GTAm

We don't have the Ford Street Ka. Only the regular Ka!!

I think Autocar is a mag that's highly biased towards British cars. And the CRV as with the new Civic is made in the UK. You really can't take them too seriously. They always have nice things to say about cars made in England. They praised crap cars like the Austin Montego, Rover 800 and the Jag XJ40 which other mags critisized. Then when Nissan UK started rolling out the Primera that became a great car. The same thing happend with the Peugeot 309, a butt ugly car. It became one of their favourites. They are quite consistant with brands like BMW and Porsche but when there is a Brit car their hearts seem to melt a bit.

Actually they did a lot of copying. In the 70s when they were growing they copied American designs. Throughout they have been copying like crazy. All the 70s Jap cars have their Detroit equalents. Or at least many design cues. It's said that the Japanese can't design big objects. Only small ones and details. That's why they copy and still their cars don't look good or look dated very fast. Even today they copy. Just look at the all the Lexus LS models. They are copies of Merc S-classes of the previous generation. The 1st LS400 is like the W126, but nowhere as elegant, the next LS430 like the W140 etc etc.

Hey Supra N you're absolutely right. The Mk4 'Tina was a bit over hyped, probably by the British press. And the compettion it had was the totally crap Morris Marina. We had a Mk4 1.6 GL as our family car when I had just learned to drive. I thought it was quite awful. The steering was extremely heavy and the ride was jiggly. Lotus Corti's were Mk1 and 2. Loads of competition success.

A 156 for one mill??? Where? I'll buy another f its a 2.0!! A 300-/301- in good shape will be start at 1.4, 1.5m. You can't get later ones for less than 1.8m. I'd reckon a unreg V6 will fetch about 2m at least. Of coz depends on the condition. There's one advertised in last Sundays papers. A bit rough and not maintained by a specialist. He's quoting 1.55m. I think that'll be worth 1.1m/1.2m.

Interesting looks. It's based on the Lambo Gallardo.

The Chinese say a lot of things but you need to take it with a pinch of salt, IMHO. They are far from Korean uqlity levels. The test in the motor mag seems to be a warning in a polite way. I would stay well clear and get a used Jap car.

The date has not been fixed yet. Will let AL know.

If it's fully restored and done properly, go for it. It looks good in the pics. These are sports cars with very simple mechanicals. Nothing complex. Lots of mechanical parts are common with the Morris Minor and other British cars. Any parts that aren't available here you could order on the net. Fun to drive simple car. Price is not too high when you consider the rarity in SL, the demand for British sports cars and the hassle you'll have to go thru to restore a rough condition one. You will end up spending more believe me. But of course bargain with the seller!

Yeah that's the Dallara built X-1/9 racer prototype and that's the air scoop. Just like the 70s F1 cars had .

Very aerodynamic hair cut for Fernando !

This is the new Ferrari F2007 launched on Sunday and tested yesterday by Massa. Nice to see Kimi in the red suit. You'll also note MS who is now an advisor to the team.

Famous Abarths

Very Chevy Corvette to me which is no bad thing!

You know Peugoet is bidding for a stake in Proton and so could end up owning Lotus!

It's actually the young Obeysekera's car. He comes to work in that. Stassens bought 4 745Li s at launch to replace their 4 S320s. I see them about every week when I visit there.

Well it has quad tail pipes, M wheels and it was flying!!!

Coming back to the topic, I just got the Feb issue of CAR and it seems they've got their balls back. They're back with the original size and seem to be objective again in their analysis and cut off some of the gloss. For example, they've given the new Shogun/Montero a two star review and the Kia Cee'd a four star and they justify it convincingly. Funny thing how different Brit mags give varying reviews. Examples - CAR give the Renault Megane 230 F1 R26 just 3 stars, Autocar gives it four and a half. Autocar gives the new CRV 4 stars and Top Gear gives it a thubs down with 2 stars! Nice preview in CAR of the E90 M3 even if the styling sucks.

Transformed in terms of dynamics. It got a wider track and quicker rack. It's a great drive. My bro owns one and it's a cracker if you can live with the rattles.

Tata's are terrible. I had the opportunity of being a passenger in two recently when I went to India. Made me want to puke. The ride was horrible and the diesel engines sounded like a tractor. Interior plastics were very poor too. The old Marutis are very cheap feeling as well. The Chinese cars are pretty poor as well. Sometime back a Chinese van was featured in the Motormag and it came in for critisism. This months mag covers the Geely and the tester is trying hard to find something nice to say ! The Brits can be famous for their cock ups. The 1st Land Rover Discovery had terrible build quality. CAR magazine said "Panel gaps visible from space" And you can see its true when you next see one on our roads. The initial Freelanders came to the market with hundred of faults and Rover hid them. The Alfa Romeos of the early 90s were very poorly built. A short drive in a 155 or 146 will convince you. They rattle like crazy. What about the Fiat Tempra and Tipo? They were disasters.

There's a red Z4 at Stassens. I think its a director's son's car. Hey and isn't everyone forgetting the M-Coupe? The breadvan? There's a silver one in Colombo.

Has to be a lot less than a sedan as it looks silly. Forget about diesel E36s they're big trouble I'm told.

Absolutely right Milindu. But it does not looke very well fixed from the appearence.

The other thing is lots of cars have improved. I mean the differences are now getting minimal. For example in the 80s build quality was best with German and a few Japanese manufacturers. Now while Japanese and German are still on top you can't call any car badly built.

Oh yes tell me about it. That can happen when you see her and drive her. But do come here in March with your sexy red babe. We'll be having our track day at Katukurunda. It would be great to see her lap quicker than some of the modern cars. Of course you do NEED her! Bring her along in March when you come. You'll be in time for our track day at Katukurunda! You can email me for further info - [email protected]