SERVICE , ECT THAT WAS IN 2003 .. MILEAGE THEN 44814 AND ITS STILL ONLY DONE JUST OVER 50K !NEXT BILL IN 2003 NEW CLUTCH MASTER AND CLUTCH SLAVE PADS FRONT AND REAR ECT …EXHAUST IN 2000 £308.00AND THE LIST GOES ON IF I HAD £6995.00.00 I WOULD BUY IT ITS NOT BEEN USED , AND LOOK AT THE NUMBER PLATE !MY SON SAYS IT HAS TO GO SO IF YOU GOT A P/EX AND SOME CASH GIVE ME A BELL , BE QUICK NOT MANY LOW MILEAGE ONES ABOUT ! BOLTON OVER 400 WATCHERS ! HAVE REDUCED TODAY 25/12/10…ITS GOT TO GO !P/EX POS ANY CAR UP TO £2000 + CASH , or make me a fair offer ……………..i would still p/ex on any bmw …. honda legend … jaguar…in fact anything nice !”

Silver Excel

Here is an ebay auction. Its about £2500

From The seller: “Hi welcome to the sale of my classic LOTUS EXCEL SE.

I am a retired aircraft engineer and I always run a classic car as my very day vehicle as a running restoration, and this is my 3rd project. My previous 2 were a Mercedes 280 sl and a Panther lima 2 turbo they each took 3 years and gave me a great deal of pleasure. But age is beating me and I have been advised to find something less strenuous to keep me amused.

The lotus has had a lot of money spent on it by previous owners but most of the early history is missing.

When I purchased the car last year she had been kept on the Isle of Man from 2005/6.

The registration docs show she had a colour change from red to silver, and looking at the quality of the job it must have required a major strip down.

The HPI check shows 16000 on the clock at this point. I believe there must have been a major overhaul of the engine at this stage as the motor runs like a clock with oil pressure at 4 bar running hot and 1.5 bar at tick over hot.

I sorted the running faults due to lack of use by the previous owner. Stripped and rebuilt the twin choke carbs and fitted a electronic fuel pump. She now runs like a dream and will return 30mpg on a run.

The car is not a show winner but with the full leather interior and the smart paint job is a pleasure to own. The engine is oil and water tight and has not funny noises the Toyota gearbox is superb, as is the rest of the Toyota running gear. There are no water leaks to the body and the roof liner looks like new.

The brakes and tyres have about 2000 miles of use

Faults. Small crack on bumper (my fault ) micro blisters on the headlamp pods.

The clutch master cylinder had a small weep when I got it so I have a new cylinder but have yet to fit it (not difficult).

Ring oblong spot on nearside needs changing, not an mot item

The passenger door latch is a bit slow (do not slam the door)

Small hole in leather over rear wheel arch. The leather interior could do with some hide food etc. the leather fillet at the base of the windscreen has shrunk in the sun. I have a supply of leather to carry out repairs.

There is a full lotus workshop manual with the car.

I have tried to cover most items I can remember.

I will only accept offers from a person who has viewed the car”

Redness

The Whiteness

Year/Reg:1987 (D)
Mileage:98,000
Engine size:2.2L
Fuel type:Petrol
Transmission:Manual
Body style:Coupe
Colour:White
2 Doors, Manual 5 speed, Coupe, Petrol, 98,000 miles, White, MOT-09-2011, 2 Owners.
Last owner 21 years,recent engine rebuilt from lotus specialist g s t performance which cost 2000 pounds,folder full of paper work,all previous mots,lots of money spent on it with invoices,rare car in very good condition, Full Service History, Leather upholstery, Sports seats, Wood\/wood effect trim, ABS, Air conditioning, service history, Alloy wheels, Climate Control, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Power assisted steering, Spoiler. AA parts/labour warranty available, 7 day free Norwich Union insurance available subject to status, £3,595 ono