Saru

wicked!!! Yea rotary fans are abit uneducated when it comes to jap style,

Sad but true.

they look so so sweet with some jappa rims

Testify!

The Purple datto was badged "240 C".

Here's my Renault 16TS.

I like how it looks and I love how it drives. That its looks annoy so many people is only 10% of the reason I bought it.

Seeing as not many people know about these, here's the basic specs: FWD, 1.6L, 87hp at the fly, torsion bars all round, disc front end, best column-shift ever.

The 16TS has, over the "normal" 16:

* a cross-flow head with 32 weber

* 100cc extra (the normal cars were 1.5 for French tax reasons -- go figure)

* the snazzy dash (the normal cars had a strip speedo)

So, the plan is:

* drive and enjoy

* ditch the dodgy knubbly steering wheel cover you can see in the last pic

* restore the "spiderweb" pressed steel wheels that were thrown in when I picked the car up and fit them

* possibly white wall the tyres on the stockers (early publicity shots from about '66 had whitewalls)

* fix the stero, clock and half-strength tacho

* umm...

I sold this last week

But I got something else cool.

Is it French?

This was held on the weekend in Brissy. I got sunburned. :-[

All thumbnails below. Some cool cars highlighted 640x480s stylez here:

Subaru 360, Mazda Carol 600, Honda Z.

I just like this photo. Honda S800. I shot into the sun, so this is mostly just some tinting to the sky.

KPC Skyline GTR

Isuzu Bellet GT. OOOF.

There's some Non-J-tin from the carpark. The white Renault is my car.

Sorry some pics are out of order. Photobucket -> *shrug*

Feel free to ask questions like, "WTF is that?"

Mazda

RX2,3,4,5,7, 929, 808, 616, 626, 121 - 4*110

Later model RX7's - 5*114.3

All pre-78 Mazdas back to the R100 are 4x110 with the exception of:

-RX-5s, 121s, LA4-series 929s (ie post RX-4 style and pre-HB) and the 1500/1800 are 4x120.

-84/85 RX-7s (series 3s) are 4x114.3

HB 929s, Cosmos and Luces are 4x114.3

S4/5 RX-7s are 5x114.3

S6/7/8 RX-7s are 5x114.3 but the offset on the rear is weird so you can't be guaranteed that "normal" 5x114.3 wheels will interchange without checking.

Well, my car's not original, it's just bodgy

My pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/newnowknow ... rfest2006/

Yeah, it was a bit all over the place. It was the first time at the RNA so maybe they'll be better organised next year. Though it wasn't super organised at the last location, either. I don't really mind. Sometimes it's nice to see something random.

This Triumph was awesome:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newnowknowhow/175144063/

and for sale for $5500. Geniune, original 2500 PI mkI.

On the whole, a lot of awesome and not much crap. I'm over MGBs, having owned one, and you only ever see boring standard ones anyway. I'm over Z-cars, too. Not that they're not cool, but it's sort of the opposite problem to MGBs - they're all modified. Meh, I'm just being picky.

As for Euro cars:

Borgward Isabella Coupe

Fiat 124 Spyder (there were a few other nice Fiats, too, including a 131 Arbarth. )

Volvo P1800e (4.5 year resto!)

Simca 1500 (eastern European Chrysler cool)

BMW 2000ti (not a 2002, a 2000!)

^^^ all in my pics.

There was also a Fiat 850 Spyder that I forget to take a pic of. Like the 124 Spyder, an 850 Spyder doesn't share any panels with a 850--they're a "WTF is that" car.

First time I've ever entered my car in an event... apparently it got a lot of interest but meh, I was too busy checking out the rest of the cars!!!

I spent about 2.5hrs wandering around with my Dad and brother-in-law.

Good event, but I was disappointed with the lack of organisation and the serious lack of Japanese motors. Last year there were probably double.

Explain about lack of organisation?

Yes, disappointing J-tin turnout. But the lovely white Skyline made up for it. No Mazdas!

The Classic Japanese Show and Shine on Sunday 1st October in Strathpine should be much better!!!

I'm very seriously thinking about entering the 1500, crazed and cracked paint, split dash and all.

I have 50-odd pics from the day which I'll get on-line by the end of the day.

My 2.0L Pug 405Mi16 (go the French Cars!) is supposed to have no torque steer due to having the driveshafts equal (or unequal, depending on who you talk to) length. Can't say I've ever noticed it being particularly bad, even at full acceleration in 1st gear in the wet.

If there's any engine conversions on a GTI, it has to be the Mi16 conversion.

Sounds like pure automotive sex.

Go the SUs!

I just noticed you live in Brisbane. Nice! You should definitely attend the RACQ Motorfest coming up in a bit over a week. Last year there were quite a few Mazdas and this year there should be more.

I ususally try to make it Lived in Canberra the last few years so haven't been for a few years.

Here are some photos I took last year, the green car you might like http://www.storm.elxx.net/alfadog/racq1 ... dex_5.html

Yeah, that ones about 1000 times better than my one. Though it has confirmed my love of RX-5 mags on these.

Wolesleys have better panel gaps.

It's not my favourite Mazda either, but it was cheap

There are elements of the Triumph 2500 to it but I see more BMW and Alfa Romeo.

The Alfa connection is there because Giugiaro designed it (when he worked at Bertone) for Alfa but they had no money to buy the design so Mazda did. Of course, if it was an Alfa it might have gotten slightly more sophisticated suspension and engines. I like to think of it as the last of the "classical" Japanese cars before they all went Baroque.

1800s are basically the same car. For some reason known only to Mazda they actually switched a lot of parts for stuff that's almost-but-not-quite the same late in the 1500's cycle and then just dropped the 1.8L engine in (perhaps for the US market). So, things like doors, tail-lights, dashes are different between 68 and 69 (ish) 1500s and are the same between 69+ 1500s and all 1800s. The really annoying thing is that the different parts are almost the same.

For example, the tail-lights are the same basic shape across both series but in the later series are slightly longer and taller.

Go figure. This car is a 2nd series 1500.

good man!

'tis a holden after all

No, it's not for that reason. See, I like the new Monaros.

PIC OF EFIJY

winner?

I saw this in real life. It's fucking amazing! Sounds better than any other 'stock' car i've heard in a long time too, designer was revving it and shit, w00t! Quality modern-retro design.

Oooh... Can I go against the grain and say it's pants? I've seen it in real life too. It's blobby and over the top. And not in a good way.

OTOH, Figaro FTW.

I also like the new Minis but only the Cooper S and only if they're not riced.

Cheers for the compliments.

It's not the original engine (shhh! don't tell rego!) - it's a 1.8 out of a mid/late 70s 929 or 121. But it's basically the same block as the original and it's got most/all of the original fittings.

As a mate says, it's good from far (and in photos) but far from good. The paint is very amateur and actually comes off the front passenger door in chips as big as 20c pieces.

There's a tiny bit of rust in the front quarters behind the wheels. Unlike newer oldschool Mazdas (if that makes sense ) 1500s and 1800s don't rust badly. This car has the advantage that it was a Canberra car for most of it's life so it was protected from sea spray and it was kept nice and dry.

More pics here:

http://flickr.com/photos/newnowknowhow/tags/1500/

So, this is my 1500. (Discussion thread here)

Other than a 1.8L VC engine replacing the standard 1.5L VB, it's pretty much standard.

This is what it looks like most days:

and yes, it's driven daily.

It looks a lot better with the hubbies on:

But it needs white walls on all 4 wheels. (I bought the car as-is and the previous owner had the ww's on the front turned around so that they didn't show - at least this way they mock me so that I'll do something about it)

Here's the engine:

Shiny paint courtesy of the PO.

So, what's the plan? Make it lower - about 3" will still have me (mostly) legal. Other than that? Enjoy it's 4-wheel drum-braked, 3-speed BW auto'd goodness.

Name: Ben

Location: Brisbane, Australia

Cars you own: 1969 Mazda 1500; 1994 Peugeot 405Mi16

Mods to them: Pug: stock as; Mazda: has a 1.8L VC engine but with original 1500 carb, aircleaner etc.

Link to pics: rollin on steelies; Needs whitewalls on the back; Mmm... beige

How you found out about oldschool: via retro-rides