Iain's (Delta Racing Car) Builder's Tea Break 2015

[John Turner]

Mike you are not that wrong but I did own an M6 for many years so a case of been there done that. Tim that 944 (an early one?) must have been a bad one because for build quality and all round performance my 944S2 was probably the best all round car I ever had but it didn't have the presence and character of the M6. Both were underrated but being noticed now. Probably the car I loved the most was my old E12 M535i. I had it for years and would have kept it forever but for my divorce. My Sabre 6 and my first Lotus Sunbeam both provided loads of fun. Ah, such reminiscing!

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

XR3 or XR3i?

XR3 then I had an XR3i and after that I bought my brother's RS1600i. To be honest there wasn't much difference between the carb and injected XR3s but the RS was a totally different car, very fast and also very uncomfortable and in the end my brother pined for it back so I was glad to sell it back to him. The really annoying thing is he kept it garaged up until a couple of years ago and had collected a couple more along the way. He had a bit of a brain storm a few years ago and offered them to me and then suddenly sold the lot for about £3K.

[Mike Bell]

At least the RS1600i was a proper 'homologation special' like it's Mk1 ancestor!

ACA should be banned, have just spent 1/2 hour looking though the lots again. Ford Racing Puma? Series 1 XJ6? Saab 99 Turbo? Those Inca wheels really were eye catching. I quite often see a 3dr 900 at the rail station and for some scary reason find it cool......

Anyway, all light relief after spending half the afternoon cursing whoever decided shims were a good way of front wheel bearing adjustment on MGBs.......

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

XR3 or XR3i? I had a Mk2 Escort RS2 when the former came out, and couldn't have been more disappointed at Ford's efforts..... The later injection model addressed a lot of the shortcomings, especially getting rid of the hideous positive camber at the front! The following RS Turbo was much closer to being a proper performance Ford.

Going back a long way a colleague of mine had an XR3i as a company car.

He liked it. The cam belt broke at 55k miles when he was doing about 50mph but the engine survived unscathed as far as anyone could tell. Certainly lasted another 30k miles or so.

Around the same time we had some contact with a young chap who was a salesman for a large computer company. He chose an RS Turbo as a company car but regretted it as it spent most of its time off the road. Mostly outlet manifold and exhaust breakage problems as I heard the tales.

[GORDON STREETER]

I suppose there are anoraks out there that collect BL "All-Agro's"

[terence]

Only too well Gordon, know of one that because of it alling lack of build quality got written off on its way from the showroom.Someone hit in the back at thirty miles an hour, just about every "popweld" around bour rear wheel arches, rear valance just popped open.Ahhh, the good old days.
I do like the modernised version of the XPack Capri-could be quite handy around here.
Strange how things change as it wasn't so long ago that KL was the hotspot for really bodged cars, chicken wire and plastered sills etc etc.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I suppose there are anoraks out there that collect BL "All-Agro's"

I was surrounded by Aggros in period, as was working for the big Austin dealer in Norwich at the time! The estate, despite challenging looks, was very commodious, the normal saloon should have been a hatchback, and the 'A' Series engined versions were best to drive despite only having 4 speed boxes. The Maxi engine was far too heavy, and in 1500 form gutless. If you wanted scary, the '1750SS' with twin carb Maxi HL engine produced power the chassis simply couldn't handle....... Luckily we also had a Ford dealership, so when the Fiesta came out, I managed to wangle various versions of those to drive around in instead!

[GORDON STREETER]

The rectangular steering wheel version was certainly "futuristic" obviously copied by the F1 mob !

[bauble]

Heavens! What a boring life I have led, tatty Alfa company car for a while, a Miafiore nice but power steering made it horrible to drive fast. Best car ever was a 2.0 Litre Cavalier Mk1. Mundane to most of you chaps maybe, but I did 40,000 miles travelling all over the UK and it was simply superb. Mainly it was so well balanced in all of it's qualities that I never thought it 'needs more power, better brakes, greater cornering. I frightened all sorts of more expensive motors with it. It was just great fun to drive.

OK! I'll creep back into shell now.

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

The Maxi engine was far too heavy, and in 1500 form gutless. If you wanted scary, the '1750SS' with twin carb Maxi HL engine produced power the chassis simply couldn't handle.......

Remember navigating on a road rally for one of our club members in a 17500SS - a whole new world of bouncy was revealed to me! Made me horribly car sick.....the only thing I could say was that it was quick for its day........Awful car, though - I remember the owner was very particular about how it was jacked up by garages as the shell could easily distort......

[delta]

Change of subject out with my son tonight it's his 25 th . Good thing about him still at home is he has money to buy his old dad a few beers . Got to be up at 4.30 so have to go steady

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by delta

Change of subject out with my son tonight it's his 25 th . Good thing about him still at home is he has money to buy his old dad a few beers . Got to be up at 4.30 so have to go steady

Wow that sounds like a first, my daughter although she lives away she earns more than me and Mrs F's salaries put together and I still have to help her out with her UK bills on occasions. It's the exchange rate dad.
Happy burfday mini delta

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Lancsbreaker

Remember navigating on a road rally for one of our club members in a 17500SS - a whole new world of bouncy was revealed to me! Made me horribly car sick.....the only thing I could say was that it was quick for its day........Awful car, though - I remember the owner was very particular about how it was jacked up by garages as the shell could easily distort......

In a nutshell! At the time I was working for the contract hire / leasing division of a main dealer, so was lucky to have a choice of cars to drive from many manufacturers. The SS handled my bumpy but quick route home worse than any other car. I do have fond memories of a Dolomite 1850HL MOD, though, which was easily a match for my own Mexico. Lovely balanced handling....

Yes, there were stories that the rear screen could pop out if an Allegro was jacked up in the wrong place....

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by delta

Change of subject out with my son tonight it's his 25 th . Good thing about him still at home is he has money to buy his old dad a few beers . Got to be up at 4.30 so have to go steady

Wish Stuart a Happy Birthday from me, please, Iain. I'll buy him a celebration drink at Spa!

[Tim Falce]

If I don't bother renewing my Nat A licence next year would I be able to renew it in the future without any hassle or doing the ards again?

[grantp]

Happy Birthday Stuart!

25? good grief. "He were only a lad when I met him ...."

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

If I don't bother renewing my Nat A licence next year would I be able to renew it in the future without any hassle or doing the ards again?

Quote from the 2015 Licence Notes-
Racing- How to retain a licence....

Para 14.1.3 "A competitor who can provide proof of having ever held a National or National 'A' Race licence may renew it for either a 2015 National 'A' Race, International 'D' Race or National 'B' Race licence."

Referring to para 8.2.3 under Race Licences (how to apply)- Exemptions. "Anyone who can provide proof of ever having held, or entitled to hold, a Race Licence of higher status than Restricted or National 'B'. Competitors who have not renewed their licence for 5 years or more will be required to pass the ARDS WRITTEN examination."

Looks like National 'B' licence holders have 3 years grace, then have to do the whole ARDS caboodle again, like first time applicants.

So unless that changes next year, and we get notified in rule changes, as I read it you have 5 years?

[Tim Falce]

Thanks Mike, I missed that one, I could only find something pertaining to Nat B holders and 3 years. Sounds good and if I haven't raced within 5 years I doubt I'd ever bother again anyway.

[Nick JM]

[QUOTE=Mike Bell;3567329

ACA should be banned, have just spent 1/2 hour looking though the lots again. Ford Racing Puma? Series 1 XJ6? Saab 99 Turbo?/QUOTE]

You mean YOU should be banned , Mike.

Thanks to you I've just put two commission bids on items I neither need nor can afford.....However, "wanting" and "needing" are of course entirely separate....especially when I find two cars (fairly modern ones at that) which are on my "I want to say I've owned one of those" list at the same auction.

Will let you know how it pans out. God knows what I'll tell Mrs Morrison if I win

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Nick JM

You mean YOU should be banned , Mike.

Thanks to you I've just put two commission bids on items I neither need nor can afford.....However, "wanting" and "needing" are of course entirely separate....especially when I find two cars (fairly modern ones at that) which are on my "I want to say I've owned one of those" list at the same auction.

Will let you know how it pans out. God knows what I'll tell Mrs Morrison if I win

Good on yer. Now we are all collectively holding our breath until you tell us if and what.....

[Nick JM]

Marginally gutted actually.

Missed the Mers 500 Sl by two hundred quid and the light green Beamer 840 by a mere inner.

Having said that there is no telling how high they would have gone had I been there in person and exceeded my "safe" limit.

Also really fancied the AA liveried Bond (lot 9 ) I think which I reckon I really would have gone lie for had I been there. That would have looked great on the next Delta Motorsport day...and it would have been much more versatile on the rally than my Jaaag xj 12...

Still every cloud has a silver lining. It means I can spend more with Delta over winter on the 'B

[Nick JM]

I mean missed the Beamer by a onnee and the MerC!

[Nick JM]

Ruddy predictive text... Take that to mean a hundred quid!!!

[Lancsbreaker]

@Tim - my (delayed due to MSA faffing) licence renewal is sneaking in on the limit of the 5-year renewal - not that doing the paper ARDS holds much fear - just the (suspected) price !

@ NickJM - fingers crossed.....I've found myself having to explain a few "multiple" purchases in the past when a few "cheeky" bids have surprisingly actually borne fruit........(admittedly more often when the breathalyser bid-limitter has failed to activate...... )

[terence]

Anyone heard that one of the best features on the Nordscleife , Flugplatz, is due to be reprofiled over the coming winter break?
Maybe the contractors will feel like the isis morons smashing up historic sites.
Such a shame as its not been touched since 1927. (No, I wasnt there)