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I never thought twice about British cars myself, I was always more into American muscle cars. I inherited a 1975 Triumph Tr6 about 3 years ago and I absolutely love it. The car looks classy, has plenty of power and handles like a go-kart (it’s also about the same size of a go-kart). I belong to a British car club and go to a few British car shows a year. Just wondering if anyone else on here is into British cars or used to drive one back in the day?
Even though I grew up around plenty of American Muscle, one guy in the neighborhood had a BRG TR6with the tan leather and red-line tires. That car, more than any other, was the best in my book, even though my older brother had a GTO that today's collectors would fight over.
Later on, a teenager I knew got an MG. It wasn't as grand, but man I wanted it.
Of course, they all faded away.
Thankfully, Mini came back (sort of, under BMW) and I was close to getting a new JCW speced one, but decided to go to for a two-seater, drop top after thinking about how much I loved staring at that old TR as a kid.
The Mazda Miata did so well, some have opined, becuase it returned a small, flickable, inexpensive, open-top two seater to the US market. It didn't have the character of the British cars we saw here in the 60s and 70s, but it had the right idea and was reliable (somewhat, depending on who you ask).
I'd love to get an old British car, but I don't have the time or funds to restore and keep one.
The new Mini Cooper is about as British as the Toyota Camry is American. I've owned several BMWs, and I recognize a ton of the systems and components from previous BMWs. The name is English, they are made in England. That's about it.
I love my Mini, but it's pretty much a German car.
I think BMW did a great job with the Mini Cooper. After driving a Mini Cooper S I almost bought one but the wife said we already have too many 2 seaters....There has been talk about bring the Triumph name back (I think BMW owns the rights to that as well) but then again there is a lot of talk in the automotive industry....
Owned and worked on (mostly worked on) many TR's, MG's, A-H's, Jag 3.8 (sedans and E-types, a few early XK's), an A-C Bristol, a couple of Aston Martin's, several RR's (from the 20's through the post WW2 era), a couple of Bentley's (real B's, not RR's), Sunbeam (Alpines and Tigers), Hillman's, Riley's, a couple of Morgan's (+4's and 4+4's, and a +8), Daimler's, Lanchester's, and an early TVR.
All had "character", sometimes very "elegant" cosmetic styling, luxurious interiors of incredible detail/materials/workmanship, but ... despite a lot of metal and heavily overbuilt aspects in many regards ... were highly unreliable, questionable on the brakes, handling, suspension, lighting/electrical system, quality of the metals/design/execution of their motors (with the notable exception of RR ... well, maybe not. Alloy heads on blocks with no head gaskets were a real problem). Trans synchro's weren't especially great, and trannies wore out bearings like you couldn't believe. Lever action shock absorbers didn't. The "prince of darkness" electrical and instruments plagued all with many problems ... some which you could ignore, some which would keep the car from running. Poor material choices, poor machining, poor designs ... all contributed to machinery that was difficult to keep from leaking (although modern sealants and adhesives have overcome a lot of those issues) coolants, lubes, and oil. "Araldite" was a Brit invention, and it came in response to the need to have a "fluid metal" to repair parts which crumbled with age due to exposure to air or the fluid they were supposed to contain. I don't know what the aluminum alloy was that the Brit's spec'd in their cars, but it crumbles with age ....
A lot of their wimpy front end designs were guaranteed to be scared out of alignment by simply driving them down the road past a pothole, let alone into the pothole.
Probably the best of the lot for me was my 1961 MGA Coupe, bought in 1965 for $600 with 20K miles on the odo. It only needed batteries, a starter, new brake calipers, a valve job, radiator rod-out, water pump, tires, shocks rebuilt, belts, hoses, t-stat, a new exhaust system, and a few bits and pieces to put it on the road with a freshly detailed exterior to make it look nice. What made it charming was the tight cab (and comfortable seat) and a heater that worked adequately compared to the roadster. I sold it after a year to friends who proceeded to ignore the car's growing defect list and drove it another 100K miles before blowing the motor up on a drunken 3-2 downshift coming down a mountain pass.
My lowest ranked car would have to be the MG TC's ... every one I ever saw, including "concours" condition cars, was a pure slug to drive. Low on power, brakes marginal, frames all warped (you had to be especially careful to gently close the doors), marginal cooling systems ... but big on the "fun" factor if they got you across town at 35-40 mph on a sunny day. The TF series was better, but a far cry from the improvements of the first "A" roadsters. I know a lot of folks in love with these cars, but I get more fun (and reliability) out of other cars of the era which had much better performance, too.
The longest trip I ever took without a mechanical mishap was a roundtrip Denver-San Diego-Denver at Christmas 1965 in an almost brand new MG Midget. Got better than 40 mpg, but at the cost of not being able to maintain 65 mph through the mountains of Colorado and into Utah until we got to lower elevation in Southern Utah.
All in all, the cars were ... without exception ... money pits which I acquired from desperate (and/or despondent) owners who'd "had enough" fun for their money and opted for better transportation or recreation cars. There's a lot more classic ambience and fond memories of the few good days with their cars than the continuous electrical/carburetion/mechanical failings that the car presented ... and that's when a lot of them were relatively new cars with dealer networks, parts readily available, and good aftermarket sources like BAP-GEON catering to these cars.
Having also extensively owned/repaired Brit bikes of the 1940's through late 1970's, I've enjoyed a number of days where the British designs, handling, and running qualities were able to give service and fun. But the bikes where I really stacked up the miles without any expense or downtime except for consumables were 1960's vintage BMW's and then MotoGuzzi's from the late 1960's through 1990's vintage. Even after owning a couple of Matchless G-15CSR's (dunstall equiped), Norton Atlas's, R-E Interceptors (and a Continental 250 GT Clipper), I can't say that I ever made faster or more fun daytime trips on the Brit bikes. The Brit machines were always an adventure ... and you needed a plan "B" when a mechanical failure left you stranded somewhere on a day's ride.
But everytime I think about owning a Brit car or bike again, the dream gets taken back to the stark realities of trying to keep one on the road as opposed to a just for a pastime "show" vehicle.
Someday, my collection of Whitworth and British Standard tooling is going to hit eBay ... all Snap-On 1/4" drive through 1/2" drive tooling and all the wrenches. Includes specialty stuff like "wobbly" sockets in 1/4" and 3/8" drive, and taps and dies. Just not ready to part with it yet ... who knows ... another project may yet fall my way which I can't resist. Such is the "mystique" of owning and playing with older Brit cars and bikes.
I love British cars, always have and always will, from Jags to Lotuses to MG's... flaws and all. They have made driving seem like such a civilized occasion.
Owning an oder British car is kind of like dating a really beautiful, really exotic, really neurotic, really spoiled woman. It looks like great fun, is really enchanting at first, then gets under your skin, then (hopefully) you come to your senses before you soul (and all of your money) is GONE.
I've owned a Bug Eye Sprite, 6 Minis, including a "shooting brake" and a Cooper S, a Humber, a Jaguar, 2 MG 1100s and a few others.
The best part of being a member of a British car club, is driving the "parts wagon" that follows the convoy to pick up the parts that have "spontaneously disassembled" themselves, and to help your "mates" get their cars back on the road, or onto the "hook".
The best British sports car you can own is a Mazda Miata. All of the good stuff you liked about your MG, but no Lucas electrical system, no exhaust leaks, no Saturdays afternoons with your head under the bonnet as you "listen for the hissen" to get the carbs coordinated. Just drive it a million miles between maintenance like any other Japanese car.
golfgod
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