# Whats Hidden Away In Your Garage?



## Johnny_E (Nov 16, 2009)

There's an obvious amount of 2 wheeled bike lovers amongst us here - and I do find that the 'gadget loving types' who get into watches fall amongst petrol headed types in general.

So, bikes aside, who's got a special car in the garage? Not a daily driver as such and not necessarily worth very much... just 'special' to you. Are there any track day heroes on here? I'm sure there's a classic or two as well..

I'll start it off with my current toy. It cost me less that a new Omega Seamaster Professional and I love it to bits. Costs Â£130 a year to insure fully comp and is probably tighter that most 5 year old cars on today's roads.

My '95 Audi Coupe










With a very rare Recaro electric interior - which despite 127k miles hasnt even a ripple on the seats



















Its the 2.6 V6 which pulls like a train. I've added a full s/s system with sports cats. Its been dropped 60mm onto RS4 replica rims and handles like a dream.










Its this 'weekender' that has me struggling with what grail watch I should save for and buy. This is the best Â£1700 I've ever spent.

So.. show us your toys chaps!


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Check out a place called John Sleath Racing, he has an identical Audi to yours just with a bit more horsepower under the hood 

Nothing special these days just my truck, but looks are deceptive, 7.3 ltr, chippped, hopped up garret turbo and a drain pipe sized exhaust. Not to hot in the corners but in a drag race it's not to shabby and when rolling at about 30/40mph surprises more than a few unsuspecting drivers. Once it gets over about 85/90 or so it gets a bit scary though :lol:


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## Parabola (Aug 1, 2007)

That's looks to be in fantastic condition, sadly I don't a garage, let alone have something special inside


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## Johnny_E (Nov 16, 2009)

Yes - I've seen that crazy S2 Coupe. Well over 1000bhp if I recall. As for your truck - do you work for BP?







I bet a lot of people pull over what that gets in their rear mirror


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## Robin S (Nov 1, 2008)

My Company cars a new model Prius, being a gadget freak I love it and from a standing start it can surprise most boy racers from the lights.. for the first few hundred yards anyway 

The 710's car has a bit more character to it though, attracts lots of attention wherever she goes :


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## Johnny_E (Nov 16, 2009)

Love the minilites - dont think I've seen a polished rim like that before.. lovely.

Speaking of Minilites, before my Audi, I had this:










Now before all the MG lovers get their keyboards at the ready... this one had a hand build JE Engineering of Coventry 3.9 litre V8. Spax adjustables all round, oil intercooler, S/S dual exhausts and about 240bhp. Essentially a stealth version of the red/white/blue rally cars.

Still, the Audi would gobble it up on a B road.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Johnny_E said:


> Yes - I've seen that crazy S2 Coupe. Well over 1000bhp if I recall. As for your truck - do you work for BP?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sleath built a motor for an old mate of mine and it knocked out 1600hp on the dyno, the guy builds some serious engines. I've seen his Audi race a few times and it will knock down the quarter in 8 seconds and what i liked about it was that it looks nice and original.

The trucks is diesel so it's just about bearable if you take it easy although you can get into single figure if it's thrashed :lol: Fortunately it has long range fuel tanks, about 30 gallons in the front tank and 25 in the back tank  I used to use it every day but not so much these days now that I stay in town I walk a lot :lol:


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

Here's my wee baby. Apparently, according to the salesman I am able to plug in a device called an eye pod or something and it plays music through the wireless.







, and a godsend this time of year, it has electric bum/hemorrhoid warmers. :grin:


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## MarkDavey (Jan 9, 2009)

Johnny your Audi Coupe is lovely - an absolute design classic which still looks fresh today 

My toy is somewhat less 'classy' but still a classic IMHO. It's a '91 205 Rallye and is my hillclimb, sprint and trackday car. It's currently in deepest darkest Cornwall undergoing a major rebuild and I'm hoping it will be ready for the start of next years season. It will be running an 8 valve 2.1 litre XU engine on throttle bodies and standalone engine management - hoping for around 200bhp which may not sound a lot these days but in a flimsy peice of tin weighing around 780Kg should be pretty good fun :grin:


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

This was my most fun car: a Porsche 924 OÃ«ttinger purchased new in 1980. Much more powerful and faster than the turbo model of the same year. Frieburg to Basel on the A-5 in no time flat.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

BlueKnight said:


> This was my most fun car: a Porsche 924 OÃ«ttinger purchased new in 1980. Much more powerful and faster than the turbo model of the same year. Frieburg to Basel on the A-5 in no time flat.


How could you swap that for a Massey Ferguson snow blower :lol:


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

BondandBigM said:


> How could you swap that for a Massey Ferguson snow blower :lol:


 Ask me the same question tomorrow...


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

this...





































Though it used to be this...



















John...


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## SEIKO7A38 (Feb 12, 2009)

MarkDavey said:


>


That looks like Castle Combe to me. 

Probably a different Castle Combe 'Action Day' to the one that our club usually attends:










This is my 'weekend toy' - a Noble 'Ferrari' P4 replica (on track at Castle Combe):










.... and at a local car show, last year:


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

nothing 4 wheeled in the garage these days, but will have to buy an old ute next month for our house renovations... The Aussie equivalent of a white van, superb


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## mattbeef (Jul 17, 2008)

will the ute have a V8 John?


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ohh now your talkin... but im sad to say 'no... the mrs has spoken', sigh... LOL... This ute will be a cheap workhorse, it will be diesel and have a huge alloy tray. To be honest, the posh V8 petrol utes arent really for carrying stuff, theyre for guys who own tradie companies and just zip up to sites to see how their boys are doing, they do look good... but.... I did test drive a brand new top of the range HSV (Holdens sports range) Maloo a few years back, but actually found it mind numbingly crappy inside and also whilst it sounded devine it was slow with pretty crap brakes and the handling... er lets just say, you cut the back off a long car and leave it empty and there is no weight over the driven axle... then stick a huge V8 up front and it should get 'interesting', but in reality it doesnt as theyre so dumbed down these days to make them safe it seemed to just be a bit dull... such a shame. Amusingly, the salesman was saying 'gowan, stick yer foot darn mate...' I politely told him that I was... I was gutted it wasnt quicker and more fun really, a tail happy mental mobile would have suited me. Maybe it was a bad one, or not run in, but it just didnt tick the boxes for me that day. But yeah i expect with some work it would have been fun... instead I bought a caterham R300, but thats another story. LOL Sadly its now gone and im having naughty ute thoughts again, what it is to be an Aussie...


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I used to have an Audi coupe also :thumbup: Mine was the 2.2 5 cylinder quattro version which sounded gorgeous (especially with a slightly blowing exhaust) - unfortunately it went wrong & nobody I took it to had a clue as to what the problem was. I eventually sold it to a mechanic who has spent 100's sorting it out.










I now have an astra 2.2 sri as my daily driver which is a very nice car indeed - it handles well & goes like stink if you give it a bootful. However in my garage lurks a Reliant SS1 into which I'm trying to fit a 2 litre 16v Zetec engine :thumbup: :grin:










I used to own one of these ages ago ...... an absolutely fantastic little car :thumbup:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

JonW said:


> nothing 4 wheeled in the garage these days, but will have to buy an old ute next month for our house renovations... The Aussie equivalent of a white van, superb


Does this qualify as a UTE :lol:










I had one for work way back in the early 80's, Do you get any of the bigger Yank trucks down your way ?????


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## Omegamaniac (Jan 21, 2009)

Johnny_E said:


> There's an obvious amount of 2 wheeled bike lovers amongst us here - and I do find that the 'gadget loving types' who get into watches fall amongst petrol headed types in general.
> 
> So, bikes aside, who's got a special car in the garage? Not a daily driver as such and not necessarily worth very much... just 'special' to you. Are there any track day heroes on here? I'm sure there's a classic or two as well..
> 
> ...


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## Mutley (Apr 17, 2007)

I haven't got anything tucked away in the garage so my daily commute / shopping trolley has to double up as my weekend plaything


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

pauluspaolo said:


> I used to own one of these ages ago ...... an absolutely fantastic little car :thumbup:


Please enlighten a colonial mate. Whazzat?


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

BondandBigM said:


> JonW said:
> 
> 
> > nothing 4 wheeled in the garage these days, but will have to buy an old ute next month for our house renovations... The Aussie equivalent of a white van, superb
> ...


LOL a Ploo! superb. Id forgotten about them. I reckon that has to be the only UK made ute ever. Its the UKs El Camino of sorts. 

Yes we have a few F150 and F250s but as usual with imported stuff its all big money. One thing that is amusing is that cars are generally bigger here and cars that look big on uk roads seem ok here. We do seem to have a 60's Mustang fetish and they look tiny on our roads next to a Commodore.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

BlueKnight said:


> pauluspaolo said:
> 
> 
> > I used to own one of these ages ago ...... an absolutely fantastic little car :thumbup:
> ...


It's a Midas Bronze Mini based kitcar. Basically a glass fibre shell (monocoque construction) onto which is bolted the front subframe including steering/suspension/brakes/engine/gearbox etc from a Mini, at the rear was a lightweight beam axle designed to take the standard Mini radius arms but using coilover suspension units instead of the rubber cones. I had a 1275cc engine (from an MG Metro) fitted which gave the car seriously good performance. It was surprisingly roomy inside for such a tiny car (as long as there were only two of you) & surprisingly practical to due to the hatchback design. It wasn't the most refined thing (massive understatement) but it was superb to drive & handled superbly well - I owned it for 9 years & loved it  but eventually I sold it to a chap in Holland & away it went in the back of an empty tulip lorry never to be seen again 

They turn up on eBay every so often & if I didn't have the Reliant I'd be tempted to get another as a silly/fun/weekend car this time - the one pictured was my only car at the time & I used it daily :thumbup:


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## mattbeef (Jul 17, 2008)

You will have to get a Commodor GTS then mate if the Ute isnt good enough 

The supercharger should up the ante


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Ive said it before but Aussie cars are amusing in many ways, not least their physical and engine size. In the UK my mum drives a Honda Jazz, as do many ladies of her age in the UK. Here in Aus, my Mother in Law drives the smallest engine Commodore... its a 3.8... shes older than my mum by a few years too. LOL Ive driven it tho, its a bit old school compared with say european car and a lot more docile than you would expect, the engines are tuned for longevity rather than outright performance as no one wants to break down between cities in the outback. Aussies treated V8s like the Americans did back in the 50s and their cars grew from that etc.

Back to utes, I wanted one of these, there are plenty with superchargers on their V8s as well... and if you can find one, some are 4x4...










or one of these... the latest Maloo R8... not for carrying plasterboard sheets or getting the local suppliers to drop a tonne of ag in the back tho...










review here: http://www.carshowroom.com.au/review.aspx?id=10

but will end up with a HiLux or Triton I bet...



Anyway as ive not got one yet I am in danger of taking this tharead off topic... er...


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

mattbeef said:


> You will have to get a Commodor GTS then mate if the Ute isnt good enough
> 
> The supercharger should up the ante


An LS9, I wonder if an Aussie UTE will get the full power Vette engine, that would make for an interesting combination 

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/ZR1-Corvette-LS9-engine_152773.htm

Or if you have a spare $22K US

http://www.usmracer.com/Corvette-ZR1-LS9-62L-Supercharged-Crate-Engine--nearly-640HP_p_3507.html


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## cookie520 (Jan 7, 2008)

Currnently got this stashed away. TVR Chimeara 450, composite of countless Ford / Rover and GM bits so cheap as chips to run ( apart from fuel !) - much more reliable than they're given credit for, and puts a smile on my face every time I take it for a drive


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## frogspawn (Jun 20, 2008)

In a lock up just down the road-







- the blue one

In the Mother in laws until summer -









One side of the garage has this-


















The other side has the 710s Fiat Barchetta for the winter.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

JonW said:


> but will end up with a HiLux.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway as ive not got one yet I am in danger of taking this tharead off topic... er...


Can't go wrong with a Hi Lux, had two 2wd and a 4wd, drove them into the ground at work, all the young lads used to thrash them and they never missed a beat, pretty much bullet proof. The only minor problem was that they were a tad expensive to service compared to the Ford P100's and Transits we had.


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## Andy Tims (Apr 13, 2008)

Doesn't live in the garage, but it's certainly more of toy than regular road car.










Club Sport spec with the suspension set up for track work, it's not the best road car in the world.


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

frogspawn said:


> In a lock up just down the road-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh My Gawd...... Finally some pics worth looking at   

Thanks for posting them Froggie :thumbsup:

John


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

johnbaz said:


> Oh My Gawd...... Finally some pics worth looking at


A bit harsh for the other posters :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## sparkyhx (Nov 30, 2008)

This is my weekended/special - modded to about 280bhp


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## johnbaz (Jan 30, 2005)

BondandBigM said:


> johnbaz said:
> 
> 
> > Oh My Gawd...... Finally some pics worth looking at
> ...


Yep, mine included :yes:

his look like they're brand new B) B)

John


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## TomGW (Mar 29, 2008)

Mine's a MK1 MX5, the original 1600cc version with pop-up lights. I really love the Audi Coupe, Johnny and I hope to get a Cabrio of the same vintage.


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## Bootsy (Jun 2, 2009)

I've got these two tucked away.

a 1972 911 which is highly modified/'hot rodded'










and a 1993 Porsche 993 (a very early one, one of the first 993s) with RS suspension, Turbo wheels and front bumper.


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