Hirstのブログ一覧

I've been writing a new magazine article, it's about Mitsubishi, or actually "Colt". I can't publish the full article, but I can give you a few details. Mitsubishi have an interesting history in UK, because they were quite late to arrive here. We received a test model of the Colt 1100F (export version of Colt Fastback) in 1968, but the first cars to be sold were in 1974. It was a joint venture between Mitsubishi Motors and The Colt Car Company. Cars used the Colt name, but they still used the Mitsubishi logo. It's similar to how Nissan were known as Datsun. However, the Mitsubishi name was used from 1985 onwards. My 1982 Galant-Sigma is actually known as a "Colt Galant".

UK sales started in 1974, with two cars - Lancer (first-generation model) and Galant (second-generation model).



This size of car was the most popular in the UK during the 1970s, so it made sense to import the Lancer. The best-selling car at that time was the Ford Escort and the Lancer was quite similar. Also, they both had great success as a rally car. In the UK, rallying is very popular so any car with rally success would be noticed. So it was an ideal car! We got the 1400/1600 GL at the start, but later we got the 1600 GSR Twin Carb and the Wagon model.



The other car to be sold in 1974 was the second-generation Galant. I don't remember ever seeing one of these for real. I think they sold in very small numbers, because it was replaced by the Galant-Sigma only a few years later. We got the Hardtop version too!



You may be surprised that we received the Galant GTO in 1976! It was a later type with 2000 Astron '80' (balancer shaft) engine, about 112ps. All the models in the UK were fitted with the bolt-on wheel arches (fender flares). I know two people who have these, but they're very rare.



The Lancer Celeste was sold from 1975 as just "Celeste", we didn't use the Lancer name for it. My friend had one a few years ago, but it had a lot of rust problems and he couldn't afford to repair it. He sold it to somebody else and I think it got fixed. We got the 1600 ST, 1600 GSR and 2000 GT. The fastest is the 2000 GT, but some people prefer the 1600 GSR. I've seen a few of these.



The last car I wrote about was the Galant-Sigma, or known just as the "Sigma". I know a lot about this car, because I have a later model which is very similar. Most of the mechanical parts are the same, also the middle section of the car and doors. This became quite a popular car in the 1970s. The car magazines really liked it, because the balancer shaft engines were really smooth and it had good aerodynamics. We got the Galant-Lambda coupe model too, but we knew it as "Sapporo".



This one is mine.

Anyway, I hope the real magazine article is published soon.

I went out to buy some chicken for me and a friend and I saw this nice Corolla 5-door Liftback!

These were quite popular years ago, but they're fairly rare now. I was in a hurry, but I quickly talked to the owner, an older Pakistani man. He had owned the car for years, but he was glad somebody liked it. The bodywork was perfect, no rust or scratches anywhere!

It's a later-type 1.3 GL model. I think it uses the 2A 8-Valve engine, with this later type it could be the 2E 12-Valve. I can't remember...



I really like the unusual back end with the numberplate at the top. The hubcap design is really cool too. Even they were in perfect condition. There's no rust on the rear arches. The owner must keep it in a garage and never drive it in winter.

As I was getting into my Prelude, he came back and said "I have one of those too!". I was a little surprised, haha.

I was driving out of a parking area and saw this. I was trying to call the police, then a security guard arrived and he called it in. It's a new BMW 420d Gran Coupe.

Crime is a big problem in my area. I live here because of my job, my friends and family. But I wish I lived somewhere more safe. Most people I know will have a story about car crime. Wheels stolen, radio stolen, car stolen...

I've never had my wheels stolen, because I don't think thieves are interested in standard 13-inch steel wheels, haha. However, somebody did try to steal my 626-Capella a few years ago. It was late at night and I was watching TV with a friend. They broke one of the side windows, but I heard the glass break and we ran outside before they could take it. It's not a high-value car, so it was probably going to be used in a robbery. I'm glad I could hear the glass breaking, or I may not have it now.



In this case, the thieves managed to steal only two of the wheels.



They used bricks to balance the body, but it looks like the car slipped off. When it fell, it probably activated the alarm and they ran away. Luckily, the other wheels are keeping the car from hitting the floor. If it hits the floor with no wheels, it could damage the chassis.



The wheel nuts are all over the floor, but I didn't touch them. There's probably no fingerprints, though.



They also broke the back window to see if there was anything inside. I couldn't see anything, only a first aid kit.



It's not the first time I've seen this happen, even in the same parking area. It happened a while ago with a new Audi A7. In that case, they stole all four wheels and the car fell onto the floor, so it probably caused chassis damage too.

I'm thinking about moving to somewhere more safe, but for now I have to live here...

Recently, my friend with the Piazza was wanting to buy another (extra) car. He wanted to buy a Mazda with a small V6 engine, because he previously owned an MX-3 (Presso/AZ-3) with the 1.8 V6 engine. I can't find any pictures of it though.

He was looking at a few different models:
MX-3 (Presso/AZ-2) - 1.8 V6
BA-series 323F ZXi (Lantis) - 2.0 V6
Xedos 6 (Eunos 500) - 2.0 V6

He also wanted one with a manual gearbox. First he tried to buy an MX-3, but it was sold. I also found a 323F ZXi, but it was in quite poor condition.

Yesterday, I saw this in the Shout page from Brazil-kun...



I thought it was quite funny, because today me and my friend were going to meet to look at this same model, or the European version "Xedos 6". In the 1990s, Mazda Europe tried to create a new brand called "Xedos". There were only two models, Xedos 6 and Xedos 9 (Eunos 800). They stopped this brand in 2000 and reverted to only using the Mazda brand.

Unfortunately, the car he wanted to buy had already sold. But he found another one further south and went alone to look at it (it's too far away for me, I need to go to work tomorrow).



This is a photo from the sale advert. It's the earlier type, which he wanted.



You can see the Xedos 6 badge on the back.

Anyway, he called me to say he decided to buy it and he was driving home. The car only had one previous owner! It's in really good condition apart from a few small areas of rust and it drives well. I'm looking forward to driving it.



He sent this photo from London on the way back. He lives much closer to London than me, so it's no problem for him.If I was driving from London, I probably wouldn't get home until about 2:00 or 3:00 in the early morning, haha.

I noticed this 1:43 model for sale recently, the brand name is "White Box" (I've never heard of it). It was quite cheap, so I decided to buy it. I've never had a BD-series 323-Familia, but a few of my friends did in the past.

The detail is quite good, the Ebbro 1.5 XG model looks better, but this was cheaper. I like that it's a basic 5-door model, the badges on the rear say 1.3 LX. The numberplates are from the Netherlands, Mazdas are very popular there.

You can see some more photos on here: http://www.modelcarworld.de/uk/WhiteBox/212594/Modelcar-Mazda-323-Schraegheck-metallic-blue.htm

I'd like to collect more of these ordinary family cars, though rally versions would be good too...