Oldtimers have been a passion since I was a young man. A substantial amount of the money I earnt, was "invested" in hopeless projects that never finished.
Below a brief summary of the cars I owned and how I learned by working on them.
Triumph Herald 1969
The first serious project was a 1969 Triumph Herald 13/60 that I had bought as a restauration project. I've restored and owned that car from 1993 to 2000. Eventually the Herald looked as new and provided lots of fun on holiday trips to the UK, France, Belgium and Switzerland.
On the last pic a MGB can be seen. That was my daily driver for many years....well, almost daily that is.... :-)
Jeep Wrangler 1993
In 2006 it was time for the first real American classic.....a 1993 Jeep Wrangler. What an incredible car that was........ there really was nothing refined about it. What you see is what you get. Everything was big, chunky and heavy. The 4 litre straight-six was reliable but extremely thirsty. But the reward was the incredible sound.....you could not come home unoticed...
And ofcourse the Jeep had to be modified with bigger wheels and also a body lift kit.... :-D
Landrover 88" 1965
In 2010 the Jeep was replaced by a more modest means of transport........a 1965 Lad Rover 88" with a 2,25litre 4 cylinder diesel engine. The noise that engine made, was lethal for your eardrums. The car drove like a truck buth then slower. Topspeed was around 100km/h but to reach that, was quite a challenge. That also applied to braking. To get all 4 drums he car to stop would require standing on the pedal with your full bodyweight.....
Originally the Land Rover was a militairy vehicle but someone had put in quite a lot of time, energy and effort to rebuild the car to an extreme decent standard. Unfortunately I only had the car for just a year.
Audi 80 Convertible 1997
Spring 2011 it was time for a change to a car more appropriate for the summer. From a good friend I could buy this 1997 Audi 80 convertible.
This version had the small 2 litre 4 cylinder petrol engine. It was not the most lively version but reliable and economical. The car itself was also reliable and I liked its classic lines.
However in April 2012 it was time to say goodbye as a new hobby arrived..... !
Kawasaki GPZ900R 1993
End 2011 I stepped into a new world........ motor cycles. After passing the test I bought this beauty, a 1993 Kawasaki GPZ900R.
Although nearly 20 years old by then, the bike looked absolutely mint. Clearly someone had taken care of the bike extremely well over the years. The 100BHP engine ran very sweet and it was fun to cruise on countrylanes but also fast trips on the motorway did not provide any problem......... for the bike that is. I do not feel very comfortable travelling at 240km/h.....
Aprilia RST Futura 2003
While searching for a more modern and practical bike, I stumbled across this Italian beauty in 2016. An Aprilia RST Futura, the tour version of the infamous RSV Mille. Equipped with the same Rotax 1000cc V-Twin it produces slightly less power but boosts with massive amount of torque. Needless to say that this bike needs consequent maintenance to be reliable and obviously Italian engineers have somewhat different standards about electronics.
The comfy seat and standard panniers come in handy when travelling.
Honda VFR800 VTEC ABS 2006
Summer 2019 it was time to say goodbye to my Futura. The bulky V-twin was a bit too heavy for my liking and I wanted a 4 cylinder again. And when I met this charming VFR800 I was sold instantly. What a delight to ride. Easygoing and nimble at moderate revs and screaming like a devil above 7000rpm when the VTEC kicks in.
I especially like the sound and looks of the after market Laser exhaust. On top of that the bike is equipped with a top rack case, trickle charger, original factory alarm, USB ports and GPS bracket. I'm ready for the next summer trip.
What a joy this bike is. ....... and hopefully with more reliable electronics......
