Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[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

[anonymous user]

That one microcar looks like a Renault 10, that is very angry because it didn't grow up to be as big as its siblings.

[JMotor]

Does this count?

Looks to be a UK only model of the Seat Toledo, called the RM180?

Never heard of it, knew of the GTI's but not this. Looks nice on the Borbet wheels and looks slightly lowered too?

[barrett]

On 10/24/2021 at 4:59 PM, bunglebus said:

Traction Avant based, home made

(no idea on the final pic)

This one was designed by Victor Bouffort, who built all sorts of unusual things over the years. Apparantly there were two, and both survive, but I've never seen them. There was also a roadster version

He designed a folding scooter, which was sold in the states with a little success

Which might explain this amazing picture of one of his self-built microcar prototypes on US plates

There were lots of other microcars, from the 40s to the 70s, a nice 403-based roadster, military vehicles, an overland vehicle. There was a collection of Bouffort-designed stuff at Rétromobile a couple of years ago but he's still almost toally unknown outside of France.

[MisterH]

9 hours ago, martc said:

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.

Do I see Skoda Roomster in that?

[Asimo]

One of these, in Morrisons car park. Making that fashionable gargling noise.  (Sounds like a Merc. With an AGM badge.)

[supermellowman]

On 24/10/2021 at 16:59, bunglebus said:

…

 

 

(no idea on the final pic)

That final pic is the Berggren Future from 1951. Featured here https://driventowrite.com/2021/10/13/drop-the-subject-part-three/ 

Driven To Write has been on a roll lately. I’ve particularly enjoyed the recent features and discussions on 1970s Italian products.

[martc]

17 minutes ago, MisterH said:

Do I see Skoda Roomster in that?

The doors look very Roomsterish, I wonder if Skoda's designer had spent some time at Moskvitch (from the old Bloc days)? There's more than a  touch of Nissan Prairie about it as well.

[bunglebus]

Trabant Tramp

And Kubel

[Remspoor]

4 hours ago, Asimo said:

One of these, in Morrisons car park. Making that fashionable gargling noise.  (Sounds like a Merc. With an AGM badge.)

That is because that what it has under the hood.

[TheOtherStu]

11 hours ago, Remspoor said:

That is because that what it has under the hood.

Was going to say exactly that. Aston Martin use Merc blocks IIRC. There was noise that they'd start doing their own, but I'm not sure they ever got round to it.

[Austat]

Enzmann 506:

[DavieW]

From the auction advert.......

2000 NISSAN SILVIA VARIETTA AUTECH. GUIDE £10000 - £12000. Chassis number S15500111 - One of only 1143 "Varietta" examples ever produced which makes these the rarest of all Sylvia variants. This generation of the Sylvia was only sold in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Varietta was built by Autech a subsidiary of Nissan and was based on the Spec S Model.

[Leyland Worldmaster]

On 10/28/2021 at 6:53 AM, martc said:

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.

It is the FIAT Ecobasic Concept Car's mummy! 🙌🙌🎉

[Leyland Worldmaster]

1 minute ago, Leyland Worldmaster said:

It is the FIAT Ecobasic Concept Car's mummy! 🙌🙌🎉

Or maybe the Skoda Roomster's mummy... Not sure... 

[somewhatfoolish]

It certainly ought to be wrapped in bandages and hidden from sight.

[17-Coffees]

On 10/28/2021 at 4:12 PM, Asimo said:

One of these, in Morrisons car park. Making that fashionable gargling noise.  (Sounds like a Merc. With an AGM badge.)

Funny enough, it literally is just a jacked up Aston with an AMG V8 engine. 

Was a few of the 'Launch edition' ones up my way last year. So generic I only clicked as to what they were when stuck behind in traffic, otherwise I'd think it  would think it was generic SUV No4...

[garethj]

Gilbern are fairly mainstream, at least by our standards.  Fibreglass, self tappers and a Ford V6 was a good combination but in the ‘70s they tried to develop the T11.  A mid engined car using a Maxi motor.

 

The story of the car and how it was restored is here:

https://rarecomponentcars.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-welsh-wedge.html?fbclid=IwAR3Mjjl0-Kyc1GRoiTzeIADtGwnP7AHyRaJjH_Xg8yanoiA9IV7VdtHtTDk&m=1

[TheOtherStu]

14 hours ago, DavieW said:

From the auction advert.......

2000 NISSAN SILVIA VARIETTA AUTECH. GUIDE £10000 - £12000. Chassis number S15500111 - One of only 1143 "Varietta" examples ever produced which makes these the rarest of all Sylvia variants. This generation of the Sylvia was only sold in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The Varietta was built by Autech a subsidiary of Nissan and was based on the Spec S Model.

I’m in some varietta groups. They are rare beasts.

unfortunately, the only model they did was a type S which is NA, whereas the S15 to have is the turbo. The S15 didn’t sell in the UK, although there are quite a few imported.

There only 2 Turbo conversions I know in the UK. One of them happens to own an Mr2 and she lives near me. I’ve told her to call me if she ever wants rid, but it’ll take upwards of £20k to prize it off her. It’s dark grey. The other is a yellow one near Brum.

 

in true shitter style btw, the roofs leak like sieves. The seals all fail regularly, but because there weren’t many made, Nissan didn’t bother making many spares. So you can’t even order them from Japan. Every now and then a set come up and they’re worth hundreds,

[bunglebus]

Pass the puke bucket, it's the electric Metrocab E-REV

[Remspoor]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

Pass the puke bucket, it's the electric Metrocab E-REV

Images are not showing the link says forbidden.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1089322_new-electric-taxi-to-make-londons-black-cabs-a-little-greener

A puke bucket holder?

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Pass the puke bucket, it's the electric Metrocab E-REV

Oh, a famous* London white cab. Genius.

[Remspoor]

The Ora Cat.

 

[bunglebus]