Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22782 Location: UK

Afternoon all,

Diesel cars have been in the news quite a bit recently. Are there many classic diesels around?

Does anyone here own something that most would consider being a "classic", diesel-powered, machine? Internet points for anyone who owns an oddity such as a Standard Vanguard oil burner, or an equally noisy/slow Austin Cambridge Smile

RJ
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emmerson · Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 1268 Location: South East Wales

Ghastly stuff! Spawn of the devil.
My son-in-law has a 1970 Ginetta which he plans to fit with a BMW 1.6 diesel!
If he does, I shall of course disown him.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22782 Location: UK

Ray White · Joined: 02 Dec 2014 Posts: 7094 Location: Derby

I may have mentioned before but I am actually allergic to diesel. Not the exhaust fumes which are horrid enough but to the smell of the fuel. I am affected by getting it on my hands for example but I also choke on the smell of the fuel. Diesel vehicles tend to have contaminated floor coverings from the pump where they fill up so I avoid them.

I used to drive a petrol Ford Transit 190 (twin rear wheel) but when my employers wanted to change to Diesel, I offered to resign. The Boss was very understanding and as he didn't want to loose me he agreed to purchase another Petrol van.

No matter how good the classic car was I am afraid I would have to pass it up if it was Diesel.

Ellis · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 7:27 pm Post subject:

The only diesel car I can remember around this area was what I now know to be a Peugeot 403 at the end of the 1960's.
It belonged to a serving soldier on BAOR, was left hand drive, black and had the old style of British numberplates then used by British military personnel.

It wasn't here permanently but I remember seeing it unused in a yard in the nearest town in the early 1970's after it's owner had left the Army. What had happened I'm afraid I do not know.

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1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
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ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4235 Location: South Cheshire

Diesel cars of the pre turbo age were pretty gutless things, in the 90's I remember driving a normally aspirated new diesel Caviller on the M62 across the Pennines and struggling to keep up with trucks on the hills!

How times change, last time I went to Le Mans diesel cars were thrashing the petrol engined competition.

Dave

baconsdozen · Joined: 03 Dec 2007 Posts: 1119 Location: Under the car.

I own a fairway taxi. Probably the most recognisable cars in the world and a diesel. Design goes back dickies years I think its a classic.
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Ellis · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 8:42 pm Post subject:

V8 Nutter · Joined: 27 Aug 2012 Posts: 601

Not really classics but Marinas with !.5 diesels used to be popular in Malta, they were production models not conversions.

One company I worked for we had a tired Astra van, the pump was worn out. You could run it up through the gears and where the governor should have cut in, it would blow a huge cloud of black smoke and accelerate away. One guy took it up to over 70 in third and it was still pulling.

mikeC · Posted: Thu Feb 05, 2015 10:42 pm Post subject:

We're not called petrolheads for nothing Laughing

Rusty · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 12:35 am Post subject:

Well, I drive a "Modern" 26 year old Diesel Holden Jackaroo (Isuzu Trooper or a myriad of other names depending on where they were sold, I think a Vauxhall in the UK) I don't consider it a "classic" but I love this gutless economical old thing to bits. Its done just on 600000 Klm and I am prepping it to do a 10000 klm trip in April at the moment. It has all the Diesel features of economy reliability durability and they are put in a very capable 4x4 package that works very well. I fully intend to never part with it ! I have driven it all over the Australian "outback" and it has all the attributes I could want for that type of driving.

About 30 years ago I almost bought a Peugeot 504 Diesel as a main road car and have regretted ever since that I didn't. I bought a 244 Volvo instead and the Volvo was without doubt the worst car I have ever owned by a country mile. Every time I see a 504 go past now I think of the one I almost bought.

A chap I knew up in town had a 1950 ish Mercedes Diesel that he used for club related events and when he moved down to the city about 15 years ago he took it with him, I think he would still have it but I have since lost touch with him and don't know for sure. Another bloke had a 1970 4 cyl Diesel Mercedes that his family still own. He bought it new in 1970 and drove it most of the rest of his life until about 2010, the family don't use it because they don't like the lack of power. There were quite a lot of the 5 cylinder Mercs getting around here back in the 70s/80s as well.

I like Diesels for country driving, once you get over the lack of acceleration you find out they wind out to a reasonable speed are super economical and don't wear out in a hurry, but if I lived in the city I recon the stop start of everyday driving would send me insane.

peter scott · Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 7213 Location: Edinburgh

My first diesel was a Citroen BX. I loved it and never looked back.

Doesn't quite match this vintage Bentley as a classic though...

Peter
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kevin2306 · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 8:48 am Post subject:

Dipster · Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:15 am Post subject:

My ideal dream car would be anything with a fairly hefty turbo diesel and auto trans. I find the combination works beautifully.

Until my dreams come true I will happily plod on with my 17 years old diesel Defender. I can park it on tickover as it has so much torque. When I am obliged to drive modern manual trans petrols I find I am always caught out at how gutless they are at low revs. I end up stalling repeatedly until I learn to give it a bootful (comparatively speaking!) just to move off....

On a slightly related topic when did the first LPG cars come in to use?

badhuis · Joined: 20 Aug 2008 Posts: 1467 Location: Netherlands

The less- DIY ability for diesels always steered me off for wanting to have such a thing. However I appreciated the 200 tdi engined Land Rover S2 from a neighbour. And for three months as an in-between car waiting for my new LPG powered Renault Laguna in 1997, as a company car I had to drive a gutless Ford Escort diesel. That did not help wanting me to own a diesel!