The Impractical Car Thread.

[Drago]

Show us your impractical car.

To qualify it must be incapable of transporting a family of 5, unable to transport a chest of drawers to the tip, or so low that anyone over the age of 30 suffers aching hips just looking at it.

I am the final arbiter!

So show us your loverly, wonderful, impractical nonsense.

 

[Hicky]

Not mine however I think will end up in my sons ownership......the ex FiL bought himself a MX5 when he retired...due to an overbearing wife and never standing up to her he rarely takes it out sadly....it's very well polished though. He's a really nice bloke too, I do miss his company.

 

[Punkawallah]

Recently departed Peugeot 206cc. Can seat two and two halves. While I’ve never tried to use it to get a chest of drawers to the tip, the potential five miles headroom has come in useful more than once :-)
Picture from t’Interwebs.

 

[DCLane]

This was my Saab 9-3 Aero convertible - being the Aero model it was lowered:

Great to drive, lovely engine due to a modified chip and turbo. Hopeless in terms of storage space as the folding roof took up most of the boot.

And I once got it stuck on a speed bump, balancing on the plastic sills with all four wheels off the ground.

 

[DCLane]

A couple of cars prior it was this daft purchase - a 1984 Talbot Samba Cabrio:

 

[Drago]

Some great examples of impracticality! That little Samba would be quite collectable today.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Nissan Sunny 1.8 ZX Coupe

Great car - originally had a 1.6 engine but Nissan bunged a 1.8 in it
Bought it used in early 1990s due to a lot of working long hours in a warehouse getting a computer system connected to a conveyor thingy

which involved an hours drive there and back every day
which pointed out that the previous car - Nissan Sunny coupe, see a theme here? - has manual windows that dropped down JUST enough to create noise
and a sunroof that made more noise with a headwind over 70mph

and a LOT of money suddenly arriving from the overtime

As far as practicality goes
I can confirm that a full grown Alsatian (GSD in metric) will fit in the back
but only because they lie on the flat bit and do not need leg room in front of the seats - because there was about one inch
and I am not the sort of size that has the driver's seat right back!

you could put the back seats down and get a decent amount of stuff in the back to get to the tip - but the dog would complain


I can also confirm that when you left Tesco in Bidston and came off the roundabout and hit the dual carriageway
then it was a lot faster than you would expect from something called a Nissan Sunny
and someone in a Golf GTI could confirm that if only he was not too far behind to see his reg number when I looked back

 

[Sea of vapours]

There are rear 'seats', but there isn't even legroom for a five year old child (tested!). On the side of practicality, however, it *is* possible to put a bike in the back, with the rear seat backs down and both wheels off - just.

EDIT: I've had it from new in 2006. This photos is from when I 'restored' it three years ago.

 

[Drago]

Here's mine. It only seats 4 and you'd struggle to fit a toothbrush in the boot.

It only comes out during thr summer months for shows etc, and I can enjoy that sonorous big old 5 pot turbo.

 

[Sharky]

My sister and bil, have a shiny red Ford Ka convertible. Only two seats and almost 20 years old now, but a great looking little car.

Not my sister's one, but identical

 

[Once a Wheeler]

Sinclair C5, the rest are nowhere:

 

[Punkawallah]

Sinclair C5, the rest are nowhere:
View attachment 799268

‘We are not worthy!’

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Sinclair C5, the rest are nowhere:
View attachment 799268

A device waiting for the invention of Lithium batteries!

Using a motor from a washing machine showed a terrible awareness of marketing basics!

 

[Profpointy]

Assuming we are

A device waiting for the invention of Lithium batteries!

Using a motor from a washing machine showed a terrible awareness of marketing basics!

To be fair there's nothing per se wrong with an appropriately sized off the peg motor. Makes a lot more sense than having one specially developed. I'm assuming here the washing machine motor was DC at least rather than the bike needing an inverter or some such

 

[BrumJim]

Sadly we are past the end of the cyclocross season. If you had posted this a few months ago, I would have shown you a Renault Zoe packed up with the following:
45 litres of water in 2 containers
Rollers
Bike stand
Track Pump
Tools rucksack
Trolley for carrying most of this list (festival trolley)
Collapsable chair
Umbrella, 3 coats (thick, thin and waterproof), walking boots, large towel, small microfibre towel, various cloths
Possible change of clothes
Lunch, including a camping stove and pans
Jet wash (and two batteries)
2 bikes
1 loose wheel, because I can't fit 2 bikes in the back with wheels still on
1 wheel bag with 2 wheels
Cycling shoes
Helmet and other cycling items (sunglasses, glass cleaner, buff, overshoes)
Number plate board and bungee cords. (bike rack goes on the outside, whether it is used or not)

Additionally, if the event is over 50 miles, I will need to consider charging options, so the weekend schedule will identify where and when I can charge, either overnight or during a meal stop on the way down and/or back.

Certainly not the first choice when understanding what is needed for a cyclocross-racing parent. However, I hadn't got a clue what I was going to be facing when I bought it.