It’s been over a year since I last posted one of these drives, which were just starting up again after the pandemic when the economic crisis hit us, causing another extended hiatus. Things finally started up again in December 2022 and are slowly returning to their old schedule of once a month. It’s an opportunity for classic car enthusiasts to get together and talk cars while also giving their cars some exercise, so everybody likes it more than a static, cars and coffee-type thing. Since things started again after the most recent round of crises, attendance has been very high indeed, and the number of cars that show up number 50 or more. Naturally, this can be a bit of a logistical challenge when considering route planning, refreshments, and so on but somehow everything comes together (largely thanks to the efforts of the main organizer, who has been doing these runs for nearly 20 years!) and a great time is had by all.
There’s realistically no way of comprehensively covering every single car that was present, so I mostly shot what I personally thought would be interesting for CC to see. Hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did!
I will always have a soft spot for Triumph Spitfires and these two similarly-hued examples were a nice reminder of my old car, but probably in better shape. I did however realize that I have absolutely no desire to own one again, some things are best left as memories to be remembered fondly!
Mark 2 Jaguars were always quite rare here and the numbers were thinned further by rust and their tendency to break in expensive ways. So it’s always nice to see a survivor like this one, which I believe is the entry-level 2.4 liter. The XK straight six certainly sounded lovely!
One of the major draws of this model is the interior, with the massive planks of polished wood and the wall-to-wall leather. This car appears to have had the seats redone, to the original design.
This immaculate 40 Series Toyota Land Cruiser was fresh out of a multi-year restoration. These may have already attained the status of valuable classics in the US, but over here they are mostly still considered old workhorses. Things are slowly changing now though, with people becoming aware of their international values, restorations like this one will no doubt be seen more often. The major difference between this one and the average American 40 series is the engine, which is from Toyota’s “B” series four-cylinder diesel family rather than a petrol. These OHV diesels are not exactly refined, but they are exceptional at hard work and very long-lived.
The interior is just as utilitarian as you’d expect for a vehicle of this type, but at least you get padded door panels! This is probably as close as it is possible to get to how one of these would have looked like when new, a testament to the work that has gone into this one.
Two cars that may look different, but are surprisingly similar in basic layout. Both have 1.6 litre four pots, rear-wheel drive, and weigh under a ton, with plenty of fun potential. The Escort Mark 1 deserves a bit more attention I think.
It’s a genuine Escort Mexico, one of only two in Sri Lanka, and is a bit of a legend in local motorsport circles as the previous owner campaigned it for decades. Since then it has changed hands and undergone an extremely meticulous restoration with sympathetic upgrades, so it is probably even better than new at this point. I’m hoping to feature this car properly on CC at some point, so keep your fingers crossed!
British sports cars remain enduringly popular here, and this lineup had a good cross-section of them. The aggressive lines of the Austin Healey 3000 make an interesting contrast to the rather more delicate MGAs next to it.
This 3000 is the only surviving example in Sri Lanka as far as I’m aware, and has been in the hands of collectors for the last couple of decades, which is why it is in such great shape.
The Mercedes W124 is one of my all-time favorite cars, and the comparatively rare C124 convertible version is just that bit more special. This deep red E220 is one of just two known examples in the country and is clearly being looked after well. The 2.2 liter four under hood means that performance is probably somewhat leisurely compared to the six-cylinder E320, but I imagine it makes for a wonderfully relaxed cruiser.
We’ve seen that Peugeot 205 on a previous installment so I wanted to focus on its companion, a Mitsubishi Lancer GSR Turbo from the mid-1980s. Considered the grandfather of the Lancer Evolution, this rear-wheel drive compact was pretty hot for its time. The turbocharged lancers were equipped with either a 1.8 litre or 2.0 litre engine depending on the market, and had power outputs ranging from 135 to 170 BHP. I’m not certain which engine powers this particular car, but it must be a fun little driver either way.
The badging on the rear door presumably exists to tell other road users about the intercooled and turbocharged powerplant, which was definitely something to shout about when it was new.
Surprisingly (because these are quite rare), there were TWO examples present that day. This mustard-coloured unit was clearly an 1800 GSR and had some differences in trim. The lighter color served to better highlight the crisp lines on what was certainly one of the nicer-looking Japanese compacts of the early 80s.
Moving to back towards Europe, we find this imposing Jaguar XJS V12 convertible, keeping a Volkswagen Super Beetle company. The convertible is probably the best-looking XJS, with the only real blemish being the way the roof sits on the rear deck. Still, in open-topped form, the XJS manages to look svelte and graceful, like a Jaguar GT should.
The interior on this one is original, and looks slightly “lived in”. Personally, I don’t mind a car showing some signs of use, but the damage in the driver’s seat probably does need to be sorted out soonish.
Also British, but at the absolute opposite end of the spectrum in terms of original market positioning were these two lovely examples of the best-known British “People’s cars”, The Morris Minor and the original Mini. The charming white Minor traveller appears to be a 60s model from fairly late in the Minor’s production run, while the Mini is a bit more difficult to pin down, but seems to be from the 80s. Minors and Minis were everywhere in Sri Lanka back in the day but are fairly rare sights now. Luckily there are a fair number of examples like these that are preserved by enthusiastic owners, although the Mini definitely has a far larger following.
The BMC 1100/1300, appearing here as an MG version, is considered the big brother to the Mini and is in many ways a more complete car. A best-seller in its home country, it was fairly popular here as well but survivors are extremely rare for some reason, possibly due to complications fixing its Hydrolastic suspension.
I don’t unfortunately have many pictures of the cars in motion, but this and the following picture will give you some idea of what it looks like. It is definitely quite the spectacle for anyone on the road and definitely a lot of fun to be part of too.
Next time, I will try to get some better pictures when the cars are on the move, that show a bit of the drive environment as well. Colombo is quite a pretty city in some places and deserves a bit of spotlight on CC.
As usual, the drive ended at another large car park where snacks and car conversation kept things going for a bit, giving an opportunity for a few more pictures. This gathering of small sports cars has quite a cross-section of nationalities and layouts. All of them have great appeal in their own way.
My pick from that line up if I wanted to take one home would definitely be this beautiful little Austin Healey Sprite. The Sprite is my absolute favorite British sports car, as it feels more like you are wearing the car rather than driving it, and it has impressive handling and road-holding, especially for its age. A true example of how you really don’t need a lot of power for a sports car to be a ball of fun.
Our final pairing of the day shows two distinctly different approaches to the mid-level European Coupe. The E46 3 series coupe is a late 320i with the 2.2 liter six-cylinder engine, while the distinctively hued 406 Coupe is an early model with the 2.0 liter four-cylinder. Despite one being front-wheel drive and the other rear-driven, they both have a similar mission: providing a stylish and fun way to transport four people. Conventional wisdom would assume that the BMW would be the better drive by far, but Peugeot’s suspension engineering prowess of the time ensures that the svelte French car can give the German a pretty good run for its money.
And with that, we conclude our coverage of this particular Sunday run. I do hope you enjoyed this look into car culture over on our little island. More professional photos can be seen at this link
Let me know which cars caught your eye, and as always, thanks for reading!
Ah, a splendid group. I too have a soft spot for the early MK3 Spitfire, that one looks fantastic with the red paint and cream wheels.
Thanks Doug, that color combination really does make the lines of the car pop.
Looks like a good day out.
My favourite is the Frog eye Sprite as well, close second is the Morris Minor Traveller. What a clean car, white under the wheelarch!
It certainly was a good day, the drive and car talk are always enjoyable. And yes, both of them have been kept in remarkable shape by the owners!
I wish there were more driving style classic car events like this in the US, but then I realized that there are many idiots in Mustangs and Camaros who would probably ruin it with reckless driving.
We just can’t have nice things.
This sort of event is certainly more interesting than your typical static car show. We have reckless drivers over here too (lots of them actually), but the people in the classic car scene generally tend to be more mature and responsible I guess.
I agree with your perspective on revisiting the past. I had a TR-6 in my younger years. Despite still being pretty athletic at 49, the low positioning, etc. is no longer appealing. One cannot look cool struggling to get in or out of a vehicle.
This is a good point too Jon, I’m still 36 but low slung cars are starting to make the old body creak and groan a bit now.
The main reason I wouldn’t have a Spitfire again though, is because I just feel there are better sports cars around.
The Bug Eye Sprite and NA Miata are very small cars, but that (Super) 7 CAY-9441 makes the Sprite and NA look positively massive in comparison.
It must take nerves of steel (or motorcycle experience) to drive that little machine on highways filled with large commercial traffic.
Nothing quite prepares you for the experience of driving one of those things. The 7 actually belongs to a friend of mine so I have some seat time in it. Lankan roads are chaotic at the best of times, so being in a small, low car like this is definitely nerve wracking!
That’s one of the reasons this only gets driven on random Sundays and for events like this.
It’s a lot easier to drive with the top down, but the owner doesn’t like the attention it gets, so he makes like difficult for himself by driving with the roof up.
One of my favorite aspects of Curbside is the chance to look at car culture in places I’ve never been, so I’m glad to see this. And it’s amazing to see so many examples of cars that are the only remaining examples in the country!
That Jaguar Mark 2 is really extraordinary, especially in that unique color.
Of course, I enjoy seeing cars that were never sold in the US, so those Mitsubishi Lancers caught my attention. I agree with you that the styling on those sedans were actually quite good, and modern looking for the era.
Finally, I hate to admit this, but I saw the Peugeot 406 coupe in the background of one of the opening shots, and thought it was a Toyota Paseo (Cynos) instead. Oops! Again, not familiar with these since I’ve never seen one in person, but the design is great.
Oh, and I’m looking forward to a detailed look at that motorsport Escort as well. Thanks for putting all of this together!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post Eric, Sri Lanka actually has a surprisingly vibrant car culture for such a small and not very well off nature. Cars are entrenched into the social fabric, and enthusiasm runs quite deep.
I’m guessing Pininfarina might be a tiny bit put off to see one of their designs be mistaken for a Toyota haha, but I’m not going to tell them! The Peugeot will make an appearance on CC at some point, as well.
The Escort really is something else and it has a wonderful history too. I will feature it as soon as I can.
Thanks again for reading!
What caught my eye? Well, the MG ADO16, the Mercedes 190SL (or was it a 300SL) and the Frogeye.
Though that Escort Mexico is quite a car too. But no Hindustan Ambassadors?
The Ambassador was never popular here because our market wasn’t closed to imports as long as India was, so we had access to much more modern cars. Only a handful were ever sold here, and they did not make a good impression.
In a classic appreciation sense, there really isn’t any appreciation because Indian cars are considered badly put together and frankly rather crap overall, so they budget choices at best. There was much horror over here when Tata took over JLR, I can tell you!
Hi SajivW,
After I clicked the Facebook link it appears you are in Sri Lanka. Based on the climate with such hot and humid summers do most collector cars without air conditioning get converted to run ac? Just asking because it would seem to be a necessity and not always an easy (if even possible in some cases) conversion.
Thank you for showing us a little bit of your place in the world.
I do indeed live in Sri Lanka. Our climate is hot and humid basically all year round, so we are kind of used to it. Air conditioning is an essential on modern cars, but AC fitment for classics is a fairly recent phenomenon. People who use their classics often end up fitting it because it makes a major difference.
Thankfully, we have quite a lot of AC fitment companies here, so owners have options.
Thanks SajivW.
I’m looking forward to more great CC’s from your place.
Thanks for great pictures!
I really like that 406 Coupe and its great colour! I remember seeing one in a showroom in Kiev, just before I’ve moved to Canada last century.
I’ve always liked 7.
And that W124 looks awesome!
I’m looking forward to reading more about 406 and your friend’s 7.