Forgotten Cars

[GrumpiusMaximus]

The MK1 Mitsubishi Space Wagon, whereby the styling department looked at a brick and collectively passed that over as the clay model:

When I was at Primary School, our neighbour two down had one and used to take me to school in it a couple of times a week.  My memories are vague but also that it was grim.  This same neighbour also ended going to study to be a Vicar.  Last I heard of her, she'd had an affair with the more senior Vicar...

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/no-regrets-say-married-priests-a48477/

[Soundwave]

I've mentioned Daihatsu before in this thread, but thinking about it, we might as well just say "Everything Daihatsu ever did apart from the Fourtrak and possibly the Copen".

The Move, Grand Move and YRV illustrate the point well.

[Nullzwei]

The BMW 1502. The 70's 'oil crisis' base model 02 made for just over a year between 1975-1977. Replaced in 1977 by the launch of the e21 3 series. There was also a 315 base e21 model but pretty sure this was not sold in the UK.

Base 1502 spec meant fixed front quarter light windows in black not chrome. Chrome waist trim delete. B post trim in black not chrome. No rev counter instead a clock. Detuned (shit Solex carb) 1600 cc M10 engine. The lack of chrome waist trim actually helped the 1502 not rust quite as much as posher 02's. The nicest 1502 i had was a 1976 mint green (mintgrun) model which had had lots of repair panels welded in by the PO. Stupidly i decided to respray it in chamonix white, because white is easier to spray, and then promptly flogged it for bugger all because i already had two other 02's. That car cost £100 in  the late 1990's.

 

[motorpunk]

15 minutes ago, Nullzwei said:

The BMW 1502. The 70's 'oil crisis' base model 02 made for just over a year between 1975-1977. Replaced in 1977 by the launch of the e21 3 series. There was also a 315 base e21 model but pretty sure this was not sold in the UK.

Base 1502 spec meant fixed front quarter light windows in black not chrome. Chrome waist trim delete. B post trim in black not chrome. No rev counter instead a clock. Detuned (shit Solex carb) 1600 cc M10 engine. The lack of chrome waist trim actually helped the 1502 not rust quite as much as posher 02's. The nicest 1502 i had was a 1976 mint green (mintgrun) model which had had lots of repair panels welded in by the PO. Cost in  the late 1990's £100.

 

The simplicity of that is lovely.

[Missy Charm]

28 minutes ago, Soundwave said:

I've mentioned Daihatsu before in this thread, but thinking about it, we might as well just say "Everything Daihatsu ever did apart from the Fourtrak and possibly the Copen'

The second hand car garage at Capel-St-Mary, visible from the A12, has had a Turbo 130 one of those for sale since the dawn of time.  Apparently all the turbo ones are automatic, which substantially reduces the appeal.  Perhaps that's why nobody wants it.  

[Nullzwei]

27 minutes ago, motorpunk said:

The simplicity of that is lovely.

Aye 02's are pretty cars. Here are mine from old photos (upside down for some reason?)

Both cars are 1502's. Red one alpina arches, zender front spoiler, 02 turbo rear spoiler running 1600cc on twin 40 Solex PHH carbs (from an NK2000ti) and the stock white one (originally mintgrun) had a 2 litre engine from a 2002.

 

[motorpunk]

[Stanky]

22 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

The second hand car garage at Capel-St-Mary, visible from the A12, has had a Turbo 130 one of those for sale since the dawn of time.  Apparently all the turbo ones are automatic, which substantially reduces the appeal.  Perhaps that's why nobody wants it.  

The turbo ones HAD to be automatic because none of the daihatsu gearboxes can cope with the torque and blow up!

[Pieman]

Whoever mentioned the Fiat 500L - I had a diesel one as a hire car in France last year, and it was the most gutless vehicle I've ever driven.  

As for some of the Far Eastern stuff, I commentate for the Hyundai Coupe Cup sometimes so still see them a lot, there's a Proton Coupe races with the Classic Sports Car Club's Tin Tops series, while Daihatsu also made the cool little Charade hatchback (pictured below) which did some rallying in the 1990s.  As for the Proton Impian, I remember the rather rubbish ones that raced in the BTCC in the early 2000s, but I have never ever seen one on the road.

[MiniMinorMk3]

15 hours ago, DVee8 said:

Audi 200

Audi V8

[JMotor]

12 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

@JMotor... weren't we talking about these at one point?

Aye. 

We were. I had one, 1.3 LE (I think).

After working on it, I started to wonder if KIA just took a Pride and extended it in bits. Aye, it was the cheapest Focus/Astra sized hatch you could buy. But it also felt cheap and slightly nasty. 

Can't believe I'm gonna say this, but my Nexia feels better made and is better to drive. Despite Daewoo using a design that first came out in 1984!

Give the Rio it's due though, it did amazing burnouts! 😆

[JMotor]

11 hours ago, Soundwave said:

Hey, remember when Proton did a rakish*, sporty* coupe? No? Neither does anyone else.

I do!

Owned both a Coupe and a Satria GTI. The coupe was the parts donor for the Satria.

Learned very quickly, they rot like fuck, mine was really badly rusted out. But still a strong following for them. So made my money back from breaking it.

I'm gonna chuck in another contender. 

Another Mitsubishi.

 

Remember these were every where. Thanks to Border cars pumping them out, but the cars quickly died off. Hardly see any about now.

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Renault saved themselves by selling Dacias in the UK, Citroen started with the C4 Cactus and DS3 and Fiat had the 500. 

The former 2 have done well to develop ranges out of these but what happened to Fiat 500X and 500L? I haven't seen an example of either in quite some time.

 

My Mum was still working for Fiat when the 500L came out. I got a seat in one at the dealership, a blue one. It wasn't that nice, seemed a stupid idea, hardly see them now.

The 500X I didn't gel with either, but only got to try those when working for AC later.

[De Selby]

14 hours ago, Soundwave said:

This is not the greatest car in the world, no. This is just a Tribute...

 

As far as I can tell, there are no Mazda Tributes currently on eBay or Autotrader.

 

There's one up the road from me, or was a few weeks ago. Very forgettable-looking in the flesh.

[sierraman]

Mitsubishi Sapporo, not the 2 door but the four door one, Chris Goffey reviewed one once on YouTube. Only sold for about 18 months. I would imagine completely extinct. 

[grogee]

Mitsubishi featuring heavily on this thread. Here's another. More boring than its Volvo S40 sister, quite some achievement. 

[Dick Longbridge]

Keeping it Mitsubishi, one of my colleagues has a Lancer GS2. Clunky looking thing and I reckon I can count on one hand how many I've seen in the metal. Future dodo material.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Nissan Cherry Europe

Alfa Romeo Arna

[MiniMinorMk3]

VW Golf Country

[MiniMinorMk3]

SAAB Lancia 600

[5speedracer]

14 hours ago, warch said:

That’s a fantastic choice, these were everywhere fifteen or so years ago, but you’d look twice if you saw one these days. See also the 

Hyundai Coupe or the

Always quite liked the Hyundai Coupe, did think about buying one of the earlier less curvy versions back in the day. the day being the early 90's I guess.

[Metal Guru]

16 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Nissan Cherry Europe

Alfa Romeo Arna

Ahh! The perfect combination of Nissan reliability and Alfa flair . What more could you ask for? They did WHAT!?

[warch]

12 minutes ago, 5speedracer said:

Always quite liked the Hyundai Coupe, did think about buying one of the earlier less curvy versions back in the day. the day being the early 90's I guess.

I do have a soft spot for obscure rally cars.

[MiniMinorMk3]

15 hours ago, warch said:

That’s a fantastic choice, these were everywhere fifteen or so years ago, but you’d look twice if you saw one these days. See also the 

Hyundai Coupe or the

 

 

High and Dry S-Coupe

[Nullzwei]

VW Vento. What was the point when there was the Jetta if you wanted a Golf saloon.

 

[horriblemercedes]

2 minutes ago, Nullzwei said:

VW Vento. What was the point when there was the Jetta if you wanted a Golf saloon.

 

Er, the Vento replaced the Jetta. They weren't sold as rivals or alternatives. Bora replaced the Vento and then the following generation was named Jetta again

[Nullzwei]

41 minutes ago, horriblemercedes said:

Er, the Vento replaced the Jetta. They weren't sold as rivals or alternatives. Bora replaced the Vento and then the following generation was named Jetta again

Cheers. Did not know that. Always thought it was odd VW never used the Corrado name again. Fabulous cars.

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, horriblemercedes said:

Er, the Vento replaced the Jetta. They weren't sold as rivals or alternatives. Bora replaced the Vento and then the following generation was named Jetta again

The Vento was still named Jetta in America. 

1 hour ago, Nullzwei said:

Cheers. Did not know that. Always thought it was odd VW never used the Corrado name again. Fabulous cars.

VW went back to Scirocco

[Spiny Norman]

7 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

The MK1 Mitsubishi Space Wagon, whereby the styling department looked at a brick and collectively passed that over as the clay model:

 

I remember a friend's dad had one of those back in the day. It was a sea of grey plastic, grey velour and grey carpets inside with only the hazard warning light button to give it a splash of colour.

There's another two cars on this page alone I've actually owned, the YRV and the Lancer. Got to do my bit to keep the flames burning... 😛

[Dobloseven]

4 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Keeping it Mitsubishi, one of my colleagues has a Lancer GS2. Clunky looking thing and I reckon I can count on one hand how many I've seen in the metal. Future dodo material.

Fellow down the road bought one to replace his diesel Type estate which was never the same after he drove it into some floodwater. Volkswagen diesel engine again,as per Grandis and Outlander.