Cabriolets

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Ming the Merciless

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
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mustang1 said:
I drove an MX5 in circa 1995. It was a mk1 where you could unzip the rear screen and fold it flat (in fact it was quieter in that configuration on the motorways) and it had screw-in antenna if you wanted to listen to the radio. Cracking car in the twisties.
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Model I had, the original before they got heavier with air bags etc and lost the pop up headlights. It was great fun to drive, grin on my face every time.
 
Bonefish Blues

Bonefish Blues

Banging donk
mustang1 said:
Ah, I did not know about the rust problem. Anyway, it wasn't my car. And now that I think about it, I know it was a 2004. A light blue one.
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Probably the first of the 'fixed' years, but they had an awful period in early 2000s with SLKs and CLKs, but also extending to 210s (E class) saloons & estates. Odd thing is that some colours were fine (typically the darker ones), but mine had tiny pinpricks of corrosion coming through from underneath the paint :ohmy:
 
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Profpointy

Legendary Member
Phaeton said:
Friend had the GT6 with the same engine in, wasn't bad, but for ease of use, fuel injected Japanese engine is the way forward.

Would love a Stag but they are starting to attract big money especially if still fitted with an original V8 that has been sorted, it's a new water pump, a change of a hose & a big new alloy radiator & all the overheating issues are sorted.
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I disagree with your "ease of use" suggestion. The Triumph straight six is one of the simplest to to maintain of any engine I've experience of. You can sit on the wheels astride the wishbones to do the tappets(all 12) in 10 minutes, the distributor has a twiddle on it to do the timing, and balancing the twin Strombergs is a 5 minute job. It really is a piece of piss to care for. All the above needs doing twice a year so hardly a big chore. Modern engines need slightly less maintenance but you likely need a garage to do it, so there's no real gain.
 
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Deleted member 26715

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Profpointy said:
I disagree with your "ease of use" suggestion. The Triumph straight six is one of the simplest to to maintain of any engine I've experience of. You can sit on the wheels astride the wishbones to do the tappets(all 12) in 10 minutes, the distributor has a twiddle on it to do the timing, and balancing the twin Strombergs is a 5 minute job. It really is a piece of piss to care for. All the above needs doing twice a year so hardly a big chore. Modern engines need slightly less maintenance but you likely need a garage to do it, so there's no real gain.
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But I'd respond with an MX5 engine you'd not have to do any of those things, tbh I don't like carburetors they are too complicated to do such a simple task, fuel injection for me every time
 
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Profpointy

Legendary Member
Phaeton said:
But I'd respond with an MX5 engine you'd not have to do any of those things, tbh I don't like carburetors they are too complicated to do such a simple task, fuel injection for me every time
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Yebbut, you can do a lot of carb balancing and tappet fettling to make up for a gazillion hours making up all the brackets and such to fit an MX5 engine and 'box into a car it don't belong in. And I don't believe for one minute an MX5 is maintenance free either

By way of comparison, my Saab is an excellent car, but whilst I could do my own oil change if I wanted, beyond that, you need to plug in a computer, and a general purpose garage can only do so much. I could do everything myself on my Vitesse. And twice a year no big deal. Once a year I could have got away with. There's really zero gain. Maybe fair enough if it was a dud engine but it it wasnt't
 
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Accy cyclist

Accy cyclist

Legendary Member
I think I sat in one of the above about a year ago when a customer in the shop I work in saw me admiring his sporty Merc convertible (12 plate) and let me have a sit in it. It was very plush inside,very nice real, not plastic leather, polished wood dash etc, but so low down it was hard to climb into, even harder to get out of! He told me he'd paid ÂŁ12,000 for it a few months ago, at the time.
 
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Deleted member 26715

Guest
Profpointy said:
Yebbut, you can do a lot of carb balancing and tappet fettling to make up for a gazillion hours making up all the brackets and such to fit an MX5 engine and 'box into a car it don't belong in. And I don't believe for one minute an MX5 is maintenance free either
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Horses for courses, I respect your view of keeping it standard, but the 50% increase in power, the 75Kgs weight saving, 5 or 6 speed gearbox, less maintenance, better economy all think I'd consider the MX5 engine. But it will likely happens as I have zero space on the drive.
 
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Profpointy

Legendary Member
Phaeton said:
Horses for courses, I respect your view of keeping it standard, but the 50% increase in power, the 75Kgs weight saving, 5 or 6 speed gearbox, less maintenance, better economy all think I'd consider the MX5 engine. But it will likely happens as I have zero space on the drive.
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I guess my underlying point, apart from "purity"/ "authenticity" is that the engine is maybe the best bit of the Vitesse. Very dodgy rear suspension, brakes (ok, but of their time). rusty chassis, leaky hood etc would be far more important things to worry about than the one good bit!

But hey, if we all liked the same things life would be more dull

And for all that I would make judicious improvements to a classic. My brother in law recounts a motorcyle event where some purists were rather snooty about various inauthentic mods to a friend of his' bike; I think maybe a 50s Sunbeam. The owner commented "I've ridden mine 200 miles to get here, yours have come on in the back of a van"
 
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