Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[bunglebus]

1 hour ago, Austat said:

 

Definite air of GT40 about that one, and bonus MK1 Cortina tail lights 

[Madman Of The People]

3 hours ago, bobdisk said:

Any chance of a pic?

 

Found some on my old Photobucket account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[barrett]

Here's a new one for me. Popped up on a Rootes FB page and everybody was foaming about the stodgemobile in the background but WTAF if that out front?

Amazingly the plate is still registered and some Aussie looked it up. Apparently it's a 'Valcoupe' - a little digging and apparently it was built by a Formula 500 racer called Ron Learnan using VW parts. Looks great, and it's nice to think it's still out there somewhere...

[Jon]

15 minutes ago, barrett said:

Here's a new one for me. Popped up on a Rootes FB page and everybody was foaming about the stodgemobile in the background but WTAF if that out front?

Amazingly the plate is still registered and some Aussie looked it up. Apparently it's a 'Valcoupe' - a little digging and apparently it was built by a Formula 500 racer called Ron Learnan using VW parts. Looks great, and it's nice to think it's still out there somewhere...
 

Oy you cheeky sod! It's NZ registered, not Australian!

here's the number plate details link:

https://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=ay6595

 

[barrett]

O, the shame! Apologies!

[Bfg]

2 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

Found some on my old Photobucket account.

 

It's just a visual warning to what happens to an Austin Princess when you run it through their car wash.  It shrinks like kiddies T-shirt

.

[Sir Snipes]

18 hours ago, sdkrc said:

 

Why is the address a hotel room? 

[martc]

46 minutes ago, Sir Snipes said:

Why is the address a hotel room? 

It's definitely a hotel which YOU can visit (on an official state organised trip). It does have private offices in the First Class Exclusive rooms - perhaps Kim Long Daley has permanent residence?

Details of the hotel, and fascinating insights into North Korea can be found here -

https://www.north-korea-travel.com/pothonggang-hotel.html

 

[bobdisk]

1 hour ago, martc said:

It's definitely a hotel which YOU can visit (on an official state organised trip). It does have private offices in the First Class Exclusive rooms - perhaps Kim Long Daley has permanent residence?

Details of the hotel, and fascinating insights into North Korea can be found here -

https://www.north-korea-travel.com/pothonggang-hotel.html

Would like to visit N Korea, did you see Michael Palins visit there? I like odd places, enjoyed a visit to Chernobyl last year! 

[bobdisk]

5 hours ago, Madman Of The People said:

 

Found some on my old Photobucket account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love to get hold of one of those ? !!!  

(Wish Photobucket would not put that horrible bar across the middle of pictures- Spoils them)

[martc]

8 minutes ago, bobdisk said:

Would like to visit N Korea, did you see Michael Palins visit there? I like odd places, enjoyed a visit to Chernobyl last year! 

Yes I saw it, very interesting the North Koreans he met seemed very personable and not the ogres portrayed by certain elements of the press (quelle surprise). I visited the DDR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland whilst they were still behind the iron curtain, and when they were transitioning to the 'west', and in all cases the countries were fascinating and the people were just like us....

[Madman Of The People]

29 minutes ago, bobdisk said:

Love to get hold of one of those ? !!!  

(Wish Photobucket would not put that horrible bar across the middle of pictures- Spoils them)

 

That's why I don't use Photobucket anymore!

 

[somewhatfoolish]

4 hours ago, martc said:

Yes I saw it, very interesting the North Koreans he met seemed very personable and not the ogres portrayed by certain elements of the press (quelle surprise). I visited the DDR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland whilst they were still behind the iron curtain, and when they were transitioning to the 'west', and in all cases the countries were fascinating and the people were just like us....

The people they let Palin meet being personable isn't much of a surprise, murderous tyrants are big on PR control; I'm sure the average NK is just like us, except they've been living in an information vacuum where unsupervised contact with the outside world makes you a security threat to be sent to the camps and been fed a steady message that imperialist running dogs want to murder them and eat their children and that one day the oppressed brothers and sisters in the south will be freed from capitalistic despottery by the triumphant forces of Juche.

[sheffcortinacentre]

The valetor Roly at counts customs has one of those wedges.

[Richard_FM]

1 hour ago, somewhatfoolish said:

The people they let Palin meet being personable isn't much of a surprise, murderous tyrants are big on PR control; I'm sure the average NK is just like us, except they've been living in an information vacuum where unsupervised contact with the outside world makes you a security threat to be sent to the camps and been fed a steady message that imperialist running dogs want to murder them and eat their children and that one day the oppressed brothers and sisters in the south will be freed from capitalistic despottery by the triumphant forces of Juche.

Supposedly the Pre-war Soviet Union had villages of actors so that visiting dignitaries would think it really was a workers paradise.

Iraq used similar tactics pre-2003.

At one time China would only let in tourists in groups with government provided guides (really secret police officers) to make sure nothing awkward happened.  I believe North Korea has similar measures.

[bunglebus]

I know we don't really discuss American cars on this thread much, as they tend to stay in their country of origin unless they're personal imports, but one of these was just shown on a TV programme I was watching. Mercury Comet GT.

It is of course based on the Ford Maverick. When I think of Mercury I picture either a Cougar or the 49-51 car that was so popular with customisers in the 50s.

It seems the Comet name was sometimes a mid-range car and sometimes a compact, biggest engine offered in the compact GT was the 302 V8, with up to 210 BHP - if you really wanted to punish yourself, in 1972 you could spec a basic sedan with a 170 cubic inch 6 and 82 BHP. Assuming most of them were autos (3 speed manual was an option), that must have made for a pretty slow car.

I like the look of the GT though, and the 302 is a pretty tuneable engine. Seems to me it could be made into quite a respectable muscle car that isn't the size of a whale.

[Aston Martin]

I went on the Internet searching for Bristols, I got sidetracked and ended up on the Blenheim 4SG. Every panel has been changed, bar the front bumper.

 

Yes, those ill-fitting lights are an Audi A4 Avant, who commissions a car like this in 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Someone pointed out that the headlights don't match. Two different types of E30 light on the outside one.

[bunglebus]

7 minutes ago, Aston Martin said:

I went on the Internet searching for Bristols

I have to wait until the Mrs goes out.

Still would with the Blenheim, just because Bristols are quirky

[Mr_Bo11ox]

holy moly that Bristol is shocking, there's really no excuse for that. Tony Crook had retired 2 years before it was created so thankfully he can remain unsullied by association with that horror.

[barrett]

Bristols were essentially the world's most expensive kit cars by the 1980s, built with all the precision and flair of Banham Bat and flogged to the déclassé nouveau riche (didn't the twat from Oasis have one?). A 'real' Bristol (ie, pre-Crook era) is a wonderful thing, but I don't think any other manufacturer except perhaps Morgan has lasted so long by resting on their laurels and producing more and more embarrassing cars for a less and less discerning clientele. The sort of people who think LJK Setright was a great writer also think 1990s Bristols are wonderful, which says it all really (and I doubt LJKS would have been seen dead in one, anyway)

[GeordieInExile]

What do you mean, it's 2009? No you bloody can't have an airbag.

[Supernaut]

1 hour ago, GeordieInExile said:

What do you mean, it's 2009? No you bloody can't have an airbag.

Going by the shape of the footwells, they don't want their clientele to have two legs, either.

 

 

Fucking hell, that's bad.

[GeordieInExile]

Christ alive, never noticed that before.

I still kinda want one, mind.

[Sir Snipes]

At least they ditched the van taillights. 

[ChinaTom]

Plus bonus Safrane in the background.

[tul66]

20 hours ago, barrett said:

Bristols were essentially the world's most expensive kit cars by the 1980s, built with all the precision and flair of Banham Bat and flogged to the déclassé nouveau riche (didn't the twat from Oasis have one?). A 'real' Bristol (ie, pre-Crook era) is a wonderful thing, but I don't think any other manufacturer except perhaps Morgan has lasted so long by resting on their laurels and producing more and more embarrassing cars for a less and less discerning clientele. The sort of people who think LJK Setright was a great writer also think 1990s Bristols are wonderful, which says it all really (and I doubt LJKS would have been seen dead in one, anyway)

Nope, doesn't narrow it down, give us a clue...…………………………………..

[Austat]

Stimson Minibug:

 

[martc]

1970 - Dolly birds look, old ladies stare.... different times, different times.

2020 - old fellas on t'internet swoon.

They did a Scorcher (which rings a faint bell), a Safari 6 a Trek and a Sting as well.

Scorcher

Count the wheels - it's a Safari 6

One life live it - a Trek.

A very small Sting with a very big Suzuki 1200 engine.

Turns out there's still some with us... or at least there was in 2016

http://maximummini.blogspot.com/2016/05/stimsons-shine-at-stoneleigh-other-are.html

More pics etc here - http://www.westhouse.plus.com/page8.htm

 

 

 

[bunglebus]

12 hours ago, Austat said:

Stimson Minibug:

 

That's a pretty early Custom Car that's been scanned from! I remember the feature (when I collected all the mags years later, I'm not that old)

[High Jetter]

I was like 9 then. Fess up!