Cars you didn't know existed...

[IN51GHT]

Seen in Saint-Jean-De-Mont last week, a Darnval LM2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMBbcnxA6S0

[loudlashadjuster]

Now that I do like.

[MarkwG]

loudlashadjuster said:

MarkwG said:

Interesting Chrysler 300C

Whew, that's one for the next 'ugly car' thread.

It was apparently based on a 300M though, not a 300C. Older, uglier, FWD, and which qualifies for this thread by me not really knowing about it beforehand.

Thanks, apologies yep I misquoted, & actually I feel less bad about a carved 300M up than a 300C. Glad I've brought so much pain to so many people though !

[Frimley111R]

Blown2CV said:

AnneTeak said:

Citroen ZX Volcane?



Hard to find sources to back up the claim, but it's believed to be the first diesel 'hot' hatch!

Also available at the time in 1.9 petrol and later a 2.0 version.

Try finding one now (how many left reckons 11 petrols and 34 diesels, down from 3k and 5k in 2001)!

Edited by AnneTeak on Friday 17th May 10:10

my Dad ran a Citroen dealer back then. How i remember it was not the first diesel hot hatch (has there ever been one?) but more the first car where people saw that any diesel could be vaguely desirable and fairly quick yet economical, and not just slow and crap. I think this was probably a more significant development and a far broader more pervasive shift than it would have been to just narrow it to small hatches.

I am pretty sure it was. I had the 2.0i version and this one was marketing as having a faster 50-70 (or similar) performance to my car. It wasn't that popular but diesel was still in its infancy at the time.

[NateWM]

GTI16V said:

Honda Accord Sir-T

That's actually an Aerodeck SiR.

A true SiR-T/SiR looks like this:


Then of course, you have the Euro-R which was built in homage to the Type R.

[RizzoTheRat]

I followed a MicroCar Highlander X the other day. Never heard of them before but looked a lot nicer than most microcars I've seen. 500cc twin cylinder sounds a bit rough though.

[soxboy]

RizzoTheRat said:

I followed a MicroCar Highlander X the other day. Never heard of them before but looked a lot nicer than most microcars I've seen. 500cc twin cylinder sounds a bit rough though.

You won't think it's nice when you see the price!

[Shakermaker]

soxboy said:

RizzoTheRat said:

I followed a MicroCar Highlander X the other day. Never heard of them before but looked a lot nicer than most microcars I've seen. 500cc twin cylinder sounds a bit rough though.

You won't think it's nice when you see the price!

Ha, yes, I saw one of those a few weeks ago at Marwell Zoo and I too had never heard of it

Across the back where normally you'd have a model badge it proudly proclaimed "AIR BAG SYSTEM"

[RizzoTheRat]

soxboy said:

You won't think it's nice when you see the price!

Yeah, €15k does seem a little steep when you consider that's only a couple of €k cheaper than something like a Fiesta, but then again I don't know what difference in road tax would be here (NL).

[killysprint]

Frimley111R said:

Blown2CV said:

AnneTeak said:

Citroen ZX Volcane?



Hard to find sources to back up the claim, but it's believed to be the first diesel 'hot' hatch!

Also available at the time in 1.9 petrol and later a 2.0 version.

Try finding one now (how many left reckons 11 petrols and 34 diesels, down from 3k and 5k in 2001)!

Edited by AnneTeak on Friday 17th May 10:10

my Dad ran a Citroen dealer back then. How i remember it was not the first diesel hot hatch (has there ever been one?) but more the first car where people saw that any diesel could be vaguely desirable and fairly quick yet economical, and not just slow and crap. I think this was probably a more significant development and a far broader more pervasive shift than it would have been to just narrow it to small hatches.

I am pretty sure it was. I had the 2.0i version and this one was marketing as having a faster 50-70 (or similar) performance to my car. It wasn't that popular but diesel was still in its infancy at the time.

I bought a new dark green metallic 3 dr ZX Volcane in sept ‘94. Was a cracking car, great handling (had passive rear steer IIRC) and plenty of mid range grunt. A pal had an early 1.9i 5dr, and we had a memorable drive from Newcastle to Birmingham one summer night via the A66, through Kirby Stephen and onto Tebay. Off the mark the petrol car was a little quicker, but once on the move the TD kept up quite nicely. Still talk about today when we meet up!

Was a good balance at the time for a good looking, well spec’d hotish hatch, that gave great fuel economy at a time when that was important to us.

[Down and out]

RizzoTheRat said:

I followed a MicroCar Highlander X the other day. Never heard of them before but looked a lot nicer than most microcars I've seen. 500cc twin cylinder sounds a bit rough though.

Pick up version-

[carinaman]

Dapster said:

MadmanO/T People said:

Doofus said:

ajprice said:

1978 USA market VW Dasher. A 3 door, a bit Passat, a bit Scirocco, a bit Audi 80. https://jalopnik.com/at-3-800-could-this-classic-1...

That's just a nastily modified Passat B1, which was a European model, also sold in the UK

Exactly. The US market VW Dasher was just a federal-bumpered B1 Passat. The one in the photos has some non-original modifications.

FYI, the B2 Passat/Santana was called the VW Quantum in America. It wasn't until the B3 came along when the Passat name was finally used in the USA.

It's actually a Federalised version of the B1 facelift GLS model (which had quad headlights, the LS had 2 x square units which didn't make it to the US) which looks otherwise identical.






The interesting model which never made production was the 110bhp GTI engined hot version with the Scirroco steering wheel, Bahama Blue paint,lairy tartan trim and boot spolier

Thanks for the blue GTi. I wasn't aware of that. It's difficult not to think of the Mk2 Scirocco after seeing that, an inhouse VAG design the Ace of Spades Giugiaro concept for the Mk2 Scirocco becoming the Isuzu Piazza.

[Greg the Fish]

Down and out said:

Pick up version-

I actually quite like that in a cute, dinky kind of way

[Balmoral]

I don't see the point of them in the UK. In France you can drive them on a restricted or provisional licence, or if you've been banned. They've been built to fit a specific legal criteria for which there is no need here. A bit like the way people drove Reliant three wheelers as a step up from a side car combo in the fifties, sixties and seventies.

[kieranblenk]

Balmoral said:

I don't see the point of them in the UK. In France you can drive them on a restricted or provisional licence, or if you've been banned. They've been built to fit a specific legal criteria for which there is no need here. A bit like the way people drove Reliant three wheelers as a step up from a side car combo in the fifties, sixties and seventies.

I was in Nice a few weeks ago and there are loads of these things from various manufacturers, I'm sure you can drive them from 14 so are incredibly popular with teenagers and as you say, people who've been banned. I imagine they are completely horrid in every way...

[MarkwG]

Balmoral said:

I don't see the point of them in the UK. In France you can drive them on a restricted or provisional licence, or if you've been banned. They've been built to fit a specific legal criteria for which there is no need here. A bit like the way people drove Reliant three wheelers as a step up from a side car combo in the fifties, sixties and seventies.

You can drive them here from 16 if you qualify for a Personal Independence Payment. I also know of people who use them in built up areas in preference to two wheeled transport.

[Down and out]

Greg the Fish said:

Down and out said:

Pick up version-

I actually quite like that in a cute, dinky kind of way

Me too, handy for nipping to B&Q to pick up a U bend.

[RizzoTheRat]

MarkwG said:

You can drive them here from 16 if you qualify for a Personal Independence Payment. I also know of people who use them in built up areas in preference to two wheeled transport.

Some of the really small ones can be driven in cycle lanes and parked the pavements here, but apparently they're taking about stopping the pavement parking. Presumably the main advantage of them is ease of parking something that small in a busy city.
While looking for a picture I also came across this, the Mini Hummer

[MikeT66]

RizzoTheRat said:

Some of the really small ones can be driven in cycle lanes and parked the pavements here, but apparently they're taking about stopping the pavement parking. Presumably the main advantage of them is ease of parking something that small in a busy city.
While looking for a picture I also came across this, the Mini Hummer

[Img]https://www.mangomobility.nl/media/catalog/product/cache/e4d64343b1bc593f1c5348fe05efa4a6/h/u/hummer-goed.jpg[/thumb]

That looks superb!

[CoupeKid]

I saw a Fiesta saloon the other day.

After a quick Google it turns out they were discussed on PH in 2008!

Although it was UK registered it was LHD so presumably a personal import.