I saw An Car but what was it? - Mystery SOLVED!

[sdkrc]

[sdkrc]

@Split_Pin's Camry suggestion sounds closest to me. Most likely to be in the UK too

[Ghosty]

[vulgalour]

None of the above, sadly.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Australian Mitsubishi Magna, perhaps?

[sdkrc]

 

[Asimo]

Escort?

[rob88h]

Was it the mighty Suzuki Baleno estate, but you were closer to it rather than it being big? There are a couple of facelifts but this generation has the flattest lights.

[vulgalour]

I haven't been able to draw what I saw but I have been able to make this from the various suggestions in thread.  This is the closest I can get to what I remember so while the details aren't exact, the proportions are about what it was.  Used the smooth Stagea as a base and it still needed a lot of altering to get it close to what I remember.

The key thing is that sort of vacant looking front end.  That's the thing that made it jump out so much in traffic combined with just how non-styled the whole thing was.  Here's a before of the Stagea for reference too, so you can see how much I've actually had to change and why I don't think it was a Stagea.

[Datsuncog]

Looks a bit like a Fuckington Mullet Shooting Brake to me.

[dollywobbler]

Toyota Probox?

By the way, this problem you're having was basically me for three months in New Zealand. Every day. 

[Spottedlaurel]

Ah yes, a Sunbeam Alpine conversion perhaps?

I can't get onto my Flickr account at present, I have a photo of one there, but what about Honda Avancier? Not the recent/current SUV, but the 1999-2003 version:

[barrett]

Both E100 and E110 Corollas could be had with different 'faces' than the ones we are used to, which sort of sound a bit like what you're describing...

 

[vulgalour]

Those Corollas are using a lot of the same style* language and proportions as what I saw, but it's not right.  Still, it's been fun seeing all these cars I've never seen before.

[Ghosty]

 

[tooSavvy]

Ha.. dash-cam 😉.... Lifesaver!

*assuming you were in car/in field of vision.

[loserone]

43 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

 

Such a good colour that.  

 

Subaru though, never again.

[Asimo]

3 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Toyota Probox?

By the way, this problem you're having was basically me for three months in New Zealand. Every day. 

Or it's up-market twin, the Renoca Eurobox. 

 

 

 

[martc]

It cccccccan't be? Can it? (the one on the left)

[Blue 850]

Mazda 626?

[morrisoxide]

Kia Joice?

[vulgalour]

That might actually be what it was!  The 'face' looks right and some image searching highlights some of them have quite plain bodies and bumpers, some don't have the roof bars, but otherwise that's so close to what I saw that I think that's what it was and I've never heard of one of those before.

[vulgalour]

Actually, I'm 99.9% sure it's a Kia Joice now.  This one is the same colour, a similar angle to the one I saw, and looks the right sort of 'big'.  A lot of the side details disappear making it look plainer than it is, the vestigial box arches look more like reflections which make it seem like it has no side mouldings or details, like the Stagea.  So yeah, pretty sure this is what I saw, and I've never, ever heard of one.

[Timewaster]

Are you sure they weren't filming a car insurance commercial nearby? 

[morrisoxide]

Crikey what do I win? A Citizen ana-digi temp watch surely? 

I guess the years of looking at oddball imports at/for work is finally paying off.

I can get away with looking at some right oddball cars and saying, so and so is wanting us to convert the speedometer face.

[320touring]

Woohoo!

 

Double win - you got an answer, and I got to discover hundreds of grim estates to contemplate

[chaseracer]

1 hour ago, 320touring said:

...grim estates to contemplate

Speaking of... 

...how's the Oxford doing?

😉

[vulgalour]

2 hours ago, morrisoxide said:

I guess the years of looking at oddball imports at/for work is finally paying off.

When I was looking at photos they seem popular in Poland and Russia.  That makes sense, there's quite a few Polish registered cars locally so it's probable someone has imported it, or brought it with them, from Poland.  Top marks though, treat yourself to a Freddo.