Are classic car people nuts ?

[islero]

How can you hate classics? They offer a thrill different from other cars. Its not driving fast or enjoying gadjets that matter, but the simple thrill of driving an old car with a history. It sounds stupid, but there you go.

[TIM]

That's fine, you may love your car, but the point is what are you going to do with it? Drive it or polish it. IMHO nuts are those who only polish it, and take it to events on a trailer in stead of its own wheels.

I used to have a classic car. I drove it. My car used to have a certain patina although I cleaned everything up as well as possible. - But you are probably referring to the Pebble Beach type of people. Could you please tell me what IMHO means (I mean what the letters stand for?) English is just my second language. Oh, I found something in the net:

Acronym Definition @Amazon.com
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMHO In My Hesitating Opinion
IMHO In My Highest Opinion
IMHO In My Holy Opinion
IMHO In My Honest Opinion

So that's your holy opinion?

Well, I really don't mind when some cars are in a factory-built state. It's nice for picture taking or getting an idea of how they looked like when they were new.
But I do have a problem with restaurations where cars turn out to be better than they were when they left the factory say in the thirties.

Do you actually know what happens with those cars shown at Pebble Beach when they are, say, 5 or 10 years old?
Is there a chance that they will be used for some driving then? Do you have any idea?

[henk4]

I used to have a classic car. I drove it. My car used to have a certain patina although I cleaned everything up as well as possible. - But you are probably referring to the Pebble Beach type of people. Could you please tell me what IMHO means (I mean what the letters stand for?) English is just my second language.
Well, I really don't mind when some cars are in a factory-built state. It's nice for picture taking or getting an idea of how they looked like when they were new.
But I do have a problem with restaurations where cars turn out to be better than they were when they left the factory say in the thirties.

Do you actually know what happens with those cars shown at Pebble Beach when they are, say, 5 or 10 years old?
Is there a chance that they will be used for some driving then? Do you have any idea?

IMHO: In my humble opinion
IIRC: If I remember correctly.
The Pebble Beach cars do have on outing, UCP (Rob) was there along the road when passed and took several pictures. I think they also have to drive under their own power to the rostrum to be shown. May be after that they are due for major overhaul ( ). These cars are really not driven much, and I think one of most interesting developments of recent years has been the introducting of a non-restored class.

[TIM]

IMHO: In my humble opinion
IIRC: If I remember correctly.
The Pebble Beach cars do have on outing, UCP (Rob) was there along the road when passed and took several pictures. I think they also have to drive under their own power to the rostrum to be shown. May be after that they are due for major overhaul ( ). These cars are really not driven much, and I think one of most interesting developments of recent years has been the introducting of a non-restored class.

OK, the IMHO-"in my holy opinion" was just a joke I played on you.

That's really interesting what you are saying about unrestored cars. I have seen that being done at the Landesmuseum für Techik at Mannheim. If the body is still intact that's quite fine. I like this certain smell of gazoline leftovers, old leather, old oil, etc. all mixed together. They are doing the same thing with locomotives at the Technikmuseum in Berlin. I guess that's the latest trend.
You are right about Pebble Beach, I forgot. I read about somebody saying that the Coupé Napoléon drove by him and he couldn' hear the engine. It's that quiet! I've never been there myself (yet!!-my girlfriend has a press ID card - I'll just pretend to be the photographer and try to talk her into going there with me) .

[henk4]

I've never been there myself (yet!!-my girlfriend has a press ID card - I'll just pretend to be the photographer and try to talk her into going there with me) .

Did you go to Schwetzingen last year (or Dusseldorf recently)? My son has a press card and he is taking me along as a photohrapher, but he keeps on using his own pictures ony

[TIM]

Did you go to Schwetzingen last year (or Dusseldorf recently)? My son has a press card and he is taking me along as a photohrapher, but he keeps on using his own pictures ony

No, to be honest, I had a very long break now because of my thesis and after I finish it within the next couple of weeks I'll have more time.
I made a big mistake to bring Beatrice to the Mannheim Veterama. She just didn't like the improvised atmosphere there (she thought the people there were all nuts, I liked it though). I needed some parts for my car then. I couldn't even mention car shows for awhile!
She actually likes cars, loves some of them even, so I am lucky!
I have a great chance talking her into Concorso d'Eleganza since she is Italian. It's also more realistic than Pebble Beach, for financial reasons. So that will probably be the beginning of a lot of travelling, I hope!

[henk4]

No, to be honest, I had a very long break now because of my thesis and after I finish it within the next couple of weeks I'll have more time.
I made a big mistake to bring Beatrice to the Mannheim Veterama. She just didn't like the improvised atmosphere there (she thought the people there were all nuts, I liked it though). I needed some parts for my car then. I couldn't even mention car shows for awhile!
She actually likes cars, loves some of them even, so I am lucky!
I have a great chance talking her into Concorso d'Eleganza since she is Italian. It's also more realistic than Pebble Beach, for financial reasons. So that will probably be the beginning of a lot of travelling, I hope!

by the way (BTW) what car do you have? Will you go to Villa d'Este?

[TIM]

by the way (BTW) what car do you have? Will you go to Villa d'Este?

Emm, no I didn't mean I will show my car there (I didn't mean to show off, believe me!). At the moment I have a very functional Volvo station wagon because I sometimes restore old furniture and use it for transporting chairs, little tables, cupboards, etc.
In fact I have already spoken with Beatrice and we'll try our best to go there next may, I think it's in may, isn't it? We managed to go to the Biennale di Venezia to write a little article on modern Art, so we'll probably manage to get there as press people somehow.

[henk4]

Emm, no I didn't mean I will show my car there (I didn't mean to show off, believe me!). At the moment I have a very functional Volvo station wagon because I sometimes restore old furniture and use it for transporting chairs, little tables, cupboards, etc.
In fact I have already spoken with Beatrice and we'll try our best to go there next may, I think it's in may, isn't it? We managed to go to the Biennale di Venezia to write a little article on modern Art, so we'll probably manage to get there as press people somehow.

Sorry I did not in any way want to imply thst you would show your car there at Villa d'Este, I was just interested in the car you have Is it a 244?

[TIM]

Sorry I did not in any way want to imply thst you would show your car there at Villa d'Este, I was just interested in the car you have Is it a 244?

Again, that was more of a joke! I didn't expect you to believe a student owns a hispano-suiza or maybe a Rolls-Royce. I wouldn't mind having one of the two, though.

My (our) car is a 1996 V40, one of the first models. I (we) bought it used for a very nice price. The colour is this dark red metallic they had on the sales brochure. It matches the dark grey plastic parts on bumpers and the sides very well I think. I especially like the orange sidelamps . So, you see, it's not really only functional to me. But if I could buy that car today I would buy a 2.0 instead a 1.8 Liter engine. The car is heavier and bigger than it looks! But well, at least it's no 1.6 engine, that would really make me unhappy.

The classic car I used to have was a dark blue 1971 Mercedes 280 S/8 my granddad owned in the representative function of a mayor in a small town. I liked the chromium in contrast to the dark blue lacquer. But I didn't like the fuel consuption and the maintenance costs that would have ruined me after a few more years. My father has it now and wants to get rid of it after 5 years. I wonder why?

[henk4]

The classic car I used to have was a dark blue 1971 Mercedes 280 S/8 my granddad owned in the representative function of a mayor in a small town. I liked the chromium in contrast to the dark blue lacquer. But I didn't like the fuel consuption and the maintenance costs that would have ruined me after a few more years. My father has it now and wants to get rid of it after 5 years. I wonder why?

Keep the Strich 8 in the family, seems to be popular in Germany.

[TIM]

Keep the Strich 8 in the family, seems to be popular in Germany.

No, I actually prefer smaller cars. I had a Mini right after the /8 and I LOVED it because it goes around the corners like...you can't describe it and it takes 6 or less ltres per 100 km. When I was in the mountains near Nice I had a race with a Frenchman on those narrow mountain roads and he didn't have a single chance. He couldn' use his horse power (I think it was a Citroen) because there were no straight roads. He got pretty angry - and lost
My other granddad in the US used to have a white MGB. I worked on that car with him a little. That might be my next classic. The engine is so simple - and makes such a good noise.
So you have a Citroen Xantia Break 2.0HDi/110 (I looked it up).
The Volvo V40 runs on a P.S.A. engine and I used to have a Peugeot 204 in the early 90s. These Peugeot people make pretty nice engines, I think. Everybody driving with me asks me why this Volvo engine is so quiet, and I tell them: it's from Peugeot!

[henk4]

No, I actually prefer smaller cars. I had a Mini right after the /8 and I LOVED it because it goes around the corners like...you can't describe it and it takes 6 or less ltres per 100 km. When I was in the mountains near Nice I had a race with a Frenchman on those narrow mountain roads and he didn't have a single chance. He couldn' use his horse power (I think it was a Citroen) because there were no straight roads. He got pretty angry - and lost
My other granddad in the US used to have a white MGB. I worked on that car with him a little. That might be my next classic. The engine is so simple - and makes such a good noise.

you may have noted that I have first hand experience with a Mini. (It is a car that was originally sold in Germany )

[TIM]

you may have noted that I have first hand experience with a Mini. (It is a car that was originally sold in Germany )

No, I just saw your Mini picture below your user name but I didn't know you had experience with it. Is there a thread I didn't see. Well, I am new here. What do you mean (it was originally sold in Germany?) I had a 1988 (not 1986 I said in another thread) model RED HOT. Huh, you should have seen that old Italian guy in Verona. We just got (more: climed) out of the car and all of a sudden this old Italian came walking towards the car like a young man, saying Eeh, rredde hotte, e rassa calda ehh? And Beatrice sid, Si, rosso caldo (I hope it's Right) and he smiled, said, bene, bene! and walked off. It seems the Italians love that car. It's just their size. They can race along their narrow town roads so well.

Do you still have one of those fabulous ORIGINAL Minis, not the supersized one? I myself had it only one year, but it was the most fun year in my life .

[LFLWS6]

classic car people aren't nuts, but we may be obsolete.