Cafe Racers and a 'British' style for cars...

[Rob M]

Jul 6, 2015 21:06:46 GMT Seth said:

Just spotted this is an great photo thread by DarrenW. Yes, it is a race car but a road version would be excellent. Chunky tyres, cut bumper, cooling holes for oil cooler, bonnet latches, headlamp tape, off-white roundels etc.

This one used to be my laptop wall paper.
When you look at just how beautifully presented they are it demonstrates beyond all doubt that to get the 'look' isn't about lobbing a few bits on and a paint job.
People have given some serious thought about the look without compromising what they have been built to do.

[GoJo372]

Love this thread! One of best looks for a classic IMHO but then again I am biased

[homeforsummer]

That Riley One-Point-Five is probably my favourite historic racing car around at the moment. It just looks perfect and absolutely represents that "cafe racer for cars" look.

[carledo]

Just come across this thread and thought "does mine count here?"



its only got about 130bhp of 2ltr 8V Vauxhall power but the emphasis is on grunt and handling. Its high enough to use as a daily on our godawful local roads and still brings this big stupid grin to my face every time I fire it up! And it was built on a shoestring budget, which I think is one of the criteria here, its part of the look of a cafe racer that it should be a bit rough round the edges with function coming first, second, third and fourth and form trailing in last.
Ps I rode a caferacer in 1970/1 A BSA rocket goldstar 650 twin, RRT2 gearbox twin amal concentrics norton short roadholder forks, clipons, rearsets, alloy tank, 1 1/2 seat tiny chrome mudguard..... God I loved that bike, wish I still had it now but obviously the influences have stayed with me all these years without me even realising it!

[Littlepixel]

This is a great thread - something very solid and chunky about a UK café racer style. unfussy, engineering and common sense, not gimmicks or fragility.
This mini sort of sums it up for me: (Though it'd be better with the functional pressed-steel 'van' grille...)

[tom83]

Sept 9, 2015 0:14:51 GMT Littlepixel said:

This is a great thread - something very solid and chunky about a UK café racer style. unfussy, engineering and common sense, not gimmicks or fragility.
This mini sort of sums it up for me: (Though it'd be better with the functional pressed-steel 'van' grille...)

Is the mud painted on? Agree about the van grille would finish it off.

[mtjm]

Sept 9, 2015 5:26:05 GMT tom83 said:

Sept 9, 2015 0:14:51 GMT Littlepixel said:

This is a great thread - something very solid and chunky about a UK café racer style. unfussy, engineering and common sense, not gimmicks or fragility.
This mini sort of sums it up for me: (Though it'd be better with the functional pressed-steel 'van' grille...)

Is the mud painted on? Agree about the van grille would finish it off.

It's a Photoshop. Here's the original, from this post:

[Littlepixel]

Sept 9, 2015 9:27:12 GMT mtjm said:

It's a Photoshop

Yup - I wanted to add my own take on what makes it. Yes - mud is added along with decals, tyre logos, 2" bigger rims, flaps, 2" Sprint-style roof-chop and a bit of tidying around the door to match the rear window.
Did you notice the suicide doors?

[mtjm]

Sept 9, 2015 9:34:53 GMT Littlepixel said:

Sept 9, 2015 9:27:12 GMT mtjm said:

It's a Photoshop

Yup - I wanted to add my own take on what makes it. Yes - mud is added along with decals, tyre logos, 2" bigger rims, flaps, 2" Sprint-style roof-chop and a bit of tidying around the door to match the rear window.
Did you notice the suicide doors?

The doors are excellent. They're the first thing that made me think it might be a 'shop.

[tom83]

Original is stunning also.

[penski]

Nailed it.



*n

[Smiler]

Cool thread, some awesome cars in here. I may be biased but I do prefer British tin as a general view.

A bit of self-whoring.

I don't know what 'style' you would put my yellow Scimitar into but the general theme when I build it is going to be 'barn-find ex-race car'.

It will be stripped out, caged (if finances allow), period buckets (no rear seats) but with refurbished suspension and a modern engine & gearbox. The exterior will remain as it is now, crazed flaking paint with exposed primer and gel-coat showing and it will retain the original wheels.





Current interior will be stripped out but dashboard will be rebuilt with the original instrumentation:



I was thinking of the old cafe racer motorcycles when I conceived my plans for it.

[heathrobinson]

The first two images on this put me in mind of Morgan tricycles -

[robdhc]

One thing I've noticed from this thread is the healthy portions of tyre, like so:




Might just be me but not something I see in many other "scenes", excluding dragsters and hot-rods

[shagracer]

this has to fit in here

Nov 26, 2015 0:19:51 GMT alex said:

heres a link to his build thread retrorides.proboards.com/thread/169912/rover-6v8-supercharged-race-drag

[carledo]

Always thought the P6 a bit of a effeminate looking car but that is Butch with a capital B!

Steve

[Deleted]

[Smiler]

Awesome, really starting to miss my old mk5

[alex]

Dec 2, 2015 23:00:18 GMT carledo said:

Always thought the P6 a bit of a effeminate looking car but that is Butch with a capital B!

Steve

Thank you

[alolympic]

I think this beauty fits in here.....
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1960-MGA-Le-Mans-182-Roadster-from-W-D-Wins-/191793740009?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368