They tried - ISO 4165 was intended to be a general-purpose 12v connector for automotive accessories - it is kind of like a lighter socket, but much smaller diameter, and with a notch in the plug so that it doesn't fall out if you look at it funny. Needless to say, it never caught on, but my old Citroën had one (in…

I'm guessing "top hose" is probably the upper radiator return hose? Berzerk is always a fun thing for a hose to do, no matter what.

Yay, someone else who has watched that show!

Thought that looked familiar. My Dad restored an XK150 when I was a kid. I've got a similar-vintage MGA myself, now, and I love the whole 'ceremony' that goes with the starting process: ignition on, listen for the fuel pump ticking and wait for fuel pressure to build, pull the choke halfway, then tug on the big knob…

My wife and I recently bought a Golf – the dealership let us try it out over the weekend before we signed the papers, which quite surprised me (especially given that we're relatively young), but definitely helped in the decision process. I'd go back to them just for that!

Heh, I saw something like that happen once. I had stopped at a just-turned-red signal. Idiot in a BMW behind me took exception to this, leaned on the horn, and zipped around me on the wrong side of the road, nearly hitting a police car in the process. It was thoroughly satisfying to see him pulled over.

That poor Mark 2 Jag! It did so well, but I think I died a little inside to see it come to a halt in a cloud of steam...

If you wanted to buy a British car fifty years ago, there were plenty to choose from. Jaguars, Minis, Bentleys Rovers, Triumphs, really anything your heart desired.

I'm lucky enough to live in a city (Minneapolis) where there's an excellent range of radio stations, including excellent public radio – Minnesota Public Radio runs a fantastic station that plays pretty much all kinds of music, with excellent DJs.

As usual, the French do it more strangely than anyone else. I give you the Citroën "Bathroom Scale" speedometer, as used in the CX, GS, BX, and a bunch of other '70s-'80s models. The numbers were on a rotating drum behind a lens with a fixed pointer.

Heh, it seems like every manufacturer has a different procedure. And a special place in hell is reserved for the ones that claim that their transmissions are "sealed for life" and don't provide any reasonable means for checking or topping up the fluid.

Strangely enough, some of the funniest people I know are German. Their humour is rarely applied, but brilliant when deployed.

Robbie Coltrane (of Hagrid fame) did a fantastic TV series in the '90s on all things gearhead-related. One of the episodes focused on the supercharger, its development in 1930s racing, and its wartime applications in aircraft. The whole series is fantastic (and very entertaining), but I've always thought the…

Here's a fantastic piece on Mercedes' (and Bentley's) supercharged cars of the '30s (and their evolution into supercharged aero engines), presented by the inimitable Robbie Coltrane. Skip t0 around 3:30 for some fantastic noises, but the whole thing (and the series that it is a part of) is well worth watching for any…

Agreed. I live in a city with excellent public transport (yay Minneapolis), and take the bus nearly everywhere. Without needing a reliable, practical and economical commuter vehicle, I'm thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to own vehicles that are none of the above! Buses are pretty Jalop, in my opinion, especially if…

Ooooo, lovely! Mine was an '84 3500SE, assembled CKD in New Zealand. I suspect that it evaded a lot of the infamous Solihull build-quality issues that way (as well as ending up with an unusual colour scheme and body kit). Given their shocking reputation, it really wasn't that bad. Even the trip computer still worked!

Very SD1 indeed. The whole oversteer-on-demand thing never gets old.
Funnily enough, I used to have an SD1, and now I'm really keen to get a P6. What kind have you got?

Very SD1 indeed. The whole oversteer-on-demand thing never gets old.
Funnily enough, I used to have an SD1, and now I'm really keen to get a P6. What kind have you got?

I may be slightly biased, but I'd agree, especially in the case of the V8 models (although I hear that the inline-six was lovely, too).

Pond's showing in that Rover is just mind-blowing. That takes balls of steel, even by rally driving standards.