Irrational Lockdown Car Consideration

[jonno1]

In my spare room-break from Zoom-boredom....I want this:

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1299018

This one won't move into the "Hi, can I ask for some more photos and information" stage of idle mid-afternoon messing, but it certainly has me applying a certain level of consideration as to whether I can conjure up any reason to add this one to the fleet.

What have you guys been irrationally considering? And has anyone got to the brink, only to come to your senses at the last minute.....

[911hillclimber]

I'm retired, so apart from 1 Zoom meeting for the Car Club every month my mind drifts a bit, esp when watching TV such as Car SOS etc etc.

I still have a real hankering to do a Triumph Spitfire.
Cheap to find, cheap to rebuild in comparison to a Porsche by a country mile. New front calipers for 1/2 the price of a rebuilt A caliper.

I don't have the space thankfully, and that is the deciding factor to bring me down to earth. (other than the wife)

On the other side, a pre WW2 car, but not sure I have the patience for one.

Above all it is getting things to do and a bit of a challenge, hence doing the motorcycles.

[KS]

I keep getting drawn back to this. I've examined it in person and it is in quite amazing condition, having been well prepared for some gentlemen driver events, of which it appears to have done a few. Had it been for sale when I chopped in my Cayman, I could have been a Lancia owner instead of a 914-er.

https://www.williamscrawford.co.uk/list ... oupe-1976/

[dt4]

In my spare room-break from Zoom-boredom....I want this:

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1299018

This one won't move into the "Hi, can I ask for some more photos and information" stage of idle mid-afternoon messing, but it certainly has me applying a certain level of consideration as to whether I can conjure up any reason to add this one to the fleet.

What have you guys been irrationally considering? And has anyone got to the brink, only to come to your senses at the last minute.....

Not a particularly relevant comment in respect to the car in the link but, I have had 7 GT4's of various models.
ST165, st185's and st205's and they are a great car, appreciating in price. They are a bit heavy in standard trim but can be made to go well.
The rally trim version in the link looks great.

[3ftDeep]

Well, I went a bit further than consideration.
Should I have been concentrating on my 356 restoration? Yes.
Did this catch my eye instead. Yes.

I saw this on ebay back in Jan 2020 and it was a bargain. No sign of lockdown at the time. Trailered it home and basically had to get it sorted so I could move it as it took up all of my drive:



So, I knew I had to put it all back together. Almost everything was in poor shape - electrics, engine, bodywork and the actual camper part. I also knew when I bought it that the camper frame probably needed rebuilding but, once I go into it, had to rebuild more or less everything; inside and out:





So, this is what I unwittingly spent much of the first lockdown doing - in the blazing summer sun (I have really fair skin so burn on cloudy days!!). Got it up and running and MOT'd for a short weekend after first lockdown. Still much to do but it's 90% there.




Should I have now returned my gaze back to the 356 restoration? Yes!
Then ....
This came up locally. Once again, it was too good to miss. I'd been looking at these for a couple of years but wasn't really looking to buy until I'd finished other stuff (356 included). It was a non runner but have sorted that. Just waiting for UK registartion docs as it had never been registered after import.



So, more stuff, less space and the 356 is still waiting. All good fun though, eh : )

[alastairp]

Great job on the LT camper.

No gun for the outfit?

It would need to be a very trusting passenger in the chair to face the oncoming traffic!

[3ftDeep]

Thanks. I love the LT. Just need time to finish it and, more importantly, no pandemic to be able to use it.

Alas, no gun with the sidecar. I was going to repaint the whole thing but I now quite like the camo so might invest in a dummy MG 34 or similar. Who knows.

Regarding the danger of being a sidecar passenger ... I wouldn't know as I'll never be in it : )
Actually, I've put the sidecar in storage for now and will ride it as a solo for a bit, when I'm able.

[hot66]

think those 2 deffo qualify for this thread

[gridgway]

I thought that LHD motorbike/sidecar combos weren't allowed on the road in the UK. No idea why I thought that though.

[Sam]

So far this lockdown I have decided to buy:

A Rolls Royce 20/25 (why is so much car so cheap?)
A historic single seater (again, no money compared to historic tin tops or sports cars)
An XJS (a minter won’t be <20k for long when an E Type is 5 times the price, surely?)
A Saab Sonnet (Google it)
A Citroen AX 4WD rally car (who knew?)
All the motorbikes

In reality I’ve bought naff all of course.

Digging the LT no end.

[jwhillracer]

What a brave man taking on that big a rebuild on the LT!

We used to have a great old LT that had previously been all over Europe in the hands of various notables including Mike Smith, racing 356's and loaded with spares. We took it all over UK competing and holidaying, and also as a refuge from wind and rain on our stand at local agricultural shows. We sold it and it to another 911 Speed competitor.
It wasn't exactly a model of reliability, the 6 cyl diesel was quite fragile. We had one complete new engine and at least 2 new cylinder heads, but it was a lot of fun, and could go a lot of places that more fancy machinery couldn't, like a straight through a flooded Prescott orchard, with trailer and car on the back, in the super low 1st gear and just ticking over.


It had a fabulous garage and workshop in the back, we heard rumours of how many 356 engines and gearboxes Mike Smith could squeeze in there!




If you have half as much fun as we did with ours, you will be delighted!

JW

[3ftDeep]

That's excellent : )
I'm not new to old VWs but am new to LT's - before last Feb at least!! We'd looked at maybe getting a T25 Karmann Gipsy or Cheetah, then the LT came up.

For those who don't know, the engine is at the front, under a 'pod' in the middle of the cab. If you have a passange bench seat, you have to swing this up and out of the passenger side door to gain access (it's hinged)
As such, to work on the engine from above you have to sit in the rear of the van, facing forwards, usually on my knees on an old towel. It's a 2.4lt straight six diesel. No fancy electroincs and no turbo.

I spent so much time working on it that it was like spreading out a prayer mat and making regular, daily offerings to an ungrateful daity : )

[3ftDeep]

I also went to look at a 3 cars a friend of a friend was selling. I intended to buy them all but the price he wanted was a bit steep:

Grinnall Scorpion
Renault Alpine GTA (driven into a grage 14 years ago and there it lay)
Mid 90s Mercades 220 (I think. Something like that - he was going to throw this in if i bought the other two)

My wife was relieved I didn't. The Grinnall would have been a hoot 8 ) This was before the bike came along. I'd have still bought that too : ) Lockdown is certainly a crazy mistress. The stuff I have on my ebay watch list - not necessarily to actually buy but just to muse a little.

[Dougieboy1]

What i bought - arrived from France, October 2020



What it already looks like in my head



The reality, last sunday.....

[8bit-ash]

Moment of Lockdown madness you say, not quite a car but it does have an engine...



Its well and truly put a holt to my 911 progress!