Quote:
Originally Posted by Angie
I was asked a few months ago to tow a fairly hefty catering trailer on a tortuous journey across the county. I hesitated at first, the last time I towed anything was sometime in the '60s, but an experienced driver friend came with me for confidence. He did comment when we were on our way to collect, how quickly I was going up the hills, and on the return with the trailer I couldn't believe how easily the old car managed it all, even though the trailer's tyres were softer than they should have been, and its brakes left something to be desired!
Of course a 2.3 would be a luxury but even in this hilly part of the country I have no complaints about the 2.0. It is, as you suggest, Stephen, a car to be driven!
Thinking about that reminds me of when I was in a bit of a hurry to collect my stepdaughter who lives about 25 miles away. I had no passenger on the way there so really used the gears on the very winding road and yes, the suspension would have thrown a passenger about a bit on some of the bends but for me on my own it was a lot of fun! Really took me back to the days before motorways when I was doing a fair amount of commuting in a big wallowy old Triumph. But I, like you I suspect, Stephen, learnt to really drive. I've often regretted that I never had the chance to do some rally driving but a bit late for that now.
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Have had the 240 off the road for a couple of weeks completing a few cosmetic projects (like replacing the tailgate seal and metal tracking plus a few very minor rust problems) and have taken the time (in all honest humility) to look at the way i'm driving the old Elk and to do a little tuning up. I think i'd got so used to diesels that i'd forgotten how to drive a non turbo, straight petrol engine car. After a good clean through of the injectors and a new distributor cap the motor pulls more smoothly and steadily and with more useable power than it had before.. I mean, with 89,000 on the clock its virtually new! and its spent a fair bit of time 'standing' (mostly undercover but still standing) and this is probably the worst thing for it. I'm much happier with its overall performance and drive it a little more.. aggressively is not a word I want to use but I think you'll know what I mean and its certainly happier for it.