Driving a Reliant Kitten to the Nürburgring with Martin Smith and Mark Glovey Squanch
On this episode of Backseat Driver, I had the pleasure of hosting Martin Smith and Mark "Glovey Squanch" to discuss their remarkable journey from England to the Nürburgring in a Reliant Kitten. They shared the meticulous preparations and modifications to ready the Kitten for such an ambitious trip, culminating in an exhilarating experience navigating the famed Nordschleife.
Our conversation also explored their passion for unique and quirky vehicles, highlighting their active involvement with the Retributes car club and various automotive projects, including bike-engined cars. Their enthusiasm for unconventional motoring was genuinely infectious, offering listeners a glimpse into a vibrant subculture of automotive enthusiasts.
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Mentioned in this episode:
SAS Autos
For over 20 years, Specialised Automotive Services has provided high-quality, affordable automotive maintenance and repairs. Featured in Lancashire Life and a recipient of their Auto Services Award, the company specialises in vintage and classic car restoration, auto electrical work, and general repairs. https://sas-autos.co.uk
Transcript
Yes, it's me, Mike Stone, and this is the Backseat Driver podcast.
Speaker A:It's the fastest, it's the friendliest, and it's for all the family.
Speaker A:The Gas Shocks, 116 Trophy and 120 Coupe cup are the fastest growing race series in the UK, taking in six one hour races and eight sprints at all the top circuits.
Speaker A:Visit 116trog Trophy.com to find out more.
Speaker A:And get yourself behind the wheel.
Speaker A:From a pot of tea to TT motorbikes, from a classic English breakfast to a full serving of classic cars, Bridge House Tearooms is the Northwest premier classic car meeting location for coys, bikes, tractors and owner's clubs.
Speaker A: -: Speaker B:Every now and then you come across somebody who is a key motorist who is probably as mad as I am.
Speaker B:But they do interesting things.
Speaker B:Not the mundane.
Speaker B:They don't sit in a show and polish them.
Speaker B:They don't take them for service and treat them like a deity.
Speaker B:But they get out there, get something interesting and do something interesting.
Speaker B:Which is why I'm delighted to welcome to the backseat driver Martin Smith and much to Martin's surprise, Mike Glovisquanch, because Martin has just driven a Reliant Kitten from England to the Nordschleifer or the Nurburgring, done various laps and driven it back.
Speaker B:So I'm delighted to welcome Martin and squanch the backseat dry.
Speaker B:Mick.
Speaker B:Welcome, gentlemen.
Speaker C:Good evening.
Speaker D:Good evening.
Speaker B:Right, it's the obvious question.
Speaker B:What made you want to take a Reliant Kitten, complete with its 40 horsepower 848cc engine from England, do laps of the Nordschleifer and drive home?
Speaker C:It's something I've always wanted to do.
Speaker C:I've had the car for about 10 years, been going to the Nordschleifer for six years and never had the opportunity to take the Kitten up until now when I've just, I've had the engine and gearbox rebuilt and it's in a state where it can make it.
Speaker B:Why a Reliant Kitten?
Speaker B:I mean, nothing against Reliant Kittens.
Speaker B:They built in Tamworth.
Speaker B:Marvelous little things.
Speaker B:It's like the last two raw of Reliant and of course like the Reliant Scimitar.
Speaker B:The kit was designed by Ogle.
Speaker B:But why a kitten?
Speaker C:I originally wanted a Mini.
Speaker B:But the kitten kit, your mum told you you Couldn't have one.
Speaker C:The kitten came up at the right time, the right price.
Speaker D:Actually beat me to it, didn't you?
Speaker C:I did, yes.
Speaker C:So, yeah, it was just one of them.
Speaker C:Opportune moment.
Speaker C:Grab it while I can.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:And then the Mini idea went out the window, so.
Speaker C:Well, that's how I ended up with the kitten.
Speaker B:I mean, what is it about?
Speaker C:They're quirky.
Speaker C:They're not.
Speaker C:You don't see as many as you do the Mini.
Speaker C:So a bit rarer and they don't rot like a mini.
Speaker B:No, they're fiberglass, aren't they?
Speaker C:Fiberglass.
Speaker C:So yeah, that's the appeal.
Speaker B:And, but.
Speaker B:And apparently because it's like the estate, little estate car, you're able to travel with a lot of bits and pieces.
Speaker C:Oh yeah.
Speaker C:We had a full set of wheels, two jerry cans of fuel packs and all the tools that we needed and a trolley jack so we could get under the car.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:Did you have to get under the car?
Speaker C:No, it ran faultlessly.
Speaker C:There was just one issue with the wiper and that was it.
Speaker B:And did you have a problem with the back door hinge?
Speaker C:Yeah, one bolt came loose so I just tightened that up and it was.
Speaker C:It was fine after that.
Speaker B:Now the Nordschleife is notorious because it's where Nikolau had his bad accident and it's killed a lot.
Speaker B:And it's one awesome piece of toymac.
Speaker B:What's it like driving a kitten around the Neudschleife?
Speaker C:I've got to admit it's a bit scary.
Speaker C:We topped out about 80 mile an hour, but you've got things whizzing past 160, 170 mile an hour.
Speaker C:And in something that's fabulous, if you get rear ended, there's not going to be much left.
Speaker B:Did anybody give you lessons there?
Speaker B:Because it's a strange thing.
Speaker B:It's actually public road and it is used as a test tracking.
Speaker B:They do race there now again, but you pay as your money and off you go.
Speaker B:Cuz it's a tongue road.
Speaker B:But at the distance, learning it is nigh on impossible unless you've done hundreds of laps.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:What did you do?
Speaker B:Did you do what most people knew, which is follow the tire tracks?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Pretty much tended to just stick over to the right hand side with the indicator on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Just to get rid of everybody's way.
Speaker C:I have done it previous years.
Speaker C:A lot of time on Gran Turismo as well.
Speaker C:Sim driving simulators.
Speaker B:It's not quite the same on the screen.
Speaker C:No, it's not.
Speaker C:It's not.
Speaker B:So what was the preparation for the car?
Speaker C:So I've had the engine and gearbox out, rebuilt them myself, new seals, cleaned it all up.
Speaker C:PA emptied the engine bay.
Speaker C:So I had a new set of tires, brakes, different interior.
Speaker C:So I've put MX5 seats in it.
Speaker C:I've reupholstered all the back end of it.
Speaker C:So he's had quite a lot.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's running.
Speaker C:It's running really nice then.
Speaker B:And though there's an up, there's an owners club for them, etc.
Speaker B:I mean how many exist or how many did they build in the first place?
Speaker C:I think there was around 4,000 made new back in the 70s.
Speaker C:There's around.
Speaker B: the other production run, the: Speaker C:Yeah, yeah, that's it.
Speaker C:But there's around.
Speaker C:I think there's about 80 left now in UK on the road, a lot of which are in the northwest.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:We actually know of four.
Speaker C:Those elves.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So there's four of our members that have actually got them.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I mean, has it generated interest from the rest of the Reliant Kitten fraternity or community?
Speaker C:Yeah, there's been a huge, huge following from it with the.
Speaker C:With it being online.
Speaker C:Everything's online now, so that's where you get most of the interest.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:But yeah, plenty followers and plenty people liking it.
Speaker B:I mean that's the one thing.
Speaker B:Now everything's social media base, ain't it?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:You remember at his squad year of the famous club retributes?
Speaker C:I am, yeah.
Speaker B:What were your fellow retributors, folks on this?
Speaker C:I thought I was a bit crazy.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:I had a.
Speaker C:Loosely.
Speaker C:A bit like the back door of the kitten.
Speaker B:But the one thing apparently the reputation of retribute proceeding.
Speaker B:You didn't.
Speaker C:Did.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:We've got people in Germany recognizing the car, albeit they thought it was the other Reliant Kitten in the club, which.
Speaker B:We will come on to shortly.
Speaker D:Yes, the page again, pictures sent in of Martin's Travels.
Speaker D:So there's people spotting him on the road in Belgium and yeah, it was a.
Speaker D:It was a big following basically.
Speaker D:And there's.
Speaker D:It's, I think where everyone recognizes Merton's kitten and thinks it's mad.
Speaker D:I think it's going to be the other way around next year.
Speaker D:I think people's got to see.
Speaker D:People are going to see my kitten.
Speaker D:I think it's the one that's been running the Nurburgring.
Speaker D:So I think he's going to overtake me with a.
Speaker D:With a population of the popularity.
Speaker B:So now the One thing, I think the, shall we say, doing daft things with a kitten was Squadgy's idea, wasn't it?
Speaker B:Because you have a kin that's certainly not normal or standard.
Speaker B:Go on.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:As you know, I've got a Reliant Kitten which has a Yamaha R1 engine in it.
Speaker D:It's a.
Speaker D:Well, the standard kittens, 38 horsepower.
Speaker D:This one's about 160, 170.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:It's weighs at 540K so it's a bit lively.
Speaker D:The nitrous has to be too.
Speaker D:Coffee now.
Speaker E:All right.
Speaker B:I've toned it down in me.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I'm just going sensible in me old age.
Speaker D:The nitrous never got used, so that's got removed and that's currently on something else.
Speaker B:Did you ever use the nitrous?
Speaker B:Did they ever go.
Speaker D:No, it's the price of the engine scared me a little bit.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:There were about a thousand pound for the engine on their own if they go pop.
Speaker D:And there's only made so many times.
Speaker D:You could put a thousand pound engine in a 200 quid relight kitten without crying.
Speaker D:So no, the knives is actually on my drift car at the moment, so that actually does get used.
Speaker D:But yeah, the Kitten, it's.
Speaker D:It's daft.
Speaker D:It's crazy.
Speaker D:There's no reverse gear.
Speaker D:You need earplugs to drive it.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:You come out spelling of a motorbike and it's great fun, basically.
Speaker B:I mean, you mentioned that.
Speaker B:What is a Reliant Kitten worth?
Speaker B:A standard one.
Speaker B:Say yours, Marty Watts.
Speaker C:They're generally anywhere between 2 and 4,000 pound.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:Depending what.
Speaker C:What condition they're in.
Speaker B:Because specification, it was basically body style.
Speaker B:It wasn't.
Speaker B:They're all more or less the same inside, weren't they?
Speaker C:Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker C:So you've got the saloon, the estate or the van and it's always work.
Speaker B:Tell him aboard.
Speaker C:Apparently.
Speaker C:Source.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:We know the differences but everybody, everybody just assumes they're the same one.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:Even though completely different shape, like you said.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:The inside of them were.
Speaker C:They're pretty much all the same and very similar to a Robin.
Speaker C:Other than the extra wheel.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:So, I mean, that was the one thing.
Speaker B:It was a robin before wheels, wasn't it?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Did people in Germany and the rest of Europe know what it was?
Speaker C:There was one person who asked if it was a fox, which was the.
Speaker B:One that preceded it.
Speaker C:Preceded it, yeah.
Speaker C:But he was from Essex, if I remember rightly.
Speaker C:So nobody else in Germany knew what it was.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Exactly.
Speaker B:How many laps of the Nordschleifer did you do?
Speaker C:So I did two driving and then I did one passenger with Mitzia Cherudin, who's a racing driver/youtuber.
Speaker B:Did you find there's a worrying thing of a racing driver in it?
Speaker C:Yeah, it was really weird.
Speaker C:He took it to the extreme, which he burns in.
Speaker C:He burns the valves in second gear once, which I was, I was a bit concerned about.
Speaker C:But other than that.
Speaker C:No, it was absolutely fine.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:Did a flying lap.
Speaker C:We actually overtook an MX5 on the track as well.
Speaker C:All right, so we weren't the slowest there.
Speaker B:The one thing is, I mean, probably like a lot of us, you occasionally on YouTube watch the crashes at the Neunschleife and you look at it and you think, what made you think you were going to go around that corner at that speed on that line?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:In the Kitten.
Speaker B:Did you have to do lines or how quick?
Speaker B:It isn't.
Speaker B:I conclude you were just really driving it round it.
Speaker C:Yeah, pretty much just driving it around like you would any day.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:Stuck to the right hand side of the track indicator on.
Speaker C:Just letting everybody else know that we are a slow moving vehicle.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:And that's where we're staying.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's the one thing out there if you're going to go slow, you don't know it or anything like that.
Speaker B:Stick to the right side of the track, put your indicator on so folk know you won't be getting in the way.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's it.
Speaker B:Now we'll move on to retributes.
Speaker B:I mean it's, it's a fascinating club.
Speaker B:It's a core club for people who like different things.
Speaker B:How did it all come about?
Speaker D:I mean, quite a while back I've been in various clubs, I've been in classic Ford clubs, Capri clubs and to be honest, we got fed up with a snobbery of some of the clubs.
Speaker B:Well said.
Speaker D:And we ended up just with.
Speaker D:It was a side project to do our own thing, do a couple of shows and it just took off.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because I mean the other man involved is David.
Speaker D:Yes, he's.
Speaker D:He's been with us quite a while.
Speaker D:I've known dash for 20 odd years.
Speaker D:Yeah, he's a good lad and he be getting helps out.
Speaker D:But be honest, all the members chuck in, they all help out.
Speaker D:We don't do any membership fees.
Speaker D:Everyone chips in, everyone helps.
Speaker B:Also, there's no membership.
Speaker D:No, no.
Speaker D:And you know what, it seems to work.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:It's a decent club and the club, it's got members who know every aspect of the cars.
Speaker D:There's body guys in there, there's mechanics in there and there's pretty much everyone that can get the job done.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:But like you said, the cars, they're all a bit different.
Speaker D:We've got a Skoda Estelle which has a four wheel drive out of TT.
Speaker B:Running gear, which also I've seen is a very impressive car.
Speaker D:And it's also daily driven.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D: Rs: Speaker D:I mean, cover your ears forward, guys.
Speaker D: RS: Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Which gets a lot of hate from the, the Ford community.
Speaker D:But yeah, you know what, it's brilliant.
Speaker B:Is it a wreck fit or are they up to modify?
Speaker B:Indian or.
Speaker D:There's.
Speaker D:There's been slight.
Speaker D:There's been some modifications.
Speaker D:The arches, the wheel base, the width is.
Speaker D:It's got wider arches.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:To accommodate.
Speaker D:But the.
Speaker D:I mean, the Evo I bought it was fully running MOT and legal and he just took it home and cut it up with a grinder, which the guy, I mean, for such a plastic guy is just a bit bonkers, really.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:You give him a plasma cutter and a grinder and a welder and he's off.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:But, yeah, I mean, the cars we've got are all different.
Speaker D:I mean.
Speaker D:Well, I've seen close C5 in the club.
Speaker B:For me, like you were C Class C5 in your lounge, haven't you?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Yes, at the moment.
Speaker D:Yes, I do chippy runs on it.
Speaker D:It's brilliant.
Speaker D:It's honestly the best thing I've ever bought.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Martin has also got a Rascal pickup truck which is a bike engine in the back.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So that's something else which will be coming out soon.
Speaker D:Fingers crossed.
Speaker C:Yeah, hopefully next season.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:I've got a MER1 Fiesta, but there's.
Speaker D:There's a few.
Speaker B:That's a bit different though, isn't it?
Speaker D:Yes, it's.
Speaker D:It's basically a Super Sport tribute.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So it's everything that folded for the Super Sport, but a bit better.
Speaker D:So it's got the wider wheels, wider arches, bigger engine.
Speaker D:So it's everything but just a bit more.
Speaker D:Yeah, but yeah, we've also got a Metro 6R4 that shows up, which is a replica, but to say it's a replica is to play it down, really.
Speaker D:It's an unbelievable piece of kit which is.
Speaker B:Is it, Is it mid engine?
Speaker D:Yes, it's fully full setup.
Speaker D:As in, it's a full it's bit built it as spec to the originals but it's running about 600 house.
Speaker D:It's daily driven again, it's just a bit daft.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:But the work, the work that's gone into it has been unreal considering he's done it from his backyard, including painting it from everything from scratch.
Speaker D:But yeah, it's a, it's, it's a.
Speaker D:A well rounded club that works well.
Speaker D:We like anything different.
Speaker D:It doesn't have to be mint, it doesn't have to be immaculate.
Speaker D:As long as people stop and look at it, that's what we're happy with.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now that's the one thing you touched on.
Speaker B:A lot of members of Retributes do turn these unbelievable cars out, but they do it from the back y don't they?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:All very much homebuilt heroes.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I mean what is the difficulties of doing it from home type of thing?
Speaker D:The majority is the time.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:I mean sometimes you're looking.
Speaker D:I mean the kitten I built with a bike engine, the garage is currently too cut with two more cars.
Speaker D:So it was built in the back garden around all the weathers.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:But majority of its time and again it's.
Speaker D:You're working with what you've got.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And to bring something out that's been done with your own hands is very sat.
Speaker D:It's very satisfying.
Speaker D:But yeah, it's, it's just an achievement.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:It's just so much more.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:There's more pride in it than just giving it to someone and saying, look, yeah, I'm gonna sit on my backside while I pay another else to do it.
Speaker D:To be fair, what we turn out is not going to be as good as some immaculate body shot.
Speaker D:But yeah, we do have pride in them and they do get a lot of attention for that.
Speaker B:Where do you find your inspiration and what gives you the idea?
Speaker B:I mean, what made you want to put that bike engine in a kitten?
Speaker D:I think it's copies of drugs.
Speaker D:Basically.
Speaker B:These are not to be recommended for.
Speaker D:It was actually a ride in a kit car which had a ninja engine in.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And I come home, decided I wanted.
Speaker D:I've always wanted a right kitten since I was 16.
Speaker D:Never managed to get one.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And then again, David Dejolet started sending my better half various links of Reliant kittens and one showed up about five minutes away from my house.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Which didn't have an engine in, which was perfect.
Speaker D:So we bought the kitten, brought the kitten home and then we decided what?
Speaker D:We wanted to fit in it, did some research, found out the Yamaha one was the best overall for power, to convert it to rear wheel drive, to everything.
Speaker D:Just basic, a good balance.
Speaker D:So then we bought a complete bike, which was MOT the day before, and stripped it.
Speaker B:It's an Asper Evo.
Speaker B:Took it in it.
Speaker D:Yes, we took it home.
Speaker D:I can't even ride a bike, so spending 1,500 quid on a bike was a bit daunting.
Speaker D:We got to pull to bits.
Speaker D:But it worked out well.
Speaker D:We stripped it, the engine went in the kitten and.
Speaker D:Yeah, the rest is history, really.
Speaker B:So when you said you chose that engine, was there any reason why?
Speaker B:If you're going to do conversions like this, I conclude you don't just buy a car and an engine, you've got to work out which engines will be the best.
Speaker B:How do you work that out?
Speaker D:A lot of research.
Speaker D:I mean, we've come to the conclusion the R1, a lot of the.
Speaker D:Everyone says just put an A booster in.
Speaker D:It's not that easy.
Speaker B:That used to be the engine that everybody's stuck in all sorts.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:But to get an air booster running in a car, you need a dry sump system, which is about another couple of grand.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So the R1, quite happily, if you fit a baffle system to the sump, it will.
Speaker D:It will deal with oil starvation that way, providing you're not really on track constantly.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So that was the best thing.
Speaker D:I mean, the R1 engine, it's got, apart from modified exhaust, it's got the baffle system, it's got heavy duty Barrett.
Speaker B:Racing clutch because it memory serves, I've seen it twice, but it's always been stationary.
Speaker B:It's the sequential box that the bike has.
Speaker D:Yes, yes.
Speaker D:It's running the entire.
Speaker D:The suspect, the sequential box of the bike.
Speaker D:So it's one up, one down, six up.
Speaker D:Yeah, and that's where it is.
Speaker D:But no reverse, obviously.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And does it have a clutch?
Speaker D:Yes, a Barrett raised clutch and I run the clutch exactly as off a carwell.
Speaker B:So it works off a normal pedal.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:Rough.
Speaker D:Including with a kitten clutch cable so that I know if the clutch cable snapped, it's not a modified thing.
Speaker D:I modified the bike engine end, so it took the kit and clutch.
Speaker D:So if the cable ever snapped, it's by kitten clutch fit that.
Speaker D:So there was no messing around.
Speaker D:But yeah, I mean, touch wood, in the us, it's beyond the road, it's giving me no hassle.
Speaker D:The only thing it has done, I've got Prop shaft burn fault which I'm going to repair this next couple of weeks.
Speaker D:But apart from that everything's been faultless.
Speaker B:Cuz I conclude the kitten, given the fact it was a massive 38 break horsepower, there'll be various things to make it be able to copy with what's nearly 100 brake horsepower more.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:What do you have to do?
Speaker D:A few strengthening braces in the chassis.
Speaker D:I mean it's got obviously disc brakes.
Speaker D:We couldn't stop it on the original drums.
Speaker D:We've got a roll cage which stiffens the chassis up.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:But apart from that, I mean it's not a great amount of torque.
Speaker D:So it's not.
Speaker D:We're still going to stand the kit and back axle.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker D:The first time we took it out we took it for a spin and some young kid in some ODS 4 came up behind us and we blitzed him and.
Speaker B:Which would have chewed him up no end.
Speaker D:Well, he followed his own.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:To find out what it was.
Speaker D:He was going through the gears while we were still accelerating in second because we had up to about 13,000 revs and he was still going through the gears trying to catch us and we saw him follow us to the point where if someone follows us, I make sure I don't pull it.
Speaker D:So I'm there.
Speaker D:So I don't know with the other cars live.
Speaker D:So we pulled up outside of a friend's house and first thing this young lad said is, what the bloody hell's in that?
Speaker D:Yeah, I said a 1 liter.
Speaker D:They won't believe me since we're shorting around it.
Speaker D:But yeah, it's.
Speaker D:It does surprise a lot of people.
Speaker D:It's great fun.
Speaker D:But like I say, it's not something that we like to drive to, to France or Germany or anything like Martin's done basically.
Speaker B:I mean do you sprint it over, do anything else with it?
Speaker D:No, I fancy doing the odd auto solo.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:I've still not managed to do it yet, but that's what I do fancy doing.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because the only thing you do is drift, isn't it?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:On an amateur level.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:But yeah, that's one of the other things we do is we enjoy chucking a BMW run a drift track.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Which is again great fun.
Speaker D:The quickest way to burn a lot of money.
Speaker D:But yeah, it is a good.
Speaker D:It is a really good laugh.
Speaker D:If anyone fancies it, I recommend you get a passenger ride or take some drifting lessons because once you get stuck it's.
Speaker B:It's very addictive and I mean that's I mean the club do.
Speaker B:I mean like you do rolling road days, don't you?
Speaker D:Yes, rolling road days.
Speaker D:We do track.
Speaker D:We do a track day at the Three Sisters which is a combination of get your car on track and a bit of a car show in the paddock.
Speaker D:But we've got a rolling road day coming up on the 1st of October, which is a Sunday in D.C.
Speaker D:remapping in Warrington.
Speaker D:Any cars welcome?
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:We just want to get a lot of cars down and see what plays out.
Speaker D:Yeah, but yeah, we just try and do a bit of everything really.
Speaker D:We do kiting sessions once a year, don't we?
Speaker D:Yeah, but yeah, it's a, it's a good community and we're.
Speaker D:We just try and get as much as we can out of the.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean how did all this come about?
Speaker B:Where did your.
Speaker B:I mean both of you, where did your passion for cars come from and where did the passion for obscure cars you come from?
Speaker C:I think my passion's always been.
Speaker C:It's always been there since I was little with toy cars.
Speaker C:I used to smash the cars up and made little accidents with them and stuff like that.
Speaker C:But very family orientated with mechanics and so my uncle was a mechanic, my dad's a mechanic, got cousins that were mechanics as well.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:So it's kind of just run down through the family that way.
Speaker C:Anything obscure, if it's.
Speaker C:If it sticks out like a sore thumb, I'm interested in it.
Speaker B:And where did yours come from?
Speaker D:I can't honestly say.
Speaker D:My dad was.
Speaker D:He's not a mechanic, he's not interested in cars.
Speaker D:He can't understand my passion in cars.
Speaker D:He did have a Capri years ago which I've had several Capris but yeah, ever since I've been able to.
Speaker D:To crawl, I've been into cars.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:I've always had toy cars and it's back to the future.
Speaker D:I look back to the future because of the cars and Cannonball Run and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Anything 80s wise I've been obsessed with.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And I don't know where the obsession started but it would have been a.
Speaker D:Cheaper to have a drug habit in the long run.
Speaker B:And what era of cars is it that you guys like?
Speaker C: s through to the: Speaker C:Nothing really any newer than that.
Speaker C:Yeah, but yeah, like I say, anything that stands out, it's good for me.
Speaker D:Yeah, yeah, pretty much the same as Martin.
Speaker D:I'm.
Speaker D:I'm more 70s onwards.
Speaker D:Anything boxer.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:If it stands out.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:What is the appeal of those era.
Speaker D:Of cars mainly when I was growing up.
Speaker D:Yeah, I remember seeing the XR3s.
Speaker D:I always wanted XR3.
Speaker D:I remember looking at pages trying to find an XR3 when I was 17 and then realized I couldn't afford insure it.
Speaker D:Yeah, anything like that.
Speaker D:Basically again, it's just if it's boxer, it's all right by me.
Speaker D:It's just absolutely different.
Speaker D:I mean anything that stands out in the, in the modern world of today with all the jelly molds of cars.
Speaker B:You were blobs as I call.
Speaker D:Yes, exactly.
Speaker B:Now the one thing I know about 80s cars is they're now called young timers.
Speaker B:The Germans call them young timers.
Speaker B:But a lot of 80s cars are suffering from the fact that they can't be repaired, especially the ECU's.
Speaker B:How are you finding 80s cars?
Speaker B:Are there less 80s cars about than they used to be?
Speaker D:I think there are, but I think majority of the problems with the dreaded Ford rust from oversight.
Speaker B: Rs: Speaker B:I mean at 10 years old, they were designed to have rotted away.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:And a lot of them, you find that especially if you watch television, they're in a terrible state.
Speaker B:So I mean a lot of 8 inch cars, how do you find them?
Speaker B:Are they in a bad state?
Speaker D:The one Fiesta I got, I was lucky, it wasn't in a bad state.
Speaker D:But the Capri I've got in the garage was and pretty much still is.
Speaker D:But yes, they do suffer.
Speaker D:I mean like I said, they weren't meant to last.
Speaker D:Yeah, they were made from cheap metal.
Speaker D:I mean Ford, when Ford did the Brooklyn's Capri at the end of the.
Speaker B:Run, which was a nice car too.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:But they pretty much admitted that they weren't sealed properly.
Speaker D:Yeah, a lot of them rusted away.
Speaker D:Yeah, but I mean when it comes to as long as the body's okay, you're not so bad.
Speaker D:I mean anything engine wise, you can get anything in.
Speaker D:And like I say, if the ECU's went the.
Speaker D:You could actually get standalone ones.
Speaker D:Now which people there's companies that'll do standalone and do a complete new loom.
Speaker B:Because just putting in, that's one thing I know.
Speaker B:I came across one mechanic who was looking around, buying old laptops.
Speaker B:Yeah, because it was all in the old laptops that would talk to 80s EC users.
Speaker D:Well, we did a, we put a Boa Cosworth in a Brooklands Capri a few years ago.
Speaker D:Yeah, and we sweep it.
Speaker D:We could never get it running 100 right.
Speaker D:Because of the technology.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So we got someone called EFI Performance who's in run commware and he did a complete standalone system and he had it running best it's ever been.
Speaker D:But then the owner got bored and realized it worked quick enough.
Speaker D:So we tweaked it twin turbo.
Speaker D:It so ended up setting out we twin turbo.
Speaker D:We fitted the engine, but with the Top Boston.
Speaker D:So fit the twin turbos.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And it whipped out about 400 horsepower on a standalone, which it was very lively for a 28 Capri we would.
Speaker B:Be because I mean they were notorious for being twitchy at the Mester ties.
Speaker B:Does this car still exist?
Speaker D:Yes, it does.
Speaker D:It's passed on to a different friend, but yeah, it still exists.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:Do you find within retributes the cars change hands within the club?
Speaker D:Not really.
Speaker D:I think majority of the people in the club seem to be like me.
Speaker D:And we don't end up selling the cars, we end up just buying more.
Speaker D:So we don't end up parting with them, do we?
Speaker C:No, just end up with a collection.
Speaker D:I mean to be fair, if Martin's kitten did go up for sale, I'd probably be pretty bidding.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:Don't mind me asking roughly, what's it worth?
Speaker C:I wouldn't even have a clue because.
Speaker B:I mean now it's got some serious provenance.
Speaker C:Yeah, I wouldn't like say I've not a clue.
Speaker C:I've never looked at how much it's worth.
Speaker C:It's probably worth more to me than.
Speaker C:Yeah, it is actually worth it.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:It's 100.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:So definitely.
Speaker B:So what else have you got or what else is in the pipeline?
Speaker C:So I've got a Bedford Rascal with a bike engine.
Speaker C:It's currently sat in the backyard and doing nothing.
Speaker C:There's a Mazda MX5 that I use on track, caged up and sticky tires on and stuff like that.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:And then there's the daily driver.
Speaker C:Volkswagen Golf Mark 4 with a diesel engine in it.
Speaker B:So that's the boring one.
Speaker C:That's the boring one.
Speaker B:Squad, what have you got?
Speaker D:Oh, we're just.
Speaker D:We've got a Mini, which officially that's my wife's.
Speaker D:The Reliant kit I'm gonna buy.
Speaker B:Is the Mini modified?
Speaker D:No, no.
Speaker D:Well, it's gonna have deep dish wheels and wider arches, but that's gonna be a 1 liter.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:The relight Kitten obviously with a bike engine.
Speaker D: A: Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D: The Merton Fiesta which is: Speaker D:The drift curve, which is a 2.8 E46 compact with nitrous, a 330ci E46 BMW and a 530M Sport E61 diesel, modified mapped up.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker D:So, yeah, it's a bit lively.
Speaker B:I had heard on the grapevine that they're going to make nitrous difficult to get hold of.
Speaker D:Yes, they are, they are.
Speaker D:But I mean that's more the medical grade stuff.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:Because that's what people are teching.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:But yeah, it's.
Speaker D:We'll see how that pans out in the future.
Speaker B:But I mean it's like various films and everything else.
Speaker B:How do you get hold of the nitrous conversion case?
Speaker B:If the films were to be believed?
Speaker B:The shops on every corner selling conversions to.
Speaker D:To be honest, you're surprisingly easy to get hold of this.
Speaker D:My system is a Wizards of NOS setup, which is a place based over here.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And you can just go on the website, order a full kit and it'll come to your door and that's it.
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker D:I go to a place in Chester, a little old guy which if they do ban nitrous, I don't think he's gonna take much notice.
Speaker D:He's a very old school guy.
Speaker D:He looks like a wizard.
Speaker D:Yeah, is a.
Speaker D:He's got a rolling road set up.
Speaker D:He's got a garage that looks like mine with complete tat everywhere.
Speaker D:But it's a bit of a.
Speaker D:It also fills nitrous up.
Speaker D:It's one of these old school garages that, that you want to find if you've got an old car.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:He knows exactly what he's doing with curbs and everything.
Speaker D:And he has a nitrous filling system as well.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:How do you fit it?
Speaker D:Fitting.
Speaker D:Basically you've got two ways.
Speaker D:You've got a dry system, which is just a smaller setup, which is basically it just injects the nitrous into the intake and the ECU basically puts a bit extra fuel in for.
Speaker D:To compensate.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Mine is a wet system.
Speaker D:So you've got.
Speaker D:It injects the nitrous in, but it also injects a sample of fuel to equal it out.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker B:So I was going to say, how does the car know?
Speaker B:Because it's just used to having fuel put into.
Speaker D:Well, that's it.
Speaker D:It doesn't.
Speaker D:It just.
Speaker D:It has a fogger system which just injects nitrous and the fuel before the throttle belly.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So as soon as you put your foot down Hit the switch.
Speaker D:I've got a trigger switch on the accelerator.
Speaker D:So you only.
Speaker D:You only trigger it when it's wide open.
Speaker D:Throttle.
Speaker E:Right.
Speaker D:So as soon as it's.
Speaker D:And you.
Speaker D:You trigger it with a.
Speaker B:To turn the system on and off.
Speaker D:Yes, we've got a system that switch on and off from inside.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:And as soon as it hits the throttle right.
Speaker D:To the floor the night, it gives you an extra 60 horsepower, which is.
Speaker B:Is that relatively standard?
Speaker D:It's safe for what this is.
Speaker D:I mean, you can go up to a few hundred horsepower, but you need progressive systems which come in stages.
Speaker D:But this is nice little 60 horsepower.
Speaker D:I' but just.
Speaker D:Just basically breaks traction a bit more on the drift track.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So, yeah.
Speaker B:What else have you got?
Speaker B:Both of you?
Speaker B:What else have you got planned?
Speaker D:I'm not.
Speaker D:There's a few I do want, but.
Speaker B:What would you like to build?
Speaker D:A Trabant.
Speaker D:I would like to do a Trabant or a Renault 4.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:But the other thing which I've been most likely to do is a P100 Sierra drift car.
Speaker E:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:Which I would not mind.
Speaker D:I would like to do.
Speaker D:Not saying thought about it much.
Speaker D:A 3 litre BM engine up front, nitrous on the back.
Speaker D:Well, are you gonna apply for an extra garage?
Speaker D:I've run out of space at my house, so I've applied for a council garage.
Speaker D:And if this does show up, they might end up with a P100 in it.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Until we get around to it.
Speaker B:And how much planning do you have to do to come do these conversions?
Speaker D:It's usually a few beers the night before and then the grind usually plays out.
Speaker D:Is there's no big cab drawings, is there?
Speaker C:No, no.
Speaker C:Just have a few beers, get a bit giddy and then take a grinder to a car and see how it unfolds.
Speaker B:So somebody walks out of the pub doorway one night, finds the car cutting off.
Speaker B:One of you two has been h somewhere along the lines, no, don't look.
Speaker C:At us, it means us.
Speaker B:But Martin, what would you like to build or what's on the wish list?
Speaker C:I'm not sure I would like a Mini, like I said previously.
Speaker D:You could have m.
Speaker D:I was looking.
Speaker C:At a Mini before I got the kitten.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker C:So, yeah, I would like to.
Speaker C:I would like to follow that through and get.
Speaker C:Get an old Mini.
Speaker B:And do what to it?
Speaker C:Keep it standard more than anything.
Speaker C:Just make it mint.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So it will.
Speaker B:It will be very unretributes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Is there anything modified wise you'd like to do.
Speaker C:There is plans with the Bedford Rascal.
Speaker C:There's going to be a exoskeleton cage going on it, a big flatbed on it, and it might end up on a drift track.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because, I mean, they were notoriously unstable.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's got a wide track back axle on it, so it's a little bit more stable.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:It has got a welded diff, though, which makes it a bit lively.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And what engine would the poor little thing have stuck in it?
Speaker C:It's currently got a GPZ thousand engine in it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Kawasaki.
Speaker C:So that's.
Speaker C:That's 120 horsepower over the standard 50 horsepower that it used to have.
Speaker B:And one question.
Speaker B:How do you go on M14 and do they.
Speaker B:I mean, you drive them on the road, so they're all legal.
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker B:How.
Speaker B:How does all this work?
Speaker A:Because when you take it to an.
Speaker B:MOT station, it's not gonna fit into one of the little boxes, is it?
Speaker D:Well, in theory, it's.
Speaker D:The engine in my kitten is still an inline four cylinder.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:So they can only MOT what's there and make sure it's safe.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker D:I mean, regardless what's in it, as long as it's safe, fitted correctly and not leaking oil everywhere, it's.
Speaker D:It's a pass.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So they don't.
Speaker B:And how do you go on with the nitrous?
Speaker B:Does it.
Speaker B:Do you disconnect it, or.
Speaker D:Well, when it was on the car that was just left there, I mean, the insurance company knew all about it.
Speaker D:Obviously, it's not tested on mot.
Speaker D:It's just make sure, as long as you've got any lines that's rubbing through, you're all care.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:But like I say, it's currently on the drift car, so it's not really an issue anymore.
Speaker B:And retro views, how often does it meet and where does it meet?
Speaker D:We meet at the Georgian Dragon pub in Glaresborough, which is in Warrington, on the first Tuesday of every month from 8:00.
Speaker D:Get a variety of cars, depending on the weather, but regardless of the weather, we will always be there.
Speaker E:Yeah.
Speaker D:Whether it's.
Speaker D:If it's snowing, we'll be in the dailies.
Speaker D:It's a great place to meet, come and have a bit of banter, have tea there and a couple of drinks.
Speaker D:Yeah, but, yeah, I mean, we could usually be found around the shore circuit at Tatton park and all the local shows are in the Northwest and sometimes at Santa Pod and maybe in the future Nurburgring.
Speaker D:We'll see how that plays out.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean that'd be one Oliver Members meeting, won't it?
Speaker B:Where we meet him?
Speaker B:The cafe at the Nordschleife.
Speaker B:Which is well worth going to.
Speaker B:Gentlemen, Martin Smith.
Speaker B:It's been a pleasure chatting to you.
Speaker B:I'm hoping that you'll take something else interesting out to me in a Mark Glovish squange as always.
Speaker B:Cuz I've chatted to you on many occasions.
Speaker B:It's been a pleasure having you on the back seat driver.
Speaker B:And more power.
Speaker B:I don't know I should say that.
Speaker B:Giving you what you'll give it another 600 break.
Speaker B:But gentlemen, it's been a pleasure chatting to you on the back seat driver.
Speaker C:Thank you, thank you very much.
