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Ben Hooper

@popup-breakdown.bsky.social
152 followers 87 following 965 posts

That youth who managed to blag a column for ‪@classicretromodern.bsky.social magazine. Defender of the Tat, 47 since 2005, owner of 0 sensible cars. #WeirdCarTwitter Exile

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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 8h
Went for a flight in this yesterday. My Belgian pilot said it cost the same for him to fly home to the low countries from the south of France as it does for him to drive. £500 each, just one takes 3 hours the other 10
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A shot worth travelling 5,000 miles for
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Will second every word of this. This wasn't car YouTube, it was online television. Martin is an auteur
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Reposted by Ben Hooper
Guy Roberts @bakeliteguy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
But carry on adding gadgetry and buying cars from China or Elon instead of going back to basics because it will all be fine.
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Grand Thrift Auto @grandthriftauto.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Was it the Sound of the Crowd or just Total Panic? Still, truly a Thing That Dreams Are Made Of.
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Grand Thrift Auto @grandthriftauto.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Indeed. Here you go: I've been wrong about the Mitsubishi Starion all this time youtu.be/zfTxUGcZLec
youtu.be
I've been wrong about the Mitsubishi Starion all this time
YouTube video by Grand Thrift Auto
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Grand Thrift Auto @grandthriftauto.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I debunked that racist urban myth about the Starion name in a video I made about Ben’s car earlier this year. I got actual death threats from Clarkson fans.
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Would love to import one of these, shipping shouldn't be too... Fuck's sake
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
These are the Starion's stats on the run from Lake Garda to Provence yesterday. Pretty hard to do better than that, tho wonder what would happen if I put stupidly high pressures in the tyres
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JD Burgess @blacktopmagazine.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Like crack for autistic Millenials.
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I suppose there aren’t any other UK Market, Taxed, MOTed 1987 Starion Turbos that have a gash in the offside rear arch flare caused by a bit of Italian Autostrada, so in that sense it’s priceless (And yes I know it is all filler, whatevs)
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Blasted through Austria, now at lake Garda. Wondering if the car will start tomorrow, I have my "first" finish line in Provence* *where I will be staying with family, so the car technically doesn't have to get me home from that point, tho would be nice #weirdcarbs
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Matthew Willis (Naval Air History) @navalairhistory.com · 25/09/2026
When the photography shop assures you that these expired films are unused
Black and white photo. Due to a double exposure, it looks as though a racing car is about to crash through a spectral graduation ceremony
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Chloe Phillips @vhschloe.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Facebook is a hive of arm chair specialists. As is YouTube at times… It’s one of the things I hate about being a British car enthusiast. I either get abuse because “them were shite, weren’t they?” Or people going “MA ROVER HELP ME THINK ABOUT TIME BEFORE THEM DINGYS!!” It’s so tiring…
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.facebook.com/share/1CQpbH... It takes the logic of a man who is piloting a recalcitrant Starion on a lap of Europe to see this as a good idea. I am a man who is piloting a recalcitrant Starion on a lap of Europe
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.facebook.com/marketplace/... Didn't know these were a thing
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
It had already been fixed in Lithuania with a new distributor, but this time the tired leads (1 year old Densos) had meant the plugs had gotten gummed up with unburnt fuel and a bit of oil too. I scoured Bratislava for leads, plugs and a plug removal tool, only to find the latter utterly useless
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The Spark Plug God demanded my scissor jack in sacrifice. What a day...
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This is EJ. EJ saved my arse today by finding and replacing the distributor cap and proceeded to help drain the bores of flooded fuel. If you feel a breakdown coming on, I suggest you try to limp it to Lithuania. They have some brilliant engineers here
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This distributor cap has been redistributed. Lenin would approve
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
FIXED! Thank you to the Colt Car Club putting me in touch with the biggest rally car builder in Latvia, Edgars. Together (well, him mostly) we traced the fault to you guessed it: an earthing wire in the boot that had come detached. This wire held up the whole system, obvs. Reattached and reinforced.
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I think we may have a problem...
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Rory @norwichgiant.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Issue 42 of @classicretromodern.bsky.social came through the door this morning, and you should subscribe yourself even just on the merits of the amazing feature by @antonyingram.bsky.social showing our boy @notposhpete.bsky.social ripping 2 stroke glory on his Motocompo!
Pete shown on his Motocompo in print magazine form!
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Tallinn was gorgeous. Very touristy, but given the culture was oppressed for many centuries, I reckon they have earned the right to be a little pushy when it comes to that. Well worth a visit if you like Medieval Architecture and Brutalism
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The Finnish radio station in my hostel is currently playing Sheena Easton's For Your Eyes Only (1981) Not sure I have ever heard this on any radio. It's a decent song, and the film attached to it I think was actually Moore's best Bond. That's all for now
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Went swimming in a Finnish lake yesterday and it was the purest water I think I have ever swam in. Utterly untouched
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Safe to say, I adore it here
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Finnish Car Meet last night. Utterly incredible spread for #weirdcarbs to devour
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Here have a Finnish Probe. Ugh, that sounds wrong. Wild Probe? FFS Casual... no. Here, have that weird Japanese-American Failed Mustang Replacement currently parked in Turku (no disrespect, am the proud owner of a car similarly bullied for its name. Still, Ford, should have known better) #weirdcarbs
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Don't mind me just a wild Finnish Avenger
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
🚶‍♂️🟣💮
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
🦎🎨
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
🛞🪨
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Genuinely stunned by Sweden. If it wasn't the fairytale archipelagos, warm cities and lush wildernesses, it's the £1.36/litre 98 E5! So sad to only be spending 24 hours here, but I will definitely be making my return. With such vast spaces and lonely roads, I do see why US cars make sense here...
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Sweden is already delivering for #weirdcarbs Not shown are the countless hot rods, the immaculate Volvo 145 Estate, and period modded Opel Manta B on the very chill motorway. Happy to report the Starion did Copenhagen to Stockholm on one tank, about 405 miles (out of a 75 litre tank yikes)
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Correct soundtrack too...
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Will be tackling the Oresund Bridge today. In honour of my second favourite Top Gear race, M83's Moonchild will be playing in my McLaren* SLR* #weirdcarbs
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Grand Thrift Auto @grandthriftauto.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I can see why some might prefer the 928 Gemballa over the Koenig. Personally, and at the risk of being quoted out of context, I much prefer it with its kit off.
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I always fancied a stint in Medici...
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Reminded that this site exists, reminded that there are still one owner, manual Skyline R32 GTS-4s out there... www.carsensor.net/usedcar/deta...
carsensor.net
スカイライン 2.0 GTS-4 4WD GTオートスポイラー(三重)の中古車詳細 | 中古車なら【カーセンサー】
スカイライン 2.0 GTS-4 4WD GTオートスポイラー【380.0万円】の中古車詳細情報です。三重県・CREWCH クルウチの中古車情報なら「カーセンサー」!
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
youtu.be/poyQp685y_w?... Really interesting mini-doc, would like to explore this culture at some point - alas my imminent trip to Sweden won't give me enough time #weirdcarbs
youtu.be
How American Cars Took Over Sweden
YouTube video by DW REV - Mobility & Innovation
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Drove to Copenhagen yesterday. Was immensely satisfied to see a Chrysler 300C speeding up to, talgating and then bullying a BMW 5 series into moving out of the outside lane before carrying on. Feel like the 300C was quite a tasteful car in a perverse way #weirdcarbs
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MaaronSpiderweber🕷️🕸️🎃 @maaronweber.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
It’s very funny to have a collection of undriven “driver’s” cars you call “The drivers philosophy” that were exclusively purchased to hold + flip
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Grand Thrift Auto @grandthriftauto.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I love my Skoda but it is slightly disconcerting driving around with Roland Rat grinning up at you the whole time.
Roland Rat, superstar The steering wheel and instrument binnacle of a Skoda Kodiaq mk1
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
In the UK we don't readily associate Denmark with car culture, but what a meet that was. So much variety, summed up by seeing an ex-1976 motorshow Maserati Merak SS parked next to a 2dr Opel Ascona B. Tonnes of interesting metal, and the potential for far more on a "busy" night
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Kattegat Vice
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I have been invited to a Danish Car Meet by a Danish Starion owner. #weirdcarbs will be receiving updates from ground zero
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👻 Jack Djinn Wail 🧞 @jacktindale.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Properly gone at the idea of having this awarded like a corporate award gigs in one of those massive but soulless business hotel ballrooms, with Romesh Ranganathan hosting.
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John C @badsocialism.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
I will fight and die on the hill that no one fought braver and better in 1940 than the French army in June, knowing that their best troops had already been lost and the Germans would show them little mercy
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Ben Hooper @popup-breakdown.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Skyline R32 Autech. That's all.
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