Underrated classics
Discussion
Keep up! its only been open a week or so and already a repost!
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=132418&f=140&h=0
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=132418&f=140&h=0
ettore said:
How about;
Dolomite Sprint
Rover P6
Lancia Beta Montecarlo
Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire
Ferrari 308 GT4
Porsche 924 Turbo
Lotus Elan +2
Not sure about the horsey GT4 - performance and handling yes... but looks
IMO of course 
and a Ferrari should have looks. But I like Lambos so I'll add Silhouette / Jalpa.Ford Mustang II. Rather uninspiring in standard tune, but nowadays it's so much more responsive to engine swaps and handling tweaks than the '64-'73. A 2.9i Cosworth block makes for a rubber-ripping tarmac-terrorist.
Also:
Chrysler LeBaron Convertible. Basically all a Mercedes SL is for a fraction of the price.
and:
Mitsubishi Starion. IMO it should be held in the same regard as the BMW M3 and Ford Sierra Cosworth, until the arrival of which the Starion was the fastest 2-litre production car available. Unfairly ignored but its day will come.
Also:
Chrysler LeBaron Convertible. Basically all a Mercedes SL is for a fraction of the price.
and:
Mitsubishi Starion. IMO it should be held in the same regard as the BMW M3 and Ford Sierra Cosworth, until the arrival of which the Starion was the fastest 2-litre production car available. Unfairly ignored but its day will come.
cheburator said:
I think you are missing the Porsche 928. The only GT car ever to win European Car of the Year. Timeless look and stonking performance (170mph+) in the mid 1980s... You can pick a decent one of ebay for £5k at present...
Look at my profile... I am a little biased of course
How right you are Alex.
One of the fastest car's I've ever driven was a 928 S4 with a manual 'box; utterly mental acceleration and soooo smooth.
I don't know why they're so cheap to buy just now.
PetrolTed said:
Blimey, can't remember the last time I saw a Starion.
Dear God! Seem to remember these round about 1982; knew a bloke who worked at a local dealership, reckons each car came with a year's supply of 'Old Spice!'
Have to agree about the 928 though: could have been developed to astonishing levels, eben a mid-80's 'S' or 'S2' was monstrous on the go, imagine one today, a sort of DB9 rival, big, bruising, definitive GT - what would another 15 years' of chassis tweaks + 100-150 extra bhp been like?
derestrictor said:
Blimey, can't remember the last time I saw a Starion.
Dear God! Seem to remember these round about 1982; knew a bloke who worked at a local dealership, reckons each car came with a year's supply of 'Old Spice!'
Have to agree about the 928 though: could have been developed to astonishing levels, eben a mid-80's 'S' or 'S2' was monstrous on the go, imagine one today, a sort of DB9 rival, big, bruising, definitive GT - what would another 15 years' of chassis tweaks + 100-150 extra bhp been like?
You guys are really putting me in the mood for an old 928; Stop it!! It's the last thing I need right now!
Ah the old ‘Star Iron’ or indeed ‘Star Reon’! Knowing how to pronounce the old things name was only the start of the turbo lag induced adventure!
On a similar vein I have to say that in my humble it is the ‘dawning of the age of XJS’ a seconding coming of the Browns Lane prowler.
Performance is out of the top draw. Looks are remarkably fresh given the old dames first came to the world in 76? Reassuringly thirsty of course. If you can get a later Egan car, reasonably well thrown together.
Of course if you fancy hunting in the upper branches then its tatty bye Mr 928 driver when you guzzle your way past in a TWR 6.0 litre XJS. Not one of the Jaguar Sport cars, the TWR is the one. With I think over 400 nags one can still turn up in the odd specialist for under ten grand
And more than anything it survived BL, Porsches have had it so easy
On a similar vein I have to say that in my humble it is the ‘dawning of the age of XJS’ a seconding coming of the Browns Lane prowler.
Performance is out of the top draw. Looks are remarkably fresh given the old dames first came to the world in 76? Reassuringly thirsty of course. If you can get a later Egan car, reasonably well thrown together.
Of course if you fancy hunting in the upper branches then its tatty bye Mr 928 driver when you guzzle your way past in a TWR 6.0 litre XJS. Not one of the Jaguar Sport cars, the TWR is the one. With I think over 400 nags one can still turn up in the odd specialist for under ten grand
And more than anything it survived BL, Porsches have had it so easy
derestrictor said:
Blimey, can't remember the last time I saw a Starion.
Dear God! Seem to remember these round about 1982; knew a bloke who worked at a local dealership, reckons each car came with a year's supply of 'Old Spice!'
Have to agree about the 928 though: could have been developed to astonishing levels, eben a mid-80's 'S' or 'S2' was monstrous on the go, imagine one today, a sort of DB9 rival, big, bruising, definitive GT - what would another 15 years' of chassis tweaks + 100-150 extra bhp been like?
IMO Porsche should revisit its front-engined GT lineup, and not in the Cayenne either. They could use the Cayenne to make a great GT though - shorter wheelbase, normal-car ride height, a nicer bodyshell (acknowledgeing the 928), and take on the BMW 6-Series and Jaguar XK8
vario-rob said:
Ah the old ‘Star Iron’ or indeed ‘Star Reon’! Knowing how to pronounce the old things name was only the start of the turbo lag induced adventure!
On a similar vein I have to say that in my humble it is the ‘dawning of the age of XJS’ a seconding coming of the Browns Lane prowler.
Performance is out of the top draw. Looks are remarkably fresh given the old dames first came to the world in 76? Reassuringly thirsty of course. If you can get a later Egan car, reasonably well thrown together.
Of course if you fancy hunting in the upper branches then its tatty bye Mr 928 driver when you guzzle your way past in a TWR 6.0 litre XJS. Not one of the Jaguar Sport cars, the TWR is the one. With I think over 400 nags one can still turn up in the odd specialist for under ten grand
And more than anything it survived BL, Porsches have had it so easy
Hi Rob,
When I first became involved in motor engineering it was as a Jaguar specialist and I just ate, slept and breathed them.
But on hind site a great many of them were seriously flawed in design, and it was such a shame, because so many of the flaws could have been so easily rectified at the development stage, but Jaguar seemed to have a blind spot or maybe a death wish when it came to certain areas of design, like the lightness and lack of feel of the power steering systems.
The first XJS actually came out in 1975 and it was radical and very controversial in design, but it was VERY seventies.
It also introduced fuel injection to the V12 motor.
I had one of the rare manual versions which used the four speed box from the E-type V12.
It was stunningly quick through the gears, but the box had terrible shift quality and the clutch was ludicrously heavy; I just felt that it wasn't a happy car at all.
In comparison, I had an XJ12 Series 1 which was a short wheelbase four door, a '73 running on four Stromberg carbs. It was blindingly quick and was a genuine 150 MPH motor car and handled far better than the XJS.
In fact, that was probably the best Jaguar I ever owned, all things considered.
It's strange that, I found that a great many of the Jaguar saloons were actually more sporty in driving terms than the sports cars were.
I had a 3.4 mk 1 saloon with a straight port head and 2 inch carbs and up to 100MPH it ws quicker than my E Type!! An absolutely terrific drivers car.
I better stop rambling.
As Vario well knows, Pa still has a VERY well used 1979 XJ-S tucked up in the barn in Norfolk; the one car that he has never been able to let go of. Used very seldom now (although it was his daily driver for over 10 years), it has covered well over 300k miles on its original drive train and yet will still stretch its legs to well over 140 if you have the stomach for the LRP consumption.....
>> Edited by clapham993 on Thursday 11th November 22:14
>> Edited by clapham993 on Thursday 11th November 22:14
Of course the early cars were both porous and downright poor in so many ways. I may be correct in saying that the family Clapham993 car is probably the last working example in existence (or thereabouts) the rest having done a damn good impression of an alkaseltzer when exposed to water.
The thrust of my point are the cars made during the late eighties when Jag had been saved from the clutches of BL and were trading healthily under John Egan. Granted they never had the same build as an SEC or a 928 but they were a good old charger none the less.
As a case in point there is a top rate Jag specialist just outside Bury St Eds. who’s selling his own 88 car with 40 thou and just the one owner. A concourse ‘S’ for £4.5k what more could you want?
Well actually my old chaps 88 Series III V12 which he still regards as the nicest car he’s ever had and that does include a few. Drop dead looks, sledgehammer performance and well screwed together. The irony of trading it in for a Maserati bi-turbo will not be lost on the cognoscenti of this board.
How about an M635? A hoofing bit of kit
The thrust of my point are the cars made during the late eighties when Jag had been saved from the clutches of BL and were trading healthily under John Egan. Granted they never had the same build as an SEC or a 928 but they were a good old charger none the less.
As a case in point there is a top rate Jag specialist just outside Bury St Eds. who’s selling his own 88 car with 40 thou and just the one owner. A concourse ‘S’ for £4.5k what more could you want?
Well actually my old chaps 88 Series III V12 which he still regards as the nicest car he’s ever had and that does include a few. Drop dead looks, sledgehammer performance and well screwed together. The irony of trading it in for a Maserati bi-turbo will not be lost on the cognoscenti of this board.
How about an M635? A hoofing bit of kit
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff