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

[teamsanctuary]

Mar 15, 2016 3:27:22 GMT -7 HoTWire said:
Hi there, is that your car in your avatar picture?

Yes, that's my 'B-GT that I campaigned in rally between '99 and '02. Sadly it was seriously damaged in a brush fire last year. If it can be rebuilt I plan on giving it to my son. It's back on some family land and next week will be the first time I've seen it since the fire. I think my 'B V8 roadster is more fitting with the style of this thread.

[teamsanctuary]

[gavs1]

Would it work for trikes?

[gn3dr]

Mar 15, 2016 15:53:50 GMT tdk said:

Feb 27, 2016 9:04:20 GMT DarrenW said:

I think this might belong in here. There's definite potential:





A series one XJ would be an excellent base for a British Cafe Racer car.

Sorry to quote such an old post, but that is (for me) the most perfect looking machine ever. It's on Danish plates, I see, but where did you find the pic? I'd love to know more.

You won't have to go too far to find out more. He has a good thread on here retrorides.proboards.com/thread/121917/1971-jaguar-manual-retro-race

[stevepeanut]

I have mixed feeling on this thread. As someone who's ridden motorcycles for 20+ years, I don't like the cafe racer term being used for cars. I don't even like the term cafe racer being used in modern bikes or Japanese bikes. For me a cafe racer should be a British bike from the 1960s, nothing else. I can just about live with a modern bike in a cafe racer style, but I wouldn't call it a real cafe racer.

But, what I do have huge enthusiasm for is the idea of this thread, our own British style for cars. Even more so, cars that are built to drive. Modified to faster, to be lighter, to handle better.

I would love to see a move away from the lowered stance scene. Maybe I'm getting old and I don't get it, but I don't understand building a car as low as possible, that looks good parked up, built purely for shows, sitting an inch off the ground with huge camber that looks to me like the suspension has collapsed. I've never driven one, but I think it would be terrifying to drive fast on a bumpy country road. Don't get me wrong I love lowered cars, but to me I like to see them lowered a little, to handle better. It almost feels to me like I want to see the 90s again, where lads would fit some new wheels, drop it 40mm, fit a noisy exhaust and K&N then go out and drive.

Anyway enough of my rambling. I just really want to see cars built for driving. People meeting up and going on runs that kind of thing.

[RetroWarwicK]

Here's my take on the cafe racer theme. A german car with a britisth build bodyshell, pretending to be a german car aiming to get some brit touches.



So far, leather bonnet strap, old style blumels white raised plates, mgb seats, trad motolita steering wheel

[mikeymk]

Mar 16, 2016 20:33:31 GMT stevepeanut said:

I have mixed feeling on this thread. As someone who's ridden motorcycles for 20+ years, I don't like the cafe racer term being used for cars. I don't even like the term cafe racer being used in modern bikes or Japanese bikes. For me a cafe racer should be a British bike from the 1960s, nothing else. I can just about live with a modern bike in a cafe racer style, but I wouldn't call it a real cafe racer.

But, what I do have huge enthusiasm for is the idea of this thread, our own British style for cars. Even more so, cars that are built to drive. Modified to faster, to be lighter, to handle better.

I would love to see a move away from the lowered stance scene. Maybe I'm getting old and I don't get it, but I don't understand building a car as low as possible, that looks good parked up, built purely for shows, sitting an inch off the ground with huge camber that looks to me like the suspension has collapsed. I've never driven one, but I think it would be terrifying to drive fast on a bumpy country road. Don't get me wrong I love lowered cars, but to me I like to see them lowered a little, to handle better. It almost feels to me like I want to see the 90s again, where lads would fit some new wheels, drop it 40mm, fit a noisy exhaust and K&N then go out and drive.

Anyway enough of my rambling. I just really want to see cars built for driving. People meeting up and going on runs that kind of thing.

My sentiments exactly. Almost. The lowered thing is daft but if it slows youngsters down then great. Shame that so many seem happy to wreck the wheel arches of interesting cars and future classics, more a drive for early scrappage control than anything, but what can ya do.

Not sure about the '60s thing but maybe my interpretation of the heritage isn't accurate enough.
For me, a cafe racer is made by taking an old/affordable bike and customizing it to your ideal racer. Make it light, make it fast. If what you got hold of in the '70s was a '40s barn find instead of a 10yo daily then there's no difference to me, it's still your basis.

Abuse of the term is a bit like the 'rat look' to me. And there's the problem - rat 'look' as in rat replica. A real rat is a well sorted car without the pomp of cosmetics brought to the same standard. Rat look today is driving a heap of shyte that's as bad as it looks.

For me, the spirit of this thread is spot on, there was no other way to describe the concept more accurately in two words. Maybe Hot Rod would come close, but that has its own identity fight.

My car is a bit of a cafe racer inspiration really - a lightweight old thing, which I stripped and rebuilt, using all scrap parts, to my own spec and preference, to make a light and quick little driver's machine.

Took this pic an hour ago (excuse it being full of junk and dirty but such is real life), it's relatively big modern engine on advanced multi carbs gives it a power:weight of around the 200 horses to the ton, so it's a bit of an animal - fun and swift, just what I wanted - without any of the unnecessaries.

[Foxy]

Austin Healey 100M BN1 from 1952.

[heathrobinson]

You beat me to it! That's an astounding car, absolutely beautiful!

[gregmac]

Mar 11, 2016 22:03:02 GMT skylinedave said:

Feb 9, 2016 16:32:57 GMT gregmac said:

Not sure if mine quite qualifies. 'Gentleman Racer' is definitely the look I'm going for, but I'm also a fan of originality. It will soon be lower though. EDIT: It's also got a mahoosive exhaust now.

What wheels are they squire ?

As eternaloptimist says, early MGB steels. They're a bit more unusual being 5.5J wide, took ages to find!

[datsun260z]

[optimusprime]

^^^^^^
Oh dear ....i need some alone time ..... That is lucking fovely ......

[jifflemon]

Epic thread! Cafe race/gentleman racer - apologies for the lengthy post (i may have had the odd beer!) - The views below are just my own, and not out to offend!

For me, the term has moved on; We're no longer in the sixties chaps, life moves on. For me, its still that classic look of wolf in sheep's clothing - The car that looks almost normal but you have to look that little bit harder to understand just why it's trounched you from the traffic light grand prix or around the country back road. It's the shock element.
Remember the "win on Sunday, drive to work on Monday"? For me, a car is something that's usable daily. That can be something pre-war, or something modern; It's the personal twist that counts, and to be fair, older cars had lots more to tweak than newer ones.

I think the biggest problem is that cars have become plentiful, and skills, or the desire to learn them, has decreased. No longer do you own a car and tune it to the n'th degree, because you can replace it with model X which has more powahh or better off the shelf goodies.
Learning about how suspension works is oh so 30 years ago! I can buy this kit made by company X, who've been in existence for a whole year and honestly don't just resell cheapo Chinese part, and are totes amazeballs. Who need proof these days? $100 will buy me a thousand fake reviews on my online portal.

Things that definitely aren't Cafe race/gentleman racer:

The rat look: Sorry, but I honestly don't understand this. If you want a car that looks like it's been pulled out of barn in 1953, go and buy one. A "rat look" 2005 fiesta is just another word term for trying to make something interesting from an un-cared for POS. To take something serviceable and make it worse makes no sense to me. You sand the body down and let it rust, so why not go the whole hog? Snip random wires, smash the odd light, add some sand to the engine and gearbox oil and polish your glass with wire wool. All the stuff we retro owners look to fix, you look to ruin. Why? because it requires ZERO skill.

Sticker bombing: Again, this is one up from the rat look; I have no skill to repair this mess, so I'll just cover it in stickers because it's cool. Skill Required? Zero.

Massive Camber/Stretched tyres/Laying frame: Really? Have you ever read anything by Alan Staniforth? Again, it's show before go. Whilst it looks amazing stood still, You'll be beached on the first speed bump out whilst I'm halfway home. Skill Level? Zero

Trailer queens: Those cars that are so amazing they have to be trailered to events. At what point does aesthetics become everything? Chromed brake discs and pads? wafer thin,spine distorting,unpadded Ali seats? Wire tucks? Battery removal? Just when does a car stop being a car and become an ornament? Something that you dust and show, but never actually use?

Thankfully, I look around these boards and see some truly inspiring builds. People who's thread i read and have to re-think what I'm doing to my cars. I think there's still hope for a "British" style, we've just got to believe in ourselves - Lead, rather than follow.

[quasimoto]

For me its 4x4 meets hot rod mentality or a mish mash that says neither one thing or the other but its what i like and what i am pursuing slowly and on a budget via ebay secondhand parts but the rarer variety where funds allow

[Deleted]

Apr 7, 2016 23:30:11 GMT jifflemon said:

add some sand to the engine

Please. Don't ... don't say this. I'm still too raw from recent experiences. It... it brings on PTSD.

Nobody mention s*nd for a while. Okay?

Or .... 'spr*ngs'.

Or 'air f*lters'

* Curls into fetal position and sucks thumb*

[optimusprime]

Apr 10, 2016 12:09:02 GMT @quatermass said:

Apr 7, 2016 23:30:11 GMT jifflemon said:

add some sand to the engine

Please. Don't ... don't say this. I'm still too raw from recent experiences. It... it brings on PTSD.

Nobody mention s*nd for a while. Okay?

Or .... 'spr*ngs'.

Or 'air f*lters'

* Curls into fetal position and sucks thumb*

Its ok Tim

Back away slowly

Thats it keep coming,don't look at the post

Keep coming

Thats it

You're doing fine ........

[optimusprime]

Look at the shiney car



Come on you can do it.

[Deleted]

I'm looking through my fingers. My vision is blurred by tears. It's a Triumph Spitfire... no, wait, it's a.... it's a Cob-cob-cobra. It's shiny.

Okay. I'm back in the room. Thanks.

[fr€$h&m1nt¥]

Spotted this on an Instagram video the other day and thought it fitted here, although it's actually in America ...

[carledo]

Apr 7, 2016 23:30:11 GMT jifflemon said:

Epic thread! Cafe race/gentleman racer - apologies for the lengthy post (i may have had the odd beer!) - The views below are just my own, and not out to offend!

For me, the term has moved on; We're no longer in the sixties chaps, life moves on. For me, its still that classic look of wolf in sheep's clothing - The car that looks almost normal but you have to look that little bit harder to understand just why it's trounched you from the traffic light grand prix or around the country back road. It's the shock element.
Remember the "win on Sunday, drive to work on Monday"? For me, a car is something that's usable daily. That can be something pre-war, or something modern; It's the personal twist that counts, and to be fair, older cars had lots more to tweak than newer ones.

I think the biggest problem is that cars have become plentiful, and skills, or the desire to learn them, has decreased. No longer do you own a car and tune it to the n'th degree, because you can replace it with model X which has more powahh or better off the shelf goodies.
Learning about how suspension works is oh so 30 years ago! I can buy this kit made by company X, who've been in existence for a whole year and honestly don't just resell cheapo Chinese part, and are totes amazeballs. Who need proof these days? $100 will buy me a thousand fake reviews on my online portal.

Things that definitely aren't Cafe race/gentleman racer:

The rat look: Sorry, but I honestly don't understand this. If you want a car that looks like it's been pulled out of barn in 1953, go and buy one. A "rat look" 2005 fiesta is just another word term for trying to make something interesting from an un-cared for POS. To take something serviceable and make it worse makes no sense to me. You sand the body down and let it rust, so why not go the whole hog? Snip random wires, smash the odd light, add some sand to the engine and gearbox oil and polish your glass with wire wool. All the stuff we retro owners look to fix, you look to ruin. Why? because it requires ZERO skill.

Sticker bombing: Again, this is one up from the rat look; I have no skill to repair this mess, so I'll just cover it in stickers because it's cool. Skill Required? Zero.

Massive Camber/Stretched tyres/Laying frame: Really? Have you ever read anything by Alan Staniforth? Again, it's show before go. Whilst it looks amazing stood still, You'll be beached on the first speed bump out whilst I'm halfway home. Skill Level? Zero

Trailer queens: Those cars that are so amazing they have to be trailered to events. At what point does aesthetics become everything? Chromed brake discs and pads? wafer thin,spine distorting,unpadded Ali seats? Wire tucks? Battery removal? Just when does a car stop being a car and become an ornament? Something that you dust and show, but never actually use?

Thankfully, I look around these boards and see some truly inspiring builds. People who's thread i read and have to re-think what I'm doing to my cars. I think there's still hope for a "British" style, we've just got to believe in ourselves - Lead, rather than follow.

When I built my car, I was not really intending to follow ANY particular genre or style, for me, function defined form and the car looks the way it does because that's how it works best!
It would appear that I have built a cafe racer (by the definition above) without even trying!


Steve