Ogle Cortina (+ others)

[barrett]

Sorry, I know it's 'old car thread overload' in here at the moment. i'll post one about my organ next.

 

Some histoire

 

In 1959, Ogle Design was a pretty successful industrial design firm, responsible for, amongst others, the Bush TR82 radio. Owner David Ogle decided he wanted to turn his hand to car design, and in 1960 the company launched the Ogle 1.5 saloon. Based on Riley 1.5 underpinnings with a glassfibre body, it was Ogle's idea of a bespoke luxury car, like a sort of mini-Bristol. The huge price, not to mention rather mediocre performance, but off most people and only 8 were built. 2 survive (that I know of), one owned by Chris Gow and one that was part of the Rabigliati collection.

 

Despite it's limited success the car was well recieved, and after hearing of Ogle's plan to create a similar car around Mini components, racing driver John Whitmore became a shareholder in the company and helped push foward the design of a new model, the Ogle SX1000. This car was far more popular than its predecessor, becoming one of the best selling of the mini-based sports cars available. Unfortunately David Ogle was killed in an SX1000 in 1962 and the company ceased production. The moulds were sold and the car later morphed into the hideous Fletcher GT with totally redesigned front end.

 

The last car project David Ogle was wholly responsible for was a new body for the Daimler SP250. Two were built for a private customer, a millionaire who kept one for himself and one for his mistress. Daimler refused to put the car into production, probably knowing that the end was in sight for the 250 after Jaguar launched the E-Type. After Ogle's death Reliant asked new company director Tom Karen to restyle the car, and it was put into production as the Scimitar SE4.

 

Now, getting to the point! At some point in the early '60s Stirling Moss approached Ogle with a view to building him a bespoke small saloon built entirely to his specifications. Information on the car is scarce, but I assume that David Ogle started the project and Karen took it on after his death. Needless to say, the car wasn't ready until 1964 and, as Ogle had stopped in-house production of cars, the body was built by Harold Radford, who also had a natty line in modified Minis going. It was based on a Ford Cortina GT and sporting a very handsome fastback shape with an egg-crate grille and spotlamps at the front. It also featured a heated Triplex rear screen, which is I believe the first time Ogle and Triplex worked together - the start of a long relationship.

Moss was delighted with the car and used it around London for a few years before it disappeared. Ogle did briefly try to market the conversion, but only one other was built, yet another victim of high price - £1,390 in 1964, plus the cost of a Cortina! Both cars survive in unrestored states today.

 

For me this is one of the great lost cars, something so obscure most people have never even heard of it let alone seen it. If Ford had picked up this design I think it could've done pretty well as a mass produced car - definitely one of the most interesting 'what ifs' of that period.

 

Ogle, of course, went on to great things, with Tom Karen (who'd only planned to stay a year to help keep the company alfoat) going on to restlye the Scimitar again into the GTE, the Bond Bug and of course the Robin. The Triplex Princess 10-20 and Aston Martin 'sotherby special' were interesting diversions, but by the late 70s the company had all but left the automotive design world, the last Ogle car being a rather nasty bodykit for Mk1 Astras built by Avon in 1981 (which I have a picture of, if anyone really wants to see)

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Fantastic!! Is Tom Karen still alive?

[seth]

Brilliant stuff Barrett! Keep going like this and I'll have to cancel my C&SC sub!

[Alexg]

i'll post one about my organ next.

[Pete-M]

Think Tom Karen is still going, there was an article about him in C&SC not that long ago, and it wasn't an obit.

 

 

Another of his fine designs, probably my favourite.

[pogweasel]

Brilliant stuff!

 

Ogle design is still going, their officers are right by my (extortionately expensive) dentist's surgery.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You can buy an Ogle SX1000 bodyshell now, made by this lot:

 

http://www.nostalgiacars.co.uk/ogle_full_details.html

 

 

don't look a the prices though!! Looks like a top quality setup mind you.

[Station]

Tom Karen is still alive, but David Ogle isn't - he died driving one of his own cars!

Didn't they design the crazy car with the pressure sensitive brake lights? They also designed the landspeeder used in Star Wars.

 

 

That's the one:

 

[autofive]

i ll just add to this thread......

 

 

In 1963 a Ford Cortina GT was revamped, designed by Ogle to Sir Stirling Moss’s specifications (I understand he was a director of Ogle) with the work being carried out by Harold Radford (Coachbuilders) Ltd of King Street, London.

 

A Ford Cortina GT was used has the basis with improved handling via lowered suspension, wide rim wheels fitted with Dunlop SP tyres, the engine remained the standard 1498cc GT one. A restyled sloping back was constructed from sheet steel and replaced the rear section of the car; a new grille was fitted with recessed fog and spot lamps along with a full Webasto sunroof. The interior was completely gutted and seating was rebuilt along with the dashboard, front windows were electrically operated and a Minifon tape recorder fitted to the front console (but no mention of a TV). There were also lots of little items fitted to this car not fitted to the standard Cortina but are too numerous to mention here, it also bore the registration mark SM 7.

 

When finished it was displayed on the Harold Radford Stand at the 1963 Motor Show, Earls Court. For this show Radfords produced a sales brochure for the car in a hope of taking orders for replicas, it is understood that one order was taken and a car constructed but no spec is know or if it was based on a Lotus Cortina. At the time Moss’s car was covered in lots of magazines and other publication and has been on and off over the years, although the press named it Moss’s dream car they did not take to the styling or its Borneo Green paintwork.

 

 

 

 

SM7 (if memory serves me right) turned up in Singapore a couple of years ago

[barrett]

Nice on A5, I'm guessing that last picture is of the 'other' car as that one has rostyles. It was this car that turned up in The Philippines, and it does have the Lotus Twin-cam engine!

the Moss car is sitting in someone's barn somewhere in the UK, and will probably continue to until the old fart pops it and someone with a modicum of sense buys it and gives it the resto it deserves!

here is the Philippines car as found

 

And because I know you secretly want to, here is the Avon-Ogle Astra!

[Rusty Pelican]

Fasinating stuff , , I knew of the Uren converted Cortinas but this is a new one on me , looks a cracking car

[George-Roper]

2 Ogle Minis on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1963-Ogle-SX1000- ... 2a0b71a1c8

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1963-Mini-Ogle-SX ... 2a0b610a5a

[Pete-M]

That red one looks ace on the 6x13s. From that angle, anyway.

[trigger]

I remember a feature in a issue of Classic Cars magazine i had back in the 80's about a Ogle which looked like an estate with a huge glass roof, I thought it was the most amazing looking car at the time, I'm sure it was called something like the Ogle Timmex, I'll going to go some google searching.

[seth]

From the FoS last year

 

 

[Guest]

I remember a feature in a issue of Classic Cars magazine i had back in the 80's about a Ogle which looked like an estate with a huge glass roof, I thought it was the most amazing looking car at the time, I'm sure it was called something like the Ogle Timmex, I'll going to go some google searching.

 

 

 

Triplex Reliant I think your after?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

No doubt about it, those Ogle minis look freakin ace, i'm not that into Minis but I would be all over one of those at a show. Lovely!

[Guest]

But there was a princess one

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'd love to build a really wanky replica of that Princess using plexiglass, i'd shape it with a hot air gun and leave loads of isolated scorch marks on the surface. Seal it all up with a thick coat of pitch or whatever.

[trigger]

Yes, found it, It was a Ogle Triplex based on a Scimitar, This is a bloody stunning car if you ask me.

 

 

 

 

 

There's more about it here http://www.sporting-reliants.com/Prototypes.htm and here http://carcatalog2.free.fr/sw3u.htm

[autofive]

almost forgot about the origins of the scimitar

 

 

 

and yes....

 

 

that is the ogle i thought was in Singapore (short term memory problems )

 

so its not SM7 then?

[trigger]

[Tayne]

.

[Vin]

Ogle design also penned the cab for the Leyland T45

 

[Station]

I remember a feature in a issue of Classic Cars magazine i had back in the 80's about a Ogle which looked like an estate with a huge glass roof, I thought it was the most amazing looking car at the time, I'm sure it was called something like the Ogle Timmex, I'll going to go some google searching.

 

Triplex make car windows, they have XXX engraved on the glass. My Astra has it.

 

 

All these Ogle's look like the model cars used in Thunderbirds.

 

[autofive]

I remember a feature in a issue of Classic Cars magazine i had back in the 80's about a Ogle which looked like an estate with a huge glass roof, I thought it was the most amazing looking car at the time, I'm sure it was called something like the Ogle Timmex, I'll going to go some google searching.

 

Triplex make car windows, they have XXX engraved on the glass. My Astra has it.

 

 

All these Ogle's look like the model cars used in Thunderbirds.

 

 

triplex also made Sundym glass for cooler interior temperatures and less UV on your seats and dash

[Spottedlaurel]

Excellent thread and contributions!

 

About the Cortina, it does look good but did it ultimately end up doing something that the Consul Capri didn't? Also, did/do people prefer their coupes to look unlike the saloons on which they're generally based?

[Lacy]

Didn't the Consul Capri look just like the Classic on which it was based?

[Gompo]

Great thread.. reminds me of the sort of thing you'd read on AROnline.

 

Cheers, Greg.

[seth]

Didn't the Consul Capri look just like the Classic on which it was based?

 

Consul Capri (and a dead woman?)

 

 

Classic

 

 

Yes, these are obviously similar but it would take a dedicated nutter to choose a very expensive coachbuilt car that is also along the same lines instead of one of these out of the Ford showroom