In a Wet Car Park!

[robertclayson]

It seemed like a good idea at the time... a trip down to Somerset to stand in a wet not very scenic car park to take a few pictures of cars doing a test in the car park. This was the HERO "Per Ardua Ad Infinitum – South West 2022". At least it was a good motoring start to the New Year!

All taken with an E-M1X and 40-150 except the first one which was with an E-M1 Mk2 and 12-100.

1 - MG Maestro



2 - MG MGB



3 - Renault 12 Gordini



4 - Austin Healey 3000



5 - Saab 96 V4



6 - Mini Cooper

[blackfox]

Love the AH 3000

[Ian]

I had an MG Maestro! Sky blue Red seat belts! 2 litre O-Series EFI but no power steering. Those were the days!

Ian

[alfbranch]

My Austin Maestro was brown with a biege interior. It was awful truly awful in lots of ways.

[Ian]

I did drive an 'ordinary' Maestro (also brown) once when my car was being fixed (faulty crankshaft sensor) - and I have to say it was night and day. I had the later Montego style dashboard (no digital dash), chunky MG leather-bound steering wheel and the whole car handled much better and felt more solid than the ordinary and slightly older model. I do wonder if it has a Honda gearbox becaus ethat was pretty good as well compared to the other car. But my MG Maestro was not very reliable! The faulty crankshaft sensor took ages to diagnose and until then the car would unexplainably mis-fire at random, sometimes cutting out completely. The rubber seal around the windscreen would also come loose and flap around, the drivers sun visor fell onto my lap while I was driving and there were areas of the metallic paint that appeared not to have much or any lacquer! But it was a spacious and modern design, I think it looked great with its alloy wheels and I liked driving it. It was up against the Golf GTI and while that was more light on its feet, the Maestro was a great cruiser. Mine was a demonstrator, 3,000 miles on the clock and just 3 months old - a got a big discount!

[griffljg]

Great shots. I can't pick a favourite. - They're all good.

[alfbranch]

Nice set .

[Box Brownie]

A nice set of old & very familiar metal

PS I think your MGB may be an MGB GT i.e. the non-convertible with hatch at the back???

Edit ~ thanks @waiti yes, I spotted what I thought was the edge of a sunroof and solid roof Having researched the number plate.........it now has a 3.5L engine Though from the resource I could check it only gives the engine capacity not the type ~ but I surmise a straight 6 like the MGC has but a long way off spec even for the MGC, so one very "hot" MGB GT

[Walti]

Steel roof and a sunroof - so I concur!

[Bikie John]

Well done Robert, your dedication does you credit! I was on rugby duty, possibly not very far away, and it was foul.

John

[DerekW]

Your dedication was worth it for the picture of the L reg Saab, reminded me of my K reg Saab 96. They had a free wheel drive so you could hurtle down hills only using the foot brake to slow the car. The use of the free wheel system was a hangover from the two stroke engine. My K reg had a 4 stroke Ford engine.

[robertclayson]

Derek, I had a 96 V4, my brother had a two stroke and a V4 and my father also also had a pair before he moved onto 99's

[DerekW]

My 96 was the start of driving Saabs in 1973 or 74 until 2015 then I swapped over to Volvo (surprise surprise). For severa years we had two Saabs. - sad really like being an Olympus user since 2004 (aprox)

[Bikie John]

Nowhere near as classy as Robert's car photos, but you can see here what the weather was like down here in Wessex:



And no, that is not high ISO noise!

John