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It could have bloody worked - cars which could have been...


Dick Longbridge

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Let's not forget that these are prototypes. There is a long way of development ahead until they'd be ready for production.

I was still at BMW when they started to develop the e30 Touring, so it must have been 1985. The idea was born because BMW employee Max Reisböck had modified his saloon (this is NOT an urban legend!) and his car served as the first prototype.

 

BMW-3er-Touring-E30-Entstehung-Max-Reisb

 

It still took them until 1991 to develop it for production.

E30 touring was available after the 1988 MY facelift. The E30 touring (and convertible) continued in production in 1991, with the introduction of the E36 because the E36 versions weren't available. The very last E30s were 316i tourings in 1993.

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Not all Vauxhalls are shit. I love the looks of this FD Victor coupe and it's a real shame it got canned. I'll have mine on Rostyles with a small-block Chevy please.

fdcoupe9.jpg

 

The Crayford Opel Commodore is hot too.

opelcommodoreaconvertiblebycrayford_1.jp

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How about a Wankel engined Citroen?

 

citroen-m35-prototype-1.jpg

Looking at that picture made me make a funny noise. Also what's the deal with the rover 100? That needs killing with fire.

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That Metro is one of those skid-simulator things, I put one in the eBay thread a few weeks ago. The Citroen M35 Wankel Ami was at least made (in tiny numbers), there was a chap in Netherlands with several for sale recently - at magazine prices sadly.

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Talking about

 

BX saloon - all the fun of a 405 with HP suspension, brakes & steering....

a2ca68bf3ef376ca5ec2846adcc85085.jpg

 

 

Na - give me the graceful good looks of a 405 anyday over the parts-bin BX, let alone that booted thing above! Looks like a Samara having a bad day!

 

One prototype which caught my eye at Citroën's Conservatoire was the Cocinelle. The company didn't really expect the 2cv to do so well in big cities, being so much a rural paysan machine (no security against thieves, long gearing, odd looks and in the design office's mind a rather crude and heavy steel body) so came up with something for the 50s equivalent of the yummy mummy. Alloy panels were built around an alloy chassis frame, so only 382kg and with simplified gas over oil suspension, one sphere for each axle iirc. The alloy flat twin drove the front wheels. 12hp took it to 70mph.

 

1024px-Paris_-_Retromobile_2014_-_Citro%

 

Paris_-_Retromobile_2014_-_Citro%C3%ABn_

 

1956_Citroen_C_10_Coccinelle_Prototype_0

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VDP nose on a Marina and it's a very good styling idea too, the proportions are much better suited for that front end than the Allegro ever was.  Quite like the idea of a luxury three box saloon with rear wheel drive like that, especially if it were also equipped with MG F style Hydragas to get some decent handling and even some comfort while you're at it.

 

One to add to the Lottery Win list that.

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