Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Nov 30, 2023 18:39:13 GMT
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I’ve joined Club Peugeot UK…..my dad was a member in the early 80s so I’m rejoining him too, they’ve even offered him his old membership number back which is nice. He turns the Big 80 next birthday, is just about to have a replacement knee….and I’m doing this to rekindle his enthusiasm for a car he’s owned for 43 years. Anyway, I went to their AGM at Gaydon on Sunday, snapped these in the car park…. This is my 306, by point of reference here’s Dad’s 1961 Peugeot 403 (he still has it, but it’s been off the road for a good two decades now…..dry stored in a heated garage) Weirdly, when he bought that in 1982 it had done 68000 miles. In 21 years. When I bought that 306, it had done 68000 miles. In 23 years. You can maybe see why the 306 is a keeper.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Oct 20, 2023 19:30:33 GMT
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The incredible Ivan Dutton is now 83 years old, but has lost none of the driving skill he's honed in over 60 years of motorsport..
Here he is, ragging the gonads off his Austin A30 around the Buckinghamshire lanes near his car preparation business.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Weird, isn’t it? I’ve been on RR for 17 years at the end of this month. If I’d have bought a 17 year-old car in 2006 it would have been a 1989 something or other. And I’d just turned 42, and I’m now starting to stare down the barrel of the big six-zero…..
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Oct 15, 2023 21:32:22 GMT
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I'll tell you tomorrow. I was just shopping for a new daily, but I've found a car locally, an example of which my wife owned 20 years ago. This one's 26 years old and (it IS a Ford, after all) may well turn out to be a heap of s**t....but it's so ridiculously cheap that I'll probably end up buying it anyway. As I said....I'll tell you tomorrow. I might be somewhat 'back in the room' a couple of weeks short of my 59th birthday Except I didn’t. Basically the vendor didn’t get back to me as promised, idly scrolling through FB Marketplace (that glistening doyen of online selling….NOT) and found this little gem just eight miles up the road that had been listed some 15 minutes previous. Some of you know me and my penchant for Gallic chod (nine Peugeots and ten Citroens over the years) so it’s probably no surprise to learn that it’s a 23 year-old Peugeot 306D. Two owners, full history, 68500 miles from new. Never failed an MOT, never had as much an advisory. It’s a DW8 lump so 0-60 comes up in minutes, but once you’re up to motorway speeds she’ll sit there at 80 all day long and do 50mpg. For me (I’ve been in the motor trade for the last 6 years so often use new VAG product to come home in) the ideal commuter. Especially since it’s cost me less than a week’s wages! Winner winner chicken dinner. No plans for it other than keep it tidy/watered/oiled and enjoy it.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Oct 13, 2023 20:22:46 GMT
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I'll tell you tomorrow. I was just shopping for a new daily, but I've found a car locally, an example of which my wife owned 20 years ago. This one's 26 years old and (it IS a Ford, after all) may well turn out to be a heap of s**t....but it's so ridiculously cheap that I'll probably end up buying it anyway. As I said....I'll tell you tomorrow. I might be somewhat 'back in the room' a couple of weeks short of my 59th birthday
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Sept 17, 2023 14:10:04 GMT
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This looks the dog's danglies, I have to say. Missed out on a 47k 1.6 Getz a few weeks back. 'You snooze...you lose'
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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2003 Jaguar S-Type Brian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Dec 18, 2021 19:46:28 GMT
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I’ve ummed and ahhed about putting this up on here as it’s a bit…….new. We’ve paid the mortgage off this year, so I figured I’d treat myself. These weren’t really on my radar until a go in a mate’s 2.7 diesel version opened my eyes. Ignore the plates, it’s a September 2003-registered motor, which makes it a bit of a mongrel in that it has the much nicer later dash, but the exterior features of the original 1999-launched model. It has ‘RJH’-monogrammed overmats too. I’ve pondered offloading the plate as it’s a bit naff, but I guess it’s part of the car’s history. Very well looked-after but not cosseted, having spent its’ entire life in a Sussex village in the hands of just two previous owners and with just 105k on the clock. Presents very nicely in my favourite hue of Jaguar Racing Green metallic with the ubiquitous beige leather/birds eye maple interior. It’s a base model V6, so it’s got a 24v 2.5 litre V6 of Ford manufacture chucking out 201bhp through a ZF 6HP24 six-speed slushbox. Not particularly fast (0-60 comes up in about 8.5 seconds on the way to 141mph) but effortless in real-world traffic. She will sit at silly speed all day if you wish….all in near silence. I’m getting 28mpg out of it which is half decent for a 1.7 tonne 200bhp sofa. And as a music lover, the stock ICE (15 speakers, apparently) is utterly glorious. It’s like driving around with The Miles Davis Quintet in the back seat. If you’re me (I’m 57 and love Jazz) that is A Very Good Thing. Future plans? Nothing really, I’m realistic…….it’s an old Jag and will probably break. If it does, I’ll get it fixed. I’d like to go for some bigger rimmage (OEM, not aftermarket) but not at the expense of the utterly astounding ride quality this thing has. It didn’t cost a lot of money and values of decent S-Types are on the up for nice ones. I’m just going to use it whilst making it nicer. Absolutely loving driving it, which is all that really counts!
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Nov 20, 2021 13:27:08 GMT
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I was there with this which, at the time, was seen as nothing more than an 'old car'. I'd paid £225 for it just a few months before the show, it was my daily. Different world. I was just 42 then, I've just celebrated my 57th birthday, and drive this.... ....and this. Thankfully I'm still in touch with many of you via the socials.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Oct 31, 2021 17:28:02 GMT
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Les Papyvores were an outfit who only ever had one single released, and this slice of French psych-pop is it.
Promo videos for such obscure artists are rare, trying to find out if this footage came from a movie. The ‘star’ of the clip (apart from the 275…) is one Serge Poolenn, minor French singing celeb who passed away in 2015.
If you find a copy of the single, look after it…..it changes hands for £250-300 these days.
The Ferrari, substantially more!
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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SoldBrian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Sept 20, 2021 10:32:43 GMT
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You have PM.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Entry queues?Brian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Aug 23, 2021 19:53:20 GMT
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I joined the queue at about 8:30 and was parked up on the stand by 9 so didn’t think it was bad at all. Thinking back over it, the areas that seemed to cause delays that could have been slicked up was a few cars trying to get into the club/retro area that were challenged and argued their case (although that didn’t really slow things down in reality as we rejoined the queue on-site), but I think the main bottleneck was caused by all the traffic needing to route through the club stands and stopping to find out where the club stands was (or on to retro parking) as after getting my club stand details from Andy (and briefly saying hello, also contributing to the delays), I was on our club stand in under a minute. In an ideal world (as if that actually exists) you’d split the retro parking off from the club parking (either via a separate entrance or at the entrance, but would require more ticket scanners/internet connectivity) and those going on club stands to know in advance which lane to go to (but I suspect there are last minute changes to layouts that make that difficult). Only other thought was I only spotted the request to come in via jnct6 not 7 by chance, perhaps better comms on this for next year? But considering the size and quality of the show and it’s location, the organisers do one hell of a job. Pretty much this. Shelsley already has PR problems with NIMBYs, in a world recovering from a pandemic where a lot of motorsport is struggling to find its feet again (forest rallying as we knew it might never recover tbh) it’s probably not wise to encourage spectators to arrive from two directions rather than just one. Twice as many whingers, twice as many issues for MAC to deal with. Not ideal. The problems with Worcester’s Southern Relief Road should be alleviated well before RRG22, it’s almost finished now.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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The Tractor Thread.Brian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Jul 24, 2021 20:54:10 GMT
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‘67 Massey-Ferguson 135 still well and truly earning its keep yanking a huge water bowser around the track at Radford Autograss Club in Worcestershire a couple of Sundays ago. I don’t think she was switched off all day.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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RIP Mr.SixBrian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Apr 28, 2021 13:07:35 GMT
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Oh man..... I knew his health wasn’t great but had no idea it was that bad.....😢 Got to know him quite well between about 2005 and 2017 as he used to machine parts for my Triumph CV conversions. We got on well though he used to despair of my “lack of appreciation for precision” and I very much enjoyed his “war stories” of which he had a endless supply. He got much harder to track down after he retired and I’ve not seen him for a couple of years...... too late to catch up now..... RIP Dennis..... I think he’d had a fall recently which exacerbated his health problems. 🥺
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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RIP Mr.SixBrian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Apr 28, 2021 12:23:35 GMT
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RIP U.K. Drag Racing legend Dennis Priddle, who’s passed away aged 75. Dennis, a helicopter engineer at Westlands in Yeovil, was active in the very early days of drag racing over here, competing on a motorcycle at the 1965 Dragfest at Blackbushe and was present on four wheels in his first dragster at the birth of Santa Pod Raceway the following year. By the early Seventies he was one of THE big names in the sport, earning his ‘Mr.Six’ nickname by running the first ever six-second quarter mile pass outside the States with a 6.93 pass at The Pod in May 1972....and along with Clive Skilton was the first Brit to run on an American strip when they competed at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona in February 1973. In April 1975, Dennis set the world speed/ET record for front-engined dragsters at Santa Pod with a 6.04 at 218mph, a record that stood until the 1990s. As the Seventies wore on he switched to Funny Cars but was no less competitive....the exploits of Priddle, Herridge, Beadle, Skilton etc were relayed monthly via the pages of Custom Car Magazine and lapped up by hot rod and custom crazed schoolboys like me, as well as building the Revell 1/16 plastic kit of his final rail, ‘Mr.Revell’. Thanks for the memories, Mr.Six. Pull that chute and shut her off for the last time. 🥺
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Compare and contrast two A-Series lumps, both running Arden 8-port alloy heads. One's on 40DCOEs, one is on Lucas fuel injection
1964 Cooper S 1275 on carbs
Cooper S 1293 on fuel injection
Don't they both sound awesome???
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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The fabled ‘Twin Stick’. In the early/mid 1960s, a firm called ‘P & S Contracts’ ran a fleet of 200bhp Thermodyne-powered Mack artic units on general haulage across the U.K. They were fitted with twin-stick 5+4 speed gearboxes and ran at way beyond the maximum 32-tonne weight limit imposed on U.K. roads at the time. Someone’s even restored one in their livery. These things were just about the fastest trucks on our roads. Stories abound of them being clocked at 85mph on the pre-1965 speed limit free motorways. Here’s an interior shot showing just how busy a P&S driver’s day must have been!
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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I remember seeing this on the web a couple of years ago. Thought it was just SO cool. Take a tired '71 VW Type 3 'Squareback', and build it in a gasser style. This is where it gets cool, though. Instead of going the traditional V8 route, builder Ron Howe stitched TWO 2.3 litre VW motors together to create this monster 350bhp air-cooled 4664cc flat-EIGHT. I mean, just look at it, dammit. It's just perfect, right? I'd happily rock that as-is. Well, now it's painted. Just WOW.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Help me find a VitaraBrian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Pops' other half has just bought a later Grand Vitara to replace the '95 SWB with GRP hardtop she's had for a decade. No idea what they're doing with the old one but I've asked the question anyway.
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553
Club RR Member Number: 33
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Hannu Mikkola RIPBrian Damaged
@damaged
Club Retro Rides Member 33
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Finnish rally legend Hanno Mikkola died yesterday at the age of 78. Hannu began competing in his home country in 1963, coming to the attention of the wider motorsport world in 1968 when, as a young student, he appeared in 'The Flying Finns', a film documenting the 1000 Lakes Rally, part of the 1968 European Rally Championship (the WRC didn't exist until 1973), which he went on to win an astonishing 7 times. Hannu went on to be the first overseas driver to win the East African Safari Rally in 1973, going on to win 17 more WRC events...the last being the Safari Rally again in 1987. He won our own RAC Rally four times...in 1978 and 1979 in a Ford Escort RS, and in 1981 and 1982 in the Audi Quattro he was probably most remembered for. Hannu switched to Mazda in 1987, with more limited success in the 323 Turbo until entering semi-retirement in 1991. Despite this, Hannu also managed a season in 1993 driving both the Subaru Legacy WRC and Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD. As well as his conventional rallying success, Hannu also won the fabled 1970 World Cup London-Mexico City Rally in a Mk1 Escort....then went back and won it again 25 years later! A quiet, laconic character out of a car, but an absolute master inside it.....and a fantastic ambassador for motorsport. Hannu Olavi Mikkola 24th May 1942-26th February 2021 Rest In Peace.
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