Fun: What's the most dangerous car you've ever owned?
Discussion
I'll start the bidding with my Mk II Capri. Loved it to bits (I was 18!) but it was a bit of a death trap in hindsight.
Rust like you wouldn't believe.
- top of suspension mounts
- mounts for the leaf springs (even the springs snapped!)
- car groaned and creaked if the one time I dared to jack it up under the sill
- hole in the floor in the back caught a few passengers out
If I'd crashed that car it would have disintregrated in a cloud of brown particles, a scary thought in hindsight.
It eventually failed the MOT with full points and I scrapped it. Then I saw it driving up the road 'cos some knob had bought it from the scrappy!
It should have looked like this
www.nireland.com/capri/jps.jpg
Rust like you wouldn't believe.
- top of suspension mounts
- mounts for the leaf springs (even the springs snapped!)
- car groaned and creaked if the one time I dared to jack it up under the sill
- hole in the floor in the back caught a few passengers out
If I'd crashed that car it would have disintregrated in a cloud of brown particles, a scary thought in hindsight.
It eventually failed the MOT with full points and I scrapped it. Then I saw it driving up the road 'cos some knob had bought it from the scrappy!
It should have looked like this
www.nireland.com/capri/jps.jpgI bought a Truimph Spitfire 1500 when I was 18 and as far as deathtraps go it was a fine british example. 
Everywhere that I went people used to say "check your grease nipples" and "make sure your trunions are greased up"
These people used to p*ss me off and I used to tank around thinking they were all know it alls.....until I went over a pot hole at 50mph and the suspension snapped on the front offside, dragging the car into the oncoming traffic.
However after the event and several hundreds of pounds later I remembered how cool the sparks over the drivers side looked with the roof off as the unit hit the tarmac!
Always a good sign of a clever suspension system - transverse leaf spring, the back end goes out at 2mph in the wet - I wonder why no one uses that system now?
PetrolTed . Did you have a extra false exhaust pipe on the other side to pretend it was a 3000cc?
Edited by archie1 on Wednesday 28th November 12:03
Everywhere that I went people used to say "check your grease nipples" and "make sure your trunions are greased up"
These people used to p*ss me off and I used to tank around thinking they were all know it alls.....until I went over a pot hole at 50mph and the suspension snapped on the front offside, dragging the car into the oncoming traffic.
However after the event and several hundreds of pounds later I remembered how cool the sparks over the drivers side looked with the roof off as the unit hit the tarmac!
Always a good sign of a clever suspension system - transverse leaf spring, the back end goes out at 2mph in the wet - I wonder why no one uses that system now?
PetrolTed . Did you have a extra false exhaust pipe on the other side to pretend it was a 3000cc?
Edited by archie1 on Wednesday 28th November 12:03
I did'nt actually own it, It was my dad's, he said I could use it if I passed my test 1st time, to take my mates to Wales on Holiday in 1971.
It was a Series 3 Hillman Minx, bench seat, crossply's, drum brakes all round.
Handled like a tit on a trampoline.
Coming down a long hill in south Wales,on the way to pub, I could see the the pub up the other side of the hill, but across a junction. Changed down, hit brakes, went faster, hit brakes, burning smell, from bake fluid and linings as well, across junction without stopping, up hill into pub car park, first lucky escape. Cars like those did not have a performance/handling envelope, more a postcard. Made you learn the limits of adhesion fast.
Regards
Big Rumbly
Edited by big rumbly on Wednesday 28th November 12:08
Edited by big rumbly on Wednesday 28th November 12:23
Fiat X1/9 - wonderful fun car to drive for a 19 year old, but ine day my girlfriend slammed the passenger door and half of it fell off. The sills then gradually crumbled away and the A pillar almost rotted through during the course of a single winter.
Oh, and just to stay true to the tradition of Italian cars, every time I turned on the wipers at the same time as full beam I smelled burning electrics from behind the dashboard.
I did love that car though....
Oh, and just to stay true to the tradition of Italian cars, every time I turned on the wipers at the same time as full beam I smelled burning electrics from behind the dashboard.
I did love that car though....
No brainer - a Ford Explorer.
Yes, it tried to kill me. Heading up the M3 at 70ish, suddenly started accelerating for no apparent reason and kept going up well over 120 (not fun in a rogue bus) and kept it up until whacked auto box into neutral to keep engine (and brakes and steering running), hit rev limiter and steered to the side when turned off engine and emptied trousers. Reason why is now well documented. Oh after that, it used to drop into low ratio for no apparent reason (including on motorways and when leaving petrol stations) and strangely, the radio aerial would only rise and fall whilst the car was in netural (including on the move)
Definitely 'Christine'. Binned it back to Ford for a full refund.
Yes, it tried to kill me. Heading up the M3 at 70ish, suddenly started accelerating for no apparent reason and kept going up well over 120 (not fun in a rogue bus) and kept it up until whacked auto box into neutral to keep engine (and brakes and steering running), hit rev limiter and steered to the side when turned off engine and emptied trousers. Reason why is now well documented. Oh after that, it used to drop into low ratio for no apparent reason (including on motorways and when leaving petrol stations) and strangely, the radio aerial would only rise and fall whilst the car was in netural (including on the move)
Definitely 'Christine'. Binned it back to Ford for a full refund.
Jensen Healey.....(still got it unfortunately).
Taken in px for my 2nd 350i 11 years ago from Tim Lamont. Serves me right for not checking it out properly but it had knackered floor, chassis, sills, 'A' pillar, hinges, seat-belt mounts, brake and fuel lines. Other than that it well sorted
Rectification for all the above has been done though (just in case anyone wants to buy it!)
Most dangerous time, other than whilst driving the JH before its first MOT after buying it as when a wheel came off it going round Mill Hill Circus. I had already driven up the M4 at around 70-80mph the previous day after picking it up from a garage that had been doing some work on it down there. A phone call to them (which was taped) had them admit that they had been warned that a sacked mechanic may try to get some revenge. He did - by loosening my wheel nuts. I'm just glad it didn't come off on the M4....
Taken in px for my 2nd 350i 11 years ago from Tim Lamont. Serves me right for not checking it out properly but it had knackered floor, chassis, sills, 'A' pillar, hinges, seat-belt mounts, brake and fuel lines. Other than that it well sorted
Rectification for all the above has been done though (just in case anyone wants to buy it!)
Most dangerous time, other than whilst driving the JH before its first MOT after buying it as when a wheel came off it going round Mill Hill Circus. I had already driven up the M4 at around 70-80mph the previous day after picking it up from a garage that had been doing some work on it down there. A phone call to them (which was taped) had them admit that they had been warned that a sacked mechanic may try to get some revenge. He did - by loosening my wheel nuts. I'm just glad it didn't come off on the M4....
Undoubtedly this was my Austin A40. My "proper" car was the MGA and at the time I played keyboards in a band so needed a hack to carry my amp and keyboards around in. Mate's, girlfriend's, Mum had it for sale for £50 quid with 12 months MOT so I took it! Totally lethal - it had cable operated rear brakes and I had to use the handbrake lever as a kind of in-car adjuster to get the foot brake to go from useless to not-quite-so-useless! My brother reversed it into a tree whilst the passenger door was open, folded it flat back against the front wing then slammed it shut - it never opened again after that so it was restricted to entry & exit via the drivers side which was hilarious when the carpet started smoking from the passenger footwell once. Seems the exhaust pipe had burnt a hole through the rusty floor and started the horsehair backing on the carpet to catch light! God what a bucket that was, still it did a job for a year or two!
Liverpool Uni. owns some of the world's most dangerous Trannie Vans. See http://uk.geocities.com/brainintheglovebox/Oops.html for a friend's experience. Whenever I took one of the damn things out it tried to kill me, the highlight being driving over Shap in sleet with the windscreen wipers frozen up...
My most dangerous car was a Mk1 Nissan Micra: changed lanes every time a lorry went past (which was often, it was only good for about 65mph) and had the structural integrity of a crisp packet, did 0-60 in 22 seconds (timed)and needed half of Derbyshire to come to a halt. Shame as I learnt to drive around Little Eaton (home of the world's most dangerous roundabout & some fairly big hills) in it. Only redeeming feature was total reliability (though if the bugger had broken down I could at least have got shut of it
)
My most dangerous car was a Mk1 Nissan Micra: changed lanes every time a lorry went past (which was often, it was only good for about 65mph) and had the structural integrity of a crisp packet, did 0-60 in 22 seconds (timed)and needed half of Derbyshire to come to a halt. Shame as I learnt to drive around Little Eaton (home of the world's most dangerous roundabout & some fairly big hills) in it. Only redeeming feature was total reliability (though if the bugger had broken down I could at least have got shut of it
)VW Polo 1.3 Ranger - nightmare. Went OK but not too fast, but the handling was scary. You just didnt get a clue as to what could happen. Driving down the A42 just at the end of the M42 and there is a bumpy section - car bounced all over the road at 80MPH. Ok, shouldnt have been doing that speed in that car - but Christ on a bike - scared me sensless.
Swapped it for a Golf mark II which handled properly - cor that was a relief.
Cheers,
Paul
Swapped it for a Golf mark II which handled properly - cor that was a relief.
Cheers,
Paul
Big Healey (AH 3000). Lovely looking thing, good grunt but very heavy with ancient brakes and lots of play in the steering. Also feeble headlights, flashing red/white indicators that no-other driver understood, ineffective windscreen wipers, seat belts that just fell off your shoulder and went slack, and a non-collapsible 6 foot long steering column that went from just behind the front bumper to just in front of your chest. Saving grace was you were unlikely to ever crash one forwards.
http://freespace.virgin.net/adrian.rose/healey.htm
AdrianR
http://freespace.virgin.net/adrian.rose/healey.htm
AdrianR
Shame, they're gorgeous looking cars. Anyone know anything about the modern interpretations: www.hmcsportscars.com ?
quote:
I bought a Truimph Spitfire 1500 when I was 18 and as far as deathtraps go it was a fine british example.
Everywhere that I went people used to say "check your grease nipples" and "make sure your trunions are greased up"
These people used to p*ss me off and I used to tank around thinking they were all know it alls.....until I went over a pot hole at 50mph and the suspension snapped on the front offside, dragging the car into the oncoming traffic.
I've got to do one of the trunnions on mine, the MOT tester said it was on the way out.
That is along with the timing chain that needs replacing a wheel bearing, a bent driveshaft!! and sorting out the sills when some t**t before I bought it, welded it without supporting the doors.The sills are a structual part of the car you see.
I've had a couple of Manta's in the past which seemed to rot really well, my last one I managed to poke holes through the floor and see the ground.
It was a really nice car and is still going as far as I know.
1989 Supra Turbo - inherited as a company car (well I asked for it), it had unknown mileage as the prev keeper disconnected the speedo to avoid going over the lease mileage, bald tyres on the back and knackered suspension. It was great in a straight line although pulling away without leaving rubber wasn't easy but wallowed like hell in bends and tried to spit you all over the road. In the wet - forget it over 25 mph.
But the vehicle I felt most at risk in was a mates Ford Thames van with a Jag IRS rear end and mid mounted Daimler V8. Bear in mind you sit forward of the front wheels - bloody scary.
But the vehicle I felt most at risk in was a mates Ford Thames van with a Jag IRS rear end and mid mounted Daimler V8. Bear in mind you sit forward of the front wheels - bloody scary.
The worst? Car? Austin Champ 4x4, rolled over on the smallest gradient and we were supposed to use them in the field? Over 150 rollovers on the road in the first 2 years of service! A WRAC rolled one on the flat at 20mph in camp! Then we went back to the old Landy 99 and 109, still rolled but not nearly as easily!
Edited by JMGS4 on Thursday 29th November 13:54
Is it bad that I still own 2 of the cars featuring on this thread - Spitfire and Capri.
And to be honest a well sorted Spitfire handles well enough to leave modern faster stuff behind on b-roads with relative ease and is extremely quick off the line (modern stuff will have caught up and be passing it by 40 mind).
Both can be driven fast but you need to keep your brain in gear - love 'em both.
And to be honest a well sorted Spitfire handles well enough to leave modern faster stuff behind on b-roads with relative ease and is extremely quick off the line (modern stuff will have caught up and be passing it by 40 mind).
Both can be driven fast but you need to keep your brain in gear - love 'em both.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff