Festival of the unexceptional 2021

[jifflemon]

Details here:

https://carfestivalbooking.com/bookings

[Jay-Kay-Em]

Booked at lunchtime already!

Tickets went live today.

Wouldn't miss it for the world. If E-types and RS2000's are your thing, move along. I prefer a base model Nova Merit

Missed 2019 due to other commitments and 2020 was cancelled. Fingers crossed this year.



Question is; is a 480 "unexceptional" ?

It is of course a highly exceptional sports coupe and should therefore be banned from the festival

[Alan 480]

Question is; is a 480 "unexceptional" ?

It is of course a highly exceptional sports coupe and should therefore be banned from the festival

exceptional to have survived?
unexceptional as mostly forgotten?
I've been to Grampian Transport Museum's version along with Fraser so must be OK

[dcwalker]

No way is a 480 unexceptional! But a 440 might be...

BTW, I learned to drive on a Nova Merit!! Actually, no, on reflection it was a Nova Club!

David

[Martin Mc]

I always chuckle at the marketing faux pas that the Nova was in the Spanish speaking world... 'Doesn't Go' !

Mind you, who would have thought that the Volvo 480 was named thus as that is the minimum number of electrical gremlins you will have to deal with during even short ownership, the minimum £ figure on any visit to your friendly local garage for 'urgent repairs' or the number of miles driven on average by owners before coming across any member of the 400 series in the UK.

Ok, I'll get my coat...
BTW the car always looks fab, kind of purposeful, mean and moody (but sweet too!) in the rain..Certainly NOT unexceptional!

[jifflemon]

We all know the car is exceptional.

But it’s a forgotten car. The public need reminding!

[dragonflyjewels]

We are booked although I did rather object to our cars being considered unexceptional

[dragonflyjewels]

BTW, I learned to drive on a Nova Merit!! Actually, no, on reflection it was a Nova Club!

I learned to drive in my first car, a 1938 Austin 12 cabriolet - a bit bigger than a London taxi. Go round the Marble Arch roundabout in my boyfriend's mini and we got stampeded by a herd of impatient taxi drivers coming out of Oxford Street. In the Austin they all politely gave way - I like to think it was because they were being gentlemanly but I suspect the sight of a 17 year old learner who could only just see over the dashboard of a bigger tank than theirs was just terrifying

So, what did other people learn in ? I bet Ben was the only one of us in a 480....

[Martin63]

BTW, I learned to drive on a Nova Merit!! Actually, no, on reflection it was a Nova Club!

I learned to drive in my first car, a 1938 Austin 12 cabriolet - a bit bigger than a London taxi. Go round the Marble Arch roundabout in my boyfriend's mini and we got stampeded by a herd of impatient taxi drivers coming out of Oxford Street. In the Austin they all politely gave way - I like to think it was because they were being gentlemanly but I suspect the sight of a 17 year old learner who could only just see over the dashboard of a bigger tank than theirs was just terrifying

So, what did other people learn in ? I bet Ben was the only one of us in a 480....

RAJ 204 M - a 1974 Hillman Avenger. I liked it - good mechanically, poor bodywork. Within a week of passing my test I was driving around Hyde Park Corner in the era BEFORE there were any traffic lights on the junction. My Dad said "just drive like a taxi driver"

[arthuy]

AA driving school were using Rover 114 Kensington's , which was a fancy metro.

I got a dead leg driving them. Glad they changed to fiesta mid way through learning.

[MisterH]

So, what did other people learn in ? I bet Ben was the only one of us in a 480....

It certainly seems that way, although as part of the traditional "my dad had one of those" lines, our neighbour said he learned in his dads one in the late 80s, from what he says it was Graphite Grey.

That Reminds me, has there ever been a case of a graphite grey car with coloured bumpers? I assume there has, just never seen one

[Rob88h]

No way is a 480 unexceptional! But a 440 might be...

I’m attending with my 440. My 480 is waaayyy too cool.
Hopefully see some of you there!

[Norm57]

I was born and raised on a farm in Suffolk. I learnt to drive on a Massey Ferguson and a Landrover,from about 10 years old. I had 3 formal lessons in a Mk11 Escort then took my test and amazingly passed! My first car was a Mk1 mini that used to fall out of gear, it cost £70 to buy it. Happy days.

[yorkievolvo]

1936 Talbot London Sports saloon - soft-top.
Never learned to drive it - mate did 'chauffuering' (his job in civvie-street).
Somebody pinched the carburettor whilst parked overnight; no money to buy another so car was scrapped.
Didn't learn to drive - Mini in Southend - for another ten (10) years.

[brinkie]

So, what did other people learn in ? I bet Ben was the only one of us in a 480....

There's no "learner" system in NL, you have to go to a driving school and learn it in a learner car with an instructor who has his own set of pedals.
The mundane learner cars of the day (1988-1989) were Mk2 Golf with slow 1.6 litre diesel engines (55 bhp) and raised idle, so the engines wouldn't stall if you released the clutch too quickly.
However, being a thrill seeker, I've learned to drive in a BMW 320i six cilinder without power steering. The car wasn't very reliable so the instructor part-exchanged it for a Peugeot 405 SRi (same engine as 205 GTI), which was a very luxurious and comfortable car.
And when I passed my exam, I ended up driving in my dad's Escort 1.1 which didn't have a brake booster so I nearly rear ended another car on my first drive. What a god-awful car was that.

[MisterH]

So, what did other people learn in ? I bet Ben was the only one of us in a 480....

There's no "learner" system in NL, you have to go to a driving school and learn it in a learner car with an instructor who has his own set of pedals.
The mundane learner cars of the day (1988-1989) were Mk2 Golf with slow 1.6 litre diesel engines (55 bhp) and raised idle, so the engines wouldn't stall if you released the clutch too quickly.
However, being a thrill seeker, I've learned to drive in a BMW 320i six cilinder without power steering. The car wasn't very reliable so the instructor part-exchanged it for a Peugeot 405 SRi (same engine as 205 GTI), which was a very luxurious and comfortable car.
And when I passed my exam, I ended up driving in my dad's Escort 1.1 which didn't have a brake booster so I nearly rear ended another car on my first drive. What a god-awful car was that.

What was the 405 SRi like? I have somewhat of a crush for the phase 1 cars, and the SRi seemed like a fairly sporting model, how did it drive?

[brinkie]

Ha, like I remember almost 32 years after
It was most definitely more comfortable than a German car without power steering.

[MisterH]

Ha, like I remember almost 32 years after
It was most definitely more comfortable than a German car without power steering.

They don't make em like they used to

[Sunny Jim]

Hi all, Jim a newbie from North Wales here. I booked to attend the FoTU in my '88 Citroen BX estate before acquiring my 480S - being a petrol rather than a diesel it's something of a rarity so I'll probably go in that rather than the 480.

Look forward to meeting you there.

Oh, and I learnt to drive in a 1974 VW Beetle 1303 - it taught me about oversteer! I lived in Harpenden at the time and my mum who was teaching me to drive had me drive the 30 miles into London on a Friday evening and all around the West End including Hyde Park Corner because in her words, "If you can do that you can really drive." She was right, I passed first time.

[dcwalker]

Hi all, Jim a newbie from North Wales here. I booked to attend the FoTU in my '88 Citroen BX estate before acquiring my 480S - being a petrol rather than a diesel it's something of a rarity so I'll probably go in that rather than the 480.

Look forward to meeting you there.

Oh, and I learnt to drive in a 1974 VW Beetle 1303 - it taught me about oversteer! I lived in Harpenden at the time and my mum who was teaching me to drive had me drive the 30 miles into London on a Friday evening and all around the West End including Hyde Park Corner because in her words, "If you can do that you can really drive." She was right, I passed first time.

Welcome Jim!

Citroen BX petrol eh? That's a blast from the past! And the old "if you can drive in the middle of London you can drive anywhere" approach is one that very much chimes with me too! And yes, i also passed first time...

Anyway - you can't get away on here with just an oblique reference to your 480S - c'mon, we want to know all about it, preferably with some pictures in glorious technicolour!

All the best

David