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Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.


philibusmo

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9 hours ago, Yoss said:

That Pony isn't really a Triumph, it was built in Israel using the Triumph engine and box by a company who's name I forget. 

The last time I looked Canley Classics had a couple of the gearboxes in stock. The Triumph 1300 has similar rear suspension to the 2000, minus driveshafts, so I think a 2000 rear subframe could be made to fit. But it is even lower geared than a normal 1300 which is already quite low. No chance of putting a Sprint engine on it but the 1300 can be tuned quite nicely. 

Triumph 1300's were built in Israel under license by Sussita (I believe):

1753619298_Triumph1300Israel.thumb.jpg.8f9ebae61a303bb3f4516ce2601ed38c.jpg

They were offered as a higher end version of the fibreglass body Don Carmels, it was convenient as the Carmels shared the same 1300 running gear.

1615237983_AutocarsIsrael.thumb.jpg.a3b7d4bd86e5021d15b98d162cca0190.jpg

They also introduced a 1500 version, using the 1300 body:

382906101_Triumph1500Israel.jpg.0901a2904ed506c35a9e0dd434ea3e28.jpg

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On 1/27/2020 at 7:54 PM, MKT said:

1920px-Sherpley_Speed.JPG

Sherpley Speed, a Sherpa based kit car.

My uncle sent off for the brochure for one of these about 20-25 years ago, having had the vague notion of putting a Vanden Plas 4 litre R lump in it with 2 Montego turbochargers bolted to it (long time ago, they were cheap & throwaway at the time.) Nothing about the cheaply Xeroxed two page flyer which came through the post inspired any further consideration of the idea.. 

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Austria is riddled with FIAT Freemonts.

It also works the other way around - the FIAT Tipo Sedan is being flogged as the Dodge Neon (yes that old chestnut) in certain markets (eg Mexico and Uruguay). The FIAT Tipo Sedan may be another unknown car to some viewers as we only get the hatchback and estate here. I think the sedan has a touch of the original Neon to it. Our readers maybe interested to know that what we know as the Chrysler Neon were also sold as Dodge and Plymouth  Neons.

Dodge Neon

Image result for Dodges badged as FIATs"

FIAT Tipo sedan

Image result for Dodges badged as FIATs"

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Austria had two GM factories, Opel Wien plant (part of PSA now) and  Magna Steyr in Gratz., which used to build Jeep and Chrysler for European market, but Fiat Freemont is Mexico-built if I remember correctly. So that's a bit of a surprise TBH.

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On 2/2/2020 at 12:50 PM, myglaren said:

Saw one of these yesterday.  A new one for me.

daihatsu-copen-daihatsu-copen-0-66-roadster-2dr_7054860447.jpg

The mighty Daihatsu Copen!  Powered, if I recall correctly, by a 1-litre 3-pot turbo!  I had one as a loaner for a day. Luckily it was dry as I’m 6foot2 and could only get in the little  fu**er by lowering the roof. Fun though, in rather a ‘honey I shrank the MX-5’ way. 

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16 hours ago, Austat said:

Triumph 1300's were built in Israel under license by Sussita (I believe):

1753619298_Triumph1300Israel.thumb.jpg.8f9ebae61a303bb3f4516ce2601ed38c.jpg

They were offered as a higher end version of the fibreglass body Don Carmels, it was convenient as the Carmels shared the same 1300 running gear.

1615237983_AutocarsIsrael.thumb.jpg.a3b7d4bd86e5021d15b98d162cca0190.jpg

They also introduced a 1500 version, using the 1300 body:

382906101_Triumph1500Israel.jpg.0901a2904ed506c35a9e0dd434ea3e28.jpg

They were also built in South Africa as 1500s in a 1300 shell and Malta just as 1300 or 1300TC's. Didn't know about Israel but not entirely surprised. 

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Cars that almost certainly don't exist, #1:

20200204_000346.thumb.jpg.a7ade5bbdaa482d051d514d08ec66b55.jpg

Wincanton (Woking, an arm of the transport firm) was a glassfibre specialist that built milkfloat bodies, and the Phase II Peerless GT shells, but I have never before heard of them producing their own proprietary shell for special building. Launching a new shell for the Ford Pop chassis in 1962 seems like poor market research to me. Did they ever make any? Had it even been designed? I'm dying to know!

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On ‎2‎/‎2‎/‎2020 at 11:49 PM, Austat said:

Triumph 1300's were built in Israel under license by Sussita (I believe):

1753619298_Triumph1300Israel.thumb.jpg.8f9ebae61a303bb3f4516ce2601ed38c.jpg

They were offered as a higher end version of the fibreglass body Don Carmels, it was convenient as the Carmels shared the same 1300 running gear.

1615237983_AutocarsIsrael.thumb.jpg.a3b7d4bd86e5021d15b98d162cca0190.jpg

They also introduced a 1500 version, using the 1300 body:

382906101_Triumph1500Israel.jpg.0901a2904ed506c35a9e0dd434ea3e28.jpg

The top photo is a RHD model, were they recycling old BL photos as well as the cars? (Israel drives on the left).

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I've gone down a Chinese car wormhole again. G. Patton Super SUV. It's a rebodied Ford F450 Super Duty with a V10, teak flooring and a coffee machine. I'm honestly not making this up. 

g-patton-suv-105-1524844064.jpg?crop=1xw

g-patton-suv-114-1524844065.jpg?crop=1xw

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a20085937/theres-a-china-market-suv-named-for-general-george-patton/

The same company also makes a 6 wheel drive supercharged Jeep Wrangler. 

2-18.jpg?iv=112

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12 hours ago, MKT said:

Never realised they did a 4x4 version of the MK1 Mondeo (that's a little 4x4 badge on the front wing).

They are fairly rare now. They have reduced boot space because of the rear axle changes. Command a bit of a price premium over most MK1s.

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15 hours ago, MKT said:

Never realised they did a 4x4 version of the MK1 Mondeo (that's a little 4x4 badge on the front wing).

GJjd5etu.jpg

All I remember of these was that Ford decided to drive some , along with some Mavericks . From London to New York, a little ambitious and judging by the fact there don't seem to be any New York pictures in google images , presumably they failed and everything is at the bottom of The Bering Strait.

There was a documentary that followed the preparation and explained that some sort of amphibious tank thing was going to tow the cars across the Strait, but I never saw anything after the initial launch.

image.jpeg.c98d8526e2beab7690c15f17a7578d51.jpeg

image.jpeg.273f20a98de37fb329c96b727976833f.jpeg

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On 2/4/2020 at 3:57 PM, NorfolkNWeigh said:

All I remember of these was that Ford decided to drive some , along with some Mavericks . From London to New York, a little ambitious and judging by the fact there don't seem to be any New York pictures in google images , presumably they failed and everything is at the bottom of The Bering Strait.

There was a documentary that followed the preparation and explained that some sort of amphibious tank thing was going to tow the cars across the Strait, but I never saw anything after the initial launch.

It appears that the twin of the Mondeo in your pics lives just outside Belfast now...

20190205_125601.thumb.jpg.77cc100feca1d0ef57216c8da24fbfd7.jpg

20190205_125442.thumb.jpg.76d36ca69c3a6ea1f006882966d99610.jpg

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Looks like they made it to Noo Yawk after all.

20190205_125618.thumb.jpg.1f3bd4fa22273091b0fbb969b5393056.jpg

Not done much on the road since, mind... I think this one has been at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum since the mid-90s.

20190205_125649.thumb.jpg.be56fc8d485e91ab165c8236c0a5c136.jpg

L1FMC_Ford_Mondeo_4x4_Overland_Challenge.thumb.png.bf4806883f7dd427b25f04106117e3e1.png

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Actually, on the topic of unknown/barely known cars, here's another from the Ulster Transport Museum's collection - the DAWB 6.

20190615_161922.thumb.jpg.45ddb7b7100dcb675ad07a76e956f486.jpg

Anyone?

20190615_162035.thumb.jpg.ec15423c8ee59ce49008fd1a34dcb200.jpg

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Nope, not one I'd heard of either... turns out it's a handbuilt one-off.

20190615_161933.thumb.jpg.43c81d71cac8c034a592a591176af0ed.jpg

Rather incredibly, this special was built between 1954 and 1962.

20190615_162046.thumb.jpg.2d663818b7e5d617972106f33935fd66.jpg

Looks quite a bit more recent than that, I'd reckon.

20190615_161949.thumb.jpg.8a2c7e61abc5ef5dfec0f5e421ddb84e.jpg

Quite a few unique styling features, like the lights; you'd think this was a styling exercise by Vignale or Ghia, rather than something knocked together by a couple of fellas from East Belfast in their free time.

573505239_20190615_161910(2).thumb.jpg.1618fc44369d0f490700f607eb833c8a.jpg

Not sure I'd call a six-cylinder engine 'unique' - unless they machined and built it themselves from scratch, which is quite possible.

1962199871_20190615_161941(2).thumb.jpg.c98bafa08edcae1c219221c176cbe2c9.jpg

Nice job, lads. 

20190615_162004.thumb.jpg.cb2a6382a37a0be266d075e1989b1b7f.jpg

Also nice that, after all the work, it didn't end up dumped behind a garage to rot into the ground!

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34 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Not sure I'd call a six-cylinder engine 'unique' - unless they machined and built it themselves from scratch, which is quite possible.

Guess what? Yup, they did. It has a transverse in-line six, aircooled, of course. The drive to the (uh-huh) scratch built gearbox is taken from the centre of the crank and run down to the gearbox.

I have coveted this car for many, many years and even went to Belfast just to see it. There is an article on it in Classic Cars from around 1995 I think which goes into great detail of the build. 

After that, he built a boat. You can guess how that went.

To me, this is the pinnacle of one bloke in shed, striving away for perfection and realising their dream. The actual car becomes immaterial - but it does become a lasting monument to their skill and devotion to engineering.

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26 minutes ago, Inspector Morose said:

There is an article on it in Classic Cars from around 1995 I think which goes into great detail of the build. 

Classic Cars Oct 1988

Never seen it in the flesh, but I can't stop looking at photos of the donk

s-l1600 (1).jpg

s-l1600.jpg

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On 1/27/2020 at 9:01 PM, cort1977 said:

Ssangyong chairman.

Kind of a 7 series/ A8 copy.

As a not very interesting fact I think the FAA in the plate refers to the Angolan air force.

20200119_085834.jpg

Close but no cigar, with the 7 series/A8 comment, these are based on a W220 S class.
The earlier one looked very similar to a first generation Lexus LS, and was based on the W124. 

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