Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[martc]

Just returned from Italy where I saw one of these - an Iveco Massif; although 'mine' was red and belonged to the local fire brigade.

 

 

A very purposeful looking vehicle, desperately trying not to look like a Land Rover and failing. Built by Santana in Spain until 2011. There were plans to sell them in the UK but these came to naught.

[ChinaTom]

Ignore the red er... Chinese version of a Mazda in the foreground - I triple-took the BMW 2 series 4 door gran coupe in the background, jaw dropped even more when 5 people got out of it! 

[Tayne]

Front drive, based on the 2 active tourer.

 

Looks nice though.

[LightBulbFun]

The AC "Sociable" and Bristol "petite" I think? (tho they both come back as ACs) dont really know anything about them sadly... 

 

 

(well truth be told I had come across OPK110L in barretts quiz http://autoshite.com/topic/33944-barretts-unsolvable-nightmare-before-christmas-quiz/?do=findComment&comment=1688485 but the rules at the time stopped me from posting anything, I noticed OPK110L came back as AC and having a 500cc engine which sent my Model 70 alarm bells ringing and I wanted to post about that so bad but he said no guesses or such LOL)

 

I also notice VPA167M comes back as 650cc

 

I wonder if the yellow car has the same Steyr puch 500cc engine found in Model 70s and the red car having the 650cc version of that engine?

 

(would make sense as AC would have a load of them lying around from Model 70 production)

[barrett]

Yes, I believe they are Steyr-powered. I suspect they used the basic platform of the Model 70 but I'm not sure, I've never seen these cars written up anywhere. AC wanted to re-enter the small car market to compete with the Reliant Robin but they never went beyond the prototype stage. At least one survives, not sure about the two above.

 

Anyway, here's a new one for me:

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25450/preview_lot/5247180/?category=list&length=10&page=4

[lesapandre]

 

Nissan Tilda?

Tilda the builder and allotment tiller from St. Kilda who owns a Nissan Tilda dented it and filled the wing.

[LightBulbFun]

Yes, I believe they are Steyr-powered. I suspect they used the basic platform of the Model 70 but I'm not sure, I've never seen these cars written up anywhere. AC wanted to re-enter the small car market to compete with the Reliant Robin but they never went beyond the prototype stage. At least one survives, not sure about the two above.

index.jpg

 

Anyway, here's a new one for me:

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25450/preview_lot/5247180/?category=list&length=10&page=4

 

oh wow! thats very Cool! thanks for the info

 

would love to know even more details on them

 

like where they under development the same time as the Model 70 with the Model 70s platform being designed in mind of being used for a city car, or did the idea come about after the Model 70?

 

think ill ask Stuart about them see if he knows anything  (edit: posted them to my microcar world thread first, A: to bump it up LOL and B being a microcar group i figured this sort of thing would be exactly their kind of thing)

 

(from what Iv seen they where designed as a city car of sorts, so I wonder if they have the same CVT drive train too, I did read somewhere that the gearbox in the Model 70 cost a lot to devlope I wonder if AC did so intending to use it in more cars then just the Model 70?)

 

I have so many questions LOL

[MorrisItalSLX]

 

Nissan Tilda?

 

It is actualy called the Tiida, whatever that means. It replaced the Almera.

[SierraMikeHotel]

 

 

It is actualy called the Tiida, whatever that means.

~

 

Or is that tilde?

[somewhatfoolish]

I was vaguely aware that the turkish remnant of BL made sherpas along with other lukewarm BL cast-offs, but I was delighted today to discover that the Levend, their version of the sherpa/freightrover/pilot-convoy sequence, skipped the square door thing and kept the shitey inherited-from-the-J250/j4 squinty doors. The engine looks suspiciously like a B series diesel too.

 

 

[quicksilver]

The AC "Sociable" and Bristol "petite" I think? (tho they both come back as ACs) dont really know anything about them sadly... 

 

1973 AC-Bristol Petite Coupe + 1974 AC Sociable Coupe f3q.jpg

 

(well truth be told I had come across OPK110L in barretts quiz http://autoshite.com/topic/33944-barretts-unsolvable-nightmare-before-christmas-quiz/?do=findComment&comment=1688485 but the rules at the time stopped me from posting anything, I noticed OPK110L came back as AC and having a 500cc engine which sent my Model 70 alarm bells ringing and I wanted to post about that so bad but he said no guesses or such LOL)

 

I also notice VPA167M comes back as 650cc

 

I wonder if the yellow car has the same Steyr puch 500cc engine found in Model 70s and the red car having the 650cc version of that engine?

 

(would make sense as AC would have a load of them lying around from Model 70 production)

That 3-wheeler looks an awful lot like a Reliant Regal, especially in yellow, so it's obvious what they were intending it to compete with. It certainly looks like it could have a lot of Model 70 DNA in it.

[JeeExEll]

I was vaguely aware that the turkish remnant of BL made sherpas along with other lukewarm BL cast-offs, but I was delighted today to discover that the Levend, their version of the sherpa/freightrover/pilot-convoy sequence, skipped the square door thing and kept the shitey inherited-from-the-J250/j4 squinty doors. The engine looks suspiciously like a B series diesel too.

 

sherpa1.jpg

 

sherpa2.jpg

Good find. Wonder if they still do vans, worth a look.

[LightBulbFun]

That 3-wheeler looks an awful lot like a Reliant Regal, especially in yellow, so it's obvious what they were intending it to compete with. It certainly looks like it could have a lot of Model 70 DNA in it.

 

I was thinking that, it looks like a cross between a Regal and a late model Tippen delta 

 

[HillmanImp]

Spotted this on a Facebook page.

 

Little bit of internet digging found out what it was.

 

 

Turns out it was a home brew that was still owned by the guy who built it.

 

Not sure if it still exists or not though. The photo was a few years old.

[JeeExEll]

^ I remember reading about that a few years ago and looking for more info on it. Wouldn't have seen it on Facebook as I don't have an account. From memory it had an Austin landcrab 1800 or 2200 engine.

Maybe more info and pics around now but have no idea what it is / was called, or even if it had a name.

I think it had some complicated period electronics inside too with l.e.d. lights and switches on the steering wheel.

Really interesting.

DVLA says no, as I'm sure you've checked.

[HillmanImp]

^ I remember reading about that a few years ago and looking for more info on it. Wouldn't have been on Facebook as I don't have an account. From memory it had an Austin landcrab 1800 or 2200 engine.

Maybe more info and pics around now but have no idea what it is / was called, or even if it had a name.

I think it had some complicated period electronics inside too with l.e.d. lights and switches on the steering wheel.

Really interesting.

DVLA says no, as I'm sure you've checked.

 

 

I found it on Flikr, which had a quote from PistonHeads:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertgrounds/7577992282

 

"OK I set off in my Lotus and carried out the mission.

 

I met the owner: a lovely old retired gent. He designed and built the car himself in Rushden during the mid 1970's. It took him 3 years of evenings. After it was finished he got it registered and drove it about 15 miles and then lost interest after a fuel tank leak, so parked it up outside his home where it has remained to this day!

 

It is a stainless steel tub with a fibreglass sandwich body. He created both the chassis and the bodywork moulds and panels himself. He retained the moulds in case of any need to repair damage, but these were stolen from his warehouse shortly after. The engine is a genuine mid-mounted transverse in-line 6 cylinder from BL (probably a big Princess variant) fed by two SU carbs. The gearbox is an automatic from the same source. It has front wheel disk brakes and rear wheel drums. The twin exhausts are his own design. Even the glass and window frames (stainless steel) were made bespoke to his design. Likewise the bumpers: fashioned in wood and recreated in metal. The headlamps are pop-ups and the 4 lamps by the grille are indicators and side lights.

 

The name Furia was provided by someone at the local Italian restaurant!

 

He's embarassed by the state of it, but I don't think will restore or sell it. So that may be the end of it."

[JeeExEll]

Well that adds more info.

 

Quote - ' . . parked it up outside his home where it has remained to this day'.

[somewhatfoolish]

Pistonheads.com

 

Probably one of the better threads.

[barrett]

Astonishing story that, definitely a high point of cars+internet I reckon, even if it did involve a multi-page thread of pistonheads thickos making informed* suggestions* about what car it definitely* was. I'm sure there were more images taken when the guy went to visit, but they all seem to have disappeared. Imagine speding all that effort building a car from scratch and then only driving it 15 miles! deffo makes me feel a bit better about all my hopeless half-arsed 'projects' which will never get done

[JeeExEll]

Would make an interesting collection.

[somewhatfoolish]

Definitely, Photofuckit has decimated that thread. Given the chap made the chassis from stainless it will probably still be saveable once he pegs it.

[bunglebus]

I lived in Rushden for 5 years and looked all over for shite - never found that though.

[steveo3002]

[Timewaster]

Mercedes G Wagon meets Postman Pat.

[JeeExEll]

^ What is it? I like it. What a great little thing for zipping about town in.

You can crash into shopping trolleys and not damage it. With a front guard like that I'd actually go looking for stray trolleys in the supermarket car park.

[GeordieInExile]

That is the most under wheeled car I have ever seen.

[Skut]

[steveo3002]

[vulgalour]

Because of this posted by Jim Bell...
 

 
I've been trying to figure it out.  Got pretty close with the Toyota Corolla, but it's not quite right for that, so for me this remains a mystery.  However, I found some other interesting things along the way.  Like this Toyota Corona 1900 estate.  At a very quick glance as I was scrolling through the thumbnails it looked like a US spec SD1 so I very nearly overlooked it entirely as being irrelevant to my search.

 
Then I found some Toyota Tercels.  I was aware of the later 80s model, I hadn't realised they went back earlier.  At first I thought these might have been a rebadged Subaru, the proportions are similar with the long nose and short rear, and with Cold War Motors having featured a 1600 very recently probably meant I was more aware of the shape than usual.  There doesn't seem to be a link between the two, so far as I can tell, it's just a styling coincidence dictated by the mechanicals.

 
The hatchback is even better for the rear view.  It's not really like anything else.

[bunglebus]

Spotted a new car I actually like!

 

20190301_121650 by RS, on Flickr

 

20190301_121700 by RS, on Flickr

 

Also, Citroen Grand C4 Spacetourer

 

 

And Mitsubishi Mirage