They still don't get it! (EV sceptics)

[Archev]

and we all know that 6 inches matters.

Not on a metre rule.

 

[MG Clive]

and we all know that 6 inches matters.

I know, I makes a big difference in some areas.

 

[Everest]

Which reminds me...

Why are women so bad at parking?

Spoiler

Because men keep telling them that this distance
<------------------------------------------------->
is 8 inches

 

[Ian Key]

And felt like a mile wider too - but I’d settle for a Maxi, nice car.

I had a Maxi 1750 in blue with a tan interior. I thought it was a large car at the time but when I saw one recently I was surprised at how small it was compared to today's cars.

 

[Archev]

I had a Maxi 1750 in blue with a tan interior. I thought it was a large car at the time but when I saw one recently I was surprised at how small it was compared to today's cars.

That’s right the Mini, 1100and Maxi models all look much smaller if seen on the roads today. They seemed correct in their day, it’s as if the scale has changed. We’re all driving our Dinky size cars and along comes a Matchbox proportioned Maxi (Apologies to all you youngsters out there who played with latter day toys )
The land crabs always appeared “fatter”, more imposing in their day and therefore stand out less among today’s cars.
I was talking to a couple at the vintage vehicle show at Thirlestane Castle last week. They opened the boot of their immaculate white Wolesley 1800. I was reminded of the Austin version I had. I actually used mine as more or less a van. It was always full of the tools, spare parts and plumbing paraphernalia as I drove all over. Somehow my favourite memories of that car are of serenely swooshing up and down the A68. What a machine. It was the nearest ice car I ever had that came close to driving like an electric (other than cost to run) It was very comfortable and quiet. The performance was pretty good and always felt as if it was well inside its abilities.
That’s why I think an ev conversion would produce a very fine result.
Is it really time to wake up now? Oh yeah I need to get ready to swoosh along to the fine Buttercup cafe in Doune to my lunch date with two beautiful ladies and one of them goes wild when she sees me

 

[Gary Bainbridge]

The point is that ICE drivers only need a 600-mile range to save them from going to the petrol station every other day. That is not a problem for EVs. If I have a long drive, then the range matters, but my XPower can do 230 miles on a full battery, which compares to my old VW Scirocco years ago that only did 250 miles on a full tank, and I drove all over the country in that.

 

[Everest]

If I have a long drive, then the range matters, but my XPower can do 230 miles on a full battery, which compares to my old VW Scirocco years ago that only did 250 miles on a full tank, and I drove all over the country in that.

Surely the issue is not range, per se. It's that you could fill the Scirocco up in about 3 minutes, whereas the XPower would take, what 30mins+ to put another 230 miles in it ?

 

[siteguru]

Surely the issue is not range, per se. It's that you could fill the Scirocco up in about 3 minutes, whereas the XPower would take, what 30mins+ to put another 230 miles in it ?

The real issue is that after 200+ miles (which is realistically at least 3 hours of driving), you (the driver) should be taking a break of more than 3 minutes or so. In that respect BEVs are far safer (currently) as they force the driver to take a longer break.

 

[Gary Bainbridge]

Surely the issue is not range, per se. It's that you could fill the Scirocco up in about 3 minutes, whereas the XPower would take, what 30mins+ to put another 230 miles in it ?

Well, yes and no. On my last long drive, I charged the car whilst we were having our dinner. The previous holiday, I simply charged the car overnight at the AC charger in the hotel car park. Apart from that, it just takes seconds to plug in and unplug in my front drive.

 

[Everest]

Well, yes and no. On my last long drive, I charged the car whilst we were having our dinner. The previous holiday, I simply charged the car overnight at the AC charger in the hotel car park. Apart from that, it just takes seconds to plug in and unplug in my front drive.

for me, the same. Never had to use a (not-very) rapid charger in my whole EV ownership.

 

[Gomev]

for me, the same. Never had to use a (not-very) rapid charger in my whole EV ownership.

That's a shame, you've missed out on one of life's experiences.

Anyhoos, how do you manage to not drive anywhere, ever, out of the range of the car ? Do you like your area wherever you are so much there is no need to travel afar ?

 

[Everest]

Do you like your area wherever you are so much there is no need to travel afar ?

LOL. I should have added "not yet" - early days though. So far 100% use has been charged on free solar, though that will change come November

 

[Archev]

LOL. I should have added "not yet" - early days though. So far 100% use has been charged on free solar, though that will change come November

Poor show there - take the solar with you

 

[securespark]

Just looked up ADO17, the Landcrab, and here are its vitals compared to the MG4 in brackets:

Length: 4191mm (4287)

Width: 1702 (1836 without mirrors)

Height: 1410 (min 1504)

Wheelbase: 2692 (2705)

Boot: 481.39 litres (363)

BHP: 85 or 94 (Twin Carb - I can't remember if the 1.8 B series in the Landcrab was ever fitted with twin carbs?) (201)


The 1800 was European COTY in 1965. Never knew that.

Anyhow, enough of my silly stats.

I now propose that Archev now get hold of ADO14 (Maxi) and a Landcrab and pitch them both alongside Monsieur Berlingo in a camping triple test.

As an aside, did you know that the Maxi is shorter, narrower and lower than the 6th Gen Ford Fiesta! When you think about the space and packaging inside, that's quite amazing!

 

[Archev]

Just looked up ADO17, the Landcrab, and here are its vitals compared to the MG4 in brackets:

Length: 4191mm (4287)

Width: 1702 (1836 without mirrors)

Height: 1410 (min 1504)

Wheelbase: 2692 (2705)

Boot: 481.39 litres (363)

BHP: 85 or 94 (Twin Carb - I can't remember if the 1.8 B series in the Landcrab was ever fitted with twin carbs?) (201)


The 1800 was European COTY in 1965. Never knew that.

Anyhow, enough of my silly stats.

I now propose that Archev now get hold of ADO14 (Maxi) and a Landcrab and pitch them both alongside Monsieur Berlingo in a camping triple test.

As an aside, did you know that the Maxi is shorter, narrower and lower than the 6th Gen Ford Fiesta! When you think about the space and packaging inside, that's quite amazing!

Absolutely astonishing. Amazing piece of investigative journalism there. The difference in dimensions is a real eye opener.
Do you mind awfully if I make that a fair test by having both cars converted to ev’s prior to the two year comparison test after I send you the bill ?
They were all very well received and popular cars - a great pity the company (s) were allowed to fall apart.

 

[securespark]

Did ride in a crab but never drove or owned one. My Dad had an N reg 1750 Maxi and I owned one briefly much later.
As I think I said here somewhere, I am a great Leyland/ Triumph/ Rover fan. They say as a kid, you are either a Ford, Vauxhall or Leyland kid, often depending on what your folks bought.

My Ma and Pa started on Moggy Minors. In fact, they took a Moggy to some far-flung corner of the world (Thailand from memory, but I may be wrong). It was a soft top and Dad told the story how they drove down a road where a waterfall was cascading down a mountainside and onto the road and they kept their fingers crossed the canvas held.
It did.

Dad upgraded to an Austin 1100 in Jordan. He also had a Triumph Acclaim in Bamenda (again, from memory). He had a great story about that car. It needed a new back box and (of course) they didn't have any parts, so the mechanic took the back box off, meticulously picked it apart with tinsnips and using it as a pattern, made a new one out of an old oildrum, packing it with new fibreglass insulation.

He had lots of cars around the world, but sadly I can't remember them all and I didn't have the presence of mind to ask him all the cars he had.
The last one was an 86D Suzuki SJ410 he took to Burma. His placement there ended with him being emergency airlifted out in the uprising of 1988.

You CAN send me the bill, but I won't be able to settle it!


***Edited to add more cars.

I think the car he had most of was the Metro, culminating in a Metro Turbo, A77 MVR. Great chuckability!

He moved on to Nissan Micras and was badly rear-ended on the M40 in an F reg example. The driver's seat came completely loose (apparently all the bolts sheared), but luckily, he was OK, apart from a few cuts and bruises. The car was a write-off, though. The floorpan was buckled and the back end mangled.
He didn't use motorways after that.
He got another same gen Micra to replace it, then, to replace that, his last car was an 04 Micra.

 

[Archev]

Did ride in a crab but never drove or owned one. My Dad had an N reg 1750 Maxi and I owned one briefly much later.
As I think I said here somewhere, I am a great Leyland/ Triumph/ Rover fan. They say as a kid, you are either a Ford, Vauxhall or Leyland kid, often depending on what your folks bought.

My Ma and Pa started on Moggy Minors. In fact, they took a Moggy to some far-flung corner of the world (Thailand from memory, but I may be wrong). It was a soft top and Dad told the story how they drove down a road where a waterfall was cascading down a mountainside and onto the road and they kept their fingers crossed the canvas held.
It did.

Dad upgraded to an Austin 1100 in Jordan. He also had a Triumph Acclaim in Bamenda (again, from memory). He had a great story about that car. It needed a new back box and (of course) they didn't have any parts, so the mechanic took the back box off, meticulously picked it apart with tinsnips and using it as a pattern to make a new one out of an old oildrum, packing it with new fibreglass insulation.

He had lots of cars around the world, but sadly I can't remember them all and I didn't have the presence of mind to ask him all the cars he had.
The last one was an 86D Suzuki SJ410 he took to Burma. His placement there ended with him being emergency airlifted out in the uprising of 1988.

You CAN send me the bill, but I won't be able to settle it!

I liked the BMC products too. Probably beginning with my Dad’s transport. I don’t think he ever owned a car by himself, he and a workmate owned a car between them. I think it was an Armstrong Siddley Saphire by I was a bit young and now too old to remember anything much about it.
He had a string of vans and latterly cars as company transport. An Austin A60 van, a Morris Cowley van then a few Ford anglia vans before he fell heir to one of the Director’s cars, a Morris Oxford estate. I had passed my tests for motorcycles and cars around then and he gave me the keys to the Oxford occasionally. One night I “hurried” it down the Maybury road in Edinburgh. Dad was driving it to his work next morning when it threw a couple of con rods and destroyed itself. One very pleased father came home that night with a brand new Ford escort company car.
His Sister, my favourite Auntie gave up driving her Morris Minor about then and gave it to me. I really enjoyed my last year at school driving there in my own Moggy
I had an incurable affection for BMC / BL cars after the Minor. The land crab, Maxi, Marina / Italy’s and even the much maligned 1500 Allegro estate in the even more maligned dark brown colour ! I found it to be a superb car.
My Wife had a Mini Clubman estate (which she managed to drive home after tearing the gearbox apart on a rock thrown from a truck.
We then entered our Maestro period, a diesel car then two turbo diesel vans and the very last dark blue turbo diesel car they sold.
After the worlds very worst pile of junk, a Mercedes - owned nay tholed for eight day before returning it, we turned to Citroen Berlingo semi Automatic diesels, two in succession. Loved every mile I effortlessly drove them until MG came along with the ZSEV and the even better in my opinion, 5 estate. I really enjoyed both of the MGs but my dreams of an MG4 four wheel drive estate were not to be so I’ve returned to the Berlingo.
Whereas the earlier automated diesel Berlingos were really very good this electric one I’m finding to be the very knees of the proverbial bee. I like it.

 

[Archev]

BHP: 85 or 94 (Twin Carb - I can't remember if the 1.8 B series in the Landcrab was ever fitted with twin carbs?)