What's this?

[Richard]

I came across this on Flickr and I can't work out what it is.

 

 

 

My first thought was Polonez but it's fwd. Then I thought Fiat 128 3P but it's a 5 door. Any ideas?

[ashmicro]

Renner 19?

[trigger]

Renault 20/30?

[Richard]

Not a 20/30, they had longitudinal engines. R19 is a possibility but it seems a bit too boxy to me.

[Mr Lobster]

Fairly sure its not an R19. Not really sure what it is though.

[Richard]

It's only about 25 miles away, I might be forced to see for myself.

[Vin]

There is a little bit of a 'grill' hiding under the wood, at the back of the rear side window on the 'C' pillar. Could be an identifier???

 

I've no idea though. Sorry.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Earnshaw Diamond

[barrett]

Looks like an early Pony to me, but they weren't FWD were they?

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

That was my first thought too, but they are very definitely RWD.

[r.welfare]

Datsun Cherry - late 70's/early 80's model?

[Tayne]

.

[Richard]

Is a at Saab 900 4-door?

Not with a transverse engine.

 

Datsun Cherry - late 70's/early 80's model?

I think it might be, I will have to go and look for it anyway I think.

[Barry Cade]

Datsun Cherry - late 70's/early 80's model?

Yup, I'd say N10 Cherry too. Quarter panel looks right, Mc Pherson struts on the front,and engine looks Cherry too.

 

[Mr H Sceptre]

Think you might be correct re. the Cherry.

[Spottedlaurel]

I'd be inclined to agree on N10 too, based on the everything-in-blue interior and highback seats as well the points noted above.

[dollywobbler]

Some impressive shite deduction!

[Station]

Has the engine sunk forwards?

[Formula Autos]

Possibilities ruled out at an early stage:

 

Alfa 33 - no grille behind the doors and a bit of a notchback. The shape of the mystery car looks as if the tailgate would have had no flat 'top' surface below the back window.

 

Skoda Favorit - probably too small, and the sides are more sharply creased than the one photographed.

 

Golf - Mk1 had too small a C pillar, and the Mk2 too upright a C pillar.

 

Astra - Mk1 had a big grille in the C pillar, and Mk2 too blobbily shaped to be this mystery car.

 

Lancia Delta perhaps?

 

 

A possibility. It has the grilles behind the back doors, but it doesn't look right to me. I also suspect it's too small.

 

Alfasud then?

 

 

There's the little grille, but the doors look the wrong shape to me. The mystery car's a bit 'squarer' than a 'sud.

 

Ritmo then?

 

 

Nope. No little grilles.

 

Did SEAT add them to the Malaga/Ronda though?

 

 

Nope. No luck there either.

 

How about the Talbot Horizon?

 

 

Bugger. No little grilles. Still, I managed to find an excuse to post a photo of one.

 

Back to the Cherry I suppose then.

 

 

OOOOOH! Looking promising. The little grilles are there. AND I managed to find a picture of a brown one, with grotty mis-matched wheels FTW.

But hang on - it still doesn't quite look as if it could be the one. There's a crease behind the back door that I don't think's on our mystery car.

 

It could still be a Cherry though, as these have little grilles behind the back doors:

 

 

Which means it could also be an Alfa:

 

 

Though the back wing doesn't quite look right on those either.

 

So a Renault 19 then?

 

 

No little grille there - at least not with the doors shut.

 

An '80s Colt then?

 

 

No grille there either, but there is a black blanking strip behind the back door, which may cover a grille. So perhaps I've arrived at a maybe?

 

Or did I dismiss the Mk1 Golf too soon?

 

 

The C pillar looks right. Was there a little grille/vent obscured by a closed back door by any chance?

 

Such logic also brings the Horizon back into contention. Look closely at the photo I've posted - there's something black tucked just inside the back door. Could THAT be our vent?

 

All we know is it's a five door car, probably about Escort sized, with a big C-pillar (i.e. a 'four light' rather than 'six light' bodyshell), available in silver, transverse engined, with Maccie strut front suspension, and it might have a little vent visible behind the back doors.

 

Could someone just trudge out to it and look at the VIN plate and/or badges and put us out of our misery?

[Rusty Pelican]

Theres a sissor action rear window winder in the second pic , havnt seen anything like it before , must be a clue

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

There's a crease behind the back door that I don't think's on our mystery car.

I reckon it's a dent, man!

 

Could someone just trudge out to it and look at the VIN plate and/or badges and put us out of our misery?

Go on Richard!

[Richard]

Tiff X1/9 is closest, it's in Blairadam woods.

[Lord Sterling]

I wonder how it got there and how long its been there?

 

Stolen car? Stolen in the mid 90s perhaps?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Its defo not an alfa sud or 33, mainly because it doesnt look owt like one, but also cos it has a transverse OHV engine. I think its an N10 cherry.