How Bored Are We Today?

[v8s4me]

Alan461 said:

....Guess it could be a modified midget, the tail light looks mk1

Good guess http://car-from-uk.com/ebay/carphotos/full/ebay596... . Not exactly the same but close.

Yep, still bored!

[glenrobbo]

http://carpassionandmore.jimdo.com/blog/fastback-h...

I think the fastback hard top is an add-on. Something like one of the above perhaps???
It looks to me as if the rear end of the hard top is sitting above the boot ( trunk ) and it is not actually a Kamm tail.

Can I detect twin exhaust pipes under the rear valance RH side? I wonder if there are matching LH pipes hidden by the lamp post?

Strange position of overriders: and why are they and the rear bumper painted in body colour?

Is it an early 'vette that has been mucked about with? Or some obscure import?

[RayTVR]

Getting warmer - heres a midget with a 'Lenham' hard top - think this is pretty close window seems to taper in the same way

[greymrj]

Just noticed (what else to do while having a brew!) the car in the picture isnt Lenham or Ashley, the rear window has sharp corners at the top and what I think are hinges at the top. So need to look for a car with an opening glass panel in a fixed tail. Over to you!!!

[RayTVR]

It looks like a prototype for the Chrysler crossfire - but about 20 years too early. We do like a challenge on here..

[glenrobbo]

I was just going to mention the square corners.
The rear window panel is also flat on the mystery car, no curvature.
Like this?

[DamianS3]

RayTVR said:

It looks like a prototype for the Chrysler crossfire - but about 20 years too early. We do like a challenge on here..

That reminds me, while in LA I saw what looked like a Tamora but it was something else.. it just drove past maybe a Chrysler badge but not sure.

Ideas anyone.. it really did look Tamora from the front but no bonnet vent. And same proportions overall, even the back looked Tamora but without the diffuser.

Damian S3

[Deeman]

I reckon the rear wings are a bigger clue, hence why I was going the Merc 190sl route - but could it be one of these, with a bodgey GRP Convertible hard top attachment? . Nash Healey - the rear lights and wings look like the image in the parallax view..........

[Alan461]

Rear lights and wings maybe..
I think it's too modified to be able to get a posetive id, the roof looks like it's fabricated from flat sheet, rear window is also flat and too big, also the rear panel appears flat with a recess for the number plate. Doubt Warren would remember.
Best res I can get

[greymrj]

While I was having another brew and searching deeper into Google I was reminded of a car I actually saw at the NEC. So this is for those who didnt go to the NEC, or didnt see it. Believe it or not this is a British made car that actually went into (very small scale) production. It predates the TVR Grantura by 2 years. Thank heavens TVR didnt use the same body stylist!

[glenrobbo]

Richard, I think that is the car I drawed* when I was nearly four years old. You have to admire its' rakish lines

Nice to see it in the metal. Or fibreglass. Or cardboard. Whatever. Carbon fibre perhaps? Hand beaten aluminium?

I wonder if this is the secret car that everyone is talking about? You know, the one that is to be built in Wales?

• Well I wasn't quite four!

[greymrj]

I bet you wos drawing planes when you wos 4! Did you go round the playground arms out and bombing dams too?

Seriously though gentleman is there anybody out there who recognises the car I posted?

You are correct Glen in one of your choices, a very crude early use of resin bonded glass fibre with nasty smelly small 2 stroke engine. For some strange reason it didnt win the hearts of many motorists. Anyway Glen I thing you was fix or feven when this was this was 'designed', maybe you left one of your sketches around in Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire and someone pinched it! You may be due for royalties, I am sure a couple of quid (or maybe a bit less) would come in handy!

[phillpot]

greymrj said:

Seriously though gentleman is there anybody out there who recognises the car I posted?

Yep, reckon that's an early Fairthorpe, the "Atom". They went on to make some very nice little sports cars along with Turner and Rochdale who were all sort of linked in one way or another I believe?

Edited by phillpot on Friday 25th November 22:07

[greymrj]

phillpot said:

Yep, reckon that's an early Fairthorpe, the "Atom".

Well done that man! It was indeed. I wouldnt have know except that a mate has a Triumph engined Electron. I wonder if the Atom was the first grp car in the UK? The first Fairthorpe cars were in '54. There were a few before that made in the USA and I saw a Glasspar at a show once.

Not sure about any direct connection with Turner, their cars only became grp a few years later, as did TVR, and Turner used mainly Austin engines while Fairthorpe were mainly Triumph.

Rochdale were of course a northern company (and rightly proud of it!) they were certainly using grp from very shortly after Fairthorpe, and before Turner. Their first cars were for Austin 7 chassis and the better known Olympic wasnt until 1959.

Berkeley were another early user of grp, before TVR, but 2 years after Fairthorpe.

There were other grp kits for Austin 7 chassis in particular, the best known is probably the Hamblin Cadet. Also sold as the Super Accessories* Cadet. But that again is just later than the Atom I think.

(*I have a similar period Austin 7 Super Accessories Super languishing in the back of the garage, but that is aluminium over ash....the entire body is reputed to weigh 35lbs!)

The Atom at the NEC was a recent barn find, my mate's immediate reaction was that they should have pushed it straght back and closed the doors!

[phillpot]

Bit before even my time but there were a few fibreglass "sports car" bodies around in the 50's using chassis/running gear from the Ford "Sit up 'n beg" Popular.


this Convair for example.............

[greymrj]

Haven't come across that one before Mike. My mind immediately went to the Convair car in America which was an attempt at a flying car. A quick check shows the UK car was made in London, and the later ones seem to have bneen well made and respected. They made only just over 100 cars,before the Sprite killed them off. One of the last is apparently in the Haynes museum but I that is one museum I have yet to visit.
There used to be a Falcon in a lock up near me, but it was in a bad way.

[Deeman]

So we are still no nearer to answering Alans original query? What is in the photo. Personally i'd live to know now!