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Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.


philibusmo

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Was it really three across seating as the photo implies ?

 

But I'd always thought BMW and Isetta were one in the same.  Isetta 'built in Britain' consider yourself duly lessoned !  Clearly I need to attend the bubble car museum 2 becum edukated !? 

 

 

 

 

Having travelled many miles in an Isetta I can report that you could get three on the bench seat, but you would have to be very friendly.

 

The Isetta was actually an Italian car (made by Iso); but they licensed the design to several manufacturers, including, for our particular correspondence, BMW.

 

BMW refined the design, importantly replacing the original 2 stroke engine with their own 4 stroke (a modified version of the R25/3 motorbike engine). It was BMW's modification which was built in Britain at the old Brighton Locomotive works, under licence from BMW, they all carried the BMW badge. I might be wrong here, but I think they started with the 4 wheeled version but it only became popular when the 3 wheeler was introduced (due to the motorcycle licence loophole).

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I saw one of these the other day on the M3, but had to look up what it was:

 

2017-Toyota-CHR-India-front-side.jpg

 

Toyota CHR.

 

Fuck-loads of angles going on there :S

These things are fucking vile. Rear end is exactly the same as the new Civic, which isn't a looker either. Toyota have not made a decent looking car in ages.

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Is it just me, but does the front of the current Prius look like the Batmobile?

 

 

There is actually a black one down the road from me, which is probably the best colour since it hides so much. In terms of looks it's very much the Batman & Robin of the car world

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How about a Morris Nomad.

It's basically a kind of Frankenstein Austin1300/Maxi with an E series engine built in Australia.post-9282-0-85560000-1492848736_thumb.jpegpost-9282-0-64339500-1492848761_thumb.jpegpost-9282-0-71989400-1492848801_thumb.jpeg

 

Also I can never understand why BL spent a fortune on the allegro when they had this lovely 1300 being built in South Africa from 71 onwards surely just giving the 1300 a new skin would have made it a winner it's not as if the 1300 would of been obsolete in the 70s as Ford had been getting away with it for years.

post-9282-0-69961900-1492849267_thumb.jpegpost-9282-0-90540700-1492849295_thumb.jpeg

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Agreed 100% on the Apache. It would have made a perfect small Triumph to replace the 1300 as I postulated in my alternative reality scenario I created a while ago. Sadly BL never seemed to pay enough attention to what their overseas subsidiaries were doing - see also Austin Kimberley/Tasman.

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Now built in France under a new name: http://www.mpm-motors.com/en/

http://boitierrouge.com/2016/11/29/mpm-motors-ps-160-une-voiture-francaise-a-larriere-gout-de-vodka/

https://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/1093345060.htm?ca=12_s

 

I really wonder how on earth they can supposedly sell it for 8,500 Euros and make a profit.

What's the point other than "cheap"? Looks like something Proton rejected

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A Bentley Cresta to froth over.

attachicon.gifben.jpg

Looks better than the grotesque monstrosities they make now.

 

.. never heard of that one ..  great find  ;)

 

6d17701328541023d05be8a168d4de2c.jpg

^ definitely not typical Bentley styling with a raked back grille.  Looks like Cadillac tried to 'almost copy' it.

 

Can you imagine just a few years ago (..to me it seems) cars like these could be picked up for a pittance because they were so expensive on fuel and to restore..   oh if only I had been wiser then !

 

cresta_01a.jpg

 

 

Mind you I'd never seen this one either ..

bentleymkii.jpg?x69070

 

..clearly I've been mixing in the wrong double-0 circles..

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^ That looks angry to still be alive :mrgreen:

 

Angry about having the indignity of a car bra thrust upon it.

 

 

Also I can never understand why BL spent a fortune on the allegro when they had this lovely 1300 being built in South Africa from 71 onwards surely just giving the 1300 a new skin would have made it a winner it's not as if the 1300 would of been obsolete in the 70s as Ford had been getting away with it for years.

 

Alternatively there were a few proposed ADO16 face lifts, one of which ended up becoming the Citroen GS. There wasn't much fundamentally wrong with Alec's bouncing baby; a facelift, some re-engineering to reduce servicing costs and remove the rust traps Issigonis designed into it and it could have continued to be competitive through the 1970s even without a replacement for the A series. Compared to chod like the Viva, Avenger or Escort it was still a technological marvel.

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Coming home from the supermarket today I passed a car ! But on the rear was the word Athlete. So I circled round to see if  any car was really called an Athlete, or wether my old eyes were a bit out of focus.

They were ok and it definitely was an Athlete, A Toyota Athlete, and quite large and a bit bulging (nearly as much as me).

 

It popped up in the for sales too with several for sale: It is a variation of the Crown.

 

post-2915-0-52233800-1493621766_thumb.jpg

 

post-2915-0-71175300-1493621751_thumb.jpg

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/toyota/auction-1294676407.htm

 

 

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Coming home from the supermarket today I passed a car ! But on the rear was the word Athlete. So I circled round to see if  any car was really called an Athlete, or wether my old eyes were a bit out of focus.

They were ok and it definitely was an Athlete, A Toyota Athlete, and quite large and a bit bulging (nearly as much as me).

 

It popped up in the for sales too with several for sale: It is a variation of the Crown.

 

attachicon.gifcrown1.jpg

 

attachicon.gifcrown0.jpg

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/toyota/auction-1294676407.htm

Quite a few Crown Athletes about - usually 3 or 4 on e-bay at any given time. A little more styled than the "normal" Crown

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