Car Eccentricities

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Duke
This is setting the Wayback machine, but my family used to have a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, with the short, stubby tailfins. Each had a little reflector at the base of it. On the left side one, if you pushed the little reflector in, the whole taillight assembly popped up to reveal the gas filler. Back in the day of full service gas, it used to confuse the heck out of attendants.
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That’s so awesome! What an ingenious place to hide the (normally ungainly) cap. 👍

Speaking of Cadillac, one thing that has always interested me was how on the 1992–2002 Cadillac Eldorados (and some older Lincolns too), they had the side headlamps that turned on when the corresponding turn signal was on, as if it was “peering” to the side.
 
Duke
That's the "No-Fun-O-Meter".
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LOL - I try hard to ignore the one in mine. It does however remind me of the average MPG gauges a few dealer courtesy cars I had were fitted with. I used to see if I could get the average down to single figures (not always easy in a Yaris).


Duke
This is setting the Wayback machine, but my family used to have a 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood, with the short, stubby tailfins. Each had a little reflector at the base of it. On the left side one, if you pushed the little reflector in, the whole taillight assembly popped up to reveal the gas filler. Back in the day of full service gas, it used to confuse the heck out of attendants.
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I do have to say I can recall seeing that in films and American TV shows as a kid and thinks just how cool it was, an opinion that has not changed to this day.

Now another nomination from me is just about every TVR built in the last 10 years, lets take just opening the doors. From the outside its a bit wacky, but not too bad. No door handles, but as long as you spot the little rubber button under the wing mirror your fine. Push it and the door will pop open and the window glass will drop slightly and it you get.

tvr.tuscan.mirrordetail.160.jpg


Once in however a few people have in the past got trapped, as the doors have no interior pull to open them. Instead you have a big metal ball on the transmission tunnel, and you have to twist that in the direction of the door you want to open. It serves no purpose at all, being a very convoluted route to opening the door, but damn its cool.

tvr_tvr_interior_design_25_06_03.jpg


This lovely example shot shows off an orchid theme in printed leather, but the door ball can be clearly seen.

And all that before we even talk about the drivers view..

Tuscan_dash.jpg


20060718170543.jpg


Regards

Scaff
 
Scaff
And all that before we even talk about the drivers view..
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Cerbera wheel I took at a motorshow a few years ago.
http://www.davidanderson.org.uk/images/TVRCerberawheel.jpg

The Cerbera was on the stand, unlocked. I saw at least 3 people go up to it, put their hand out to look for a door handle, didn't find one and walked away. I walked up, pushed the button under the mirror, opened the door and got in. :D When I got back out, there was a queue of folk waiting to get in, but I shut the door after me. I then showed them where the button was in a completely non-smug manner...
 
daan
Cerbera wheel I took at a motorshow a few years ago.
http://www.davidanderson.org.uk/images/TVRCerberawheel.jpg

The Cerbera was on the stand, unlocked. I saw at least 3 people go up to it, put their hand out to look for a door handle, didn't find one and walked away. I walked up, pushed the button under the mirror, opened the door and got in. :D When I got back out, there was a queue of folk waiting to get in, but I shut the door after me. I then showed them where the button was in a completely non-smug manner...
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Nice shot 👍

I would have to say that TVR's are probably one of the most quirk filled marques in that way, what most manufacturers would leave behind on a concept car, TVR always include.

The door trick is one I have pulled a few times as well, you see them milling around and too embarrassed to ask. I did also see a guy lock himself in one at the NEC one year. He did start to look a bit worried.


Regards

Scaff
 
Scaff
I did also see a guy lock himself in one at the NEC one year. He did start to look a bit worried.
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I didn't shut the door behind me, but if I had, I wouldn't have known how to get out. I know now, but I didn't then.

My dad was outside though, so he'd have let me out, hopefully...
 
Wow. That patterned leather interior is quite the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

And please tell me that the little under-dash thing on the Cerbera is not as close to the wheel as it seems. In a car that demands as much violent and hasty steering input as a TVR, that thing looks like a serious pain in the knuckles. And if it swings with the wheel, that may even be worse.
 
Wow, TVRs are weird, yet I want one so much more now. :drool: I'll challenge my friends to open it, and I'll ALWAYS win! Muahahahahahahahahahahaha. :trouble:
 
Is that an air vent on that wheel thingie? :lol: Gawd, I love TVR…
 
I finally picked up my 1960 Chevy Biscayne a couple weeks ago. (Pics soon, I promise) It's got a few demons with being impossible to start, but that's another story.

THe car is twenty feet long. (or more) THe filler cap is behind the rear license plate. This makes it fun to go to gas stations. I have to have the car halfway out in the aisle between the pumps and the station, and even then the hose almost isn't long enough to reach to the car.

On the speedometer, (which is currently residing in the back seat -chewed up receiver) the indicator light for one's brights is almost invisible in the day, but it's a green chevrolet emblem when illuminated. Cute.

I'm still baffled at how that car's damn windshield was ever designed or manufactured 47 years ago. That thing would be a ***** to draw in AutoCAD.
 
Sage
That’s so awesome! What an ingenious place to hide the (normally ungainly) cap. 👍

Speaking of Cadillac, one thing that has always interested me was how on the 1992–2002 Cadillac Eldorados (and some older Lincolns too), they had the side headlamps that turned on when the corresponding turn signal was on, as if it was “peering” to the side.
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Lots of domestic products have this - the present Deville's got it, most Buicks have it; even some Nissans run it. It's typically useless unless you're on the highway at night.
 
Duke
Wow. That patterned leather interior is quite the ugliest thing I've ever seen.

And please tell me that the little under-dash thing on the Cerbera is not as close to the wheel as it seems. In a car that demands as much violent and hasty steering input as a TVR, that thing looks like a serious pain in the knuckles. And if it swings with the wheel, that may even be worse.
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No its not as close to the wheel as it seems, you actually have quite a bit of clearance. One thing about TVR's however is that they traditionally have a very quick steering rack for road cars (many are around 2.5 - 2.7 turns lock to lock), so small and smooth is normally the order of the day.



Sage
Is that an air vent on that wheel thingie? :lol: Gawd, I love TVR…
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It is indeed, just what you need when the beads of sweat break out as the TVR tries to kill you (again). 👍


Regards

Scaff
 
Scaff
I have one that drives me a little bit mad. Japanese spec cars will sound a beeper when in reverse (my Celica did it and my dad's old FTO and current Legnum VR-4 do it), all the beeper does is tell you that reverse is engaged.

Why do we need a beeper to tell us the car is in reverse?

The beeper can't be heard from outside the car, so it useless as a warning to others, totally pointless and very annoying.

It seems to be a feature of Japanese spec cars, as the FTO and VR-4 are both imports and UK Celica's were all Japanese spec models with mods to make them UK compliant. Japanese cars built for specifically for the UK market that I have driven do not do it.

Regards

Scaff
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As far as I was aware, this was a feature in automatic cars only to prevent less observant drivers from driving off backwards by mistake. Or say not putting the car in park and have it roll off backwards when they lift off the brakes. The beater Diamante (auto) we have beeps. My Legacy doesn't.
 
slidesquad#1
As far as I was aware, this was a feature in automatic cars only to prevent less observant drivers from driving off backwards by mistake. Or say not putting the car in park and have it roll off backwards when they lift off the brakes. The beater Diamante (auto) we have beeps. My Legacy doesn't.
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The FTO was an Auto, but both the Legnum and Celica were manual. So while I understand the case for an Auto (well almost), it still baffles me for a manual.

Regards

Scaff
 
Scaff
The FTO was an Auto, but both the Legnum and Celica were manual. So while I understand the case for an Auto (well almost), it still baffles me for a manual.

Regards

Scaff
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That is pretty retarded. None of my cars ever beeped. Granted, that's only 3. But all of them have have been Japanese, and manual. Strange indeed.

Edit: I guess only two of those would really count. My old Legacy had a auto to manual swap.
 
slidesquad#1
That is pretty retarded. None of my cars ever beeped. Granted, that's only 3. But all of them have have been Japanese, and manual. Strange indeed.

Edit: I guess only two of those would really count. My old Legacy had a auto to manual swap.
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None of the Japanese cars that are sold in the UK and built specifically for the UK market do it, what the three cars I mentioned have in common is that the are all Japanese spec cars. The FTO and Legnum were direct imports from Japan, and UK Celica's were simply JDM spec cars with minor changes to make them UK legal. So it would appear to be a 'feature' specifically for the Japanese market.

Regards

Scaff
 
My friends S13 Auto does it too (The reverse beep), and it's an import.

I love Saabs, I was so close to buying one before commonsense took hold. But that center ignition is just too cool for school. (The handbrake is pretty neato too)
saab93sedan20ignitiontl0.jpg
 
Casio
The handbrake is pretty neato too
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Not bad, how about a Renault Megane handbrake...

renault-megane2.jpg


...actually quite nice to use (but useless for handbrake turns).

Scaff
 
Scaff
None of the Japanese cars that are sold in the UK and built specifically for the UK market do it, what the three cars I mentioned have in common is that the are all Japanese spec cars. The FTO and Legnum were direct imports from Japan, and UK Celica's were simply JDM spec cars with minor changes to make them UK legal. So it would appear to be a 'feature' specifically for the Japanese market.

Regards

Scaff
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Nope. All the cars I've owned have been ex-Japan. In fact, we were the first New Zealand owners of my current car. So, it would appear to be random. And somewhat retarded. And no less baffling.
 
My buddies '87 Monte Carlo has the filler cap behind the rear plate as well, baffled the hell out of me when I borrowed it for the weekend

Another interesting handbrake is the RX-8, very comfortable grip.
 
The handbrake on the 2nd-generation Honda CR-V appears to come out of a mysterious dashboard handle.

It works similar to a slot machine, but with no recoil; hides innocuously like a secret handle for a "haunted mansion-type" of rotating bookcase.
 
I have one:
My sources tell me that some Mazda's have some kind of "Magic Engine," that doesn't have pistons and instead spins around like a spool of string. Sounds pretty wierd, and I'd recommend some further investigation.
 
Toronado
My sources
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What sources? A bloke at another forum, but it just so happens you can't find any of his posts at the minute?
 
:lol: High Test - Don't go all lowrider on that Biscayne alright? Just restore it to what it was, you'll like it better in the long run, and it'll just appreciate better.

Also, don't put rediculous rims on it like a lot of people do. :grumpy:
 
High-Test
I finally picked up my 1960 Chevy Biscayne a couple weeks ago. (Pics soon, I promise) It's got a few demons with being impossible to start, but that's another story.

THe car is twenty feet long. (or more) THe filler cap is behind the rear license plate. This makes it fun to go to gas stations. I have to have the car halfway out in the aisle between the pumps and the station, and even then the hose almost isn't long enough to reach to the car.

On the speedometer, (which is currently residing in the back seat -chewed up receiver) the indicator light for one's brights is almost invisible in the day, but it's a green chevrolet emblem when illuminated. Cute.

I'm still baffled at how that car's damn windshield was ever designed or manufactured 47 years ago. That thing would be a ***** to draw in AutoCAD.
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It was easier with a pencil and a french curve, I'll bet. Of course, you could try the compound curve on the nose of the General Motors EMD F-unit.

I'd probably find an SBC for it, (one of the few cars i'd put an SBC in) and it'd probably fit right up to your stock transmission, run like a top a long time. Then again, I know how you love that I-6.
 
daan
What sources? A bloke at another forum, but it just so happens you can't find any of his posts at the minute?
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Um...no. He...um...died. Yeah, thats it. He died. His posts went with him.
 
daan
What sources? A bloke at another forum, but it just so happens you can't find any of his posts at the minute?
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Yeah, a guy over at Scoobynet. You have to be a member to see his posts though, because he posts in attached images.
 
Oh, but I heard them mills was oil-dependent somethin' awful...
 
Yeah, they go through quarts of oil like Rosie O' Donnel with a 10 pound bag of m&m's and a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi fresh outta fat camp
 
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