Cars you didn't know existed...

[M3DGE]

OK peeps, what's this?? Southam, Warwickshire. On a 68 plate.... [url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Xw96T8YY[/url]

Edited by M3DGE on Wednesday 5th February 17:53

[BFleming]

10126 Torino said:

Wooda80 said:

SAAB used the Carlsson name on very highly finished variants of both the 900 and the 9000 in the early 90s.

Cannot remember the exact year but they were introduced in late 80s.

I have a brochure for the first version of the 9000 Carlsson.

There was also a 9-3 SS Carlsson in 2010. Auto only, fully loaded variant of the Turbo X.

[Doofus]

M3DGE said:

OK peeps, what's this?? Southam, Warwickshire. On a 68 plate.... [url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Xw96T8YY[/url]

Edited by M3DGE on Wednesday 5th February 17:53

It's called a Vertige, by Wells Automotive

[Matt Cup]

Doofus said:

M3DGE said:

OK peeps, what's this?? Southam, Warwickshire. On a 68 plate.... [url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/Xw96T8YY[/url]

Edited by M3DGE on Wednesday 5th February 17:53

It's called a Vertige, by Wells Automotive

This is lovely little car!

Some more pics

[Mikebentley]

Ron99 said:

Until I got chased* by one today I had never heard of a Volvo V90 D5 Powerpulse AWD 232hp.

• I was trying to get home briskly after suffering multiple hold-ups on my way home and I think the Volvo driver interpreted it as me wanting to play but as it looked like a 'normal' car I thought nothing of it at the time, other than he was able to make surprisingly good progress.

Did the Viva hold it’s own against the V90?

[Kolbenkopp]

Matt Cup said:

This is lovely little car!

Some more pics

Gee, that looks _fantastic_ IMO. Any details about the company?

[BFleming]

Kolbenkopp said:

Gee, that looks _fantastic_ IMO. Any details about the company?

https://www.wellsmotorcars.co.uk/ - Merely a sign-up page.
http://headengineering.co.uk/ - Engineering allegedly done by these guys, but no reference on their CAD-heavy site.
Power is (again allegedly) a 2.0 Honda lump.
It's a new project, not as retro as it might appear (2018/19ish).

[soxboy]

BFleming said:

Kolbenkopp said:

Gee, that looks _fantastic_ IMO. Any details about the company?

https://www.wellsmotorcars.co.uk/ - Merely a sign-up page.
http://headengineering.co.uk/ - Engineering allegedly done by these guys, but no reference on their CAD-heavy site.
Power is (again allegedly) a 2.0 Honda lump.
It's a new project, not as retro as it might appear (2018/19ish).

Unfortunately every time I see something like this I just think of the Sniff Petrol 'launch of a British supercar' checklist.

[Steamer]

soxboy said:

BFleming said:

Kolbenkopp said:

Gee, that looks _fantastic_ IMO. Any details about the company?

https://www.wellsmotorcars.co.uk/ - Merely a sign-up page.
http://headengineering.co.uk/ - Engineering allegedly done by these guys, but no reference on their CAD-heavy site.
Power is (again allegedly) a 2.0 Honda lump.
It's a new project, not as retro as it might appear (2018/19ish).

Unfortunately every time I see something like this I just think of the Sniff Petrol 'launch of a British supercar' checklist.

Or the 'How many Classic British cars have you driven'?

Because it does look a bit like the Tenby Splendid (1956)...

Famed for its inability to pass a church without something bad happening.

Or the:
Probisher Zeb (1970) Of the eight made, only nine still exist.

[anonymous-user]

AlexiusG55 said:

Just saw one of these in traffic today:



Lancia Kappa Coupé. Based on a shortened version of the Alfa 166 platform, and available with the Busso V6 or the Fiat 20V 5-cylinder turbo. Just over 3000 were built, essentially by hand.

I like these, but the exceedlingly handsome Rover 800 Coupe is a more resolved design if you want a commercially unsuccesful 90s coupe with turbocharged and V6 options. The Lancia has a too short wheelbase and long overhangs. and looks rather overbodied.

[Steamer]

Wow - I forgot about the 800 coupe

Actually looks great now (sorry a little bit of sick just came up.. I'm not a Rover fan).

But what a huge car to have a 2 door - which seats 5.

[saaby93]

Steamer said:

Wow - I forgot about the 800 coupe

Actually looks great now (sorry a little bit of sick just came up.. I'm not a Rover fan).

But what a huge car to have a 2 door - which seats 5.

Werent these a good 5 seater coupe too?
Audi coupe GT 5E with the 4+E economy box


Wikipedia wrongly claims it was a liftback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_Coup%C3%A9
That honour was the Passat equivalent

Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 6th February 11:25

[Steamer]

saaby93 said:

Steamer said:

Wow - I forgot about the 800 coupe

Actually looks great now (sorry a little bit of sick just came up.. I'm not a Rover fan).

But what a huge car to have a 2 door - which seats 5.

Werent these a good 5 seater coupe too?
Audi coupe GT 5E with the 4+E economy box


Wikipedia wrongly claims it was a liftback
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_Coup%C3%A9
That honour was the Passat equivalent

Edited by saaby93 on Thursday 6th February 11:25

Yes - I remember those well, although in terms of scale I think the 800 was a whale of a car (although agree the Audi wasnt exactly small either!)

[ajprice]

Steamer said:

Wow - I forgot about the 800 coupe

Actually looks great now (sorry a little bit of sick just came up.. I'm not a Rover fan).

But what a huge car to have a 2 door - which seats 5.

It's a similar size to a modern Mondeo or Arteon, and for some reason the 800 coupe was taller than the 4 and 5 door https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_800_series

[carinaman]

AlexiusG55 said:

Just saw one of these in traffic today:



Lancia Kappa Coupé. Based on a shortened version of the Alfa 166 platform, and available with the Busso V6 or the Fiat 20V 5-cylinder turbo. Just over 3000 were built, essentially by hand.

I am not sure of the differences between the 166 and the Lancia Kappa underpinnings but the 166 was based on the Kappa floorpan. So the Kappa Coupe would have underpinnings based on a 166 which itself was developed from the underpinnings of the Kappa saloon.

It may be one way to get a Busso V6 with less bodywork corrosion baggage. But the 5 cylinder Fiat Coupe engine is a great engine too.

From the rear 3/4 quarter angle it looks more slab sided and under wheeled than a W140 Merc.? With the bigger windows and lower waistline I'd agree the Rover 800 Coupe looks better, more to scale using the photo shown previously. The Rover 800 Coupe looks like it has wheels rather than castors.

Edited by carinaman on Thursday 6th February 12:49

[anonymous-user]

Steamer said:

Wow - I forgot about the 800 coupe

Actually looks great now (sorry a little bit of sick just came up.. I'm not a Rover fan).

But what a huge car to have a 2 door - which seats 5.

Only had two (really very nice) seats in the back, although it was very comfortable and spacious.



They were good looking cars and they were beautifully assembled; worlds apart from the regular 800. The paintwork in particular was like glass. Unfortunately the engine and chassis choices were:

Underpowered 2.7 Honda V6 with really poor ride and crap handling despite expensive double wishbones all round, manual (rare) and autos;
Turbocharged 2 litre that was very quick for the time, handled well, rode ok, torsen diff, manual gearbox that couldn't cope, had the refinement of a tractor;
NASP 2 litre that was slow and unrefined, with the option of a non electronically controlled 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual; and
Rover 2.7 V6 that was lovely and smooth sounded great, manual or OK 4 speed auto, engines would expire by 30k.

Oh and at launch the coupe was more expensive than a 4 litre XJS. Remind me why Rover aren't with us anymore?

[Jimmy Recard]

The Rover V6 in the 800 was a 2.5

[LuS1fer]

Jimmy Recard said:

The Rover V6 in the 800 was a 2.5

There was a 2.5 and a 2.7 Honda V6 as the car was based on the Legend. The Rover KV6 was a 2.5.

[Jimmy Recard]

LuS1fer said:

There was a 2.5 and a 2.7 Honda V6 as the car was based on the Legend. The Rover KV6 was a 2.5.

Yes, that's true. But in the 800 Coupe the only V6s were the Honda 2.7 and then the Rover 2.5. The previous poster said that the Rover KV6 was a 2.7, which I think was a typo

[M3DGE]

stickleback123 said:

Steamer said:

Wow - I forgot about the 800 coupe

Actually looks great now (sorry a little bit of sick just came up.. I'm not a Rover fan).

But what a huge car to have a 2 door - which seats 5.

Only had two (really very nice) seats in the back, although it was very comfortable and spacious.



They were good looking cars and they were beautifully assembled; worlds apart from the regular 800. The paintwork in particular was like glass. Unfortunately the engine and chassis choices were:

Underpowered 2.7 Honda V6 with really poor ride and crap handling despite expensive double wishbones all round, manual (rare) and autos;
Turbocharged 2 litre that was very quick for the time, handled well, rode ok, torsen diff, manual gearbox that couldn't cope, had the refinement of a tractor;
NASP 2 litre that was slow and unrefined, with the option of a non electronically controlled 4 speed auto or 5 speed manual; and
Rover 2.7 V6 that was lovely and smooth sounded great, manual or OK 4 speed auto, engines would expire by 30k.

Oh and at launch the coupe was more expensive than a 4 litre XJS. Remind me why Rover aren't with us anymore?

When I worked for a Perth (Scotland) based insurer in the 90s they had a few chaufeur cars; if the executives weren't using them you could book them to get to the airport (we were up and down to London all the time). They were mostly Jags, but they did have one of these - rumor was it was a freebie from Rover because we ran so many 200s and 400s as company cars. I remember being disappointed when allocated one of these, and then shocked by the high standard of the interior - better than the Jags (which were poverty spec to be fair).