Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Remspoor]

16 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

I remember the original MG Magnette from the late 50s / early 60s.

The name goes back even further.

 

[Missy Charm]

Honda Rafaga!  Have you ever got into your Honda Accord and thought 'this would be so much better if it had a longitudinally mounted five cylinder engine'?  No, nobody else with an Accord has either but, oddly, someone who works for Honda did.  Here's the result:

That is a Honda Rafaga which, as alluded to, is effectively an Accord with a longitudinally mounted five cylinder engine of 2 or 2 1/2 litres capacity, which drives the front wheels via either a manual or automatic gearbox.  Except it's not really an Accord because it's bigger and rides on a bespoke chassis, but it does look like one.  

But there's more.  Honda also, at one time, produced a 'vigorous Accord' called the Vigor.  The first and second generations were simply Accords with Vigor badges but, in 1989, Honda went bonkers with the third generation and came up with a bespoke chassis for it.  The car was powered by the same engines as the Rafaga.  

And more!  The Honda Ascot:

Yes, it's an Accord-like car powered by a five cylinder engine.  This is getting boring now.

[High Jetter]

UK tho? I worked in parts for a Honda dealer in the 80's, don't recall those.

[OM646]

21 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

UK tho? I worked in parts for a Honda dealer in the 80's, don't recall those.

Those are mostly JDM stuff 

[inconsistant]

According to the ever informative Driven to Write there was a Brazil only 2 door Fiat Tempra.

[MiniMinorMk3]

And a Turbo version

[Madman Of The People]

The five cylinder Vigor was sold as an Acura in North America for a brief period during the 1990s.  It was their mid-sized model between the Integra and the Legend.

[OM646]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

And a Turbo version

This was one major Frankenstein-ing job from FIAT do Brasil back then.

 

It was a Tempra body, on a Regata chassis, totally different dash with no digital gauges and the option of a turbo engine that made it into one of the fastest cars built in Brazil to date 

[Richard_FM]

The Latin Americans like to make Fiats with their unique twists, as do the Turks.

[inconsistant]

I thought the Tempra was the saloon Tipo?  Did they bung in some old Regatta left overs just for the S American market?

[MiniMinorMk3]

Volvo 780

 

It was a 760 Coupe that we never got here in the UK. Styled by RoBert 1, just as the 260C was.

 

[GeordieInExile]

15 hours ago, Richard_FM said:

The Latin Americans like to make Fiats with their unique twists, as do the Turks.

I just learned of the existence of the Brazilian Fiat Argo and Cronos. Guessing we didn't get them here as they would've taken sales from the more "upmarket" (expensive) 500 range? 

 

 

[bunglebus]

Koch, anyone? 

[J R Hartley]

On 10/17/2022 at 2:18 PM, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Volvo 780

 

It was a 760 Coupe that we never got here in the UK. Styled by RoBert 1, just as the 260C was.

 

I thought that was a Maserati Biturbo at first. 

[J R Hartley]

Nissan Kicks. What most other markets outside of Europe get instead of the Juke.

 

[RayMK]

1 hour ago, J R Hartley said:

Nissan Kicks. What most other markets outside of Europe get instead of the Juke.

 

That looks ok.  Europe gets palmed off with the ugly ones.  Thanks, Nissan.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Citroen Namco Pony. Built in Greece from 1973 to 1982

 

After 1982 they used Ford engines, and NAMCO are still making pick-ups today

 

Home - namco

[Asimo]

[SteersWithThrottle]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Citroen Namco Pony. Built in Greece from 1973 to 1982

 

After 1982 they used Ford engines, and NAMCO are still making pick-ups today

 

Home - namco

Wonder if there's ever been copyright issues with that name...

 

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, Asimo said:

I can see some very confused people overtaking that (probably not difficult) and thinking where the fuck has the tow car gone!

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

I can see some very confused people overtaking that (probably not difficult) and thinking where the fuck has the tow car gone!

I’d make out I was trapped in the caravan as if the car had gone! Be hilarious watching people’s reactions.

[Wack]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/806897627251249/

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Moskvitch-2141 Aleko, as sort of Chrysler Alpine clone. Reports coming out of Russia suggest that production is about to restart after a 20 year break.

[Timewaster]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Moskvitch-2141 Aleko, as sort of Chrysler Alpine clone. Reports coming out of Russia suggest that production is about to restart after a 20 year break.

Is that because no one else will sell cars to Russia?

[Alusilber]

3 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Moskvitch-2141 Aleko, as sort of Chrysler Alpine clone. Reports coming out of Russia suggest that production is about to restart after a 20 year break.

Are they actually going to put the Aleko back into production, or are they going to ship in the tooling for some more recent Chinese model and call it a Moskvitch?

[bunglebus]

10 hours ago, Asimo said:

I remember a road test of one of those kitted out as a camper - one of the drawbacks was the front curtains closing if you cornered to fast...

[bunglebus]

Obviously I've seen the van before, but not the escape hatch

[Metal Guru]

13 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I remember a road test of one of those kitted out as a camper - one of the drawbacks was the front curtains closing if you cornered to fast...

Dread to thing what happened to the toilet!

[MiniMinorMk3]

14 hours ago, Alusilber said:

Are they actually going to put the Aleko back into production, or are they going to ship in the tooling for some more recent Chinese model and call it a Moskvitch?

Both Nissan and Renault have sold their stakes in the company for a nominal amount with a buy back clause, so my guess would be that the Aleko maybe on the cards.

[MiniMinorMk3]

6 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Obviously I've seen the van before, but not the escape hatch

 

The Renner 4 Fougonettes had a roof hatch at the rear