The "WTF is that?" thread

[Missy Charm]

  On 18/06/2024 at 18:04, Pieman said:

Spotted in the Rozzer Shite thread - wossis?



 

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It's a 1965 Brasinca Uirapuru.  Brazilian, yes, but not VW based.  The Uirapuru was, in fact, powered by a Chevrolet straight six engine and was reasonably fast.  The picture above doesn't really show it, but the styling is best described as 'fake Jensen Interceptor'.

Here are some more photos:

p.s. I cheated with this one.

[High Jetter]

  On 18/06/2024 at 20:42, Missy Charm said:

a Chevrolet straight six engine and was reasonably fast.  The picture above doesn't really show it, but the styling is best described as 'fake Jensen Interceptor'.

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I was getting Scimitar vibes from the front, but the rear does look Jensen

[RoadworkUK]

Turns out that police breadvan was a one-off variation.

Wonder if it's still out there somewhere?

[vulgalour]

Has hints of Trident Clipper about it too.

[martc]

Any idea what this was? We're on a beach near Noo Yoik, looks like the '70's from the clothes.

Is it a Triumph Spitfire?

[Mr Pastry]

  On 23/06/2024 at 15:57, martc said:

Any idea what this was? We're on a beach near Noo Yoik, looks like the '70's from the clothes.

Is it a Triumph Spitfire?

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Yes, Mk 3 I think.

[Madman Of The People]

  On 03/06/2024 at 16:39, bunglebus said:

Dashcam capture - any ideas?

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  On 03/06/2024 at 17:12, artdjones said:

 

Looks like a Lincoln MKZ

I 

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  On 11/06/2024 at 16:39, LightBulbFun said:

just a 2L Petrol! far cry from the big V8's of yesteryear, very curiously been here since new tho! but that seems to jog a memory, the small engine size and here since new, weren't there a bunch of Lincoln's destined for China or such that somehow ended up stuck here in the UK and where being flogged off for cheap?

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Just to add further disappointment for some of you, there's a fifth generation Ford Mondeo lurking underneath that Lincoln.  Yes, that means it's front wheel drive.

FYI, Lincoln discontinued their remaining saloons (the MKZ and Continental) in 2020 and now only produce crossovers/SUVs that are little more than tarted-up Fords.  There are no more stand-alone Lincoln dealers.  These days, the only place you'll find a Lincoln showroom is in an annex tacked onto the side of of a Ford dealership.  Even then, only a small minority of Ford dealers sell Lincoln and many who do have been dropping the brand because they can't sell enough units to justify the effort.

Sales have been in the doldrums for years and the brand is totally irrelevant.  Lincoln as a brand doesn't resonate with anyone under retirement age and I don't see that changing, ever.

https://www.thedrive.com/features/what-happened-to-lincoln

 

[SunnySouth]

  On 24/06/2024 at 05:04, Madman Of The People said:

Just to add further disappointment for some of you, there's a fifth generation Ford Mondeo lurking underneath that Lincoln.  Yes, that means it's front wheel drive.

FYI, Lincoln discontinued their remaining saloons (the MKZ and Continental) in 2020 and now only produce crossovers/SUVs that are little more than tarted-up Fords.  There are no more stand-alone Lincoln dealers.  These days, the only place you'll find a Lincoln showroom is in an annex tacked onto the side of of a Ford dealership.  Even then, only a small minority of Ford dealers sell Lincoln and many who do have been dropping the brand because they can't sell enough units to justify the effort.

Sales have been in the doldrums for years and the brand is totally irrelevant.  Lincoln as a brand doesn't resonate with anyone under retirement age and I don't see that changing, ever.

https://www.thedrive.com/features/what-happened-to-lincoln

 

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Makes you wonder why they bother to still make the things. ‘Merica seems to have much higher tolerance of pointless, dying old marques than we have over here, if that was the UK the plug would have been long since pulled!

[SunnySouth]

  On 23/06/2024 at 15:57, martc said:

Any idea what this was? We're on a beach near Noo Yoik, looks like the '70's from the clothes.

Is it a Triumph Spitfire?

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That looks fucking delightful. I’m glad I wasn’t around for the 70s, aside from the hippy shagging movement the rest of it looks shit!

[Madman Of The People]

  On 24/06/2024 at 05:20, SunnySouth said:

Makes you wonder why they bother to still make the things. ‘Merica seems to have much higher tolerance of pointless, dying old marques than we have over here, if that was the UK the plug would have been long since pulled!

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The 2008-09 recession culled a lot of pointless brands in America, such as Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, Mercury, and Isuzu.   Suzuki's North American sales channel threw in the towel, too.  Unfortunately, the world lost Saab around the same time.  Plymouth and Oldsmobile had fallen by the the wayside before the recession but neither had been relevant in decades.

Look to Stellantis (AKA Franco-Italian Leyland) in the near future to see more soon-to-be-dead brands get the chop.  Chrysler, Dodge, and Lancia are certainly on borrowed time!

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

  On 18/06/2024 at 20:42, Missy Charm said:

It's a 1965 Brasinca Uirapuru.  Brazilian, yes, but not VW based.  The Uirapuru was, in fact, powered by a Chevrolet straight six engine and was reasonably fast.  The picture above doesn't really show it, but the styling is best described as 'fake Jensen Interceptor'.

Here are some more photos:

 

p.s. I cheated with this one.

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Looks like a Studebaker Avanti from the rear

[Adrian_pt]

These are all from old Romania - and have completely stumped me. I wouldn't let the Iron Curtain location limit ideas on what they might be - plenty of weird and wonderful stuff found its way over there.  For photos 1, 2, and 5, I'm after the ID of the coupes; photo 4 is the slightly streamlined saloon right at the back and photo 6 is the Seventies looking saloon in front of the Moskvich. Photo3 may well be a terrible picture of a Skoda but somehow doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance!

[MiniMinorMk3]

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

These are all from old Romania - and have completely stumped me. I wouldn't let the Iron Curtain location limit ideas on what they might be - plenty of weird and wonderful stuff found its way over there.  For photos 1, 2, and 5, I'm after the ID of the coupes; photo 4 is the slightly streamlined saloon right at the back and photo 6 is the Seventies looking saloon in front of the Moskvich. Photo3 may well be a terrible picture of a Skoda but somehow doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

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That's an Innocenti 950 Coupe. Innocentis take on the Austin Healey Sprite. They also came in a Spider version.

[MiniMinorMk3]

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

These are all from old Romania - and have completely stumped me. I wouldn't let the Iron Curtain location limit ideas on what they might be - plenty of weird and wonderful stuff found its way over there.  For photos 1, 2, and 5, I'm after the ID of the coupes; photo 4 is the slightly streamlined saloon right at the back and photo 6 is the Seventies looking saloon in front of the Moskvich. Photo3 may well be a terrible picture of a Skoda but somehow doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looks like a 1959 Octavia to me.

[martc]

Isn't it a

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

. Photo3 may well be a terrible picture of a Skoda but somehow doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

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Could it be a Wartburg 311?

[MiniMinorMk3]

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

These are all from old Romania - and have completely stumped me. I wouldn't let the Iron Curtain location limit ideas on what they might be - plenty of weird and wonderful stuff found its way over there.  For photos 1, 2, and 5, I'm after the ID of the coupes; photo 4 is the slightly streamlined saloon right at the back and photo 6 is the Seventies looking saloon in front of the Moskvich. Photo3 may well be a terrible picture of a Skoda but somehow doesn't seem right. Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

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1964 Opel Rekord?

[martc]

^^ funny, I was thinking Vauxhall Cresta or Viscount, but the rear lights are wrong, however an Opel cousin is a good shout.

[Pieman]

#6 is definitely an Opel.  #3 I thought could be a Warczawa but that Wartburg seems a good match.

[MiniMinorMk3]

  On 11/07/2024 at 11:20, martc said:

Isn't it a

Could it be a Wartburg 311?

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  On 11/07/2024 at 12:01, Pieman said:

#6 is definitely an Opel.  #3 I thought could be a Warczawa but that Wartburg seems a good match.

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It's not the Wartburg, not enough side windows for it to be one. 

[RayMK]

#1   No idea what the coupe is.

#2   Plymouth of some sort?  Confidence <20% (Photo added)

#3   I get the Skoda and Warczawa vibes but there's something odd about the photograph, making it difficult to identify with any confidence.

#4  No idea.

#5  Agree with @MiniMinorMk3

#6  Agree with @MiniMinorMk3

@Adrian_pt In other words I'm pretty much as stumped as you for 1-4 😀.

[Pete-M]

  On 11/07/2024 at 14:03, RayMK said:

#1   No idea what the coupe is.

#2   Plymouth of some sort?  Confidence <20% (Photo added)

#3   I get the Skoda and Warczawa vibes but there's something odd about the photograph, making it difficult to identify with any confidence.

#4  No idea.

#5  Agree with @MiniMinorMk3

#6  Agree with @MiniMinorMk3

@Adrian_pt In other words I'm pretty much as stumped as you for 1-4 😀.

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Valiant Signet?

[barrett]

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

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Staring at these grainy old pics makes me doubt even the most obvious solution because everything looks so weird. But I think that one really is just a Peugeot 403 with the light falling on the rear wing a bit strangely...

[Jon]

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

These are all from old Romania - and have completely stumped me. 

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I reckon this is a Renault Floride, with all the really identifiable bits hidden - which I daresay isn't a bad thing...

 

This stubby 2dr thing has got me stumped:

It's similarly dimensioned to a R12/Dacia and has a very short rear glass, so I did wonder if it's a 2dr Taunus of some sort.

But it also has quite US inspired lines, so my placeholder answer for now is an AMC American:

I'm wondering if shading like the above is making the window seem smaller and the C pillar seem thicker?

Here's a terrible crop, as part of my defence:

Verdict: 54% odds, I reckon. Though AMC and Renault had some close ties back then, so that might bolster the explanation.

[High Jetter]

  On 11/07/2024 at 19:34, Jon said:

I reckon this is a Renault Floride, with all the really identifiable bits hidden - which I daresay isn't a bad thing...

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Floride's are a lovely shape, IMHO. Windscreen trim & quarterlight trim are parallel on them though...

 

...unless the door is open...?

[MiniMinorMk3]

  On 11/07/2024 at 08:35, Adrian_pt said:

 

 

 

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  On 11/07/2024 at 15:59, barrett said:

Staring at these grainy old pics makes me doubt even the most obvious solution because everything looks so weird. But I think that one really is just a Peugeot 403 with the light falling on the rear wing a bit strangely...

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FSO Syrena 103

or Borward Hansa 1500

 

[martc]

What's this?

Turns out it's a FIAT 850 Bertone spider.

Edited July 12, 2024 by martc
Answered my own question.

[Adrian_pt]

  On 11/07/2024 at 19:34, Jon said:

I reckon this is a Renault Floride, with all the really identifiable bits hidden - which I daresay isn't a bad thing...

 

This stubby 2dr thing has got me stumped:

It's similarly dimensioned to a R12/Dacia and has a very short rear glass, so I did wonder if it's a 2dr Taunus of some sort.

But it also has quite US inspired lines, so my placeholder answer for now is an AMC American:

I'm wondering if shading like the above is making the window seem smaller and the C pillar seem thicker?

Here's a terrible crop, as part of my defence:

Verdict: 54% odds, I reckon. Though AMC and Renault had some close ties back then, so that might bolster the explanation.

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That's a good shout and I thought it looked very AMC too. Or a Plymouth Valiant of 1967/8 vintage...

[martc]

Where in De Panne, Belgium and as you can see from the wet road it's the summer of 1960. But what on earth is the 'car' on the right, behind the Beetle?

[Metal Guru]

  On 25/08/2024 at 15:17, martc said:

Where in De Panne, Belgium and as you can see from the wet road it's the summer of 1960. But what on earth is the 'car' on the right, behind the Beetle?

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I think Noddy and Big Ears have parked to go shopping.

[Missy Charm]

  On 25/08/2024 at 15:17, martc said:

Where in De Panne, Belgium and as you can see from the wet road it's the summer of 1960. But what on earth is the 'car' on the right, behind the Beetle?

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I'd hazard a guess that it's not a car in the true sense, but instead a pedal-powered conveyance.  The Belgians have a love of grown-up pedal cars that endures to this day.  I saw plenty in De Panne when holidaying there, although the modern ones are purpose built and look like Fred Flintstone's car.