The British Lucas electrical systems sucked. I agree. I learned to drive a manual with a three in a tree in driver's ed with 3 other students in the hilly Northeast. What a bucking bronco ride!
We are comrades in arms with Triumph electrical. The Spitfires in the classic racing green were cool.
Besides giving me mechanical and electrical problems, I figured it was time to get rid of it after a semi changing lanes nearly flattened me on the San Diego Freeway in LA.. Good thing that little car was agile..
Sweet. My high school vehicle was a BYB – Big Yellow Bus. Occasionally, a teammate on the track team would give me a ride home (both of us helmetless) on his Honda 350 Scrambler. Boy, did I want one. I got stationed at Subic Bay in the Philippines and lived on base housing when I brought up the subject of buying a motorcycle with my DW. I bought a candy apple red Yamaha 400 from a sailor that had PCS orders. I had assured her of the advantages of having a car at her disposal and that since the max speed on base was 35 mph, I wasn’t going to do anything crazy. There was, however, a stretch of road above the runway where I could “open the machine up” and exceed the speed limit like Tom Cruise does when racing his bike against a jet. I loved that bike but sold it when we left the PI.My high school vehicle was a 1974 Honda CB360T motorcycle that I bought for $700. I sold it when I graduated HS for $800 which went into my college fund per my agreement with my father. (I agreed because I had no choice when it came to my father).
My first car when I was a college junior was a 1974 Cutlass with a 350 Rocket V-8. That was a very fun car until a pretty young girl who borrowed it decided to play Dukes of Hazzard over the railroad track crossing and totaled it. Hard lesson learned.
First new car purchase: 1985 Ford Tempo with a 5-speed stick. Nice basic car. This was actually Mrs. Stealth’s daily driver.
Then, I got my own first new truck: 1987 Ford Ranger. Regular cab. 5-speed stick. I’ve had practical trucks ever since.
Stealth_81
Concur. Just passed 211,000 miles on our Odyssey Van. "She" has taken us to visit 49 of our wonderful United States. It hurt a tad to fill er up for $70.00 the other day though.
Now I remember. The TR-7 had a solenoid starter. My mechanic out in Rota showed me where to stick the insulated screwdriver while someone turned the key. I must have been fearless then.
The other end of the spectrum from standing in your house and starting your car remotely.
At one point in my sojourn at USNA, I considered a TR6 but learned about the pitfalls of English electrical and mechanical systems from my buddy's TR3. He and I ended up as Ensign roommates while we were coaching the plebes and throughout 1/C year and then as Ensigns, he borrowed my (very reliable) Firebird whenever he couldn't risk a breakdown. Thus, I ended up dealing with a number of breakdowns including one long trip from Annapolis to Vermont for our team's ski trip after finals. I got out like a day earlier than him and could afford to dawdle a bit if necessary. Getting the ball and socket throttle linkage back together by the side of the road was not a fun thing but thankfully it was only twice. The Heater worked well but the heater fan was anemic so our feet were burning while our bodies were freezing.
I've done that a few times..
I used to do it in reverse. Push the car out of the garage, let it roll backward down the slope of the driveway, hop in shift to reverse and pop the clutch.I've done that a few times..
Driving a stick is becoming a lost art.. and a stick shift nowadays could almost be considered an 'anti-theft' device..
In Spain, I’d run the heater in summer to get air moving off the engine, when the temp line would creep toward the danger zone. Poor little Brit car. I’d have all my windows MANUALLY rolled down, blasting the heat, heading back from the beach at Trafalgar or other Costa de la Luz beaches, with Steely Dan and Alan Parsons Project blasting out of the cassette deck.
It is the “hop into rolling car” that is the mark of a stick car warrior.
Funny, I just looked up the other day whether there any pickup trucks currently offered with manual transmissions. I think what I found is the only one is the Toyota Tacoma.
That or being able to drive the streets of San Francisco without burning up your clutch..
Graduate School of Stick.That or being able to drive the streets of San Francisco without burning up your clutch..
