There are car and motorcycle manufacturers where the marketers don't care about the past and have an emotional customer loyalty. We noticed this during contacts about Suzuki's centenary. There are manufacturers who cherish their historical heritage. They still supply parts for the vehicles they once made or at least keep the administrative files of 'before' up to date.
Turbo compressors provide artificial respiration. Things are surprisingly simple in essence. The exhaust gases cause a paddle wheel to rotate. On the other side of the shaft of the fan there is a paddle wheel that drives the air inwards to the combustion chamber. About forty years ago, the owner of a Fiat 850 who installed a turbo on his pride noticed that it was a little less simple. That turbo came from a diesel truck. And the 850 cc engine just didn't have enough 'breath' to get things going.
Recently we talked about the certificates that could prove the 'pedigree' of classics. As an example we had a Renault 5 GT Turbo Phase 2. And that kind of roarbakjes is a lot of fun, but meanwhile quite pricey pleasure.
We recently visited a serious engine overhaul company. Contrary to what we thought, the lion's share of the work did not come from 'our', classical, corner. The owner of the company even said: “Downsizing is not good. I would never…
Six cylinders + turbo. Isn't that a bit much? Six-cylinders in the motorcycle world have been status symbols for manufacturers (and most buyers). Only Honda has made serious money with the six-cylinder Goldwings. In fact, a six-cylinder on…
First, Saab made unique cars for buyers who drove Saab out of pure conviction. Then came 'The Management' and 'The Marketers' in the context of the Seven Plagues. From that moment on, driving became interchangeable until…
Don't be fooled by the phenomenon in the images. Almost the same thing happened to us. When we came face to face with this Porsche 911 Turbo for the first time, we were almost certain that we were…
Robin Hofstede likes all motorcycles, but Suzuki's are often even more fun. He therefore exchanged his Harley for the unique GSX 1100-EFE with 1216 cc and ventilated by a 'drawthrough' Mikuni HSR 45 carburetor with suction compressor. That old…
Because since 1983, just under 22.000 have been made. That lack of success was mainly due to two things: The hard core MG enthusiasts thought the thing was just a fake MG. A dreary, unimaginative example of BMC badging…
The Tickford Capri Turbo (1983-1986) The Capri Mk III had become bigger and stronger. The power came from the German 2,9 liter V6. But even then there were people who didn't think 'more' was enough. (Lotus)Test driver and car journalist…