Picked up my new toy on Thursday evening from Hull. It's a 1972 MG BGT. Took it for a blast down the A64 to York yesterday and it never missed a beat. Still smiling now! Weather is lame in Leeds this morning, and was planning to ride in to work in it, but decided against it so it's sat warm and dry in the garage at home instead :)

(sorry for blanking the reg out - my missus wouldn't let me post the pics on her Flickr account without blurring it first for some reason)

That's terrible Peter! You need to blow out the cobwebs every now and then, though we've not had much of a summer this year for convertibles I suppose :(

Am liking having a classic again. People let you pull out of junctions and are generally quite courteous when you're driving along in a bright orange MGB. This one's not got as much poke as my old V8, but I couldn't stretch to a V8 this year as my budget was spanked by the financial black hole that is my new house. At least the fuel bill is cheaper though ;)

I agree - I do get let out into traffic more! The acceleration on mine is pretty good though the brakes are not servoed so braking is probably the weak point. It does have uprated ventilated discs though and Green Stuff pads but is a much heavier car to drive than something modern. Much lighter to steer with air in the tyres though as I found out on Saturday!! I have similar wheels to you - mine are Superlites.

Mine does have an interesting foible - despite the SU carbs being refurbished, the dash pots seem to empty almost after each run. I add oil almost every time I go out! I changed from Strombergs as I find the SU easier to maintain and no nasty rubber daphragm to rot with unleaded fuel!

NICE CAR

Check out my porsche 356 speedster, 1956. HAD HER FOR TWO YEARS NOW. nothing I have ever driven gets as much attention as this!

That is absolutely mint! You're a lucky man indeed. There can't be many RHD 356 Speedsters around. Is it an original UK car?

On a more mundane note, I haven't checked the dashpots on my SUs yet. From what I remember on the V8 you use sewing machine oil in them - is this right Peter?

It is a 1956 californian import. It has been fully restored and was converted to RHD at the time of restoration. As you can see she is totally unblemished.
 

No 356 speedsters were made for the UK. The UK were only intrduced to the 356 a/b coupe's in the late 60's

Being only 28, I get a lot of funny looks from people my age.....but what do they know!!

Fair play mate! I'm 28 too and I thought the looks I got when I was 23 (MG BGT V8) and 25 (MINT Signal Red Triumph TR6) were bad enough, but I imagine that your car takes the biscuit. Have you blown away any boy racers in the Speedster yet? I used to love doing that in the V8 and TR6, but the standard B just doesn't have the poke bless it!

I did wonder whether the Speedster was a US model.....that piece of info was lost somewhere in the depths of my memory from some classic car mag or other I will have read and re-read a 100 times over when I was a kid.

j0hnbarker:

Fair play mate! I'm 28 too and I thought the looks I got when I was 23 (MG BGT V8) and 25 (MINT Signal Red Triumph TR6) were bad enough, but I imagine that your car takes the biscuit. Have you blown away any boy racers in the Speedster yet? I used to love doing that in the V8 and TR6, but the standard B just doesn't have the poke bless it!

I did wonder whether the Speedster was a US model.....that piece of info was lost somewhere in the depths of my memory from some classic car mag or other I will have read and re-read a 100 times over when I was a kid.

To be honest, the porsche is not the quickest car ever made. The engine porsche used was the same 1600 super, twin carb engine as the beetle, it is hardly a monster, but it cruises nicely at about 90mph but sound is stunning from the 4 exhaust pipes.

Speed is not important really! Mine feels much faster than it actually goes! Far safer that way anyway! I did have a Honda Beat for a while which was a real hoot. The speedo was in km/h but it felt like mph! You had a manic 650cc engine revving to well over 10,000 rpm with a lovely double edged wail - not completely unlike a Ferrari Dino. You were also so low that everything seemed to be speeded up. Hilarious to drive and you were not too likely to be done for speeding!

j0hnbarker:

On a more mundane note, I haven't checked the dashpots on my SUs yet. From what I remember on the V8 you use sewing machine oil in them - is this right Peter?

Normal 3 in 1 oil should be fine for the job. Used it several times on different cars with Su's. You can get carb oil but I have never bothered.

Craig

Peter:

I have been using simple GTX - is that not good enough?

I have yearned for a Volvo Amazon (121) for a while, but unfortunately it is too expensive at the moment. Generally vintage cars have gotten more expensive the last 5-10 years as more people have found an interest in them. Generally cars are expensive in Denmark, they are heavily taxed (above 200%). So until I finish writing my Masters thesis I’ll have to do with my ‘vintage’ VW POLO 1,3 HIT from 1984… certainly an old car, just a bit younger than me.

Br

Chr.

I am old enough to have grown up with many cars with SU carbs. Engine oil was good for the dashpots then and I'm sure it still is.

ChrDH:

I have yearned for a Volvo Amazon (121) for a while, but unfortunately it is too expensive at the moment. Generally vintage cars have gotten more expensive the last 5-10 years as more people have found an interest in them. Generally cars are expensive in Denmark, they are heavily taxed (above 200%). So until I finish writing my Masters thesis I’ll have to do with my ‘vintage’ VW POLO 1,3 HIT from 1984… certainly an old car, just a bit younger than me.

 

Br

 

Chr.

sharif:

NICE CAR

Check out my porsche 356 speedster, 1956. HAD HER FOR TWO YEARS NOW. nothing I have ever driven gets as much attention as this!

I want one! But I guess I'll have to manage with my crappy 924 from '78.
 

Regarding Volvo

Yes, the amazon is probably the most beautifull Volvo. I agree with you on the P1800, I have always thought the P1800 was a bit too much, especially when considering that it actually just is an Amazon at the front and a 544 at the rear. But still, I could probably be convinced at buying one anyway, after all, it is a Volvo.

A Volvo 164 would also be lovely.

Br

Chr.

I'm the owner of a Volvo 1800 S from 1965. The P is only for the first batch of 1800 cars serial 1 to 6000 or 1961 to 1963.The production stopped in 1972 of the 1800 while the ES version ended in 1973.

People keep getting that wrong. It's a matter of styling. Personally I dig it. If its good enough for Roger Moore well its good enough for me.