Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[martc]

The Francis Lombadi 850. They did a  Smart, Lucciola and Special model.

[RayMK]

1931 Trojan RE.  4 cyl 2 stroke, rear engine.  

https://www.lanemotormuseum.org/collection/cars/item/trojan-re-1932/

Edit. Not sure why the picture was titled Trojan Mastra. It should be Trojan RE.  The Mastra was a later (1937) unsuccessful attempt by Trojan to update their vehicle and image, featuring a  rear mounted 6 cyl 2 stroke of 2232cc  in a four door fastback styled saloon  body. It did not go into production.

Edited December 17, 2023 by RayMK
Picture title incorrect: Should say Trojan RE

[martc]

A few pages back we had the prototype that could have become the Trabant 601, now here is the prototype of what could have replaced it (if it wasn't for all that pesky democracy shenanigans) -

Touches of Wartburg and Renault 5 about it. The exhaust pipe suggests it has a two stroke engine, ring-ding-ding-tastic.

 

[RayMK]

1 minute ago, martc said:

A few pages back we had the prototype that could have become the Trabant 601, now here is the prototype of what could have replaced it (if it wasn't for all that pesky democracy shenanigans) -

Touches of Wartburg and Renault 5 about it. The exhaust pipe suggests it has a two stroke engine, ring-ding-ding-tastic.

 

I like that. Such a shame that democracy got in the way.

[Inspector Morose]

24 minutes ago, martc said:

A few pages back we had the prototype that could have become the Trabant 601, now here is the prototype of what could have replaced it (if it wasn't for all that pesky democracy shenanigans) -

Touches of Wartburg and Renault 5 about it. The exhaust pipe suggests it has a two stroke engine, ring-ding-ding-tastic.

 

I'm sure that was one of the P610s putting it around 1979. I'm also fairly certain that it was a four-stroke 1100 of their own making (not to be confused with the 1100 VWish lump that was engineered to fit in the late '80s)

EDIT: it was a Skoda 1100 four-stroke lump.

Here's my pic of it when I visited the museum in the early 1990s:

The museum was still just a corner of the factory at the time and there were still tons of white P601 1.1 combis floating around the site, used as site transport.

[Remspoor]

22 hours ago, martc said:

The Francis Lombadi 850. They did a  Smart, Lucciola and Special model.

That is a SEAT 850.

https://www.motoryracing.com/coches/noticias/recordando-al-clasico-seat-850/

 

[barrett]

1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

That is a SEAT 850.

https://www.motoryracing.com/coches/noticias/recordando-al-clasico-seat-850/

 

Different things. Seat sold factory four-door 600s and 850s. In Italy you had to go to an outside coachbuilder for that sort of thing.

Lombardi even did a two-door version of the four-door style for added pointlessness

His stuff on bigger Fiats was usually more interesting, such as this two-door'd (not sure which) 1300/1500/1800

[bunglebus]

Dashcam capture. Mrs was insisting it was a SMART

[High Jetter]

4 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Dashcam capture. Mrs was insisting it was a SMART

God that's fugly

[martc]

17 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Dashcam capture. Mrs was insisting it was a SMART

 

 

It's a ZhiDou DS2 electric car. I can't find a UK importer, but here's one in the Czech Republic - https://www.zd-cars.cz/index-en.html

479,900 CZK = £16,835.69!!!

And here is the manufacturer's site - https://www.zhidou-overseas.com/

Just look at these beauties -

 

[timolloyd]

It was the S too - Sport model m8

[sheffcortinacentre]

Welcome to it.

[Missy Charm]

On 18/12/2023 at 19:18, bunglebus said:

Dashcam capture. Mrs was insisting it was a SMART

It's the car version of a Go Go Hamster:

[martc]

Citroen M35 - complete with wankel engine and hydopneumatic suspension (and a lot of bits from the Dyanne). The rotary engine ended up in the BiRotor and the seats in the SM.

[martc]

The Farman A6 streamliner by Henri and Maurice Farman, two prototypes were made 1922-23. 

[martc]

Alfa Romeo AR148 prototype. They did a civilian one -  a sure fire Rancho beater in my books. And a military version -

Which was going to replace the AR Matta (it didn't) -

[Bmwdumptruck]

On 23/08/2022 at 16:20, Hertz said:

Nissan Langley Turbo.

 

I’ve been trawling through this thread looking for this car. In 90/91 I worked in my cousin’s garage in devon, and we had a customer with a Nissan two+two coupe, which I was told they’d brought back from South Afrika.  I’ve never seen another and couldn’t recall its name, but I remember enjoying driving it when the opertunity arose.  I think it might have been one of these.

[lesapandre]

First gen Nissan Pulsar EXA - turbo version is an Australian special.

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

[Remspoor]

This video explains all about the vehicles known as

SAAB 92H/95HK.

Not built by SAAB

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

I never knew Heuliez did stuff from makers out side of France.

1970 Porsche 914/6 Murène by Heuliez

Classic Concepts: 1970 Porsche 914/6 Murène by Heuliez | Classic Driver Magazine

[Spiny Norman]

Maybe this has been on here already and I wasn't paying attention  but I was today years old when I discovered there was such a thing as a Tatra T613 coupe.  I love the old aero Tatras and this looks so much better to me than the rather gawky 4 door saloon version.

[Bmwdumptruck]

On 06/07/2023 at 15:05, quicksilver said:

Didn't have a clue what this was when it drove past.

It's an Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire 234 converted into a drophead, supposedly as a replica of a factory prototype. I don't think I've ever even seen one of the saloons it's based on.

 

On 06/07/2023 at 17:22, artdjones said:

A 236 with steel wheels is a bit of a strange car. It has the straight 6 from the previous range, and isn't very fast. 

The 234 uses a 4cylinder version of the powerful 3½ litre Sapphire engine, and is more powerful than the six, making a decent sports saloon. It still has the weird rear aspect, but wire wheels and a decent colour lighten the appearance.

I had an Uncle who use to restore Armstrongs back in the 80’s. He got quite a name for them, also use to make batches of cills for the owners club.  He won a car of the show award one year for a Saphire Star which was previously owned by Sir Frank Whittle.  The last car I remember him doing was one of these smaller 234’s for a guy that ran a Modified Clubman estate and a MK4 Zephyr that had been his family’s hotel limo until he sold up and retired.  
My Uncle also owned a pair of Saphires, one of which was a longer limo version, they use to do wedding hire with them,  borrowing the Star and another locally owned Saphire when needed.  He also had a second Limo but never managed to get it restored. 
Didn’t Mathewsons auction one of these that turned out to be one of the last ever made? 

[Richard_FM]

On 25/12/2023 at 09:50, Bmwdumptruck said:

 

I had an Uncle who use to restore Armstrongs back in the 80’s. He got quite a name for them, also use to make batches of cills for the owners club.  He won a car of the show award one year for a Saphire Star which was previously owned by Sir Frank Whittle.  The last car I remember him doing was one of these smaller 234’s for a guy that ran a Modified Clubman estate and a MK4 Zephyr that had been his family’s hotel limo until he sold up and retired.  
My Uncle also owned a pair of Saphires, one of which was a longer limo version, they use to do wedding hire with them,  borrowing the Star and another locally owned Saphire when needed.  He also had a second Limo but never managed to get it restored. 
Didn’t Mathewsons auction one of these that turned out to be one of the last ever made? 

Ironically there was an Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire jet engine, but not designed by Sir Frank Whittle.  It was originally a Metropolitan Vickers engine before their jet engine programme was bought up.

[bunglebus]

[MiniMinorMk3]

Matra M72 from year 2000, that almost became the new MG Midget

Sports car projects : Matra M72 - AROnline

[RayMK]

11 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Oh dear!  His must be really small.

[Dick Longbridge]

The Vauxhall Ventora VIP. Apparently only 250 were produced in 1973 and were top spec with a numbered plaque on the dash. 

I first heard of it on this Facebook group- it's amazing how many people on the thread think it's a modified Morris Marina...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/729338430573719/permalink/2569868116520732/?ref=share

 

[High Jetter]

Did they have a modified grille? That front doesn't look familiar

[MiniMinorMk3]

11 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Did they have a modified grille? That front doesn't look familiar

That's stock FE Ventora with the chip cutter grill and big black Griffin in the centre.

[quicksilver]

15 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

The Vauxhall Ventora VIP. Apparently only 250 were produced in 1973 and were top spec with a numbered plaque on the dash. 

I first heard of it on this Facebook group- it's amazing how many people on the thread think it's a modified Morris Marina...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/729338430573719/permalink/2569868116520732/?ref=share

 

Something very odd about that comment thread. It seems to relate to an entirely different photo as they're all talking about a modified Marina with Golf running gear parked next to a Polestar.