Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[Felly Magic]

Vauxhall Cavalier Cesaro V6's! Basically an LS with sports seats and alloys, and a 24v 170bhp lump in the snout, and only available in shit colours like white and red and blue

[Slappy]

Funnily enough I saw my first one of facelifted 121s on the 31st, only to find that I've been beaten to it by 4 days... I'd seen a fair few sad face versions, and just assumed they'd never carried over. I guess the Demio/2 must have been sold not long after they started selling the smiley version, and cut their losses. I'm sure there was still a fair chunk of Ford tech for a few years after (including the just-revised Mazda 2).

[Asimo]

Petrol Transits are not what they once were: 275 horsepower!

 

[AnthonyG]

Re Fiestas and 121s, Mazda Europe desperately needed sensible cars to sell after their 'mad' phase when even their bread and butter cars went all wacky and different - for example, the 323 five-door coupe with frameless doors and a bizarre (post Kia Pride shape) 'bubble' 121 saloon that looked a bit like an early take on the Micra K12. Of the bubble 121 they must have sold about 3 in the UK as from memory it was only offered as a saloon. Most Mazda dealers started getting Kia franchises at about this time!!

 

It's like Mazda honchos saw the Nissan Figaro, S-cargo and Pao and thought that was the direction of Japanese cars for the 1990s. If it wasn't for the MX5, and Ford taking effective control in about 1995, Mazda would be dead now. A Ford man was even parachuted in to run the company in the mid 1990s a first for a postwar Jap company. Hence the dull as ditchwater 323 and 626 that were launched about 97/98.

 

I have never seen one of those facelifted Fezza121s, I didn't know they offered them over here, Demios started in 1999 and were quite funky for the time (well, funkier than a Fezza121).

[R9UKE]

RenaultSport Clio Exclusive edition. These little beauties were the pocket rocket 172 Clio, but in Scarab Green and a cream leather interior only. Superb compromise of sportiness and luxury. There were only 172 made. All numbered and most have been bastardised by now.

 

 

[320touring]

RenaultSport Clio Exclusive edition. These little beauties were the pocket rocket 172 Clio, but in Scarab Green and a cream leather interior only. Superb compromise of sportiness and luxury. There were only 172 made. All numbered and most have been bastardised by now.

 

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Number 54 lives as mah burd's car:)

 

Cracking little motah-blog about it here..

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/christmas-clutch-cheeriness-for-the-clio-aka-babette-lives/

[Formula Autos]

I followed one of these (the first I'd ever seen) the other day; the spectacularly pointless Suzuki SX4 saloon. A saloon version of a "crossover" jacked-up hatch/estate thingy.

 

[Owain71]

Peter Stevens' MG Rectum prototype (funny how both MG and Ssangyong are both now owned by SAIC)

 

 

 

 

Apparently a handful of the below were "officially" built before Honda expressed their displeasure...

 

 

[Junkman]

I knew that a 1970 Chevrolet Impala exists and I knew that a 2-door hardtop version of it exists.

 

 

What I learned today is that there were two distinctly different 2-door hardtops.

This is the other one:

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I remember reading that Chevrolet made over a million Impalas a year in the late 60's early 70's . This boggles my mind when you think what a big deal was made in this country when a million of a car was made in 10,15 years or whatever.

Anyway my point is, Chevrolet made so many of the fuckers that even they probably aren't aware of all the different types.

[AnthonyG]

The 1965 Chevrolet full sized model (Bel Air, Impala, wagons etc) sold more than a million that year, the first car in history to do so.

 

I think they also boasted that there were so many variations, colours, trims etc on their 1966 full sized range that there were more possibilities than there were atoms in the universe or something mad. even given scientific knowledge 49 years ago, that's saying something.

[Jim Bergerac]

Looking through old Edinburgh street scenes on Flickr and stumbled upon this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cagiva1994/13091194533/

 

A Lada Riva VAN! New one on me!

[dugong]

Until Partridge bought one, I'd have swore blind all 800 Sterlings had V6 (Honda or Rover) engines. I had no idea you could get the top trim level with a 2.0-litre T Series lumo.

I saw a Ford Focus MkI ST170 estate the other day, too - rare as, apparently. 

That luxo-spec ClioSport 172 is something else R9UKE! 

I'll lay another one you all : there was a rear-engined, front wheel drive Mini produced in the 'Sixties. 

[ChinaTom]

^ Anything to do with Patent 2351051 by any chance? I made a rear engine front drive car once. It was made of Lego (converted 8848) and back in the days when steering driven wheels was just a dream.

[chaseracer]

Vauxhall Cavalier Cesaro V6's! Basically an LS with sports seats and alloys, and a 24v 170bhp lump in the snout, and only available in shit colours like white and red and blue

 

Did Plod take these on steels and use them as CID cars, or have I watched 'The Bill' too often...?

[willswitchengage]

The 'Discovery Sport'

 

Replacement for the Freelander?

 

[brickwall]

Those have been on the news since that car transporter ran aground as it's full of them getting sent out to the worlds dealerships for launch day.

[Inspector Morose]

I'll lay another one you all : there was a rear-engined, front wheel drive Mini produced in the 'Sixties.

 

"Driving it was like throwing a lump hammer, shaft forwards."

 

Gentlemen, I bring you the Cooper-Buick mini:

 

 

Used a rear mounted Buick V8 driving forwards into an E-Type diff to the front wheels. Mad. Want one.

[Asimo]

American Motors Eagle

 

 

I had heard the name but didn't realise what it was until this one popped on the ebay tat thread at the weekend.

 

4WD on a hatchback shopping car must make these the original "Crossover". Damn sure I would rather have one than a Puke or an Ewok! Especially in this 2Dr. form - epically shite, but big pushrod straight six = win!

[martc]

Looking through old Edinburgh street scenes on Flickr and stumbled upon this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cagiva1994/13091194533/

 

A Lada Riva VAN! New one on me!

There used to be a fleet of these on Hull Docks - if I remember correctly they were pale blue in colour. The paint soon became "chalky" and then they turned very rusty very quickly. I have a faint recollection of the Ladas replacing Moskovitch vans.

 

At the time the Docks were nationalised (or had just recently been flogged to ABP) and I thought it strange they should be buying Russian vans unless it was tied in with the importers bringing Ladas in through Hull. Or the Russians had more influence on the militant dockers than we knew about!

[tul66]

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[tul66]

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[AnthonyG]

The Ford Mondeo Mk4. I know it exists, but I didn't know it had been launched in the UK in December (or whenever).

 

So Ford put about as much marketing spend behind it as MG did with the 6, which is a reflection of how marginal this model is now in the UK. I don't know why, but I find it sad. I look forward to the Audi A4 reaching the same point in 15 years time.

[AlabamaShrimp]

BX van? Stolen pic from another thread, is it real or a conversion?

 

Can't find anything when I googled it

 

[Inspector Morose]

Irish and somewhere else model only, I think. Converted estates with the back doors welded up,and fitted with a fibreglass panel over the rear windows.

 

Would kill for one.

[Richard]

BX van? Stolen pic from another thread, is it real or a conversion?

 

Can't find anything when I googled it

 

14944386588_fcb4744024_k.jpg

 

Ireland only apparently. French vans tend to have windows in the back, probably for 'Priorité à droite' reasons.

[Tayne]

BX van? Stolen pic from another thread, is it real or a conversion?

 

Can't find anything when I googled it

 

14944386588_fcb4744024_k.jpg

 

 

You could of asked me, the one who posted the photo.

 

They were made by Heuliez, mostly for the Irish market (the republic) owing to weird tax laws. I saw one in Belfast in '98 and for several years wasn't sure whether I'd imagined it or not.

 

If you want a weird taxbuster, then check this out.

 

 

Back in the 90's buying a Discovery with 5 seats and a standard roof in the Netherlands meant a tax bill in five figures.

Whereas a commercial version (a van to you and I) would knock the bill down to three figures.

Specific legislation about length/width/height/volume meant that the high roof was required to get the favourable taxation class.

[vulgalour]

I thought all Nova saloons were 2 door, so this surprised me.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-NOVA-TRIP-1-2-/261733351864

[Volksy]

Yeh, Pretty much the only small car at the time you could get in 2/3/4/5 door format, oddly the 3 doors had different front wings also. 

[Junkman]

For quite some time, I didn't know that a Sierra 2.9i existed.

I learned about them after I knew of the South African 5.0 V8 Sierras.