October heralds grim threatening skies, frost, and dank cold rain. A real turn off for
owners of classic cars. Well not for us this October, as everything here at Cars and Coffee
Liverpool turned out just fabulous!
The crisp cool air persuaded the early arrivals into the warmer climates of the Chung Ku
Restaurant, where the aromas of Columbian coffee (from sponsors Coffee Origin filters)
in the air and the smell of freshly baked and steamed Roast Pork Char Sui Buns called to
everyone’s taste buds. If you're a regular reader of our Cars and Coffee Liverpool piece in
Wirral Life, you’ll know that Christine Banks - the Lord Mayor of Liverpool - is a frequent
visitor and supporter of our meet. We were honoured that she dropped by again this month,
joining in the banter over a cuppa with many of the regular members.
Kicking off the meeting was BAC Mono (a Single Seater Supercar built in Speke featured
in previous issues) which did not need any introduction, they showed off their slightly
revised model, yet to be launched officially. Then we had a crystal black Dutch supercar
called the Spyker C8. Unknown to the crowd, this brand of supercar has never been seen
in Liverpool before. Only 50 Spyker C8 Preliator cars were built, the unusual design fires
the imagination of wide-eyed enthusiasts everywhere. The exterior delights with details like
rear tail lights inspired by jet nozzles, side-mounted ailerons, and a gold-coated canopy.
These cars were built as race cars for the 24 hr Le Mans but toned road versions have some
serious performance with their top speed between 301 km/h (187 mph) and 345 km/h (214
mph) depending on the engine. That is a 400 bhp, 4,172 cc DOHC mid-rear mounted Audi
V-8 engine with aluminum block, heads and five valves per cylinder, variable valve timing,
electronic sequential-port fuel injection, with a Getrag six-speed manual.
Did you know The Spyker C8 Laviolette has been featured in movies such as Basic Instinct
2 and Fast & Furious 6? The Spyker C8 has also been featured in a number of major video
games, including: Gran Turismo 4, 5, 6, Concept 2002, Project Gotham 4 and Test Drive
Unlimited.
Now, if the Supercars don’t tickle your fancy, then our next choice of vehicle and the people
pick of the meeting was the rare Fiat 500 - 595 Essessee in Italian off white with a flashy
broad go-faster red stripe. Karl Abarth (later known as Carlo Abarth) was born in Austria.
He created a small manufacturing empire in Italy during the 1950’s building performance
exhaust systems and parts for Fiat and other European makes. Carlo adopted his Scorpio
birth sign as the logo for his company. He soon evolved into a car manufacturer in his
own right. Fiat most often supplied the body shells or partly completed cars, which Abarth
modified. The Fiat/Abarth arrangement benefitted both companies since it resulted in
the many class victories that his cars won in competition. After years of producing stylish
special-bodied Fiat-based coupes and sedans, Abarth introduced 595 and 695 as a baby rear-
engine Fiat 500. When compared to the production version, note the 595 is virtually identical
except for the logo, badge on the radiator grille and the coat-of-arms on both sides of the car.
Like all Abarths, the key differences are found in the mechanical upgrades that pushed its
top speed to over 90mph. The two cylinders were ‘siamesed’ in special cast iron, the exhaust
pipes leading up to it were polished, the valve-springs were upgraded, and specially designed
pistons and camshaft fitted.
A big thanks to all our motoring members, amazing friends and supporters, especially the
Cars and Coffee Liverpool team, Terry Alan Barnett, John Kane, Tom Owen, Matthew
Eaton, Anthony Weaver, Jack Shum and Charlene Lee and her Coffee family and CCL
friends! A huge thanks to our Lord Mayor Christine Banks for supporting us again and our
sponsors Cafe Origin. David Gidman for going out of his way with his busy schedules at HR
Owen as usual, Rainer Kuehlwein from BAC MONO the Factory, Richard at Lexus Bootle,
Autorenew, OCD Porsche Specialist, WSR Recycling, Tom Tully Tyres, Impact Solutions,
Philangle Stamps, Wirral Life Magazine, photographers Mick McTigue, Craig Brake, Eamon
Urtone, Brian Lloyd and Paul Rankin.
If you're thinking of buying your first classic car or premium dream car, it can be a bit
daunting to find the right one. You may have an idea what you want, perhaps a brand or
style, but there are a lot of cars out there and pitfalls too. Norman’s Pond online car auction is
in association with Cars and Coffee Liverpool, take a visit you might just find your ideal car.
www.normanspond.com Until next time! www.carsandcoffeeliverpool.co.uk.
www.chungku.co Safe Happy motoring ;)
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