CLASSIC and important CARS - open thread:

Used to see a DB2 or 2 at the AMOC hill climb but that stopped some years back and not seen one since. Bit of an ugly duckling IMO but still important and very much a classic!
 
Hi, the first SL in action. - I remember an SL like this. When I brought my 240D in 1981 to Mercedes for service, they had an SL in the showroom.

It was beautiful, in white with red leather interior. But it was 56000 DM. So it was beyond my means then ... ---


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I see one of those 3 wheeled Morgans most Tuesdays and Thursdays - there's a dealer at the bottom of the road up to the golf centre. Too expensive or a toy IMO and would need to be garaged.
 
I see one of those 3 wheeled Morgans most Tuesdays and Thursdays - there's a dealer at the bottom of the road up to the golf centre. Too expensive or a toy IMO and would need to be garaged.

Hi, it really is a toy for very good and stable weather. It is said to offer a great driving experience, perhaps more motorcycle- than car-like.

But looking at it rationally is perhaps the wrong perspective ...
 
All joking aside: three wheeled cars are surprisingly stable. I've driven a few and been a passenger in others and while you can lift a wheel by being an idiot they'll often recover despite your worst efforts.
 
2 at the front is more stable than the Reliant system but is less practical.
 
2 at the front is more stable than the Reliant system but is less practical.
Which 3-wheelers have you driven? I've used the Reliant Regal, Robin and Rialto; the admitedly ghastly Bond Minicar and the altogether amazing Bug; plus a Morgan on a track day. To be honest the Morgan was the one I liked the least but I put at least part of that down to my bum being about an inch off the ground and the wind blast hitting my head!
 
Hi, I am not an automotive engineer, and I do not have any personal driving experience with three wheelers, so my thoughts are of limited value.

Any vehicle design is a compromise. You take certain decisions, and must live with the consequences ... :

- 2 front wheels, with front steering, allow good direction control and breaking, because the front brakes always work harder. (That is why disc brakes in cars were
first used for the front wheels. Motorcycles have the more powerful brakes in front, too.)

So, an example, a Morgan in action :


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- 1 front wheel, front engine, maximally simple and economical.

An example from 1929:

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- And when money does not matter, you can do what you like ... --- :

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Which 3-wheelers have you driven?

Regal, Robin, '20s Morgan and sat in the current Morgan (set up all wrong so didn't get to drive it). I like the arse-on-the-ground and wind-in-yer-face feel of the Morgans and disliked both the Reliants' top heavy feel.
 
disliked both the Reliants' top heavy feel.
I liked the Robin because I didn't feel quite so intimidated in it though all of them are cars where "safety first" are definitely the watchwords! :)
 
I'd have more faith in the ash and ally of the Moggy than the glass and plastic of the Reliant! Being a biker, safety first comes fairly naturally - old is better than bold...
 
Hi, two more three-wheelers.

-A modern one, APE 50 :

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-From the 50s, a MESSERSCMITT :

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The MESSERSCMITT was a Kabinenroller (Scooter with a roof), constructed by former aircraft engineers. Compared to a motorcycle, and even one with a sidecar,
it offered some protection from the weather. It was seen as a stepping stone towards a "real" car. Most were scrapped at the end of the 60s, a few were used by
high-school students, and did not last long in these hands ... --- My only personal experience with vehicles of this type was riding as a passenger in a BMW Isetta
around 68.
 
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I think it was an Isetta that Mum had back in the '60s. Apparently the local wags (not to be confused with WAGs!) used to turn it round in the pub car park so it was across the space.
 
A snatched-shot (zero composition!) from a tiny workshop in Tokyo, just before the inevitable cry of "no photo, NO PHOTO!":

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Hi, there are many PORSCHE at high-end events here. - A Speedster :


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The automotive equivalent of my Sony A7:

Hi, the NSX was and is a great car. They are quite rare here, as are other Japanese high-end sports cars (TOYOTA Supra, NISSAN ZXT). The main reason being,
that they do not keep their value well long term, partly due to spare parts availability.

(Camera-wise, I mainly use a SONY A7R2 and a Leica M9 for static cars, a NIKON D800 for cars in motion.)

A HONDA CRX :


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Hi, the NSX was and is a great car. They are quite rare here, as are other Japanese high-end sports cars (TOYOTA Supra, NISSAN ZXT). The main reason being,
that they do not keep their value well long term, partly due to spare parts availability.

If "here" means Germany, yes, the NSX is definitely rare there. I saw just one in many weeks of European road trips over several years. But I don't think it is cheaper in Germany - just an unpopular choice. The typical German petrolhead needs special persuasion to spend so much money on a Japanese car, when a Porsche is the standard answer! :) There's a specialist dealer in Vienna who makes a pretty good living supplying and fixing them for the few fans there: https://nsx-parts.com/timeattack/

Unlike the Sony A7, the NSX was a sales disaster, so they are rare. That one (above) I sold a couple years ago (it went from 28k-45k over 4 years). I now have a silver one, and to keep the thread moving along, here it is. Just a snapshot, nothing composed:

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I love the NSX, not the most beautiful car by any stretch, but a real drivers machine. I drove one once and loved it, I just couldn't justify buying it at the time.

Any excuse to share the famous Ayrton Senna video with anyone who hasn't seen it. Great use of the white socks and loafers!

View: https://youtu.be/3HrWXkNn_Uw
 
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Buongiorno! FERRARIs you see more often than a HONDA NSX. (The NSX is and was a great car. Here in Germany, with small dealerships you do not get the same support
you get with local brands. This can make ownership a little less pleasant. It's much easier to own a Mercedes, BMW or Porsche here. ) ---


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