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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
"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!
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.
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?
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 ;-).
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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)
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.
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.
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!
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;
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].
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?
Comments
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
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.
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.
As an aside, got to ride in a porsche IROC with a good driver. That was pretty fun!
dave
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.
How about a Mahari(sp?)?????
Hint: This is not a brand name, but a model.
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!
Q: Who knows the identity of the popular (with nerds) plastic British 3 wheeler that just went out of production?
-Mike
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 ;-).
And where was the Manic GT manufactured?
Now that's an obscure car! Didn't last long, either. Reminds me a bit of a Saab Sonnet.
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
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
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..
That was a Simca Vedette. AKA a Ford Vedette after Ford sold their French operationsto Simca in the early 50's.
Bill
Looky this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=590590515
Bill
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?
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
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!
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?
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].
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