Mystery car pix

andys120

Sorry Texases and Kfdyx but Steven has this one nailed, it's an '86 Saab 900 Turbo SPG. SPG= Special Performnce Group. :shades:

texases

Yes, I guess all SPGs are Aeros, but not all Aeros are SPGs!

fintail

This one doesn't have flush lights, so I guess that makes it 85-86

magnette

jlbl

Renault for sure, say, mmm… 6?

Regards,
Jose

boomchek

Late 70s Renault 16.

magnette

That didn't last long ! Its a Renault 6 TL, from 1972

magnette

Not as straightforward as it seems...

jlbl

I don't know the brand nor the model, but it is funny to see that old-fashioned front hole for the lever. Looks like it had a machine-gun hidden behind!



A practical 007's car!

Regards,
Jose

stephen987

Oy. Tough one. It seems to be at a British car meet (noting the Cortina next to it and the Zephyr and Rover P5 behind it), but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen this one before.

I'm looking forward to finding out more.

andys120

No clue, in your bathroom? :P

stephen987

I already tried the "somebody's garage" line, last week on a Warwick. But it does give some of the aroma of a homebuilt special, at least to me. But there's something different here, because the question, "Where was this made?" suggests an unusual location (i.e., not the UK, despite being RHD and surrounded by all manner of British machinery).

So. . . where else are cars typically RHD? South Africa, Australia, Japan, many former British colonies. . .

Can you give us a hint, Magnette?

magnette

Ok - sorry for the delay in following up on this one, but we are hours ahead of you, and the site went down for me after I posted the picture last night.

It is unusual because it was built in Britain, by a foreign manufacturer, and I think it is the only visually-distinct model by this company that was unique to Britain.
The grille isn't original, or at least the starting handle plate doesn't look right.
They built over 200 of these, but itwasn't successful at least in part because of the woeful performance, and the high price compared with competitors.

Enough clues?

ps - the Ford in the background isn't a Zephyr, it's a Consul.

stephen987

Hmmm. This is quite a puzzle. Made in Britain, by a foreign manufacturer, but not one of the usual suspects (GM, Ford, et al) because that maker's British offerings are typically not visually distinct from those made in the home market.

A Citroen Bijou, made at Slough?

magnette

That was very good. It is indeed a Citroen Bijou, made at Slough betwen 1960/62. They built 241 of these, apparently, using the 2CV as a basis (licence production of which had ceased in Britain by then), and it only had a 425cc engine, while this fibreglass body was, I believe, actually heavier than the original metal one, so the top speed was less than 50mph. It was also rather expensive, and bearing in mind the BMC Mini, Ford Anglia and Triumph Herald had all been launched a few months previously it was a bit of a non-starter.
Citroen made various versions of the Traction Avant at Slough, before and after the war, and they also assembled the DS/ID19, for a while, although Ithink they did a special version of that too, the DW, I think, but that did look basically like the original....
Most Bijous have probably been uprated to the comparatively enormous 602cc unit from later 2CV's...

stephen987

I should've picked up the Citroen cue sooner. Not many things other than a 2CV would've had a slot for a hand crank. And those skinny disc wheels, too.

Pity about the performance--I think it's a rather attractively styled car.

magnette

It is quite attractive in a way - here is the rear

You can see why I didn't show the rear - chevron badge....
There must be quite a few left - I've seen a number at shows and used to pass one on the way to work soe years ago.

magnette

on the last photo - through the Cortina...

stephen987

Hmm. Autobianchi?

stephen987

I think the Bijou's styling would have aged rather well, with some updating. How about wider wheels and the flat-four from a GS?

fintail

NSU Prinz ca. 1960

magnette

That was quick - I don't know if it is a Prinz I, or II, or III - they all look pretty much the same. They were made in the various models from 1958-62 (it says here)...

magnette

I liked the styling, too - it looks more like a mini DS, rather than a 2CV. Not sure about wide wheels though.

stephen987

Not too wide, mind you, just 4.5 inches (what's that, 115 mm?) or so. Minilites, ideally.

magnette

I'm surprised none of you over the pond have identified the large black car behind the Prinz, next to the Volvo.....

andys120

It's definitely a ca. 1949-50 MoPar, probably a Chrysler. I'd need to see more of it to be more specific.

The car to the left, next to the NSU is most likely an early 50s Lincoln or Mercury.

andys120

texases

That's the Toyota Comfort, the standard taxi in much of the far east, but now being replaced by more economical and cleaner cars (it's often a manual trans + diesel). In Singapore they're going to diesel Hyundai Sonatas - read about it here: Not like I knew all this stuff!

guss

Third generation Toyota Cressida from about 1986 ?

Edit: nevermind it looks like texases knows this one better.

andys120

Yup, I saw the same NYT article on the Comfort cabs, did some further research and found the black car in Wikipedia.

It's not exactly a Toyota Comfort, this one year only (2003) performance version
was badged as a TRD Comfort GT-Z

Weird, huh? It's the first I've heard of 'Yoda using TRD as a brand name (JDM thing?).

I like to kid a friend of mine and ask him why his Tundra pickup sez "TURD" on the side. :P

texases

A "TRD Comfort GT-Z " - boy, talk about stretching a brand! Not much "GT" or "racing" about that one. Not the first time a company used an inappropriate name, though....

fintail

The car to the left of the NSU appears to be a British Ford Zephyr/Zodiac :P

magnette

Here is a better view Andy

magnette

fintail

Looks like a Fiat 2300 estate...I like it, their version of a fintail

magnette

Yes, a Fiat 2300 Estate - registered in 1967.
What you can't see in the photo is that there were two German Shepherd dogs tethered to the other side of this car, parked in the shade and with plenty of water to drink, so they were not too hot, but the owner was nowhere around, and the car was open - better than any immobiliser. I took this shot on zoom, as the dogs didn't take too kindly to me coming closer...(lots of growls)

stevedebi

kyfdx

Pulsar NX, with the optional Sportback..

boomchek

I never understood some of the names behind certain model verisons. If you really think about it there's nothing "sporty" about this back end. Perhaps they should have named it NX Loadback, or Kargoback.

just my lil rant :confuse:

kyfdx

Or.. the NX Babysgotback? :shades:

lostwrench1

1950 Chrysler. (Final year for Chrysler straight 8's.)

andys120

Pretty good guess then, frankly I'm too lazy to check and see what MY it is. There's a certain elegance to the Mopars of that era that I've always liked, the styling has a certain Contintental flair.

I can tell you this, that car is larger than it looks, it's every bit as large as the Humpback MoPars that preceded it .>

1948 Chrysler>

boomchek

Yes, aka NX J.Lo edition :P

texases

andys120

London Cabs obviously, the Red car and the black one behind the van are the traditional Austin FX4 London taxicabs. I'm not familiar with the Mercedes van, it doesn't look like anything we gen in NA. I'm guessing it's roughly the size of our SWB MoPar. Minivans... Fintail?, Magnette?

I'm a big fan of MVs as city cabs. The ease of entry/exit can't be beat.

fintail

I am pretty sure the van is a Vito, quite popular in Europe.

There are new style London cabs too:

texases

"I am pretty sure the van is a Vito, quite popular in Europe. "

Close enough - it's a potential replacement for the current taxi. From the NYT article:
"The new taxis are based on Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz Vito van, a vehicle sold in Britain since 1996. The cars are built in Spain and then sent to Britain to turn them into taxis and make sure they meet government standards, which include a taxi’s measurements, heating, floor covering and fittings. The new car holds six passengers, one more than most of the traditional taxis, has a sliding door for easier access and could save taxi drivers up to £10 ($18) worth of fuel a day"

Read more about it here: VitoTaxi

fintail

Very interesting, no wonder global MB sales are up for the year. Germany is conquering England the slow way :P

jlbl

"…the van is a Vito, quite popular in Europe. "

Vito takes the name from Vitoria (old name for 'Victoria'), which is the Spanish northern town where the Vito factory is. Arranged as a passenger minivan Vito can be directly bought at MB dealers. As such they are popular among families with several children and also as a mid-distance cab hired by small groups.

Regards,
Jose

andys120