Another mystery car

[restoman]

marshalla said:

deltashad said:

Novice effort

Not it - but some similarities around the door and rear pillar vents. Clues to the builder perhaps ?

What is the blue car ? Or is that another mystery . . . . . ?

[marshalla]

restoman said:

What is the blue car ? Or is that another mystery . . . . . ?

IWR Lotus Elan GT, styled by Ian Walker, built by Williams and Pritchard.

http://www.classic-auctions.com/Auctions/08-10-201...

[sim16v]

Some variations on the theme, the first is the Marcos Luton with similar gull wing doors and windscreen.




Then I thought, what about if it was a split gull wing, along the lines of this GDT70?

[V41LEY]

deltashad said:

Novice effort

Very good effort. As others have said - not sure the gullwing door would look like that. Maybe the forward vertical line you can see in the original is the front clamshell back edge meaning that the bonnet hinges forward E-Type style ?

[SPT28]

A cracking effort.

Just to add if you look to the left of the ladys head very closely in the original picture you can see a faint line across the bonnet towards the base of the wipers, seems to be missing in the PS version but may well be the trailing edge of a clamshell bonnet as others have said.

[uk66fastback]

I'm thinking that the Williams & Pritchard Lotus marshalla alludes to is getting there ... there are a few similarities - except the front - which looks odd and more home-build-kit than W&P ... ?

What's the consensus - grp or metal? All the early Lotus one-offs accounted for? Any relatives of W&P contactable? Is there a historian of theirs or anything? Maybe not ...

[torquespeak]

Some more quick and dirty photo butchery.

Maybe this...



Or maybe this... (although I sincerely doubt it given the size of the car!)

[threespires]

Very good

[Roy C]

Thanks for that, torquespeak. I think the truth probably lies somewhere between your two images.

It also goes to show what a professional-looking job the body must have been, although I believe it was almost certainly unique.

Although the original picture has now been posted on many motoring forums, it's possible we will never know.

[torquespeak]

uk66fastback said:

What's the consensus - grp or metal?

My gut feeling based on what I can see is that it's an alloy body.

-Ed

[galro]

torquespeak said:

Some more quick and dirty photo butchery.

Maybe this...

Or maybe this... (although I sincerely doubt it given the size of the car!)

Nice effort, but I suspect the shutline at the lower end of the door was placed higher up like this (black line). That would look more natural and more gullwing-like.

[piper]

This is really a big mystery and really frustrating, pic below is similar in some ways and is a one off Ghia bodied Lotus 11. I keep wondering about those doors and think as long as they could open conventionally I suspect they are not gull wing.

[galro]

^^ That's the Lotus by Ghia Aigle. Note that the upper window frame on the door is put on top of the body and is not flush with bodywork and that the door still seems to have to open upwards (not as an extreme angle as a gullwing door though). Our car appears to have a door that is flush with the bodywork and would therefore have needed, I suspect, a different type of door setup.

[Poisson96]

MatthewBarnett said:

Its been a while so trying to remember. I bought the space frame of a Chap called Henry Tombs at Outibridge (he through body away as in poor state before I found it - a shame as could have done something with it). He had rescued from a Sheffield scrap yard. Pictures came in 1987 ish from someone who went to view car advertised I thought in the 70s but could be wrong (note the trousers) - think either Totley or Dore Sheffield (picture through garage window shows distinctive turrets - I have not tracked down location) - Alco builders merchants was at Heeley Sheffield as I bought some sand there once.

Edited by MatthewBarnett on Sunday 13th December 20:37

Is the building Manor Lodge? One of the houses backing on to it maybe? It is t'other side of Heeley from Dore

Edited by Poisson96 on Friday 18th December 23:40

[dryden]

Someone on Autosport forum suggested the dustbin lid wheel trims were called Ace hubcaps, and were an option for Spridgets in 1960s
This appears to be true....

[Stigproducts]

For a small consideration I purchased a copy of the book the picture came from. No clues at all :-( Just a book about buses with a weird car in the foreground of one of the pictures

[sim16v]

Ha, looks a great book for bus spotters!

I've been watching old motor show videos for clues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axm5J7H5mIc

[CooperD]

I had this book when I was a kid. It was brilliant. Didn't realise the photo of this mystery car was in it all those years ago.

[imagineifyeswill]

From the start of this threads that car has been reminding me of something and Ive just realised what, although the rear details are a bit different and the air intakes the wrong way, the overall shape of the car and the front end with the headlights set back has a close resemblance to the Unipower GT.

[threespires]

imagineifyeswill said:

From the start of this threads that car has been reminding me of something and Ive just realised what, although the rear details are a bit different and the air intakes the wrong way, the overall shape of the car and the front end with the headlights set back has a close resemblance to the Unipower GT.

Unipower GT