Wednesday, 29 June 2016

Capri - no McLaren (Mr Bean's car)

Wandering through the back streets of Norwich, England, several weeks ago, we walked into this small public car park & I spied this sleek looking sports car. A closer inspection revealed it was a McLaren, similar to the one Rowan Atkinson owns. I think he had a rather nasty prang in his so I wonder how much it cost to repair.
The engine is mid mounted beneath the glass? cover. Not sure if the fuel filler is located there as well. The thing I did notice was the size of the brake rotors - they were nearly the same diameter as the wheel rims, just huge. You can just see them in the photo.
A very valuable car just sitting there! Really nice to look at.

Monday, 27 June 2016

Capris - Back again!

I have returned from our trip to parts of the northern hemisphere and am just about back to normal as it takes me a week or so to recover from the jet lag.
The only thing to report about the Capris is that they are now back running after a little battery charging. I did disconnect the batteries & they didn't take much charging even though one is on the way out.
On trying to take the white car for a run, the engine was very rough so, once again, I suspected fuel problems. I gave everything a good cleanout but no better but after 20 litres of Shell V-Power it was running back as it should. This car does not like the fuel gauge to go below a quarter full so I must remember to keep it above that level. Apart from washing the cars, I haven't done much with them.

Here are a few photos of unusual vehicles I saw on my travels.

This lovely original Fiat 500 was seen in the centre of Rome as was the Renault electric car on the right. Plugged in getting charged outside a restaurant. That was one thing I noticed - the number of electric cars of all makes & sizes.

This vehicle was on the wharf at Cartagena, Spain. I think it was names a Spyder & seemed to be a cross between a motor cycle & a quad bike. It looked very modern & well constructed. The beautiful looking, very original Mark 1 Escort was standing lonely on the dock at Lisbon. Are they in big demand there as well?

These strange looking vehicles were also near the wharf at Lisbon & were able to be rented. They looked pretty basic & I am not sure what type of engine was in the back.
I have a few more to share & will do that in the next week,