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#31

Show and Shine / Re: GBA's 2017 PriusPrime (and...

Last post by GreatBigAbyss - Feb 26, 2026, 09:00 AM

Nice! Looks rather cold for bike riding though

I'm guessing you don't know what fatbiking is?  It's a discipline of biking that is specifically done in snow.  The bikes are specialized, often with 4.5" wide tires, which require extra clearance frames and forks.  You run low tire pressures - 12psi or lower - to spread the tire out and stop from sinking in the snow.   A lot of trail systems get groomed in the winter (usually with a snowdog) to give you a packed surface to ride on.  In a province where we have snow 4-5 months of the year, this is the best way to continue doing the sport I love. 

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#32

Show and Shine / Re: 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Prefe...

Last post by Blueprint - Feb 26, 2026, 08:49 AM

Hope you got a wicked deal! I wish I'd have known - we'd have hooked you up with a wicked deal through my Hyundai store.

Winter demo? 

So Stellantis, Hyundai and ... ?

Clarkson - just the 3 stores for now.

I wish I could winter demo one of these - they're just not easy to sell. Would rather grab something like an Elantra, Santa Fe or Palisade since they're hot sellers and will be easy to give away with 4-5,000km on them when I'm done for the season.

Tentatively, I'll be in a '27 Palisade Hybrid in Robust Emerald with the brown interior. It's been ordered for October delivery, but if a customer wants dibs on it, they'll take priority.

That was my presser's specs. Temps never went warmer than -14°C during that week, ended up at 13.7 l/100km. The ICE would need 30 to 40 minutes of warming before letting the hybrid system shut it down.

#33

Show and Shine / Re: The Not So 'Cherry' 81 380...

Last post by Blueprint - Feb 26, 2026, 08:45 AM

Fun fact: first year R107's in NA carried the same 350SL badge as in Europe, but that was quickly swapped for a 450SL one, despite keeping the V8.

Every now and then, a 3-pedal straight-six Euro model shows up on BaT. My next favourite R107 spec!

#34

Show and Shine / Re: The Not So 'Cherry' 81 380...

Last post by Blueprint - Feb 26, 2026, 08:42 AM

Big fan of R107's here. Before the TR6 landed in my lap, these were the one classic car I thought was plausible. Unlike most, I prefer them with the NA-spec round headlights and 5 mph bumpers - that's how I remember them as a kid, and the bumpers emphasize the horizontal lines of the car. The later 560SL is the perfect spec, with that powerboat motor, front lip spoiler and Gullideckel wheels. Silver over blue interior for me.

The 450SL is the original spec, but these are much older now. The 380SL was the gas crisis version, and early single chain motors had catastrophic failures. Firm's has the double chain, so factory build or TSB'd at some point. Guides, as in other cars, are a weak point. I used to read a lot on the cars and follow every BaT listing until the TR6 arrived. Beyond the single chain and guides, IIRC there's a front crossmember / suspension issue to look out for, and the HVAC control module is a weak point. Otherwise, built like a tank and weighs like one.

Hoping you save it!

#35

General Truck and SUV Banter / Re: Looking for a New SUV

Last post by Blueprint - Feb 26, 2026, 08:32 AM

My old boss just took delivery of his new Passport. He loves it so far, except for the fact that it won't go below 14 l/100 km...

#36

Electric Vehicles (EVs) / Re: Ottawa offers new EV incen...

Last post by Blueprint - Feb 26, 2026, 08:29 AM

On the topic of urban road wear - from my civil engineering classes, and observations in my practice, the worst offender by a landslide is the city bus. I remember my teacher saying they should have tandem axles in the back but don't due to addtional operation costs. In Hull (now Gatineau) my old CEGEP (the QC-only thing between high school and university) was a bus terminal, up a hill, and at the bottom of the hill the pavement looked like those wavy carpets when a cartoon character "brakes". We have to reinforce pavement at bus stops. And often curbs just dive if not compacted properly on bus routes.

#37

Electric Vehicles (EVs) / Re: Ottawa offers new EV incen...

Last post by RRocket - Feb 25, 2026, 10:27 PM

Just go by gross vehicle weights and the national average for yearly driving.

Anything else is too complicated for govt.

True, it would certainly be a step in the right direction as far as making EV owners pay a share of the road tax.

I mean...a 10k pound Hummer EV should pay its own way...no?

#38

Show and Shine / Re: The Not So 'Cherry' 81 380...

Last post by Gurgie - Feb 25, 2026, 09:30 PM

Very cool find! Fantastic looking car. Fingers crossed you can get it back up & running.

#39

Show and Shine / Re: The Not So 'Cherry' 81 380...

Last post by Firm - Feb 25, 2026, 09:19 PM

Yeah, that's the plan. I have an inspection camera, it's older, needs to be connected to a laptop, but it should get the job done. Hopefully I get as lucky as BC did with his Prelude.

#40

Show and Shine / Re: GBA's 2017 PriusPrime (and...

Last post by HannibalSmith - Feb 25, 2026, 09:02 PM

Awesome!