Cars you didn't know existed...

[GSE]

Iva Barchetta said:

Saw this on Friday.
A Plymouth Solstice.

Sold in Germany as the 'Opel GT':



Which was based on a Vauxhall design concept, the VX Lightning:

Edited by GSE on Sunday 27th March 21:38

[skyrover]

The Solstice was a good car, praised for it's handling.

Here's the coupe version

[MissChief]

skyrover said:

The Solstice was a good car, praised for it's handling.

Here's the coupe version

Reminds me of a Tamora, at least from behind.

[AJordan]

MarshPhantom said:

Vans you didn't know existed?



Tidy looking little van. Spotted on the M25 the other day, could have been this very van as it was on Irish plates. Very few thrown up by Google Images so must be quite rare.

Fairly common in Ireland, iirc something to do with Tax laws or similar. A poster on here had a couple of vans based on Sierra estates and I believe it's possible to buy vans based on astra and focus hatchbacks

[RDMcG]

GSE said:

Sold in Germany as the 'Opel GT':

Edited by GSE on Sunday 27th March 21:38

The Saturn Version ., the Saturn Sky, was to my mind a prettier car:

[Iva Barchetta]

It's the front view that's a bit fugly.

My pic up there ^^^^.

Pontiac.

[D-Angle]

AJordan said:

MarshPhantom said:

Vans you didn't know existed?



Tidy looking little van. Spotted on the M25 the other day, could have been this very van as it was on Irish plates. Very few thrown up by Google Images so must be quite rare.

Fairly common in Ireland, iirc something to do with Tax laws or similar. A poster on here had a couple of vans based on Sierra estates and I believe it's possible to buy vans based on astra and focus hatchbacks

Yep, absolutely loads of these in Ireland. I remember the MK1 Megane variant was based on the 5dr hatch, which made for an odd-looking machine:

[E36Ross]

MarshPhantom said:

Vans you didn't know existed?



Tidy looking little van. Spotted on the M25 the other day, could have been this very van as it was on Irish plates. Very few thrown up by Google Images so must be quite rare.

We get loads of these, Fiat Punto, Ford Fiesta, Focus are all available as vans.

Even possible to get a new Focus and Kuga van!

[paulshears]

MarshPhantom said:

cologne2792 said:

Pothole said:

riginally designed for MEBEA in Greece then redesigned for the domestic market. 600 odd produced. I used to see one fairly often in daily use in the Milton Keynes area in the early 90s

I used to see one daily in Weymouth in 1986 - same ghastly colour too !

Were they all the same colour? Sure all the ones I ever saw were hearing aid beige.

RV

I've seen one of them a couple of years ago ... only one I've ever seen

[Truckosaurus]

paulshears said:

Two 99's and a Mini-Milk, please.

[Halmyre]

Truckosaurus said:

paulshears said:

Two 99's and a Mini-Milk, please.

E's and Wizz, more like.

[pc.iow]

I thought it was an MG but its Italian.

[Halmyre]

pc.iow said:

I thought it was an MG but its Italian.

It's British - a Swallow Doretti, or a Triumph TR2 in a posh frock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallow_Doretti

[Sir Bagalot]

Frimley111R said:

LuS1fer said:

WTF?

That looks shoped

[shakotan]

Sir Bagalot said:

Frimley111R said:

LuS1fer said:

WTF?

That looks shoped

I presumed you mean 'shopped.

And no, it isn't.

[pc.iow]

shakotan said:

Sir Bagalot said:

Frimley111R said:

LuS1fer said:

WTF?

That looks shoped

I presumed you mean 'shopped.

And no, it isn't.

Maybe he meant 'sloped'.

[rodericb]

pc.iow said:

shakotan said:

Sir Bagalot said:

Frimley111R said:

LuS1fer said:

WTF?

That looks shoped

I presumed you mean 'shopped.

And no, it isn't.

Maybe he meant 'sloped'.

Maybe he meant slopped. Like the designer grabbed a lump of clay in the shape of the sedan and threw it on an angle onto the floor to stretch it out a bit and hey presto here's your swoopy coupe version

[Johnny 89]

AJordan said:

Fairly common in Ireland, iirc something to do with Tax laws or similar. A poster on here had a couple of vans based on Sierra estates and I believe it's possible to buy vans based on astra and focus hatchbacks

Yeah, we get loads of them in Ireland. We also get commercial 4x4s. These are Range Rovers, Discoveries etc. with the rear seats removed. The vehicles then qualify for commercial tax.

Pre 2008 this used to mean the difference between €1,800 and €280 for annual motor tax.

Some guys got away with taking the back seats out of Supras and 300ZXs as I think it creates a sufficient load space.

[Pothole]

A couple of randoms from my recent trip to Italy...The Fiat Freemont (SUV) is apparently a rebadged Dodge product (even has a similar grille). The Lancia estate is just nasty:

[LuS1fer]

Iva Barchetta said:

Saw this on Friday.
A Plymouth Solstice.

The Pontiac badge means you didn't need a photo of the boot. This was famous for having been designed by a woman.
The Vauxhall Lightning was designed by Vauxhall's Wayne Cherry and modified into the Saturn Sky/Opel GT.
Sadly, the engine took up a big lump in the load bay and while some have been modified, with V8 engines, they lost out to the F-Body and the Corvette in terms of practicality.
This was more a successor to the Fiero.