Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Tayne]

I'll be honest, I didn't know the answer.

Internet research has thrown up EU regulations rather than US and also that Aston would get to negotiate their own fuel economy deal with the EU as a sub-10k cars per year manufacturer. I'd be willing to bet that "we tried with the stupid cygnet and now we've done a deal with Mercedes for newer engine tech" was the core of their negotiating strategy.

The Mercedes deal being announced about two months after they killed the Cygnet...

 

I do know that admitting it was just a cynical ploy would have killed the sales of the Cygnet (somewhat academic really).

 

However I don't believe for a moment that there was a meeting at Aston when some product planner chap stood up and said "let's buy in a £10k Toyota, tart it up with a fat grille, quilted leather and sparkly paint and then charge our customers £30-40k for the privilege" and everyone around that table agreed that it was a fab idea.

[John F]

Hyundai s-coupe

 

IMG_0815.JPG

 

Nope, that was mentioned above but it couldn't be mistaken for a Calibra (especially by a Calibra owner, which I am).

 

I've given up trying to work out what it was... if I see it again I'll have a much closer look, or try to get a picture.

[JeeExEll]

Deleted post, my fault, didn't read thread properly. JohnF's mystery car a Toyota Celica or Honda coupe from around 2000 maybe? Difficult to guess.

 

That Hyundai Scoupe above looks good in dark blue. Only remember ever seeing them in yellow with a crap body kit.

[JeeExEll]

Found pics of this funky little coupe this week. It's a one off but not a home built kit car type thing. It was used for a few years then left in a garden. Now restored. Based on period autoshite which looks nothing like this. Who knows what it is?

 

[Tayne]

Suzuki whizzkid?

 

Sunbeam Stilletto?

[John F]

Capree, on 09 Feb 2017 - 12:55 PM, said:Capree, on 09 Feb 2017 - 12:55 PM, said:

Deleted post, my fault, didn't read thread properly. JohnF's mystery car a Toyota Celica or Honda coupe from around 2000 maybe? Difficult to guess.

 

That Hyundai Scoupe above looks good in dark blue. Only remember ever seeing them in yellow with a crap body kit.

 

Hmmm, it *might* have been a Honda Accord coupe... I only saw the badge for a moment (was going round a roundabout), I might have mistaken it for the Hyundai badge...

 

I'll keep my eye out for it, maybe I'll see it again.

 

EDIT: Yep, likely. Apart from the lights it's not a bad match.

 

[Eddie Honda]

Found pics of this funky little coupe this week. It's a one off but not a home built kit car type thing. It was used for a few years then left in a garden. Now restored. Based on period autoshite which looks nothing like this. Who knows what it is?

(Michelotti) DAF Siluro (but then again, I'm one of the resident DAF lickers here)

 

 

DSCF3756.JPG by E Honda, on Flickr

[Supernaut]

Citroen C4... saloon. Check out those monstrous tail lights!

 

 

 

I can't get enough of the ungainly, not-sold-here, saloon variants of hatchbacks.

[tooSavvy]

I once got a 'van in for service/loaner [all we have!]' 1st gen SkodaFabia 'booted'...

 

Seems 'direct to rental' offload?

 

 

TS

[John F]

Supernaut, on 09 Feb 2017 - 4:30 PM, said:

Citroen C4... saloon. Check out those monstrous tail lights!

 

 

 

I can't get enough of the ungainly, not-sold-here, saloon variants of hatchbacks.

 

^

 

(let's see if any climbers / cavers can work out the connection...)

 

[JeeExEll]

(Michelotti) DAF Siluro (but then again, I'm one of the resident DAF lickers here)

 

 

DSCF3756.JPG by E Honda, on Flickr

Check out the big brain on EddieHonda. Well done. It's the DAF Siluro, based on the DAF 55. A stunning wee car I'd never seen before.

A mate had one of these DAF 55 saloons with a Fiat 1800 twin cam and 5 speed in the mid 80s. A lethal death trap bitza of a thing.

[Eddie Honda]

Here, have a much easier on the eye DAF 44 based 1965 DAF P100 Coupe concept also by Michelotti.

 

DSCF3754.JPG by E Honda, on Flickr

 

[Bianconeri]

Not just a car, a whole new fuel. I didn't know you could actually but Hydrogen cars or that there were fuel stations.

During the Olympics , BMW had some Hydrogen 7 Series being used for top VIPs. I spoke to one of the chauffeurs and and apparently they had to be taken back to Bracknell on a transporter every night for refuelling.

Anyone ever seen a Hydrogen station, saw this taxi at Heathrow.

image.jpeg

I was a passenger in a Honda hydrogen car about seven years ago (via a friend of a friend). It was astonishingly good but the only filling station at that time was, anecdotally, inside Honda's Swindon factory.

 

The car was a lovely looking thing and I rather hoped it would appear with ICE engines as a new generation Accord.

[spartacus]

Munter hitch, John F.

Otherwise known as an Italian hitch, but munter sounds much better.

[Timewaster]

Just seen an advert for another version of the Trafic / Vivaro / Primastar van badged as a Fiat Talento.

 

Vans are the new Austin1100. Badge engineering at its best.

 

See also Expert / Dispatch / Scudo with Toyota badges and the Mercedes Badged Kangoo.

[Timewaster]

Just seen an advert for another version of the Trafic / Vivaro / Primastar van badged as a Fiat Talento.

 

Vans are the new Austin1100. Badge engineering at its best.

 

See also Expert / Dispatch / Scudo with Toyota badges and the Mercedes Badged Kangoo.

[Lukas]

The Mitsubishi L200 is now sold as Fiat Fullback too. Ridiculous!

[Tayne]

And the Navara will be a Mercedes next year, snappy chassis and all.

[Timewaster]

So Mercedes Benz, that byword for super over engineering and vehicles that last forever (Chrysler period aside) is now just a badge on Renaults and Nissans.

 

#Oh Lord DON'T you buy me, a Mercedes Benz

They're just re badged cheapshit

They must make amends

Built class all their lifetime

Till the 90's did end

Oh Lord DON'T you buy me a Mercedes Benz.

[Lukas]

Even the "real" Mercedes-Benz have Renault-engines now. For example the C-class C180d and C200d has Renault-Diesels under the bonnet, that are even built at Renault. Also used in the GLC, the A-class and the B-class.

[r.welfare]

I've heard that the 1.6 DCi Renault engine is actually pretty reliable.  The 1.5 isn't that bad either.  Could it be worse than the BMW alternative, with it's roll-the-dice timing chain issues?

[Sir Snipes]

Just seen an advert for another version of the Trafic / Vivaro / Primastar van badged as a Fiat Talento.

 

Vans are the new Austin1100. Badge engineering at its best.

 

See also Expert / Dispatch / Scudo with Toyota badges and the Mercedes Badged Kangoo.

 

I wonder how long until they start doing that with cars so people can stop pretending their brand new BMW/Audi/Mercedes is a "premium product" ?

[Junkman]

Did any of you know of the existence of the Chevrolet Spectrum?

 

 

I didn't, but what do I know about cars anyway?

 

And I learned another thing - autoshite is called "loser car" in America.

[Junkman]

Also available as a rakish two door:

 

[Lukas]

Looking at these cars, the film "Lars and the Real Girl" with Ryan Gosling comes to my mind. 

[chaseracer]

^^ Isuzu Gemini.

[John F]

spartacus, on 10 Feb 2017 - 05:28 AM, said:

Munter hitch, John F.

Otherwise known as an Italian hitch, but munter sounds much better.

 

Yes indeed. I tend to call it an Italian hitch myself (aka emergency belay knot, if I drop my ATC) but munter does sound better 

[John F]

And I learned another thing - autoshite is called "loser car" in America.

 

Says more about their culture than anything else IMO.

[Vin]

Just seen an advert for another version of the Trafic / Vivaro / Primastar van badged as a Fiat Talento.

 

Vans are the new Austin1100. Badge engineering at its best.

 

See also Expert / Dispatch / Scudo with Toyota badges and the Mercedes Badged Kangoo.

 

The first incarnation of the Fiat Talento was a short wheelbase version of the MK1 Ducato...

 

 

[Supernaut]

That looks so weird and wrong, but I bet it would be an absolute hoot to drive!