u/MyMotorStory_app

Spotted this Toyota Celica GT-i 16, and honestly, I think it is one of those cars where nothing really needs to be added.

Front-engined, front-wheel drive, 2.0-litre 16-valve Toyota twin-cam — not exotic on paper, but the design still feels really well judged. Low front end, simple lights, clean side profile, and no unnecessary aggression.

Maybe it is just my taste, but compared with many modern designs, this feels like a properly finished idea. It does not need to shout, or pretend to be something else. It just works, for me at least.

Spotted this R8 at Thruxton Circuit Supercar Day.

Funny thing is, with all the other supercars around it, it was almost easy to miss at first. In a car park full of louder shapes and colours,

I don’t think this would be the first one most people walk over to. But close up, it was a different story.

The matte black, the aero, carbon bits, the visible V10 under the glass… lots of small details that don’t really shout from a distance. You kind of need to stop and look at it properly.

That’s what I liked about it. It doesn’t scream “look at me”, but it still has presence. More like it knows what it is.

Probably one of the better modified R8s I’ve seen. Not sure everyone will agree, but for me it worked.

Too subtle, or just right?

(This is the second version of the text as many people were suspicious of AI writing)

Spotted this Audi R8 recently and thought it was worth sharing.

The satin/matte black finish works really well with the shape, and the added aero gives it a much more aggressive feel without completely losing the clean R8 lines.

The front splitter and canards, fixed rear wing, deeper diffuser and carbon details all make it look more track-focused, but still quite restrained.

The details are what made it interesting: big drilled brakes behind the multi-spoke wheels, Michelin tyre lettering, rear mesh vents, and that visible V10 with the red cross brace under the glass.

That is probably what I like most about the R8. Even modified, it can still feel fairly understated compared with many supercars — but there is clearly serious hardware underneath.

The rear three-quarter angle is definitely its best view.

Spotted this R8 at Thuxton Circuit Supercar Day.

Funny thing is, with all the other supercars around it, it was almost easy to miss at first. In a car park full of louder shapes and colours, I don’t think this would be the first one most people walk over to. But close up, it was a different story.

The matte black, the aero, carbon bits, the visible V10 under the glass… lots of small details that don’t really shout from a distance. You kind of need to stop and look at it properly.

That’s what I liked about it. It doesn’t scream “look at me”, but it still has presence. More like it knows what it is.

Probably one of the better modified R8s I’ve seen. Not sure everyone will agree, but for me it worked.

Too subtle, or just right?

(The second version of the text as some people suspected AI-written content)

Spotted this AC Cobra replica recently and the owner had a very detailed spec board with it, which made it more interesting than just another Cobra-shaped car.

According to the board, it is a Dax Tojeiro completed in 2013, finished in Magneto pearlescent blue with ceramic white Le Mans stripes. The engine is a Chevy 383ci / 6.3-litre V8 stroker crate engine from British American Engines, dyno tested at around 485 bhp and 450 lb-ft of torque.

A few other details from the build: Edelbrock alloy heads and manifold, Edelbrock 750 cfm carburettor, Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox, limited-slip differential, stainless side pipes, 18-inch Hallibrand-style alloys, and electric power-assisted steering.

Obviously not an original AC Cobra, but I think that is part of what makes these builds interesting. It is more of a personal interpretation of the Cobra idea — classic shape, modern/modified running gear, and someone’s own decisions all over it.

Not subtle, but probably not meant to be.

Spotted this AC Cobra replica recently and the owner had a very detailed spec board with it, which made it more interesting than just another Cobra-shaped car.

According to the board, it is a Dax Tojeiro completed in 2013, finished in Magneto pearlescent blue with ceramic white Le Mans stripes.

The engine is a Chevy 383ci / 6.3-litre V8 stroker crate engine from British American Engines, dyno tested at around 485 bhp and 450 lb-ft of torque.

A few other details from the build: Edelbrock alloy heads and manifold, Edelbrock 750 cfm carburettor, Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox, limited-slip differential, stainless side pipes, 18-inch Hallibrand-style alloys, and electric power-assisted steering.

Obviously not an original AC Cobra, but I think that is part of what makes these builds interesting. It is more of a personal interpretation of the Cobra idea — classic shape, modern/modified running gear, and someone’s own decisions all over it.

Not subtle, but probably not meant to be.

Spotted this AC Cobra replica recently and the owner had a very detailed spec board with it, which made it more interesting than just another Cobra-shaped car.

According to the board, it is a Dax Tojeiro completed in 2013, finished in Magneto pearlescent blue with ceramic white Le Mans stripes. The engine is a Chevy 383ci / 6.3-litre V8 stroker crate engine from British American Engines, dyno tested at around 485 bhp and 450 lb-ft of torque.

A few other details from the build: Edelbrock alloy heads and manifold, Edelbrock 750 cfm carburettor, Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox, limited-slip differential, stainless side pipes, 18-inch Hallibrand-style alloys, and electric power-assisted steering.

Obviously not an original AC Cobra, but I think that is part of what makes these builds interesting. It is more of a personal interpretation of the Cobra idea — classic shape, modern/modified running gear, and someone’s own decisions all over it.

Not subtle, but probably not meant to be.

Spotted this AC Cobra replica recently and the owner had a very detailed spec board with it, which made it more interesting than just another Cobra-shaped car.

According to the board, it is a Dax Tojeiro completed in 2013, finished in Magneto pearlescent blue with ceramic white Le Mans stripes. The engine is a Chevy 383ci / 6.3-litre V8 stroker crate engine from British American Engines, dyno tested at around 485 bhp and 450 lb-ft of torque.

A few other details from the build: Edelbrock alloy heads and manifold, Edelbrock 750 cfm carburettor, Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox, limited-slip differential, stainless side pipes, 18-inch Hallibrand-style alloys, and electric power-assisted steering.

Obviously not an original AC Cobra, but I think that is part of what makes these builds interesting. It is more of a personal interpretation of the Cobra idea — classic shape, modern/modified running gear, and someone’s own decisions all over it.

Not subtle, but probably not meant to be.

Spotted this Fiat 131 Abarth recently and thought it was worth sharing.

There is something really appealing about how functional these look. It is still clearly based on a fairly ordinary saloon shape, but then you get the box arches, front spoiler, extra lamps and that very purposeful rally stance. It does not feel over-designed — more like every change had a reason.

The 131 Abarth was built for rally homologation, with the road cars using a 2.0-litre twin-cam 16-valve engine and a much more serious setup than the standard 131, including independent rear suspension. The competition versions were developed far beyond that and became a big part of Fiat’s rally success in the late 1970s.

I think that “ordinary car turned serious” character is what makes it interesting. It is not conventionally elegant, but it has real presence.

I’m trying to keep little car-meet spots like this together with notes and background details, rather than just letting the photos disappear in my camera roll. This 131 is exactly the kind of car that makes that feel worthwhile.

Spotted this De Tomaso Pantera and it reminded me why these cars have such a strange appeal.

On paper it sounds like a slightly unlikely mix: Italian design, mid-engined layout, and Ford V8 power. In person, though, it just works. It sits incredibly low and wide, but still has that raw, mechanical feel rather than looking overly polished or modern.

I always find cars like this more interesting when there’s a proper ownership story behind them — how long someone has had it, what it has needed over the years, what it is actually like to live with, and whether it still feels special once the initial drama wears off.

Would be interested to hear from anyone who has owned, driven, or worked on one. Are they as good as they look, or is the dream better than the reality?

Custom badge with nickname, door seals covers and some unpleasant discoveries when taking some decorative panels off.

And yet again, from the asphalt pastures of England.

Spotted this lovely early Ford Mustang at a car meet in Portsmouth.

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I know Mustangs are far from rare in the classic car world, but seeing one in this condition, in this colour, and actually being used rather than just hidden away always feels special.

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The light blue paint, chrome details, simple black plate and that original-style front end give it a really clean period look. It also had the right sort of presence — not shouting for attention, but impossible not to notice.

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I’m not an expert on classic Mustangs, so happy to be corrected on the exact year/spec, but it looked like a beautiful first-generation coupe and was definitely one of the cars that made me stop for a proper look.

Spotted this lovely early Ford Mustang at a car meet in Portsmouth UK

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I know Mustangs are far from rare in the classic car world, but seeing one in this condition, in this colour, and actually being used rather than just hidden away always feels special.

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The light blue paint, chrome details, simple black plate and that original-style front end give it a really clean period look. It also had the right sort of presence — not shouting for attention, but impossible not to notice.

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I’m not an expert on classic Mustangs, so happy to be corrected on the exact year/spec, but it looked like a beautiful first-generation coupe and was definitely one of the cars that made me stop for a proper look.

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The 230 SL was introduced in 1963 as the first of the W113 SL models, replacing both the 190 SL and the legendary 300 SL Roadster. Quite a difficult act to follow, but Mercedes managed to create something elegant, usable and technically advanced at the same time.

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The “Pagoda” nickname comes from the removable hardtop, with its slightly concave roof shape. But the W113 was more than just a pretty roadster — it was also designed with proper passive safety in mind, including a strong passenger cell and crumple zones.

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The 230 SL used a 2.3-litre straight-six with mechanical fuel injection, making around 150 hp. Not huge by modern standards, but very refined for the early 1960s. It even had competition credibility, with a 230 SL winning the tough Spa–Sofia–Liège rally in 1963.

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What I like most is the balance: not the fastest Mercedes, not the most exotic, but elegant, beautifully engineered and genuinely usable.

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Definitely one of the most timeless Mercedes designs of the 1960s.

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Cars like this are exactly why MyMotorStory.app exists — a place to share the stories, memories and little details behind the cars we admire, own or used to own.

Unfortunately, barely seen nowadays on the roads...

She was my first car — a second-generation Dacia Logan (branded for Russian market as Renault Logan), produced in Togliatti.

Back in 2015, I had managed to save some money and was looking for a first-generation Logan. I knew it was not the most exciting or beautiful car, but that was not what mattered to me. I wanted something reliable, practical, spacious, easy to maintain, and good enough for Russian roads.

The problem was that by 2015, many first-generation Logans in Russia were already very tired. They were often used as taxis, or simply as hard-working family cars with huge mileage. Finding a decent one within my budget was much harder than I expected.

By that time, the second-generation Logan had already appeared. I really liked the design — she felt like a big step forward — but mechanically she was still close to the original Logan, which made her even more appealing. A new one was too expensive for me, but after months of searching I realised that a good first-generation car was not that much cheaper than a nearly new second-generation one.

Then I found this car for sale in Yekaterinburg, about two and a half hours away from me. She was one year old, had one previous owner, only 14,000 km on the clock, and still felt almost new inside. I decided to take a small loan to cover the difference, and the next day I got on a bus to go and see her.

I bought her straight away and drove her back to Chelyabinsk with support from my brother-in-law. It was exciting, but also a bit nerve-racking — I had never owned a car before, and this was my first proper long drive in my own car.

She had the simple and dependable K7M 1.6-litre engine, and over the next five years she became our family car. We drove her up to roughly 110,000 km, and she was genuinely reliable and easy to live with.

For the first couple of years I just enjoyed her in standard form. Later, I started making her more personal: roof rails, a roof rack, small styling changes, little design details, and eventually a suspension lift to give her a tougher, more off-road-capable look. She was also the car where I first started doing proper DIY work — including suspension repairs and changing brake discs myself.

She was not fast, not fancy, and not something most people would dream about. But she was honest, practical, reliable, and full of memories.

I really loved that Logan. Sadly, I had to sell her in 2020 before moving to the UK, because I simply couldn’t take her with me.

If you want to see more Logan-related stories - please visit MyMotorStory.app where I'm going to tell more about my ownership experience.