26 replies to this topic

[Shooter63]

Can you please ban any member on here who calls a car a 'Cafe Racer' cafe racers never were and will never be bloody cars, for the uninitiated they were and still are motorcycles of a certain type, the quintessential cafe racer is a Triton which is a Norton featherbed frame with a triumph 650 pre unit engine and gearbox.The actual term came from guys racing from cafe to cafe around the A406 North circular, my father was one of the originals so I sort of know what I'm talking about. An interesting side point is why or how the Triton came about, at the time there was a class of car racing called F3 500 which was open wheel race cars with a 500cc engine limit, the engine of choice was a Manx Norton ( 500cc DOHC Single) Norton started to refuse to sell engines only so racers had to buy complete bikes for the engine which meant there were rolling chassis knocking about, people like Dave Degens started fitting the triumph engine into the fantastic handling frame and voilà the Trinton was born. Anyway this term for a car seems to have come from the continent where I presume they have a lack of English history and they just think the term sounds cool, drilling holes in a door handle does not make a CAFE RACER ( motorcycles don't have door handles ). I did try to make my point on FB but got instantly banned😁
You can call your car anything you like but you can't call it a motorbike

Rant over

Shooter

[Gaz66]

Well we will be "racing" our mini to squiers cafe when its built so what should We call it?

[stuart bowes]

[Cooperman]

I did once hear a Mini Cooper owner described as an 'Urban Cooper Cowboy'.

My Minis back in the day were more like 'Pub Racers'.

[Chris1275gt]

Hasn’t the term just become a generic style of a modified minimal appearance with sporty style and speed. Having no real idea what an original cafe racer looks like a quick google has enlightened me, I noticed you can buy a cafe racer new from the showroom that look nothing like the originals so they are just generic “cafe racers” paying homage to the original cafe racers such as your father. I personally would take it as a compliment to the inventors like your father.

[PoolGuy]

Well we will be "racing" our mini to squiers cafe when its built so what should We call it?

Café Roadster? (FYI, I'm not offend by what anyone calls their car)

Edited by PoolGuy, 27 May 2022 - 02:58 PM.

[beardylondon]

My Dad comes from the era of cafe racers (not involved though), so I get what Shooter is saying, to a point.

As we all know, names / trademarks etc get reappropriated / reused and misunderstood over time. The original meaning is still clear and very well defined in the history books, for those bothered to Google it, and that won’t change.

There’s that saying, imitation is the highest form of flattery, I say let the imitators do what they like, as long as they aren’t claiming to be the inventors, which I’m sure they aren’t. As Chris says it’s become a generic term in some quarters.

IMHO it’s easier not to care, as like the modified thread, life is too short, let people do what they like, as really what is the harm.

[Gaz66]

To be honest I'd never heard the term before but I'm sure it fits anything that you screw the tits off to the cafe, have a cuppa and then the same back home!

[Alex_B]

I am familiar with the history of the original "café racers" as well as the "ton up boys" and whatnot, but from a personal stand point I think using the "cafe racer" designation as a description of mk1 and mk1 style minis that have been stripped down to a road legal version of a racing mini isn't the worst thing. No they're not motorbikes but proper "café racer" style builds are ringing true to the stripped back to basics motorbikes that started the original movement, and as such the category fits that style of build and I don't feel if they're done properly they aren't detracting from the original use of the term. 

[sonscar]

What does a name matter?as long as they are friendly and like cars?Steve..

[PoolGuy]

What does a name matter?......................Steve..

Names matter to some 

[Maccmike8]

I dont have a problem with it but can kinda see why it upsets you.

 

 

 

Depending on the quality of the food it could cafe to toilet racer.

[Midas Mk1]

I have a cafe racer styled Mini.

Sips a beer 😂😂😂

[Shooter63]

I have a cafe racer styled Mini.

Sips a beer

Come on then explain to me what is a cafe racer styled car.

Shooter

[PoolGuy]

Shooter, I know you're playing devils advocate, but have a look at this, it might help you https://www.davidbro...om/cafe-racers/