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Dec 24, 2004 12:43:10 GMT
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There was another thread a while back talking about banger racing. One person did point out that there are far more old cars than can ever be restored by the likes of us. I'm not trying to justify it at all - wrecking rare stuff is f*cking unforgivable - but (as an example) there are stacks of Rover P6's lying around waiting to be restored but half of them never will be. It's a shame, but we can't save them all . There used to be a banger racing event near me but the place is closed now.
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Dec 24, 2004 13:06:19 GMT
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I'm responsible for several minis and mkI/II Escorts meeting their maker in my formative years...a mixture of curse word about in fields and autotests et cetera... But...at the time, they were bountiful and cheap. I also killed a v12 Jag by bouncing it into a barn....but that is another story *n
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Top grammar tips! Bought = purchased. Brought = relocated Lose = misplace/opposite of win. Loose = your mum
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Dec 24, 2004 18:18:54 GMT
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As it seems ii'm the only Banger Boy on here i guess i'll make my case! I really don't care what peoples opinion of certain racers or the sport in general is! However for the enjoyment it brings to many people at 2pm on sunday afternoon when the cars roll its great! I love a CROWN, Granny, capri, Tina, etc but i also love Bangers! Those who believe all banger drivers are crooks are very much mistaken, there are a small minority that steal their cars, but most genuinly buy their motors from the drive ways of the owners! Some are donated cars by owners clubs! Once such example is a driver called Mick Cotten, he races only the old stuff which is including A60's, P5's, P4's, Westy's and Austin 3 litres. The local team that i'm friends with and have a site about race Jags and Yanks but their paid for... Take a look around a pits at a tarck, spot the rotten sils, wings and other such parts. Not every car can be saved, which in turn puts the value of those on the road up! Rmads Cressida is a prime example, the banger boys love a J! and by doing so raise the price of Cressida's, CROWNs, Cedrics etc...... what goes round comes round. I my self have a Capri to race next season, its not worth saving so i'm racing it, if this makes me a judas than so be it but lets not be close minded!
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If I Need To Explain, You Won't Understand AHM and Proud!
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Dec 24, 2004 18:29:00 GMT
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I'm not condemning anyone, if you look at my posts I said that if a motor is genuinely rough as hell, was bought legally, and doesn't have anything valuable or rare and saveable left on it, then by all means go for it, it's just the MINORITY of people who trash perfectly restorable and usable cars and parts, or nick them from their owners, who get my back up, if an old car is genuinely too tired to face MOT without major surgery, and has nothing left on it that you could sell to someone (whether there are no parts like that or nobody wants those parts anyway and you couldn't have sold them, it doesn't matter) then I'm fine with it. It's stuff like the perfectly savable and rare cars like the Austin (was it a sheerline, I can't remember! ) that was involved in the Great train robbery that was in quite good condition and could have been saved easily, plus had rare trim and the like left on it, that got bangered to death a few years back that just depresses me! But I think I speak for most of the people on here when I say we weren't trying to get at you personally, or any of the other banger racers who aren't doing anything silly and smashing up good cars and bits.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Dec 24, 2004 18:35:06 GMT
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acertain racer i know raced John Lennons 64 Caddy Fleetwood Limo a few years back, it wasnt rotten but he bought it legally and did what he does best and raced it. It was he's name on the log book at time of racing so it was up to him. Another driver i know has a thing for Austin Westminsters/ 3lItre Princess'/4Litre R's/Wolsey 6/99 and 6/110 but he also has an absolutly mint Austin 3 Litre Priness on the road! They love 'em on the road as much as off! Many a meet we're been offered bits for my cuz's Mk1 granny, he's Mk2 and my Escort! The now favoured MG for the Non-Ford meetings
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If I Need To Explain, You Won't Understand AHM and Proud!
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Well, hats off to you for sticking your head above the parapet EscortGeezer! ;D Like I said, there are far too many old cars about than can be saved, but getting extra kudos for wrecking a rare motor is curse word' barbarism in my opinion If someone went around smashing up the National Gallery in London would they be applauded? Don't think so. I've always fancied a bash at banger racing myself but I'd only race disposable wibblepoo like 405 estates and the like....
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Dec 26, 2004 16:26:36 GMT
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Could roof chopping an old car be seen as barbarism as well? The guys on here don't exactly leave there cars standard! There was a thread not long ago having ago at the concourse guys.
I like watching the bangers although i havent seen it for years. I don't want to see rare stuff that could be saved destroyed. But would rather see a basket case have a few laps of glory before it goes for scrap metal, then sit in in some field somwhere doing nothing.
I understand the arguments against the banger racers but do feel that perhaps they get unfair press in the classic car mags.
Blimey I'm ranting! Must be something to do with owning Imps ;D ;D
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BS Nymph Singer Chamois Coupe Series 3 Landy
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Dec 26, 2004 17:09:33 GMT
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If roof chopping involved grinding off the roof of a rare car and throwing the bits all over the place in front of a crowd of people, then yeah, it would be barbaric. The difference is that us modders take something and make it better / more personal and more often than not give an old car a new lease of life. The banger boys are just out to destroy cars. No comparison really.
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Dec 26, 2004 17:51:40 GMT
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Hmmm I understand bother arguments there,.. the rareness is a factor for some hotrodders,.. look at that modified Hebmuller, or the Romestsch that is slammed on Porsche rims. People are up in arms about both of them.
Once you've roof chopped a car as far as a classic car person is concerned, you might as well have bangered it. As far as people who are concerned about authenticity are concerned, we (ie the modifying people) as as bad as them (the banger racers).
The only middle ground between us and the "real"/stock classic car people is in terms of racing cars.
No matter what you do your always going to be someones devil, so you might as well get on with it. If the banger boys smash up something rare that they bought legit, then who is to complain? The people that are fans of the cars? Can't be that bigger fans, or they would have bought it and restored it themselves.
Richy has a good story about a Vanden Plas that belonged to Churchill that got bangered,...
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Dec 26, 2004 19:01:33 GMT
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Like ive said before if you don't want to see it bangered then buy it before the banger boys do.
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BS Nymph Singer Chamois Coupe Series 3 Landy
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Dec 26, 2004 19:08:16 GMT
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Richy has a good story about a Vanden Plas that belonged to Churchill that got bangered,... I belive it was a lad at the place where I work that bangered that..... didn't he buy it from some travellers for £50?
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... the only injury I sustained was a bumped head when I let the seatbelt of without realizing the car was upside down and that's not really the car's fault.
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Dec 26, 2004 19:17:43 GMT
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I suppose the pre 1970 races take the pee abit
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BS Nymph Singer Chamois Coupe Series 3 Landy
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Dec 26, 2004 19:24:22 GMT
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As I understand it you can't use a fuel injection car for banger racing for saftey reasons (constant high fuel pressure.... ) so old cars are used. Plus you have impact switchs to cut the fuel pump.... you would get very far....
Also you have such things as bonded glass on modern cars.....
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... the only injury I sustained was a bumped head when I let the seatbelt of without realizing the car was upside down and that's not really the car's fault.
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Dec 26, 2004 19:54:39 GMT
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Yeah, I can understand how we could be viewed as being just as bad as the banger boys for modding a classic. And I use the same argument when some "purist" comes up to me and tells me I'm wrecking my car by making it non standard: if you don't like it, buy one yourself and do what you want with it. I suppose if a banger racer wants to smash up a car that he could sell to a restorer or break for a good few grand then more fool him. Then again, if something's a one-off (celeb owned or something) and the banger boys get there first, the argument of "buy one yourself" kind of falls on its
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Dec 26, 2004 20:22:20 GMT
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In fairness I'm probably as guilty as anyone else at having a go at the banger mob, when to be fair I'd have much less of a problem if I was putting a non original engine or interior or whatever in a rare old car, I think some of us might be too quick to condemn, although the purist concours mob are far worse! As I said before, and a lot of other people have said, it's better that an unsavable old car goes out in a blaze of glory, and dies with dignity, than if it lies rotting slowly away and just becoming a nuisance and a waste of space. Still a shame to see a saveble and/or rare car get wrecked, but I suppose it only really happened because nobody else wanted it in a number of cases, and we can't tar all banger racers with the same brush anyway, they're not all wrecking good cars.
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"He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!"
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Dec 26, 2004 21:30:19 GMT
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Then again, if something's a one-off (celeb owned or something) and the banger boys get there first, the argument of "buy one yourself" kind of falls on its Not when it's advertised for months,.. in magazines,.. with the owners club,.. in loot etc. etc. The reason so many Toyota CROWNs etc. are bangered is cos no one gives a curse word about them. Which is a very sad state of affairs,.. same with the MG Magnette,..
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Dec 26, 2004 23:13:25 GMT
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The Churchill Vanden Plas 3 Litre 2 DOOR!!! was raced by Ant Hill Mob member 924 Matt Millen, at Hednesford's Pre 68 meeting a few years ago. The car was built for Winston personally, not only wa sit 2 door its believed that it had a higher roof line to accomidate, would you believe he's hat!! I know Matts brother fairly well, as my cousin has sold him a few mk2 grannys of late.
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If I Need To Explain, You Won't Understand AHM and Proud!
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richy
Posted a lot
Flatheads forever....
Posts: 1,764
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.... and talking of Granada Mark Twos, I've been reliably informed that the banger boys are buying them up left, right and centre as they are getting so scarce.
Granny Mark Two lovers, take note...
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Dec 27, 2004 10:25:14 GMT
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I believe the going rate for a granny is around 100 quid now, although no doubt some will pay more if their that desperate. Jags are going for around 50 to 75 quid, and Volvo 240's and Bluebirds are the cheapest to get hold off as their are still loads about.
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If I Need To Explain, You Won't Understand AHM and Proud!
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