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barrett

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barrett last won the day on March 28 2022

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  1. RIP Marcello Gandini, author of some of my favourite cars
  2. Looking at prices realised on ebay, that's actually possibly something of a bargain. The 1980s tinplate Buick, Corvette etc are extremely nostalaic for me. There was a period of time when every upper-middle class household, or young 'design' type, or Yuppie in general seemed to have one of those on their mantlepiece. A real zeitgeist moment when '50s Americana was suddenly extremely cool in the UK and Europe. As a child, they were always quite fascinating to me, although it was obvious they were 'new' and not actually old. I did actually get one as a Christmas gift one year (which I still have). If I ever become upper-middle class, or design-y, or a yuppie, it will be proudly displayed in my minimalist Bauhaus-inspired living room, alongside one of these: I'd actually like to know the story of those things. Who made them? Why did they catch on in such an enormous way? Were they actually replicas of old Bandai toys or just 'in the style of'? I bet you can still buy them new, somewhere.
  3. amazing! That's the first proper high-res picture I've seen of that car and I need that for my book! Lucky it's in a photo library. That's a genuinely really useful post, thanks for sharing. Edit: They have three other incredible photos of the same car, so amazing!
  4. Actually 123 Calvert road is still there, it's located in the yard behind 125, accessed under the arch at 121. If I ever get my Heron on the road I will be taking it back there...
  5. Yep the windscreen and I think the steering wheel are both 100E. I have changed my mind about the wheels, after looking very closely. They're a flatter profile than 100E and they also have a 'fifth hole', other than the four wheel studs, which might make them distinctive? I think it's a red herring in any case. Other things which point to it being a prototype: no provision for windscreen wipers. The 'grille' opening looks to have been an afterthought, cut-out once the body had been mounted to the chassis. Perhaps it had a small circular opening originally, which was expanded? Or no opening at all? It's a small car. Assuming it is a 100E windscreen, we can see it's both a lot shorter and a quite a bit narrower overall than a 2dr 100E. It's a two-seat economy car rather than a sports car with a hardtop, IMO. It's definitely not an Ashley, Berkeley or Fairthorpe (they only ever made GRP cars and all are well-documented). I doubt this was built by a company that was already building cars in any number, more like a car project from a company involved in another industry looking to expand (entirely guesswork here). If we say that 'bit' is part of the engine and not another red herring, that's not any commercially available air-cooled engine I know of. Certainly not Panhard/Citroen etc (although the bonnet bulge might suggest it's not 'flat' but a 'vee' or vertical twin). The only thing I can think of that looks anything like it is a toroidal engine like the ones Bradshaw was experimenting with at this time, but I don't really think any of his engines were developed to the stage they could run consistently or power a vehicle. I don't actually think it's the case, but it's an intriguing thought. Sadly the best image I have of what I'm talking about...
  6. suspect this might keep me from ever sleeping again. (re-)posted on a 'specials' group on facebook, but It's obviously not an 'off the peg' job and I do not think it's a special at all, but some sort of prototype. Look at the construction of the sills and the fully boxed-in inner wings, and the door handle recession. It does seem to be on Ford wheels, though. The registration is apparently 1955-56 Middlesex. The car is obviously photographed some time after it was built (in metal, not GRP) and it's lived a hard life in that time (of testing?). I reckon those buildings are light industrial rather than residential so this could be the courtyard of a small factory somewhere. But the biggest WTF is what's visible through the grille opening. I'd say that certainly is not a conventional engine of any type I can think of. What is that finned circular casing all about? Could it be a toroidal engine??? I am going a bit insane knowing there's a car out there which I can't identify.
  7. I've looked back over the last 8 or so pages and can't see a mention of this, so I'm daring to post it here... https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/284064684429956/ BWAG!
  8. They're 'Woodlite' headlamps, which were an aftermarket accessory popular in the 1930s and in the early days of hot-rodding. I think the Ruxton was the only car to use them as standard. Fun fact: the Ruxton uses the same body as the Wolseley Messenger
  9. My childhood 'restoration' involved a small flat piece of card taped to a cocktail stick, which gave me an opening 'normal' boot and actually didn't look totally shit. I think my one got painted sort of 'desert sand' colour which was the closest I had to beige. Once a 'shiter...
  10. Yes, that's definitely the one. I didn't realise it was still a 'mystery', I could have told you that ages ago! I remember first hearing of that Ausitn Special in the mid-90s and it has not progressed at all since then. I really hope somebody can sort it out, it's a really cool thing.
  11. It's overcast and miserable here today so not easy to take photographs, but here's some more detail of my top choice from the little job lot fo Politoys that was delivered the other day. They worked out at £15/car which I think is a proper bargain. The Politoys Export Iso Grifo is Number 553 and, like others in the range, is a simple toy-like effort with only opening doors, but it's charming and carries quite a bit of weight The proper Grifo wheels are a nice touch. I've never had the Corgi version, but I'd say this one is actually a touch less detailed although the overall effect is very nice. If I could have picked a different colour I would've, but I can't complain about a near-mint Politoys at this price
  12. I consider myself something of a microcar nerd, but I only recently found out they also sold Bond Mincars in the USA (or tried to, at least), where it was marketed under the name Sharp's Bear Cub. Who knew?
  13. Quite a good parcel arrived this morning...
  14. That's been there forever. It'll definitely still be there next time! If you want to haggle on the price, that stall is run by the young-ish French guy who looks straight outta Mai '68. What's the 'good' chazza shop then? I don't really look at toys when I visit, but would be nice to know where it's worth checking in future...
  15. Currently being restored by somebody I know, I think it's gonna be really cool when it's done
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