Lonsdale spot...?

[mk2_craig]

Went to Cyprus in Sep, haven't posted me holiday snaps yet, they're nothing like as impressive as the fantastic scrapyard shots in the other thread, but I did clock this as I dropped off the hire car. Possibly a Lonsdale, but as I didn't get the chance to have a close-up look I'm basing that assertion purely on the fact that the grille badge isn't Mitsubishi.

 

Or is it something else?

 

Eddy - it's opposite Vannas Physics in Chlorakas...
 

[Shep Shepherd]

I think it might be just a Galant, as the Lonsdale had different badges on the grille and front wings and had no rear wing badges:

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... UK_mar.jpg

 

What a nice-looking car. I wonder if any survive in the UK?

[Guest]

That's the badge you get on Japanese Galants. I've got one, not fitted it though.

[eddyramrod]

That'll be this Vannas Physics...

Mr Vannas is my mate Constantinos (Costas) who gets the occasional mention in my postings! I'll see what I can find out about that car, I think it could be a Lonsdale. However Mitsubishi is big here, so it would have been a bit redundant.

 

In the pic above, the Capri was mine (now owned by Costas's brother) and the X1/9 is one of the extensive Vannas collection.

[Tayne]

.

[eddyramrod]

Costas is a Physics teacher. There's a lot of after-school education going on in Cyprus; a teacher can work in a state school in the mornings (hours are approx 0730-1300) and teach privately after hours, if he has access to somewhere he can set up a classroom. The storefront you see here used to be part of the family garage business; Costas, his parents and his other brother still live upstairs. Here's Costas with the ol' Capri...

[Tayne]

.

[eddyramrod]

It's actually made quite a respectable unit. Waiting area, private office, toilets and one classroom. Costas is kicking himself for not making the doors just that little bit wider though, he could have put a car on display inside! As it is, his office is lined with model rally cars, mostly bought through me on ebay. You'll remember I posted a pic of a white Talbot Sunbeam rally-replica, still under construction? That's his. Also the white Mk2 Escort I posted in "before" and "during" guises, and several others.

[Lukas]

Thats the japanese Mitsubishi-emblem from the early 80s, so no Lonsdale.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Aye, lots of grey import J-tat in Cyprus.

[eddyramrod]

Lots of grey-import everything! My Capri was a grey, brought in by a Cypriot in 1977, when it was six years old. My truck is too. It doesn't seem to matter so much here, although now that I have two cars that have been here from new, I'd like to keep that up with future purchases. We'll see, won't we!

 

And I spoke to Andreas (Costas's dad) about the "Lonsdale;" it's definitely a Galant.

[mk2_craig]

Ah, never mind. Though it's been long enough since I saw a Galant that age so that's good enough for me!

 

Although it's a rebadged Mitsubishi I think a Lonsdale estate would qualify as being in my top ten Holy Shite Grails. I have vivid memories of a light green one I used to see daily many years back. If you're going to find one anywhere though it would probably be Cyprus where an ex-pat took one 25 years ago

[shaun1706]

Ah, never mind. Though it's been long enough since I saw a Galant that age so that's good enough for me!

 

Although it's a rebadged Mitsubishi I think a Lonsdale estate would qualify as being in my top ten Holy Shite Grails. I have vivid memories of a light green one I used to see daily many years back. If you're going to find one anywhere though it would probably be Cyprus where an ex-pat took one 25 years ago

 

Agree with the above. It must be 25 years since I saw a Lonsdale badged car which would also be in my top ten of Holy Shite Grails!

[Guest]

The problem was that the unsold Lonsdales (which I believe were the vast, vast majority) were subsequently rebadged as Mitsubishi Sigma (even though you could still get the identical-looking Galant). If you see any of those, they were a Lonsdale. Though I've never seen one of those either.

[gricer]

Howmanyleft? says six "Lonsdale missing" still on the road, though the year of first registration stats suggests only one dates from even close to the actual import period (1987).

 

So there's your holy grail - there's one left. Probably. Possibly. Maybe.