Comments:
A piece of advice - a good starting car for Oldtimer rallying?
The other day my beloved daughter announced that she’d like daddy to buy an Oldtimer and enter into historical rallies with her. Now that’s truly music to my ears, and would be a great way to develop a joint hobby.
Now apart from a 29 year old Volvo 850T-R our household is a tad short of vehicles older than a year and me short of experience in the genre.
So in essence I am asking for some advice. It would need to be something reasonably low brow to start off with, which does not need incredibly complex maintenance or impossible to source parts, drivable, and not a car to break the bank (at least until there is some clarity that this is not just a short term affair). And a car that can be entered in a sufficient range of events to gain some experience.
So any recommendations from more experienced forum members highly welcome! 🤞🏻
I would imagine reliability is decent…
The car also holding the record for the most achieved km of any so far 😁
Driving?
Driving?
Thanks for adding this!
Not quite sure what route to take yet, hence the question / post.
Some standard routes are the Mini Cooper, the DS, the Alfa Giulia / GTV, Lancia Fulvia, MGB, Ford Escort RS…
Some standard routes are the Mini Cooper, the DS, the Alfa Giulia / GTV, Lancia Fulvia, MGB, Ford Escort RS…
With this kind of cars, I mean Volvo P1800, you see what driving a car means. YOU are the pliot, not the electronic bits of the car.
Maybe a Lancia Fulvia?
I must admit I never drove one, but many have been converted to a more “rally” oriented car. And obviously it was used in his time in real rallies .An advantage certainly is that they are still rather affordable (the basic ones).
Dirk
Apparently very good!
The engineering was a bit different from the norm but if properly maintained the reports I have read say that they are very reliable. Not nearly at the level of later ones, which were somewhat iffier 😊👍🏻
If it is in a reasonable shape…
One can protect it. But if the rust is there, it’s quite probably an expensive hobby 😱
Well the v4 is a good engine
However, it is an Italian car, so rust certainly is an issue. But nothing that can’t be fixed….
That and the handling, which is supposedly really good!
They look pretty tasty, too 😁👍🏻
This is a whole world of financial pain …
But personally, I would start with…
The Saab 96 is ultra reliable …
The Mini Cooper is a proven multiple winner …
Enjoy !
Be aware ...
.. that many if not all of the cars here already mentioned have no power steering and the gap between these cars and the modern cars you're used to drive is quite big.
You could also consider a 1970/80ies Mercedes for that matter. They also give a nice and old fashioned driving experience but are a bit easier to operate.
After that, when the hobby becomes an obsession (lol) you can buy a 1884 Mercedes-Benz ;-)
Bim
Was not thinking of going quite 1884 😁
Benz is definitely a comfortable option, and a lack of PAS is certainly a topic but depending on the weight possibly not completely tragic - a good replacement for the gym 😉
If I may, what about an MG B (GT or convertible, but I guess GT better for extreme conditions). It is quite cheap quite reliable (for a British car !), and the fact it is British you can source all kind of spares in the UK, almost everything
is available for a full rebuild in case + improvements.
I guess a good way to start, and then you can still evolve later on towards something fancier and more expensive.
Let us know what your choice is !
I guess a good way to start, and then you can still evolve later on towards something fancier and more expensive.
Let us know what your choice is !
It sounds like a good option indeed!
What’s your experience with the MGC as GT? Apparently not that nice originally but I heard from an MGB owner that with modern tires a lot of the downsides disappear 🤷🏻♂️🧐
I have driven my parents' MG B Cabriolet a few times, and I like the "old school" driving. I don't have experience when it comes to racing though. For sure if you put on modern tires, you might have to upgrade the suspension
otherwise they might suffer from the high-adherence tyres and put under pressure.
That's the thing with old cars, the improved modern technology generates abnormal or extra wear and tear on other parts.
That's the thing with old cars, the improved modern technology generates abnormal or extra wear and tear on other parts.
That’s the case with modern cars as well 😁
Certain modern performance cars kill their brakes almost instantly if you put higher performance tires on them 😉