Crete spotting. Version 2!

[55bloke]

A few of you may recall my pics taken in Crete last year. Well, we've just come back from a second visit and, as always, I was consantly on the look out for shite motors. Think I've got a few goodies, but where to begin? Best 1st, or best 'til last? Oh, I dunno- lets just dive in and see where it goes!! Will start with a few light commercials!

Abandoned Trany

Veedub

derelict bus- Crete now boasts, "The most modern bus fleet in Europe," all air-conned Mercs and Setras. Very impressive.

Dunno!

Isuzu

Little Toyotas and Mazdas are EVERYWHERE!!

This one's wheels, and generally excellent condition (not counting the minor ding!!) suggest it's not actually being used and abused in the way most are

As are Mitsubishi (and other J shite) vans!

Anyone got any idea? Popular rural transport!

[55bloke]

I've just noticed, the left and right headlights on the green Vanette are different!!

[55bloke]

More pics. The vast majority of the old stuff is Japanese, but there is a fair bit of Euro tat too. A selection:-

Almost missed this Renner

The front end on this one looks a bit different?

Saw surprisingly few of these. This looked nice, 'til I noticed the dent in the rear wing and the crumpled front wing!

This hasn't turned a wheel since I saw it last year!

Bigger Pug

Couple of nice Mercs:

This stopped me in my tracks!

Turbo?!!

Then, not far away, I saw this!

GT?!!

Lots of Nivas still in use

Only saw one of these though, and almost missed it.

[mk2_craig]

Lots of Nivas still in use

I'm not surprised; they're still being built aren't they?R9 is an early example - the R11 style twin headlamps was 86-on I think.

[55bloke]

More!

Spotted this from the bus station whilst waiting to get the bus to the airport to come home.

Saabs like hen's teeth out there.

Lancia Dedra. Shite?

Forgive poor pic, but it was night, and it was moving!!

And, yes, it does rain in Crete!

Open to suggestions!

Nice!

This is a beast I've not seen before.

A bit unexpected!

Surprisingly, this the only one I saw. Actually, maybe not that surprising, given the history between Germany and Crete!!

Seat Gredos? Never heard of it!

Another Seat!

Nova or Corsa?

Rain again!! (Was the same day in fact- the 1st rain for five and a half months, apparently!)

Lots of early Asconas about- look closely at this one, and you can see the priest who was about to drive off in it!

Shite from a great height!

Possibly takes the prize for shitiest example?

[55bloke]

And yet more Euro shite! A few Fords 1st

1.3 Taunus

Couple of escorts

And a clutch of Sierras

Think this chap's contemplating shoving his wife into the sea?

Derelict Passat

Healthier one

Crap pic, nice car!

A Moke!!!

Lots of these around.

Lovely Kadet

Odd Golf

Even odder Volvo. 2 door estate in use as a hearse. Specially made for the purpose?

This just might be the best spot of the trip?

A couple of days later, it was in company with more cool Italian shite!

And another one a few streets away

[55bloke]

Still got the J shite to post, but may have to wait 'til tomorrow now.

[KruJoe]

Looking forward to that... seems very much like Thailand. I didn't spot a Montego there, though.

[Jazzy Jeff]

The odd Golf is a South African CitiGolf import, hence it's right hand drive.

[Ross_K]

Open to suggestions!

I could be wrong but it looks like a Namco Pony, a locally made version of the Citroen Mehari.

[mk2_craig]

Another Seat!

 

Fiat Duna in fact, booted version of the Uno!

 

Good work 55!

[MrRegieRitmo]

Another Seat!

 

Fiat Duna in fact, booted version of the Uno!

 

Good work 55!

That's a new one on me! Never seen or heard of it before! Assuming the Seat Malaga is based on the Fiat Regata (is it?), I was taking it that this was some sort of frankenstein home brew conversion with a Malaga rear & a Regata front! Perhaps that's essentially what the Duna is?

[mk2_craig]

Briefly discussed on this thread Rich

[MrRegieRitmo]

Briefly discussed on this thread Rich

Oh right ta! I do actually remember that thread but not the more recent replies so I must moved away from it & not looked at it since the Duna / Elba was discussed!

[MrRegieRitmo]

 

This is inspiring me to have another crack at my Malta pictures! It seems both places contain much the same sort of shite, a good deal of what you've seen I also saw in Malta, barring (knowingly) the Fiat Duna, the thing that looks like a black Renault Rodeo or Citroen Mehari, the Mk I* and MkII Passat hatchback / saloon, the Mini Moke, the Kadett C, the Volvo Hearse, the Lancia Fulvia, the Lancia Delta, the Lada Niva, and the more modern Isuzu pickup also known over here as a Bedford pickup. I saw examples of everything else you spotted! Oh except probably that knackered old bus, but I saw plenty of other old buses to last a lifetime!

 

 

*I've seen that MkI Passat saloon on here before with the odd lights - presumably on your previous Crete thread? I'm getting Dé Ja Vu with that picture of the knackered Transit with single rear door too!

 

Oh and the picture above is an earlier Isuzu pickup of which I also saw plenty in Malta!

[MrRegieRitmo]

The front end on this one looks a bit different?

Yes that's what an R9 should look like - a much cleaner, purer front end in my eyes! The original & best.... (probably because it looks simialr to a late R14)

 

 

This hasn't turned a wheel since I saw it last year!

Bigger Pug

is the 305 really all that bigger than the 204/304??

 

Lots of Nivas still in use

Only saw one of these though, and almost missed it.

It's weird on the Ladas, I can't recall really seeing any Nivas in Malta, certainly didn't picture any but I saw lots & lots & lots of Rivas!

[michiel]

Great spots! Those Isuzus might be good to fix the Florian that someone on this forum is going to pick up over here!

[mk2_craig]

 

The front end on this one looks a bit different?

Yes that's what an R9 should look like - a much cleaner, purer front end in my eyes! The original & best.... (probably because it looks simialr to a late R14)

Amazing how many cars followed the same design rules of orange wraparound indicators/square lamps/black horizontal slat grille. Mk5 Cortina, Ital, late model Fiat 127, (low spec) early Uno, etc etc etc!

 

Background on this photo is interesting, is that a monster truck...?

[MrRegieRitmo]

This is a beast I've not seen before.

You mean the Alfa 33 Sportwagon?

 

Seat Gredos? Never heard of it!

No me neither but it seems to be identical to the Seat Malaga which is what I'd have taken it to be if I'd seen it. I only spotted one Seat Malaga (or was it a Gredos???!!) in Malta & that was in Bugibba. Unfortunately it disappeared into an underground car park & I wasn't about to follow it down there so no picture! However, Bugibba is where I will be staying when I return in under a couple of months so I will keep my eyes peeled!

 

Nova or Corsa?

Indeed, answers on a postcard! But judging by all the Kadetts & Asconas it must surely be an Opel Corsa! There were a mixture of Vauxhalls & Opels in Malta to keep you on your toes!

 

Interesting how all of the Asconas & Kadetts appear to be in saloon only flavour!

[MrRegieRitmo]

 

The front end on this one looks a bit different?

Yes that's what an R9 should look like - a much cleaner, purer front end in my eyes! The original & best.... (probably because it looks simialr to a late R14)

Amazing how many cars followed the same design rules of orange wraparound indicators/square lamps/black horizontal slat grille. Mk5 Cortina, Ital, late model Fiat 127, (low spec) early Uno, etc etc etc!

It was obviously what was in vogue at the time, like now for instance all manufacturers feel the need to give us headlights that stretch up the front wings & rear lights that yearn to become C posts. The grilles have to be large yawning shapes slap bang in the centre of the front panel that make it look like the cars want to swallow you up. They appear to want the front & rear lights to converge on the roof of the car having stretched up so far, that they sandwich the sunroof!

[55bloke]

Ah- I did try and avoid posting pics of stuff I'd already shot last year, but clearly your memory is better than mine!! And, yes, the 33 sportwagon is new to me, I think! Does that make me spectacularly un observant? Were they all 4 x 4? And, I'm right with you on the current trends in headlight/tail light fashion!! I bloody hate them, especially the headlights, they look dreadful to me. Not to mention the cost of replacement after even a minor prang. Remember the days when all cars had the same headlights? The designers still managed to come up with individually recognisable "faces" despite being constrained in the lights they could use. There's been a thread on here recently about yellow headlights for continental driving, and the clip-on yellow lenses the likes of Halfords sold. Wouldn't be possible to come up with that sort of "one size fits all" kinda thing now! Maybe this should go in the grumpy old man/pedant thread?

[55bloke]

Here we go again but, before I post the J shite, here are a couple of oddities-

This hastliy snapped from a speeding bus, so forgive quality

Crete is absolutely bursting at the seams with mopeds and scooters etc, and they do seem to have a bit of a love-afair with big V twins too, but I was astonished to see this ancient BSA outside one of the bars! It's devoid of number plates, but that's not so uncommon, so not sure if it was in use or not. Flat tyre and lack of saddle suggest possibly not!

I also spotted a BMW bike in use which I'm sure must've been left behind by the departing Germans in WW II! Sadly, the pic was amongst a whole day's photos which inadvertantly got wiped from the camera's memory card!

[55bloke]

Now, on with the Jap stuff.

Hondas:

Magnificently shitey!

Datties

Mitsubishi Lancers must have been big sellers, coz they're still all over the place!!

[55bloke]

Background on this photo is interesting, is that a monster truck...?

No, it's just parked on a piece of high ground. But, what about this?

 

Raised a smile from everyone near-by when it went past!!

[mk2_craig]

Some of the kit you've seen is in wonderfully shabby condition, no MOT I presume.What's the deal with those Civic saloons? I thought that the Ballade was effectively a Civic saloon - but is that a different model again? What about the Accord... wasn't the Triumph Acclaim based on that, or maybe it was an earlier Ballade?? Where does the Rover 213 fit into all this? I'm confusicated.

[55bloke]

Onwards- more J shite

Toyota Corolla van, spotted twice in different locations, but think it's the same one!

Poor night shot 1

Poor night shot 2

[55bloke]

Some of the kit you've seen is in wonderfully shabby condition, no MOT I presume.What's the deal with those Civic saloons? I thought that the Ballade was effectively a Civic saloon - but is that a different model again? What about the Accord... wasn't the Triumph Acclaim based on that, or maybe it was an earlier Ballade?? Where does the Rover 213 fit into all this? I'm confusicated.

Actually, there is an MoT, but presumably it's not quite as strict as ours!! However, there are moves afoot to raise road tax for cars over 15 yrs old in an effort to get them off the roads. Would be such a shame to see them go, they're so much part of the character of the place, but I guess the powers that be, whoever they are, want to present a modern image. The (English) owner of the apt. in which we stayed drives a silver Ascona (a pic of which was on last year's thread, so I haven't repeated it) and she was saying it's days are numbered, for just that reason. Sad.As for the intricacies of Honda/Rover names, I have no idea!!

[MrRegieRitmo]

Onwards- more J shite

 

 

Korean shite (Hyundai Scoupe) but close enough!

 

with more Korean shite (Kia Mentor) in the background too!

[MrRegieRitmo]

Toyota Corolla van, spotted twice in different locations, but think it's the same one!

 

I'm going to stick my neck out & claim it's actually a different one believe it or not, purely because I don't believe the owner would have gone to the trouble of matching his rear indicator for a non faded one, or even swapping an orange one for a faded yellow one! I also believe the roof rack is fractionally different!

 

Edit: in addition to that, I think the lower one is older as the one above appears to have wraparound indicators. Also it's doubtful that the black rubbing strip from the whole length of one side of the car has come off as it clearly isn't visible in the top one, although it's a shame we can't see the same side of both cars!

[55bloke]

MORE!!

Well, that's all folks- think I need to go lie down in a darkened room for a while!