Another mystery car

Author
Discussion

threespires

Original Poster:

4,294 posts

211 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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wibble cb said:
is this actually a gullwing? Is it in fact like the Ford gt40, with heavily cut out roof sections attached to the doors?

Just a thought....
Now that is something that nobody has mentioned before.

threespires

Original Poster:

4,294 posts

211 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
I was lead to believe that it could be a French car called JIDE, pronounced Jee-Day after the initials of the maker, Jaques Durand. After more investigation I realise that the info is incorrect. Thanks to my contact in France for the thought, even if it lead to a dead end.
The hunt continues.

piper

295 posts

268 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
threespires said:
wibble cb said:
is this actually a gullwing? Is it in fact like the Ford gt40, with heavily cut out roof sections attached to the doors?

Just a thought....
Now that is something that nobody has mentioned before.
I did in my post below, however because I cannot see any door handles on the side, they could well be at the bottom suggesting a Gullwing..! As somebody else mentioned, I think the car was made in the early 1960's and finish looks really good with small panel gaps etc.

Wow this is spooky and it is now driving me mad to. I have always loved specialist cars but I do not know this one at all, however as a car mad teenager in the early – mid 1970s I used to catch a coach from Colchester to Victoria Coach station just to go car spotting, in those days going to London was the only chance of seeing anything special, walking down the various streets and Mews off Victoria I used to spot all kinds of rare and exotic cars, I still have the lists I made all those years ago.

Anyway on the way to Victoria the coach used to go down a very wide London road, probably approx 4-5 miles from Victoria; right in the centre of this wide road were parked cars in two rows of two deep, I am 99% sure I saw this car on a number of occasions parked there. I remember this little light blue coupe which I could not identify and the distinctive GT40 style door tops that went into the roofline, I remember the frustration of not knowing what it was and it being too far to walk to from Victoria, especially as I did not know the area. Even as a teenager I knew all the specialist cars like the Ashley Sportiva etc. That car has remained in my memory all this years and seeing that picture bought it all back. I hope someone identifies it soon.

threespires

Original Poster:

4,294 posts

211 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
Apologies Piper -

deltashad

6,731 posts

197 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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I'm certain the front window is something which would have been used for a back window. Like the vauxhall cresta. The A pillar bends backwards, with a wrap around windscreen, the heavy fins give it a very American influenced design, albeit far too small to have come from the states.


Similar to the cresta PA


piper

295 posts

268 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Although the back screen on the Cresta looks similiar, would it be too wide for the little Coupe?

Could it be from the NSU Fiat 500 below?



Also the back window and even the fins and the slope of the back look very similiar to the original Bond Equipe GT below:



And the vent on the side looks very similiar to the Sheen Imperator below:




I have also tried to sharpen the picture, does the driver look like he is on the left? It does to me...



I hope someone cracks this soon as it is truly a mystery and driving me mad.

Edited by piper on Wednesday 25th November 11:46

deltashad

6,731 posts

197 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
There's a Ford Anglia in the background, looks like a 105e deluxe, that's minimum 1959.
Ford thames 300e van built between 1954-1961.
Looks like a late Morris Cambridge but can't be sure.
So probably 1960?ish. ...



wibble cb

3,606 posts

207 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Is the air vent behind the door possibly where the door catch/handle is?

Roy C

4,187 posts

284 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Not the car in question at all, but their was at least one Ashley 750 with a gull wing body: http://www.prewarcar.com/postwarclassic/magazine/p...

The screen looks very similar.

If the mystery car was a continental design, Postwarclassic would be a good place to ask.


AndrewCrown

2,286 posts

114 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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I'm on a Vignale/ Michelotti search now...
There are some similar styling cues on this '57 TR3 Viganale special...fins and headlight angle...

deltashad

6,731 posts

197 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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The hub caps are nice

marshalla

15,902 posts

201 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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which end do we think the engine is at ?

I can see lots of similarities with classic kits/specials - but the overriders are unusual for the era.

williamp

19,257 posts

273 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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I reckon those hubcaps also appeared on the Daimler Sp250. And its about the right size

So.... did anyone ever do a coach body on an SP250 chassis???

nicanary

9,795 posts

146 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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I've been looking at French Arista cars, but there's nothing exactly the same. The air vents on the rear pillar are to be found on their JD Sport model. The cowled and forward-facing headlights remind me of the Lincoln Continental, but obviously many smaller marques would have been following that styling cue at the time.

It's a pity we can't see more of the registration plate. In the 60s British cars would have had a white or silver on black plate, but so did the French at that time, and the shape and style of the font on this car's number look very French to me.

I've had a look at other French GRP cars of the early 60s, but I've drawn a blank. BTW I've posted the puzzle image on the appropriate thread on Autopuzzles, but the site has been down for maintenance for a few days, and so far there's been no response.

plasticpig

12,932 posts

225 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
williamp said:
I reckon those hubcaps also appeared on the Daimler Sp250. And its about the right size

So.... did anyone ever do a coach body on an SP250 chassis???
Yes. The Ogle SX250 which was the basis for the Reliant SE4 Coupe.


piper

295 posts

268 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
quotequote all
plasticpig said:
williamp said:
I reckon those hubcaps also appeared on the Daimler Sp250. And its about the right size

So.... did anyone ever do a coach body on an SP250 chassis???
Yes. The Ogle SX250 which was the basis for the Reliant SE4 Coupe.
The Daimler Dart wheel trims did not have two spinner ears incorporated into the trim like the mystery car, if we identify what the the wheel trims are off it could help

Edited by piper on Wednesday 25th November 17:54

Allan L

783 posts

105 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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piper said:
The Daimler Dart wheel trims did not have two ears like the mystery car
No, there were three ears and the trims looked like these

LotusOmega375D

7,625 posts

153 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Isn't it great that no-one knows what this is? These sort of posts usually get answered in moments. I'm sort of hoping that the Internet fails us for once and we never find out!

Nice looking car too. I'm sure Lord March would love to see it at the Revival.

Old Merc

3,492 posts

167 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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I`ve googled and researched just about every sports car ever made.This has to be a one off home made special,and a very good one.

sun.and.rain

1,649 posts

139 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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What are other PHer's thoughts re the wheel diameter to wheelbase proportions. The car looks to have a wheelbase of around 60 to 72 inches depending on wheel size 12 to 15 inches, assuming pic is not distorted.

This appears to be a very small car. Maybe.

Edit, the woman in the foreground isn't looking too happy. Maybe she's just had her legs scorched from the jet engine.



Edited by sun.and.rain on Wednesday 25th November 22:49