Richard Kilpatrick Has Been Fixing It for Us
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92 | CLASSIC CAR WEEKLY | Wednesday 22 April 2015 Wednesday 22 April 2015 | CLASSIC CAR WEEKLY | 93 Subscribe to CCW for £1.62 an issue OUR CLASSICS Call the CCW subscription desk on 0844 848 8872 (QUOTE PAAA) The pair of Subarus and the pickup Richard truck sharing this car park sums up THE CCW FLEET Kilpatrick the tastes of Oregon residents. n coNTRIBUTOR 1989 CHRYSLER FIFTH AVENUE n OWNED SINCE 7 February 2015 n ToTAL MILEAGE 61,300 n COSTS Car inc registration $1077 (£734.43); Servicing $79 (£53.87); parts inc battery, bulbs, voltage regulator, spare keys $250 (£170) The topcoat has lifted off in chunks y the time Chrysler’s once-admirable New where a previous owner left a tarpaulin Yorker nameplate was attached to the 1982 on it. Light dents on the roof suggest EDITOR M-body, the firm was almost on its knees items left on top to keep it there. Keith Adams n 1988 Lancia Delta HF Integrale and the engineering showed it. The Fifth Would you believe we’ve sent its oil for analysis? BAvenue package – adding the sort of bling and Gary Atkinson of the Price is Right Car n 1995 Saab 9000 Aero opulence that European marques were moving away Sales, Gresham, hands over the Chrysler. from – aimed to give the Brougham style and formal No, the ignition cartridge is failing – misfires galore! roofline to a shrinking, dated platform. More likely to n 1997 Land Rover Discovery be found parked outside an all-you-can eat buffet or a We must change that tyre with a slow puncture. downscale retirement condo, the plastic kitsch seemed n 1999 Alfa Romeo GTV V6 increasingly out of place in the technological era of Totting up the anticipated costs of the recommission. the 1980s. The New Yorker name migrated to the n 2003 Renault Avantime 2.0T front-wheel drive Extended K-body platform for the Richard Kilpatrick has been fixing it for us. 1984 model year, leaving the Fifth Avenue as a stand-alone marque. David Brown ASSocIATE EDITOR From a 21st Century perspective, if you have a n 1972 Volkswagen Type 2 taste for something truly American in feel, the Fifth Needs a spring clean but ready to rock & roll. Avenue – Chrysler’s last rear-wheel drive platform n 1982 Volkswagen Golf 1.6C MkI until the Viper and LX – represents incredible value. It happened on Parts still awaited for restoration to make progress. For a trip to Portland in Oregon, I picked up a fairly The interior is reminiscent of the waiting room of a The 318ci LA-series V8 dates back to the 1960s and n 1999 Rover 200 BRM LE typical banger from the Craigslist small ads: a plausible particularly cheap brothel. The well-padded seats have is fundamentally solid. Low-budget attempts to drop Prepped ready for Blyton Park track day (above). 60,000 mile 1989 example for $1295 at The Price is seemingly been designed to keep osteopaths in business. emissions provide plenty of opportunity for failure. Right Car Sales, a small used car lot. It was exactly the sort of good fortune I’d been hoping for when Nick Larkin FEATURES EDITOR n 1953 Morris Oxford MO trawling ads for $5000 Pontiac and Chevrolet wrecks. Sleeping pending a massive restorative blitz. It seems remarkable that anyone was brave enough to FIFTH AVENUE n buy this crass automobile new in 1989. 1960 Austin A55 The appearance on the standard kit list of a driver’s Aldridge Trimming has weaved its interior magic. airbag was big news for the big Chrysler. One of the On a trip to the United States, our ‘new products’ guru makes n 1963 Rover 95 last cars to be equipped with a carburettor, the See report in issue 1274 – more work to be done. LA-series 5.2-litre V8 with lean-burn produced a mere a cheesy purchase by resurrecting a true Chrysler dinosaur n 1964 Rover 2000 140bhp. With a three-speed autobox, the 3600lb car Back on the road this summer, Nick keeps telling us. does well to return 16mpg officially. siblings, the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran control prove the exception to Chrysler’s reputation speedo is almost impossible to read in the deeply- n 1990 Maestro Clubman Despite seeming an almost status-free anachronism, Fury, most familiar to British eyes as the ineptly bulky for poor quality, while the bodywork has shrugged off recessed instrument panel that lacks a rev counter. Crossing the Lewis and Clark Bridge from Washington to The gold script badge was missing from the car. This highly It might be tacky, but the crystal Pentastar hood Happy on the road, needs its sills welding up. the Fifth Avenue was a strong seller for much of the police cruisers that appear in TV shows like Miami years of Pacific Northwest winters with only minor Despite the low mileage, the transmission is in need Oregon. It has the longest cantilever span in the US. calorific candy bar seemed to be a suitable alternative. ornament really is quite beautiful, albeit distracting. n 2003 Rover 75 1980s thanks to typically cheesy advertising that Vice and, more recently, Gotham. paint damage. The 1988 and ’89 M-body used of service and adjustment. The installed Torqueflite Taxi for Mr Brown on a luncheon trip to Stibby Diner. implies that taking a high-stakes gamble with the car My example has had a handful of previous owners, galvanised panels and stainless steel trim, so perhaps A-727 is a well-known and robust unit, with a service dealing with those old lenses and reflectors in one immense bumper. Prior to topping up the transmission awareness and defensive driving a little harder, not will pay off. ‘You didn’t pay anything like $20,000’ with the interesting Carfax history suggesting some that new-car decision was based on solid ground. and adjustment costing around $150 and a full rebuild go. A quick, albeit low quality, oil change at JiffyLube fluid and solving the voltage issue, performance was helped by US drivers’ unwillingness to pay the David Simister NEWS EDITOR exclaims the gambler’s companion, who no doubt sporadic maintenance and habitual failure of Placing the car on the for $1400. The main sign costs $20, although I opted for the Signature service hit to the tune of only 13mpg, too. As these cars are slightest attention to your turn signals. Repairing n 1972 MGB GT would be equally impressed by a suitably cheap suit. emissions. The mileage is borne out by lack of wear road is easy, with ‘Power-assisted brakes need of wear is a slip in reverse and got oil (over a gallon of semi-synthetic), filters, often neglected by owners as they get older, it’s the horn rapidly jumped to the top of the list. Had a lovely time in Blackpool. Traditional values and a clever transverse front on the steering wheel and Kimberley Velvet seats. No blade-like fender tops and a push, and the V8 is subdued that lead to a few hairy topped-up fluids and all the grease points on the understandable they have such an undesirable status. If reaction from the trendsetting crowd in n 1980 Range Rover FLM Panelcraft suspension retained a big-car ride on the, er, big-car paperwork, of course, so the judgement falls on the a glass crystal Chrysler moments trying to get the suspension done for $49. While driving across the US On the open road the best qualities of the Chrysler Portland was anything to go by, the quirky and Still waiting to return to the show arena. wheelbase of 112in. This appealed to luxury car car as it stands. Working electrical systems like the Pentastar hood ornament to the point of wondering car off a dead-end dirt can rack up sufficient miles to use a whole service shine through. The unusual front suspension layout unashamedly naff Fifth Avenue has traded n 1990 Mazda Eunos Roadster owners as much as to fleet buyers of its M-body factory-fitted sunroof and, occasionally at least, cruise providing accurate track, also revealing that interval, it makes a lot of sense that firms like this gives a smooth ride and the steering provides plenty faux-class for real hipster credibility and prices for if the car is running’ Home after the eclipse (see report in issue 1276). sighting. The assisted the vehicle does not have remain popular. The most significant failure – and of feedback without being intrusive. Once cruising at the best examples are heading over the $5000 steering is surprisingly the optional limited-slip one that may have caused issues with the Chrysler’s 55-65mph even the fuel economy is acceptable, mark. Robust and proven mechanicals, and a Any trip to Portland, Oregon will Murray Scullion STAFF WRITER involve a quest for ‘food carts’ – small pleasant, although the cart-sprung back and differential. Going in for a deeper service, the mess of relatively sophisticated lean-burn ignition system – turning in mid-20s in UK terms with gas at $2.89 per legacy of post-Valiant Mopar derivatives to draw n trucks, trailers and any other sort of 26-year-old dampers mean cornering is best emissions and air-con hoses under the hood proved was a voltage regulator that threatened to boil the gallon for premium unleaded, a luxury few people upon for performance upgrades, make improving 1996 Mazda MX-5 tent from which food can be dispensed. attempted at lower speeds. The power-assisted brakes sufficiently discouraging, so I put off getting battery.