Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[bunglebus]

53 minutes ago, reb said:

What's an EHD2ROq?

Ɉnioq γm ɘvoɿq oɈ ɔiq ɘʜɈ bɘqqilʇ I

[MiniMinorMk3]

17 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Triumph called theirs a Surrey Top

Unlike Porsche who called theirs Targa.

[barrett]

18 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Built by Westfalia with chassis strengthening as well as body mods. Not quite sure why, but it suited Chevrolet to follow their lead

That demonstrates 'why' quite well - no engine in the middle, so a much lower floor for loading heavy stuff. Otherwise you'd have to push that thing up above the height of the wheelarches, which wouldn't be much fun

[Urko]

Henney Kilovolt

US electric car based on Renault Dauphine

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

[High Jetter]

7 minutes ago, Urko said:

Henney Kilovolt

US electric car based on Renault Dauphine

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

Where are they now?

[Urko]

13 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Where are they now?

According to wiki

Only 47 cars were sold over the two model years, mostly to electrical utility companies. Only a few still exist.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Lead singer of the Bunnymen.

 

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Lead singer of the Bunnymen.

Locked in a loop there, M9

[lesapandre]

Hotchkiss Monceau - 1954 - last car made by Hotchkiss of France - two made and no buyers  - so no more. Reason too expensive in a crowded market.

[GeorgeB]

20 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Hotchkiss Monceau - 1954 - last car made by Hotchkiss of France - two made and no buyers  - so no more. Reason too expensive in a crowded market.

Two made and this one's RHD?

[lesapandre]

12 minutes ago, GeorgeB said:

Two made and this one's RHD?

All Hotchkiss were RHD.

[D.E]

4 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

All Hotchkiss were RHD.

A relic from times when expensive French prestige brands were often rhd.

[lesapandre]

And with narrower higher-set Pre-War cars sitting on the right had some advantages in navigating unmade roads and roads with  unmade verges - also the chauffeur could get out kerbside.

Tres snob.

[artdjones]

21 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Hotchkiss Monceau - 1954 - last car made by Hotchkiss of France - two made and no buyers  - so no more. Reason too expensive in a crowded market.

France had several manufacturers making large and stylish luxury cars, usually with quite large engines, 3.5-4.5 litres. Unfortunately, after the war France started to levy very high vehicle licensing taxes on large engined cars , which drove them all out of business, as their home market had disappeared. 

[lesapandre]

11 minutes ago, artdjones said:

France had several manufacturers making large and stylish luxury cars, usually with quite large engines, 3.5-4.5 litres. Unfortunately, after the war France started to levy very high vehicle licensing taxes on large engined cars , which drove them all out of business, as their home market had disappeared. 

& part of the Post-War 'Pons Plan' to restructure the French motor industry:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul-Marie_Pons

 

[artdjones]

11 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

& part of the Post-War 'Pons Plan' to restructure the French motor industry:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul-Marie_Pons

 

It's a good job Monsieur Pons didn't get his way, otherwise there would have been no 2CV on the market. Luckily, Pierre Boulanger got his way.

[lesapandre]

Somewhat - but the amalgamation into the 'big three' did take place and they all survive to this day.

[artdjones]

58 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Somewhat - but the amalgamation into the 'big three' did take place and they all survive to this day.

Yes, but the Pons plan involved each of the three only specialising in one class of car, with Citroen only building larger cars, in the same category as the Traction Avant. With Renault specialising in small cars. As Boulanger was on the committee supposedly supervising Pons's 5 year plan the 2CV was able to become developed, even though it was a car in a class that Citroen were not supposed to make.

[D.E]

Panther.

No, not the tacky neoclassics. This one:

Italian, with a choice of diesel or petrol (both two cylinder engines),  saloon and estate. They don't seem to have built more than only a handful of protypes.

[MiniMinorMk3]

On 27/05/2025 at 23:23, lesapandre said:

Hotchkiss Monceau - 1954 - last car made by Hotchkiss of France - two made and no buyers  - so no more. Reason too expensive in a crowded market.

Very similar styling to the Salmson 2300S

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Very similar styling to the Salmson 2300S

Salmson way better IMHO. We have a ductwork co here called Hotchkiss, I wonder if any connection

[lesapandre]

Both with coachwork by Henri Chapron - hence the similarly. 2300 looks better as a convertible.

[metalshapes]

On 21/05/2025 at 15:11, Urko said:

Henney Kilovolt

US electric car based on Renault Dauphine

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

Also, John Cooper built a Dauphine with a Coventry Climax engine swap.

That was going to be the tin top racer, but then they decided to go with the Mini.

Somebody should build a  version of it...


Edit.

Or build the one that never was...


There was a license built version of the Dauphine made by Alfa Romeo.

Get one of those, swap a 1300cc Alfa Nord twincam into it, Campagnolo magnesium wheels, Veglia Moretti gauges, etc.

Drive it into a Alfa club meeting and tell them straight faced " Yeah, that's how it was built..." 

[barrett]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

Both with coachwork by Henri Chapron - hence the similarly. 2300 looks better as a convertible.

Exactly - that was a Chapron style which was applied to a few different cars. There was a lovely Salmson 2300S four-door with the same body

And even a last-gasp Hotchkiss-Gregoire

 

 

 

[Lord Sterling]

Not so much a "make/model" of car but a spec (I'm guessing this could be a thread all of its own as many countries have thier own specific model specifications) but the W126 260E as found by Authentiquesautos in Monaco on YouTube:

Looks to me like some proper base-spec W126. Beige velour l, no rear headrests and windy windows (at least at the back from what I could see) but still had headlamp wash/wipe.

[ChinaTom]

Tax efficient barge. BMW had the 725 for this reason. Ferrari 208 too.

[MorrisItalSLX]

16 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

Not so much a "make/model" of car but a spec (I'm guessing this could be a thread all of its own as many countries have thier own specific model specifications) but the W126 260E as found by Authentiquesautos in Monaco on YouTube:

Looks to me like some proper base-spec W126. Beige velour l, no rear headrests and windy windows (at least at the back from what I could see) but still had headlamp wash/wipe.

Sounds very similar to the Australian 180E, a super poverty spec W201 made to fall below the threshold for the imported luxury car tax. The 180E was a third cheaper than the lowest spec 190E.

[martc]

On 28/05/2025 at 20:33, lesapandre said:

And with narrower higher-set Pre-War cars sitting on the right had some advantages in navigating unmade roads and roads with  unmade verges - also the chauffeur could get out kerbside.

Tres snob.

Phun phact - many Italian lorries where RHD to allow the drivers to see the precipitous edges/drops whilst traversing Italy's many mountain ranges.

[reb]

21 hours ago, martc said:

Phun phact - many Italian lorries where RHD to allow the drivers to see the precipitous edges/drops whilst traversing Italy's many mountain ranges.

Now that you've mentioned this, I think I'm noticing (in memory) that the Fiat car transporters they use in The Italian Job are RHD? I shall have to watch it to confirm.

[reb]

1 minute ago, reb said:

Now that you've mentioned this, I think I'm noticing (in memory) that the Fiat car transporters they use in The Italian Job are RHD? I shall have to watch it to confirm.

This one's not:

But this one is: