Whats your favourite car to drive? What brings back the fondest memories?

IbanezDan51

Well-Known Forum User
So out of all the cars you've OWNED, which brings the best memories when you drive it or think of it? For me its my R32, I had one when I was a lot younger and I barely use this one but for me its the ONE.


 

uk66fastback

Club Member
My old TVR Chimaera. Car would be 24 years old now. Fantastic looks to die for, V8 burbling away through the twin pipes, great looking interior. Docile in traffic and able to plod along at 25mph yet on a fast twisty road, a real joy to drive. Overtake most things in a flash as well, seat of your pants driving if required.

And to silence the doubters, not one bit of trouble with it in the years I owned it. Servicing wasn't cheap but get a good set of tyres on it and let it go and it was the most fun per ££££ I've had from a car.

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Rob Gaskin

Treasurer
Staff member
Site Administrator
It's difficult for me to answer such a 'wide' question. The best car to drive is not always the one that's given me the fondest memories.

When I was 16 I went on a camping holiday in Snowdonia with mates - fantastic memories and the 'car' an old 1961 Reliant 3 Wheeler.

Most enjoyable driving experiences - trackdays in my old 240.

My Sunbeam Stiletto was quite nice to drive and I have fond memories of girlfriends in that car (just the trips nothing else).

Strangely my 350/370Z are nowhere near the top of the list. That's mainly because I didn't do anything exciting with them and they were too quick to enjoy on public roads. And I was getting older.

I also did many many miles in an Audi 100 2.2E Auto - yes that drove nicely but not exciting.

Like you VWs satisfy - my VR6 drove well. My 'campers' gave me great memories but one of them (beetle engine, poor brakes) didn't drive well.

What I have found with cars and motorbikes is that you always think you need 'more' and then when you get it you realise you didn't.
 

yellowz

Club Member
GT6
Learned how to drive a 'powerful' (it felt like it) car and also learned how to fix it - dropped a big end shell and had to rebuild the engine myself from the manual (no engine experience and no money to spare). Learned a lot from that car.

Did look at one when looking for a Z but could not get in and out without knackering my knee again!
 

cosworth415

Club Member
Mk3 Cosworth Granada, big, fast, auto, leather very comfortable loads of room, good for long journeys.
Had a V reg Mk1 golf gti years ago managed 750 miles in it one day, don’t think I’d like to do that now.
 
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Mick Cliff

Well-Known Forum User
In the 1960's - Ford Allard Escortina (a 1600 Escort, pre Mexico!)
In the 1970's - Mk3 Mini Cooper S
In the 1990's - Porsche 911 with RS engine
In the 2000's - Still the Porsche, now a RS Lightweight replica
In the 2010's - Mercedes 500SL (effortless cruiser)
Now - 240Z and a Morris Minor Traveller

Best memories?
"12-car" road rallies in the Escortina
In its' day the Cooper S (fondly remembered as a 96mph tin can)
Most memories - the 911 ("It ain't acceleration, it's violence!") so far, but likely will be overtaken by the Z
 

bluejon

Club Member
... you always think you need 'more' and then when you get it you realise you didn't.
Rob, a good observation on life itself I think #peakstuff

I still have my best owned, my 3.0 V6 406 coupe. But certainly good memories of my first owned post-uni, white 1.4i Fiat Tipo with tasteful body kit - it was great for hammering up and down the M6
 

yellowz

Club Member
Being lazy I just highlighted 'Escortina' - right clicked and selected 'Search the internet'

You had one of those?
 

nospark

Well-Known Forum User
FIAT X1/9 back in the late 1980's

Lightweight and nimble with the rear engine layout in front of the rear wheels. As far as I know it was one of the the first mass produced cars that had this layout that the exotic supercars used. Preceded the MR2 , MGF , elise etc

Only a 1500 weber carb engine so you could push it with the revs on country roads without a danger of killing yourself with excessive speed. Just right.
 

vipergts

Well-Known Forum User
My old 88 Aston V8 Vantage.

Always makes me grin because as a nipper it was my dream car and I never thought I'd own one

Love the smell, noise and presence
 

AliK

Vehicle Dating Officer
Staff member
Club Member
Never heard a truer statement Rob :thumbs:

I could point to all the faster, more exotic, more sophisticated cars I've owned but the one I still smile about when I think of how it felt to drive was the Saxo VTS. Sadly the joy was only matched by the pain of it's shocking build quality and it's "Police magnet* at any legal speed" qualities.

Not really that fast, front wheel drive and built of cornflake packets, but BOY could that car change directions fast. It never failed to amuse me or my passengers on EVERY SINGLE journey!! Think of it as a poor man's Elise ;)

Imagine putting seats and an engine on a large roller-skate.

To Rob's point, I recall our "Grahamjc" swapping his monster quick GTR (still trying to re-attach my retinas!) for an MX5 for the exact same reasons.

*The irony wasn't lost on me: being a non-drinker in my 9 months ownership I was stopped and breathalysed no less that 14 times but never warned about speeding or anything worthy of police time.

Just very poor excuses to get me out of the car and to blow into the tube; like "having glazed eyes", or "I know you weren't speeding but slow down young man!! Have you been drinking"?

The best was "do you realise you went through a yellow light"?

Me: "Yes officer. I know I shouldn't have under normal circumstances and especially not with a police car on toe".

Policeman: "So why did you do it then, is it because you have a nice car!"!?

Me: "Well officer the honest truth is that you appeared to be in a hurry and awfully close to my tail. (Which he was!) Being wet, I felt it was safer to press on than to brake hard and potentially cause an accident".

Policeman: "Have you been drinking?" Followed by "Blow into this" and "don't do it again"! ;)
 

Chappers

Club Member
My old Ferrari 348ts- the noise, the smell.- the trips to Le Mans in 03 and 05 are still vivid memories. Luckily they are captured on DVD so I can show my 10 yr old I am not making it up!
I am taking him this year- sadly I do not think the 280z will be ready so it will be the mx5.

A close 2nd is my Sam on a trip to Ayr to show it to a possible buyer. He decided it was too noisy, too fast and to stiffly sprung for him. He paid my fuel for the day though.
 

Mick Cliff

Well-Known Forum User
Being lazy I just highlighted 'Escortina' - right clicked and selected 'Search the internet'

You had one of those?
Sure did!
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1969/22/impressions-allard-escort
Modified eventually with 28/36 Weber, RS exhaust manifold (bunch of bananas) and 13" wheels. About 110bhp. Traded it on honeymoon (!) for an ex-RAC rally Avenger (pre Tiger)
My ideal car at the time was something that could do:
0-60 in 10sec
100mph and
25mpg (remember petrol was 5 bob a gallon = 5.5p/litre!)
That car just about matched all that.....my current daily diesel with 100k miles could pi55 all over it (Skoda Fabia VRS Tdi)
 

yellowz

Club Member
Sure did!
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/february-1969/22/impressions-allard-escort
Modified eventually with 28/36 Weber, RS exhaust manifold (bunch of bananas) and 13" wheels. About 110bhp. Traded it on honeymoon (!) for an ex-RAC rally Avenger (pre Tiger)
My ideal car at the time was something that could do:
0-60 in 10sec
100mph and
25mpg (remember petrol was 5 bob a gallon = 5.5p/litre!)
That car just about matched all that.....my current daily diesel with 100k miles could pi55 all over it (Skoda Fabia VRS Tdi)

You missed the point

Just put Escortina into a web search and see what comes up................
 

Jimbo

1978 260z in yellow
Club Member
my scirocco is probably the most "fun" car I've ever driven.
theres a lot of other faster cars or more comfortable cars I've driven but for just having A & B road blasts the rocco does it for me.
 

SacCyclone

Club Member
The "most memories" would be the car that is similar to the Mercury Cyclone I drove in high school. My old school 1969 Torino 428 Cobra Jet barn find that i bought a few years ago. It still needs most everything except a fresh engine rebuild.
Still can't find that road back to my high school but lots of fun trying to find it.

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