h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Have you ever felt a genuine emotional attachment to a motor vehicle?

Oh goodness yes. Everyone that I have owned.

Have you ever actually given your car a name? Do you ever speak to it or refer to it in person, such as: "Ah, there's old Daisy. What a beaut! Touch wood she's never let me down?" That sort of thing.

Yes. Again, every car that I have owned, even the ones my family have owned. There was a yellow Audi in the late 70's which we called the Lemon (which was very accurate actually!) and there was a big blue Buick we called the Tank. My first car was a Rover Metro called Polly. Her registration letters were MCSU and that sounded like a new-fangled University... and the new University's were once known as Poly's...! My mind works in convuluted ways!! My second car was called Polly-gone (because Polly had been written off in an accident), and my third car was a Vauxhall Astra known as The Big Red Radio Car. The letters in her registration sounded like an American Radio Station "PRTX from Cincinnatti" or whatever! And my present car, a Kia Picanto, which is called "YY" which is a suitably asian sounding name! Again, it is letters in the registration that made her name. My husband's first car was Victor, a black Fiat Uno. His next car was Brum (a little red Peugeot) and then we had Nina, a green VW Polo. His new car is a Kia Rio, who we have called Vowelerie...because most of the letters in her registration are vowels! Its okay... the men in white coats are coming to get me soon!

Do you have a 'dream car' and if so what is it? Is there any chance your dream will come true one day?

I would love to own an old mini. It would be white, with animals painted on the sides, a rainbow on the roof, and it would be called the Ark.

Do you have fond memories of your first car? What was it? Do you still have it?

Polly. A little cracker, she was! Bright red, Rover Metro Diesel. Unfortunately she is no longer with us because of an RTA. She gave her life...sniff. I have to say, tears were shed when we went to empty the car out before she was crushed.

Do you think that some of the style has gone out of the way cars look these days as they all seem to sport the same homogeneous curvy aerodynamic lines?

I can always spot my car in a car park full of cars... and it is not a strange colour or anything. I don't know why, but I guess my eyes can see it. And she looks prettier than all the other Kia Picanto's on the road!

Is it logical that the majority of cars are able to easily exceed the national speed limit (and presumably - German autobahns notwithstanding - the national speed limits in every country)? Wouldn't it be simpler and safer to restrict cars so they couldn't exceed, say, 80mph since it's probably illegal to go any faster?

Yes, yes, yes. But it won't happen because cars are designed by petrolheads who want to see how quick things with an internal combustion engine can go!

How long do you think we've got in terms of petrol-driven cars? Ten years? Twenty years? Is the electric car or perhaps the hydrogen car the natural successor?

I think it is going to be more like 50 years before there is a credible alternative to petrol driven cars. Electric cars are more trouble than they are worth and the hydrogen car feels like science fiction.

Do you have absolutely no interest in cars whatsoever? If not, why not?

I would not consider myself to be a petrol head, but I like to see new cars. If the car looks like it has a personality (kind of like Herbie) then I like it!

Sorry to hear about Polly! I know how sad I was when I sold Lexie, but to send it to a crusher...

"If the car looks like it has a personality (kind of like Herbie) then I like it!"
- am I not the only one who looks at the front of a car and sees a face?

I see faces on the cars front too !!! jajajajaja

I thought that the Fiat Uno was produced only for South America (i'm Argentinean)

(sorry if my english it's a little poor)

cya !

Your English is fine!

The Uno was sold in Britain years ago - it was eventually replaced with the Punto, roughly 15 years ago.

15 years ago?!?!? =O
The punto was presented last year in argetina.
And you can still buy a Fiat Uno if you want to...

But I am the only person in the world with SuperPUNTO!

It's an ancient, clapped out piece of junk. But it's mine and I don't care who calls me a geek: i still have the photo of the when the odometer (?) turned round to 333,333 kms as my desktop picture on my PC at w**k

but the car really is on its last legs now, unfortunately, rattles and shakes and it seems there is a very slow leak in the water tank (or whatever it's called) but it's my SuperPUNTO and i love it.

Meanwhile - my favourite car was another one with quirks: a convertible mini (original stylee). Putting the roof up and down was like putting up (or down) a tent. But it was fabby and marvy and a real head turner.

I miss it terribly.

>>> i still have the photo of the when the odometer (?) turned round to 333,333 kms as my desktop picture on my PC

This is a remarkable achievement and certainly worthy of the accolade of a desktop picture.

I'm always hopeful that someone high up in the FIAT world will see it when I make comments like that and offer me money to put it in their museum

>>>I'm always hopeful that someone high up in the FIAT world will see it when I make comments like that and offer me money to put it in their museum

LOL