Leaderboard

Well, that's it, after ten years, I'm now officially XE less. The morning started like this: And ended like this: The garage isn't the only thing feeling strangely empty. I really do feel like I've just sold a kidney, or a lung or something. Funny really, I didn't have any issue seeing the old car/chassis loaded up and taken away. But the engine... Ah well, at least I know it's going to a good home, and will once again make it on track in the Speed Series, nearly five or six years since its last outing at Three Sisters! Good bye XE, it's been a fantastic ten years.

Ah well, just have to cheer myself up with this! :d

Smeg, I beg to differ - I have seen barney and the mightiness is strong in him - to build his own mighty engine and compete it is a testament to the man - and ive seen the extreme XE in the back of his skoda today and its a savage beast on vauxhall engineering - might have to do my duratec i and be in B next year…. ;-)

Barney, remember you're going to have to protect your chassis from the elements manually once you remove the mighty crossflow

Impossible, already got "sex slave" tattooed there.....

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo, looks like I'm going to need more than just a longer first and sticky tyres for next season Seriously Barny, well chuffed for you my friend and look forward to seeing the beast in action. Martin, we're going to have to come up with a plan

It's a funny thing, how attached we get to our cars and engines. Some don't understand it, but once you've poured your heart, soul, blood and tears into something, it will always be a part of you. It's not the end of an era Dave, it's just the closing of a chapter in this XE's book, exceptionally well written and narrated by your good self, and the start of a new chapter in which I only hope to add more good yarns to the tale. I've been bouncing off the walls with excitement about today for the last week, and I couldn't stop grinning on the way home with the thought of the journey that lies ahead! Thanks for letting me be the engines' proud new carer, I'll do my best to keep it going as well as you did and will keep you posted on the install (plus the never-ending stream of questions of course!). And Christian, see you in B next year my friend...

I just hope It's not in our class next season

We're definitely going the T5 camper route at some stage. Told Wendz my only stipulation is having more powerful engine for easier towing.

I've got a full size plate, trimmed down so it's got a 5mm border around the characters, it's mounted below the nose on stainless steel hinges, the type used on shop display cabinets, anything over 20mph it disappears, slow down and it drops down.....perfect, if I ever get pulled I'll just tell the ocifer that it gets knocked off by non spec speed humps and this is my solution. also in 16 years of westy ownership I've probably had half of that with no plate and no bother.

Yes - along with the tape measure misprinted to show 3 inches for every actual inch.

What makes you think I'll be removing the layers of pure crossflow gold that it's taken me so long to build up?? I would say something witty in response about your car Christian, but it's so bloomin' immaculate there's nothing I can comment on! Damn you and your shiny car! :D

You could go retro Clark, here's a T2 Transporter we've just restored

Big thumbs up from me, but once the camper bug gets you, its a slippery slope From this to this

Back on track, the whole XE car was excellent and if I'd had the brass I'd have happily taken the whole beast off of your hands Dave. You put a lot of blood sweat and time into it so can understand how you feel about tis heading off to new parts.

Awesome news Barny, I think you've made the right decision ( all be it a tuff one ) to move on from the mighty xflow I know James will not agree but, bang for ya buck that XE is light years ahead Really looking forward to watching Old Red transform into the Red Beast and help out where ever I can As for having you and the Red Beast in class B next season, I can't wait ( well maybe a little nervous ) as that XE looks fast, but is it faster than the Silver Bullet

Oh dear, I hate to tell you this, but that innocent looking little gearbox next to the spare block in the photo might just also contain a long first! Those "everyday" Ford casings are hiding a Quaife Pro HD SC set of innards!

I've already got one Christian, it involves a few more horses a little less weight and mostly Driving Faster

Agree great engine and well developed by owner who pays attention to avery minute detail.

If that's what is takes to get a factory spec S2000 - I'll sign up..!

Thanks Scott, thats number 5 on the grandchildren list.

This subject has come up a few times in the past. We all know the law says we should have the correct size plate with the correct font and be vertically mounted. Most of us have changed the plate to a slightly illegal variation of what it should be and had no problems. I myself have the 3/4 sized plate with the correct sized numbers and font. Looking at the front of the car no one notices that it is too small as the plate in in proportion with the front end of the nose cone. It will keep ANPR cameras happy as it easily readable, Mr Plod has never stopped me and the MOT man has never noticed it was smaller than it should be. The upshot is, if you drive your car sensibly on the road and don't draw attention to yourself, no authority is going to notice your plate is on the illegal side of what it should be.

Just to say that I now have a wheel. Thanks Ian.

Must be time to air this old gem again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B46uDrU8Ag

If there's anything left over, the Stoneleigh Auto-Jumble is the place to be. That'll be May 2015 though...

as is tradition - mine will be in usual time 11.59pm and 59 seconds Or hopefully a bit before

why dont we get a blast set up for Sunday 21st sep , we will come up and meet halfway for lunch and a gab.

I completely agree but I do wonder about one thing... Do they know they are being unpleasant scheming people and just not care or do they actually not realise they are as bad as they are. Whilst the end result is the same, I do feel some sympathy for folk who are bad and just can't help it, but I have no sympathy what so ever for people who know they are bad but keep doing it.

I suspect that like many folk in similar positions, he probably has the characteristics of a psycopath. Arch manipulator and totally wihout empathy. Not sure I admire people like that TBH, but for damn sure, they certainly don't care if people do or don't!

Well, the no vote seems to be overwhelming!! To buy a 4 years old car when it seems to be when most are " unloading" is not a wise move, comments like " its like setting fire to you wallet every week" and especially "sitting on a time bomb" took me back to a couple of cars several decades ago which were no more reliable than the cars I started driving in 1959, even new cars struggled to their 3000 mile service with out problems. The dreadful dealer network I had not though about, my present and first Mercedes has been faultless over the past couple of years but the dealer would not encourage me to buy another, my last and only service left me driving home with a slow puncture and when tyre was changed there was an iron nail in the other rear tyre. Although I had a full page report on the perfect condition of the tyres at service they would not entertain the idea they were present at the service, I drove 20 miles home to spot the pressure loss and another 8 miles to change the tyres. The dealer principle refused to speak to me on the phone and ignored my letter, I took this up with Mercedes and when this ended up in a telephone call from a 17 year old girl obviously reading from a menu card I gave up. Little wonder having strayed from BMW on very few occasions over the past 40 years I had a mooch around my two local dealers, now interested in a X6 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! forget the outside looks they are bonkers!!!!!! 2012, low mileage, sensible MPG, brilliant spec, still under warranty, service paid for till 2016/17 and renowned reliability for the cost of a 4 year old Vogue, its a no brainer at present, not going to happen till the winter but I have a feeling it's going to happen.

yeah well done Marto

i have 2 nose cones......

Just thought I would share my Daughters wedding day photo and we even managed to get the Westfield in the shot….

Surely that's one step away from killing your way out of a murder charge...