JetSet

Well, I saw the pics before they were removed and have to say that apart from the huge squarish side skirts and the rather weird headlights it actually looked quite good. . Pete

As above, the first one was a GM coupe on a local registration DE 55xxx, the second one a black roadster on a very expensive looking private plate BT xx. Pete

Hmm, are you very tall?, he's listed at 1.78m (5.10) about average...he is pretty slim though, 71kgs. Many years ago I was in Rhyl and James Hunt's World Championship Mclaren was on display in a Texaco station. Didn't have my camera but cheekily asked if I could sit in it . Just about squeezed into it, How on earth 1.85m Hunt managed to drive this is beyond me, he must have had very short legs and arms Pete

It's all a matter of opinion. I reckon they look best unpainted on Blade Silver and GM, on all the others then painted looks better Pete

25mms will rub a bit on the front, I have a 20mm spacer on the front of mine but the aftermarket wheels I have on have a 3mm offset difference making it the equivalent of 23mm, just about the limit really. Pete

Back in the days when cheapo tyres meant remoulds this happened frequently and quite often in the tread too...Happened to me on the M1 near Northampton, I had to limp along for a couple of miles on the hard shoulder before I came to a service area to change it, bloody great egg right in the middle of the tread Pete

Which is about as reliable as a Soviet nuclear reactor as well Yes, The BMW one especially . I've also heard that the light often stays on even after the puncture has been fixed . Sadly, the trend will be for new cars to have run flats fitted, even top end sports cars, probably legislating for it even as we speak Pete

You would also need to fit a TPMS to let you know if a tyre has lost pressure. Cars fitted with run flats by the manufacturers have to have some kind of warning system. My understanding of the current MOT regulations is that if a run flat has no TPMS you will get an advisory. From 2012 any car fitted with OEM run flats will fail if non run flats are fitted, not sure if this applies the other way round though Pete

In the early years of The Indy 500 they used to carry an onboard mechanic Pete

Tickets look to be available . http://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/201 ... b=Book-now Been a while since I've been but the start finish straight offers some decent views but expect tickets to be expensive if in fact there are any left for this area. Another good place is the stand at the end of hangar straight, that's possibly the best place to see the cars for more than a few seconds. Last time I went just for the race traffic was horrendous, so leave early and expect delays when you leave. In past years the signposting for getting to Silverstone has been very good, I just drove down the M1 until I saw the signs then followed them. Providing there are no delays you should be able to get there in 2 hours 30 minutes keeping roughly to the speed limits. I always aimed to be there for 8 in the morning on race day so it was a half five set off . Last few times I went I towed the caravan I owned at the time down there on Thursday afternoon and came home Monday morning, never got too much sleep though Pete

All 4 of my grandparents came from families of at least 10 children. My Grandmother on my mothers side had 12 sisters although several died in childhood which was par for the course back then. Goodness only knows how they managed without any kind of benefit but somehow they did! Pete

Yes they do . Perfect stance too! Pete

Did something similar myself back in the 70's. I was reversing out between 2 cars on a narrow street and just glanced a passing car. No damage to my Triumph GT6 but put a light indent right down the side of the other car. I considered it to be my fault and rather than lose my no claims paid for the other car to be repaired...it came to about £70, a weeks wages for me back then. Pete

I had my Escort RS Turbo from new (1989) and sold it in 2001 with 116k on the clock. When I sold it it still had the original clutch, exhaust and Turbo and the brakes lasted until 80k. Other than the normal consumables the only thing that had to be replaced was the fuel pump, twice in fact at 43k and 80k. Sadly the car had considerable rust on the inner wings and underneath but the guy who bought it off me completely rebuilt the car and according to the DVLA site its still on the road. Pete

You may well need to change the battery. If a battery goes completely flat and it's more than say 2 years old then it will never hold the full charge again. The engine may well turn over but there won't be enough charge to properly spark the plugs. Had exactly the same issue with mine when I left it standing for a couple of months, put a new battery in and it started first time Pete

Took my car for M.O.T yesterday and had a chat with the owner of the test centre. He was obviously aware of the new rules and said that as far as he was concerned he will only test headlight washers if they are fitted so if they have been completely removed that will not be a failure. He did admit it was a grey area though so other testers may adopt a different approach, but his attitude was that he couldn't be expected to know the spec for every single car. He also highlighted a possible problem with the new regs as track cars, rally cars have fixed position seats often welded into place. Pete

Welcome along Pete

Yes, I'm up for it Pete

Spotted in Backford, Chester about 11:30 heading towards Liverpool. First time I've seen one of these outside of a meet. Pete

+1 I also do 2.5k a year and just have a P3 every 2 years. Modern oils don't break down, shear or sludge in the same way they used to so changing it every year at 2.5k won't make any difference to the engine life. The only exceptions to this would be if you lived in somewhere like Canada and used a thin winter oil, then you must change it in the summer because the oil could possibly shear and fail to provide sufficient lubrication to the engine. BTW, this is one of the reasons why hire care companies will not allow you take your car into Death Valley in June, July or August. Brake and Clutch fluid absorb water over time, those that are left standing tend to absorb more, so should be changed every couple of years at most. Pete

I like most kinds of Motorsport . I've been following F1 since the days of Stirling Moss and have attended many GP's since my first one in 1972..TBH I can't wait for the season to start again . After F1, Indycar racing and The World Touring Car championship are the only other ones I get to watch these days. Then there's the one off races like The Bathurst 1000 and Le Mans which I make an effort to watch. Not that keen on rallying though, the drivers have great skills but you can attend a rally and have absolutely no idea who has set the fastest stage time, who is in the lead etc. I also watch Moto GP when I get the chance, its very exciting but desperately needs bigger grids, the 250 races are much better. I make it 6...MSC, JB, SV, LH, KR and FA. Pete

I've never liked the idea of having to scroll through to get the time and why doesn't the radio have a time on it, not exactly rocket science to integrate one into it, just about every other manufacturer does it Simple solution is to get a digital car clock off EBay. EDIT...Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there a clock built into The JDM radio??? I kinda remember someone posting a pic a while ago. Can't find the pic but did find this thread. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=34730&p=518501&hilit=jdm+radio+clock#p518501 Pete

Just found this on BBC news, just about the worst car to steal when there's 3 of you. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-16566151 Pete

Some of the lesser known parks are well worth a look, in Arizona the Petrified Forest and Monument Valley and in Utah there are no end of incredible paces...Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Cedar Breaks and Capitol Reef, but the best place in Utah is the small desert town of Moab which has both Arches National Park and Canyonlands on its doorstep. Colorado is also a fantastic place with Mesa Verde and The Rocky Mountain National Park and Denver is well worth a visit. From Denver onwards its all pretty flat and boring TBH unless you like looking at Wheat fields . Another thing is that once you hit the prairies then beware of the Deer Fly, they are everywhere and have a nasty bite Pete

Yeah, not just rockers either. If you look at 60's through to 90's bands and individual artists they will have a period from 3-5 years when they at their artistic peak and after that they just go through the motions or gradually fade. Perversely, the artists that last the longest are usually those that rely on others to provide their songs for them. I find it very sad to see bands trying to make a comeback, not good for their legacy IMHO. Pete