Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 23:15:06 -0000
Reply-To: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
Subject: Re: VW vs Rolls
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Heel and toeing? No need for that when you're driving a mini properly,
left-foot braking - years of practice, a straight-cut gearbox, at least 90hp
and hard brake pads - and 51/2" Magnesium Minilites (no bigger). Pure
poetry in motion - but LFB can transform even a duff FWD car into soemthing
quite competitive when you've got a young smart arse up your ass in the wet!
FWIW - 8" is madness, destroys the whole balance of the car on rough give
and take country lanes - whitelining and twitchiness becomes a liability and
you're dead on ice with those...
Ah, an 850 Saab MC, Pat (Carlsson) Moss and Stirling lived just up the road
at Tring (with a ring), now she could drive one of those - not like these
monsters of today. Large circle, small world..
> How many camshafts does the old lotus 1600 motor have? Why did the elan
> have electric windows? DO they have cows at Sandringham?
2, no room for handles and phone the Queen, she'll know.
Old lotus motor? My mate's just finsihed his concours Lotus Cortina, thats
as good as a new motor - quite throaty.
A plastic frog - I think we call them 'frog-eyed' (Sprites) - quarters or
semis?
Seen a few things then - must have said that before...
Clive
----- Original Message -----
From: "pensioner" <al_knoll@pacbell.net>
To: "Clive Smith" <clive.harman-smith@ntlworld.com>
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 9:54 PM
Subject: RE: Re: VW vs Rolls
> Yep, I had a pretend works rallye car. BRG Union Jack and a PH footwell
> applianced for those tricky heel and toe moves.
>
> That was 8" wide FWIW.
>
> The circle is large but still a circle. I owned and sold a Moulton MKIV
> with racks and fenders and a 4sp SA. Came with the handball suspension
> rather than the wallet suspension. Grey. Kewl. Not a folder.
>
> A trashed old rusty front rack sold for 200$ recently.
>
> I have Coronation Edition Hetchins, a Jack Taylor (Custom at Factory)
> Touring Bike, A Cinelli SC, and other old iron.
>
> I had an 850MC Saab later in life. Sold it too. Bought a 2002 TII...
>
> Now a stealth camper...and k100RS for nice days.
>
> Before the end of the first one, I had another interesting British car. A
> plastic frog with a very nice BRM f2 motor (1600cc) It was one of ACB
> Chapmans finest, upgraded by lee lilley in Houston with the BRM.
>
> How many camshafts does the old lotus 1600 motor have? Why did the elan
> have electric windows? DO they have cows at Sandringham?
>
> cheers,
>
> Al
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Clive Smith [mailto:clive.harman-smith@ntlworld.com]
> > Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 12:56 PM
> > To: pensioner
> > Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Re: Re: VW vs Rolls
> >
> >
> > Shocking lot, aren't we!
> >
> > ... and Cooper S's of '67, '68 Monte Carlo Rally winning vintage were
all
> > 'dry' to my knowledge, a good 140 lbs lighter than the 'wet'
hydroelastic*
> > ones - though Paddy was quite amazed when first driving a 'wet'
> > Cooper 'S' -
> > brilliant on ice apparently. But with 8" (!!) alloys and hydroelastic
> > suspension - little chance of avoiding that warthog!
> >
> > The Monte Carlo winning Cooper S's were red with a white roof,
> > weren't they,
> > not BRG? ... and we are talking 1275 'S' in contradistinction to the
later
> > 9- stud 1275GT iron crank Mini Clubman, a dog if ever there was
> > one, aren't
> > we?
> >
> > Clive
> > * Mr ('dry suspension cone' and 'hydroelastic') Moulton now designs
> > high-tech hand-built folding bicycles of exceptional quality from his
> > inherited country pile I believe. They're much sought after by cycling
> > enthusiasts the world over and by 'collectors' of modern technology.
He's
> > now 80 something and when his university days were interrupted by WWII,
> > became a 'man from the ministry', seconded to the Bristol Engine Co. to
> > assist Roy Fedden, sleeve-valve guru - after a bomb hit their
> > drawing office
> > and killed several 'key' staff - he went back to Uni after the war and
> > continued his study - but changed its discipline. He became a
> > cause celebre
> > and another Great British commerical tragedy, when his Moulton folding
> > bicycle design was 'stolen' (by Raleigh amongst others) - I think his
> > philosphy now is '...never grow your business so large that the 'big
boys'
> > even know you exist, let alone want to steal your dreams or buy you
out' -
> > quite a contrast to what most entrepreneurs are aiming at today!
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "pensioner" <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 6:50 PM
> > Subject: Re: VW vs Rolls
> >
> >
> > > The Hon. Winston Ponsonby-Smythe and his wife is touring the
> > Transvaal...
> > >
> > > G. Nashly Cogswell is also in country in his Paddy Hopkirk Rallye
Monte
> > > Carlo Mini Cooper 1275S on his way to RSA to pick up the last
> > of the Kombi
> > > syncro 5cyl TDIs and some spares for his Spagthorpe Whippet. As he
> > > approaches a walled alleyway a dandy liveried Rolls rudely
> > pulls out just
> > in
> > > front of his turn. Luckily the hydroelastic suspension and 8" wide
> > minilites
> > > allowed him to take evasive action in time to avoid wrinkling the
> > paintwork
> > > on the bonnet. From the lofty cabin of the rolls a portly matron
scowls
> > > "pig!".
> > >
> > > Cogswell flashes his most significant digit, screams back
> > "SOW!", and WFO
> > > drifts around the corner scattering gravel with the deafening
> > snarl of the
> > > 1275 at full chat...directly into the side of the largest warthog on
> > record
> > > in the region.
> > >
> > > Wife looks at Winston and mutters..."no respect, those colonials"
> > >
> > > pensioner (BRG with Union Jack on top, PH RMC Mini in a previous life)
> >
>
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