Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

13,111 · February 17

Yep, cheers @sheffcortinacentre and @D.E. It's a Gruau conversion. Again, not ever seen one.

The Polo especially works, it looks like an in-house job that VW officially offered:

The Peugeot? Not so much...

It looks like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be, a van, an estate car or a tiny camper?

58,593 · February 17

Along similar lines, this popped up on Facebook last night - further research needed

44,545 · February 17

8 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Along similar lines, this popped up on Facebook last night - further research needed

That has a passing resemblance to teh VW Vandetta kit that you could buy in the US in the 1970s. I'm not sure if they were ever sold here by the likes of Autocarvan.

You could get a pick up in the UK. I had a mate who built one with a chopped roof on the cab and stack exhausts. Here's one that has a stock roof height.

58,593 · February 17

Yes UVA did them

14,633 · February 17

28 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Yes UVA did them

Must be a hearse version.

3,784 · February 17

I only noticed this recently, I give you the Avensis Verso.. Seems to be Toyota`s take on that inflated Golf Plus thing (where did they all go?).
Not something I was aware of, I don't think I`ve seen one before (although I may have done & not noticed). You`d think they`d have been popular with the mini-cabbing fraternity, but it seems not. There's less than 400 on the road, according to HML.

21,232 · February 17

19 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

Yep, cheers @sheffcortinacentre and @D.E. It's a Gruau conversion. Again, not ever seen one.

The Polo especially works, it looks like an in-house job that VW officially offered:

The Peugeot? Not so much...

It looks like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be, a van, an estate car or a tiny camper?

See these Peugeot vans from time to time in France. They were not uncommon. At the time Peugeot did not offer a really small van - after the 305 van finished.

That three-door van known as Fourgonnette or Break Service in France was made to 1990 and was not replaced.

As only total of 86,413 of these Fourgonnettes were built - I guess that Peugeot did not bother with a replacement - the Citroen C15 for example sold over a million vans.

So there was a place in the market for these Peugeot van conversations for those who preferred a Peugeot.

14,705 · February 17

3 hours ago, uk_senator said:

I only noticed this recently, I give you the Avensis Verso.. Seems to be Toyota`s take on that inflated Golf Plus thing (where did they all go?).
Not something I was aware of, I don't think I`ve seen one before (although I may have done & not noticed). You`d think they`d have been popular with the mini-cabbing fraternity, but it seems not. There's less than 400 on the road, according to HML.

I don't think they were much good as a people carrier.

The seats were bulky and didn't fold flat like a Zafira.

Picasso's were much cheaper to buy and run.

Scenics had a lot more style.

C-max drove like a Focus.

The verso just missed the mark.

21,232 · February 17

Ford B-150 - 1967-72 - built and sold in Argentina only. It's a '3-door'. Two this side and...

one the other!

5,102 · February 18

7 hours ago, uk_senator said:

I only noticed this recently, I give you the Avensis Verso.. Seems to be Toyota`s take on that inflated Golf Plus thing (where did they all go?).
Not something I was aware of, I don't think I`ve seen one before (although I may have done & not noticed). You`d think they`d have been popular with the mini-cabbing fraternity, but it seems not. There's less than 400 on the road, according to HML.

The Avensis Verso is a facelifted Toyota Picnic.

Where I used to work the CEO's personal assistant had a Picnic which was quite appropriate considering the source of all her IT problems...

44,545 · February 18

On 17/02/2025 at 02:29, Lord Sterling said:

The Peugeot? Not so much...

It looks like it doesn't quite know what it wants to be, a van, an estate car or a tiny camper?

14 hours ago, lesapandre said:

See these Peugeot vans from time to time in France. They were not uncommon. At the time Peugeot did not offer a really small van - after the 305 van finished.

That three-door van known as Fourgonnette or Break Service in France was made to 1990 and was not replaced.

As only total of 86,413 of these Fourgonnettes were built - I guess that Peugeot did not bother with a replacement - the Citroen C15 for example sold over a million vans.

So there was a place in the market for these Peugeot van conversations for those who preferred a Peugeot.

I have had a couple of miniature 205 Vans.

6,000 of those 205 Multis were by Durisotti, a French coach builder that does all sorts of conversions for commercial use. There's a thread here on a web site that shows some of the stuff that they have done.

Carrosserie Durisotti, Sallaumines - COACHBUILD.com

44,545 · February 18

Here's the Renault 5 Durisotti, a kind of scaled down Matra Ranchero. They only built one.

21,232 · February 18

I'll keep on the lookout for one - both vehicle and model and try and get some detailed photos.

2,467 · February 18

11 hours ago, Muniphobia said:

Where I used to work the CEO's personal assistant had a Picnic which was quite appropriate considering the source of all her IT problems...

Wasps?

2,931 · February 18

There’s a Dursotti 205 Multi in Serbia, PSA specialist has it

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2en2mzqyv_/?igsh=MXhvbm90NXdzMWZmbA==

Plenty more photos on his Instagram

31,360 · February 18

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Here's the Renault 5 Durisotti, a kind of scaled down Matra Ranchero. They only built one.

And there seems to be only one picture of it. Shame!

16,014 · February 18

Saw a lot of this sort of thing in Ukraine a few years back, mostly based on the ZAZ Tavria.

17,841 · February 19

Considering its so up my street, I don't think I've ever seen this before. Always a shock to the system when you see a totally unknown vehicle, particularly one linked to so many familiar names.

https://www.octane-magazine.com/news/chris-bristows-barn-find-mg-special-to-star-at-race-retro/

58,593 · February 21

Just a targa topped Crapi with a silly grille right?

No, the JBA Javelin is a separate chassis, fibreglass bodied entity in its own right

https://robertgibson.tripod.com/javelin.htm

12,708 · February 21

On 15/02/2025 at 11:55, Metal Guru said:

A V8 Viva! WTF?

The GM slant 4 was very like a V8 with one cylinder bank removed, so there's plenty of room, but if a V8 Ventora is nose heavy a V8 Viva might be difficult to get around corners.

On 17/02/2025 at 21:41, Timewaster said:

I don't think they were much good as a people carrier.

The seats were bulky and didn't fold flat like a Zafira.

Picasso's were much cheaper to buy and run.

Scenics had a lot more style.

C-max drove like a Focus.

The verso just missed the mark.

A pub owner I know has had one since new, still totally immaculate. He uses it as a runaround, for cash and carry runs, etc.

25,734 · February 21

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

The GM slant 4 was very like a V8 with one cylinder bank removed...

The motor in the '61 Pontiac Tempest was exactly that: https://www.octane-magazine.com/articles/features/pontiac-tempest-back-to-a-different-future/#:~:text=The 1961 Pontiac Tempest was,rope drive' connecting the two.

21,232 · February 21

On 19/02/2025 at 11:46, barrett said:

Considering its so up my street, I don't think I've ever seen this before. Always a shock to the system when you see a totally unknown vehicle, particularly one linked to so many familiar names.

https://www.octane-magazine.com/news/chris-bristows-barn-find-mg-special-to-star-at-race-retro/

Should it be restored or kept as is?

Amazing as it is.

So much work to restore it - would be just as much work to make a copy and race that.

Just an IMHO.

12,708 · February 21

1 hour ago, chaseracer said:

The motor in the '61 Pontiac Tempest was exactly that: https://www.octane-magazine.com/articles/features/pontiac-tempest-back-to-a-different-future/#:~:text=The 1961 Pontiac Tempest was,rope drive' connecting the two.

Wacky! I think I'd prefer it with the Buick V8 option, though. Before DeLorean went off the reservation, he was very competent at product development.

5,421 · February 21

18 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Just a targa topped Crapi with a silly grille right?

No, the JBA Javelin is a separate chassis, fibreglass bodied entity in its own right

https://robertgibson.tripod.com/javelin.htm

Now red 2.0 tax til end of month but MOT ran out march 24?

First reg 1990.

5,421 · February 21

11 hours ago, artdjones said:

The GM slant 4 was very like a V8 with one cylinder bank removed, so there's plenty of room, but if a V8 Ventora is nose heavy a V8 Viva might be difficult to get around corners.

A pub owner I know has had one since new, still totally immaculate. He uses it as a runaround, for cash and carry runs, etc.

The eng was originally going to be a V8.

12,708 · February 21

24 minutes ago, sheffcortinacentre said:

The eng was originally going to be a V8.

I had a 2.3 in a Magnum around 40 years ago. For some reason the oil pump was mounted in quite a high position in the engine. So start up would produce a slight rattle while oil was drawn up. It didn't seem to produce any ill effect long term. I've still got the valve clearance tool in the shed.

5,421 · February 21

Mate had a few. Sad case never was all there.

3,784 · February 22

15 hours ago, artdjones said:

I had a 2.3 in a Magnum around 40 years ago. For some reason the oil pump was mounted in quite a high position in the engine. So start up would produce a slight rattle while oil was drawn up. It didn't seem to produce any ill effect long term. I've still got the valve clearance tool in the shed.

A lot of old skool yank V8`s had the oil pump under the dizzy in the V, at a similar height as a slant 4, so not that unusual. I had 4 FE`s with slant 4`s, never had any engine issues, other than the rocker covers leaking onto the alternators, which would kill them. Gearboxes main shafts on the other hand, I broke regularly, as well as an exploded diff, the transmission just wasn't up to the (hefty) torque of the slant 4, & worn dizzys were a bit of an issue.

Also had a 3.3 Ventora II, was no quicker than the 2.3 slant 4 (being mated to a 3 speed slushmatic didn't help) + it handled worse, & used a lot more petrol.. But, it did sound lovely, & had a nicer interior, so swings & roundabouts..

3,498 · February 22

On 18/02/2025 at 01:00, Muniphobia said:

The Avensis Verso is a facelifted Toyota Picnic.

Not sure how I'd never realised that, but looking at the above photo it's obvious!

7,756 · February 22

On 18/02/2025 at 01:00, Muniphobia said:

The Avensis Verso is a facelifted Toyota Picnic.

Where I used to work the CEO's personal assistant had a Picnic which was quite appropriate considering the source of all her IT problems...

Crumbs from miniature pork pies getting stuck in the keyboard?

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