Help identifying a strange little car

[skyrocket13]

My last guess is a Wartburg 311, C pillar is wrong though! Is that a scoop on the bonnet? Hope someone solves the mystery!

[nicanary]

There have been some weird and wonderful guesses so far. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a coachbuilt coupe body on a Panhard Dyna. The size of the car, front engine, and those large chrome hubcaps all fit the bill.

There were dozens of coachbuilders in France in those days, working mainly on smaller cars because of the heavy taxes on larger engined vehicles. It could take a long time to find out exactly which carosserie , though.

[BoRED S2upid]

BoRED S2upid said:

Auto Union (DKW)? similar rear covered wheel and slanty headlights. I can't find a picture to match so just putting it out there.

I found a picture.

It's not right but I like the little thing and i've never seen one before.

http://flaviendachet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/54-aut...

[FourWheelDrift]

ash73 said:

Well I'm googled out. Most interesting alternative I could find was an Alpine A106 but the details are all wrong...

I've gone through all of these (the defunct ones) that were around in the 50s and can't find one to match - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automobile_ma...

[BoRED S2upid]

Is it definately 1950's?

I was thinking Matra Djet (I've got to get some points for the most obscure French car maker) but thats the 1960's.

http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showproduct...

[vixen1700]

BoRED S2upid said:

Is it definately 1950's?

I was thinking Matra Djet (I've got to get some points for the most obscure French car maker) but thats the 1960's.

http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showproduct...

Well it has to be between 1955 and I'd imagine before 1963.

If that's any help?

Edited by vixen1700 on Thursday 26th June 16:49

[rolando]

BoRED S2upid said:

Is it definately 1950's?

I was thinking Matra Djet (I've got to get some points for the most obscure French car maker) but thats the 1960's.

http://www.remarkablecars.com/for-sale/showproduct...

That Matra's way too modern. I must admit, I'm completely stumped.

[medieval]

Am I right in thinking that it is not a fibreglass body as it would appear from the shading to the rear that the rear wing is dented hence it must be a metal body

Anything else we know for sure ?

[Bebee]

Could a prototype of one of these, there are quarter lights in the doors though but not in the pic below

[GTIR]

Nope.

Different front, wrong roofline, different slope at the back.

[AnotherClarkey]

nicanary said:

There have been some weird and wonderful guesses so far. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a coachbuilt coupe body on a Panhard Dyna. The size of the car, front engine, and those large chrome hubcaps all fit the bill.

There were dozens of coachbuilders in France in those days, working mainly on smaller cars because of the heavy taxes on larger engined vehicles. It could take a long time to find out exactly which carosserie , though.

I'm inclined to agree. The bonnet scoop is very Panhard as well as the other things you mention.

[Riley Blue]

Allemano Crepaldi Panhard Dyna X86 Coupe.

Edited by Riley Blue on Thursday 26th June 20:47

[Mr2Mike]

Riley Blue said:

Allemano Crepaldi Panhard Dyna X86 Coupe.

Edited by Riley Blue on Thursday 26th June 20:47

There are too many significant differences for it to be a Dyna:

There are no quarterlights on the Dyna.
The grill/vent on the Dyna's wing is not present in the unknown car.
The front wheel arch on the Dyna is squared off at the top but totally round on the unknown car.
The Dyna's rear arch comes much further up exposing the tyres but is almost down to the hub caps on the unknown car making the rear quarters look more slabby.
The C pillars on the unknown car are huge great things but they look quite slim on the Dyna.
The front edge of the bonnet on the unknown car appears to end above the headlights rather than curve down to the bumper.

As someone else mentioned, it wouldn't surprise me if it was a coach-built body, which would probably have been fabricated from aluminium alloy back then.

[Bebee]

It seems to have the same wheel arches as the 358, well close anyway.

Could be a prototype porka

[The Surveyor]

I thought I'd found it.... Panhard but the 'A' pillar is wrong, argh



Looking at the original picture, the wheels are the same as is the rear end, but close but not quite!

[vixen1700]

So nobody's solved it overnight then?

[Mr2Mike]

The Surveyor said:

I thought I'd found it.... Panhard but the 'A' pillar is wrong, argh



Looking at the original picture, the wheels are the same as is the rear end, but close but not quite!

The car in your pic has squared front wheel arches as well. Nice looking car though, do you know what it is?

[FourWheelDrift]

Mr2Mike said:

The car in your pic has squared front wheel arches as well. Nice looking car though, do you know what it is?

It's a Deutsch-Bonnet HBR5, already mentioned on previous page grey car 8 posts up.

[ecotec]

harry miller said:

I think it could be a Fiat 1100ES from around 1950.

http://www.zuckerfabrik24.de/fiat/pics/1100ES_1a.j...

Closest so far I think

[mikeveal]

FourWheelDrift said:

It's a Deutsch-Bonnet HBR5, already mentioned on previous page grey car 8 posts up.

But the HBR5 has scooped headlights and the mystery car doesn't.
The mystery car has quarter lights in the doors and the HBR5 doesn't.
The mystery car has a bonnet scoop and the HBR5 doesn't.
The HBR5 has a vent at the bottom of the A pillar and the mystery car doesn't.
Where the door meets the A pillar and roof, the HBR5 is very angular and the mystery car has a flowing curve.
There is clearly a portly beret wearing man looking at the mystery car, but no beret wearing man in the picture of the HBR5.

So I don't think the mystery car is an HBR5.