Thanks Collecting cars team for these Podcasts, certainly helped get me through a tough old week after losing my fiancee to her battle with cancer last weekend When you are in your 30’s and come out of a bubble to find everyone else is busy with their own lives something like this is amazing to stick on and feel just like you are down the pub with your mates chatting shit about cars in those lonely moments. Also some amazing life lessons and relatable content mixed in as well when you listen between the car chat. When I have been out and about doing journeys in the car this week to see friends and family, sticking some old episodes on in the GT86 and just enjoying the moment whilst laughing out loud has been great. In the words of Neil Fuck it I am going for a drive! (whilst listening of course)
If you had some yacht experience of any kind in the eighties there was quite a few opportunities to be one of the crew delivering yachts from one location to another. Pay was awful but experiences were pretty good.
I’ve recently discovered this podcast. Binged about 15 episodes in the last week. Fantastic job gents 🙏 Thinking of writing my own 2 car garage script to send in.
Two car garage: You live in the center of a large metropolitan city. You’ve done very well for yourself and are interested in cars but you have one problem: you have only one parking space. Your loft, however, is many, many square feet and can handle many things. You have 350k GBP to purchase two vehicles. One will be your everything, daily runabout. The other will be drained of its fluids and craned into your living area where it will live as an art installation. What do you choose?
Next weeks 2 car garage:You are a f1 team principle who needs one car to discreetly leave the circuit in a speedy fashion to avoid a angry wife who caught you chatting up a employee. The second car has to be a four seater which is on brand and also able to pick up your kids from your first marriage. The budget is only 100k as your payments to your current and ex wife are hindering the cash flow.
Loved the episode! Felt like one of the "early" ones. Spotlights! Been my thing for years. Especially the rally setups like those Stratos and even the Intergrales and the 205s.
The best hour and a bit I get every Friday morning. Spot lights for me were the MK1 Escort Cibies 4 of them with the huge bracket. I had these on my first car.
the 986 is so, so, so good. I bought one 18 months ago and did 15k miles in it. It effortlessly did 165mph on the A-bahn, we took it up the Mangart Saddle in thunderstorm in Slovenia, did a month posing round the Cote d'Azure based in St Paul de Vence, a week at lake Bled and another in Cortina. And November 23 did the NC 500 (which worked out at 2,000). It was comfortable, fast, fun and if you take the spare wheel out has tons of luggage. As good as it was, and it was a good one, they can be V. expensive. I'm not too worried about the IMS / RMS as they are only £1,500 but you absolutely have to check your cam deviations as if they are over 6 deg you are on your way to a £3,500 repair or catastrophic failure (do we also need to mention bore-scoring?) , a suspension refresh can easily top £4k, much of the body is double skinned so impossible to get dents out and often needs full body shop work, they eat window regulators for breakfast, the ignition barrels go and lead to a multitude of electrical gremlins, the hoods degrade quickly when old and they mist up like a Turkish Sauna if left outside. Running my 986 cost me exactly the same as my 996 in repairs and depreciation (39ppm), however I will be controversial and say the 986 IS a better car than the 996 (which I owned for 7 years) I have also owned 2 x 986 Boxster's for 3 years / in total. I just PX'ed my 986 for a 718 Spyder but I do miss it, even with the 718 Spyder as compensation. A really good one is near perfection but you really need to exercise caution and have it checked over. With a 986 you need to remember you are only £10k in repair bills away from owning a car worth £10k.
Cracking episode from start to finish. Brits love a self-made story, but not enough to let us drive a Roller daily! I even stayed for the song choices - smashed it!
I was there in 95/96 too Neil!! 🏁🍻The racket of those awesome Le Mans specced Maca F1’s just absolutely ripping through the air. A privilege to have heard those babies at full chat!
For the 2CG my choice would have been a Phantom and a Zonda Roadster. I still get chills everytime I even think about the video Hammond did for Top Gear driving one, quite possibly the greatest sound I've ever heard a car make when he downshifts in the tunnel. F50 is probably my favourite car of all time but that Top Gear video is imprinted as a core memory for me.
You can find clips of the original David Prowse Darth Vader dialogue quite easily. I just wanted to hear him to say, 'oi, you kids, ger orf moi tractor-beam'.
In the ‘60’s Dad had spotlights fitted to his Velox and driving from Southville to Grandparents in Wales Mum was “in charge of the spotlights “ as the switch was on her side…. Unfortunately this pic was before aforementioned lights were fitted!
I remember putting 2 sets of spotlights on my XR3i back in the 80s. One set integrated into the front grill and the others attached to the bumper. God those lit up the road. Thanks for reminding me of them.
Totally know what they're talking about when it comes to "auxiliary" lamps. It was actually one of the things that Polyphony Digital did really well in Gran Turismo Sport when they added them to some of their Gr.B cars, particularly the bonnet lighting on the Toyota 86, Nissan GT-R, Ford Mustang and Hyundai Genesis Gr B rally cars.
My entry for "Music": A Mk2 Escort (or MST Mark 2) full rally spec with a Cosworth BDG. You first go out and have play under the tuition of my favourite every competition driver and childhood hero. He then takes the wheel & shows you how it's really done. A certain Mr Ari Vatanen. 9,000 rpm every gear.... They say never meet your heros. I say that is deplorable advice. I met him twice in Sept 1993 during Rally Australia. He was a genuinely lovely guy. Meeting him was a thrill.
@collecting cars - Love the podcast - currently this latest episode only appears to be available on youtube. I've checked Apple and Spotify and the latest episode available is 53.
Modern car design (as opposed to styling). Year on year screen pillars get thicker to increase rollover protection (i assume) and house yet more airbags. What about the hideously dangerous blindspots that they create? I recall Volvo (always a safety pioneer) showing a concept the "lattice" A-pillars: great idea that appears to have sunk without trace! My view: you can keep the posh infotainment, drugdealer wheels, heated steeringwheels etc; car makers need to make _fundamentally_ better cars not punt trinkets!
Having listened to Neil Clifford's empassioned plea, I really think we need to start a fund for all those extremely rich people who have to suffer a few funny glances from passers by when they rev their supercars at them. Thoughts and prayers are with you all at this difficult time, and I hope you somehow struggle your way through daily life.
Fun episode. Here's a two car garage suggestion: You are the owner of a modestly successful engineering firm. You have just done the biggest deal in the history of the firm and you have a bit of a bonus as a result. You want to treat yourself, but you are an engineering designer at heart. You like tweaking things. You have 200k to spend on a restomod fun road car that you will have some input into and a family estate car. Not german. They are a bit predictable and boring. For my money i would do a 306 Maxi road car. No cage, but reinforced body, snazzy suspension, bit of a build on the engine, nice interior, cool stereo. Light pod. Natch. Estate would be 850R fully gone through to run nice.
A 993 RS with 4 valve heads ?! Wow wow wow. I had a 993 RS back when they were 60k€, and indeed, all it lacked was a proper top end to match the chassis
Cibie Oscars, the spotlight of the Gods. Fitted a pair of those, with concave lenses, to our motorcycle and finally got some respect from oncoming vehicles. 1980s night riding changed from a chore to a joy.
Further on from today’s 2 car garage, might I suggest a variation on the theme: best car acceleration noise and best car downshift noise… Mine would be: Acceleration: Audi Quattro S1 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cDRkHXMHqFo.htmlsi=lX_yLE4JSKX7hqlY Down shift: The Ferrari FXX - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r_uPirgYmEY.htmlsi=grQYPlqwzhlbkFPi
I don't own a Tesla but i do like the simplicity of their styling. Modern cars generally have way too many creases in the sheet metal. Think of the classically beautiful cars: they are generally curvy, elegant and devoid of excessive detail.
They are too blobby for me, the classic excellence is curvy but still has a sharp form if you follow my meaning. The tesla looks like it has melted and softened in the sun, like a cheese!
Glad to hear the Boxster 986S getting some praise. I still have mine, preferring it to the 996/911. Mine is also an early one, with the fabulous orange indicators. Terrific car to drive on the back roads
I met David Prowes’s grand daughter at a wedding recently . My wife was talking to her , she didn’t know who Prowse was . I had ti explain to her she had just been talking to Darth Vaders granddaughter 😂 That Alfa with the spot lights was utterly magnificent 👍🏻
As an American, Rolls Royce is the pinnacle, it's not just a British thing, and remember, Rolls Royce created the Merlin, the engine that saved Britain and made the P51. That's grit, the social perception is deluded, the Merlin engine saved Britain and defined America's favorite fighter. It is also the engine manufacturer that carries many of us through the sky from country to country, tell them that when they judge you. The "Cadillac of the sky" has a British engine, and guess what, we love it, just as we love the reversal that is the British chassis America powered AC Cobra. Odd that racing heritage carries more weight than the engineering brilliance that saved the free world. The driver should live up to the car, that is how social perception changes
Two Car Garage You see yourself as an English country gent (but are really a little bit arriviste - having worked your way up from modest beginnings). You have just sold your last Aston Martin very well and now have £150k burning a hole in your pocket. You are bumbling about in your aging L405 Range Rover but it really should go too. After owing countless Rangies, you cannot get excited about the latest luxury offerings from Solihull and the insurance stories are off-putting. Therefore you need two cars: * One pretty grand tourer for weekends away and European road trips with your wife. She doesn’t like mid-engined cars, so a classic large capacity engine up the front is preferred. As she also likes open-top motoring, a convertible is going to always go down better. * One 4x4 with genuine off-road abilities that has the cargo space (and importantly) height to accommodate your two golden retrievers in the boot. The increasingly 'slopey-backed' SUVs being churned out by the manufacturers seldom offer the hounds the required headroom. It needs to have a stupid V8 petrol engine - the old Rangie is a PHEV and can feel like it needs to be worked hard. The car should also have impeccable road manners, as it will need to make long trips a pleasure, not a chore. It will roam from the deep valleys of Devon to the purple moorlands of Northumberland It should not look like it is about deliver Class A drugs to the local neighbourhood. Luxury accoutrements are also a requirement to soothe its tired occupants with leather-bound indulgence on these long journeys. Budget is the aforementioned £150k.
Poor old Manish, the only financial mortal in the group! And a film-making doctor no less! Never fear, you’ve plenty of similarly situated friends out here.
I think Rolls Royce lost the 'apex brand' status after the Cloud 3. Much as I love the shape of a Shadow (or more particularly a Mulliner bodied version), they were driven by TV entertainers, comedians and even the odd TV Paedophile. Since then they have become progressively 'gross', and to the current middle/far east taste offerings. Now RR stands for 'bad taste' in my view....sorry Neil, I mostly agree with you! James Robertson Justice always looked the part in Clouds playing the over bearing Surgeon in films of the 60's.
Re 2 car garage....musically the major fifth is a naturally pleasing and soothing sound so i would have to submit that a 5 or 10 cylinder ice would be the best sound,especially in the tunnels so i would choose an Audi rs 5 cylinder or an Lfa
But a roller and take it everywhere. Same thing about the Ferrar599. If you can F@$k it just do it. We only get one trip through so have no regrets. Love ya guys, great show
Two question garage: - Door #1: Why haven't you worked out a sponsorship deal with the Home Depot [Pavlov's U.S. dog gears up for a visit to the HD every time your theme song plays]? Or have you already and the on-the-down-low sponsorship is going gangbusters (hence my question!) - Door #2: Is Chris Cooper somehow an aural doppelganger for comedian Tony Hawks for others as well? Or is that my 'Brits of a certain posh background all sound the same' bias?
Could you discuss whether you would buy a category n or any nonstructural category car, for eg a brand new porsche turbo was selling for half price becasue it had some fire dmage smell in the car, would you still buy it?
“2 Car Garage suggestion.” For those addicts old enough to remember the 70s sitcom “Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt” played by the late Bill Maynard with his Rover P6 and episodes that always began with Mr Froggit throwing yet another parking ticket over his shoulder on to the back seat… here is a premise. As a council labourer and a working men’s club secretary, he doesn’t want to show people that he has inherited £400K from a distant relative. So Selwyn wants one car that he can drive to work and to the club where others do not notice too much of an upgrade from the Rover P6 but whilst having plenty of storage up front to stash even more of his newly acquired parking tickets as he no longer wants to display his complete disregard to penalty notices to others. For his second car, when he is not at work or the club, he wants something that has the waftability that an ‘older’ gent demands, that also shows he is now ‘with cash’ whilst not being so large as to be a problem driving around the local lanes around his fictional town of Scarsdale in Yorkshire. No restrictions as to the age of either vehicle. Paul Biggs (a child of the 70s with a wish he could be transported back… to the 80s)
There's a few odd new cars that are interesting, however, the mainstream vehicles coming out these days are ugly and anonymous. There was a time when at night you could identify cars coming or going strictly from their lights. Now even in the daytime there's so many cars that one can't identify until they see the badge.
In the late 90s European legislation mandated a distance between bonnet and engine, this fundamentally restricted the scope of designers to produce beautiful cars. Of course the mid engine design negates that constraint. Great if you can afford a mid engine supercar.
My grandad had a burgundy-coloured Bentley T-Series (grandma wouldn't let him have a Shadow) in Croydon in the 1970s and he had the car spat at and abuse shouted at him
With new cars, there are very few ideas which haven't been done before, and I find most 'new' cars are just a tribute or caricature of an older model. Some manufacturers are trying to be 'cutting edge' with the electric revolution but BMW, for example, are showing it can be... Difficult. I'd say a lot of new cars look technical, complicated and purposeful but you can't call many new cars beautiful.
My Dad had spot lights on his 1987 Escort RS Turbo.....well it did until It got knicked by some dirty scumbag and striped for parts!!! Question for the addicts. If you could do a road trip that is a little more off the beaten track/less synonyms with road trips, where would you go and why?? And what car are you doing it in???
WRONG SPEED on Apple Podcasts... very hard to listen on high speed... please guys have some mercy for non English listeners.. it was uploaded on high speed...
im sure a lot of people have the lottery list, that bunch of cars you'd buy or build, and ive always had a late 60s corniche on there, only it would be restomodded and run full EV. its ideal as the engines arnt particularly special, and the whole idea of them is to waft around effortlessly, and being EV in a city it would be perfect. and modern cars being rubbish is just the general feeling, yes, new cars now are starting to turn a corner and look better, but we've been through quite a few years of the 'normal' audi, BMW and Merc looking terrible. either bland or ugly. and the rise of SUVs and crossovers is also because they are so bound by the shape, to make them efficient it compromises their shape, so there is no room for decent styling.
Talk about the EU chrome plating ban! They did not exclude hard chrome plating, meaning good-bye to bearings, hydraulics, tools, and lots and lots of other machinery. And it is not being talked about!
