Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Asimo]

I encountered one of these yesterday, walking around a Reading suburb.
Honda* does a Streetwise: the Jazz Crosstar.

 

 

**Honda have given up haven’t they? As if they have utterly lost their mojo with the looming demise of the petrol engine.

[Yoss]

5 hours ago, Rod/b said:

Now then. I obviously knew that South Korea took the Mk2 Astra and Belmont and made them into the Nexia but HOO NOO that they were still made as late as 2016 in Uzbekistan? This NOS version has made it to the UAE somehow and could be yours for £5k.

 

Sounds like a great, if utterly miserable, collection thread. Though if it's in the UAE you'd expect a fairly decent spec. 

[Quintus]

32 minutes ago, Asimo said:

I encountered one of these yesterday, walking around a Reading suberb.
Honda* does a Streetwise: the Jazz Crosstar.

 

 

**Honda have given up havn’t they? As if they have utterly lost their mojo with the demise of the petrol engine looming.

I said to a friend of mine recently, that I wouldn't be entirely surprised if Honda ended up disappearing from the UK. They seem to have an ageing customer base and they face stiff competition from Toyota and the Korean manufacturers. Plus if you buy a Honda from new and look after it, you won't need another one for many years.

There used to be two Honda dealerships (Reading and Newbury) near me but they closed the Newbury one a while back. That doesn't seem like a brand that's thriving.

I hope I'm wrong, because I really like Honda.

[Timewaster]

15 minutes ago, Quintus said:

I said to a friend of mine recently, that I wouldn't be entirely surprised if Honda ended up dissappearing from the UK. 

I hope I'm wrong, because I really like Honda.

Who would have believed in 2000 that mitsubishi would pack its bags and go? 

Their range dwindled away to almost nothing over the past 10 years. 

 

I can see Honda going the same way. 

Where is the CRX,  the FRV or Legend, or Prelude or Stream? 

When did you last see an Accord? 

The cars they do still sell are butt ugly. 

 

All those Kia and Hyundai sales are coming from somewhere. 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

6 hours ago, Rod/b said:

Now then. I obviously knew that South Korea took the Mk2 Astra and Belmont and made them into the Nexia but HOO NOO that they were still made as late as 2016 in Uzbekistan? This NOS version has made it to the UAE somehow and could be yours for £5k.

 

It looks like an Astra "Got it on" with a Rover 45 Face-lift! 🤓🤓🤓

[Rod/b]

20 hours ago, Yoss said:

Sounds like a great, if utterly miserable, collection thread. Though if it's in the UAE you'd expect a fairly decent spec. 

Don’t believe that for one second, we get some of the ultra basic bog spec shit over here. Not everyone lives in luxury, or anything resembling it. Besides which this Daewoo is not  a local car, its some Uzbek leftover that some trader has picked up.

EDIT: Observe the luxury. A double din head unit on the floor is genius. Nice to see the mk2 Astra gearstick gaiter of vinyl billowingness has made it into the 2010s.

 

[Rusty Pelican]

Never knew there was a BX van 

[Dyslexic Viking]

Snake Charmer commented on a picture I posted today and then I learned that these existed VW 147 Fridolin

[cort1977]

On 1/23/2022 at 9:22 AM, Yoss said:

Sounds like a great, if utterly miserable, collection thread. 

Assuming you could get a permit for Saudi (unlikely but maybe more possible these days with their shift towards tourism) and Iraq then you're in Turkey and it's a hop skip and jump to blighty through Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Italy and France.  Ignoring a couple of war zones it's easy.

[Snake Charmer]

36 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Snake Charmer commented on a picture I posted today and then I learned that these existed VW 147 Fridolin

I feel Top Trumped! 

[artdjones]

On 2/3/2022 at 7:03 PM, Rusty Pelican said:

Never knew there was a BX van 

I nearly bought one about 20 years ago. I think they were more common here in Ireland than the UK, although still not a regular sight.

[Snake Charmer]

On 1/19/2022 at 9:04 PM, catsinthewelder said:

Iso Autocarro 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isetta

 

 

First glance I thought Isetta then looking at the side windows Trojan. Nice find.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

I nearly bought one about 20 years ago. I think they were more common here in Ireland than the UK, although still not a regular sight.

That's where I've seen them! Also random Toyotas and Pajeros. Craic, innit.

[bunglebus]

12 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Snake Charmer commented on a picture I posted today and then I learned that these existed VW 147 Fridolin

They are most excellent, originally commissioned by the German Post Orifice as seen in your pic, there are also  Swiss market versions with corner windows

They are a real mish-mash of Beetle, Karmann Ghia, type 3 and type 2 parts. 

Quite rare but there are quite a few survivors out there

[Missy Charm]

Whilst researching something else, I came across the South American Ford Corcel II.  Initially one would describe as looking like a cross between a Mk4 Cortina and a two door Mk2 Escort.  Looking closer, however, one sees a hint of two door VW Passat in the rear section.  There is some VW in the thing, in particular the factory option of the 1.8 VW OHC engine that was everywhere in the eighties.  VW engine usually means front wheel drive and indeed the Corcel II is, bringing us on to the underpinnings, which are a variant of the Renault 12.  

The Corcel II spawned the Ford Del Rey, which the casual observer might take for a subtly altered Cortina

But is still front wheel drive and VW powered.  The Del Rey survived until 1991, astonishingly.  It was replaced with the Passat based Ford Versailles which, in four door form, is simply the VW product with some MKIV Euro Escort bits stuck to it

A Ford Probe steering wheel

And a longitudinal engine, VW derivation being obvious

There is also a two door version, which is even stranger looking

There are definite hints of VW in it, but also some American Ford touches round the front: early Taurus or even Fox body Mustang.  

[tom13]

On 1/23/2022 at 8:50 AM, Asimo said:

I encountered one of these yesterday, walking around a Reading suburb.
Honda* does a Streetwise: the Jazz Crosstar.

 

 

**Honda have given up haven’t they? As if they have utterly lost their mojo with the looming demise of the petrol engine.

I like that. Doesn't the Jazz (FIT) do well in the states?

[barrett]

The R12 parentage is much more obvious in the original Corcel, but I love how the body kept growing and becoming more square whilst retaining the same track, wheelbase and stance.

Interesting pic as the car appears to be in the Willys do Brasil styling studio, judging by the styling models in the background

 

[Rod/b]

5 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

Whilst researching something else, I came across the South American Ford Corcel II.  Initially one would describe as looking like a cross between a Mk4 Cortina and a two door Mk2 Escort.  Looking closer, however, one sees a hint of two door VW Passat in the rear section.  There is some VW in the thing, in particular the factory option of the 1.8 VW OHC engine that was everywhere in the eighties.  VW engine usually means front wheel drive and indeed the Corcel II is, bringing us on to the underpinnings, which are a variant of the Renault 12.  

The Corcel II spawned the Ford Del Rey, which the casual observer might take for a subtly altered Cortina

But is still front wheel drive and VW powered.  The Del Rey survived until 1991, astonishingly.  It was replaced with the Passat based Ford Versailles which, in four door form, is simply the VW product with some MKIV Euro Escort bits stuck to it

A Ford Probe steering wheel

And a longitudinal engine, VW derivation being obvious

There is also a two door version, which is even stranger looking

There are definite hints of VW in it, but also some American Ford touches round the front: early Taurus or even Fox body Mustang.  

Ford really were just phoning it in with these

[Datsuncog]

Today's never-knew-that find: the Grumett Indiana

Apparently, it's an HC Viva clone, made in Uruguay from glassfibre panels moulded from a Vauxhall original.

Weird.

This is all Wikipedia has to say on the matter:

Several cars based on the Vauxhall Viva were produced from 1970 until 1976 by Grumett in Uruguay.

They came in different models, including a double-cab, two-door pick-up, with different Vauxhall and Opel engines. The body was fibreglass; some original Vauxhalls were imported to serve as moulds. Mechanicals were either Vauxhall or Opel, depending on the batch.

[AnnoyingPentium]

5 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

It was replaced with the Passat based Ford Versailles which, in four door form, is simply the VW product with some MKIV Euro Escort bits stuck to it

Looks like it has Mk3 Astra lights on it.

[barrett]

41 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Today's never-knew-that find: the Grumett Indiana

Apparently, it's an HC Viva clone, made in Uruguay from glassfibre panels moulded from a Vauxhall original.

Weird.

This is all Wikipedia has to say on the matter:

Several cars based on the Vauxhall Viva were produced from 1970 until 1976 by Grumett in Uruguay.

They came in different models, including a double-cab, two-door pick-up, with different Vauxhall and Opel engines. The body was fibreglass; some original Vauxhalls were imported to serve as moulds. Mechanicals were either Vauxhall or Opel, depending on the batch.

These have been mentioned on here before

 

[Datsuncog]

I'd totally missed that thread, thanks for the heads-up!

More great pics of chimera-like Vauxhall weirdness there, too.

[Blue 850]

On 2/3/2022 at 7:03 PM, Rusty Pelican said:

Never knew there was a BX van 

They were introduced to the Irish Market around 1992 to replace the popular Peugeot 305 van. Built by coach builders Heuliez for Citroen.

[artdjones]

8 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

Whilst researching something else, I came across the South American Ford Corcel II.  Initially one would describe as looking like a cross between a Mk4 Cortina and a two door Mk2 Escort.  Looking closer, however, one sees a hint of two door VW Passat in the rear section.  There is some VW in the thing, in particular the factory option of the 1.8 VW OHC engine that was everywhere in the eighties.  VW engine usually means front wheel drive and indeed the Corcel II is, bringing us on to the underpinnings, which are a variant of the Renault 12.  

The Corcel II spawned the Ford Del Rey, which the casual observer might take for a subtly altered Cortina

But is still front wheel drive and VW powered.  The Del Rey survived until 1991, astonishingly.  It was replaced with the Passat based Ford Versailles which, in four door form, is simply the VW product with some MKIV Euro Escort bits stuck to it

A Ford Probe steering wheel

And a longitudinal engine, VW derivation being obvious

There is also a two door version, which is even stranger looking

There are definite hints of VW in it, but also some American Ford touches round the front: early Taurus or even Fox body Mustang.  

Is astigmatism endemic in Brazil?

[D.E]

The Tata Indigo XL.

[Metal Guru]

4 hours ago, D.E said:

The Tata Indigo XL.

Looks like that was designed by 3 different people , who did the front , middle and rear, and never met up until the whole car design was finalised without any discussion at all.

[AnnoyingPentium]

2 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

Looks like that was designed by 3 different people , who did the front , middle and rear, and never met up until the whole car design was finalised without any discussion at all.

And maybe a bit pished whilst designing the car?

[High Jetter]

Looks like a cut-n-shut to me. 

[Dyslexic Viking]

BMW 700

[Missy Charm]

On 12/02/2022 at 19:02, D.E said:

The Tata Indigo XL.

 

And complete with the usual Delhi dents.  Cars are pretty much disposable in India because of the traffic conditions, state of the roads and enormous accident rate.  Nobody really cares what they look like as a result.  India is full of this sort of thing: small cars that need last no more than three or four years, so are made as cheaply as possible out of tinfoil and plastic.