Cars you didn't know existed until very recently.

[timolloyd]

Drivers door fit looks good.

 

But to be fair, stands a better chance than Africar.

[Negative Creep]

Still looks nicer than the current Prius

[flat4alfa]

Not bad for a first try Uganda, is there so little boot space because of the bank of 12 v batteries behind there?

 

 

Brochure

http://kiiramotors.com/new/wp-content/uploads/Kiira%20EV%20SMACK%20Magazine.pdf

[cros]

Theres probably millions of these things about but I just never noticed one before because I'm becoming senile.

[Faker]

The shamrock car company! Never knew the existed at all. Austin A55 based luxury two door, 4 seated, detachable hard topped fibreglass car. Only ten built apparently....

[JeeExEll]

^^^ Would have been great if one of these had been involved in a Father Ted episode. Missed opportunity.

 

A copy/paste from Wiki -

 

"The business was established by an American businessman, James F. Conway and William K Curtis in Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan. The aim was to produce a large luxury car model for export to the US market.

 

Shortly after production began, however, design flaws became apparent. Although the car was big and heavy, it used a relatively small Austin A55 1.5 litre engine, which limited performance. The A55 also provided the transmission and suspension.

 

Another problem was that the rear wheels were shrouded by body panels and a rear wheel could not be removed (for puncture repair for example) without dropping its axle.

 

The car used fibreglass body panels and was styled as a four seat, two door, coupé with removable hardtop.

 

Production of up to 10,000 cars a year was talked about but as few as ten complete cars were produced during the six months before production ceased. After the factory closed, the unused parts were dumped into the local lake".

 

Fucking brilliant

[martc]

The Shamrock - why is it left hand drive? Were they aiming to export first, before trying to sell them on Craggy Island?

[cros]

Shamrock, what a cracker.

[robinmasters]

Drivers door fit looks good.

 

But to be fair, stands a better chance than Africar.

Treat your self to a look at their website - all the panels fit that well. It looks like something Leepu's done, in a hurry.

[uk_senator]

Autobianchi A111:

 

[Matt]

SAN Storm, an Indian made 2 seat roadster

 

 

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201709139271022?radius=1500&make=SAN&advertising-location=at_cars&sort=sponsored&postcode=hd97nw&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&page=1

 

 

I seem to remember something about Reliant wanting to import them back in the day.

 

I saw an old Top Gear clip (with VBH and Tiff!) just last night from some motor show and they were looking at these indeed with Reliant badges. There was also one of these, thankfully they never bothered:

 

[uk_senator]

I remember hearing about Anadol a while back. I still think it sounds like some sort of cough medicine rather than a car manufacturer.

 

 

it is indeed a pain killer, gives you relief after a painful drive in an Anadol.

 

 

Indication: Anadol ^® (Tramadol) is used for the treatment of moderate to severe painful conditions. These include: Postoperative pain, Colic and spastic pain, Cancer pain, Joint pain, Neck and back pain & Pain associated with osteoporosis.

 

Yep, & you shove it up your jaxy.. Probably a similar experience to owning a Turkish car.

[gtd2000]

 

Here is a size comparison:

 

 

Must be pretty cramped inside then as those Fiestas are made for people no taller than 5'7".

 

Hope it's a better made car than the Nissan Go they produce for the South African market...

 

 

When I was working there this year, one of my colleagues had one - it was horrific.

 

Makes a Dacia Duster (Turkish spec!) seem like a Lexus!

[AMC Rebel]

Standard 2000. Indian SD1.

[barrett]

Why do cars built in the third world always look like they have been built in the third world? I'm including the Shamrock in that statement btw

[bunglebus]

[mercrocker]

The shamrock car company! Never knew the existed at all. Austin A55 based luxury two door, 4 seated, detachable hard topped fibreglass car. Only ten built apparently....

 

to be fair, it wasn't a lot worse than the Austin Metropolitan.......

[barrett]

That's a loaded compliment if ever I've heard one

[Jon]

On the subject of Anadols (previous page), I was reading the my Jan 1968 issue of WHEELS and in the NZ news section, was reminded that a Kiwi tried to launch New Zealand's first national car back then, the Anziel Nova, which seemingly was a rebadged Reliant/Anadol (link to photo - can't attach the image):

 

http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=49521&l=en

 

Totally forgot about this nugget of info but vaguely remember reading about this in a library book a few years ago, when I was killing some time away from home.

 

Anyway, the idea got nowhere but the guy involved in the whole venture apparently still owns the prototype, according to the Wikipeda page: 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anziel_Nova

[Datsuncog]

Just while Anadols are being bandied about, here's a lightly modded A8-16 model I snapped a few years back - with just over 1000 built from '81 to '84, they're pretty scarce even in Turkey. If memory serves, didn't Sam Glover or someone from Practical Classics obtain a beige one of these and drive it back to blighty? Almost a touch of Marina to the rear styling, I reckon...

 

 

 

 

(apologies if this has already appeared upthread)

 

ETA: Yes. Yes, he did.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33528416@N04/11196363143

[sierraman]

Saw a Suzuki Celerio yesterday. What an awful little contraption that is, it runs round on these little wheels that look like castors. I’ve just seen it costs seven and a half thousand pounds!!! Fuck me that’s a lot. I’d no sooner buy 25,000 chomps or something secondhand.

 

Edit: I’ve just read the road test on that and the Viva, the writer has tried to be really positive about them both. I wouldn’t. I’d have just said they’re both wank.

[John F]

flat4alfa, on 02 Nov 2017 - 5:54 PM, said:

KIIRA EV SMACK

 

Uganda's EV. The first Electric Hybrid Vehicle designed and built in Africa.

 

 

http://kiiramotors.com/

 

I'm sure you all want to see the dashboard of the Kiira Smack, a car named after the substance that raddled the brain of its designer:

 

[face]

Brilliant!

[sierraman]

Is that real leather?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Apparently about 500 of these were made by Hongki 5 years before the saloons, when Audi inevitably starts making the Q10 crew cab pickup , wonder if they'll have some of these at the launch in a JLR style shameless heritage plundering?

[mercrocker]

There should be more 4 door saloon-based pick ups in the world.   Not the Animal/Amakok variety beloved of the rigger-booted, just odd-ball saloons with big open backs....

[chaseracer]

That must bugger up the famous aerodynamics...

[Datsuncog]

There should be more 4 door saloon-based pick ups in the world.   Not the Animal/Amakok variety beloved of the rigger-booted, just odd-ball saloons with big open backs....

 

I have a long-abiding affection for the Datsun U620, which was effectively a pick-up converted into a saloon car so it could be converted back into a pick-up again. Genius.

 

 

ETA: front end

 

 

Actually, thinking about it I wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of tax-dodge reason behind it, rather like the ROI proclivity for developing van versions of all manner of surprising and unsuitable vehicles (Toyota Celica 'van', anyone??)

 

Here's the usual 620 pick-up, for comparison:

 

 

They did a four-door crewcab version later on too, as the Datsun 1500:

 

[quicksilver]

Just while Anadols are being bandied about, here's a lightly modded A8-16 model I snapped a few years back - with just over 1000 built from '81 to '84, they're pretty scarce even in Turkey. If memory serves, didn't Sam Glover or someone from Practical Classics obtain a beige one of these and drive it back to blighty? Almost a touch of Marina to the rear styling, I reckon...

 

P7200057.JPG

 

P7200058.JPG

 

P7200056.JPG

 

(apologies if this has already appeared upthread)

 

ETA: Yes. Yes, he did.

 

Anadol A8-16 - NEC, 2013.jpg

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/11196363143

 

That looks like the deformed bastard child of a Morris Ital and a Volvo 240, although there's a hint of Saab in the front of Sam's. As for the Kiira Smack interior, that truly is a masterpiece*.

[John F]

Is that real leather?

 

It looks like dried cow shit to me... lol