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Extinct cars


HillmanImp

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Many of the cars which define Autoshite are the ones which if not extinct are in extremely low surviving numbers and are just a bit too obscure to have any kind of mainstream following so therefore on the endangered list:

 

Renault 14

Renault 20

Honda Quintet

Chrysler 180/2-litre

Chrysler Alpine (pre-facelift)

Matra Rancho

Talbot Tagora

Mitsubishi Tredia

Mitsubishi Cordia

Hyundai Stellar

Hyundai Sonata (the original version)

Mazda 1500/1800

Mazda 808

Mazda 323 (1st Gen)

Mazda Xedos

Lonsdale

Fiat Strada (non-abarth)

Fiat 131

Fiat Argenta

Alfa 90

Lancia Trevi

Lancia Gamma Berlina

Lancia Prisma

Seat Malaga

Singer SM1500 & Hunter

Datsun 1000 (B10)

Datsun Laurel 1800 (C30)

Datsun Stanza

Daihatsu Charmant

Daihatsu Charade (1st Gen)

Daewoo Nexia

Sao Penza

FSO Polonez

FSO 125p

Lada Samara

Moskvitch

Kia Pride

Kia Mentor

Mazda 121 (all 3 types)

Toyota Tercel

Peugeot 604......!

 

Luckily, we've got the majority of these in our midst. As others have said, there are a number of more modern cars, many Korean, that are slipping under the radar but just a bit to recent to be considered yet. Time will change that of course.

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I was a workshop apprentice at hm stevenson lancia,summer 1991 a transporter pulled up with kia pride's and these new looking old mazda 323's,went out and had a look,and remember asking what the fuck is a sao penza! Turns out fiat had knocked back hugh stevenson for the fiat franchise,so he took the first franchise that said yes,we had no brochures or signs,just the 4 pride's and 2 penza's.

 

They were there a month before a transporter turned up with panda's and uno's,i don't think we sold a penza at all,but one did get pdi'd and valeted for the showroom and sat beside a thema turbo.I don't think i have seen one since.

 

The Lancia garage in Durham (Embletons) took on Kia's when Lancia pulled out, they struggled on for a couple of years but closed down and the premises is now a wanky student bar.

 

06_07_17_brown_durham_5.jpg

 

They'd probably be the busiest showroom in town by now if they'd managed to hold on a couple more years :roll:

 

This is a dreadful view of the building, it's right over on the left, but I though I might as well post the picture anyway

 

00987.jpg

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In 1985 when I was doing my YTS in Colchester i used to go to a shop on East Hill most lunch times. The gentleman who owned the shop had a silver Lonsdale which he parked on the hill.

 

Its the only Lonsdale I've ever seen in the flesh, I think he had it for a few years.

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Wasn't there a Xedos 6 and a Xedos 9? What was the difference?

 

Totally different cars - the Xedos 9 was a bigger car - effectively a 929 replacement. It came with an optional 2.3-litre Miller-cycle engine (regular IC engine uses the Otto cycle).

 

Xedos was Mazda's failed attempt to create a Lexus-style upmarket sub-brand. Fail.

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In 1985 when I was doing my YTS in Colchester i used to go to a shop on East Hill most lunch times. The gentleman who owned the shop had a silver Lonsdale which he parked on the hill.

 

Its the only Lonsdale I've ever seen in the flesh, I think he had it for a few years.

 

Funnily enough, I thought of the same Lonsdale when it was first mentioned! It was gold not silver, and on an 'A' registration IIRC (I'm probably miles out). I used to go to the same shop as a lad after school round the corner (left in 1984), although more often to Pratts cos it was nearer :D . Where were you YTSing?

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At the moment, I've been seeing lots of these Suzuki Swifts about the place, usually driven by the sorts of people that buy a car to be cheap and run into the ground, so I expect they will be on the endangered list in about 3-5 years time, especially since as far as I know there is no modifying following for them.

 

6845298044_776deacfe2_z.jpg

 

I really like them, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of. I imagine they're a massively high revving, tinny little greenhouse of a car but the sort of car you can drive on the limits everywhere, at any speed you can force out of them.

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Anyone else remember the Wira rally cars?

 

wirapert.jpg

 

I remember you could play as one on 'Network Q RAC Rally', a pretty poor rally sim circa 1995.

 

 

I have photos of their Lancer Evo 5s and 6s with Proton badges too. Woeful.

 

Amusingly I also have (somewhere) a commemerative poster declaring their pride at being "First Runner Up" in a rally somewhere.

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In 1985 when I was doing my YTS in Colchester i used to go to a shop on East Hill most lunch times. The gentleman who owned the shop had a silver Lonsdale which he parked on the hill.

 

Its the only Lonsdale I've ever seen in the flesh, I think he had it for a few years.

 

Funnily enough, I thought of the same Lonsdale when it was first mentioned! It was gold not silver, and on an 'A' registration IIRC (I'm probably miles out). I used to go to the same shop as a lad after school round the corner (left in 1984), although more often to Pratts cos it was nearer :D . Where were you YTSing?

 

 

 

Yes your right it was gold and not silver. I was YTSing at Sound Attenuators Ltd (between Rollerworld & the Sorting Office) One of the guys at work had a 3.0 consul GT in white, I was more interested in that than the Lonsdale at the time but even then I realised what an oddball the Lonsdale was.

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I think it was Pillock who said there is a Malaga near him and I want it. Still waiting for photos. Will sell a kidney to get the fucker like as its No1 on my all time car hitlist.

 

I did, and there is. I'm still without photos even though I see it at least once a week.

HOWEVER.... it's not UK-registered, it's on Polish plates. So I wasn't wrong, but it probably wasn't the result you were after.

 

As with a lot of the Polski cars in our carpark, it's been driven over and will probably just get fragged once they've earned enough to buy something "posh" (usually a Vectra)

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Back to the Mazda Xedos 6 and 9 question I thought the only difference was the engine's a 6 had a 2.0 six pot and the 9 a 2.5 six pot I could be wrong though.

 

Nope, totally different cars. The 6 was 3 series sized and the 9 was 5 series sized. I had a look at a 9 recently, it was the one with the supercharged Miller cycle engine, certainly had some heave for a 2.3 litre V6. 8) Not as nice looking as the 6 though.

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^ Have this:

7223289510_674af6cd4f_z.jpg

1988 Daihatsu Domino 843cc Hatchback. by bramm77, on Flickr

 

There is also a grey one living in Kingston, but they are very rare now. Interesting to think how they pretty much lasted as a design for quite a considerable amount of time.

Also, I (and many others) assumed the 3 door Stanza would be extinct here, but I stumbled across one a few months ago:

7208194084_921e086a91_z.jpg

1982 Datsun Stanza 1.6 SGL Hatchback. by bramm77, on Flickr

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