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DonW

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Everything posted by DonW

  1. Oh dear. From the sublime (Autoquiz 506) to the ridiculous!
  2. It was great to see this beautiful car again anyway! And I did enjoy researching it. Cheers, -Don.
  3. Yes please! ☺️
  4. Oh yeah, the Starfighter. I have a chrome one and a matt black one in formation fixed to the wall. 'Does anybody want to buy a Starfighter? Then buy an acre of ground and wait for a while...'
  5. #1 Spit Mk8 #2 DH Mosquito But at #3 - the Catalina, an aeroplane I often fantasise about owning - island hopping in the South Pacific, fishing out of the big side gun blisters...
  6. So now I know! Thanks Bill. Matt - it used to be possible to start a Silver Ghost by simply using the hand control that was also fitted on these cars to advance the ignition: " the lever controlling ignition advance had a wide enough range of movement to let the distributor points be flicked open and shut from the seat which was enough to induce a spark and start the engine .” No need to crank the engine at all!
  7. Thanks Bill - I was typing my latest reply when yours appeared, and gives a bit more useful detail! Here's an account of an accident caused by failure to carry out the mag drop check before take-off: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/54230438e5274a1314000be3/Vickers-Supermarine_Spitfire_PR_XI__G-PRXI_05-03.pdf The Silver Ghost owner would have been at less risk if suffering similar mag failures!
  8. My father as an ex-Spitfire pilot was well used to checking magneto drop - the Merlin had two mags so they were checked independently to ensure the engine revs did not drop below a certain level for a set throttle setting when one or other was selected. Both were used for normal flight. He did a similar check of the coil and mag in the Lagonda, and always used to select coil only to start the engine from cold, as this made starting easier, but I don't know why! Otherwise both were used for the benefits of two flame fronts during combustion. There was the odd occasion when we were grateful for the set-up - I remember an occasion on a European trip where we had to rely on the mag alone to get us home. The Lag also had an advance / retard lever on the steering column so the timing of the spark(s) could be altered within a limited range, but he never altered the mixture since as you suggest all normal running was done on both. If anything fuel consumption was lower with both as the mixture was burned more efficiently.
  9. My dad's Lagonda M45 also had two pugs per cylinder, one set fired from a coil, the other from a magneto. You could select one or other or both (the latter was the optimum) and it was noticeable how the power dropped off if coil or mag only were selected. I love what you're doing with this model - Wills Finecast kits used to be advertised in Motorsport magazine in the early 1960sand maybe even earlier - I don't know when the company began producing them.
  10. Well we had Scary, Sporty, Ginger, Baby and Posh Spice (they would keep most sentient beings off your land)- never knew there was a Precious Spice...
  11. I don't like to take credit where it's not due so I have to say that I didn't get this one despite Michael having listed my name above! I knew it was by an Italian stylist, and thought it most likely Pininfarina, but never got the actual car. I enjoyed the challenge and it's interesting to find out what it is. Cheers, -Don.
  12. You wonder why... A friend of ours came to visit and parked her oldish and fairly uncommon Ford Puma out on the street opposite. One of the guys across the street, a bit of a smackhead, also owned a Puma, which is a coincidence. When Anita came to leave she noticed the little cover over the towhook at the rear of her car was missing. We had a chat with the other Puma owner who rather shamefacedly returned the little cover as soon as he realised Anita was a friend of hours - he seems to like us for some reason! But why bother stealing something that costs a couple of quid? Although apparently the guy likes it in prison, he gets a rest from his partner and child (!) and free food. Like a holiday camp...
  13. I just don't like Fords despite my great respect for their engineering (at least since the mid 1960s!).But I have a sneaking regard for this: RS 2600 Crapi.
  14. Too much information since this is supposed to be a quiz - it's up to Michael alone to give clues however small. ?
  15. Thanks David, I shall. It's a car I've known of for many years but never seen one in the metal. I can certainly see why Matt saw a Pininfarina connection. Cheers, -Don.
  16. To me it is slightly uncomfortable in it's looks. The bottom line of the glasshouse should be straight and the tail a bit more muscular. Typical French chic!
  17. A few winters back we had to visit a friend on the west coast of Wales. He lived off a steep hill down to the sea. We parked at the top in a lay-by and walked down as the road was covered in ice with snow on top. Some local guy had decided to drive his invincible 4x4 Mercedes wagon down the hill. He made it to the bottom, but unfortunately went most of the way on his roof bouncing between the verges...
  18. Agreed. I knew the make straight away, had to look up the exact model and build years. Happy Christmas to Michael and fellow Autoquizzers! -Don.
  19. ? That made me laugh!
  20. And I suppose smug Poms like me don't help! ?
  21. Easy for some I suppose, maybe not all! ?
  22. My all time favourite: What did Rommel say to his men before they got into their tanks? 'Get into your tanks, men!'
  23. An easy one, thanks Michael -Don.
  24. Put some -spoke American Mags on it and paint it black or dark red. In my humble opinion.
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