Mat's BX Blog

[Mickey taker]

the jaguar lynx estate was nicer imho

[Defender110]

Yes the Lynx Eventer which was based on the XJS rather than the XJ Saloon and really looked the part making the XJS a useful tool or 'Shooting Brake' as they liked to call them.

[Thread Bear]

I particularly remember one of 3/5? Aston Marten DB5 Estates that used to often be parked in the BRDC compound at Silverstone. For a sporting brake, as I expect it was called, it was a very good looking conversion of a fine looking sportscar of its time.

For the true ug poo major, lets bolt an estate on the back of a saloon, I think the Japanese take some beating, back in the day. Is it me, though, or are most modern cars intensely disgusting to look at. To the extent something like a 90's Volvo or Ford looks stunning. Then you think, what am I thinking. They were hideously utilitarian designs. I find driving the BX now people looking, slowing on the motorway to gawp at the weirdo in the funny car (something I am very used to but not in my ordinary car).

[Mickey taker]

I think it may be the two headed driver rather than the car

[Tinkley]

Funny thing, people looking at the car as your driving. I've only really encountered it this year, a white van man was hooting and waving when I towed my boat down to Hayling in July. With the double trailer of Fevas I just returned to Wraysbury several kiddies and adults were looking and pointing. Not used to it at all - unlike TB I'm not really a Janus....

[mat_fenwick]

I got a honk and a big thumbs up from a van driver whilst on the M25 in the van earlier this year. Don't think I've achieved any recognition in the BX yet, apart from a month or so back when I pulled up outside the local Turkish-run kebab shop. They don't speak much English (mind you, you could say that about some of the locals...) but one of the guys pointed and managed to say "Old car!"

[RobC]

The local kids in the Hackney estates say "Sick car blud" at me when they see it rise up.

I think that means they like it.

[Vanny]

Or they can see the LHM leaking out of the bottom?

[RobC]

Or they can see the LHM leaking out of the bottom?

from mine? Never!

[mat_fenwick]

The white BX was collected by the new owner yesterday who turned out to be a decent bloke, not like the messers I've heard about but so far managed to mostly avoid. He seemed very happy with it and even rounded up the payment, so I threw in a bottle of LHM It made it to Preston without any problems, and he's joined the forum so will hopefully see more of it in the future.

[Dollywobbler]

Excellent! Ebay in 'actually sold a car' shocker! I should think he'll be pleased with it for the money. A good buy.

[Thread Bear]

Ah, Janus by Zundapp! Now there is a head turning device and actually a damn fine car, though challenging, to drive correctly. Toured East Anglia in one about 5 years ago. And its a bed!

[mat_fenwick]

It felt incredibly autumnal this morning...just the temperature, and that smell in the air. It's quite a nice smell really, and bizarrely the most vivid memory it brings back is travelling to the Conservatoire last September!



(Cheers to Vanny for the photo!) What a great trip that was, and it's got me wondering about the possibility of having a trip over there for Lana's birthday in mid October…maybe a weekend in Paris?

[MULLEY]

Isn't Chris Salter organising just such a trip in October

[mat_fenwick]

I didn't know about that, but think it might not *quite* fit in with Lana's idea of a romantic weekend away. I'm actually leaning towards a weekend in Dinan, but nothing finalised yet.

I've been pretty busy on the house recently, and there's light at the end of the tunnel with the work on the back room.









Still got to finish grouting the floor tiles, and put up some skirting board, but new lights and extractor fans are wired up, two new radiators plumbed in (and the sink raised 6" or so after a slight 'miscalculation' ) The tiling has taken ages, mainly because the tiles are porcelain and very difficult to cut. It all has to be done with a diamond disc, but all done now

And if the rain ever stops I can get in with painting the window surround on the BX before the NEC. It seems one of the bits of trim around the estate side windows has been partially painted before, and whatever they used has reacted and crazed. I've sanded that back to the plastic, in the hope that a new coat will go on no problems.

A quick spray at the weekend showed that the new paint is an excellent match, so I'm quite looking fowards to getting rid of the faded grey bits.



To be continued...