They’re talking about an automotive magazine called Auto Car. The host says they started reading it again and even got a subscription as a birthday gift.
Car
Honda Hornet CB750
This is a Honda motorcycle model called the Hornet CB750. The “CB750” refers to the bike’s heritage and engine family, and it’s known for being fun and not too intimidating for new riders.
The Hudson Hornet is an older car model from the past. It’s remembered today mainly because it’s part of automotive history and is interesting to collectors. The podcast brings it up in the context of looking back at classic vehicles.
A factory tour is when you visit where the cars are made. It’s a chance to see how the process works and what makes that brand’s cars special.
Car
Porsche
Porsche is a famous sports-car brand. The speaker is saying people react differently to a classic Morgan than they would to a more common high-end performance brand.
Car
Ferrari
Ferrari makes very high-end supercars. The speaker is comparing the kind of attention you get in public when driving a Morgan versus when driving a Ferrari.
Car
Jensen FF
The Jensen FF is a classic Jensen car from the late 1960s. What makes it special is that it has all-wheel drive, which was uncommon back then. That’s why it’s a big deal in classic-car circles.
The Jensen Interceptor is a classic car model from the 1960s. It was built to feel like a sporty, long-distance cruiser. The podcast mentions it while looking through old records and photos.
They’re discussing a compass mounted inside the car. Back then, it was a practical way to help with navigation on long trips when modern GPS wasn’t a thing.
The Sunbeam Alpine is an older British sports car. The host is saying you can read about what it’s like to drive because the author wrote about cars he tested.
Car
MG4
The MG4 is an electric hatchback from MG. The speaker is talking about how it handled a long trip and how comfortable it feels.
The Audi S5 is a sportier version of the Audi A5. It’s meant to drive more enthusiastically than a regular A5, while still being comfortable for daily use. People bring it up when talking about upgrades and newer model changes.
They’re comparing the Defender’s size to a Ford Fiesta. The point is that, even though the Defender is tall, its “footprint” can be surprisingly compact.
They’re wondering if the odometer reading is trustworthy. With older cars, the mileage might not reflect real wear, and that can change how much the car is worth.
A “non running project” means the car doesn’t work right now and needs repairs. It’s a bigger gamble than a car that runs, because you don’t always know what’s wrong until you dig in.
Euro 6 and Euro 7 are European emissions standards that limit pollutants from vehicles. When a model can’t meet the latest standard, manufacturers may discontinue it for certain markets or restrict sales.
A restomod is a classic car that’s been restored, but also upgraded with modern improvements. It’s meant to feel better to drive while still looking like the original.
Paint markers are like thick pens that put paint onto a surface. They’re great for small details, but they can run out quickly if you’re covering a bigger area.
It’s a way to wash your car without dragging dirt back across the paint. One bucket holds soap, and the other is just for rinsing your mitt so grit doesn’t get smeared around.
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can run on electricity, but it also has a regular engine as backup. You plug it in to charge the battery, which helps for everyday short trips.
They’re talking about using eBay to buy car parts. The idea is that you tell the site what car you have, and it only shows parts that are supposed to fit.
BMW is mentioned as having an official eBay store, which the hosts say helps ensure parts listings are correct for the right model. The broader point is that manufacturer-backed shops can reduce the risk of buying incompatible components.
In the UK, an MOT is a test your car has to pass to prove it’s safe and meets emissions rules. If a car “doesn’t go through an MOT,” it’s often new enough that it’s not due yet.
The Morgan Super 3 is a quirky, old-school-feeling sports vehicle from Morgan. It’s the kind of car you drive for fun and character, not just practicality.
Term
decelerometer
A decelerometer measures how fast the car is slowing down. It’s like a sensor that can tell you how hard you’re braking or how quickly you’re losing speed.
We... These days, the cars we drive feel like they made a stone, don't they?
Probably way as much. Yeah, and I sort of get a vague memory of engineers saying
20,000 Newton meters per degree of torsional rigidity, and above that,
things are pretty good. And people now talk about 40,000, 50,000.
And then there's nodal stiffness as well, which is stiffness in a particular area.
Yeah, this is local stiffness. Local stiffness, things like that,
which makes a difference too. So anyway, I thought, well, if I can...
I don't want to ruin the ride comfort of this car. Because it's going to go...
After we're done with it, other people are going to drive it, other journalists are going to drive
it. I don't want to be the bloke who's ruined it. So I thought, well, I'll leave the springs and dampers
alone because you can get aftermarket ones. But people in the forums go, oh, I bought these ones.
It's really hard. I thought, I don't want to do that. So I've left the springs and dampers alone
and replaced some of the bushes and had fitted, I didn't fit them,
strut brace front and rear. And a limited slip diff put in it. And an Alcantara...
That must be quite an investment is a slip reduce.
Slip reduce, 600 quid. I thought there'd be more than that. I don't know why I thought there'd
be more than that. Is that a... I can't remember the name of the company that makes it, but just...
It doesn't work on the brakes or anything. No, no, no. Very old school mechanical system.
And I think you could sort of pick the amount of lockup you have when you choose it. You go,
oh, well, I want one that's got X amount of slip under braking and acceleration. And it's really...
So, live to slip diffs because they limit the amount of difference you have in wheel
speed left and right, which improves traction on the way out of the corner because the inside
wheel does not overspeed and slip. So you improve traction on the way out of the corner. But what
they can do and what a clever active limited slip diff or a electronic electrically actuated
limited slip do will be completely open pretty much under braking on turning because then the wheels
can have whatever speed they like and it doesn't limit agility on turning and then they lock up
under accession only. Whereas a mechanical one like this will also lock up a bit.
Yeah, it can promote understeer. And it can promote understeer, yeah. And this one,
and this, it's funny, it's really subtle and I don't drive balls out on the road because it's...
You can't. You can't. But even though I'm well within the realms of grip, I can still detect
that it doesn't turn in as easily as it used to, but traction's much better. And if you just
trail the brakes on the way in just to keep the nose planted, it doesn't actually matter.
It still feels nice and actually it's much nicer under acceleration, even though I'm not going
flat out. And it's just tighten things up a bit without, I think, without ruining it,
but somebody else will try it and tell me in a few weeks time. And it goes back and it's just been
fun to run around in it because it's... Because most of our long termers are brand
new or nearest damn it. They don't go through an MOT, they don't go through...
It's rare these days that we go through a service quite often, isn't it? Whereas this has had a service.
Also quite good to be in a 90,000 mile car. See what's happened at the seat. See what's
is it? Is it floppy or is it still crazy?
Powertrain still feels brilliant, still feels brand new. You may have somebody said,
that's got 5,000 miles on it. I wouldn't have said any different. It's got a really nice
3.0-litre naturally aspirated straight six. Who's making engines like that anymore that respond
in that fashion? And the gear shift has got that still, that BMW heft and a never so slight
rubberiness to it. It's never the slickest, most mechanical shift, but it's very easy to
drive. You never select a wrong gear, do you? No, that sounds good. It's been a real
pleasure to have and I've also discovered... Do you know what you're moving on to? It'll be
presumably something very different. I think, yeah, I think last I heard it's going to be a
Skoda SUV, which is fine. I spent the last few months in the Morgan Super 3 and then
this 330 CI has long termers and they're both really interesting to write about.
You'll be right back in retired bank manager territory. I'll just be cruising around. I'll
just have to find places to go because I've always got something to talk about because I've been to
classic collective in Bista where they've done the servicing for it or I've been down to the
Derek Drinkwater who did the mods and he does all kinds of American car restos and stuff.
Aren't you glad those people still exist? It's great, isn't it? Because there's this body of
opinion that as we move into the EV era, old style maintenance is going to disappear. It's
not at all. It's not at all. I think the people like that just get better. They know how to
earn their corn. They become more special. I like them a lot. There's a couple around here.
It's like the horse, isn't it? If I'd been looking after horses 150 years ago and the motor
car started rolling out, you'd start thinking, whoa, what's going to happen here? But actually,
the horse has never had it so good. Yeah, it did. It's having a great time. More space, beautiful.
Yeah. Let's wrap this one up because we've got to do another two.
And I've taken off the list. I've missed this, mate. I have missed it. I have as well because
it's been what, two weeks, two and a half weeks at least, I think. A little while, yeah. And it's
going to be another diary faffing over the next few weeks. Isn't it funny how just running off at
the mouth becomes addictive? Yeah. I'm amazed they let us do it still. But anyway, it's thanks to
letters like that from Phil Knighton, which is how they let us do it. What a man he is, yeah.
Thanks for that, Phil. We will send that. We will send that upstairs. And if you would like to
subscribe to Wodskar, you can go to themagazineshop.com or in fact, because you're listening to this
podcast. If you read the show notes, there will be a link in there specifically for podcast
listeners. I was going to say podcast readers that takes you there. And that gets you a particular
offer for pod listeners, which I think is six issues for six quid of the mag. But there's,
you can subscribe to the AutoCar Archive. And it's as we discovered when looking up
compasses. It's better for more than just compasses, but it is a sensational four compasses.
Well, you just, I presume, while you were doing it, you got diverted by 12 others.
I've got a tab still open because part of that letter was like, there appears to also be
a Mintx decelerometer on the dashboard. Do you know anything about how those work? I don't know
1964 issue open in front of me. And a feature called stopping to order, which is about fitting
a brake servo to your non servo assisted vehicle and the amount of brake pressure that
one applies to get stopping power, but as a result, it's just
you could lose it. That's great. I'm going to lose myself in there for hours. Anyway,
and also thanks to our sponsor Anderson. If you visit Anderson dash EV.com to see the full range
of charges and you can do like my friend didn't have one ordered in cash me and delivered to your
house and they will install it for you. They do a fine job. Thanks to them. Thanks, Steve. See you
soon. Jackson understands that everyone has different dreams for retirement.
Whether you're planning to spend more time with family or travel the world,
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Financial Incorporated, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, Lansing, Michigan and Jackson
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About this episode
AutoCar’s My Week in Cars turns into a chatty roundup of listener letters, long-term test-car notes, and garage life. A reader credits the show for restarting his AutoCar subscription, getting a bike licence, and even a Morgan factory visit. Steve then solves a Jensen FF mystery using the AutoCar Archive. They swap impressions from an MG4 trip and a Defender-sized obsession, debate EV vs plug-in hybrids for rural drivers, and review a modified 2005 BMW 330Ci eBay long-termer with a mechanical limited-slip diff. The rest is chicken-coop engineering and upcoming podcast scheduling chaos.
In the latest edition of the Autocar podcast My Week In Cars, join Steve Cropley and Matt Prior as they chat nice Land Rovers, expensive Suzuki SJs, remodelled garages, chicken manoeuvres, grit in car washes, and much more besides, including your correspondence.
There's some talk of the archive too and you can subscribe to it and the latest editions of Autocar magazine by exploring and taking advantage of the exclusive podcast listener offer here.
