
If she was a boy I'd have called her Damien


The subject in question is Rattiva II and is the latest addition to my fleet; a rather ratty late Xantia HDi 110 Exclusive. The name Rattiva comes from a singularly scruffy Activa I once rescued so it seemed appropriate to continue the naming theme.
Rattiva II is to be my winter runabout so that I can protect my Activa and V6 from the worst extremes of the weather and the council's salt fetish...
To be honest I like the rat look and having a car that's not too tidy for leaving in suspect (Tesco) car parks and so on. I hate leaving the V6 or the Activa in public car parks as they seem to attract the trolley scuffers and plebs who abandon their cars six inches away like a magnet. I find the ropier the car looks the less it gets any attention from the scuffing scum... Also, if I want to chuck a gearbox in the boot, no worries...
Her journey here was from near Reading via Glasgow where she was used to assist in the collection of a very rare Poxhall thing for her former owners pal. The Poxhall in question is a Carlton 3.0 24V estate and under torch-light looked incredibly tidy and by Poxhall standards, rather desirable in its own way... 24 left apparently...
During this epic adventure, Rattiva II's engine management light came on and she also decided to have a tad of ABS fun by releasing the brakes behind a car sporting a towbar. Damage is superficial, a crack in the front bumper and a rather interestingly patterned numberplate. To be honest, it's a bit superficial given the cosmetic appearance of the rest of the car..
As soon as it's light I'll be out looking her over and giving her a good wash and spruce-up before getting the spanners twirling in her general direction...
More later...