The "WTF is that?" thread

[bunglebus]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F312929698581

[chaseracer]

So, if I understand correctly... a sectioned Cortina shell, welded where it touches to an MX5 platform, with a Mondeo motor.

Acksherley no, that sounds all right - where do I sign?!

?

[gm]

Defo an mx5 engine (mk2) 

[lesapandre]

"...ebay rules and Welshing"

 

[Austat]

On 1/2/2020 at 10:47 AM, quicksilver said:

A customised Granada Cardinal hearse. All pretty normal from here...

 

Oh, okay, it's a Capranada! A difficult transplant, especially as the Granada is significantly wider than the Capri, and nicely done but it does seem to be an entirely pointless exercise. Dead weird.

Reminds me of this, the Caprina.

[Austat]

Discovered this interesting Renault 5 van conversion...

Turns out it's by a company I haven't heard of before, Durisotti. At first I thought it was a conversion by one of the more common French car conversion groups for commercial vehicles such as Heuliez or Teilhol, as they seemed the most likely to do something like this. Durisotti is known for oddities such as this beauty based on a Renault Master. 

[mitsisigma01]

And they all waved at you or were they asking for help 

[martc]

11 minutes ago, Austat said:

After some research, turns out it's by a conversion company I haven't heard of before, Durisotti. I thought it was conversion by one of the more common French car conversion groups for commercial vehicles such as Heuliez or Teilhol, as they seemed the most likely to do a conversion like this. Durisotti is known for oddities such as this beauty based on a Renault Master. 

Beat me to it by a few seconds!! Here's their website, still in business - http://www.durisotti.com/

A quick look at the website doesn't show anything particularly whaky but it looks like they are the company responsible for the  Dacia police cars seen around France now-a-days.

[Austat]

Just now, martc said:

Beat me to it by a few seconds!! Here's their website, still in business - http://www.durisotti.com/

A quick look at the website doesn't show anything particualaly whaky but it looks like they are the company responsible for the  Dacia police cars seen around France now-a-days.

Reading the wikipedia page, one of their specialities is conversions for the police force. The first exports outside of France were Peugeot J7 minibuses that were used in Sweden due to their wheelchair accessibility. 

I'm trying to think, what other french conversion companies are there in France? I'm aware of Teilhol, Heuliez, and now Durisotti, but I can't recall any others. Who made the Citroen CX Tissiers? Were they conversions done by Citroen themselves?

[martc]

4 minutes ago, Austat said:

 

I'm trying to think, what other french conversion companies are there in France? I'm aware of Teilhol, Heuliez, and now Durisotti, but I can't recall any others. Who made the Citroen CX Tissiers? Were they conversions done by Citroen themselves?

As far as I know the Citroen conversions were made by Pierre Tissier Coachbuilders - some info here - https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2019/10/07/six-wheeled-citroen-cx-tissier-custom-la-culture/

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I have a feeling that 'Gruau' is one of these companies

https://www.gruau.com/en/

[mitsisigma01]

I'm surprised that the French haven't rioted, blockaded and torched all Dacia or do they consider them French nowadays, I'm sure the police would all rather drive French Citroën Cactus instead of Romanian Dacia

[Austat]

On the topic of the Tissiers, how good is the Tissier Penthouse? Would like to know if it's still around. 

[Austat]

Can anyone identify this? I saw it on the front cover of a 70's edition of l'Auto-Journal:

[Datsuncog]

Any idea what date's on that copy of l'Auto-Journal?  Might help narrow it down a little.

The overall shape and size seems broadly reminiscent of the Renault R20/R30, but there aren't enough windows.

That horizontal pressing at the bottom of the doors is more consistent with the 5dr Mk1 VW Passat, but again - not nearly enough windows, and the bonnet profile and wheelarches are wrong.

I'm not sure whether I'm being unduly influenced by the numberplates and yellow lamps, but it does look French.

Possibly some sort of project to replace the dated and slow-selling Chrysler 180/Simca 1610, which was ultimately killed off by the acquisition of Chrysler Europe by PSA?

[Austat]

5 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

Any idea what date's on that copy of l'Auto-Journal?  Might help narrow it down a little.

The overall shape and size seems broadly reminiscent of the Renault R20/R30, but there aren't enough windows.

That horizontal pressing at the bottom of the doors is more consistent with the 5dr Mk1 VW Passat, but again - not nearly enough windows, and the bonnet profile and wheelarches are wrong.

I'm not sure whether I'm being unduly influenced by the numberplates and yellow lamps, but it does look French.

Possibly some sort of project to replace the dated and slow-selling Chrysler 180/Simca 1610, which was ultimately killed off by the acquisition of Chrysler Europe by PSA?

It's from February 1974, so the Chrysler 180 would of still been quite up-to-date. The front cover doesn't say which company came up with the prototype, so that isn't going to help. Here's the cover anyhow:

[Spiny Norman]

Early Renault 14 or 18 exercise? Door handles and wheels look Renault-ish though there's a hint of E12 BMW around the C pillar.

[JeeExEll]

This is what Renault were doing for R20 prototypes late 1974 / 75.

First thought about the blue mystery car was it's maybe an earlier version, but one earlier version of the R20 looked like this, which is quite different.

There's something slightly VW / Audi about the windows on the mystery car, but the Passat was already on sale in 1974. Do the door handles provide any clues? Maybe some sort of Peugeot 504 development?

[Mr Pastry]

Looks to me like  Simca 1307/Chrysler Alpine, windscreen shape and door handles?

[flat4alfa]

The inside front cover says (translated):

Our cover: One of the bodies under which the V6 engine was tested, which will be common to Peugeot 604, Renault 23 and Volvo 184

[flat4alfa]

44 minutes ago, JeeExEll said:

First thought about the blue mystery car was it's maybe an earlier version, but one earlier version of the R20 looked like this, which is quite different.

It must be a 'later version' as the 'R23' was on the cover the previous year, June 1973 (and had been hand-touched into blue for some reason!)

 

Our mystery 'Blue' car was on the February 1974 cover

Mystery car looks like a Bertone submission to me, perhaps one of Gandini's, as he liked opening up the window line as shown in his Fiat 128 Coupé Shopping (1969)

[barrett]

Wheels and hub caps look like Peugeot 504 to me. Maybe one of the 1971-74 Pug prototypes which ended up  being the 305. I think they tried saloon, hatch and coupe versions. 

[Datsuncog]

 

1 hour ago, Mr Pastry said:

Looks to me like  Simca 1307/Chrysler Alpine, windscreen shape and door handles?

A fair guess, though it seems that the three-window concept for the Alpine had already been agreed by September 1973, before any roadgoing prototypes appeared.

The PSA V6 link mentioned on the contents page is even more baffling.

Peugeot was still pretty avoidant of hatchbacks until the 1980s, and even then not for their bigger cars; there doesn't look to be much Volvo DNA in there; and Renault were clearly using different styling cues for their developing big hatch at the time.

This is probably going to bug me more than it should!

[Mr Pastry]

13 minutes ago, Datsuncog said:

 

A fair guess, though it seems that the three-window concept for the Alpine had already been agreed by September 1973, before any roadgoing prototypes appeared.

The PSA V6 link mentioned on the contents page is even more baffling.

Peugeot was still pretty avoidant of hatchbacks until the 1980s, and even then not for their bigger cars; there doesn't look to be much Volvo DNA in there; and Renault were clearly using different styling cues for their developing big hatch at the time.

This is probably going to bug me more than it should!

The window frames don't seem to follow the roof line, and that rear quarterlight is familiar, as is the shape of the front edge of the bonnet, but I can't place it.  Maybe it is Peugeot? 

[flat4alfa]

305 projet for 1972

504 was an old design by then. No similar 604 photo as far as I can gather 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 hours ago, Spiny Norman said:

Early Renault 14 or 18 exercise? Door handles and wheels look Renault-ish though there's a hint of E12 BMW around the C pillar.

I actually thought it looked like the first-generation Hyundai Pony.

[inconsistant]

 

 

 

 

 

A project by Oskar de Keifte. He also did a 928.

https://alpoma.info/machines/the-strange-case-of-the-porsche-running-in-reverse/

 

 

 

[bunglebus]

Volksworld28 by RS, on Flickr

[martc]

4 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

I actually thought it looked like the first-generation Hyundai Pony.

The Pony concept car was flippin' ace (had the look of a De Lorean about it rather than a Renault 20. Some details here -

https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankahrens/2019/09/06/hyundais-first-car-the-low-tech-pony-inspires-its-latest-the-high-tech-45-concept/

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, bunglebus said:

I hope he’s stopped that now