What made you happy today?

[silverfrost]

Same as above, need info...........   

[C8RKH]

Now now. Don't get too excited. It's just a little plaything but probably not what you'd expect. Will post up piccies tomorrow when I pick her up.

With "wifey" away on a girls weekend I'll have no excuse to not drive and get to know it and you'll see it before her too. Only thing she knows about it is that text message she found saying "it's yours!"

[silverfrost]

C8RKH  " Probably not what you would expect"  is not a good enough clue, could mean anything ! 

[Barrykearley]

Oh my god - he's only gone a bought a Porsche .......

57 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

. Only thing she knows about it is that text message she found saying "it's yours!"

Oh no - she knows about the love child as well ........ Best you get buying some flowers

[johnpwalsh]

OK, so you either bought a can of bean's, or a Mini. I could say that could actually mean both, but as I have just bought a little runabout, I had better not as I would be shooting myself in the foot.

 

 

[silverfrost]

Cool little mini John, never driven one but like the look of them. 

[Mark Blanchard]

My money's on an MX5 or Coxster.  

[C8RKH]

C'mon now guys. I just might get into a mini, old or new, but I'd need International Fire and Resuce with a tin opener to get out of it.

As for the Porsche jibe. You scoundrel! 

[johnpwalsh]

There you go again Andy. Tin opener = can of Bean's. I rest my case. Or you could have been  really clever and gone for a WIDE body Westie.

11 minutes ago, silverfrost said:

Cool little mini John, never driven one but like the look of them. 

Standard Cooper Dan, severely lack's some grunt but handles well. You know the difference when you stick your foot on the heavy pedal that it's just not their, especially when jumping from Wendy's tuned Elan, even the little Greenie that I have just restored has more pfft, and thats bog standard. But it's just a cheap little runabout for now and it at least look's the part.

[silverfrost]

9 minutes ago, Mark Blanchard said:

My money's on an MX5 or Coxster.  

We all know he likes red,  think he has let the pics slip on the internet already.! The games up C8RKH.... 

[C8RKH]

Ah, remember that picture and that day. I was much slimmer and hairier in those days.

You suoper sleuths will never make it onto my crack International Cluedo team.

I mean, I have an Evora called Scarlet, so its colour is, er, red.

I've told you car 2 is called Sylvia so it's either purple like the rinse or......

..

 

Come on now, you'll get it....

[johnpwalsh]

Good god, not related to Sunderland I hope. And Sylvia. Did the Mrs also find the name Sylvia on the text, if so you are in big sheeeet as woman's brains work different to our's.

[swindon_alan]

49 minutes ago, johnpwalsh said:

That's not a MIni, it is a BMW

[johnpwalsh]

 Ssssht Alan, I am going to get so much stick if that get's out. It has to be known as a mini, a British icon. Well that's my excuse. Of course I could always say it's a BMW and that's why it lack's grunt.

[swindon_alan]

5 minutes ago, johnpwalsh said:

as woman's brains work different to our's.

Too right! This is worth a watch. The "Nothing Box" is very funny and well observed

 

[silverfrost]

Purple ?    My guess is Elan Turbo   S2...................................

[Bazza 907]

I'd guess a Toyota Silvia

 

[DaveC72]

I was going to post similar, but then he's mentioned previously that it's a Norfolk product.  Still made me laugh though

Nothing wrong with a "blue rinse" @C8RKH, as we used to say in boats...

I'm going with an M100.

If it's purple, it's a tradition amongst my friends that it get's called "Helmet"... but that's just how we roll... 

 

[swindon_alan]

16 minutes ago, DaveC72 said:

I was going to post similar, but then he's mentioned previously that it's a Norfolk product.

Norfolk? I reckon it is one of these then...

[C8RKH]

Lol - I can confirm its not from Sunderland or the land of the rising sun. You'll all be disapointed when you see it. But as a toy it is gonna be a lot of fun with no goodies, comforts or power steering. I think they used a quilted kleenex sheet for the seat cushioning. Certainly felt that way. Pics tomorrow. Not even wifey has seen a picture of it yet - in fact she has never even seen one before full stop. 

 

[Bibs]

[C8RKH]

Oh bloody hell yes @Bibs. I'd love one of those. Something similar to that is a possibility next year....

[johnpwalsh]

fr too flash Bib's. I think it's more like.

 

[C8RKH]

Well, it's time to put you out of your misery and introduce you all to Sylvia, my new baby. She was born in Hethel in 2001, the same place as Scarlet who was born there in 2010. Both are rear wheel drive, mid engine, Normally Aspirated Models - I seem to prefer to the steadier girls to the more "peaky" charged ones!

So, she is a well known VX220 on vx220.org forum. Only 54k miles, a fsh, and folder 5 inches thick of all paperwork etc. Full suspension refresh last year with all new bushes etc, powder coated bits, etc etc etc. I think she's stunning, though I have to admit Silver was not first choice colour but the market for these cars, like S1 Evora's and S1/S2 Elises is just so small you need to buy for condition and history first, IMHO.  I hoping I am guaranteed depreciation free motoring for the next 2 years as to be honest, I believe I got her for a cracking good price given her provenance, mileage and condition etc.

Amazed no one made the connection to my earlier post here where I said I was looking at a car 15th September - ended up buying it - 

Just driven her back home from Craig Moncrieff's. Could have just blasted up the M90 in 50 minutes, but instead took almost 3 three hours going the, err, long way. 

First impressions - well, she has a fair few creaks. Many rattles. But thankfully no creaky seat!   But, boy, she drives well. She goes well. And she corners on rails - I would say better than the Evora but then that will be down no doubt to the lower weight etc. She's not as fast as Scarlet, but she's fun and getting used to the 5 speed box is helping me learn which gears to keep her in. The engine feels like a lazy revver - the low redline at just over 6k has caught me out but on a lazy overtake in 4th, the acceleration from 50mph to, erm, whatever it was, was brisk enough and with an open, twisty and traffic free road she's a real beauty to just get into a rhythm with. No radio on. Just me, the car, the road, an open roof and autumn sun!  Certainly made me very happy indeed.

With the roof off, the windows wound up, and the heater on for my feet it was actually a really pleasant place to be and not too noisy etc. Immediately I've fallen in love with the seats. I dreading squeezing my fat arse into them and had heard a few people complain about their comfort and ( lack of ) cushioning. However, once I slipped in, a few squeezes of the lumber support pump and voila, I felt right at home and found the seats an absolute joy. Really really comfortable. The driving position for me is just perfect too. The VX220 is rare up here, and plenty of pointing kids and a "wow, nice car mate from a group of 12-14 year old girls at a set of lights and a fair few smiles and thumbs up from others. Filling her up at the petrol station in Dunfermline, the old guy next to me loved the car, was amzed it was 15 years old and said he was quite envious of me on such a lovely day. All this just made me smile some more and thank my lucky stars that I hadn't bought a coxster or a BMW Z4 or an Audi TT as everyone would have though I was just another Tw@t!

I bought the car without a test drive - yeah, I do silly things like that - but I bought it after doing my research on this car, including getting hold of the previous long term owner, a really nice gent called VX220BOB from the VX220 forum. He sent me a load of pictures of the full suspension refresh, explained what he had done with the car, a couple of little idiosyncrasies etc. Craig Moncreiff "found it" for me and had assured me it was in great condition and mechanically was sound. So, as said, 54k warranted miles. Belts / chains changed last year at 52k miles. 5 inch thick file of invoices, brochures, receipts etc. What a lot of car and history for the very reasonable sum I paid.  Insurance was £280 with no NCB attributable and guaranteed valuation. 

She's a bugger for this fat ba'tard to get into, even harder to get out of, and that was with the roof off. God only knows how I'll get in with it on, so, will probably only drive her on dry days! If I'd got in her for a test drive getting in and out might have put me off. Another reason not to bother with them and just do it. Life is too short!

So, Sylvia was mainly bought to take on track. Looking at some nice team dynamics wheels and a few wee upgrades (though she has an induction kit and a full Larini exhaust system - she sounds superb and the farts and gurgles while lazily changing down a gear just make me giggle like a four year old!

Anyway, I know she is not a Lotus. But, please forgive me as she was born in Hethel under the same covers as Lotus's finest I believe. She may have the "wrong" badge but she definitely has the Lotus DNA and right now I think these cars are undervalued and a steal.  I'm off for another drive. While wifey's away, Andy will play....  Thanks

 

[Barrykearley]

Looks stonking.... Just straigthen the front no plate please