Crammond Automotive Specialities

You have saved, dreamt, planned, optioned, envisioned and created that dream day – the day where you take delivery of your BMW. Your car is meant to be a symbol of perfection and as odometer begins to tally, the next part of car ownership dawns on you – is that a new noise? Did that close as slow yesterday? Does the steering feel funny? Now you are at the next stage of car ownership and sadly, it’s the stage no one likes – maintenance and repair. Your mind fills of hor...

There are so many little things to be done on a car at frequent intervals that the motorist cannot be blamed for overlooking them or putting them off. The average driver is a busy person who runs his car as a handy means of conveyance and has little or no mechanical knowledge of a car’s requirements beyond periodic fills of gasoline, oil, grease water and air. With personal and business matters to occupy his mind he is apt to regard his car as a nuisance if the thought of small but nece...

Programs such as Ferrari Classiche, the Mercedes Classic centers and BMW Mobile Tradition live to support a company’s heritage. They speak to the idea that each car built by a manufacture is a thing of pride, an engineering “moment in time”. Cars such as the original 328 and 507 are cornerstones, which our vision of BMW ownership is laid upon. When built, these cars were only to define one role – the best driving car available. Cars were lithe and sporty because they o...

Each morning starts the same…6:15… snooze button… 6:25… walk downstairs (try not to wake anyone else up)… grind coffee (remember to put the filter in this time), dress, join the others on the freeway- waking up on the Whitemud.

Then you look around to notice all the other drivers around you. Those that hold their wheel like a praying mantis, those that look like they are using a lazy boy as a driver seat, and most entertaining those who seem to have a seat ...

We have all had the discussions in which we wonder where the old executive members have gone… better yet why they have gone. I have some thoughts on this in light of recent events. To be into cars is to be passionate, to love the hobby to such an extent that others find it dumbfounding. Events are practiced and planned without thought to the financial or personal expenses involved. Ten years ago, I started a Porsche club. For three years, I ran the club, planned events, cre...

Today, in a moment of frustration standing if front of a not so aptly named “service counter”, I realized that there is a secret set of items that those who chose this as a hobby should have –items which are very rarely promoted.

1) Thread gages – Standard, Whitworth and Metric.

Why would you need all three? Because most cars have a mixture of whatever falls to hand when the mechanic/ previous owner put that item back on the car. H...

“A single marque enthusiast is not a true car enthusiast”

I cannot remember where I first heard it, but I do remember my first reaction. At the time I was a diehard Porsche guy and did not see the reasoning behind the thought – “they guy does not know what he is talking about” was my response. In retrospect, I can see the wisdom behind this statement. By working on different makes and models, we begin to understand where the engine...

Looking through recent issues of Practical Classics, it would appear that the classic car has fallen out of favor with the majority of Britain. Cities such as Edinburgh have now passed laws preventing classic cars from operating within the city. In North America, we have “schemes” that trade bus passes or bicycles for what are considered “old polluting cars”. Such ideas are interesting given that they do not address the entire situation.

Why do we own the cars we do? Is it some sort of vehicle-karma that attracts us? The answer to this question is an indefinite yes and no.

I have spent tonight looking through old copies of Thoroughbred & Classic Cars; most are about twelve years old. I am often questioned as to why I keep them… most people fail to see my wisdom, thinking of me solely as a magazine pack-rat. So why do I do it? Those magazines have a quality I love, nowhere, on any of the pages can you find some...