Help identifying a strange little car
Discussion
I'd say: "Close, but no cigar!"
Front and rear bumpers are the wrong shape and length
The front quarter-light is the wrong shape and size (The mystery car's quarter-light meets the top of the door frame after the frame starts to curve - The Ogle's meets at the point that the frame starts to curve)
The rear wheel arch on the mystery car sits far lower in relation the the rear wheel/tyre.
The mystery car doesn't appear to have a fin on its rear wing.
The "mystery car's rear wing appears to slope downwards after the rear side window.
Headlights are at different heights to the front bumper.
Front and rear bumpers are the wrong shape and length
The front quarter-light is the wrong shape and size (The mystery car's quarter-light meets the top of the door frame after the frame starts to curve - The Ogle's meets at the point that the frame starts to curve)
The rear wheel arch on the mystery car sits far lower in relation the the rear wheel/tyre.
The mystery car doesn't appear to have a fin on its rear wing.
The "mystery car's rear wing appears to slope downwards after the rear side window.
Headlights are at different heights to the front bumper.
4rephill said:
I'd say: "Close, but no cigar!"
Front and rear bumpers are the wrong shape and length
The front quarter-light is the wrong shape and size (The mystery car's quarter-light meets the top of the door frame after the frame starts to curve - The Ogle's meets at the point that the frame starts to curve)
The rear wheel arch on the mystery car sits far lower in relation the the rear wheel/tyre.
The mystery car doesn't appear to have a fin on its rear wing.
The "mystery car's rear wing appears to slope downwards after the rear side window.
Headlights are at different heights to the front bumper.
Do the wheels match?Front and rear bumpers are the wrong shape and length
The front quarter-light is the wrong shape and size (The mystery car's quarter-light meets the top of the door frame after the frame starts to curve - The Ogle's meets at the point that the frame starts to curve)
The rear wheel arch on the mystery car sits far lower in relation the the rear wheel/tyre.
The mystery car doesn't appear to have a fin on its rear wing.
The "mystery car's rear wing appears to slope downwards after the rear side window.
Headlights are at different heights to the front bumper.
dandarez said:
How the heck have I missed this thread? Well, I have been a tad busy since before Xmas.
The Hotel de France is and has been famous for decades, for competitors and fans of Le Mans - just up the road.
First and foremost I don't have a clue what the mystery car is, this is just hopefully added help.
Aston Martin used this Hotel regularly back in the day to stay there, drivers, team and fans.
So I would say that the mystery car has to be the mid/late 50s or very early 60s.
I don't understand what you are saying - the photograph probably dates from then. How is the date of the photo connected to the age of the car?The Hotel de France is and has been famous for decades, for competitors and fans of Le Mans - just up the road.
First and foremost I don't have a clue what the mystery car is, this is just hopefully added help.
Aston Martin used this Hotel regularly back in the day to stay there, drivers, team and fans.
So I would say that the mystery car has to be the mid/late 50s or very early 60s.
dandarez said:
The photo below was taken outside the Hotel in the car parking (and transporter) area in 1964
and, yes, I realise the car is NOT the mystery car, its just to depict what I've said above.
If you are unsure it's the same hotel area, there is the weird looking 'tree monster' to the left mentioned above.
and, yes, I realise the car is NOT the mystery car, its just to depict what I've said above.
If you are unsure it's the same hotel area, there is the weird looking 'tree monster' to the left mentioned above.
If you look at both photographs, you will see the tree monster in your photo (1964) has grown across the wall/face of the hotel, to the edge of that window.
We could assume therefore that the mystery photo is somewhat older than yours, depending on how fast ivy grows in mid-France.
Of course the ivy may have been cleared away at some point, and your photograph is the older one - but that's doubtful.
ETA the 1964 photo also has a number of skylights in the RHS roof in the Square, so that is clearly later.
Edited by Orangecurry on Monday 28th December 14:09
Nobody's disputing the location, are they?
If every other car in the photo is French, which I think they are, then the chances are that the one in question is also French.
Due to the location, it might be reasonable to see British cars there around LeMans time but as there aren't any obvious ones, it's likely not that time. In my experience, the sight of non-French cars in France was very unusual even in the 1980's, and apart from old WW2 vehicles left behind, there would have been very few in the 1950s. I don't think that the French were heavily into German stuff then, for some reason, and the chances of it being a British homebuilt special from Harold Smith's shed in Bolton are fairly slim. IMHO.
If every other car in the photo is French, which I think they are, then the chances are that the one in question is also French.
Due to the location, it might be reasonable to see British cars there around LeMans time but as there aren't any obvious ones, it's likely not that time. In my experience, the sight of non-French cars in France was very unusual even in the 1980's, and apart from old WW2 vehicles left behind, there would have been very few in the 1950s. I don't think that the French were heavily into German stuff then, for some reason, and the chances of it being a British homebuilt special from Harold Smith's shed in Bolton are fairly slim. IMHO.
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