That is correct, and an excellent point. Arguably internal security in Israel worked so well (in no small measure because the general population was so alert about possible risks) that the only way to foil it was through suicide attacks. If I remember correctly it started with suicide bombers detonating themselves…

Pretty sure the idea behind that particular conversion came from the infamous Jaguar E-Type “hearse” that appears in Harold and Maude:

The impression that I have always had is that quite early in his career he realised being confrontational, outrageous, over-the-top worked. People loved it. Unfortunately creating such a persona involves doing more and more of it. And the more racist/sexist/xenophobic he became, the higher his ratings went.

The Chevette HS and HSR were enormously successful in the UK rally scene. So I was just humorously trying to point out that in a different context the same car can be perceived in a completely different manner.

For all her exuberant body... she seems to be shying away from the camera. The degraded focus (and/or emulsion) adds to the disquiet.

I find it troubling that we cannot see her face although we can see most of the rest (and can even have a pretty good idea of what we definitely cannot see.)

Thanks for your reply. Not questioning your choice of powerplant, just curious.

Meanwhile, in deepest Wales...

Oh no, I was referring to the use of Minilites/faux Minilites/heavy alloys in first-gen Miatas, not about your car. (Your car is lovely, incidentally.) I suppose Minilites would be period correct in a Seven around the same time they started using them in rally Escorts - so around 1969 or 1970?

Although Clarkson had a persistent tendency to behave like an ass, I don’t think he or his team would have made this mistake in particular. The (new) production staff of the new TopGear have a lot to answer for.

It depends. For instance, an Austin Healey with big huge radial tyres means stressing a lot the suspension, hubs, the wheels themselves etc. Those cars were never intended to enjoy so much grip! As Mr Wise says, bias-ply tyres in a car that actually was designed with those in mind is much more progressive, predictable…

Maybe at the time there wasn’t anything really very light to replace them with. Unless we are talking about proper magnesium Minilites, of course, but those have always been hugely expensive.

... which makes it even more puzzling that they chose a seven-spoke pattern. After “doing an Elan” they shied away from copying (or, say, paying tribute) to Minilite?

I suppose you mean the first-generation Miatas... the ultralight seven-spoke ones? I always wondered why Mazda did not make them eight-spoke.

Maybe a more appropriate title would have been

The story of the A380 is fascinating, but the one with nurse Darlene and the baby has really shaken me.

One star for self-deprecating humour!

It should be pointed out that the World Manufacturer Identifier code (the first three characters, as in WPO) is assigned by SAE, and therefore it is in English. Note also it is not so much a “country code” but a “company code” that simultaneously also denotes the country of origin of the firm in question.

I have just realised Mr XC99TF00 just posted more or less the same a bit earlier.

I seemed to remember that there had been two bimotore A-Class (one for Häkkinen, one for Coulthard). Just checked the German Wikipedia and it says four were made. Interestingly the model was called “A 38 AMG” – and indeed they were built by AMG.