Top Gear destroying more classics again

Max_Damage

(Before I start, no classic car snobs please)

[Rant]

It was bad enough last week that they smashed up a Lada Riva and a Morris Marina, but this week they drop a piano on another one, and in the 'scrap pile' they had for the caravan jump, there was a Cortina, Golf Mk1, Austin Princess, and a Morris Minor all in there. not to mention the XJ6 used to tow the caravan. The Princess got pulverized.

They may not be great cars, but they are classics nevertheless, rare ones at that. I can't stand seeing that bigot Clarkson constantly destroying old cars for 'entertainment'. All of this is in the same league as banger racing. :mad:

[/Rant over]...

L-M

Lol i was going to post this, but i thought it would get moved:D

I saw that black mk1 golf... Such a waste...

peasant

Not every old car is necessarily a classic. And by that I don't mean the question if it was a class or crap car to start with, but what condition it is in when you're looking at it.
Some old cars just are a heap of (s)crap.

case in point (for example)
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=983249

Iconic motor home for sale

L-M

peasant wrote: »

Not every old car is necessarily a classic. And by that I don't mean the question if it was a class or crap car to start with, but what condition it is in when you're looking at it.
Some old cars just are a heap of (s)crap.

Ah ya but there's no need to line them up and fail miserable at jumping over them with a caravan:D

Max_Damage

peasant wrote: »

Not every old car is necessarily a classic. And by that I don't mean the question if it was a class or crap car to start with, but what condition it is in when you're looking at it.
Some old cars just are a heap of (s)crap.

case in point (for example)
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=983249

One man's thrash is another man's treasure

peasant

That thing will never be a treasure.

For the money you'd have to pump into that you'd get two better ones

BeardyGit

I've chopped up a fair few cars in my time. Classics, one might argue. Except for the fact they were junk....

I can't understand the mentality of folks who think an old car is somehow automatically a classic. In the true sense of the word - What do you think a classic really is?

A knackered, rotten arsed Princess? Come on man.

VWPowered

poor marina, that said the marina website crashed when they said the club name out on TV but great publicity for them least it wasnt a van/pick-up or coupe...

5 million hits in 20 seconds i bet it the marina never got that intrest when new

did spot the Golf 1/Cortina Mk3/Moggie Minor the last2 were defo a bit of a shame especially as they have shown the can get hold of enough mondeos/fiestas etc to err fill the gaps :mad:

clarksons always been up himself but he used to own a mk1 scirocco and still rates them now, so he gets just a little respect for that..

Hamster did save the Opel Kadett A from the desert challange... got to respect that

May is Gay. hey it rhymes so must be true...

but in fairness you cant blame them its the script they are given, i sure its another BBC monkey who buys the cars (excprt on challanges etc) :rolleyes:

still better than Five Gear and that terrible Vroom Vroom (now thats real rubbish...)

VWPowered

Gil_Dub wrote: »

A knackered, rotten arsed Princess? Come on man.

could still be repaired/restored etc ok not my cup of tea either... but still becoming a rare beast...

im with Max on this as see when i was kid my dad at the time was being 15 year old cars that were regarded as classics, yet today my 25 year old polo isnt... in my eyes it is...

some say 30 some 20 some 40 doesnt matter any car that can survive years of abused, whereas most others has been scrapped deserves to be revived..

just my 2p/2.1c

unkel

We'll never agree on this one folks

Although I am of the firm opinion that a car that was sh1te when it was brand new, can never become a classic car

red_ice

i personally thought it was brilliant.

They arent classics, they are terrible in every way possible. Nothing about those cars should be remembered imo.

corktina

if they had been any good some preservationist would have got to them first (or a banger racer maybe...

infacta

I say destroy them all classics my arse anything older then 20 years should be put in a crusher and get turned in to something useful

Sids Not

The difference between "over there" and over here is that classics are plentiful ,but it breaks our hearts to see (from the comfort of our sofa's) good clean cars being destroyed, hence that almost every classic irish car has been imported,,....if they were worth restoring they would have been saved by now...

niceirishfella

I think May coined it really about the Marina -
"a warning from history"

VWPowered

and you think todays cars are better...

come on, its uses a bigger carbon print to crush a car to make a new one..

and have you seen some of the new ones.. i'd rather my 25 year old banger which i can do everything myself, to a 'mainstream everyone has one' mondeo that you cant even change the plugs without getting the dealer to unlock the codes...

but then again i don't want to keep up with the Jones and what they have...

if your rich fine... if your skint like me, then pennys count..

as a note watching the english drop like flys here, why greed, ive been here 5 years came with nothing left with nothing...
the come with everything (big cash, pensions) and still cant make it last...

so when you go to the merc dealer and he says yes the brakes are done thats €1500 i hope its really money well spent and not just money wasted...

for my car cost less than €500 to buy and insure, rarer than a lot of cars.. (do a search for GK engined Polos rare as hen teeth)
and has never let me down..

and my brakes cost a tenner

(not a dig at anyone just my 1.9c/2p)

S.I.R

Max_Damage wrote: »

(Before I start, no classic car snobs please)

[Rant]

It was bad enough last week that they smashed up a Lada Riva and a Morris Marina, but this week they drop a piano on another one, and in the 'scrap pile' they had for the caravan jump, there was a Cortina, Golf Mk1, Austin Princess, and a Morris Minor all in there. not to mention the XJ6 used to tow the caravan. The Princess got pulverized.

They may not be great cars, but they are classics nevertheless, rare ones at that. I can't stand seeing that bigot Clarkson constantly destroying old cars for 'entertainment'. All of this is in the same league as banger racing. :mad:

[/Rant over]...

i spotted the golf meself, i belive i seen a 340 volvo also...


as for morris's.... the more destroyed the better.


lada's are ok...

Max_Damage

S.I.R wrote: »

as for morris's.... the more destroyed the better.

Well you should be banned from this forum for a start (how you're not banned by now is beyond me, but anyway....)

Seems that the classic car snobs are out on force on this forum, shame.....:(

niceirishfella

Max_Damage wrote: »

Seems that the classic car snobs are out on force on this forum, shame.....:(

no, not all of us Max!:)
but for me, I can't agree on morris marina's being a classic. But I'm not a snob.
At the end of the day, its all subjective about whats a classic, and whats not.

macplaxton

Whilst the above mentioned cars may be few in number, I wouldn't exactly describe any of them as "rare"

I've hacked up cars either because nobody wanted them, I needed the spares or accidental damage.

I guilty of scrapping a few classics, but for justifiable reasons.

Sids Not

OMG ..what is it about cars that causes so much snobbery/hatred/bigotry etc in us...:eek:
Why cant we just drive what we want and be happy with fellow car enthusiasts ...fitting car into groups always causes friction ,be it classic, custom,hot rod ...whatever.....eotd it doesnt really matter (to me anyway)...:rolleyes:

dutchcat

red_ice wrote: »

i personally thought it was brilliant.

They arent classics, they are terrible in every way possible. Nothing about those cars should be remembered imo.

+1 should have been in the crusher a looooong time ago.............imo.

alastair

Hard to get worked up over a Marina or two going to their grave tbh.

Unless you want to become a crank and get outraged about any and all old cars getting scrapped, then there's no harm in making a spectacle out of the inevitable.

MercMad

I never liked Morris cars or Austins, in fact I dont like most mundane British cars in general. However if I saw a Marina, well preserved, at a show or whatever I would be interested in looking at it.

Either was a rusty, written off car is cannon fodder.

I still dont like that aspect of Top Gear though.

niceirishfella

I'm more cencerned about the piano that hit the Marina last night!
It was killed prematurely if you ask me - poor instrument.

carchaeologist

It was a pity to see a clean car,no matter what it is get burned out for no apparent reason,they say they used a rotten double for the fire but i dont believe it,why would they go to the bother.
I know it wasnt exactly a great car or much loved by the general public,but if it lasted 30+ years in good order its sad to burn it out like that.The guys on the marina and ital forum are going nuts about it.
Remember the time they dropped a skip on this?I didnt hear much about it,or does no one like biturbos?


I wonder what state the blue one from last night was in before they dropped the piano on it,it was surely rotten?I would imagine as has already been said,its easy to pick up an MOT failure car like that in england,there is much less to go around here.Most old wrecks end up being owned by enthusiasts here.

I have a feeling they stuck in the few older cars in that pile to get a bit of chat going,the cortina looked pretty knackered,though the golf didnt.Couldnt see much of the minor.I suppose we can argue till time ends as to weather a car is a classic,but it wont stop cars getting wrecked.No one seems to be too bothered by the jag!

Now off topic..

is may gay

I wonder,they do take the p1ss out of him alot,but i reckon its because hes not going out with anyone and drives a panda,clarkson gets as much of a ribbing from hammond over will young!:)

niceirishfella

Mays not gay - just good fun tho' taking the bachelor out of him.
Remeber they burned a nissan sunny to a crisp with a rocket car too!

carchaeologist

niceirishfella wrote: »

Mays not gay - just good fun tho' taking the bachelor out of him.
Remeber they burned a nissan sunny to a crisp with a rocket car too!

And rolled over a poor old yugo 45 with a tank...:P;)


Does anyone like yugos??:D:pac:

L-M

carchaeologist wrote: »

Does anyone like yugos??:D:pac:

I can't even joke and say i do lol:D

carchaeologist

Is there a yugo left in the country or an FSO Polonez

Think this question came up before..
Makes the marina look like a roller!!

VWPowered

niceirishfella

carchaeologist wrote: »

Is there a yugo left in the country or an FSO Polonez



Think this question came up before..
Makes the marina look like a roller!!

LOL

can anyone suggest what they could do to destroy this on TG?

carchaeologist

You're handy with photoshop!:D

L-M

carchaeologist wrote: »

You're handy with photoshop!:D

+1

Good work lol:P

Max_Damage

carchaeologist wrote: »

And rolled over a poor old yugo 45 with a tank...:P;)


Does anyone like yugos??:D:pac:

I do. They weren't a bad car at all, it was just owners never serviced them properly (or at all).

They recently stoped production of the Yugo 45 in Serbia.

cps_goodbuy

just skipping posts to say

Topgear: does what it does for more; ratings, rantings, and peeps posting about what they do :P

I however feel they wouldn't just destroy any decent car like that, any snooping may reveal find that they weren't easily restorable examples anyway (Topgear would not reveal that as the top statement would be lessened). hehe, loved when Clark said "low mileage example etc" yup that stirs something up

Could have let peeps part them for free after?

They payed for them, they can do what they want.


I say: Less talk about Topgear breaking a few cars ...and more talk about saving future classics from this "drive" by Manufacturers for "recycling" cars! It's all in their interest anyway I feel

Edit: Am i right in thing that the carbon/energy cost of building a new car is similar to running a car for 100kmiles?!
Just a pitty we live in such a disposable age
Year/Reg Snobbery as well (In Germany you can't tell the obvious age of a car without looking at the cars documentation, wonderfully looked after cars over there!)

VWPowered

yep france is the same cant tell the year without looking at the carte gris

Blue850

carchaeologist wrote: »

Is there a yugo left in the country or an FSO Polonez

Think this question came up before..
Makes the marina look like a roller!!

There was a Polish reg one knocking around Galway for the last couple of years, the "modern" Caro version.

I remember an Irish reg Polonez and a 1500P coming into the Fiat dealership I worked in 15 years ago.

MercMad

Am i right in thing that the carbon/energy cost of building a new car is similar to running a car for 100kmiles?!
Just a pitty we live in such a disposable age
Year/Reg Snobbery as well (In Germany you can't tell the obvious age of a car without looking at the cars documentation, wonderfully looked after cars over there!)

.................surely thats a Green argument for changing our number plate system.

Less plate snobbery = less polution long term.

Certainly when I went to the Techno Classica at Essen the modern classics for sale outdoor, Merc W140's, W124's and Cosworths, as well as E36's and Golf GTI's which were roughly 20 years old were virtually indistinguishable from new, and largely original condition.

It pays the owners to look after them.

Dades

The problem these days is that car makers change the look of their models so often that discerning eyes can tell what year your car is - or at least that it's not 'current'. Rather than a new model every 10 years, now they update the headlamps or grill every 18 months.

DaveCol

Just jumping back to Top Gear there for a minute, the same programme also had a piece on 50 years of the BTCC which included a few classics, and the week before they used a Cortina 1600E to race against two of the Russian cars. So while they killed two Marinas, they balanced it out with the rest of what they showed

FX Meister

boring!! who cares?

BeardyGit

FX Meister wrote: »

boring!! who cares?

Are you lost little boy?

:rolleyes:

VWPowered

yes have to agree the BTCC article was very good
i used to work for Dymag who used to supply magnesium wheelks for the 90's Mondeos, Cavalier, Rallye Team Toyota etc

but not as cool as this beasty

There are cars and then there are big boy toy cars – the new Caterham R500 falls without doubt in the second category. The latest model from the British sportscar manufacturer takes the Lotus Seven philosophy to a new level combining more power with even less weight. To be precise, Caterham’s engineers shaved an extra 9 kg or 20 lbs off the already featherweight RS400, bringing the total weight down to just 506 kg or 1,115 lbs.

Powering the RS500 is a heavily modified all-alloy 2.0 litre Ford Duratec engine. The normally aspirated, four-cylinder unit delivers an amazing (for a non turbo engine) 263 Hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels by either a standard 6-speed gearbox or the optional Caterham Motorsport engineered sequential transmission. The flagship Caterham is capable of sprinting itself from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.88 seconds.

Apart from the modified powertrain, the 2009 R500 now comes with keyless ignition start, a redesigned digital dash featuring flush fitted switchgear, ACES sequential gear change lights and a new Stack display with scrolling textshift lights along with an optional launch control. On sale immediately in the UK, the factory built R500 starts at £36,995

Caterham Superlight R500 Technical Specification

Engine 2.0-litre Caterham Powertrain (CPT) Ford Duratec
Max Power 263bhp @ 8500rpm
Max Torque 177 lbsft @ 7200rpm
0-60mph (claimed) 2.88 seconds
Top Speed 150mph
Wheelbase 2225mm
Overall length 3100mm
Overall width 1575mm
Height 800mm
Ground clearance 80mm
Kerb Weight 506kg (516kg sequential gearbox)
Standard Equipment

* 2.0-litre Caterham Motorsport Ford Duratec
* 6 Speed Caterham Gearbox
* Limited Slip Differential
* Superlight Suspension (wide track front and de Dion rear with Watts linkages)
* Carbon dash, nose cone, rear and front cycle wings
* ACES change-up lights
* Ventilated front brake discs with 4 pot calipers
* 13” Anthracite eight-spoke alloy wheels with Avon CR500 tyres
* Carbon interchangeable wind deflector
* 4 point Road Harnesses
* Quick-release Momo Steering Wheel with integrated indicator switches
* Carbon Kevlar seats

Optional Performance Upgrades

* Sequential Gearbox - £2950
* Launch Control - £350
* Carbon Induction Airbox - £450
* Suspension package consisting Eibach Springs and dampers derived from the C400 race series - £1250

Umm 35k versus 1.5millions Euros



they can keep the veyron...:rolleyes:

FX Meister

Gil_Dub wrote: »

Are you lost little boy?

:rolleyes:

no
:rolleyes:

dlofnep

I thought it was hilarious and I love classics. If they buy a car, they can do whatever they want with it.

MercMad

Yeah loved that R500, and the Toruing car stuff was great indeed ! !

carchaeologist

VWPowered wrote: »

but not as cool as this beasty










they can keep the veyron...:rolleyes:

Very true..if that car was a woman i would spend a lot of time in the bedroom with it..

macroman

Wasn't Clarky boycotted by bus spotters for setting a rare Routemaster on fire?

I'd say he's on thin ice after the whole Truckers kill prostitutes comment.

maidhc

I have never understood the hype about top gear.

It isn't a bad show, but to be honest I rarely bother watching it. The format is always the same; some cars are adulated, others destoyed.

The M5 was adulated despite blowing a diff, while the poor Korean cars get lambasted for just doing what they were designed to do. It is one big long opinion piece by 3 lads who in fairness are interested in cars, but thier opinions are no more vaild than a random punter on boards.

Destroying old BL cars now because they were crap 25 years ago is pointless. It means absolutely nothing, and is barely entertaining.

I crushed a corolla before with a JCB, and can't say I found it much fun either, but the car was rotten and in the way.

L-M

maidhc wrote: »

but thier opinions are no more vaild than a random punter on boards.

I sincerely hope no one takes any of there opinions serious, but i think that's the point of the show. Very biased towards certain cars (Ford at one time lol:D). I think it's funny, makes a good watch and it's always good for a conversation.