Have You Ever Heard of a _________?!!

skidmarks

Hey,anyone remember the amphicar? I do.7mph on h20 and 70mph on land. A good idea? I guess not.Another bad idea,what was the name of the car that also flew and was featured on the Bob Cummings show around '60? I have a piece of amphicar stock, is it worth more than the paper it's printed on?

im_brentwood

Watch me make SHifty blow a fuse...

I just drove this:



My new-to-me 1960 Vauxhall Velox from Sarnia, Ontario to home here in Orlando.

1,278 miles. Not a single problem. Only 1/2 qt of oil used.

Bill

Mr_Shiftright

Well, Bill, you WILL be the only one on your block....congratulations!

Actually, Vauxhall (at one time) was a respected sporting car...now of course, or even by 1960, they were totally GM-ized, but I have a soft spot for the older ones. Not things of beauty, but honest enough cars that got the job done. Weird enough in California to be charming.

speedshift

Bill, is Vauxhall your new franchise?

I saw a fair number of oddball cars in Orlando in the '60s--Vauxhall, Renault, English Ford, Peugeot, what else...Hillman, Simca...no Borgwards that I recall. Sometimes a neighbor would drive me to school in an open Porsche of some kind, maybe a Speedster.

I think Vauxhall was sold by Pontiac dealers, but not enthusiastically.

dhanley

I saw an aston-healey bugeye sprite at the racetrack yesterday. That was a first for me. They even raced the thing. Cute little car!

As an aside, got to ride in a porsche IROC with a good driver. That was pretty fun!

dave

speeds2much

GM's Vauxhall Alive and Well...

They are all over the place here in the UK, but I noticed on a drive to Paris that GM's brand in France is still Opel. Don't know the history...has it been Vauxhall all along in the UK?

Hey, here's a weird car for everyone: the Smart car, made by Swatch. It's about as wide as a phone booth and is decked out in wild colors, with a 3-cylindar engine and 2 seats. It looks a bit like the creature in Aliens. The Smart can be had for about £7,000.

Mr_Shiftright

Opel is the German GM, and Vauxhall is the UK (and Canada I believe?) and Holden is the Australian.

modvptnl

I forgot if I or anybody else mentioned it.

How about a Mahari(sp?)?????

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, I know that one but let's see who else does...I think your spelling is correct, yes.

Hint: This is not a brand name, but a model.

speedshift

Is it some kind of Citroen?

Mr_Shiftright

Close!

modvptnl

a Citroen. I know it had a plastic body, front wheel drive, a 2 stroke motor and a goofy shifter that came out of the dash.

Mr_Shiftright

Actually, you are correct.....I was thinking Renault but then it occurred to me that in fact it was Citroen. They also made a 2-wheel drive type Jeep that I actually drove once but the name of it escapes me at the moment. It was a about the slowest most dangerous thing I have ever driven in my life.

modvptnl

"Actually, you are correct.....I was thinking Renault but then it occurred to me that in fact it was Citroen. They also made a 2-wheel drive type Jeep that I actually drove once but the name of it escapes me at the moment. It was a about the slowest most dangerous thing I have ever driven in my life."

I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same car!!!! LOL!!! My uncle had one a long time ago in Phoenix and used it in the desert. Think it ended up as target practice!

Mr_Shiftright

Really? I had the SAME idea, but live in an urban area where random gunfire is frowned upon. (not that it doesn't happen). Well, I hope he was a good shot.

404c

The plastic car you mention is likely a Citroen Méhari, with 2CV drivetrain. The boxer twin engine was 4 stroke, not 2. A version was even offered 20 years ago with full-time 4WD.

Q: Who knows the identity of the popular (with nerds) plastic British 3 wheeler that just went out of production?

-Mike

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, was that the Reliant?

404c

Plastic Pig! LOL

dpwestlake

Has anyone seen a Triumph Stag lately?

Mr_Shiftright

yeah, a neighbor up the street has one, poor fellow.

404c

Yeah, I saw a Triumph Stag 2 weeks ago as a matter of fact, on the Vancouver Island Highway at Ladysmith. They look a lot like a Spitfire from the rear, when viewed from afar. That it was indeed a Stag became evident as I got closer, then passed it, where the 4 eyed front was visible. I wonder if it still has that awful V8 in it.

There are lots of old British cars here on Vancouver Island (the weather is kind to them) and half of all retired Englishmen live here ;-).

404c

Who knows what car the Manic GT of circa 1970 was based upon?

And where was the Manic GT manufactured?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, yeah, I know, but I'll just answer part of the question and leave the rest for someone else to take a stab at it. It was made in Canada, a fiberglas coupe with _________components.
Now that's an obscure car! Didn't last long, either. Reminds me a bit of a Saab Sonnet.

im_brentwood

Mr Shiftwright...

That would be a Bricklin.

As far as Vauxhalls go... they havent been sold in Canada since around '69 or '70 (The Viva was the end of it) and after 1962 only the Victors (And later the Vivas) were sold there.

They did well up there but got a lousy reputation for rust.

Vauxhalls are now only sold in the UK and Ireland. It's Opel in the rest of Europe, and now they're just rebadged Opels...

The only Vauxhalls that were oficially sold here were the F-Type Victors from 1958-60...And they were handled by Pontiac dealers!

Oh, for the mention on old British cars in Orlando... I know a guy in town who has a 1962 or so Ford Consul Capri (Not the Capri you're thinking of) with the original dealer sticker from the Orlando English Ford dealer! He's also got a 57 Consul Convertible and has a 58 or so Zodiac that I bet I end up buying.

Bill

Bill

Mr_Shiftright

Well, they certainly are obscure, I trust you will not pay too much for them.

speedshift

I'd be interested in any info you could give me on the Orlando English Ford dealer. My father had a Ford Consul 2-door woody wagon which supposedly had "the larger engine" installed by the son of the dealer. Then it was used to work an orange grove (probably now a hotel parking lot). It would peg the 80 mph speedometer so I guess it had some power. Black with wood trim, very sharp.

im_brentwood

Long long gone...

But I'll see if I can find the name for ya. Love to know what happened to the Woddy tho!

Probably had a later Cortina engine slapped in it.

Bill

dranoel

When did you last see a Wartburg Knight? They were imported here in the US back in the 60s ??

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think I've seen a Wartburg for over 10 years now. I guess people are stashing them to cah in at a later date.

bob354

Anyone heard of a Munts (Muntz?) Jet, built by the Munts TV folks in the 50's? Supposed to have been a little car with much power. One of those stories heard around the old hardware store...

taylor47

I remember years ago a customer with a Simca that had a flathead V-8 engine in it. It wasn't a Ford transplant but looked original! Don't remember the model but maybe somebody does.

merckx

I know some Simcas did come with Ford engines-not positive it's the Aronde,though. (Pretty car).

lokki

A picture:

http://www.motorbase.com/picture/pid/-1405357188.html

And some info:

http://www.team.net/www/ktud/us_speci.html#muntz

I've never seen one but it seems like a pretty decent car..

im_brentwood

Ah-HA!

That was a Simca Vedette. AKA a Ford Vedette after Ford sold their French operationsto Simca in the early 50's.

Bill

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, that's right...the Aronde was a 4-cylinder, hardtop coupe I believe. Looked a lot like the Volvo 122 Amazon.

modvptnl

Since stumping youz guys on cars is impossible has anyone ever heard of an Amazon that's not a 4 wheeled mode of transportation? (It is a motor vehicle, however)

carphoto

I seem to recall a motorcycle built in Brazil with a VW flat 4 called an Amazon or Amazonas.

modvptnl

That was quick and correct!!

im_brentwood

Or, a Pickup truck!

Looky this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=590590515

Bill

badgerpaul

I especially like the wide whites with the mid '80's Lincoln wheel covers, they add a bit of class. But I do think that it's been overbid at $595.

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe it was supposed to be $5.95?

Of course it's rare...nobody wanted it THEN, and nobody wants it NOW....

Okay, buy it for $600, put a quick $5,000 in it, and sell it to Acme Wrecking for $150...there's good money in "classics" isn't there?

carphoto

I kinda like it?! But I have too many project cars now. I'm great at finding deals, lousy at selling them. I like quirky oddball stuff, like the Triumph Sports 6 (Herald convert with a 6 cylinder) and the Swallow Doretti (quick, search the internet!) I have a TR7 (gasp!) that is as reliable as any Honda I've had (it has Bosch FI). Used to have a RHD Mini Cooper 970S. It was great fun to load up my 100 lb Labrador in the left front seat and go for a drive and watch peoples reactions.

Mr_Shiftright

Well, sounds like you are PERFECT for a Simca pickup. At least we know you are an optimist and perhaps a realist, two good qualities for owning funny old cars.

im_brentwood

Ahh!

A triumph Sports Six (aka Vitesse) I came THIS close to buying one recently...

If I could find a nice LHD one I'd grab it.

Bill

dpwestlake

I'd prefer a Dolomite Sprint.

carphoto

Sports 6s were poor sellers in the US. Too expensive for what they were. None of the Triumph saloons (sedans) sold well here, only the sports cars. I think only 900 Sports 6s were sold in 4 years. I'm doing a ground -up on mine, chassis is about 70% done. The Sports 6 came with a 1600cc six cylinder which is difficult to find parts for. The 2 litre 6 from a GT6 goes right in. I'm fitting a complete GT6 drivetrain with an overdrive gearbox and GT6 brakes. This is the same spec as the later Vitesse 2 Litre.

The Dolly Sprint never came to the US and I'm not sure if they were sold in Canada. I've thought of putting a Sprint head on my TR7 but I'm not sure I could get the fuel injection to mate up. There are a few people who have made the Sprint conversion on carbed cars in the US. It would be a fun project, good TR7 convertibles are cheap and the Sprint conversion is ofered as a kit by a couple outfits in England. Alas, I have too many projects as it is. Don't you hate it when reality gets in the way of fun!

dpwestlake

I'm restoring a '76 and have 2 '75s for parts. I also have a '70 Saab 96 I'm working on.

Does the Dolly 16v head bolt right up to the TR7 block? I know it's a SOHC but does it need a different timing chain?

carphoto

AFAIK the Sprint conversion can be done to any year TR7. The engine blocks were the same or very nearly so throughout production. It is more than just a head and timing chain. Timing gears, intake and exhaust manifolds and many more small parts. Rimmer Bros in the UK sell complete kits for a Sprint upgrade. See;

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/

Select TR7/8, then TR7 16V variant. You can request a catalog that gives a lot of detail as well. Rimmers usually sends reps to the major US Triumph meets like the VTR National and Triumphest on the west coast. They often have special shipping deals.

I'd do it in a heartbeat if it weren't for the smog [non-permissible content removed].

speedshift

Just curious, has does this conversion affect TR-7 reliability? Weren't they known for head gasket failure?

carphoto

The Sprint 4v heads have a few quirks of their own, I seem to remember soft cam followers or something. TR7s are known for blowing head gaskets. The real pain is that the heads are held on by a set of bolts and a set of studs and nuts. The axis of the two sets of fasteners are NOT parallel! They suffer from dissimilar metal corrosion and tend to "weld" themselves into the head. When that happens they cannot be re-torqued or removed and almost invariably snap.

I know of people who have 200+ k miles on TR7s with no head problems. The trick is proper maintenance. Keeping the cooling system in good shape and regularly re-torqueing the head. My car has only 36k miles (bought it from orig, owner with 26k miles!) I retorque the head every time I change the oil, takes 20 minutes.

Also, something I am about to do, is fit stronger head bolts, studs, nuts from ARP and torque to a little higher value.

I think its about 90% good careful maintenance and 10% sheer dumb luck!

You know the quickest way to double the value of your TR7?

Fill the gas tank!

Cheers