Best saloon car ever made?

[phil1968]

Originally Posted by Dippydog

Ah,last of the good looking BMWs.

Couldn't agree more

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by GSB

When I started driving, a Vauxhall senator was synonymous with one thing...

“Police”.

Usually unmarked, though often seen in full jam sandwich livery too, but always ready to tug a young tear-away and check his tyres for him... The police were it seems the only people buying senators in my neck of the woods. So, perhaps you were a member of Her Majesties finest?

I saw a Senator in Majorca last year, and even though it must be 2 decades (or more) since the police last used a Senator in the uk, I still instinctively checked my speed and tried to look innocent...

The 24v were good cars and very popular with the police forces. Every force and training college got a long term demonstrator from Vauxhall with the option to buy. There was a fatal accident in Lothians involving their demonstrator and my force wouldn't purchase ours. They were fast and handling was great. I bought a Police College car at auction and kept it for a few years. Loved the car. Sadly we continued to use the 4x4 Granadas, 2.8, which I truly disliked. Now collectors items. There is one runs about here but the guy doesn't really look after it and that is a shame.
The Volvo T5 overtook the Senators and then Omega and turned out to be a great police car. I couldn't believe the performance of them. I was overtaken by one and I wasn't sitting about in my Senator but I couldn't look at the T5.
My everyday patrol car was the BMW 525i, 24v. Good and reliable but not very comfy.

[Baxlin]

Rover 75, pre-facelift, Connoisseur SE, with the BMW M47 diesel motor.

Vastly underrated, because of the name of its manufacturer, but it ticked all the boxes, luxurious, economical (for its size/ambience) reliable, lovely retro styling, yet still looks undated, etc etc.

My 75 is now owned by my son in law, sailed through MoT late last year, 268000 miles

[biggbn]

Originally Posted by Dibble

The 24v were good cars and very popular with the police forces. Every force and training college got a long term demonstrator from Vauxhall with the option to buy. There was a fatal accident in Lothians involving their demonstrator and my force wouldn't purchase ours. They were fast and handling was great. I bought a Police College car at auction and kept it for a few years. Loved the car. Sadly we continued to use the 4x4 Granadas, 2.8, which I truly disliked. Now collectors items. There is one runs about here but the guy doesn't really look after it and that is a shame.
The Volvo T5 overtook the Senators and then Omega and turned out to be a great police car. I couldn't believe the performance of them. I was overtaken by one and I wasn't sitting about in my Senator but I couldn't look at the T5.
My everyday patrol car was the BMW 525i, 24v. Good and reliable but not very comfy.

Always felt the big six pot Vauxhalls handled tidier than t5 850 but by Christ those old 850s boogied!!

[phil1968]

Originally Posted by Baxlin

Rover 75, pre-facelift, Connoisseur SE, with the BMW M47 diesel motor.

Vastly underrated, because of the name of its manufacturer, but it ticked all the boxes, luxurious, economical (for its size/ambience) reliable, lovely retro styling, yet still looks undated, etc etc.

My 75 is now owned by my son in law, sailed through MoT late last year, 268000 miles

Only found out recently that Rover put a 2-litre V6 in those (as well as the 45) as well. Always fancied the MG ZT 260 version ...4.6 litre V8 Ford Mustang lump under the bonnet with RWD

[S60D5-185]

Originally Posted by biggbn

Always felt the big six pot Vauxhalls handled tidier than t5 850 but by Christ those old 850s boogied!!

I loved my 24v Senator on traffic and the car felt like it was hewn out of granite.

That said, when we got the 850 T5's they were a a different beast.

Brutal in it's power delivery compared to the Senator but a better patrol car?

Each had it's virtues.

My last shift on Traffic was a night shift and at about 3.30am in the morning we got called to a burglary in progress.

Travelling north on the A1M between J61 and J62 it runs steeply downhill with a slight right hand kink in the bottom before climbing again.

In an 850 T5 with well over 130k on the clock we went through the dip at 147 mph on the vascar. It never budged.

Happy days

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

I loved my 24v Senator on traffic and the car felt like it was hewn out of granite.

That said, when we got the 850 T5's they were a a different beast.

Brutal in it's power delivery compared to the Senator but a better patrol car?

Each had it's virtues.

My last shift on Traffic was a night shift and at about 3.30am in the morning we got called to a burglary in progress.

Travelling north on the A1M between J61 and J62 it runs steeply downhill with a slight right hand kink in the bottom before climbing again.

In an 850 T5 with well over 130k on the clock we went through the dip at 147 mph on the vascar. It never budged.

Happy days

So you were in one of the brown ones? I expect you had a name for them. You always new when you were in Co. Durham.
Best I ever got was 148 in the 5 Series. Foot to the floor but it wouldn't do its 155mph. Too fast and brought it down to about 120mph. Much more comfortable. Not sure how that guy in the Artic survived but he did!

[biggbn]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

I loved my 24v Senator on traffic and the car felt like it was hewn out of granite.

That said, when we got the 850 T5's they were a a different beast.

Brutal in it's power delivery compared to the Senator but a better patrol car?

Each had it's virtues.

My last shift on Traffic was a night shift and at about 3.30am in the morning we got called to a burglary in progress.

Travelling north on the A1M between J61 and J62 it runs steeply downhill with a slight right hand kink in the bottom before climbing again.

In an 850 T5 with well over 130k on the clock we went through the dip at 147 mph on the vascar. It never budged.

Happy days

T5 854 ex tulliallan police college cat was first car I passed 150mph in, on a private, closed road, at 3am....honest😈

God I used to do stupid things...

[S60D5-185]

Originally Posted by Dibble

So you were in one of the brown ones? I expect you had a name for them. You always new when you were in Co. Durham.

Too cryptic for me Dibble.

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

Too cryptic for me Dibble.

The livery of the Durham patrol cars was a kind of coffee colour whereas everyone else had white cars with a red stripe or battenberg. Is that the part you refer to?
When I return from Bruntingthorpe in my Amazon on 1st April, I will lookout for this dip you referred to on A1M.
Apologies for spelling of 'knew'.