Cars you didn't know existed...
Discussion
Noesph said:
On Sunday I saw a clio mk1 camper van. With a bit of research I think I saw a "Stimson Sportique"
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Don't venture down that rabbit hole, horrors await! https://www.flickr.com/photos/7430965@N05/11449004...[/pic]
LuS1fer said:
ElectricSoup said:
Had forgotten that the placing of the name badges was arse about face.
They had a very cavalier attitude to badge placement.Despite Reliant putting the full name on one side, in the correct order, people still call them Robin Reliants.
Word 'BY' is usually obscured by the boot handle.
True fact.
The talk about Cavaliers a page or so back lead me to some wiki-walking. Vauxhalls/Opels are not what I'd consider my area of automotive expertise so I had a genuine "cars I didn't know existed moment" which might seem very obvious to some of you:
I had no idea that the Mk1 Cavalier was available as a Coupe. I knew about the Sporthatch, and I knew that that was a Griffin-ised Manta B CC. I also knew that the Manta B was available as a three-box coupe (the Berlinetta). I just never joined the dots to realise that Vauxhall offered a version of that, too.
So they stripped the Austin branding and adopted the weird 'marque-less' tactic. The cars were always technically Rovers, they appear as 'Rover Montegos' etc. on the V5s. The brochures adopted the Rover house style and the complete range-overview brochures had the M-cars tucked away on a couple of pages right at the back. The bonnet badges used the same moulding and style as the Rover longship, but with a logo with a cruciform shape reminiscient of the old Austin 'shield' badge which in turn was based on Herbert Austin's coat of arms and had been used on the Mini. But they put a lot of deliberate effort into distancing the ex-Austins from the new Rovers.
The Mini is even more complicated, because it was farmed off a sub-brand in 1969, re-joined the Austin stable in the early 1980s and was then de-Austin'ed with the rest of them in 1987 and becoming a hush-hush Rover product before being given its own brand identity again, with its own bespoke logo (still used by MINI, incorporating the wings from the old Austin badge and the roundel from the old Morris logo) and marketing just before the BMW takeover. This was at the same time that they ditched the low-spec 998cc City/Mayfair models and focussed solely on the 1275cc Coopers and special editions, thus making the Mini into the premium-priced urban fashion accessory with sporting cred that it has remained to this day.
I had no idea that the Mk1 Cavalier was available as a Coupe. I knew about the Sporthatch, and I knew that that was a Griffin-ised Manta B CC. I also knew that the Manta B was available as a three-box coupe (the Berlinetta). I just never joined the dots to realise that Vauxhall offered a version of that, too.
saaby93 said:
Just think - had the plan been successful there would have been whole Metro Maestro and Montego sub- brands with half a dozen models, like they did with Mini 
I know you're not being entirely serious, but it's not that there was any plan to make any of the Austin M-cars sub-brands. It was simply that the Austin marque was so worthless that it was actively hampering sales of the cars. BL had rebranded itself the Rover Group in preparation for privatisation and, to the same end, had decided that its future lay as a lower volume, higher market mid-size manufacturer focussing on the relatively untarnished Rover badge (plus revitalised MG and Land/Range Rover, of course). The M-cars were too old-fashioned and downmarket to be sold as Rovers, but Rover Group needed still needed their sales and volumes until the new 200/400 co-developed with Honda came along to replace the Maestro/Montego and a new supermini replaced the Metro (which in the event never happened so the Metro was re-engineered, moved upmarket, Rover-ised and partially replaced with the introduction of the R3 'bubble' 200). So they stripped the Austin branding and adopted the weird 'marque-less' tactic. The cars were always technically Rovers, they appear as 'Rover Montegos' etc. on the V5s. The brochures adopted the Rover house style and the complete range-overview brochures had the M-cars tucked away on a couple of pages right at the back. The bonnet badges used the same moulding and style as the Rover longship, but with a logo with a cruciform shape reminiscient of the old Austin 'shield' badge which in turn was based on Herbert Austin's coat of arms and had been used on the Mini. But they put a lot of deliberate effort into distancing the ex-Austins from the new Rovers.
The Mini is even more complicated, because it was farmed off a sub-brand in 1969, re-joined the Austin stable in the early 1980s and was then de-Austin'ed with the rest of them in 1987 and becoming a hush-hush Rover product before being given its own brand identity again, with its own bespoke logo (still used by MINI, incorporating the wings from the old Austin badge and the roundel from the old Morris logo) and marketing just before the BMW takeover. This was at the same time that they ditched the low-spec 998cc City/Mayfair models and focussed solely on the 1275cc Coopers and special editions, thus making the Mini into the premium-priced urban fashion accessory with sporting cred that it has remained to this day.
Edited by 2xChevrons on Thursday 26th March 00:15
Plenty of American cars I have never heard of but one im liking lately is the Buick Riviera, '65 version with the funky headlights
And some older European cars that I am too young to remember, like the Audi 100 Coupe, these look pretty cool like Ford Capri, Datsun 240ish. Unfortunately though they were FWD, doing some reading on them it would seem Porsche used a few of them as 928 testbed where they were wider with a different floor and front-engined V8 RWD layout. Imagine if Audi had actually made that...
And some older European cars that I am too young to remember, like the Audi 100 Coupe, these look pretty cool like Ford Capri, Datsun 240ish. Unfortunately though they were FWD, doing some reading on them it would seem Porsche used a few of them as 928 testbed where they were wider with a different floor and front-engined V8 RWD layout. Imagine if Audi had actually made that...
BFleming said:
Brazil model as it turns out.
Brazil also gave us some other gems. Gems, in the loosest sense...
I always liked the Tempra. Bloody good and under rated car in its day. That 2 door looks good (but I always liked 2.door saloons..)Brazil also gave us some other gems. Gems, in the loosest sense...
The 127 is not a Brazil special- Europe (but not the UK) had the 127 Rustica painted in a fetching shade of hearing aid beige.....
StescoG66 said:
I always liked the Tempra. Bloody good and under rated car in its day. That 2 door looks good (but I always liked 2.door saloons..)
The 127 is not a Brazil special- Europe (but not the UK) had the 127 Rustica painted in a fetching shade of hearing aid beige.....
Like the Ford Verona/VW Apollo ...... (think of a 2-door Orion)The 127 is not a Brazil special- Europe (but not the UK) had the 127 Rustica painted in a fetching shade of hearing aid beige.....
2xChevrons said:
The talk about Cavaliers a page or so back lead me to some wiki-walking. Vauxhalls/Opels are not what I'd consider my area of automotive expertise so I had a genuine "cars I didn't know existed moment" which might seem very obvious to some of you:
I had no idea that the Mk1 Cavalier was available as a Coupe. I knew about the Sporthatch, and I knew that that was a Griffin-ised Manta B CC. I also knew that the Manta B was available as a three-box coupe (the Berlinetta). I just never joined the dots to realise that Vauxhall offered a version of that, too.
I confess my initial reaction was "really?!?!", then looked a little harder at that photo - growing up, Cavalier coupes were almost as thick as fleas on a dog, but I've never seen a LHD one - I figured they'd always be Opel Mantas.I had no idea that the Mk1 Cavalier was available as a Coupe. I knew about the Sporthatch, and I knew that that was a Griffin-ised Manta B CC. I also knew that the Manta B was available as a three-box coupe (the Berlinetta). I just never joined the dots to realise that Vauxhall offered a version of that, too.
StescoG66 said:
BFleming said:
Brazil also gave us some other gems. Gems, in the loosest sense...
The 127 is not a Brazil special- Europe (but not the UK) had the 127 Rustica painted in a fetching shade of hearing aid beige.....
A 127 for Brazil with some alternative engine choices.BFleming said:
StescoG66 said:
BFleming said:
Brazil also gave us some other gems. Gems, in the loosest sense...
The 127 is not a Brazil special- Europe (but not the UK) had the 127 Rustica painted in a fetching shade of hearing aid beige..... A 127 for Brazil with some alternative engine choices.
And the Panorama
I went round the Fiat factory in Turkey once, they had some oddball stuff in their museum
MarkwG said:
2xChevrons said:
The talk about Cavaliers a page or so back lead me to some wiki-walking. Vauxhalls/Opels are not what I'd consider my area of automotive expertise so I had a genuine "cars I didn't know existed moment" which might seem very obvious to some of you:
I had no idea that the Mk1 Cavalier was available as a Coupe. I knew about the Sporthatch, and I knew that that was a Griffin-ised Manta B CC. I also knew that the Manta B was available as a three-box coupe (the Berlinetta). I just never joined the dots to realise that Vauxhall offered a version of that, too.
I confess my initial reaction was "really?!?!", then looked a little harder at that photo - growing up, Cavalier coupes were almost as thick as fleas on a dog, but I've never seen a LHD one - I figured they'd always be Opel Mantas.I had no idea that the Mk1 Cavalier was available as a Coupe. I knew about the Sporthatch, and I knew that that was a Griffin-ised Manta B CC. I also knew that the Manta B was available as a three-box coupe (the Berlinetta). I just never joined the dots to realise that Vauxhall offered a version of that, too.
Funny thread this, one which I've avoided so far because if anything it's just a reminder I'm getting older than I want to be!
I keep imagining crusties like me shaking their heads at the screen because some relative sprog is scratching his head over a 70s kit car, meanwhile said sprog will be utterly dumbstruck why people my age can't identify a 2019 Hyundai.
Anyhow, this is my first contribution. Be gentle and pardon me if its mentioned 15 pages back or something. I had no idea this exsited, and can't honestly explain why it does especially at £45 grand used. The 2017 Infiniti QX80, a car which makes the Saangyong Musso look passable;
I keep imagining crusties like me shaking their heads at the screen because some relative sprog is scratching his head over a 70s kit car, meanwhile said sprog will be utterly dumbstruck why people my age can't identify a 2019 Hyundai.
Anyhow, this is my first contribution. Be gentle and pardon me if its mentioned 15 pages back or something. I had no idea this exsited, and can't honestly explain why it does especially at £45 grand used. The 2017 Infiniti QX80, a car which makes the Saangyong Musso look passable;
Loose_Cannon said:
Funny thread this, one which I've avoided so far because if anything it's just a reminder I'm getting older than I want to be!
I keep imagining crusties like me shaking their heads at the screen because some relative sprog is scratching his head over a 70s kit car, meanwhile said sprog will be utterly dumbstruck why people my age can't identify a 2019 Hyundai.
Anyhow, this is my first contribution. Be gentle and pardon me if its mentioned 15 pages back or something. I had no idea this exsited, and can't honestly explain why it does especially at £45 grand used. The 2017 Infiniti QX80, a car which makes the Saangyong Musso look passable;
There’s a whole class of SUVs we don’t get over here. I only came across them when I was in the Middle East for a while.I keep imagining crusties like me shaking their heads at the screen because some relative sprog is scratching his head over a 70s kit car, meanwhile said sprog will be utterly dumbstruck why people my age can't identify a 2019 Hyundai.
Anyhow, this is my first contribution. Be gentle and pardon me if its mentioned 15 pages back or something. I had no idea this exsited, and can't honestly explain why it does especially at £45 grand used. The 2017 Infiniti QX80, a car which makes the Saangyong Musso look passable;
Massive lexus etc. All munters as far as I could make out.
swisstoni said:
Loose_Cannon said:
Funny thread this, one which I've avoided so far because if anything it's just a reminder I'm getting older than I want to be!
I keep imagining crusties like me shaking their heads at the screen because some relative sprog is scratching his head over a 70s kit car, meanwhile said sprog will be utterly dumbstruck why people my age can't identify a 2019 Hyundai.
Anyhow, this is my first contribution. Be gentle and pardon me if its mentioned 15 pages back or something. I had no idea this exsited, and can't honestly explain why it does especially at £45 grand used. The 2017 Infiniti QX80, a car which makes the Saangyong Musso look passable;
There’s a whole class of SUVs we don’t get over here. I only came across them when I was in the Middle East for a while.I keep imagining crusties like me shaking their heads at the screen because some relative sprog is scratching his head over a 70s kit car, meanwhile said sprog will be utterly dumbstruck why people my age can't identify a 2019 Hyundai.
Anyhow, this is my first contribution. Be gentle and pardon me if its mentioned 15 pages back or something. I had no idea this exsited, and can't honestly explain why it does especially at £45 grand used. The 2017 Infiniti QX80, a car which makes the Saangyong Musso look passable;
Massive lexus etc. All munters as far as I could make out.
Huge thing, seemed like it would dwarf a Range Rover
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