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So, did get the '74 142 auto. It's interesting to compare it side-by-side to the '70.
To those of you contemplating at some point a later model: Apart from the cosmetic, I didn't expect the feel of the car to be so different. It's a good 3-4 inches lower, which seems to be stock. Too bad, I love the high ride in the '70. With the dash protruding further in the cabin, and the 240 seats jammed in there, it feels a lot less open. The auto isn't as dissapointing as I anticipated, it pulls comperably or better than most other cars I met on the street; and shifts so smooth I'm going to have to install a tach to see what's going on & when. Overall, it's almost... normal.
Pleased to find that pulling to the right was one 165-70R15 vs. 3 205-55's w/ directional tread, and the surprisingly flat handling was attributed to some KYBs. (Swaybar looks stock, Ken). 4.10 rear might be harboring a LSD; either way, turns taken with swagger, speed and confidence in the rain were made effortlessly.
One quandry regarding the '74 is that it has most of a 2+" exh system that looks totally factory. I was led to believe that there was no sport option for the '74 & 75's... is this not the case?
Finally: the trans. Found it to be only 3/4 a Liter down. After filling and selecting the gears and driving easy for a while I pulled it up to 75mph and it didn't seem to complain appreciably more than the M40 at that speed. I never felt the shift though, and I don't know the engine speed. In any case, it can go 75. Maybe her lack of faith in the car was a typical BW35 mannerism? (ie, noise & strain.)
So, the question is: what are the typical shift points for your BW35s, and the corresponding rpms?
Thanks all, I AM DRIVING A 142 AGAIN!
Cheers, -Sean
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Volvos: '66 122s, '70 142s; Citroens: '70 DS21, '71 ID21F
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