I agree with you. However I've got a spitfire from 1973 which will probably also last longer than any new luxury European car, but I don't think anyone could argue it was more reliable than the new car without a unique definition of reliable.

Fun fact: on triumph spitfires the Lucas distributors tend to be more reliable than the AC Delco ones.

Back when I was telling my tall tales of owning unique cars (a used BMW 3 Series? WHY???), we lived in a different time. Taylor Swift was still singing national anthems to 76ers fans who showed up solely to enjoy three-dollar beer night. OutKast had not yet told us to shake it like a Polaroid picture. John Kerry had…

I guess that if the market accepts electric seat motors then actually the weight of an electric fan heater isn't a big deal. You're right that the electrics & power supply is the problem. You'd need a good few hundred watts continuously. As far as I'm aware nothing on a car uses that much continual load…

Maybe it's on my mind because it's the dead of winter, but could you imagine how great instant heat and defrosting would be in the morning?

A new, almost completely flat underside aids airflow under the vehicle and combines with a rear diffuser to optimize downforce – effectively 'sucking' the car onto the road. A bespoke rear wing gives the car enhanced visual presence and delivers powerful additional downforce, thanks notably to the structure of its…

Turbocharger as a jet engine. It is broadly useless for anything, but try making a jet engine out of any other re purposed goods. http://www.junkyardjet.com/

I'd love to see more hatches get the lightweight pug "rallye" style treatment. i.e. decent, but not necessarily top of the line engine, but with good basic suspension, manual, lightweight everything (no sport button)! Lower & stiffer springs & arbs, better dampers, low cd aero etc. aren't too expensive and the cost…

Re: Millbrook in the UK. A free reign here with a handful of cars of your choice is genuinely one of the best prospects I can think of. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_M…

I did not know that. A quick search for 3-series PHEV and now I'm excited. Once people get their head around electric cars a PHEV 3 series touring could be pretty much the perfect car for a huge market segment. I'll take one in blue please.

Is it weird that I don't care about the space age looks/kit? If I could get an electric running gear conversion for an old 3 series touring, I'd be happy. In fact if BMW did a standard 3 series touring with an electric drive package then I'd break my rule and consider buying a new car for once.

My bad, it's actually comparable to a polo. My views are skewed - when I think of the mini I think of the clubman (it's what's parked outside work) & I still think of the mk3 as the size a golf should be...

Maybe it's not big in the US, but the MINI is still externally a similar size to a golf which is 2 rungs up from the smallest car in the VW UK line up, the Up! (lots of ups there...)

Warm to hot water spread evenly across your windscreen (not boiling water concentrated at one point) is by far and away the best way of de-icing a windscreen and keeping it de-iced. Getting heat into the windscreen is the key, chemical de-icer will not bring the glass temp above freezing so any moisture in the air…

The amount of work for that though, the build thread is truly epic. If I had a zillion dollars? I commission one in a heartbeat!

If you look there's no air intake hole in the side pods so yes, this is one of their press models.

I can't tell if those are headlights and the car's pointing left, or if they are dynamic tyre marks and the car is pointing right...

Another fun fact, the later spitfires radiator cowel design actually generated thrust from the heat rejected from the radiator, like a mini ram jet.

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