TFP Top Gear

My brother worked for Donavan in the 60's

 

saw this Boss 302 rolling down the road this morning. For my next car I'd like a modern Mustang GT. Though I'll definitely add louvers.

 

I already posted these elsewhere but they also belong here.

Meet Pennington, 2019 MINI Cooper Countryman S All4





He’s super badass and fun and I love him.

 

My 02 Mini CooperS, bought it from my daughter when she bought a Mini Country Man

xoxoxoo

 

You need a real Mini.
As in a very early Mini.
A shopping cart with a motor & a steering wheel.

I have some friends who love their Mini Coopers.

 

I love this car.

 

A sad day; I sold my 2010 Mazda RX8. Bought in 2018, with around 54k miles. Sold to Carmax with almost 114k miles. When I got it, I expected to drive it for a few years. They don't have a stellar reliability record. But mine was the series 2 motor, which had a few key changes for longevity. The last year, the car was harder and harder to start due to the common cause of low compression. Even today, took a good ten seconds of cranking while cold to get it to ignite. But once it fired up, that car was fun to drive. Not the fastest on the road by any means, but she handled so well. You could hammer the brakes, shed speed, and dive into a corner while rolling back on tbe throttle. A real driver's car that you felt connected to. You knew what was happening to the car and what the road was doing. Seating was low and a pain in tbe ass to enter and egress, but seating was comfortable and you felt like you were in a cockpit. Everything was at hand. smooth shifter and clutch. 9000 rpm redline. Power increased to the redline and fuel cutoff. You needed the cutoff because the power never let off. It just kept going faster. The rear suicide doors were a nice touch. Allowed my daughters to be able to sit back there without moving the front seats. 91 octane required, and terrible fuel economy. 15 mpg around town, 18 on the highway. Leather, heated seats, decent stereo. There were downsides. Paint failure hood failed first. I actually repainted it myself after filling in hail damage spots. Used rustoleum cans with a 1k clear coat. Still looked decent after two years in the sun for a first time effort. Then tbe roof failed. Other panels were also letting go this summer. Windshield cracked in two a few months ago. Seatbelt sensor wires got severed at some point, so it disabled the driver's airbag. Cd player stopped several years ago, trapping 5 cds. Radio still worked. Until it would stop. But pulling the battery cable would reset the amp. Had to replace both window regulators. Also part of maintenance, everyone would premix a few ounces of oil into their fuel to add a little extra lubrication to protect the seals. So every tank was about 5 ounces of 2 stroke snowmobile oil. It also burned a quart a thousand miles, as part of its regular operation. But the car was unique. Only about 37k should in the u.s. from 2004-2011. Every couple of months, someone would tell me they liked my car. Always dudes, but that's how it is. I could have sold it private party, but that would have been a hassle it needed a new engine. So if some kid with stars in his eyes wanted to buy it, I would have had to say no. Engine is dying. And not worth putting 10k into it. Cant junkyard the engine because there are thousands of chassis with dead engines. I was hoping carmax would be around 1200-1500. They actually came back with 2000, which I accepted. They are going to auction it anyway. At any rate, I am sad. That was a fun, singular car. A little gem that very few ever got to experience. And I got to for 8 years. Better to have loved and lost, but I won't find another car in decent shape at a reasonable price that commanded attention like she did. Everything else will be a little more pedestrian, a lot more common.

 

Back in 2022 on this thread I posted a picture of a mustang I saw. Said I was thinking my next car might be a mustang. Well it happened finally after 4 years. I bought a 2022 Ford Mustang GT with just under 25k miles. Black on black, 6speed manual transmission, and the premium package and the performance package 1. Premiums moderately upgraded stereo, heated and cooled leather seats, etc. The performance package is where the fun is. Upgraded struts and springs. Bigger anti roll bars and a front strut tower brace. Brembo front brakes. Limited slip differential with a shorter final drive ratio. Active exhaust. Even the electronics package is reworked, like the traction control and vehicle stability assist. 460 hp stock, but the previous owner added a Borla catback exhaust and a JLT cold air intake. People online claim that the JLT intake requires a tune to handle the larger air intake. I don't know if it is, but I bought it from a Ford Dealer and it was certified Blue Oval. At any rate, this car is a fucking beast. I have never driven something so quick. It really has exceeded my expectations. I have hit 75 mph in second gear without hitting redline. I know it handles well, but I really cannot push it because as soon as you accelerate for more than a few seconds, you are into very extra legal speeds. I need to take it to the track, which I will be doing beginning of October. And the sounds. I test drove it a month before actually buying it. Hated the aftermarket exhaust. Way too loud. Dealership said they could remove it and put on a stock exhaust. After a month car was still there. Priced little higher than I wanted to pay for any car. Wife said just go buy it. You want it. I said I want it for 2k less than they have it for. She said they are not going to knock off that much, just pay it. Went for a second test drive the day after my birthday. That time the salesman showed me the active exhaust mode. Quiet makes it almost a reasonable car. Normal makes it snarl when you step on the gas. Sport mode makes it sound like a wild animal unchained. I have not even tried track mode on the street. Took just a few days to fall in love with the sound. It is righteous fury unleashed. Almost two months in and I love this car. Terrible gas mileage, especially with my lead foot. Back seat is actually worse than my old RX8. I cannot sit upright in the back. Front is marginally roomier than my previous car. Stupidly huge tires, and they are staggered wider in the rear, so I cannot even rotate them. It's loud, ostentatious, just a ridiculous car. But I love it. I already added a reasonable subwoofer to the trunk, so when I want some tunes I can hear the bass over the exhaust.