Mid-life crisis!

I'll throw another reason why prices differ into the mix; parts and service availability.

There may be a lot of P6 parts around, but most are second hand. There are very few people who know how to properly restore or service a P6.
 
When I was a student in Cape Town (where I hoofed my S1 V8 up and down Hospital Bend a lot), I recall Alfa "Juniors" being £300 cars. This was more than 20 years ago, though.

There's one car I'd consider instead of carrying on with the P6, and that is the BMW E3 (typically a 3.0S(i)). To me, it's the most gangsta saloon ever made, in an understated, Kriminalpolizei kind of way.

bmw e3.jpg
 
The 3.0 E3 is certainly a lovely thing, especially with Alpina alloys like the pic above. I bet there are fewer of them left today than there are P6s though. Haven't seen one in ages.
KriPo are of course gangsters with badges, which is why they favoured those sleds back then.
 
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When I was a student in Cape Town (where I hoofed my S1 V8 up and down Hospital Bend a lot),

You probably remember the weapon of choice for a certain segment of the population was the 3 liter Cortina and the 3.0S Fords.....

I used to have fun with them in my 2 liter Alfetta, they'd normally bite on the overhead freeway where it passed Customs House, and if they took the route towards the hospital, it was game on.
I'd stay just ahead of him until the Browning Road slip way and then "run out of puff" letting him pass me and he'd immediately head into the left lane to crest hospital hill. Problem is, the left lane has a dip in it as you start the downhill run, and Mr Ford who'd blown his budget on a 5" exhaust pipe and hadn't though to buy shock absorbers suddenly went through said dip, with predictable consequences........ One very untidy exit accompanied by frantic braking, squealing tyres and a very sedate drive from then onward, presumably, because my well shod Alfa had long passed him and was turning off onto the M5 to resume my interrupted trip to wherever I was headed.

Silly buggers could never work out how a little 2 liter 4 cylinder was beating a 3 liter V6, when said 2 liter was 112kW and the poor Ford was only 101.3kW.
 
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I never boy raced my P6 but left quite a few posers behind at robots (Saffa English for traffic lights). I remember the Cortina based vultures sitting on the verges around said bend. But we digress.
 
I'm still looking...... but in the last few months I've had other projects to sort, which is why I've not made much progress with the P6s.

Some of you may be interested in this alternative restoration project:

DSC_9959edit.jpg

It's the latest acquisition at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway, which started from scratch 13 years ago. I've been involved from the start & have been the Chair for a number of years. The loco is a Fowler with a Rolls Royce engine & apart from some vandalism is actually in good condition.

We've also managed to get most of a platform built during 2020 despite the lockdowns:

IMG-9158.JPG

Believe it or not, my Sharkstooth 2000 is older than both the locos pictured; the top one is from 1966 & the second (a GEC 'Stephenson' with a Gardner engine) is a youngster from 1979 :D

My apologies for the distraction - I will get on with my P6s! ;)
 
I used to get up to the NYMR quite a bit, see a bit of heartbeat country, is this anything to do with them?
 
I used to get up to the NYMR quite a bit, see a bit of heartbeat country, is this anything to do with them?


Other than being good contacts of each other & only 20 miles apart, 'No'.

We're at the bottom of the ladder, so to speak & the NYMR are at the top :) . However, whilst our public offer is totally different, it's still a great experience. So far we've offered cab rides & 'driver experiences', but next season we will give 'Brake Van' rides trundling along at about 5 mph.

We can't offer 25 miles in an 8 coach train behind a '9F' but for a fraction of the price you still get an interesting train ride ;) Believe it or not, this 'van is now almost restored to a quite superb standard:


DSC_7409.jpg
 
I've been a P6 fan for as long as I can remember & as you may know, I run three on a regular basis. However, I'm in my mid 50s now & I'm wondering about having a go with something else.

I've always been an armchair fan of the Alfa 1750/2000 GTV but have never driven one; on paper they perform in a similar fashion to a V8S, but I'm sure they'll be a totally different experience.

View attachment 18181
(Apologies if this infringes copyright)

I'm just getting a little more serious in my thoughts, & I'd really like to try one. Their values creep up all the time, so I wouldn't want to delay much more. Of course, with now limited space (too many cars) I'll have to decide which P6 would go....:eek:

I would be interested to hear others' thoughts on these & also what other classics other CRF members yearn after.
They are a really pretty looking car and I have always liked them. The only factor which prohibits ownership is cost. Two door cars are great, but then the P6 has always appealed to me and one came along at the right price...
 
Phil, you raise the question of relative values. For Classic car like our Rovers, fashion appears to set the value, not more sensible things like driving pleasure or practicality.
I have driven Jaguar mk2's and wondered how anyone would pay so much for one when my 3500S was, to me, a much better car. I can live without the veneer facia fro what I save with my P6.
Similarly, an Aston DBS was, to me, a clumsy great lump that made a lot of fuss, when going fast, compared to my P6.
Leave me wondering how I could replace my 3500S, when the time comes.
Why are Rover V8's so undervalued? No idea, but thankful they are.
 
Similarly, an Aston DBS was, to me, a clumsy great lump that made a lot of fuss, when going fast, compared to my P6.

A friend of mine had an AM V8 20-odd years ago but I remember thinking then "it's just a big old car" - it didn't seem to have the refinement of the P6s I was driving. It almost felt a bit cobbled together :(

Like many at the time, an Aston was something I'd always dreamed of, but it put me off - which was probably a blessing in disguise!
 
Now I'm not sure I want another project, but how about this early 1600GT? I'm not quite sure exactly what it is as the model histories are very involved :hmm: Probably a South African build; it has some peculiar sidelights & badging.


0b9c8047e7b71747ef94a3e1f4b9d36e50c979f5.jpg

I think it's been like this for around 20 years in dry storage & there's some serious work required :oops:.

Who would run a mile from this one...?:D
 
A friend of mine had an AM V8 20-odd years ago but I remember thinking then "it's just a big old car" - it didn't seem to have the refinement of the P6s I was driving. It almost felt a bit cobbled together :(

Like many at the time, an Aston was something I'd always dreamed of, but it put me off - which was probably a blessing in disguise!

I just love the look of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and back when they came out I often got shouted at for drooling over them :p

Here's a pic I stole from the internet

AM V8.jpg

I couldn't afford one then, and I can't afford one now.

Saying that, I wouldn't swap Sparky for one :)
 
What I do know is that AMV8s are a BIG car; a P6 is positively svelte in comparison.

Mind-you, we now have a 2010 Mini Countryman & that makes a P6 look small! :oops:

IMG_9128.jpg
 
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Crikey, Phil! That 'Mini' looks as if you've inflated it somehow! I can't believe there hasn't been any photoshoppery involved in that photo.
I reckon that Alfa 1600GT would entail a huge amount of work. I would be inclined to look for one that you can just get in and drive, although that would obviously mean having to shell out a great deal more.
 
When working I nail these together for well heeled customers.
HPYY3212.JPG
So it is only sensible to yearn for an Aston, so for years I have wanted to have another mid life crisis and bag a newer era V8 Vantage 4.7.
But I have decided that it is just not sensible..........
But the need for another MLC would not go away so,
I bought one of these
IMG_3403.JPG
It is a 2001 RS4, it has Aston levels of performance, no one gives it a second glance, you can get the groceries in it, the missus adores it, and my god it is fast.

The next MLC has got it's work cut out to top this one.
 
Crikey, Phil! That 'Mini' looks as if you've inflated it somehow! I can't believe there hasn't been any photoshoppery involved in that photo.

The photo is untouched! The face-lifted (post 2016?) Countryman is significantly bigger than that one!
 
I reckon that Alfa 1600GT would entail a huge amount of work. I would be inclined to look for one that you can just get in and drive, although that would obviously mean having to shell out a great deal more.

I didn’t initially want a project, but I’m starting to get withdrawal symptoms & think that’s a big part of the ‘fun’....
 
When working I nail these together for well heeled customers.
View attachment 19801
So it is only sensible to yearn for an Aston, so for years I have wanted to have another mid life crisis and bag a newer era V8 Vantage 4.7.
But I have decided that it is just not sensible..........
But the need for another MLC would not go away so,
I bought one of these
View attachment 19802
It is a 2001 RS4, it has Aston levels of performance, no one gives it a second glance, you can get the groceries in it, the missus adores it, and my god it is fast.

The next MLC has got it's work cut out to top this one.

Oh very tasty :)

I have a 320bhp A6 Allroad and it is a beast , well a beast and a half.
 
The scalino (complete with Allegro sidelights) looks like a money pit, so it must be worse than that. A project and a half.
I always aldmired the looks of Astons DBS and V8, even though like many of you could not get near any of them. So it's definitely good to know that they are not anything special to own and drive, i can keep looking at them without the dowsides of ownership!
 
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