R.I.P. Lancia Delta...

[Philip]

you bought an Ami 8? are you serious? ahhhh....

I'm still looking for a spare garage somewhere...

[gamma a.i.]

yes, we bought the Ami8, perhaps to kick some &§# on the Benelux/France Fulvia Tour this year !
I couldn't do much worse than I did in the last 2 years; even in a slower car ha ha he he ho ho
Actually itsa 'get to school on time' car (4km); I doubt I'll drive it much (said the Phantom, with a wicked laugh).

Tax is based on cc & it ain't got many of those; insurance is based on power & all I can say is "what power"?

It has amazing top speed for such weak output. It has fair acceleration; faster than a Fiat500/600 or an (lovely desirable) Ami6.

Much rarer than a Gamma too !

[Philip]

and slightly less ugly than an Ami 6...but the Ami 6 was more original...so 60s!

[fulvia a.i.]

ouch !!

I had VIP visitors in Santa Leone today, from Izmir,Turkey; they wanted to buy the Ami8, on the spot... I declined !!!

They will return soon...if only to ride in a Gamma !!

[Philip]

I watched Top Gera the other day and they entered an Ami8 in a time trial...its not a bda classic car at all actually! funky and cheap and roomy!

[gamma a.i.]

There certainly are not many left; Ami6 or Ami8.
I guess that by the time they became "hip&cool" most had already rusted into oblivion. In any case, for many years, like so many (now) "older cars" they probably were just generally categorized as being "just everyday used cars / nothing special; not hip & probably not very cool to be seen driving, That case has changed !!!

For some reason, from what I know, living in Germany, they never quite captured the "rich.girl-student-crowd" as the 2CV did; which I am sure was always (slow, loud, cold in winter) "hip % cool"; even when new. Perhaps they
"missed the mark", being quite a bit more expensive than the 2CV
In France the Ami range were the most popular selling cars in some years. In Germany, it was (what else) the (of course) VW Beetle, in Italy the Fiat 500 ? , in UK some Austin or another ?
Since I live in SW Germany, close to the French border, I actually did see, on rare occasions, a Dyane (2CV in Sunday dress), but perhaps only 1 or 2 times an Ami...and that might have been on cross-border raids.

I think I remember thinking that the Ami6 had a (tiny) 6cyl motor ,,, away back in the 70's...but I am not sure any more....after all that was a long time ago !! I am not sure I ever saw an Ami8 anywhere (they were not really "cars to remember" until I saw the lovely rotory-motored Ami8 at the Auto Vision Museum, which is 10 minutes from my office. It is the Ami8 model with all the luxus-trimmings.

I always thought that the Ami6 was "hip & cool"; "weird & wonderful", "fragile & flimsy"....but I didn't run out to buy 1 & I liked French cars back then; having owned / driven an P 'gt 404 & 504, Ren'o R4 & 5, R12 (ugly outside as any car could be, but fine inside & like all of the above cars (R4 & 5 excepted) "very comfortable" !) & R16, R8 (not a Gordini) & 1 wonderful Simca (I think it was called 1304) before Simca disappeared into becoming Talbot & Chrysler. That was back in the days when such used French cars (Alpine sport cars exempted) cost, only a few $, were economical to operate & lasted at least 2 winters.

In Germany "NSU TT & TTS; BMW 02's, Porsche 914 were already "hip & cool", even when they were new; in the USA everybody who wanted to be "over-cool" had a GT'ish Euro-Car or a Muscle(Pony Car. At least until some hot Mazda's (RX7) & some hot Honda's blew up the status-quo !

Back to Phils comment: I'll have to utube top-gear (it isn't on TV here) to see the Ami8 test. I am looking forward to it B)

[Henrik]

Hi Gamma as in Fulvia as in goat aka Johnny.

Though reading it, I hardly post on the English forum. But I simply had to react to this.
All this rambling about an Ami8. I had to "wiki" it, to know what it is. What a butt ugly car (pardon my French). I can see why you are intriuged by it.
As most Lancisti you seem to have an eye for the unusual. Congratulations on finding such an cool car.
Keep "the rablings" coming.(tu)

Henrik

[gamma a.i.]

thank you Henrik

what a gaff; I am so sorry. Ossi's*, I beg your pardon !! (Ossi = pre-freedom E. Germans)

I've only lived in W. Germany & "back then" (referring to my message of yesterday) there was "another Germany"; in which owning / driving any car must have been cool & hip...especially after waiting 20 years to get one. Party Members, high up, & Generals excepted. I don't know if fiberboard Trabants were ever "cool & hip"; or Wartburgs either. I'd choose the later, if I had to, back then.

But I've heard many funny, really funny, Trabant stories...from real Trabant drivers...which is "cool".

As for the rest of E. Europe, there were a # of Ren'o & Fiat clones built in E. Europe...they certainly must deserve an applause; for being rugged enough to survive E, Europe. Which makes them ... maybe not very cool ,, but very intelligent, There also was the E. German built "Thurner", a Porsche 904 clone with an hot-rod NSU motor... which was (& still is) absolutly "mega-cool". In very small #'s anyway.

Not to forget the countries "up-north" ........imho ... all Saab were born cool & all (Swedish built) Volvo were... aaah ,,,ahem... "formal & proper & lasted forever" . Which is "cool".

[Henrik]

Well, my wife and I went to the GDR in the summer of 1987. In a 1977 Mazda 323. We were (relativly) young, and (relativly) "poor"
But behind the curtain, our "wheels" were " top of the pop"
Looking at the wall from W.Berlin, I talked with a very bitter old man. With tears in his eyes, he asked me how I would feel, if Copenhagen
was devided like that. I could not give him an answer, but i often think about him.
I hope he lived to see "die wende"
Concerning swedish cars. I have fond memories of my fathers two stroke Saab 96. It was especially fun, watching from the car on our
numorous tours of Germany, when he had to explain to the Germans at gasstations. "Put oil in the tank as well"
He was the only one in the car, who did not speak reasonably German. He still had to do the talking.X(

Henrik

[fulvia a.i.]

nice stories, thanx !
I will reply this evening with 2 Deutsch Demokratik Republik Reise Stories ...but I'm going to move down to "
"rramble on, sing that song"; since neither of these eventful-events occurred in a Lancia