Good luck finding one, most Ritmos - well, pretty much all of them - have ended up in the big recycling bin in the sky. Their survival rate is actually a lot worse than, say, a Mk1 Golf GTI...
Good luck finding one, most Ritmos - well, pretty much all of them - have ended up in the big recycling bin in the sky. Their survival rate is actually a lot worse than, say, a Mk1 Golf GTI...
Driving a RHD car is not difficult. Learning to shift gears is alot like learning stick for the first time. If you don't get it in the first few minutes, you simply are not going to get it.
maroon92 wrote: Driving a RHD car is not difficult. Learning to shift gears is alot like learning stick for the first time. If you don't get it in the first few minutes, you simply are not going to get it.
Thankfully the H-pattern is the same, just actuated with the other hand. Like ^^ said, you'll probably figure it out quickly.
I had much more trouble remembering that turn signals and windshield wipers were switched. Kinda embarrassing to turn the wipers on at intersections.
If you can start a Porsche seamlessly by the third time, you can probably figure out right hand drive.
BoxheadTim wrote: Good luck finding one, most Ritmos - well, pretty much all of them - have ended up in the big recycling bin in the sky. Their survival rate is actually a lot worse than, say, a Mk1 Golf GTI...
that is a shame.. the tc130 was the one to have too. The last of the true abarth cars
A few years ago (before I knew what it was), there was a fiat strada on craigslist near me for like $800 with nothing wrong with it. Now that I know how rare they are im kinda glad i didn't buy it anyway, other than engine parts I don't think you would have much hope of finding anything.
I desperately want one of those RS200s.
[threadjack] wonder if FFR would consider making a dedicated mid engine RWD elise-killer that had the RS200 body? it's not like there's a shortage of Ford FWD transaxles with good engines bolted to them (Zetec 2.0L twin cam out of the Focus and the Escort ZX-2 comes to mind) floating around the states, and their hot-rod's front suspension (complete with inboard shocks, of course) and a nice adaptation of the FWD strut suspension for the rear end could work wonders on that car if done properly. only real strange thing would be working out the gearshift and the exhaust and even that would be easy if you spent enough time fiddling about with it... [/threadjack]
carry on 
BoxheadTim wrote: Err, we have both left and right hand turns here in the UK. And I do take my RHD cars abroad. As I said, you get used to it and visibility isn't as bad as you make it sound...
True, and our left hand turn is like your right hand.
Picture this:
You're at an intersection turning right (in the UK), and sitting in the passenger seat. Another car across from you is also in the intersection turning right. How much can you see? (keep in mind that here, we don't use traffic circles as often as light)
Many times (not all) you can't see enough to make a safe turn until the car across the intersection is clear.
Fine for a weekend driving, but it's kept me from looking at the many RHD cars available here in Canada to use as a daily.
I base this only on the traffic patterns in this area (Southern Ontario: not many traffic circles, many highly travelled 4 lane stoplights...I might think differently in a more rural area)
A note to anyone considering "opposite hand drive": have a friend/significant other/whatever drive you around. Sit in the passenger seat. Decide if you're comfortable with the "turn across intersection thing". It's a simple experiment, but it was an eyeopening one for me.
Too bad, since RHD Turbo MR2's and older WRX's are so easy to get.
(I've driven RHD without difficulty in Australia, FWIW)
I've driven RHD cars in RHD countries, LHD cars in LHD countries, RHD cars in LHD countries and LHD cars in RHD countries. Learned to drive stick in Canada but then honed my abilities in Australia. Doesn't bother me a bit :) Heck, the first time I drove a Lotus Seven I didn't even realize it was RHD until I got out of the car.
The turn indicator thing is the hardest part to cope with. I've never found visibility to be a problem. The hardest thing to deal with is parking lots, as they're missing both lane discipline and any sort of reminders as to which side you should be on.
I own a RHD Mini here in the US. A coworker at FM has a RHD Skyline. Nothing I've experienced with my car would discourage me from adding another RHD car to my fleet. In the above example about two cars turning across traffic, the fact that every second vehicle around here is a full size pickup means you can't see what's coming regardless of what side you're sitting on!
Keith wrote: In the above example about two cars turning across traffic, the fact that every second vehicle around here is a full size pickup means you can't see what's coming regardless of what side you're sitting on!
I love it when the person behind you blares their horn. Granted, it may not be intuitive that somebody from a vantage point 15 feet further into the intersection and 3 feet off of the ground cannot actually see THROUGH the chromed out Excursion with Super Swampers, although maybe if they'd lift it a little higher it would be possible to see beneath it.
The nice thing about driving on sunny days is that, if you're keen to spot shadows, you can detect up to three cars ahead of the one blocking your view.
Slyp_Dawg wrote: I desperately want one of those RS200s. [threadjack] wonder if FFR would consider making a dedicated mid engine RWD elise-killer that had the RS200 body? it's not like there's a shortage of Ford FWD transaxles with good engines bolted to them (Zetec 2.0L twin cam out of the Focus and the Escort ZX-2 comes to mind) floating around the states, and their hot-rod's front suspension (complete with inboard shocks, of course) and a nice adaptation of the FWD strut suspension for the rear end could work wonders on that car if done properly. only real strange thing would be working out the gearshift and the exhaust and even that would be easy if you spent enough time fiddling about with it... [/threadjack]
Seems like you're describing a slightly less powerful version of the Noble with a replica body. There are a few replicas available as kitcars in the UK. One is a rebodied MR2. One uses Subaru drivetrain. And one is a midengined tubeframe that can accept a few different engines. There's good and bad associated with all of them.
Besides the RS200 I kinda want to look at this in 5 years
aussiesmg wrote: I would rather a Nissan GTiR
Forgot about GTI-Rs! One of my all time favorite Nissans, I would rather have a gti-r than a skyline!
njansenv wrote:BoxheadTim wrote: Err, we have both left and right hand turns here in the UK. And I do take my RHD cars abroad. As I said, you get used to it and visibility isn't as bad as you make it sound...True, and our left hand turn is like your right hand. Picture this: You're at an intersection turning right (in the UK), and sitting in the passenger seat. Another car across from you is also in the intersection turning right. How much can you see? (keep in mind that here, we don't use traffic circles as often as light)
Barring full-size pickup trucks being in your way as Keith said (or the UK equivalent, the white Ford Transit Van), you can see enough - the Integrale I just sold was LHD and it was fine driving that around the UK.
Mind you, none of my cars is a DD anyway, my DD has two wheels less and handlebars.
CLNSC3 wrote:aussiesmg wrote: I would rather a Nissan GTiRForgot about GTI-Rs! One of my all time favorite Nissans, I would rather have a gti-r than a skyline!
I forgot about those.... It's like Nissan's take on the Mazda Familia GTR. I'm not sure which i like better.
There's some nice V-8 powered Holden's from Australia I'd like to bring in, if I have the money whn the time comes. Maybe even a Falcon.
race ready
street legal, Vauxhall/Opel Calibra. Kinda bland in pictures, much nicer in the flesh - designed by Wayne Cherry, also penned the Chevette HSR.
RHD in a small car (Mini, Lotus, Berkeley, etc) is no issue at all. You cock your head and you rhave a LHD point of view.
RHD in a larger car (especially with a bit more power) is a lot more of a handful and that's one reason the values take a nearly 25% hit versus LHD cars... something to think about if you're importing something similar to other options already here (Jags, Rolls, Bentley, etc).
Early V8 powered TVR's are already legal... and not highly thought of in the UK so cheap...
I was researching the 1989 Aerocabin based on a couple articles I found and came across this post......cool info, and cool car. However, I don't know if I agree it was the "first modern retractable hardtop convertible". (key word being convertible) Although it is a "retractable hardtop", I don't know if it embodies enough of the "modern retractable convertible" design cues found in today's hardtop convertibles to be the trend setter that started it all. Its more like a big sunroof. Still a neat car though, and at only 500 made, Im sure its collectible.
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/4499/
pinchvalve wrote: I saw a Lancia Delta Integrale for sale in Eastern Canada recently actually. OMG! I always liked the A110 Alpine:
Is that a Renault R8 in the background? Can't explain it but I want it!
Was the Renault Clio ever sold in the US? Idk why but since grand turismo 2 I've wanted one so badly
I don't think they were. And it's going to be another 10 years until you can import the Clio Williams, which IMO is the one to have.
ddavidv wrote: My tastes aren't so exotic. A few vintages of these are legal now, but I am still lusting and not buying:
I've thought about this a few times. I'd love to have one over here. I was all set to do a conversion of a MkII, but someone kit it while parked on the street and ran it into a house. Yeah.
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