MLCrisis

I think we are arguing at cross purposes. My point is that, quite possibly, the first car manufacturer to christen their cars officially as a Gran(d) Turismo/Tourer/Whatever was Italian. Other manufacturers also christened their cars as Grand Tourers, in their own language. The Brits, bless 'em, had more than a few cars that were thus christened - i.e. not called "GT", but called "Grand Tourer". One of the manufacturers eventually dubbed one of their models as "GT" - again presumably this was an Italian make, hence their claim to the meaning of the acronym. But the British makes would tell you that "GT", for their models, was short for the English translation. The French makes would almost certainly tell you the equivalent, in their own parochial way. Quite what the German for "Grand Tourer" is, son of rajab knows, but I am sure they too did not bow to their Italian rivals and adopt the Italian name. So the Italians got in first, but other manufacturers used the acronym, but with their own translation. So it is arguable that "GT" cannot be claimed as meaning just the version from one language. So "GT" is not "Gran Turismo" in any language. That is the point I was trying to make. Sorry to be so longwinded!

All nationalities did the Grand Tour. The Italian for "Grand Tourer" is "Gran Turismo", which is prominent in the car world due to the number of Italian firms that made GT cars. This is also one of the reasons why I think that Alfa Romeo may have been the first manufacturer to officially christen a car as "Gran Turismo". Cheers.

The Grand Tourer goes back a little further than the 1960s! The name comes from the Grand Tour which people undertook in Europe to round off their education. It was highly popular in the 18th century. People would visit the main cultural capitals of Europe - London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Lisbon, Venice, Rome, etc. - and would spend months away. The advent of the railways in the 19th century made such travel easier. Then, of course, the motor car brought a new element to it, with greater freedom to explore and greater speed. Not surprisingly, a number of car manufacturers recognised this and developed their cars to suit the requirements of the Grand Tour. As Zakalwe said, the Grand Tourer had room for luggage, and were generally four seaters or a 2+2, and were capable of high speed touring in comfort. I am not sure which was the first manufacturer to christen one of their cars a "Grand Tourer", but Alfa Romeo comes to mind. Other manucturers such as Bentley, Alvis, Hispano Suiza, Mercedes, Maserati, Bugatti all had early Grand Tourer models. Quite which was the first to just put the letters "GT" in the name, I am not sure. But the hey day of the GT car was probably the 1920s and 1930s. Society and the face of Europe changed so hugely in the 2nd World War that the Grand Tour fell out of fashion, although the GT car remained with motoring holidays a firmly established phenomenon. Here endeth the history lesson! Cheers.

And this is a surprise? They have been saying this in the import mags for years. Just look at the protectionism applied to the local car industry and then ask yourself how much influence they have in Canberra. If you want to keep the import scene going, you have to send letters, not emails, to your local and federal MPs, plus letters to the papers and even to Sh#t-for-brains presenters like Ray Martin. And keep the positive aspects of car clubs alive and well. Cheers.

Hmmm ..... So first of all you are driving on bald tyres and asking for temporary replacements so that you can pass a check at the "easiest" pits. Then you describe your experience with the cops in the following terms: Then you flame Boozstor for leaping to conclusions about the way you conducted yourself - which was not wholly unreasonable, given the comments above! - and the "wankers" are suddenly "officers". Then, a little late in the piece, you drop the fact that your Dad is a senior officer and that he has pulled some strings to help you out (as any father would - I certainly would for my son, if I could) So now your sticker is straight and all is well in world. Hmmm ..... I would suggest you take care on how you put matters, as you are not painting yourself in a very clear light. If you want to be taken seriously, that is. Cheers.

Hey, GotBoost, have a read of the thread I put up earlier ..... and bear in mind that most people reading this thread are not way out West, like us. Having said that, there are a few things that you haven't quite got the right end of the stick on. You are right that in the West, the other fuel retailers have to buy their raw product from BP at Kwinana. As the other thread says, they then add their additives and sell it as their own. I am fairly sure that this happens vice versa in other locations around Australia where there is only one refinery within cooey. But there are a number of refineries in NSW / Vic, so there is competition nationally (so the price argument is a bit more complicated than you suggest). The main point where you are not quite right is: BP's 98 octane fuel, BP Ultimate is a refined fuel - i.e. it achieves its octane rating through refining, not through additives. It is not a 95 octane fuel with additives boosting it to 98. The Mobil 98 octane fuel is the same. On the other hand, Shell Optimax is a 95 octane fuel with additives boosting it to 98. I believe from what others have posted elsewhere that the Caltex 98 octane fuel also achieves its rating through additives. Here in the West, BP produce the 98 octane fuel at Kwinana, but refuse to sell it on to anyone else. Shell do not market Optimax here, presumably because it is uneconomical to build the plant required to take the raw 95 octane fuel from BP Kwinana and mix it up to 98 octane. Mobil are also left in the lurch, with their lovely 98 octane fuel only available near their refinery over East. As for which fuel is best, the conclusion from several other threads was that BP Ultimate or the Mobil 98 octane fuel were the best. Not surprising, given that their octane rating is not achieved by additives, unlike the rest. Cheers. Such fun.

It really is a crap magazine. I bought a few when I first started getting import magazines and rapidly found that they might have one or two things of interest, but very underdone. The "technical detail" is at the level that my daughter (who is 10) could write. I regularly check it to see if they can surprise me with something, but all they do is go for the "wow" with no substance. And being a big boy, I formed that opinion all by myself without being poisoned and corrupted by Rezz!! :headspin: Cheers.

UAS were selling one a while back, calling it a "Nismo grill for Series II R33". The factory option sounds more likely to me. Cheers.

Hi guys, If you try a search on "BP Ultimate" or "Optimax" or even "Opticrap" (which appears in most threads on the subject!), you should get some good background. The thread below gives quite a bit of discussion on the topic with some quite informed views. Here's the thread. http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/sh...50&page=1&pp=25 Cheers.

Hey, Ken. I did the course through Woodside in about '97 - '98. We may have met. I also managed to push some business to DTEC through Steve (Brown & Root / Shell Philippines and then a joint bid for some stuff in Oman). Had fun on the course. Even though I have successfully used pulse braking in the past, sort of (!), when I was on the course, my technique was kinda interesting! I basically had my foot jammed hard on the pedal, knee locked and my heel doing an Elvis impersonation while I skidded throught the cones!! I did manage to improve, but would definitely benefit from doing it again. Cheers.

Guys, riveting as this might be for some, I get all the soaps I want from the TV. I suggest you take this off-line again and talk to each other nicely. We really don't need it in public. Let us know when you are friends again. Oh, and by the way, the first mention of "second hand" was in a post earlier in this thread, where someone was referring to something else someone said elsewhere. It is not surprising it all got messed up. Stop arguing about other people's emails, leave us out of it and I am sure you can sort it out. Then sit down and have a beer. Cheers. P.S. I think it is time this thread was put to bed!

The problem with posts and emails is that often what is written is not read by others as the intended message. What you wrote didn't read like a threat, it read like posturing - and pretty silly at that. Maybe that is not what you intended, but that is why it got the response it did. In all of this, Brent has not whinged once about hundreds of emails a day. That was something others have suggested in his defence. But you have a good point - it is his business, so he should deal with it. However, nothing is ever black and white, particularly business. The nature of the business should be taken into account and is by most people, it would appear. Some of the complainers appear to have no comprehension of what is involved in getting hold of their purple anodised dipstick, shipping it to Oz and getting it delivered into their trembling hands. Hence the argument. "You don't know who you are dealing with" reminds me of the tale of the check-in clerk at Sydney airport. It was a Monday morning and there was a massive queue waiting to check in. This bloke marched to the front of the queue and demanded that he be allowed to check in before everyone else, as his plane was due to leave in 30 minutes and he had to get through. She politely declined and asked him to take his place in the queue. He persisted, loudly trying to make her quail. She again politely declined saying that everyone else was in the same position. At this, he lost it, drew himself up, puffed out his chest and said, imperiously "Do you know who I am?". At this, the check-in clerk climbed up onto the conveyor next to her desk and shouted across the check-in hall "Attention everybody, attention". Silence fell and hundreds of people looked at her. She then pointed at the bloke and said "I wonder if anybody can help this man. He doesn't know who he is. If anyone can help him, please see him when he takes his place in the queue. Thankyou." She then got down, smiled at him and dealt with the next person. The offending bloke quietly slunk off to the back of the queue! Just thought I would share that with you! Yes, you're entitled to, just as others are entitled to defend someone from whom they have had excellent service and see this as an unreasonable and ill-considered attack, written whilst hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. No doubt you have a genuine grievance. I am sure that, if you go about it in the right way, you will get what is owed you. Act like a prick and don't be surprised if it takes a little longer! Cheers.

Ultimate road movie: Two Lane Blacktop - '55 Chevy vs Yellow Goat. Starring James Taylor as The Driver. If you ain't seen it, go down to your local video store NOW! Some classic drag racing scenes, specially when the '55 Chevy blows away a '65/'66 Vette. 454 and 4 on the floor! Love it!! :headspin: Got to love the '34 Ford Model A in American Graffiti. The Pharoahs' Led Sled and the '58 Chevy are pretty cool too! While you're at the video store, get out American Graffiti II, as well and enjoy some cool drag racing. I think not! I saw this in the flesh not too long after the movie came out (showing my age!) and it was most definitely a DB5. An early one, but a DB5 nonetheless. The second edition of the Corgi toy version was a DB6. I have both - in their boxes. Cheers.

[quote name=LTSJayce The Earth wont stop spinning just because your annodised purple dipstick showed up a day late' date='AND in a shade close to Aubergine...If you want better service,PAY FOR IT or do a better job yourselves![/quote] Love it!! :headspin: Can I have an anodised purple dipstick too? I am amazed at the lack of patience from some people. They have no concept of what the business proprietor is trying to do to get them their parts. If you send them six emails a day, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?", you might actually slow their business down, 'coz they have to waste time reading and replying to crap! Duh! Hadn't thought of that! Seen some of this in the group buys too. As for the links with organised crime, hahahahahaha!!!!!!!! My sides are still aching. Tell that to the 14 year olds on the internet chat rooms, I am sure they will be impressed!!! Haahaahaa! This forum is such entertainment!

Well, that just about wraps up the advice line then. Anything from "lock him in his room for a few years" to "cheer him on from the passenger seat". You are either a concerned friend or an interfering busybody or maybe any one of fifty stages in between. Seems like the best way is to make your own decision. Do what is right for you and your friendship with him. No-one else is right. Cheers.

P.S. Don't expect him to be grateful. You might lose him as a friend, at least for a while. In a few years he will appreciate your actions.

Hi. I have seen a couple of things work when a good friend is acting like a dickhead. From what you say it seems his knowledge of what is required legally, the types of insurance or anything else is pretty poor. Not surprising if nobody has told him - we aren't born with this knowledge! Try this: Get two or three other mates - sit him down and all of you tell him what's what. If that doesn't work, if your parents know his parents, tell your folks you are really concerned and let the message get passed on by that route. The guy sounds like he is still pretty immature, so some parental guidance may be what he needs! The alternative seems to be to let him kill himself, maybe some of his mates and possibly take some passers-by with him as well. If he doesn't kill himself, he will ruin his life with, at best, having to pay off a huge compensation payout to whoever he hits and, at worst, paraplegia. Tell him that. The other stupid thing about his position, is that every time he gets another notch on his driving record, he makes it harder and harder for himself to afford insurance (or get any at all!). So tell him that too! Hope you have some success with him. We will all be better off if you get the message through! Cheers.

I think you have the wrong end of the stick, mate. I haven't noticed anyone bragging. The majority have been contrite, said how they have learned their lessons and are more careful now. Some have indicated their view that they have suffered from over-zealous policing. A couple have been flamed for being dick-heads (like 160 in a 50 limit is just insane. Sh#t, 50 limits are where there are kids around!) From what I have seen, I doubt that what has been posted here shows anything more than what you would see from a standard cross-section of motorists. Anyone trying to portray these driving records as irresponsible hoons would struggle, with perhaps one or two exceptions. This forum is about promoting responsible use of performance vehicles. What this thread demonstrates is that the vast majority are your average responsible driver - they are not saints and have made mistakes. But they recognise those mistakes and have improved their driving as a result of it. The kids who think the road is their race track, even past the local primary school, will read this and see that this is not the norm nor is it hailed as some sort of macho demonstration of driving ability. It is pilloried as the stupidity that it is. Why is this a negative message to the cops? As for the insurance companies, there will be nothing here that is out of the ordinary for them. The records displayed and the respective ages will accord with their statistics, I am sure, and it will be nothing that they don't already know. "Hush, don't talk about it - someone might be listening" is not an appropriate stance for this thread and what it is showing. And, Meep, in case I didn't make it clear above, there is no "whoops" about 160 in a 50. That's just plain dumb. Cheers.

Sorry, mate. I am living in my own little world and ignoring the realities of life in places less fortunate than Perth. If you ever get the chance to cross the Nullarbor, you would enjoy a track day at Wanneroo or Collie, I am sure. Meanwhile, life way out West seems to have other benefits compared to good ol' Victoria, judging from comments in this and other threads about their application of the ADRs. The disparity between states for relatively straightforward rules seems farcical. If the ADRs said that all cars had to have a round steering wheel with two to four spokes covered in a non-slip grip, I reckon the state rules would be something like: NSW: RTA would say cars had to have steering wheels and cops would defect you based on your age and who's in the car. Vic: You could have either two or four spokes or three spokes with a leather grip, but not two or four spokes with leather grip, unless it was a factory option. WA: You could fit an aftermarket steering wheel as long as it was not smaller than the factory wheel, but cops would still defect you if you were not white caucasian or if they were having a hard time with their missus. QLD: You could fit an aftermarket steering wheel, as long as it was yellow suede to match the seats. SA: Any steering wheels are fine, as long as they say "Holden" in the middle. NT: Whatever looks cool when your fingers are gripping it really tight! Cheers.

My understanding of the need for cool down is to prevent coking/carbonising of the oil in the turbo bearings, which can occur if you shutdown while everything is still hot. If you keep it running on idle for a short while (or driving low load as Sky031 suggested), then the turbo has a chance to cool down, lots of fresh oil is circulated through the bearings and the oil left sitting there when you shutdown won't carbonise. Carbonising of the oil will stuff your bearings. All a turbo-timer does for you is automate the cool down, so you don't have to sit there. Personally, I drive low load and/or sit there for a minute or two or keep it running while I get my bag out of the boot and stuff. As for locking and leaving at a track day - who the hell is going to pinch it?!! I left it running with bonnet up and doors open .... Cheers.

Funnily enough, the ones I knew I got right too ...... Hmmm....... Perhaps we're psychically linked??? Neuf. Cheers.

Thanks, Rezz. I want to get this kind of stuff totally right - otherwise I shall simply become another who spreads shite under the guise of knowledge! And I am sure that Duncan knew that - I simply led him astray by the expression that I used in my question! So, if they are all "Type M", why bother making the distinction? Cheers.

Duncan, You're a star! :nowigetit Thanks heaps for the info, mate and spending the time to look it all up. Very much appreciated. Now I can rest contented in the knowledge that I too have an M-Spec! The fact that everyone else does who has an R33 simply means they don't have something that I don't (terrible double negative, but hopefully you get my drift!) I will chase up the decoding thread. Thanks for that. Cheers.

Duncan, thanks for the detailed reply. If you see two of these posts - it's because everything stopped when I hit the send button and I appear to have lost the first version! Anyway, would you clarify one point for me: you said "No R33 GTS25T non M-Spec" - does this apply to both Series 1 & II, or just to Series II? Thanks for the tip about the toe/camber. I will get that checked out. From my limited reading on the topic, I understand that the viscous coupling type LSD allows more slip than a mechanical LSD - hence the latter being fitted to V Spec vehicles. I am pleased to say that I don't usually do Commodore style burnouts - or any burnouts for that matter. When I have booted it turning out of a side road, or wherever, I thought that I have had both wheels spinning at one time or another - maybe one at a time, but it certainly seemed like it has happened both sides. However, I haven't gone back to look at any black marks. Meanwhile, my VIN is ECR33 130758. Thanks for offering to look it up. If it helps at all, the Model No. is GGKBRTFR33VDA-A--A. The number beneath that, which I understand is for the transmission, is FS5R30A RC41. Thanks again for your help. Cheers.

Skyline Model: 1997 R33 GTST Series II Age: 48 Race: Brit/Aussie Occupation: Chemical Engineer/Director of engineering consultancy So are you going to compile some stats on this? Would be interested in results. Cheers.