Small sports cars

[garethj]

Inspired by barrett’s fine job on another thread, here’s the opportunity to say which compact sports car you like. We’ll do grand tourers elsewhere so keep your Citroen SM and Bitter on the boil until then.

 

Small sporty cars are in some ways the peak of shite evolution back in the day; they took humble mechanical bits and clothed them in something that made the result noisier, less reliable, sometimes worse looking and less practical. What’s not to love?

 

Melkus RS1000

 

It’s got a 3 cylinder 2 stroke Wartburg engine of almost a litre and uses a fairly simple chassis under a fantastic bodyshell with gullwing doors. Made from 1969 to 1973, and even though the spares situation must be dire, I’d love one dearly.

 

They used to make racing cars too, as this brilliant poster shows

 

 

Mazda AZ-1

One of the Japanese Kei cars, and taking the Suzuki engine they used in the Cappuccino, this proves you can have something fabulously futuristic as a production car.

 

 

Panhard 24

 

The –C means coupe (25cm shorter wheelbase than the – and T means Tigre, the higher powered engine. A 24CT packs 60bhp from its 850cc engine but its good aerodynamics and high gearing means it could do 40mpg along the fast French roads. They made less sense in Britain, and were priced very high. Occasionally I see one on ebay.fr and think.....

 

 

Opel GT

This might look like a Corvette, but it’s tiny! The headlights rotate instead of popping up for extra coolness. I’m sure the armchair experts will say the old 1900cc Opel engine is rough and doesn’t make much power, but it looks fabulous. I wonder if there’s such a thing as a non-rusty one?

 

 

Reliant Scimitar SS1

 

I’ve chosen this view because it shows how really ugly they are. No point trying to disguise the fact, it’s not a looker which is a bit odd for a sports car. However the big Scimitar was a good old thing and Reliant thought that a smaller sports car would be brilliant. XR2 engine wasn’t much if I remember road tests of the time, but the Nissan turbo was supposed to be much more like it.

 

Finally, what the budding sports car owner had if he couldn’t afford a dodgy fibreglass body

[barrett]

Excellent! One of my favourite subjects. Gotta agree with all your choices with the possible exception of the SS1. Even as a massive Reliant apologist I just can't get over how wrong they look... but then I've never been a huge fan of wedgie styling even when done well.

 

Anyway, I'd nominate the SOVAM range, Renault 4 based and GRP bodied French whotsits from the 60s. there is just something about the styling I really like, I think it's the fact that it's all a bit awkward and nothing seems to fit, yet somehow it all coheres quite well. The choice of powertrain also gives it some Shite kudos. Decide for yourself;

 

Another one I've always had a yearning for is the Unipower GT. Hot Mini engine and gubbins mounted backwards behind the seats wrapped in a lovely 'mini GT40' shell. Probably the best known and most desireable Min-based special therefore will always be out of my price range.

[RedSparrow]

I think you can still get your Melkus serviced etc. The designer now runs a BMW franchise with his son, making track day versions of new beemers. I believe his garage still looks after Melkus 1000s too.

 

They are super. Just goes to show what is possible with even the smallest engine.

 

EDIT: Oh shit they have started making them again:

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.melkus.de%2Fsportwagen&act=url

 

I want one!

[scooters]

what you need SirTainley is the Westfield SEi

 

the i means thagt it is a widebodied westie- a good few inches wider than the Lotus 7/caterham specced car with an adjustable pedal box - I had one and my 20 stone 6 ft 5 mate could drive it no probs

 

Sportscars for the more traditionally built gent

[warren t claim]

The front screen on that SOVAM is clearly a rear screen from something more common. Any guesses as to what?

[ChinaTom]

 

FSO

[trigger]

Toyota Sera by yasutani, on Flickr

 

I vote for the Toyota Sera, Mostly because of those crazy gullwing doors.

[barrett]

The front screen on that SOVAM is clearly a rear screen from something more common. Any guesses as to what?

 

Renner Floride.

 

That FSO Syrena Sport is a fascinating tale C-T. Built by hand by workers in the Syrena factory, it was briefly shown but then ordered to be destroyed as it was considered that a sports car was too decadant for the Polish workers to own! A real shame, such a nice looking car

[ChinaTom]

Poor ol' Poles eh? Reminds me of the stories of Castro imprisoning some of his lieutenants for a month for putting radio's in their Ladas as he described radios in cars as decadence.

[messerschmitt owner]

P1000246 by messerschmitt owner, on Flickr

 

small sports cars are cool!

 

Hence why I have two!

 

berkeley B95 & T60 by messerschmitt owner, on Flickr

 

Berkeley B95 2 by messerschmitt owner, on Flickr

 

P1000288 by messerschmitt owner, on Flickr

 

messerschmitt kr200 & Tg500 by messerschmitt owner, on Flickr

[Rusty Pelican]

Ginetta G15 , tiny , quick ,RWD and fibreglass bodied

 

[warren t claim]

Elva Courier.

 

Darrian/Davrian.

 

Clan Crusader.

 

[pogweasel]

Would I get tarred and feathered for suggesting a Spitfire or Midget??

 

All these 'specials' and low-volume oddities have cult followings of Men With Beards, and are usually pretty pricey to aquire these days despite being hewn from solid shite.

However you can get into one of these leyland-era horrors for less than 4 figures. RWD, lightweight and robust, proven tunable grubby bits... Terryfying on a motorway but a leafy country B-road and that's some value fun. Plus available in a range of horrible BL seventies shades...

[Rusty Pelican]

Not at all Pog , id love a " round arch " Midget . Getting a bit pricy though , perfect open topped fun

[RedSparrow]

I agree, a Midget needing minor work for less than a grand is a lot of fun for the money. I have a feeling prices won't stay low for much longer though.

[Guest]

Fabulous thread.

 

I shall dig around in my bucket of mystery to see what I can find for you.

 

K Cars and JDM Precedent

 

We shall start in Japan, where the Kei jeidosha tax restriction produced some imaginative thinking at the beginning of the 90's. The aforementioned AZ 1 we've already seen. That car was based on the earlier AZ 550 Sports concept that appeared at the 1986 Tokyo. It was built away from the main Hofu plant and was farmed out to Mazda's Autozam outfit - a series production specialist. The 657cc engine was shared with the Suzuki Cappuccino, a car we shall get to now....

 

 

If ever there was a modern interpretation of the MG Midget, this was it. Near perfect weight distribution, RWD and a bike derived triple. Unlike its Beat and AZ-1 contemporaries the Cappuccino made it through Type Approval and was sold officially in the UK for a little while. There's still a thriving tuning scene for these, and 120 mph is possible if the home market speed restrictor is removed. They're widely used as time attack cars, and at least one has been privy to a Hayabusa engine conversion.

 

 

 

 

A Cappuccino has even featured in Initial D : Fourth Stage although its actual worth in a touge battle has been somewhat exaggerated. Mr. Shigeno has the little roadster down as near unbeatable in the right hands.....

 

I came rather close to buying a rough one of these recently. They're rather prone to the tin worm. I'd have one over an MX-5 any day of the week.

 

Historically, the Cappuccino wasn't the first Oriental alternative to the Midget. Below we have its mid engined contemporary, the Honda Beat:

 

 

Delving back further, we find another offering from Honda - the S600 and S800.

 

 

The earlier cars married intricate engines to a ladder chassis, and in the case of the S600, a sprocket axle as a rear differential. The S800 was imported to the UK in tiny numbers, and at present a Retro Rides member is fitting a coupe with an S2000 engine.

 

 

Speaking of Japanese home market efforts, let's not for the Toyota Sports 600 \ 800 of similar vintage. These were based on the company's Publica saloon.

 

France

 

Slightly closer to home now, we find that the humble 4CV and Dauphine sired innumerable roadsters and coupes, some better known than others. The most well known was Jean Redele's Alpine marque, beginning with the A106, progressing through to the A108 and peaking with the A110 before being replaced with the V6 and 1600 A310 in 1972.

 

 

 

A106 (the latter is a model from the fabulous OttoMobile resin catalogue).

 

 

A108. At the front it could easily pass for an A110 to the untrained eye. The main difference is in the enclosed headlights, as well as the rear end which bore more than a passing resemblance to a Floride.

 

 

A110. Built all over the world, including Dieppe, Bulgaria, Spain and Brazil (under FASA Renault), with numerous rally victories to its name.

 

Two small 4CV specials that emerged in the immediate post war period was the VP Sports and the Autobleu. The latter created a record breaking Le Mans entry.

 

 

VP Sports

 

 

Autobleu.

 

Brazil

 

But what of the Beetle, you ask. Has that produced any interesting sportscars?

 

If we ignore VW do S.A's SP2 series, and the tragic Siva kitcars of the 70's, the Beetle has given us one or two gems, namely the Puma GT. This started life initially as a FWD coupe \ roadster powered by DKW Malzoni components. Later on the whole design migrated over to the Fusca floorpan and adopted its running gear. I think it's one of the most gorgeous cars to come of Latin America, and has more than a hint of Lotus Europa \ DG \ Alpine A110 about it:

 

 

 

[Negative Creep]

Can't believe we haven't had these yet

 

 

 

Surely the grimmest sports car of recent times

 

Or

 

 

One of the most pathetic attempts at pretending to be sporty

 

 

 

Worst. Facelift. Ever.

[barrett]

I thought this was for cars we actually liked though? and the SS1 is on the first page...

 

Some superb choices there Wat, I'd happily own any of those little beauties. The VP sports is pretty obscure I have to say, and that one looks a little different from the one I've seen before - there is a whiff of NSU Prinz around the rear windows no?

 

Don't forget before the S600 there was the S360 which was a true Kei car - much nicer styling on those early cars with the circular rear lights, I always thought the detailing on the S800 let it down a bit. The one over on RR is going to be insane when it's done.

[Quintus]

I remember reading somewhere that when the Honda S600 first appeared a group of engineers - from Germany I think - couldn't quite believe that the engine would rev as high as it could. They acquired an engine from Honda, attached is to a test rig and got it up to 13,000rpm before the test rig broke

 

Not sure if that's a motoring myth or not, but I hope it's true.

[RedSparrow]

I'm gonna put this here:

 

 

TR7 (this one is mine). Surely worth a mention as it's the second to last mass manufactured British sports car - sold more than the MGF/TF!

[Formula Autos]

I've always fancied turning a knackered old Midget into one of these:

An Ashley GT. A sort of comprehensive bodykit for prettying up a Spridget.

http://www.ashleygt.co.uk/

A magic mix of BL shite and "shed built special" curiosity value.

They don't seem cheap though, so maybe they're not actually that shite.

[barrett]

Egad! How could I forget this, surely one the best repackaging jobs ever done - take a Triumph Herald and unbolt the bodywork and replace it with a gorgeous glassfibre coupe body... mmmmm!

[Guest]

[messerschmitt owner]

interestingly, the MGF/TF is an upscaled Honda Beat - the design is the same, just enlarged!

[Tayne]

.

[RedSparrow]

Hey what's that Evante thing? I assume Lotus didn't make it?

[Tayne]

.

[Tayne]

.

[ChinaTom]

I would use this as another excuse to lob up a Geely Beauty Leopard, but Photobucket keeps crashing my system.

[meggersdog]

A Turner sportscar for me please