Automotive bull5hit facts thread

[dozeydustman]

Austin originally wanted the 1100/1300 replacement to be named the Midi, to fit half way between the Mini and the Maxi and suited the car’s rather puddingy looks. However Harris Mann was visited by the ghosts of Herbert Austin and Leonard Lord in a night terror, claiming the car looked spritely, and hence was renamed Allegro

[Dobloseven]

 ABBA split up in 1982 after Benny borrowed Bjorns Gunson Tachostrobe to set the ignition timing on his Volvo 164.When he hadn't returned it after some months, Bjorn went round to pick it up, as he was having trouble with pinking on his Saab 99 Combi Coupe, and needed it. Benny initially denied having it, but under pressure went down to his shed and eventually returned with it. However the bit that fits on the spark plug was badly mangled and one of the crocodile clips was missing. Also he'd lost the box snd the instructions. He said it was like that when he got it, but Bjorn never really forgave him. The girls tried to smooth things over, to no avail, since it transpired that something similar had happened when Annie-Freda had borrowed Agnethas curling tongs. 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Thought it was the other way round re strobe & curling tongs?

[Metal Guru]

After successfully naming their cars Escort and Fiesta after w@nk mags, the Cortina replacement was going to be called the Ford Razzle.

However , when Ford executives saw the Dutton Sierra, they decided you couldn’t get more w@nk than that!

[TheOtherStu]

4 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

After successfully naming their cars Escort and Fiesta after w@nk mags, the Cortina replacement was going to be called the Ford Razzle.

However , when Ford executives saw the Dutton Sierra, they decided you couldn’t get more w@nk than that!

I can imagine that Ford were particularly disappointed that Austin had already used the "Mayfair" moniker.

[Metal Guru]

12 minutes ago, TheOtherStu said:

I can imagine that Ford were particularly disappointed that Austin had already used the "Mayfair" moniker.

I expect there’s a niche magazine called “Corsairs” too.

[Dobloseven]

Apparently plans to call the Granada the Big and Bouncy were only shelved at the last minute. 

[martc]

The Mini Mayfair was named after the most expensive square on the Monopoly board. Or at least that's the story BL's Head of Names, Cosmo Smallpiece, is sticking too.

[ProgRocker]

Fiat's "3 figure number" model names used from 1964 were based on a bet laid out by the directors on many weeks their future models would last in a northern European climate before rust holes appeared. . 

[dozeydustman]

The Audi Q series were named in tribute to Spike Milligan’s Tv show from the 70s.

[AnnoyingPentium]

On 12/8/2021 at 2:59 PM, ProgRocker said:

Fiat's "3 figure number" model names used from 1964 were based on a bet laid out by the directors on many minutes their future models would last in a northern European climate before rust holes appeared. . 

FTFY.

[DavidB]

The name DATSUN, was conceived when the head of Datsun, Akira Nissan, used the phrase repeatedly ("Oh Dat Son of mine") (in a frustrated tone) when his son (who was Carlos Ghosn) was constantly discovered doing many dodgy business activites, and then escaping in packing crates.

 

[Missy Charm]

In the old Vauxhall Vectra, simultaneously pushing in the cigarette lighter and depressing the Trafficmaster button, where fitted, sent an emergency signal to all motorway control rooms within range.  A police car would be despatched and escort the driver for the remainder of his or her journey.  

The dashboard of the Mk3 Granada LX concealed a slide out ironing board.  They also came with a Russell Hobbs steam iron that stowed in the passenger footwell.  Ghia variants did too, but also had tea and coffee making facilities in the glove compartment.  Granada Cosworths had those things too, of course, in addition to a Gideon Bible incorporated into the handbook, clothes brushes built into the grab handles and floor mounted shoe buffers for both rear seat passengers.  

[Noel Tidybeard]

19 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

In the old Vauxhall Vectra, simultaneously pushing in the cigarette lighter and depressing the Trafficmaster button, where fitted, sent an emergency signal to all motorway control rooms within range.  A police be despatched and escort the driver for the remainder of his or her journey.  

The dashboard of the Mk3 Granada LX concealed a slide out ironing board.  They also came with a Russell Hobbs steam iron that stowed in the passenger footwell.  Ghia variants did too, but also had tea and coffee making facilities in the glove compartment.  Granada Cosworths had those things too, of course, in addition to a Gideon Bible incorporated into the handbook, clothes brushes built into the grab handles and floor mounted shoe buffers for both rear seat passengers.  

surprisingly those features were absent on the granadanada 2.5td GL my b-i-l had as we didn't find them when changed the seats for a leather set!

[vulgalour]

You can use the little travelling iron from the Fiesta in the Granada, something that's handy if your Russell Hobbs unit has got clogged up with limescale.  Being a non-steam iron, the Fiesta offering is a bit more reliable.  It plugs into the interior light, you just have to take out the festoon bulb first.  The cord is just about long enough to reach the ironing board and, failing that, you can actually use the handbook as an ironing board since the cover is made from recycled unsold asbestos rich brake shoe linings.  Ford don't like people knowing about these things, mind, and it's not widely known in the owner's clubs.

[Noel Tidybeard]

from 7th gen onwards in a Civic type-r there is a secret compartment which holds a nice Type-R branded pen

[Noel Tidybeard]

iv*co were so impressed with the bmc/bl door sharing exercise that the daily was designed to use the doors from a renner master

[Missy Charm]

36 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

surprisingly those features were absent on the granadanada 2.5td GL my b-i-l had as we didn't find them when changed the seats for a leather set!

It's because the diesels were made by Ford of Ireland in County Waterford and were differently specified.  They did, however, have 100% lead crystal windscreens.  

[Sausage5000]

Many Toyotas, Nissans and Mitsubishi’s (and pretty much every Japanese car makers) listed そのクソさび  as a feature in much of its literature. It roughly translates as ‘that fucking rust’

[vulgalour]

30 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

It's because the diesels were made by Ford of Ireland in County Waterford and were differently specified.  They did, however, have 100% lead crystal windscreens.  

Ford not only had the lead crystal package, they also offered a Cristal package available only to customers of long standing who never left an option box unticked.  There's one Granada Cristal rumoured to survive, last spotted in 2001 in by an urbex sort in Slough.

[dozeydustman]

The Citroën Relay’s name in the rest of Europe is the Citroën Jumper due its body panels being made from cable-knit sweaters.

[AnnoyingPentium]

The Mercedes Sprinter is named as such as that was the only thing that moved as quickly as rust along the bodywork.

[dozeydustman]

37 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

The Mercedes Sprinter is named as such as that was the only thing that moved as quickly as rust along the bodywork.

I though it was because the prototype was built from a scrapped BR Class 150 DMU?

[stuboy]

when ford used the duratec 1.8/2.0 engine from mazda they felt the piston rings should be made from recycled ford escort seat foam.

[Noel Tidybeard]

9 minutes ago, stuboy said:

when ford used the duratec 1.8/2.0 engine from mazda they felt the piston rings should be made from recycled ford escort seat foam.

yellow card 🟨- that sounds suspiciously true😁

[Metal Guru]

The Vauxhall Velux was the first car with a sun roof . It had a little roller blind that could be used in strong sunlight.

It wasn’t popular as planning permission was needed for putting in extra windows in the 60s and Vauxhall confusingly replaced it with the Velox.

[Metal Guru]

The Audi Quattro was invented by Suzi after she crashed her Mustang on Devil Gate Drive.

[ProgRocker]

Designer of the Marina Roy Haynes left British Leyland in 1969 and decided to quit designing cars altogether. He had a dream of appearing in a children's television show. After finding an agent and having some talks with the honchos at Thames Television in the early 1970s, Roy's dream became reality. A year later he appeared in their new show "Rainbow" alongside Zippy, George and Bungle. 

[Metal Guru]

Bob Holness not only played sax on Baker Street, he also drove for McLaren at the 1976 British Grand Prix when James Hunt  turned up pissed.

[dozeydustman]

Austin motors weren’t named after Herbert Austin. The original Austin car was created from stannic metal compounds from the antipodes, hence Aus-Tin