Car memories

[Kingstepper]

My first cars were TR7, Opel Manta x 2, Viva.

Unfortunately no photos. Very different now when everything captured on phone.

[Alpha4]

1971 Mini Pickup in Green. Drove through a flood across a country lane very late one night. Couldn't understand why it was so sluggish - until I got home and noticed the plunge pool in the back.

The starter motor or coil or something had bust so, to start it, I had to put a brick on the accelerator pedal and short the solenoid terminals with a screwdriver. Cue a shower of sparks and a highly revving engine. Good anti-theft system though.

[anz3001]

First was a H reg (‘90) Ford Fiesta Popular Plus. I spent every penny I had on fuel for the next 6 months, although I don’t think I actually went ‘anywhere’.
Next up was a MK2 XR2, loved that thing....but crashed it. Passed one on the M1 yesterday actually, if I ever went for a classic car, an XR2 would be a serious contender.

[D4RW1N]

[QUOTE=

The starter motor or coil or something had bust so, to start it, I had to put a brick on the accelerator pedal and short the solenoid terminals with a screwdriver. Cue a shower of sparks and a highly revving engine. Good anti-theft system though.[/QUOTE]

Oh the happy days of a basic mechanical, non fuel injected/ computer timed/ turbo assisted car. When anyone with a bit of common sense and a Haynes manual could basically have a go at “sorting out the car”!

Spent ages trying to stop mine cutting out when idling by fiddling with the carbs with a screwdriver. Ended up with a high revving “idle” which kept it running but played havoc with fuel consumption!!

[Foxy100]

My first car was my mother's Mini City. I didn't get to drive it that often but two occasions come to mind - lifting for the corner at the top of Castle Street in Farnham in the pissing rain, doing a 180 and somehow coming back round again on the correct side of the road just before a car came round the corner and the night someone broke into it in Reading to have a closer look at the driver's manual, the only thing in the car. I might not have mentioned to my mother that I was 'borrowing' the car.

The first two cars I owned were broken Minis that didn't go anywhere (and both sold for a profit). Next up was a Golf and then shortly after that the Austin-Healey you see in my avatar. I still own it 23 years later. Since then I've had another big Healey, four MGBs, a Lupo GTi, three 924Ss, three MX-5s, a couple of Renault 5s, a Boxster S and I can't remember what else.