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I visited Thailand for a week, to see Bangkok. Of course, my memory card is about 80% car photos.



The cost of airport parking is quite high (and the security is quite bad), so I got a taxi. It was a Mercedes-Benz E320, the current model. It was OK...



The British winter is the worst, so I was glad to leave! It's cold and dark all the time.



I had a special discount deal to use the executive lounge. You can eat and drink anything you want, so I was drinking brandy. When my flight was ready, I also filled my travel flask with beer (it's a long flight).



I like to look out of the window.



It's easy to forget the blue sky above all the bad weather.



Eventually I had to transfer at Doha, capital of Qatar.



The airport is new, but it was quite boring. I was hoping to find an interesting car magazine at the news stand, but I didn't see any.



I watched the airport traffic instead.



Everything seems to be a Toyota. Anyway, I got on another flight.



After some time, it became daylight. Air travel across many time zones is confusing!



I landed in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi (New Bangkok Airport) and got another taxi.



My taxi was a HiAce Commuter, but the Corolla Altis is the most popular type.



I saw this S60 Crown from the taxi!



The room had a good view. I don't live in a big city, so it's unusual for me to see such tall buildings.



Traffic is always busy, with motorcycles everywhere.



I went to one of the main markets and saw this Hijet. It was so rusty, the rear wheel has collapsed.



The market isn't safe to use a camera often and it's very busy, so I didn't take many photos. This cute girl walked in front of my camera lens. I didn't notice it until later...



The front end of an Impala was here. I wonder if it was originally driving around Thailand.



If I was in the UK, I would definitely buy this Hitachi TV. However, I couldn't fit it into my suitcase. I did buy a Datsun sign, but I'll show you it later.



The owner of this Figaro was visiting the antiques market.



I was very surprised to see a Motocompo for sale! The condition was good.



Corolla E100 can be seen quite often. If you watch traffic for a few minutes, you will probably see one.



This CB Accord was more rare!

I have a lot more photos, I'll show them later.

It has been a long time! I've been quite busy. Anyway, I decided to post on here after I was contacted by my friend Terry, so you can see an update.

Due to my circumstances at home, I needed to drive a more reliable and modern car for a while. To me, "modern" means "1990s". I didn't want to buy another car, so I decided to take my Primera out of storage. It has been inside one of my storage areas for a long time. I ordered a new battery and connected it.


(background is edited to hide location)


This is my HP10 Primera, grade is "2.0eGT" which is the top sports model for Europe. It was built in the UK in the Sunderland factory. They exported the 5-door model to Japan, but my car is a 4-door. There's a few small differences between the European and Japanese cars. For example, the antenna was moved to the roof. My car is a later type car which has some other differences to the Japanese model. The front grill is different and the tail lights have a dark "smoked" design.



The engine is an SR20DE with the same performance as the Japanese model, 150ps. However, compared to Japanese models, the European engine cover is red. Apart from that, it is the same engine.

Anyway, it started first time! I drove it into the yard. Although my garage there is very dry, my car was covered in dust. This is because the trees and plants nearby were cut down recently and a lot of dust and leaves got into my garage.



It took a long time, but I cleaned it by hand to prepare it for inspection. You can see the spider cobwebs on the doors.



Every day after work, I would come past and clean my car for an hour. I think in total, I spent about 30 hours cleaning it. There's no water or electricity at this garage, so I did it with a spray bottle and hand polish. It started to look better!



My friend took it to the mechanic using his truck. I didn't want to drive it there. He changed the oil and a few other small parts and it passed inspection easily. I was very pleased!



I took this photo a few days after inspection. There's a few areas I want to repair and paint, but I think it looks OK for now.



Almost immediately after the inspection, I ordered these. The old rubber was very old and hard, so I was glad to replace it with a set of Bridgestone Turanzas.



The European cars have the turn signal and wiper controls reversed. Turn signal is on the left column, wipers are on the right. I don't like it this way. I think right-hand-drive cars should have turn signal on the right. One day I'd like to change the column switches for the correct Japanese version. I frequently turn the wipers on by mistake!



I had some spare money, so I changed the standard Nissan radio for Clarion Addzest ARX7270 and CDS7255. I saw it for sale on an auction website. It was removed from an imported Japanese car in Russia. I always liked this type of "component system". The P10 Primera has the heater controls in the middle, so you can't use a 2-DIN radio. This set is the perfect age for this car! The bracket position is incorrect, so I need to make some changes. But I'll do it later.



I also updated the shift knob to a Nardi type, because the original one was damaged. My mechanic had to remove the old shift knob with a huge wrench. Nissan used a screw-on shift knob, but they also applied adhesive! It's almost impossible to remove it. I tried for over 2 hours before I took it to my mechanic.



Recently I changed the air filter for this A'PEXi type. I don't think these drop-in filters change the performance much, but I prefer to keep the original air filter case. There was a performance increase, but only because the original filter was dirty.

At the moment, I'm driving it every day. There are still some minor repairs to do, but I can enjoy it for now. The HP10 is great fun to drive. The handling is excellent due to a good chassis and suspension system. However, the ride is very firm.

I hope to show some more updates soon! I hope everybody is enjoying their cars as much as possible.

I finally got the SU Quint/Quintet ready to drive on the road! I still have a lot of improvements to make, but it is a gradual process.

But I'm very glad to be using such a rare car. It took me about 10 years to find one for sale. I think there are only 3 left, including this car and my friend's car.



I enjoy driving it so much. Since it is nice weather at teh moment, I have even been driving it to the office.



I took it on a long journey to see a friend, so I was happy that it would be able to drive long distances. Usually if you can drive a car for 30 minutes at high speed, it means you can drive anywhere. If there's a problem with the cooling system, you will find out quickly.

Anyway, my intention was to take it to an annual show called "Festival of the Unexceptional". It's a car show for rare old examples of ordinary cars. Instead of regular classic cars and sports cars, you are more likely to see old family cars. It's about 210km from my house, so it's a long way. I also took a lot of photos...



As I arrived in the Quint, my friends arrived in their BG Familia-323 4-door. They have the M10 Prairie seen previously!



The interior is so cool.



This is a British-built Auster-Bluebird.



ST165 Celica GT-Four was not the type of car you expected to see at this show, but I enjoyed seeing it.



Rover 213 is based on the Honda Ballade second-generation. The 213 uses the Honda engine and the 216 uses a Rover engine.



This is an older Auster-Bluebird, it was probably built in Japan. The earliest type were all imported.



A later Auster-Bluebird owned by the editor of the magazine I write for!



This Rover 414 SLi is almost the same as my father's old car, he had the 200 version - 214 SLi.



EP70 Starlet is rare here as we did not import many. I think it was due to import quota limitations. There was only one grade using a 1.0L engine.



Talbot Avenger is the final version we received of the Avenger series.



Austin Montego Countryman! These were popular. I'd really like a Montego.



Rear-engined Skoda S100 was produced in Czechoslovakia.



Citroen Visa is the predecessor to the AX. I used to see these all the time when I was younger, but as they are a cheap car most of them were scrapped.



MG Metro is a collectable classic car, but I liked the condition of this one! This is what they looked like during the 1990s.



The Rover SD1 was used in my area as a police car, it had a great-sounding V8 engine. This is the luxury Vanden Plas version.



Lada Riva was the export name for Russian VAZ-2104/2105 series.



Bedford CF was a very popular van, I still see a few as a camping van but never as a regular van.



Until quite recently, the Volvo 340 was seen everywhere! But the 3-door was always quite rare.



Beautiful Lancia Trevi. I really wanted this!



Opel Manta B, later version. For many years, there was a white one of these near my friend's house.



My friend's Bluebird 610 Wagon, sold here as Datsun 180B. For me, this was one of the best cars at the show.



Fiat Strada, also known as Ritmo. It's amazing to see one.



It's impossible to see two!



Nissan Sunny B110, sold here as Datsun 1200. This is owned by another friend who last year took his Nissan Laurel C231. It's a very basic version without a radio or carpets!



Renault 19 was extremely popular in the 1990s, but is now almost never seen.



I always like to look at any Ford Sierra, because my father owned two of them.



Citroen XM has very sharp-edge styling, I would like to try driving one.



Polski-Fiat 126P was the Polish-assembled version of the 126. Many people see this as the national car of Poland, where they call it "Maluch" (small one).



Austin Metro Vanden Plas is the luxury version of this small car, I like the two-tone paint!



I followed this Vauxhall Nova (Opel Corsa A) on the way to the show, but I lost it after a while.



Triumph Acclaim, the British-built version of the Honda Ballade first-generation. This car has the most in common with my Quint, but only a few parts are the same.



Vauxhall Cavalier (Opel Ascona C) "Calibre". This was a very rare aero kit version.



Safari Y60, sold here as Nissan Patrol. It looks tough.



Another Vauxhall Nova, I always liked this blue paint.



Barkas B1000 from former East Germany is also a useful picnic site.



The Fiat Tipo was very popular in the 1990s, I always liked the styling.



The older Renault 5 can still be seen in rural France as an every day car, but it's rare here.



Apart from 1980s Hyundai dealers, this is probably the only time there has been three of the Hyundai Stellar in the same place. It's based on a mixture of Ford and Mitsubishi. It has the same 1.6L engine as my Galant.



Peugeot 104 was difficult to get a good photo, but the wheels must be difficult to keep clean.



Lada Samara (VAZ-2108) was one of the last Russian vehicles to be sold here officially.



Pulsar N10 Wagon, sold here as Datsun Cherry. The Wagon is extremely rare! It's really cool.



I always felt the rear bumper looked like it would be quite weak in an accident.



Fiat Cinquecento isn't seen often now, but when I was younger they were all over the place.



However, I don't remember ever seeing a Fiat 132. It looks so great! I wanted to take it home.



Ford Consul is seen at car shows sometimes, but this is the very basic "L" version.



Vauxhall Royale (Opel Senator A) was the most luxurious Vauxhall of that time.



I couldn't get a good front photo of this Lancia Delta. Amazingly, it is the "LX". It's rare to see any type other than the HF Delta Integrale.

I still have more photos to post up from the main competition arena, but for now here is a photo I took after the show. A few of us went to a family restaurant. We made the parking area look like the old days.



I'll do the rest of the photos soon!

Earlier this month, I attended a car show as part of a group representing the car magazine I'm currently writing for. It was at the famous Silverstone Circuit.



I used the Prelude. I planned to take my BF5P Familia-323, but there is a problem with the front wheel hub and I wasn't able to buy the new part in time for the show.



I was next to this Accord Aerodeck.



Also, this CR-X with Mugen CF-48 wheels.



My friend was here in a Prairie M10. If you have followed my blog for a while, you may think you recognise it, but actually it is a different one!



The AZ-1 is an import, I've never seen one closely before this.



This is a CedGlo 430, known here as the 300C. We didn't get versions with the basic headlights, but the owner has fitted them.



VehiCross is another import, I have seen one of these in my city before!



This is a custom version of a Cosmo JC.



Z32 Fairlady/300ZX. If I owned one of these, I would make sure it is red with the T-Tops so it's like the one from Special Criminal Investigation (S.C.I) by Taito. That was one of my favourite arcade games...



Datsun 200L, or Laurel C130. We only received the C130 as a 4-door in the UK.



Soarer is another import. I can't remember what type it was, I think it was the 3.0 GT.



The magazine editor drives this SM-X.



There was an early DR30 too! I think it's a very recent import, it still has writing on the windscreen.



This Sunny Truck was in great condition!



Finally, my friend arrived in this Applause. I'll explain more about this car later!

Anyway, this is what was in the magazine area. I'll show some more cars from this show later.

I had the chance to borrow this car for a short while, it's a 1989 Ford Fiesta 1.1 Popular Plus, early third-generation model.

Although it has low mileage (about 60,000km), the condition is untidy as the owner was only using it as a cheap car. Their family has owned it since 1990!

About 5 years ago, you would still see these quite regularly, but nowadays they have become fairly rare, especially early type ones like this. The third-generation Fiesta was 1989 to 1997.



The paint has faded a lot and you can see some rust problems. The front and rear valances (under the bumper) have been painted black to cover old rust.



There's also some damage to the door and tailgate, also some rust under the fuel filler cap and a hole in the rear valance. Over the years, I've known a lot of people with third-generation Ford Fiestas. It's a popular ordinary car, the closest equivalent in Japan at the time would be the Nissan March or Toyota Starlet. The new Fiesta is a lot bigger though.



Basic Fiestas in "untidy" condition remind me of the cars my friends would have as a first car. It's quite nostalgic! Back then, people would usually save money from a job and buy the cheapest car available. Nowadays, even young drivers seem to drive new cars.



This engine is the 1.1L HCS, an old OHV engine. It's the smaller version of the 1.3L engine in my old Escort. On these engines, the tappets can become loud so they make a tap-tap-tap noise as you drive around. My Escort's engine was quiet, but this one is quite loud and runs a little bit rough too, but an old-fashioned mechanic will be able to fix it. I also notice some oil leaks!



The Popular Plus is quite a basic model, so you don't get many features. But it has a digital clock!



The seats are basic, but quite comfortable.

Anyway, I don't want to add this car to my collection as there's too much work needed. But I hope I can find it a new home.