Tag Archives: Bristol

Oillife Monitoring System – Chevrolet Camaro V6

It’s seventh year the fourth generation Camaro’s upgrades were relatively minor the new for ’98 front light clusters were retained and Hugger Orange was added to the paint options.

Chevrolet Camaro V6, Bristol American Car Show, Yate Town FC

Beneath the car the 15.5 gallon metal fuel tanks were replaced with 16.8 gallon plastic items and traction control was now available on V6 models.

Chevrolet Camaro V6, Bristol American Car Show, Yate Town FC

Inside the only difference was the addition of GM’s oil-life monitoring system which manifested itself in the form of an oil change light in the instrument cluster.

Chevrolet Camaro V6, Bristol American Car Show, Yate Town FC

Today’s featured ’99 targa topped Chevrolet Camaro V6 with automatic transmission, seen at the Bristol American Car Show, Yate Town FC, was first registered in the UK on the 19th of January 1999.

Thanks for joining me on this “Oillife Monitoring System” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at a FIAT built in Poland. Don’t forget to come back now !

Hi Wing Body Kit – Chevrolet Camaro Z28

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Most of the news around the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro centered on the white 30 Anniversary edition, 108 of which were fitted with 330hp LS4 engines, of which today’s featured car is not an example.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

Neither does it have the tri coloured rear lights introduced to some markets, nor the new for ’97 five spoke polished alloy wheels, but it probably does have the new for 1997 interior.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

This ’97 Z28 is powered by a pushrod 5.7 litre / 350 cui LT1 which with the introduction of OBD II compliant engine controls and twin catalytic converters in 1996 produced 285hp, up from 275hp in 1993.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

This particular car appears to have been fitted with a non original equipment or even option body kit that includes new front spoiler, side sill panels, wild rear wing and wider alloy 5 spoke wheels, if you know who made this kit please do not hesitate to chime in below.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

This Camaro, seen in these photographs in Redland Bristol some years ago, was first registered in the UK on the 1st of April 2007.

Chevrolet Camaro Z28, Redland, Bristol,

At the time of writing it’s MOT, certificate of road worthyness, had expired and Road Tax was about to run out suggesting it might be up for sale somewhere if it is not sitting unloved in it’s garage.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hi Wing Body Kit” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for FIAT Friday, don’t forget to come back now !

Turbo Super Party 3 – SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI

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Just over a month ago I got a call from SEAT telling me my company SEAT Toledo TDI was due for some warranty work and they kindly arranged for me to take it in to my local dealer Blades, on Feeder Road in Bristol, who were to provide a loan car for the couple of hours it would take for the work to be completed.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Harry Stoke, Bristol

Having a job where I am on call five days on and five days off I find it quite difficult to keep track of the day of the week so when I turned up at Blades I found I was in fact a day early, but that was no problem and the service receptionist kindly summoned today’s featured 4th generation face lifted SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI for me to drive from one of her colleagues.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Harry Stoke, Bristol

I planned to use my time off with the loan car to go and get some of my favorite Mendip creamed honey from Web Stile Farm a couple of miles off the A37 in Hinton Blewett and as often happens when swapping from diesel powered cars to petrol power I applied slightly too much pressure to the throttle as I left the premises and on this occasion was greeted by the delightful sound of the free revving 1 litre / 61 cui 3 cylinder turbo and supercharged engine which immediately brought a smile to my face.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Burrington Combe, Somerset,

By the time I had left the outskirts of Bristol I was thoroughly warming to the sound of little TSI engine which was much smoother than a 4 cylinder, but not quite as growly as a 5.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Hinton Blewett, Somerset,

Having picked up a couple of jars of honey I decided to pursue a route I discovered, with my friend Tim Murray, last year when planning a treasure hunt for the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club towards Burrington Coombe.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Harry Stoke, Bristol

Driving down the empty windy B3134 was so much fun that once I had stopped to take a photo or two at the bottom, I had no hesitation driving back up it and then round to Cheddar Gorge from whence I completed a loop back to Burrington Combe and back up the B3134.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Burrington Combe, Somerset,

Having enjoyed the handling and the sound of the harmonious little 95hp 3 cylinder with the six speed transmission I reluctantly headed back to Bristol, trying a 30 mph rolling brake check on a particularly muddy uneven empty road and it was no surprise that with the ABS kicking in the car stopped in a remarkably short distance straight as a die.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Harry Stoke, Bristol

With the car now covered in several buckets of Somersets finest red mud I drove the little loop up and down the M32 and stopped off to vac and jet wash the car at Sainsbury’s in Harry Stoke.

SEAT Ibiza SE Ecomotive TSI, Harry Stoke, Bristol

When checking the odometer I discovered 72 fun filled miles had been covered on the honey run in the stylish Ibiza which I filled up with 9.04 litres / 2 Imperial Gallons of unleaded which turned out to be comfortably more than had actually been used.

Just as I had finished cleaning the Ibiza I got a call telling me my Ambulatory Toledo TDI was good to go and so I headed back to Blades where with many new fond memories I exchanged the key’s with the Service receptionist.

In the 30 year history of German magazine Auto Bild’s 100,000 km / 60,000 mile road tests the 2011 Ibiza scored not only the best small car results for vehicles in the VW Group but also the best result for any small car ever tested over that distance by the magazine.

Thanks for joining me on this “Turbo Super Party 3” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Convertible Camaro. Don’t forget to come back now !

French Presidential Idiosyncrasy – Citroën C6 Lignage HDi Auto

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Much to Peugeot’s credit since acquiring Citroën in 1974 it has allowed the company to pursue it’s own identity characterised by technological innovation and extreme, some might say idiosyncratic, aerodynamic styling when conservative badge engineering the brand around Peugeot models must have been a tempting option that might have offered some benefits of from the economies of scale.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto Bristol,

In 1999 Citroën took it’s Citroën C6 Lignage concept car featuring rear rear hinged suicide door to the Geneva show as a spoiler for the model it hoped would replace the XM in it’s range by 2000.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

Not for the first time production of the new Citroen was delayed and the production C6 did not appear until 2005 now sans the suicide doors, while production of the XM had ceased in 1999.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

Originally only two engine options were available either 208hp petrol 3 litre / 183 cui V6 or 201 hp turbo diesel 2.7 litre / 164 cui V6, these were joined by a 168hp twin turbo four cylinder 2.2 litre / 134 cui diesel in 2006 and the 2.7 V6 turbo diesel was replaced by the 237 hp 3 litre / 183 cui V6 turbo diesel in 2009.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

As one would expect of a top of the range Citroën the model rides on hydropneumatic suspension, first seen on the DS, now known as Hydractive 3+ with electronic censors and a computer chip ensuring a ride so steady one would have no problem driving one across a field with a camera mounted on the roof to film a horse race for television.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

Other technical innovations carried by the C6 include a head-up instrument display, a lane departure warning system and the directional headlamps are now of the Xenon type.

Citroën C6 HDi Auto, Bristol,

French Presidents Jacques Chirac & Nicolas Sarkozy both chose C6’s as their official cars of which 23,384 examples had been built when production of the model ceased on 19th December 2012.

The 2007 example seen in these photographs taken in Bristol is powered by the 201 hp turbo diesel 2.7 litre / 164 cui V6 engine and was first registered in the UK on the 30th July 2007.

Thanks for joining me on this “French Presidential Idiosyncrasy” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a Cambrian adventure. Don’t forget to come back now !

Simulated Walnut Grain – Chrysler Town & Country

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Twenty five years after the original Chrysler Town & Country Barrel Back Estate / Wagon was first seen the forth post war generation Town & Country Estate / Wagon was launched in 1965.