Seriously rare shite you owned

[ifc63]

Some of you have seen my red Sunchaser at various North West shows.

Based on the Generation 2 Toyota Celica ST Coupe it was originally thought that 12 were converted at the Aston Martin Tickford coachbuilding section for a firm called Griffith International in the early 1980's.

Further research by myself has shown this was the initial batch done on new cars after a car was displayed on the Tickford stand at the 1981 Earls Court Motorfair. The company then went on to offer conversions on pre-registered cars and I have found the total reached about 30 cars, so still fairly rare then  

The idea came from America as a brainchild of Jack Griffith (TVR connection there) and just under 3000 cars were converted at the Califoirnian works based on the RA42 coupe for the US market with the slightly bigger engine than the 1600cc UK car.

Also a German firm called Tropic carried out the same conversion but I've never looked into figures but it wouldn't be huge.

About 10 or 12 of the UK cars still exist (I'd have to check my notes to be exact). I've got 3 of them and also have one of the US cars, so not that rare a sight in my hometown !!!!!

 

Here's two of mine at a show a few years ago.

 

[lisbon_road]

This asked about shite you have owned but is it acceptable to put your dad's shite?

 

If it is, here is his Bristol.  Written off in the 60s before I was born (I think).

 

[Pillock]

Scirocco Storm. B44 KPN was one of 475 made in each colour (mine was Havana Brown, they also did them in a dark metallic blue). HML suggests there were only 30 left last year.

 

Polo G40. J711KLY was one of 520ish made for UK, and was a black example. HML reckons there were 113 as of 2013.

 

Audi 90 Quattro Sport 20v. I don't know the exact number made but it was low, in the hundreds. Last year 20 were left, H611FBC didn't appear to be one of them. 

[Ratdat]

 

This thing there could only ever only be one.

old pictures 741.jpg

and countless more that have probably been posted before

 

Wow! Did you rescue this from Meddlers in Norfolkshire? I took a pic of that car sat in the undergrowth there years ago. 

[ShiteRider]

I've got, what's believed to be, the last mk5 cortina 2.3 ghia S estate.

[garycox]

My (ex-Wuvvum) 2.6 Auto Carlton CDX Estate was ace, it needed a load of welding that I couldn't afford so I had to get rid of it, but only after I'd done that did I realise how difficult it would be to get another.

 

My '67 Simca 1301 is pretty rare in the UK, it's a French import though. It's currently sitting with no engine in, as bits are unobtainium and it has a damaged crank amongst other things.

 

I'm not really sure what to do with it at the moment. If anyone fancies taking it on I could be persuaded to sell it I suppose. (Unless someone has a suitable engine lying around - unlikely)

[castros_bro]

HMW SuperSport (the red one)

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYT9PT3P8to

[Inspector Morose]

Can I have slightly bigger shite I've owned?

 

 

NOB413M is one of three surviving Met Cam bodied Bristol VRTSL6G out of 200 delivered to West Midlands PTE in the 70s and was the oldest surviving at the time I saved it back in the early 90s from an operator in North Anglesey. Sold when I ran out of money it's seen here with my other bus I owned at the time, a Park Royal bodied Daimler Fleetline (NOV880G) which is one of two survivors and was the last bus delivered to Birmingham Corporation Transport.

[r.welfare]

I owned a second-generation (B2) Audi 80 quattro in 2001. Only available for two years (83-84) with the 5 cylinder engine, before they softened the styling and made the 5-cyl an exclusive of the 90 range.

 

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Audi UK only imported one or two thousand. Mine was boggo spec too, no sunroof and steel wheels with plastic trims. A wonderful car with a captivating engine note.

[Albert Ross]

Cars wot I have owneded. (Not a definitive list, just the oddball/semi extinct/fucking expensive stuff NOW!!)

19?? Rover 105R

1973 Citroen DS 23 Pallas

1970 Austin 3 Litre

1967 Humber Imperial (Thrupp and Maberley conversion, slight stretch with glass partition)

1968 LR 110 2B FC 2286D Home Market. I think there were about 20 of this type made.... I owned it VERY briefly as part of a deal which gained me a free 88".

1984ish South African built Sierra 2.3GLS (Extremely briefly)

1985ish Spanish spec Sierra Laser 2.0 Auto A4LD LHD.

1983 XR4i

1981 Mk3 Escort 1.6S (Precursor to the XR3)

1988 FSO 125p Pickup.

1961 Land Rover 109" ex MOD Petrol (One of the first "Combat" Chassis built, only one earlier of the type is known to the club) Still owned by me.

1970 Land Rover 109" Diesel. One of 13800 built spanning 13 years of production, now there are less than 300 known to survive. Mostly engine raped in the late 70s/early 80s once the chassis' snapped. Still owned by me.

1989 Sierra Sapphire 1.8L. Weird spec, base with a Sunroof and central locking and manual windows. Possibly an ex-Hire car. Still owned by me.

2008 (2009 model) Volvo V50 SE Lux 2.0D Powershift. One of about 600 of it's specific type in RHD UK spec. Only this one has £5500 of options lobbed on it. Keyless, Satnav, 6 disc changer, premium sound, BLIS mirrors, and probably more..... Still owned (And should be for some time too!!)

[MrDuke]

Not that rare at the time that I had it, but my '92 Riva 1.5 ended up with some seriously unobtanium OEM extras from an ex-dealership. Headlight protectors, tailored seat-covers with an embroidered Lada badge, leather gear-knob, branded mats, etc etc. I could almost cry when I remember that I just left it outside my parents' house until they phoned the scrappie to take it

[HMC]

This is scrapeing the barrel compaired to you lot but I once did own a metro Vanden plas 500 - one of 500.

 

How many left? Is rife with possible labelling errors but there were 539 504 family estates in the uk in 1994 and 2 left at the end of last year. I boosted numbers by a third! Commonplace elsewhere in the world but with natural wasteage and export rare ish here these days.

[Asimo]

http://autoshite.com/gallery/image/150-img-0002/

 

My first was the rarest: Autobianchi Bianchina Van.

Since then I have had a few uncommon cars, Ro80, Gamma Coupe, Avantime, Ami Super but I have never seen another Bianchina Van.

[J-T]

 

There's about 40 odd left and I've owned 3 of them (this one ended up in Ireland. They all end up there or Bradford!)

[Sloth in a bowl]

Both my cars are currently rare but getting more common, up until the beginning of this year all the Mk 3 VRSs in the UK were pretty much dealer demo cars and now customer orders are coming through rather rapidly. Less than 200 petrols at the beginning of 2014

 

New 260Zs are also entering the country as it's cheaper to import one from the States than buy a UK car. Down to about 30, 2 seaters on the road a couple of years ago.

 

Darnation

[Inspector Morose]

That reminds me. Have you seen this?

 

Dastun 260Z L26 engine complete

http://bit.ly/1jsajoE

[Sloth in a bowl]

That reminds me. Have you seen this?

 

Dastun 260Z L26 engine complete

http://bit.ly/1jsajoE

 

Good spot, I may be putting a bid in for that.

 

I put a cheeky £200 for the Megane coupe on the ebay tat thread but was outbid straight off, if it goes for under £400, somebody has a right bargain as it has the Clio Williams 150hp motor 

[Sudsprint]

My daily driver is a New Generation Saab 9-5 Aero 

[sheffcortinacentre]

in the 90's I had a mk4 Cortina 2.0S regd on aug 1st 79 beige with brown chevron int, also a white 82 mk5 Cortina XR6 (approx. 6 in uk) ,

 

I still own a 75 mk3 cortins 1.6 bakkie (7 in the uk) along with the only 1.6 auto mk5 Crayford made number 9 of 28 (5 1.6's the other 4 where manuals) approx. 1/2 definitely survive inc number 1 & 28.

[DSdriver]

Two rare cars in one pic: Mr Boll's Argenta papped from the wheel of my DS Safari

Fiat Argenta by DSdriver, on Flickr

 

I think there are less than forty RHD Safaris on the road in the UK but the number increases almost daily. Here it is photographed from outside.

Citroen DS21 Safari by DSdriver, on Flickr

[dangerousdave]

mine are not really rare but more un common

1972 ford escort 1.3 xl 2 door registered 1st aug 72 so 2 clock dash and drum brakes and unusual no as its  a std mk1 or at lease it was till I sold it

 

the next is what I still own a mk3 Cortina 2000gt a little bit unusual been a 4 door in tawny brown

[Guest Breadvan72]

I had a Murena - that's pretty rare in the UK, I reckon.

[fotorabia]

 

I got one of these free in Berlin..1968 Ford Taunus 17M Turnier..replaced door window with perspex..fiddled the electrics...all legal.

[ifc63]

I always thought my V50 Monza was one of the only ones left in the country until i went to the Manx GP and met a bloke who lived only half an hour away from me who had 2 of the buggers. The one he had brought with him was registered UNM 29W and mine is UNM 46W. 

 

 

 

They were always unusual in that they weren't a high volume seller when new. Just to burst your bubble a little more I've got one, WVT 145X. I had this off my brother about 20 years ago to keep my V50 Mk 2 and V50 Mk 3 company. Just to complete the set I've got  most of what I believe to be a V50 Mk 1, on a T-reg so a very early example. No pics of these at the moment as they're in the garages at my mother's house and I haven't ventured in those for the last 10 years or so !

[Sigmund Fraud]

I haven't really owned anything that I would describe as "seriously rare shite", though my definition of that is more Swallow Doretti than Vauxhall Carlton.

 

Being a 'shitter, however, means that I've owned my share of nearly-extinct, undesireable old heaps. My current DAFs are a good example of this, I don't expect there to be more than 50 RHD examples of each still in existence - many of which haven't been on the road for years.

[DSdriver]

They were always unusual in that they weren't a high volume seller when new. Just to burst your bubble a little more I've got one, WVT 145X. I had this off my brother about 20 years ago to keep my V50 Mk 2 and V50 Mk 3 company. Just to complete the set I've got  most of what I believe to be a V50 Mk 1, on a T-reg so a very early example. No pics of these at the moment as they're in the garages at my mother's house and I haven't ventured in those for the last 10 years or so !

You had better check that she hasn't, unbeknownst to you, asked the scrap man to "clear all that old rubbish out of the garage" then.

[ifc63]

You had better check that she hasn't, unbeknownst to you, asked the scrap man to "clear all that old rubbish out of the garage" then.

 

That's something the wife might do That's why most of my bikes are still at my mothers.

I get enough grief from the other half about the stuff I've got at home

[DSdriver]

I don't know what she is going on about - that is the perfect back garden, you can keep fit on the trampoline whilst admiring the chod.

[Ratdat]

My current fleet has some rare ones. My 1962 Bluebird estate is certainly the only one in the UK and probably the only example in Northern Europe..

 

 

I have the last remaining two Cherry Europe GTi's now as well, although the rotten one will become parts at some point leaving this to be the last remaining Europe GTi, probably in the world. The only other place they were sold is Spain where they sold about 300 (all LHD of course ...1082 were sold in the UK)...

 

 

Next is my Datsun 160J SSS. I have two of these of about 7 known to exist. The one below is under restoration. All welded but awaiting paint. The other one is rotten and it's fate is undecided but as the black one is a keeper, I'll hang on to it for spares.

 

 

My 510 is now the most common Datsun I own. There are probably as many as a dozen of these left in the UK, although only 4 are 1400's like mine. This one is in bits and awaiting resto. I have all the bits and soon, having sold off most of my other junk, I'll have the time. I have owned two other 510's in the past.

 

 

I reckon all of those qualify as seriously rare!

 

I don't really regard my Pony pickup as rare as there's probably about 60 or 70 still about. Same goes for the Prairie, even though you very rarely see one in the wild. I reckon there's got to be 100+ still on the road. I have had heaps of other rare ones though. here's a few...

 

'83 Datsun Sunny pickup (had 2 of these)

'77 Nissan Cedric 2800 GL-E hardtop (Japanese import)

'79 Daihatsu Charade XTE (G10)

'71 Datsun 1800 Laurel (C30... 1st Laurel model and the only example left in the UK)

'84 Nissan Laurel Diesel driving school car (C32)

'74 Renault 15TS (had a TL too)

'88 Mitsubishi Galant (where have they all gone?)

'68 AMC Javelin SST (had a Karmann built on too)

'73 Oldsmobile Omega coupe 

'85 Nissan gazelle RS-X (with FJ20T engine!)

'74 Datsun 240K-GT 

'81 Renault 30TX

'67 Datsun Bluebird (PL411... now with N.Bickle of this parish)

'68 Datsun 1000 estate (2 left)

'67 Datsun 1000 saloon ( only one left)

'68 Datsun Fairlady 1600 roadster (had a 2000 as well)

'83 Mazda 323 1.5GT

'74 Mazda RX4 hardtop

'81 Mitsubishi Debonair

[messerschmitt owner]

had a four-wheeled Nobel 200, one of perhaps two left in Britain - most were three wheelers

a Powerdrive - one of five left out of 27 made

Goggomobil Coupes - two of about twelve in the UK at the time

Honda Z600s - three of about 30 left

 

still own a Berkeley B95 - one of about fifteen,

a Mochet Camionette - one of one

Bond Minicar MkC - one of about twenty left of 6,000 made

 

Mother has an Allard Palm Beach - one of 73 made.