Hertz Donut

Always loved the Lotus Carlton. Similar vehicle to the older Aussie Holden Commodores, except they went with a V8 instead of a turbo 6 for the hot stuff. One generation of Commodore did actually have a turbo 6 though - the VL generation from the late 1980s had a Nissan RB30ET that was unique to the Commodore and made 200hp stock. The block was (and still is) a popular mix and match with twin-cam heads from the RB20DET, RB25DE, RB25DET and RB26DETT (GTR) engines, to make a "RB30DET" Frankenstein engine. The whole RB series is like Lego, just source your favorite bits and build something.

/The car history you've never heard of...

Hertz Donut

...and this was the equivalent Commodore from the same period. Built for Group A touring car homologation, 302ci V8, twin throttle body injection that necessitated the hump on the hood, functional aero, about 288hp from memory.

Hertz Donut

And while I'm at it, here's a (modified) VL Turbo:


...and the equivalent Group A homologation version, which used the same basic engine as the later VN Group A in the previous post. Again, all aero is functional:


These were effectively Australasia's muscle cars of the '80s onwards, which eventually spawned the Pontiac G8 and Chev SS. Dammit, now I want another Commodore.

boltonblue

oh shucks, I guess I'm stuck with my unsafe Mercedes.
ironically the only other car I could even consider to be on that list would be Volvo.
I miss junkyard picking. You can learn an incredible amount by looking at what winds up there.
Yes it's a somewhat biased viewpoint as you don't see the conditions during the crash such as speed and collision angle.
I like the story of one of the safety groups failed a Mercedes. Mercedes called them up asking how they performed the test.
Mercedes then corrected them on their execution of the test, since Mercedes were the ones who had originally developed the test.

robb

I was very impressed and suprised at how well my WRX took the impact when it got rear ended. Not much happened past the C-pillar, the area just before the C-pillar back took the hit.

S1997

My first S2000 was a 2000. I drove it to several Spring Flings and other meets before a teenager T-Boned me on the drivers side from a side street in Houston in 2003. The car did some 360s before hitting the curb. It narrowed the driver’s seat and position considerably, but I only had some back pains - no real damage. Virtually destroyed the car, but State Farm patched it together. It wasn't completely good for the track, but in those days you couldn't just drop by the dealership and get a new one. So I drove it a couple more years before I could get a 2007. Still driving it - attended S2kCA Days last fall in Ky; even keeping up with the Balls-to-the-Wall-guys from Ohio!! LOL

170 thou miles on the tach, but it is in great shape. Definitely ready for a Spring Fling!!

Kyras

Jim! I was wondering where you've been.

JoePhotographer

I ordered my replacement seats from LeatherSeats.com. ScooterBoy bought a set of their replacement seat covers last year. What I saw at Marietta last year, confirmed that I need to order them.

They should arrive in about 3-4 weeks.

boltonblue

Oh boy does this bring back some wonderful memories.

I first saw the R5 turbo prototype at 77 F1 race in Montreal.
I got to play with one in '81 in and around Boston. Just a nutso car.
The fact we weren't arrested was amazing.
Of course the fact that I had an R5 at the same time made it even more fun.
As they said in the video "biblical turbo lag" hit you like the afterburners just kicked in. ( yes we have guys here who can validate that statement, I'm not a pilot. )
in first it just dawdled like the 1.4l low compression engine it was, that is until the snails woke up.
the kick in the pants was like 3 or 4x VTEC.

robb

Would love to get some time behind the wheel of an R-5!