Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Asimo]

Renault Alpine GTA: daftest wipers ever. They actually sweep less area than a single blade would. They are slow because they have to overlap a bit in the middle without colliding. Infuriating.

 

(Pic. from one of Hertz's posts)

 

 

[Pillock]

Yeah if you cover up the gopping front end, the Amulet looks identical to a Toledo in that photo.

The back end is even more of a half-hour rehash than the front.

 

 

Inside is all-new, and looks hideous as a result where the Toledo used an Audi A3 dash which at least looked and felt nice. Wikipedia suggests that it's related to the Toledo in a "they knew we were doing this" way, rather than just blatant copying. The crash videos are somewhat shocking, although they claim it's built on a Mk2 Golf chassis - was the Toledo based on such an old design? 1984 that was released...

 

Claiming the car is high quality is never going to work when at 0:46 into this video 

there's a shot of an assembly line worker smacking the bonnet with a mallet to line it up, just like the BL videos you see.

[320touring]

My first car was a mk1 seat toledo..

 

Its a mk2 jetta platform. Scary pictures

[John F]

dollywobbler, on 21 Jan 2015 - 2:04 PM, said:

Mercedes-Benz had been using 'claphand' wipers since 1961. Earlier than that, they generally didn't overlap, leaving a huge unwiped section in the middle of the screen. See many American cars, Morris Minor etc. Early Mazdas had overlapping wipers, as did the Opel GT.

 

Chevrolet Corvette used overlapping opposed wipers well into the 1990s. The C3 had this ridiculous powered flap mechanism too!

 

More recently, the Citroen Picarsehole reintroduced them to family transport, then picked up by the Peugeot 307, 407, Citroen C5 and C6, Ford Focus, Honda Civic etc. The French naturally make sure the driver's wiper on the RHD ones is shit and doesn't cover as much screen as the one on the other side of the car. 

 

I take too much interest in wipers...

 

Ewwww. Right, that's the Opel GT added to the list of cars I don't like.

 

And the Corvette, which up until now had the dubious distinction of being the sole occupant of the list of american cars I actually do like.

[Bucketeer]

I saw a Lancia Zeta earlier today. A member of the Synergie/Ulysse/806 family that I never knew existed.

No chance for a photo so here's a web image.

 

 

Whilst I was reading up on the Zeta I also stumbled across two more Lancia busses I'd never heard of.

 

Lancia Musa.

 

 

Lancia Phedra.

[Slappy]

Phedra looks like the successor to the Zeta.

 

The Musa without looking anything up looks like the same sort of shape as the Fiat Idea, of which most of us won't have heard of either, but was apparently sold in the UK (alongside such luminaries as the Sedici).

[Timewaster]

Sedici is so named as it is Italian for 16

Which is what 4 X 4 equals.

 

Apparently.

 

Edit: I mean apparently that's how it got the name. Four fours are definitely 16

[Lacquer Peel]

[tooSavvy]

I take too much interest in wipers...

 

Hillman IMP pressing of the scuttle has 4 holes... 2 for wipers + 2 for washers.

 

 

SWAPPED equally for LHD........

 

I feel yrr pain 

 

 

TS

[AnthonyG]

Saab 9-3 4wd estate (like a Audi Allroad or Volvo XC70) did these have some Subaru connection?

 

Saw a 10 plate one today, never seen one before.

[AnthonyG]

 

I take too much interest in wipers...

You live in West Wales, it's natural....

[Lacquer Peel]

Morattab of Iran, they made Santanas under license and this is the modern version with a Mitsubishi V6 and leaf springs.

[Volksy]

Saab 9-3 4wd estate (like a Audi Allroad or Volvo XC70) did these have some Subaru connection?

 

Saw a 10 plate one today, never seen one before.

 

It's a Saab 9-2X which was Impreza based. 9-3X was their own design I believe

 

[Volksy]

They also did for the US market, the 9-7X, which is based on the Chevy Trailbazer.

 

[Pillock]

The Musa without looking anything up looks like the same sort of shape as the Fiat Idea, of which most of us won't have heard of either, but was apparently sold in the UK (alongside such luminaries as the Sedici).

I was going to post the Idea up in here but completely forgot. They were sold around 2004-2005, so been around ten years in which time I'd seen zero examples until two turned up on the same day at the Cannock Burgerfest and Auction Game.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

 

IIveco Massif not Santana not Land Rover

[Lacquer Peel]

Morattab of Iran, they made Santanas under license and this is the modern version with a Mitsubishi V6 and leaf springs.

 

 

COILZ!

[kinkersaab]

In stock at the moment i have a fiat idea, a subaru tribeca a daihatsu materia an old model outlander a terracan a suzuki kizashi and a peugeot 4007 all carefully selected by me...none of them are flying out the door so to speak....... I like diferent stuff.

[320touring]

In stock at the moment i have a fiat idea, a subaru tribeca a daihatsu materia an old model outlander a terracan a suzuki kizashi and a peugeot 4007 all carefully selected by me...none of them are flying out the door so to speak....... I like diferent stuff.

Kinkershite cars: 'didne ken they made thosewans, pal'

[John F]

Lacquer Peel, on 23 Jan 2015 - 8:47 PM, said:

 

COILZ!

 

How do they get its bonnet open??

[320touring]

How do they get its bonnet open??

No need, the subframe falls out from underneath..

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just been reading about those Santanas, looks like the company is defunct now, bit of a shame I must say, sounds like they did a few interesting deals and did well to last as long as they did.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santana_Motor

[Skut]

This little oddity lives round the corner from my girl friends flat.  Was quite a puzzler as its debadged and on Romanian plates but it turns out to be a Daewoo Tico. 

[Asimo]

Ah yes, the Subaru Tribeca, I suppose I did know it existed but now I have seen one, ( and noticed.) Possibly the last suv only available in petrol form in GB.



These remain curiously expensive for something that found less than a thousand buyers, has lots of popular competitors and features the full £500 road tax.

A bit of a munter of a car but I am a Subaru fan so might one day.

[Asimo]

 

Katar SIFFT 4x4

Polyester body on a Citröen 2CV chassis with Visa 650 engine and 4x4 transmission from Voisin) 
 

 

A few hundred built in the 1980s apparently.

 

These two are for sale on Leboncoin for more than Ã¢â€šÂ¬11000 each!

[STUNO]

Hillman IMP pressing of the scuttle has 4 holes... 2 for wipers + 2 for washers.

 

 

SWAPPED equally for LHD........

 

I feel yrr pain 

 

 

TS

 

 

Has nobody noticed the oil drip sheets thoughtfully provided for both these cars 

[jonny69]

Ha! They should put both the bonnets up for comedy completeness

[Junkman]

Today, I learned about some Phrench chod I didn't know before.
 
The first is Wimille.
 
Jean Pierre Wimille was a French racing driver, starting his career in the late 20s, and entering his first Grand Prix,
rather unsurprisingly the French one, in 1930.
After the war, he built and designed cars in Paris under the brand-name Wimille. Between 1946 and 1950 around eight cars were built,
at first with Citroën 11CV engines, later with Ford V8-engines.
Jean-Pierre Wimille died at the wheel of a Simca-Gordini during practice runs for the 1949 Buenos Aires Grand Prix.

This is the first type Wimille, with Citroen power:

 

 

 

And this is the second type, with Ford V8 power and styling by Philippe Charbonneaux, who later designed the Renault 16:

 

 

 

 

Note mid-mounted engines and central steering in both cars.

 

 

Next is aeroplane/pump/car manufacturer Salmson. I knew of the company and that they made cars, but had no idea they continued car manufacture after WWII.

The Salmson 2300 S is the last car they built, before completely turning to pump production in 1960:

 

 

 

[wuvvum]

This morning on the way into work I saw a 4-door saloon version of the last Hyundai Accent (the one that was only in production for about 10 minutes before being replaced by the I20).  Never seen one before, and doubt I'll see one again...

[Sloth in a bowl]

I may have seen hundreds of these before, but yesterday was the first time I ever noticed a SsangYong Korando, because it was parked next to us and the wife said, 'What's that badge?'