That had me properly laughing - what a great song! Amazing to see a Bedford move under its own power these days...

I’ve had this Japanese exporter’s site bookmarked for a while now, and it’s time to share -

The solution is to replace the whole shebang with a catch-can setup but I’m not sure if you’d get away with that in a lot of US states. It’s fine in the UK but I’m rather to loathe to start lopping bits out of what is, essentially, a stock car.

Fisher Price is a perfect way to describe it, but you stopped caring about the rattle from the tailgate and the nasty, sharp, unaligned edges everywhere once you pressed the accelerator. The E46 was a bit bland for my tastes - great car, no doubt - but it lacked the madness that attracted me to the 850 in the first…

You’re kind of expecting her face to melt or say ‘the Lord can’t save you now, mortal.’ I think we’ve found the reason for the sales failure of this particular model, and it has nothing to do with the car...

Excuse my French but that’s fucking awesome. Awesome. I want some of that private jet, leg-warming, yachting lifestyle. Who wouldn’t? I’ll skip the polo - I think was at less risk during Desert Storm - but I’ll take some of that quarry-based, don’t look at the explosion we’re too cool, action as well.

I’m a ‘70s child so grew up in the ‘80s. I have a vaguely rose-tinted view of that era and think of Ferris Bueller, Michael J Fox, The Cure, The Jam, The Clash, leg warmers, Top Gun, Miami Vice, that tennis girl poster...

Thanks for the correction. I had no idea it was sold in the States but having looked it up, you folks were burdened with.. I mean, able to buy, it for 15 years. Fifteen.... years....

Too late to edit the original post, but I am strangely fascinated by the Reatta which, to my European eyes, really does look like an X1/9 for Americans. Velour! Touchscreen! Digital! Solid State! 140 transistors!

This was our version in Europe, only without the touchscreen. Or the V6. Or luxury. Or, erm, steel.

You can get a half decent one for almost pocket money still. Helps if you don’t mind getting a bit oily to save on bills, but they’re easy to work on - much better than the problematic P2 V70s and their ghastly CANBUS networks which followed.

The 16T from the 850R is a great mod as long as you’re comfortable that your remap isn’t going to grenade the gearbox!

Rather like its funny little 5-pot burble! It’s like the baby sister of its V8 older brother...

It was ludicrously expensive at the time - I can’t remember the exact amount but something in the order of £29,000. A handy inflation calculator reckons that would be £50,000 in today’s money, or $70,000.

A canary yellow 855 T-5R was the first car I ever bought brand new in 1995. I still have it today.

It is one of those things where, afterwards, you think ‘why did I watch that?’. And then you ask your wife if it’s ok if we eat at the breakfast bar again because the diff rebuild you’re doing on the dining room table is taking longer than you thought it would...

That’s the beauty of state-funded television. They can make low-interest, niche programs that are free of advertising and contribute to the artistic and scientific enrichment of the UK as a whole.

I’m very fortunate in getting to stop over in places around the world: Tokyo, Texas, New York, Jakarta, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, the Caribbean, Maldives, Dubai, etc. The only place I haven’t been to is Australia because the 777 can’t stretch its legs that far.

Well, that already blows the UK test out of the water. Our poor students are required to reverse around a corner wihout hitting the kerb instead of being trained on how to join a motorway or drive at night. In fact, our student drivers are not allowed on motorways at all - the first time they do this is after they…

I’m smiling as I read your response. I would love to buy you a beer and talk about the world and I’m sure I’d enjoy every minute of it.