Voitures Anciennes

[RobertArthur]

A non-modified Mazda B1800.

[Hotrodder]

That's the one.
You might not recognise what it was transformed into. It was called "Redneck" and of course finished in red with all name badges removed and body seams welded. The owner wanted a mural airbrushed onto it which was all the fashion at the time but I managed to convince him that the fashion would soon fade and I persuaded him to accept a desert scene sandblasted into the rear window instead. It was suitably subtle and could be easily replaced at a later date if required. A black vinyl roof covering finished the package. I recovered a pair of Datsun bucket seats with Ford Fiesta red/black houndstooth check pleated inserts in black surrounds. Door panels and cab lining were recovered to match, and also the cargo bed was lined with the same padded and pleated lining with an oak parquet floor. A rigid vinyl close fitting hinged lid kept the rain out. A pair of fibreglass "stepside" wheelarches were imported from the states and blended into the sides of the cargo bed to achieve the old fashioned look. I separated the individual bed panels and cut sections out to shorten it and narrow it so the new fat arches just covered the 10" wide x 15" polished alloy wheels. 5" x 14" ones nicely filled out the front. A Le Mans racing fuel filler finished the bed. At the front a custom made chrome tubular grille replaced the horrid grey plastic one it came with. I applied a bonnet bulge taken from a Ford Capri to make room for the twin carbs below. Oh, and it wouldn't be a custom without a Rover 3.5 V8 squeezed into the polished stainless steel lined engine bay with an automatic behind it.
I had spent enough time creating the pickup and had other interests to return to: my own custom van, and a sailboat. He eventually convinced someone else to cut the top off to create a cabriolet, a bit heavy for one person to unclip and remove but it was a real headturner.

[RobertArthur]

A 2001 SAAB 9-5, 6 cylinders, 2962 cm3, more than 350,000 km, friendly face, SAAB-SCANIA quality.

[RobertArthur]

From Baden-Württemberg in Germany to Spain. To 'the' Playa in Mallorca in six days: a party singer travels to Mallorca by tractor. A total of 1441 km, only pausing to sleep. Starting the engine around 6.00 am, switch off 10.00 pm. A classic cars and tractors special: a mini-tractor, an old Porsche (1950-1963). The first frontier: Strassbourg. On the road, nice evening sun. Not always sunny... good rainwear is essential if there is no cabin. Go south young man, to Barcelona, just in time for the ferry with destination Mallorca, mission accomplished.

[RobertArthur]

To come back for a moment to that somewhat classic, understated fascia of the Saab 9-5. There is another way, one of the many examples, a picture of a Ford pick-up in the US. Apparently an example of the design philosophy that a car must have ‘character’, must be recognisable and must give the impression in the rear-view mirror of the car in front that the driver is being chased by a shark or a jet fighter. Even BMW seems to be aiming for that with a new design for the Chinese market: the BMW i7 at ‘Auto China 2026' in Beijing (almost 1500 cars). It's now or never, the future is at stake for German manufacturers. BMW photo by Maxim Shemetov / REUTERS.

[Hotrodder]

I think the "stylists" of modern cars have really lost the plot. Clearly today's car buyers don't give a damn what they look like. If you are prepared to push your credit card to meltdown the cars get better looking but we can't all do that. The rest of us have to drive a boxy anonymous heap of plastic and microprocessors that looks like it was styled by half a dozen different people who were not allowed to speak to each other. They have become so stuffed full of rubbish next to useless features that are produced as cheaply as possible, any thoughts hopes and dreams of durability are but distant memories of the past.

[Polarengineer]

After the E-type Jaguar, the plot was buried. We suffered such designs as the Fiat Multipla, Nissan Juke, Cybertruck, PT cruiser, and yet all cars are advertised on style and not capability. The plot was lost on the marketing as well. After that, you only have the bells and whistles to compare. If only there was a list of their MTBF (mean time between failure) to help with the comparison.

[Hotrodder]

Who on earth coined the phrase "Infotainment system"? Just another gimmick to help separate the fool and his/her money.
Take a look at the 2027 BMW 7 series. "Inside, the new i7 features a pillar-to-pillar panoramic iDrive display showing range, charging, media, and navigation information. The cabin also includes a 17.9-inch central display and a 14.6-inch front passenger screen. In the rear, an optional 31.3-inch Theatre Screen supports features such as Zoom video calls."
Who needs this sh*t?

[RobertArthur]

Let’s go back to some more pleasant-looking cars. Of course, they do require a bit of attention and maintenance. But that goes for all classic modes of transport.

[RobertArthur]

A hybrid car, not quite a classic Porsche 911, not much boot space, no tow bar – not exactly the sort of car you’d take to the DIY store or a déchetterie. But still worth a photo. And inside, there are still all sorts of remnants of a classic instrument panel, even real switches. And of course a mix of basic drive functions and infotainment, large display. And also a link to classic sports cars, nice touch.