Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Remspoor]

Zeekr

 

[Pieman]

Renault Alliance and Encore.

I recently saw a clip of a race for a series called the Renault Cup at the old Riverside track in California, and on investigating what models they were, found this - https://www.drivingline.com/articles/renault-cup-racing-the-imsa-racing-series-time-forgot/

Renault 9s and 11s built by AMC as a replacement for the "Le Car" - I had no idea such a concept existed.

[myglaren]

Pritchard

 

[bunglebus]

I probably missed it when someone else posted the Reliant Salamander? 

[Austat]

Varela Berlineta, a Fiat 600-based sports car from Argentina.

They also built this Dauphine based thing called the Varela R:

[Madman Of The People]

On 8/14/2022 at 8:28 PM, Pieman said:

Renault Alliance and Encore.

I recently saw a clip of a race for a series called the Renault Cup at the old Riverside track in California, and on investigating what models they were, found this - https://www.drivingline.com/articles/renault-cup-racing-the-imsa-racing-series-time-forgot/

Renault 9s and 11s built by AMC as a replacement for the "Le Car" - I had no idea such a concept existed.

 

Technically, it was the Renault Encore (R11) that replaced the LeCar (R5) as the entry level Renault in the USA for the 1984 model year.  The Alliance (R9) had been introduced in 1983 and sat above the LeCar during the one year they were sold side-by-side.  For 1987, Renault dropped the Encore name and the former Encore was marketed as the Alliance Hatchback.

Check out PhilA's thread on his former 1987 Renault Alliance GTA, just recently sold to a new owner.  The GTA was a one-model-year-only performance variant of the Alliance and are now exceptionally rare, like all US market Renaults today.

 

[inconsistant]

I came across this RS200 at a classic car pub gathering and got quite close before I realised it wasn't a RS200.

Had to investigate and turns out it's a Autozam AZ-1. 

 

Made by Mazda in the early 90s, gullwing doors and a 650cc turbocharged  Suzuki Alto engine. 

[Aston Martin]

I saw a Maxus Mifa 9 on trade plates. 🤷‍♂️

 

It was lhd and full on Chinese spec, but they're available to buy here soon.

[vonmon]

What’s the red car in this pic?

 

[vonmon]

Taken from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62579788

[SteersWithThrottle]

It's a late model C1 Corvette

[vonmon]

Thanks buddy 👍

[garethj]

6 hours ago, inconsistant said:

I came across this RS200 at a classic car pub gathering and got quite close before I realised it wasn't a RS200.

Had to investigate and turns out it's a Autozam AZ-1. 

 

Made by Mazda in the early 90s, gullwing doors and a 650cc turbocharged  Suzuki Alto engine. 

They are awesome little things, there are a few test drive videos on YouTube, has our own @motorpunk done one or did I imagine it?

 I’m fairly sure they were on one of the early Gran Turismo games as well

[SteersWithThrottle]

7 hours ago, garethj said:

They are awesome little things, there are a few test drive videos on YouTube, has our own @motorpunk done one or did I imagine it?

 I’m fairly sure they were on one of the early Gran Turismo games as well

Indeed, they are in the best two GT games, GT2 and GT4

[motorpunk]

8 hours ago, garethj said:

They are awesome little things, there are a few test drive videos on YouTube, has our own @motorpunk done one or did I imagine it?

 I’m fairly sure they were on one of the early Gran Turismo games as well

I made a Carfection film on YouTube with one. It was great fun.

[garethj]

1 hour ago, motorpunk said:

I made a Carfection film on YouTube with one. It was great fun.

That’s good because 

a. My memory isn’t completely shot, and

b. I’m not fantasising about you 😳

[3VOM]

10 hours ago, garethj said:

They are awesome little things, there are a few test drive videos on YouTube, has our own @motorpunk done one or did I imagine it?

 I’m fairly sure they were on one of the early Gran Turismo games as well

Tom's Turbo Garage on YouTube (can't remember the proper name) has one.

[inconsistant]

1 hour ago, garethj said:

 

b. I’m not fantasising about you 😳

I bet you are. I do.

[martc]

15 hours ago, Aston Martin said:

I saw a Maxus Mifa 9 on trade plates. 🤷‍♂️

 

It was lhd and full on Chinese spec, but they're available to buy here soon.

Oh boy, - MIFA = Minging Incredibly Frightful Arse, sorry, Maximum, Intelligent, Friendly and Artistic. I kid you not. And apparently it's 'The Future'.

https://saicmaxus.co.uk/mifa-9/

 

[motorpunk]

7 hours ago, inconsistant said:

I bet you are. I do.

You sick, sick bastard.

Call me x

[AnthonyG]

On 8/8/2022 at 6:33 PM, Lord Sterling said:

I've just driven something I've never heard of. A "Lynk & Co" 01. Sounds like a clothing firm:

Apparently Lynk & Co are apparently owned by Geely.

Lynk & Co are a Geely developed brand, started about a decade ago.

I suspect there is some effort to maybe sound like ‘Lincoln’, although there are plenty of defunct American brands out there, if they really want to go down that road. 

Maybe not a recent one from GM, Ford or Chrysler  (e.g Mercury, Plymouth, Oldsmobile), which they are still probably quite keen on protecting, but I can’t imagine Stellantis really need to hold on to Rambler, Hudson or Nash for example. 

Packard would be a brilliant brand to resurrect if you could unearth it from whatever corporate form Studebaker last existed as.  

[AnthonyG]

And talking of resurrection of old American nameplates: 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39970134/volkswagen-scout-ev-revival/

VW is creating a EV 4WD brand using the Scout name, which they inherited from their purchase of a US truck maker named Navistar. Navistar was the truck business of the old International Harvester company, and the original Scout was kind of similar to the original Ford Bronco:

[Leyland Worldmaster]

23 hours ago, martc said:

Oh boy, - MIFA = Minging Incredibly Frightful Arse, sorry, Maximum, Intelligent, Friendly and Artistic. I kid you not. And apparently it's 'The Future'.

https://saicmaxus.co.uk/mifa-9/

 

Shades of Ssang Yong! 🤢🤮

[SteersWithThrottle]

 

[Madman Of The People]

On 8/17/2022 at 4:03 PM, vonmon said:

What’s the red car in this pic?

 

 

1962 Chevrolet Corvette, the final year for the C1 body.  Pity it's riding on a set of shit aftermarket wheels.

 

[Madman Of The People]

On 8/18/2022 at 3:53 PM, AnthonyG said:

And talking of resurrection of old American nameplates: 

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39970134/volkswagen-scout-ev-revival/

VW is creating a EV 4WD brand using the Scout name, which they inherited from their purchase of a US truck maker named Navistar. Navistar was the truck business of the old International Harvester company, and the original Scout was kind of similar to the original Ford Bronco:

 

Back in my high school days (mid-1980s) one of my teachers had one of these.  They all used to rust like buggery and his was no exception.  Not sure what VW are playing at with this strategy.  Nobody under the age of 50 remembers the International Scout and those of us old farts who do recall they were as rough and agricultural as the tractors made by the same company.  Plus, they all seemed to come in that sickly jaundiced yellow shown above or a particularly vile shade of putrid orange.  I doubt VW will be recreating either of those colours.

 

[bunglebus]

Steady yourselves, it's the Toyota Aqua

[High Jetter]

Water car! Does it leak?

[garethj]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Steady yourselves, it's the Toyota Aqua

[Remspoor]

21 hours ago, bunglebus said:

it's the Toyota Aqua

That has got to be taking the piss.