Sunday 29 May 2011

Busy Times

Quite a lot has been happening over the last couple of weeks.

Last weekend I was looking at cars with a view to buying one. Runner up in the process was a magnificent 1996 Lexus LS400. Painted very dark green with the slightly tacky option of gold badges the LS was in many ways superb. Smooth, quiet, comfortable you can see how Lexus came from nowhere to become a genuine contender alongside Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes. For me, however, there was a sense that something with more driver involvement would be better. That said, I may go after another LS400 next time I buy a car. As for what I’ve chosen this time, you’ll have to wait and see.

This week I was able to catch up on my quota of new cars for the year. It also allowed me to drive not one but three cars I’ve admired since my childhood. Simply remembering what was what could take a while so bear with me.

Yesterday I finally got round to changing the oil in my bike. Having done oil changes on cars there didn’t seem to be anything to fear by doing the same on the bike. Clearance to remove the drain bolt with my drip tray in place was lacking until I removed the lower side body panel. There is nothing quite like taking your bike apart to appreciate how well it was put together. In particular I was impressed by the design of the captive nuts that should never work loose. Even more impressively, everything went back together as easily as it had come apart and there is now fresh oil inside the engine, good for another couple of thousand miles of riding.

Finally, today I’m off to see some drag racing at Santa Pod. It has been a while since my last taste of quarter mile action and I’m looking forward to it. Pictures will follow, no doubt.

Tuesday 17 May 2011

Spotted: Modified Alfa Romeo 145

From Fourwheelsteer: Motoring Writer

What do you do if you’ve got an Alfa 145, some alloy wheels, a tin of gold paint and some Abarth badges? Apparently you apply the alloys, paint and badges to the car and the result can be seen above.

Strangely it doesn’t look as shocking in the photo as it did in the metal. You don’t see many Alfa 145s and the shape has worn petty well. In fact it probably fits into the modern landscape of tall hatchbacks better than it did when the model was introduced.

What puzzled me was replacing the Alfa Romeo badges with Abarth badges. I’ve never understood putting badges on a car to pretend it is something it isn’t.