Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Timewaster]

2 hours ago, D.E said:

This 2CV special, built in 1959 by two Belgian students.

What is going on with those wipers?

@dollywobbler needs to investigate. 

[TataBobu]

 

Yes, I knew this type of Dacia exists. Looks like the 1307 (based on the regular pick-up) and the 1309. It's not. The rear door is square, as is the rear door glass. All romanian Dacia pick-ups have the rear door rounded for the wheel, as you can see here: http://www.automobileromanesti.ro/Dacia/Dacia_Pick-Up/

 

The site where the picture is from is a right mine full of obscure shite. 

[Three Speed]

 I had not realised "Borgwards" have been made in China since 2016. This is the BX-7.

[D.E]

4 minutes ago, Three Speed said:

 I had not realised "Borgwards" have been made in China since 2016. This is the BX-7.

That's actually the second time someone tries to revive Borgward. The first time was when a German Daihatsu dealer sticked Borgward badges on AMCs built in Mexico...

[Austat]

Renault Ondine, a more plush version of the Dauphine:

[Austat]

Alfa Romeo Alfetta "Economia" 1.6, with single headlamps instead of quads:

[Remspoor]

On 10/17/2021 at 2:30 PM, Austat said:

Renault Ondine, a more plush version of the Dauphine:

May I show you the Dauphine Alfa Romeo?

https://drivetribe.com/p/dauphine-alfa-romeo-1959-1964-KsrsnUMwQhujfq5vtWf0RQ?iid=SgbN7hBeSxagTVAATWq1Ww

[reb]

850 convertible made by Nilsson Special Vehicles. I want it.

[High Jetter]

Nilsson? 'If living is without you...!'

[Rod/b]

On 10/16/2021 at 1:06 PM, Three Speed said:

 I had not realised "Borgwards" have been made in China since 2016. This is the BX-7.

They’re kinda not anymore apparently. 

[bunglebus]

I was a behind a Hyundai Ioniq 5 earlier. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I appreciate the very 80s concept car style lights and flush handles. The future is now

[Datsuncog]

I'm not much of a one for supercars, but a chance marketstall encounter this morning pointed me towards a car I never knew existed...

A 'MIG Georgia Centenaire' - WTF?

Apparently this started off as a carbon fibre supercar with a Lamborghini-derived engine, designed in the late 1980s by Italian F2 driver Fulvio Ballabio, and built by his company Monte Carlo Automobile (MCA) as the Monte Carlo GTB Centenaire.

Mega Monte Carlo GTB 1992 Test (roadandtrack.com)

Sales weren't especially great though, with only five apparently built - including one gifted to Prince Rainier of Monaco. The rights to the project were then bought up by a Georgian businessman in 1993, with designs on racing at Le Mans, and a further car was built, badged as the MIG M100 Centenaire - with 'MIG' apparently standing for 'Migrelli and Georgia'. The effort was, according to Wikipedia, "a complete failure", with the MIG failing to qualify for Le Mans. 

The design then passed to French manufacturer Aixam-Méga, who built an undisclosed number of examples under the name Méga Monte Carlo GTB, now with a Mercedes V12 fitted, between 1996 and 1999, before quietly discontinuing it.

Quite why Bburago bothered to make a model of this oddity is anyone's guess, but still... I never knew it existed until today.

[D.E]

Bburago sure offered some obscure models. I have a 1/18 Bburago "Giugaro Prima", is that even a real car? Google doesn't seem to think so...

[MisterH]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

who built an undisclosed number of examples under the name Méga Monte Carlo GTB

That in itself is one of my favourite supercars, saw it as a child at goodwood circa 2006, would prefer the Mega Track though, a 4WD offroad supercar, it was huge! 

[Bfg]

On 10/15/2021 at 7:39 PM, D.E said:

This 2CV special, built in 1959 by two Belgian students.

That's very contemporary ..designing a car with the crash damage from new. 

..very similar idea to buying new ripped jeans

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Austat]

The Pichon & Parat coachbuilt Citroen DS models from the early 1960's:

... who built coupés...

and cabriolets...

I'll look into Pichon-Parat a bit more, they had some interesting coach-built designs.

[barrett]

8 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

I'm not much of a one for supercars, but a chance marketstall encounter this morning pointed me towards a car I never knew existed...

A 'MIG Georgia Centenaire' - WTF?

Apparently this started off as a carbon fibre supercar with a Lamborghini-derived engine, designed in the late 1980s by Italian F2 driver Fulvio Ballabio, and built by his company Monte Carlo Automobile (MCA) as the Monte Carlo GTB Centenaire.

Mega Monte Carlo GTB 1992 Test (roadandtrack.com)

Sales weren't especially great though, with only five apparently built - including one gifted to Prince Rainier of Monaco. The rights to the project were then bought up by a Georgian businessman in 1993, with designs on racing at Le Mans, and a further car was built, badged as the MIG M100 Centenaire - with 'MIG' apparently standing for 'Migrelli and Georgia'. The effort was, according to Wikipedia, "a complete failure", with the MIG failing to qualify for Le Mans. 

The design then passed to French manufacturer Aixam-Méga, who built an undisclosed number of examples under the name Méga Monte Carlo GTB, now with a Mercedes V12 fitted, between 1996 and 1999, before quietly discontinuing it.

Quite why Bburago bothered to make a model of this oddity is anyone's guess, but still... I never knew it existed until today.

I had that Burago when I was younger. It was badged MCA Centenaire, so I guess Burago thought it would be a winner and tooled up, then re-branded it to suit the change of ownership/name. I wonder which (toy) is rarer?

16 minutes ago, Austat said:

I'll look into Pichon-Parat a bit more, they had some interesting coach-built designs.

There's a very good book (in French) about P-P which is worth having if you're interested

[wuvvum]

40 minutes ago, Austat said:

The Pichon & Parat coachbuilt Citroen DS models from the early 1960's:

... who built coupés...

and cabriolets...

I'll look into Pichon-Parat a bit more, they had some interesting coach-built designs.

Front looks quite Panhardesque with those lights.

[Austat]

4 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Front looks quite Panhardesque with those lights.

That's what I thought when I first saw it, all thought the Panhard 24CT wasn't launched till 1964 whilst the Pichot-Parat DS's debuted in around 1961.

[wuvvum]

10 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I was a behind a Hyundai Ioniq 5 earlier. Not exactly my cup of tea, but I appreciate the very 80s concept car style lights and flush handles. The future is now

 

For some reason the back end styling reminds me of the Lada 112.

I'm not sure why as there's not a great deal of resemblance there.

[Bfg]

21 hours ago, Austat said:

..that chap is def a Citroen perv

[Yoss]

21 hours ago, Austat said:

The Pichon & Parat coachbuilt Citroen DS models from the early 1960's:

... who built coupés...

and cabriolets...

I'll look into Pichon-Parat a bit more, they had some interesting coach-built designs.

 

That is not an improvement. Why would you pay presumably a considerable amount to make your car look worse. For the individuality I guess but I'd rather have a standard one and keep the money but what do I know? It's nothing new I guess, the world's entire kit car industry is based on making things worse for money. 

[Yoss]

On 10/23/2021 at 1:09 AM, wuvvum said:

For some reason the back end styling reminds me of the Lada 112.

I'm not sure why as there's not a great deal of resemblance there.

 

Yes, I'm sure that's just the look they were going for. 

 

[MisterH]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

world's entire kit car industry is based on making things worse for money

I think the chaps at Ginetta might beg to differ...

[Yoss]

There are always exceptions, I was generalising for comic effect. 

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Yoss said:

 

That is not an improvement. Why would you pay presumably a considerable amount to make your car look worse. For the individuality I guess but I'd rather have a standard one and keep the money but what do I know? It's nothing new I guess, the world's entire kit car industry is based on making things worse for money. 

I agree. The DS was a beautiful design, both aesthetically and mechanically / hydrauliclarly. That is abysmal. I was offered a DS and an Audi 70 when I was 20, too scared to take either on though.

[bunglebus]

Traction Avant based, home made

(no idea on the final pic)

[martc]

The Hungarian micro car industry. Did you ever think such a thing existed? Well it did and it was very busy indeed - below is a link and some choice pictures (I've shoved a few in the BW thread as well). The industry started as a way of circumventing Comecon restrictions on car production in the Bloc. Hungary had no tradition of building cars and so was not allowed to build them. But they wanted to build them and so came up with a whole slew of home grown micro-cars which where not covered by the regs. Also, like the rest of Europe, there was a shortage of cheap transport in the '50's.

https://www.vintag.es/2018/01/vintage-photos-of-creative-postwar.html

[martc]

Moskvitch AZLK-2139 'Arbat' 1991. Scuppered by a) lack of enthusiasm from the politicians for such a bourgeois car aimed at the middle classes and b) the collapse of the Soviet Union by itself.

[barrett]

On 10/26/2021 at 7:34 PM, martc said:

The Hungarian micro car industry. Did you ever think such a thing existed? Well it did and it was very busy indeed - below is a link and some choice pictures (I've shoved a few in the BW thread as well). The industry started as a way of circumventing Comecon restrictions on car production in the Bloc. Hungary had no tradition of building cars and so was not allowed to build them. But they wanted to build them and so came up with a whole slew of home grown micro-cars which where not covered by the regs. Also, like the rest of Europe, there was a shortage of cheap transport in the '50's.

https://www.vintag.es/2018/01/vintage-photos-of-creative-postwar.html

There's also a good book about the Hungarian motoring industry (in English) with details about all of these, although I can't seem to find a copy for sale at this moment