Soop Dogg

Colin McReas bonnet from Le Mans a few years ago.

Yeah, you're probably right. (Puts chequebook away and cancels trip to local Aston Martin Dealership)

That link isn't quite right actually because I tried it in about 1998. As the rules were then, you couldn't transfer a plate TO a bike from anything other than another bike. However, you COULD transfer a 'bike plate' to a car - once it was on a car it could never go back to a bike. So at that time, bike plates were actually more desirable as they could be transferred to bike or car - just not back again from a car. I wanted a 'TAZ' plate for my bike and had to go to a motorcycle dealer in N. Ireland who had one on a bike. The same number ended up on Angies Supra a few years ago and is now owned by BlueCoup on here. These days, though it could be transferred to anything, as they scrapped the rules. (As has already been said)

I've heard of one or two cars from abroad on pistonheads recently with high prices. It's been suggested that the default currency on the site displays in £, but people are putting the figures down in their own currency. Might explain the price being so high?

Think it's an out of focus VIN no.

I'll believe you mate. Thanks for your help - I'll go give the first one a look.

I've been trying to find somewhere on line for the last hour but can't find much in the way of normal pub-food type places. (that don't look rubbish) I've come up with lots of expensive places on line too, but just looking for something around the £12-£15 mark for a main course. Needs to be in the Newmarket/Cambridge area (or within about 10 miles of either) and have good parking. Can anyone here recommend anywhere? Chinese or Italian would also be ok, but as I said, I need a good, well lit car park where the car will be reasonably safe. Wouldn't normally ask this sort of rubbish here, but we're meeting up with my sister tomorrow who is over in England for a conference and can't find anywhere that's reasonable! Thanks in advance.

So how did it go, then 'Girleez'? Any good times put in yesterday? Does Angie have to go out and buy another Supe to compete again?

That's not the same Angie. The one paid up to run is Angie Kaur. Angie who uses the sig about being the 'fastest girlie' on the site actually has the username on here of 'Angie'. She's definitely not running - I know this as I'm married to her and she's working tomorrow. (At least that's what I thought.....)

Unfortunately she no longer has a Supe. (Nor do I for that matter!) Perhaps we'll get down to the 'Pod in the 'vette sometime to see how it compares....

You should see the state of things in the US!!!

Was it worse though? The debacle over the ERM wasn't all borne out of events within our own shores. Yes, in retrospect it wasn't beneficial to the UK to join the ERM, but the principal of trying to ensure that member states currencies kept within a 6% range of each other wasn't actually a bad idea for trade between member states. However, with the demise of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the subsequent reunification of Germany, the Germans were having a bit of economic turmoil themselves and found it necessary to keep increasing their interest rates to control inflation. This had the effect of increasing the value of their currency, and a number of ERM currencies were trading at or very close to the lower limit of the 6% range that they were meant to stay within. Also, the fact that at that time many UK exports were priced in $US - which was falling like a stone then - meant that the £ was in danger of falling below this agreed limit. Hence why it was necessary for UK interest rates to be raised to 12% and then 15% (albeit for a short period of time). This was after the government had tried to buy up as much sterling as they could to stop the mass sell off of the £ on the currency markets which was devaluing the £ even faster. Not exactly all within the control of, or indeed due to the actions of our own government. The Italian Lira also fell to outside the base level of it's ERM agreement. I seem to remember Spain's currency doing the same or coming very close to the limit. What I do notice now, however is the amount of debt that the country is falling into - and by that I'm talking about national debt. After all of these bailouts and the nationalisation of Northern Rock etc, the UK debt will be approaching 50% of GDP. As a nation, we've got no reserve funds put away for an eventuality such as this. (Such as gold, as most of it got sold off by our current government when the price was low - DOH!) So the government is going to borrow most of it. The last time national debt was this high was in the mid 1970's when Denis Healy was chancellor. Now....wasn't he a Labour chancellor.....??

And if Santander fail, who'll bail out the savers then, as it's surely the job of the Spanish govt. to do so?

Oil companies quote their prices for delivery 2 to 3 months ahead. In July/August, the oil price then was for October delivery. That said, the price at the pump went up very quickly back then. I agree, it's taking a lot longer for it to drop again. Gordon Brown is in the news today demanding petrol price cuts as soon as possible - maybe he reads this forum.

What't the difference between a pig and a bison? You can't wash your hands in a pig. (Maybe it needs a brummie accent....) What's pink and smells of ginger? Fred Astaire's knob.

I've been buying some shares this week, but I'm not sure about buying into banks - not because I think they'll go bust, but I'm not sure what effect the govt bailout will have on the share price. If the bailout involves the govt buying up a load of shares in the banks, (part-nationalisation) then this might mean a near-permanent proportional adjustment in the share price until the shares are put back into circulation (if they ever do get put back) at some undetermined point way off in the future. (Probably years away) I might just have a few in RBS because they're such good value at the moment, but it'd have to be an amount that I can afford to lose in the event that they do have more troubles. (Just remember Northern Rock.) If they survive, the rewards could be very good indeed. Having said that, there are other parts of the financial services sector that might be nearly as lucrative at the moment, but not as risky.

When the markets are so volatile, it's one of those rare occasions when are fair amount of cash can be made very quickly - the trick at the moment though, is finding a company that isn't likely to go bust in the next few days. I have to admit to spending a few grand this week on cheap shares! (Now crossing my fingers)

But don't you sound about as Geordie as me? (And I'm from Northern Ireland!)

Corvettes had a similar thing years ago. I think it was on the C4 ZR1 in about 1993 where it had a 'valet mode'. If you gave the car to the valet parking attendant at hotel/casino etc (or if you gave it to the garage for servicing) you could set the valet mode which reduced the power output to a mere 300bhp. I didn't think it was a bad idea TBH.

I remember when the RGV 250M first came out. One of the test riders in Performance Bike said after riding it that he felt he could do well in a GP on one of these. I had the KR1S myself, but the 250M with those stacked pipes, upside-downies and that trick (in it's day) swingarm was really 'where it was at' as far as 250 strokers was concerned. Enjoy! I'm very jealous -there can't be many of these left without wire-locked sump plugs etc!

Tripadvisor.com rate the Lockerbie Manor as 7th out of 9 hotels in the area. Some of the reviews are horrendous! (Although there are some people who were happy with their room) Link I never stay anywhere now without checking it out on tripadvisor these days. Seems to work for us, but you need to read a fair amount of reviews to get a more accurate picture of a place.

Very nice looking car. We looked at getting one of these last year for Angie. Fantastic looking car and plenty of aftermarket goodies available too. Enjoy!

So if the govt have to bail out more banks in the future, using revenue raised from taxes, don't you think there's the possibility that taxes on us will have to be increased to ensure we still have the NHS, schools, police etc, etc? Our net pay will be eaten into a little more each time taxes are increased to pay for the increasing debt of the nation. Of course it's our money!