Whatever happened to...

I had a Fiat X1/9 when they were modern 'hairdressers' cars, i got a lot of stick for that, but when i tok my mates round the lanes they changed there opinion.

I'm torn between judging a car on its merits and it's image. Too often I see people dismissing a car just because of it's image, therefore I prefer to try and judge on merit.

Yet until I've driven every single model of every car ever made, who am I to judge? That judgement will ultimately be flawed by my own limited knowledge.

Which in turn leads me back to the realisation that I will only be able to judge a car on it's image, because that's as close as I will ever get in a lot of instances.

So, for me it's still the Renault. Because it's the image I prefer, as opposed to the dynamics.

As David Lee Roth once said, "It's not how well you do, it's how good you look whilst you're doing it."

And there will always be somebody slower, faster, richer, harder etc. So I'll just be happy with what I like.

Ahhh but they were all infinitely cooler than a modern Lotus ,.. F A C T

My only experience of a Lotus Elise is my friends one that I never got a ride in because the first time I visited it was in the garage being repaired,.. and the second time I visited he didn't have it any more because it burst into flames on the M1 the week before...

For an Elise aged car at Elise money,.. I'd have an R32 GTR .. sorry to be predictable,.. and they also have an image problem,..

However I'll not be buying an Elise aged car for a long time,... thus Retro Rides

When asked for advice for new guitarists on how to learn to play Johnny Ramone said "Stand in front of the mirror with the guitar, adjust the strap until you look cool holding the guitar,.. now you are ready to learn to play".... I think of this as a rule for life... for better or worse

It worked for the Ramones! So it must be good,

the decission to run a snotter is as much a style or image decssion as the choice to run a Lotus or a Focus or Audi TT or whatever. Ratted up cars in particular are all about the image, otherwise why not just leave them as they were....?

Nissan figaro is a haidressers car! Fiat X1/9 is a car for hairdressers who don't mind walking everywhere cos it never works. More a sort of hairdressers automotive sculpture.

I love the way the rev counter works the opposite way to the speedo. Why?

I'm shocked and pleased at what this has turned into...

My only complaint (DarrenW excepted as per usual) is the lack of photos to back up your comments

I always found the Renault incredibly good looking. I've never had the fortune to drive one, but I'm sure it would be smile provoking at every turn.

I would have it (a-la HW) sans-windcreen - if memory serves, it had some sort of wind deflecting device in place so you could still breathe- but you did have to pick bugs out of your teeth.
It'd have to be yellow as well (I never thought I'd want a yellow car)


Ignoring the Lotus for a second - Fiat X1-9

...best quote evAr?

Lovely looking cars, more common and recognisable than the renault

doesn't look as good in yellow, never been in one, but I'm sure they're great to drive (when working) as well.

^one like this for me i think, ideally with firebreathing vw T-4 in the back.

Lotus image problem? I know where people are coming from - but I reckon I could cope with an earlier one. There's a type 49 edition somewhere near me- i like the look of them:

(sorry for big pic)

But
Opel Speedster FTW (balance of chances of finding one vs. image)
(or debadged Vaux if you need RHD). A friend from work bought a turbot one just before he left work - stupidly cheap, and hella fun just being in the passenger seat.

As I see it, it's a Lotus with "image" problems (cos its a vauxhall). All the good stuff, non of the ponce, which means they are cheaper as well.

However, in real life, if I was allowed to buy a mid-engined roadster, I'd look no further than an 80's MR2, 2-tone, white over dark grey.

Anyway, thanks to all for pointing out that the Spider failed because of plucky british (/malaysian) engineering edging them out (did this really happen everywhere else? Did/Do lotuii sell well on the continent?)

Thanks all

Matt