Manufacturer test mules

[JeeExEll]

This is a pic of an electric car being developed by Ford, covertly pictured in late autumn 1966.

 

Shortly after taking this pic our stealth photographer managed to capture action pics of a top-secret test-mule . . . .

[JeeExEll]

[JeeExEll]

[JeeExEll]

[JeeExEll]

 

 

 

 

 

In 1966 the Rootes group were very happy with the success of the Ford V8-engined Sunbeam Tiger and, in return, offered a collaboration with Ford on an economical high-performance sports saloon. The car was to be compact and easy to park.

The result was the rear-engined Singer-Cortina, seen here undergoing performance tests alongside a 1600GT.

Complete Singer 998 engines & transmissions were to be supplied to Ford.

Only one ultra-short-wheelbase mule was built. Unfortunately, despite it's free-revving little lightweight engine, it was deemed to be unsuitable for competition use as the nose of the car was too short for it to ever finish first.

 

Another less radical short-wheelbase Singer-Cortina mule was built for evaluation and later accidentally sold to a member of the public as a brand new car in 1970.

This car had fantastic handling and useful luggage space under the bonnet. It is still around.

It apparently caused some confusion in Ford service departments in the early 70s.

 

[inconsistant]

There was also a BMW 2002, which was used as the first engine mule for the 924. Although the 924 might have been more logical as an Audi model (and it did have an internal type number starting with 4, which all VAG nerds know was only used for Audi models), there are photos of early styling mockups with VW badges in some of the books about the 924, so I think the idea was for it to be a VW model, at least until the Scirocco came along.

 

 

[Apologies in advance for off topic geeking] I didn't know about the 2002 mule, or the Audi type number starting with 4. Despite the VW badges in photos I doubt the VW thing. VW were moving to distance themselves from Porsche at the time, only using them for this project out of contractual obligation. There definitely weren't plans to launch it as a joint VW Porsche as the 914 wasn't a great financial success for either and caused some friction between the companies. VW were also chasing production efficiency at this time by abandoning all but fwd/front engine layout models. In the early 70s they had a range consisting of front, mid and rear engines, air and water cooled, and piston and rotary power. They made BL look like they had a model strategy. A rwd transaxle model would have stood out like a sore thumb, and wouldn't have fitted with the new range of sensible, practical VWs

 

Audi was still a newish brand in the early 70s, only being relaunched in 1965 and mostly unknown selling dull but worthy saloons so I reckon they were going for a stylish sporty coupe halo model like Datsun had with the 240z and Alfa, Lancia and other prestige manufacturers of dull saloons offered. It would distance them from the practical sensible VW range too. Audi had only been selling in the US for a few years and at that time they shared dealerships with Porsche so if it was Audi badged this car would have sold alongside the Porsche badged 928.

 

The popular story of VW cancelling EA425 (924 project) and releasing the Scirocco instead doesn't work chronologically as EA425 was cancelled in late 74 but the Scirocco was already out as it was launched in early 74, before the Golf. Porsche bought the rights in early 75 and production started in late 75. I think someone wrote this on wikipedia ages ago and the internet copied it ad infinitum without checking dates.

 

Sorry for the indulgence. Great thread!

[Landy Mann]

A few of these exist, but shouldn't I believe.

https://jalopnik.com/how-i-made-this-saab-9-5-sportcombi-prototype-road-lega-1471197722 if you've got a spare 30 minutes or so here's the story of registering one, dedication in the extreme

[chatsharris]

Psst, look earlier on in the thread.

[martc]

Next door currently has a Roewe RX5 parked on the driveway with no rear seats and a couple of odd tape-labelled switches next to the gearstick, definitely some kind of test car... he's very quiet and rarely home though so I don't know anything more than that. Will see if I can sneak a pic...

 Not a bad looking thing (if you like this sort of thing), certainly better looking than the GS which I guess the RX5 will be replacing.

 

[sierraman]

Will it have a digital clock inlaid in 'wood'?

[Lord Sterling]

 

Volvo 480 Cabrio never actually made it to the production line but there seems to be a few of them about.

[HillmanImp]

Quite a few TR7/8 development cars have survived as they were kicking around at Solihull and Canley when the plug was pulled and sent to public auction. Many of the pre-production Sprint batch were also sold off engineless, often with a brand new crated V8 for the lucky buyer to fit. This one is a pre-prod RHD car later used as a Sprint development hack (the first production UK TR7s were P-reg).

 

I know where there is a 1974 TR7. Was originally LHD for some reason and is apparently awful to drive, although I am not sure how many TR7s the owner has driven so they might all be like that.

[timolloyd]

Although not strictly a complete mule, Rowan Atkinson persuaded Rolls Royce to dig out an experimental V16 engine and drop it in a Phantom for him: https://subscribe.octane-magazine.com/features/johnny-englishs-v16-rolls-royce

[inconsistant]

Volvo 480 Cabrio 

 

 

Fwoar!

[Lord Sterling]

Land-Rover LRX/Evoque test mule based on a Freelander:

 

[richardthestag]

It was quite common for S2 coupes to have S3 or even S1 bits grafted on back when they were just scrap fodder.

 

S3 door handles and rear lights seems a bit excessive but not outside the boundaries of some serious work though

 

the car was advertised as a breaker, shell cannot leave.. from a yard in the midlands iirc

[richardthestag]

 

 

 

 

 

In 1966 the Rootes group were very happy with the success of the Ford V8-engined Sunbeam Tiger and, in return, offered a collaboration with Ford on an economical high-performance sports saloon. The car was to be compact and easy to park.

The result was the rear-engined Singer-Cortina, seen here undergoing performance tests alongside a 1600GT.

Complete Singer 998 engines & transmissions were to be supplied to Ford.

Only one ultra-short-wheelbase mule was built. Unfortunately, despite it's free-revving little lightweight engine, it was deemed to be unsuitable for competition use as the nose of the car was too short for it to ever finish first.

 

Another less radical short-wheelbase Singer-Cortina mule was built for evaluation and later accidentally sold to a member of the public as a brand new car in 1970.

This car had fantastic handling and useful luggage space under the bonnet. It is still around.

It apparently caused some confusion in Ford service departments in the early 70s.

 

 

was the driver legless? 

 

[colnerov]

was the driver legless? 

 

 

 He'd need to be with the amount of space the front wheel arch would take up.

[cpjitservices]

about 15 years ago I saw a breaker advertising on ebay with bits of a Jag XJ Series 3 COUPE !!!!!

 

I lost the pics, and slightly hate myself for that

I wonder if you can find them via the online time machine

 

http://archive.org/web/

[Vince70]

This Bini came up for sale a couple of years ago on eBay and is supposed to be preproduction.

I don’t know what came of it or if it ended up back in one piece.

[Pillock]

A BMW Mini not actually made by BMW

Rover stamped glass and whatever headlamps they had lying around, amongst other things.

 

https://jalopnik.com/unique-bmw-mini-prototype-found-on-ebay-proves-rover-or-1474761064

[Dick Cheeseburger]

^ I remember that one. I hope it made it back onto the road, with a ‘not a Bi**’ sticker fitted.

[Alusilber]

[Apologies in advance for off topic geeking] I didn't know about the 2002 mule, or the Audi type number starting with 4. Despite the VW badges in photos I doubt the VW thing. VW were moving to distance themselves from Porsche at the time, only using them for this project out of contractual obligation. There definitely weren't plans to launch it as a joint VW Porsche as the 914 wasn't a great financial success for either and caused some friction between the companies. VW were also chasing production efficiency at this time by abandoning all but fwd/front engine layout models. In the early 70s they had a range consisting of front, mid and rear engines, air and water cooled, and piston and rotary power. They made BL look like they had a model strategy. A rwd transaxle model would have stood out like a sore thumb, and wouldn't have fitted with the new range of sensible, practical VWs

 

 

I'm only going by what I've read in books on the subject - I seem to have acquired a number of volumes on the subject of the Porsche transaxle models (some of which I've even got round to reading!), and this one claims it was going to be a VW to start with. However, the story is always slightly different depending on which book you read...

[Paul Dupart]

was the driver legless? 

 

 

 

No, he always drove like that....