Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Remspoor]

In this video there are some cars we have discussed in this thread. But this has some facts which some of you may not have known. about.

 

 

[Austat]

Felber Pasha, a Buick Skylark modified in Switzerland:

Photo source: zurichonwheels

[Missy Charm]

1 hour ago, Austat said:

Felber Pasha, a Buick Skylark modified in Switzerland:

Photo source: zurichonwheels

Looks like they saw a Panther Rio whilst holidaying in London, went back to Zurich and decided to make the same thing but worse.  They also produced this monstrosity

The Felbar Excellence

Which was a terrible thing to do to a Trans Am.  Every line on what is, unmodified, a good looking car has been ruined.  

[Remspoor]

1 hour ago, Austat said:

Felber Pasha, a Buick Skylark modified in Switzerland:

Photo source: zurichonwheels

Is that some sort of headlamp washer action going on? Or support frame for the plastic headlamp trim?😁

[sheffcortinacentre]

Both have been in nasty accidents Shirley! Or are they early lepu creations?

[Madman Of The People]

On 3/13/2022 at 7:29 AM, Austat said:

Felber Pasha, a Buick Skylark modified in Switzerland:

Photo source: zurichonwheels

 

The early 1980s Buick Skylark it was based on on was no beauty, either.

 

Given the overly ornate Felber grille, you'd think they would have kept the obligatory 1980s GM wire wheel hubcaps.

 

[D.E]

Some of their models look like those "generic" cars from commercials that are real models with some minor details altered...

Roberta (Lancia Delta):

Illustre (Audi 80):

And an Autobianchi with a hideous vinyl top:

 

[AnthonyG]

The Swiss have form with this sort of thing. When Monteverdi run out of customers for their V8 super cars in the mid 1970s they made all sorts of things, using a diverse range of unlikely base vehicles including the Plymouth Volare and the International Scout.  They also made an astonishingly bland looking version of the Mercedes W126. 

I wonder if there was some sort of tax dodge involved, i.e. if a car was made by a Swiss car ‘manufacturer’ there was no purchase tax payable on it or something. It seems a spectacularly pointless exercise for a wealthy country otherwise. 

The Felber Illustre looks like a Audi 80 owner really, really liked the look of the Alfa 6 but couldn’t handle the fuel costs or likely unreliability.

He was also considerate of intellectual property rights, so didn’t go the whole hog with the Alfa grille. 

[Richard_FM]

In the early 1990s Monteverdi bought the Onyx F1 team.

[SteersWithThrottle]

On the other hand, the Swiss did give us Franco Sbarro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sbarro_(automobile)

Yes, that is a monkey-bike strapped in the back... the wheel rims on the Monster G are cut-down Boeing 747 rims, Autocar did a feature on it in the 1980s.

[Schaefft]

On 3/3/2022 at 11:53 PM, brownnova said:

I knew of the Buick Regal… I just never realised they did a couple version… 

Ugly as. I want one… this one is on EBay! 

The w-body coupes were released before the sedans even. I think Regal coupes are actually some of the most common US imports of the time here in the UK, there's at least one or two for sale at all times. Or maybe it's just the same two cars for the last few years...

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, Schaefft said:

The w-body coupes were released before the sedans even. I think Regal coupes are actually some of the most common US imports of the time here in the UK, there's at least one or two for sale at all times. Or maybe it's just the same two cars for the last few years...

I noticed on eBay there’sa red one for sale too!

 Not cheap enough to tempt me yet! 

[AnthonyG]

Apparently GM spent an absolute shitload on development of those coupes and launched them just as the market for 2 dr coupes in the US crashed. There was a related Oldsmobile and Pontiac as well, but in a moment of madness Chevrolet decided to can the Monte Carlo nameplate and their coupe was called the ‘Lumina’.  Chevy then relaunched the Monte Carlo in the mid 1990s around the time the other GM brands called time on their coupes.

GM’s crazy adventures in the 80s/90s/00s just kept on coming, in hindsight it’s amazing the SUVs and pick-ups carried them for 30 + years.

They (and Ford) have sort of fixed this weakness by simply not offering ordinary cars in the North American market anymore.

I think you can get a Chevy Bolt (EV hatch), a Malibu (ICE saloon) and a Cadillac ICE saloon and that’s your lot bar Camaros and Corvettes.

Ford won’t even sell you a hatchback or saloon, the Mustang is the only ‘car’ they sell now.

[Richard_FM]

The saga of the Big 3 American car makers has thrown up so oddities over the years due to them being unable to cope with any major changes in their home market it seems.

I've heard by the time Fiat bought up Chrysler they were only making money on their pick-ups.

For every bright spark like Lee Iacocca & John Z DeLorean (though he couldn't make his own company work!) there are a few Roger Smiths who had big ideas but left thing in an even worse state than they started with.

[Austat]

Felber also made this, the Ferrari 365 GT4 Croisette SW:

[myglaren]

Just read about the  Aurus

 

 

[JimH]

Only learned of the existence of this horror this very afternoon. 

Kinda wish I hadn't.

[Remspoor]

Keinath KC 5, a convertible Opel Monza.

This one is for sale...I will not post it in the tat or bargain threads.

https://www.classic-trader.com/uk/cars/listing/opel/monza/monza-keinath-kc-5/1985/229550

 

[JeeExEll]

Convertibles just not my thing but interesting pics.

There were estate Senator conversions too. I posted a few pics months ago but can't find them. They were German Opel conversions, probably easy to check it out on internet.

[JeeExEll]

3 hours ago, JimH said:

Only learned of the existence of this horror this very afternoon. 

Kinda wish I hadn't.

Ok, I'll take the bait, what is it?

Looks a bit like that 60s Datsun copy of a MGB roadster but don't think it's one of those with that front end and rear wheelarches.

[MisterH]

52 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

Keinath KC 5, a convertible Opel Monza.

This one is for sale...I will not post it in the tat or bargain threads.

https://www.classic-trader.com/uk/cars/listing/opel/monza/monza-keinath-kc-5/1985/229550

 

Why do I want to call it the Kenneth?

[OM646]

37 minutes ago, JeeExEll said:

Ok, I'll take the bait, what is it?

Looks a bit like that 60s Datsun copy of a MGB roadster but don't think it's one of those with that front end and rear wheelarches.

Volvo P 1900 (predates the 1800)

[AnthonyG]

That Senator convertible looks pretty good and, by the similarity in style to the Cavalier Mk2 convertible, not that far off what GM would done themselves had they bothered (although I can well see why they didn’t - the target market would have been pretty small)

[martc]

On 3/17/2022 at 1:09 PM, Austat said:

Felber also made this, the Ferrari 365 GT4 Croisette SW:

That can't be a chauffeur driven 1100 can it? The Swiss, eh?

[artdjones]

Probably just a hotel doorman.

[DSdriver]

Or "your nicked son"

[JimH]

Look at the grille.

[mk2_craig]

On 11/9/2014 at 4:58 PM, philibusmo said:

any odd shite cars that you have only recently learned of?

Yes.

Oh yes indeed. Until a few minutes ago I had zero knowledge of the IZH ODA. And now, thanks to an online photo courtesy of Craptical Plastics, I desperately want one. 

[adw1977]

On 18/03/2022 at 21:52, JeeExEll said:

Convertibles just not my thing but interesting pics.

There were estate Senator conversions too. I posted a few pics months ago but can't find them. They were German Opel conversions, probably easy to check it out on internet.

Dave R on Flickr posted this 1998 photo of one in the UK.

https://flic.kr/p/SLpYyA

[D.E]

6-wheeled Peugeot 309 camper. No idea wether it was built by someone in a shed or an actual factory. Maybe some (possibly small) British firm? It is rhd...