Mystery car pix

magnette

Maserati, either a 3500GT or a 5000GT - I'm guessing the 3500....in which case circa 1958-61.
Coachwork by Touring?

magnette

(and the year is 1959)

andys120

Maserati, either a 3500GT or a 5000GT - I'm guessing the 3500....in which case circa 1958-61. Coachwork by Touring?

It's a 1962 Maserati 5000GT, body by Allemano,(the Touring bodied 3500GT had more rounded and (IMO) more attractive body work). The more expensive 5000GTs generally carried more flamboyant bodywork by Allemano, Frua, Zagato. Michelotti and Touring. It was Allemano that built most of the 32 cars.

5000GT pics.

andys120

Wow, that's a new one on me. It must be rear-engined as there's no radiator inlet in front, but there's a very tiny air intake on the rear deck lid. Most likely it is German (note BMW 507 in background)....could this be a special bodied variant of the BMW 700?

I'm also guessing it's a one-off, part of a coachbuilder's display (Beuttler?) as there is no sign of any carmaker's logo. I could've come close to guessing the year by noting the two-tone paint and the wraparound glass fore-and- aft. :confuse:

Ya got me going on this one buddy. :confuse:

magnette

It is German - it's not really a one-off, as they made quite a few, and it's not a BMW unlike the 507 you identified in the background. It was new to me, as well.
I took this at the Frankfurt motor show last September - they have a section of historic cars etc in one of the halls.

andys120

It is German - it's not really a one-off, as they made quite a few, and it's not a BMW

Er... thanks for the help. Now I'm more confused than ever.:sick:

It looks a bit like a Borgward Isabella but IIRC those had motors up front. :lemon:

stickguy

I forget the name, but is that the other Karman Ghia varient that VW never sent to the US?

magnette

It's not Karman Ghia, but you are closer...

stephen987

Thanks--nice pics and a very good article to boot!

magnette

Yes, Borgward were front engined..

andys120

I thought of the Type 3-based K-G 1600 too but the front is quite diiferent from your car and the windows had less wraparound.



I give up.

magnette

Well, it is a VW but this one is a Rometsch Coupe ( I have also found reference to it as a Rometsch Lauwerence, as the guy who designed it was apparently called Lauwerence).
They made over 100 coupes and cabriolets in the late 50's, based on the VW Beetle, and there are still quite a few left - perhaps mainly in Germany.
According to the sign at Frankfurt, this one was either owned by or at least used by Audrey Hepburn in 1959, as it was in a section showing "Cars of the Stars", but I've never seen one before.

magnette

In fairness, this was built both before and immediately after WW2....

andys120

I think it's an Adler, I didn't know any were made after the war.

<img src="http://www.cartype.com/pics/174/small/adler_emblem_2.jpg

stephen987

Maybe a Standard Eight.

fintail

I think Standard had a waterfall grille...Adler cars were killed off by the war.

andys120

I've heard of the Rometsch but I'm not sure I've ever seen one before. It's certainly a more comprehensive reworking than the K-G even if they are mechanically identical.

I found this picture of a Cabrio>



Nice Job, Mag.

magnette

The cabriolet is attractive, but I think I prefer the coupe version - it was a rather nicer looking car in my view than the K-G, which, while an improvement on the Beetle, was always a bit heavy looking.

magnette

It is not either a Standard (sorry Stephen) or an Adler (although I can see where the top of the grille has a resemblance to the badge for the latter, Andy).

It is British, though - introduced for the year before WW2, ie 1938-9, as a 2-door, 4-door and a convertible, but only this 4-door came back in 1945 after hostilities ended... This one is apparently post-war, but I don't think you can tell them apart.

It was one of the best selling cars in Britain immediately after WW2.

stephen987

The wide-set headlights sort of remind me of UK Fords of the period. Might it be a Prefect?

magnette

Yes, well done; it's a Ford E93 Prefect, made initially between 1938/9 and then from 1945 to the end of 1948 - this one is apparently from 1946. It was then replaced with the E493A Prefect, which looks similar, particularly from the side or rear, but has different wings with built in headlamps.

andys120

fintail

Some kind of BMC Farina, I can't make out the badge

magnette

Well, at a glance I thought MG Magnette, Mk III/IV.

(this is a Mk IV).

But it isn't - the badges etc are different. I think it is a Di Tella Magnette, based on the 1500 (1489)cc BMC engine, like the Magnette III, and assembled in Argentina, from about 1962/5.

magnette

Bonus points for the other cars visible?

fintail

Looks like a Bristol (don't know the model) with an Austin A40 Somerset in front of it, maybe a Rover P4 to the left. To the left of the Austin it is hard to tell, first reminds me of a Morris Minor, then a Ford Consul, then I think a later Austin A40.

andys120

It looked like a Bristol to me as well so I went surfing to find the Bristol with those small fins, couldn't find any good rear views of a car with both those and the segmented rear glass. I'm guessing it's an early Bristol 404.

magnette

Yes it's a Bristol - the only 4 door they have ever made - the 405 (neat registration). I concur on the other cars too, except the Ford Consul is actually a Zephyr-Zodiac, with that two-tone paint. Just ahead of the Somerset you can see a Morris 1000 Traveller.

andys120

I think it is a Di Tella Magnette, based on the 1500 (1489)cc BMC engine, like the Magnette III, and assembled in Argentina, from about 1962/5.

Right you are, the photo was taken on the streets of B.A. According to Jalopnik the full nomenclature is DiTella Magnette 1622 Do you suppose it used a bigger engine than the Magnette1500?

As you can see it wears the traditional Octagon, front and rear>

magnette

Did they ever sell Bristols over there ? They are well regarded cars here, as most of the cars they ever built are still running, I think, and you can get bits even for these early ones from the 50's from the factory...Funnily enough the rear red lights on this 405 are the same as on my Magnette...

magnette

I suppose they must have upgraded to the 1622 after BMC did at home. I think the wheelbase and track on these cars stayed the same as the early Farinas though, they didn't change the body much. They even made a pick-up version with a Riley type radiator, which is totally unique to them...
I think someone in the MG car club told me years ago that there is at least one of the Magnettes in the club - presumably over in South America...

fintail

I am pretty sure any Bristols to make it over here would have been private imports. I've never seen one on this continent.

The early ones are interesting to me as they are pretty much BMWs, and aren't bad looking either.

magnette

The later ones are of course American engined, so they are very reliable, but it's the early ones that appeal. That Bristol 405 was made from 1954-58, it has a wood frame, some steel but a lot of aluminium panels, and with only 1971cc engine it still did about 10 mph new, which was great in 1954, and because it was so light compared with many other cars of this size, it was apparently relatively economical, with a good range - I suppose being built by an aircraft company paid off in that sense. ( They certainly were one of the first British car companies to use a wind tunnel).

The later ones are really understated though, which is quite cool - not as flashy as a Rolls or a Bentley, but a lot more exclusive.

magnette

( and yes, they did make this one before the war too - although this particular one is post-war...)

fintail

I'm pretty sure it's a Morris...8?

stephen987

Morris Eight Series E, right?

andys120

I thought it might be a Standard Twelve but I think they're right, it's a Morris Eight.

stephen987

The Morris and the Standard do have very similar radiator grilles and bonnet lines.

magnette

Yes, Morris 8 series E, current from 1938/9 and then 1946 to 48 - this car was replaced by the first Morris Minor. The van carried on until about 1953, I believe, with the later ones almost exclusively used by our Post Office - until they started using Minor vans, by the thousand.

This particular one was registered in London in 1947.

wgrafer

The only Brtisol I have ever seen in the U.S. is on the Masterpiece Theatre TV show "Inspector Lynley Mysteries" where Lynley drive a rather nice looking maroon 2-door (and I have no idea what year!) :surprise:

andys120

Inspector Lynley may have driven more than one Bristol. Last Sunday on PBS he had a 411 (ca.1968-76 like this one>



Wikipedia sez he drove an earlier Bristol 410 '68-'69. Both were Chrysler-powered.

andys120

11 Built>

stephen987

I don't know, but I'm in love with it. The nose kind of reminds me of the 50's vintage MG and Riley sedans, and the overall lines remind me of an MGA, except for the tall bonnet. Some sort of Bristol-engined special?

magnette

It's a Frazer-Nash, but I'm not sure about the model...LeMans? Circa 1952/4

stephen987

Frazer Nash--that explains it! Possibly a Mille Miglia rather than a Le Mans Replica.

andys120

Bingo Stephen, that is one of 11 Frazer Nash Mille Miglia Replicas built in the early 50s.

andys120

kyfdx

Saab 900 Turbo..

From the size of the bumpers, I'll say about '88

stephen987

Possibly a 900 SPG?

texases

Saab 900 Aero, a.k.a. SPG, made from about '84 to '93. There's even a web site dedicated to it: 900Aero