Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[quicksilver]

AROnline has alerted me to the existence of the Australian Rover 416i. It's not what you think it is...

 

The entire Australian motor industry seems a bit weird to me TBH, what with all the government-mandated model sharing..

[Pillock]

Did you see WHY the Celeriacs had the brake problem?

 

In the event of impact, it moves the pedals away from you to avoid busted ankles. But it couldn't tell the difference between deceleration through braking, and deceleration through twatting it into a bus.

[Honey Badger]

Likewise, the 2006-2009 Honda Odyssey.  I don't know why we don't get some stuff over here.  

 

2006-2009_Honda_Odyssey_van_(2010-12-28).jpg

 

Not made in Swindon, therefore is the spawn of satan according to Honda UK.

 

I liked the Element, I think it would have sold well here

 

 

[tooSavvy]

I came across this dumpy little saloon today. I had no idea what it was other than it was a Proton, turns out it was a Proton S16 - otherwise known as the Proton Saga in Malaysia. Supposedly this is the best selling Proton in Australia, but I've never seen one before so fuck knows who they were selling them to as I've seen plenty of Savvys, Impians, Gen2s, Satria Neos and Preves.

SAVVY 'lwb' regurgitated. Boot obviously, but a rework of engine bay metalwork to get the Proton GEN sized motor in.

 

The latest iteration of the 4door MPi so beloved on here....

 

 

TS

[Lacquer Peel]

Where are our PROTONS?

[tooSavvy]

Where are our PROTONS?

..... Not overly fussed - I have mine and one is 110% of 'enough'

 

TS

[Lacquer Peel]

 

I want a Proton Wira, based on playing the Mobil 1 Rally Championship game on the PC.

[wuvvum]

I saw a Proton Suprima S on the road today, for the first and what I suspect will probably be the last time.

 

[tooSavvy]

I saw a Proton Suprima S on the road today, for the first and what I suspect will probably be the last time.

 

 

......ahhhh!

 

TS

[Jim Bergerac]

The Suprima is one of the new products Proton have been promising for the UK for years. In the meantime, they've sold next to no cars for two years and seem to have lost most of their dealers.

 

In other news, last night I learned of the existance of the Kia Retona:

 

It was the replacement for the Asia Rocsta but never made it to the UK. The nearest it got was being sold, without success, in Germany. One of those cars that looks so ugly I actually quite like it.

[Asimo]

 

Saw one of these the other day. Wish I hadn't as I was blissfully unaware of their existence.

Looks much worse in the plastic. I expect they will be everywhere soon

[barrett]

I quite like those BMW things, they are proof you can make a car look really shockingly different by tweaking a couple of simple styling details that we have all grown to accept as the 'right' way a car should look. They have a big coupe styled along similar lines which also looks cool, only seen one of those on the roads though.

[HillmanImp]

Someone that works in the same business park that I work at has one. I don't like them just as I think that sort of shape of car looks awful. To me it looks like an old Mercedes A class featuring in Tron. 

[catsinthewelder]

I don't keep up with new car news so seeing something that looked like this

 

 

on the bypass last year had me wondering if I'd fast forwarded a few years without realising.

 

I don't like BMW's as a rule but I did like that (and the late 70's 7 series that was following it).

[STUNO]

I just thought I would have a look and see if anyone had a Standard Vanguard for sale here. A search for "Vanguard" brought up nearly 200 hits. All were these....

 

Thieving bastards

[cort16]

Bertone Pirana. Built by The Telegraph as a promotional item on an e-type chassis.

 

 

As just watched by me on jay lenos garage

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVy21N52hPc

 

unsurprisingly designed by the same guy who did the Espada just after it.

 

[RoadworkUK]

I quite like those BMW things, they are proof you can make a car look really shockingly different by tweaking a couple of simple styling details that we have all grown to accept as the 'right' way a car should look. They have a big coupe styled along similar lines which also looks cool, only seen one of those on the roads though.

 

I really like the I3. I did a write-up on it here. My only misgiving is the way it's marketed, which is, inevitably, to those who can afford an expensive toy.

 

Yes, I know early adoption to new technologies is always expensive; the first VCR was a trillion pounds and the first Corby Trouser Press had to be underwritten by the US government before a prototype could be built, but the BMW I3 shows absolutely no interest in even slight pandering to the needs of the fiscally undistinguished.

 

It's labelled as an I3, as if it might be some kind of vegetarian alternative to a new 3 series, but it isn't. The one I drove was £41k. OK, a big chunk of that pays for the technology, but the preposterously swanky interior means it will never, ever, ever be a car for the people, meanwhile BMW tell us they're trying to save the world.

 

The profoundly wealthy will inherit the Earth. Us meek are fucked.

[philibusmo]

The Toyota Lexcen - a rebadged version of the Holden Commodore VN. I've seen plenty of the Holden version but saw my first Toyota today.

[wuvvum]

Ooh, Toyota Senator!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I didn't know that there was an estate version of the 240k GT Skyline, this one is on Cand C for £25,000.

Although it does look a bit homemade/ Crayfordish.

[Junkman]

Although it does look a bit homemade/ Crayfordish.

image.jpg

 

Which it is. The factory estate looked like this:

 

 

and wasn't available with the six cylinders.

[DS20]

^ That looks like something my local undertakers use for 'collekshuns' 

[scruff]

Nissan Ebro... A new one on me

 

Just turned up for sale in the next

 

village

[wuvvum]

They sold Ebros on the continent in the '80s - early '90s.  Think they were built in Spain?  Never seen a RHD one before though.

[Slappy]

Yep, Spanish. Seems Nissan bought them for their commercial expertise, and there are lots of indigenous Nissans floating about still which were originally Ebros. I think that's the factory where they build all the hi-top Trafics/Vivaros/Primastars because Luton is too low. Terranos previously too perhaps, but I could just be talking out of my anus on that one.

 

Didn't think I'd ever see a photo of an existing RHD one though. It's got a bit of a squished VW LT look about it.

[scruff]

Ahhh it is now ringing a dim bell from old issues of TRUCK. Assumed Ebro was the model name. 

It's up for £2250 ono, ad says it has 50,000 miles on it, diesel, 2+2 berth, five new tyres, MoT Sept... does look in very good nick.

[Noel Tidybeard]

that ebro looks like an LT minime

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I remember those Ebros being sold in the UK in the early 80's. The Massey Ferguson dealer in my village in Wales (Talsarn) sold them alongside Subarus.

The SpanishOld Bill used to have Ebro badged Patrols too.

[DVee8]

a Ford Ecosport drove past us this afternoon in this colour

 

[Pillock]

Isn't that a Kuga?

 

Edit, no it looks completely* different*.

It appears to be a Kuga style vehicle (2wd faux offroader) in a Fiesta size. Useful.