Very interesting thread

Shouldn't that be spelt "GixerRjunkeez", for consistency?

 

I was on my way to Kirkwall and because it was the frozen Norf in
January my then employer decided that hiring a Range Rover would make
more sense than my then company Sierra. I was making good progress and
the snow was only light with most of the main roads being clear
although the radio was reporting some of the non coastal roads as
being dodgy.

So all was going fine until I got to about here http://tinyurl.com/36tvtb
when the road started going downhill with a slight bend which the car
ignored my feeble attempts to steer and brake on approach to. So after
a bit of fishtailing around I was headed for the verge on the opposite
side. At this point I knew I was going to ding it but naively thought
I was going to crumple a wing since the approaching ditch was hidden
by the piled up snow.

So with a couple of tons of car on it the snow gave way and the front
on the Range Rover dropped a couple of feet into the ditch where it
found a lump of something (boulder, concrete) and stopped. The back of
the car took this opportunity to conserve some momentum and pivoted
about the stationary front ending up with the whole plot 1/2 in the
ditch and upside down.

The contents of the boot flew around inside and something clonked me
on the head[1] in the process. So I got out by kicking out the front
windscreen and staggered out covered in blood. To the entertainment of
a couple of locals who'd stopped having realised that upside down
Range Rovers implied something more than crap parking. They took me
to the local Doctor who sewed up the tiny[2] head wound and I was
stuck in the local pub[3] for 3 days until a new car could be sourced.

[1] that may explain some things
[2] from the amount of blood I thought I'd done a lot more damage.
[3] amazing collection of whiskeys

 

My Dad bought a Hunter. Not through choice, really: we were going to
live in Libya and this being 1974, the Libyans had an embargo on
companies that did business with Israel.

At the time, British diplomats got an interest-free loan from the
Foreign Office to buy a car for overseas, as long as it was a British
car (not Ford or GM: British-owned).

Leyland did business with Israel and was on the embargo list. Hillman
was Rootes, and not yet GM-owned, and for some reason was 'clean'. He
wanted an Avenger, but as he only had one leg, he needed to have all his
cars converted to hand throttles on the steering column[1] and the
Avenger had too much steering column clutter, so the Hunter it was.

I remember he specified stiffened suspension to cope with Libyan roads.
Man, that car was *firm*. Remarkably reliable, though. I don't think it
ever broke down.

I also remember it was shipped out from Docklands (this must have been
he last gasp of the London Docks) and it arrived minus radio, loads of
other fittings, and all four wheels. Some pikey dockers had swiped the
lot and fitted bald tyres on old knackered rims.

[1] Pa's cars were fun to drive for this reason. Big Bruvver, when we
were in Iran, used to put Pa's Land Rover on the dual carriageway and
rest his feet on the dashboard.

 

Heh.

 

Oh, I was amused. But you're right: I wasn't going to giggle in front of
her. A right gob on her, she had.

 

No, not yet, but I've come fucking close. Then I've thought "how did
I get away with that", and that's why that thread struck a chord. It
just takes one of those times to go slightly wrong and you're inside.

 

Head wounds bleed like hell, don't they? Something to do with loadsa
blood vessels just under the skin.

 

You use txt-speak?

Aiiiieeeeeeeeeeee!

 

<fx:remembers TOGTour>

*phew* Close call.

 

1. My sister's Mini Traveller: reversed it into a tree.
2. Company Fiesta 1.1L: going too fast round a bend, off onto the verge
and went over a drainage ditch, ripping a hole in the sump and
concertina-ing the floorpan. I may have previously had a pint.

 

Good point, well made.

 

Eh? Oh. I did, up there, but I haven't changed this sig file yet.

Better?

 

My uncle was the British Consul in Lyons about that time. He had a Triumph
2000 and some variety of landcrab, both in white.

 

"Also extraordinary things."

 

The company I worked for at the time had similar reasons for buying Brit
cars. I went through quite a few too. Morris Marina, Avenger, Hunter and a
Rover 3500. Things eventually changed and both Ford and Vauxhall came onto
the list. No Beemers though.

The Hunter GT had (if memory serves well enough) about 144 bhp from it's
1700+cc engine which wasn't bad back in the 70's. The handling didn't
compliment the power though and neither did the brakes.

I managed to cook the engine on one after not bothering to check the coolant
level. It took a long hard drive from Telford to Sheffield to kill it dead
though.

Nowadays we get cars from Japan for the boy racers and they NEVER arrive as
they set off. FTO's, Skybarges, Supra's etc, all seem to arrive with aircon
systems removed on the journey along with any decent electrical bits and
pieces such as TV's and DVD's Not the cleverest of thieves though, coz the
TV's don't work over here and most of the DVD's aren't region free, so
they've got a limited "audience" too. There must be a lock-up full of
useless aircon units somewhere too.

This in a country where no matter what, the driver's at fault if he's a
furriner?



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

That's my father-in-law's favourite parking method. He's got a summer house
in the wilds of sunny Sweden and he's left two cars on their roof on his way
there over the last few years.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

<raises finger>

Out of the factory, the Holbay-engined Hunter GLS, with its twin 40
DCOEs, only managed 93bhp. I believe the GT had a lower power output,
in the region of 75bhp. You're right about the suspension and brakes,
mind.

I had a 1965 Humber Sceptre, one of the more comely vehicles I've
owned, fitted with a Holbay motor and overdrive box. Even though it
was a heavy old shed, once I'd replaced the springs and shocks and
fitted wider wheels with radials, it had a try at cornering(1).
Didn't stop very well, but with a re-jet and a fast road cam it scared
2litre Capri owners at traffic light GPs ;-)


1. Better than the standard skinny rims, that came fitted with
remould crossplies, in any case.

 

No, it really only takes one thing - someone being where they'll get
in your way.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (bdotrogers a.t compaqnet.fr)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

Champ says...

Even the works BDA equipped Mk1 RS1600 Escorts were only punting out
160bhp, normal figure was 120bhp for the road going car. Mk1 Escort
Mexicos with a crossflow 1600 only put out 86bhp as standard, and they
were considered fairly quick for a road car.

--
Lozzo
Triumph Daytona 955i SE
Suzuki SV650 K3
Honda CBR600 F-W
Yamaha SR250 SpazzTrakka
Suzuki GSX-R750L

 

But only one "other" thing. And indeed, this was based on the
assumption that you were crashing in the first place ("thing" No.1)
which is not necessary either.

Just driving too fast and someone being in the wrong place at the
wrong time is ample.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (bdotrogers a.t compaqnet.fr)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`