[machman767]

Once did Preston to Harrogate over Blubberhouses and before M65 went to Colne in an hour in a Cortina 2.0GL, was on a course at the old Post Office / BT college and wanted to see my girlfriend, now wife of 34 years, different times!!

[Dave_3]

Originally Posted by MrManor

Putting in a tenners worth of fuel, I think I’d find it hard to be that precise now

Lucky if I afford a full £5.

[goram]

Once managed Reading to Dundee in a little under 6 hours en route to ice hockey.

We stopped twice - M6 toll, and for fuel and pornos!

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by goram

Once managed Reading to Dundee in a little under 6 hours en route to ice hockey.

We stopped twice - M6 toll, and for fuel and pornos!

What was the fuel for?

[Rbrown]

Manually adjusting the choke!

[JustChris]

Push starts!

[isleaiw1]

We used to have interoffice driving competitions for who could do it fastest. I remember my boss holding the one for centre of Newcastle to the centre in Broomhill Sheffield, at 2hrs and 1 min door to door. The comp was stopped when he was caught speeding at over 100 trying to break the 2 hour marker...

I did have to do Chesterfield to Plympton to provide emergency cover during those same days - I cant remember the extact time but I do remember that I passed a sign near Bristol that said Plymouth 104 miles and my time to the hotel just before plymouth was a lot less than 104 mins (in fact less than 70 mins...)

[1 AKY]

WD40, a screwdriver and hammer.
Either for the dizzy cap, starter motor or usually the carburettor.

[JNW1]

A number of years ago I did a stint working at my company's Head Office just outside Bristol. Set off home one Thursday evening, down the slip road onto the M5 and didn't change out of top gear until I came off the A1(M) about 4 miles from my house in North Yorkshire. Never felt like I went particularly quickly but with so much of the journey on relatively quiet motorway my cruising speed was pretty much my average; around 220 miles in just over 2.5 hours, with traffic and speed cameras I doubt I'd get anywhere near that nowadays!

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by JNW1

A number of years ago I did a stint working at my company's Head Office just outside Bristol. Set off home one Thursday evening, down the slip road onto the M5 and didn't change out of top gear until I came off the A1(M) about 4 miles from my house in North Yorkshire. Never felt like I went particularly quickly but with so much of the journey on relatively quiet motorway my cruising speed was pretty much my average; around 220 miles in just over 2.5 hours, with traffic and speed cameras I doubt I'd get anywhere near that nowadays!

Over 85 miles an hour.... you are right, you would have no chance now! Doing 85 in just over 2.5 hours might be a challenge now....

[davyk31]

Used to be partial to plenty of handbrake turns 😀

Electric handbrakes have ruined that fun along with a little bit of maturity.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Over 85 miles an hour.... you are right, you would have no chance now! Doing 85 in just over 2.5 hours might be a challenge now....

Yes and all in a modest company 2 litre Mondeo Ghia! Back in those days my motorway cruising speed tended to be 90mph assuming the traffic was relatively light and the road conditions were good; that evening it all happened to fall into place but normally somewhere around 3 hours was more like it and on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon it could easily be 4 hours plus. Thankfully I only have to do journeys like that very rarely nowadays....

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by JNW1

Yes and all in a modest company 2 litre Mondeo Ghia! Back in those days my motorway cruising speed tended to be 90mph assuming the traffic was relatively light and the road conditions were good; that evening it all happened to fall into place but normally somewhere around 3 hours was more like it and on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon it could easily be 4 hours plus. Thankfully I only have to do journeys like that very rarely nowadays....

Yep, its all about the luck of the journey. My record for Hemel to Chesterfield was 128 miles in 105 mins.... but I did leave at 11pm (after work....)

The slowest was when the M1 was closed one Saturday morning and it took my daughter 6 hours!

Like you my cruising speeds have dropped, and I now set the cruise control at 76 most of the time (or 65 or 54...) and the days of doing a steady 90+ indicated are gone....

[un1eash]

Originally Posted by JustChris

Push starts!

I push started a car last month

[MrManor]

Running out of fuel, I used to run out of fuel fairly regularly as I’d often drive cars from my dad’s business and they’d usually be on fumes, haven’t ran out of fuel for a long long time.

Stupid thing was he owned a couple of petrol stations as well!

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Like you my cruising speeds have dropped, and I now set the cruise control at 76 most of the time (or 65 or 54...) and the days of doing a steady 90+ indicated are gone....

I was thinking about this in the context of the "were things better in the 50's and 60's?" thread. There's no doubt lots of things have improved but I have to say I think my dad's generation probably had the best of motoring; if you could afford something like an E-Type back in the early 60's the lack of traffic and speed limit enforcement must have made for much more pleasurable motoring back then!

[goram]

Really enjoying this thread guys!

[225]

Pretend I know about cars and what to look for when buying 2nd hand cars just because I had the previous model... bought a mk2 fiesta 1.4s from a bloke who even told me all the things wrong with it trying to do me a favour but being a coxky 18 year old didnt listen. Was a sh1t heap but still managed to put a massive big bore zorst on it!

Other than that similar to what has been said, put big "systems" in cars and drive round blasting bass, use a choke, put big weber carbs on etc etc and generally get slow cars to go marginally faster !

[Grant_7]

During my Uni days doing the Bracknell to Brighton 75 mile run as fast as possible (late '90s, no cameras and my 205 GTi 1.9). 46 mins was my best time, door-to-door.

Would be on the front page of the Daily Mail if caught these days!

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by Grant_7

During my Uni days doing the Bracknell to Brighton 75 mile run as fast as possible (late '90s, no cameras and my 205 GTi 1.9). 46 mins was my best time, door-to-door.

Would be on the front page of the Daily Mail if caught these days!

An excellent effort sir!

But you'e right, it would be lock-up and throw away the key territory nowadays!

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by Grant_7

During my Uni days doing the Bracknell to Brighton 75 mile run as fast as possible (late '90s, no cameras and my 205 GTi 1.9). 46 mins was my best time, door-to-door.

Would be on the front page of the Daily Mail if caught these days!

Pug GTi at uni, heck any car at uni, that's another life! My best friend had a Pu 106 at uni till someone pulled out in front of him at 60mph and it was totalled, along with a wall and a hedge. He still won the squash game he was on the way to though!

He got a Mazda 626 then, helps when your dad can put it through the company!

[Sennen]

Y

WRONG THREAD, must be sunstroke from too much time in the Solent this weekend ......................... sorry