93fxdl
Posted a lot
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Posts: 2,000
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Mar 15, 2014 11:53:56 GMT
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The car that gets my vote, is the unloved maxi. Ohc engine, fully independent suspension, 5 speed gearbox and a hatchback. Each one not particularly ground breaking on their own, but all in one package, made it cutting edge in my view. Ttfn Glenn
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Mar 15, 2014 16:19:08 GMT
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The big german car companies all seem to be making coupe styled versions of their saloon cars, think VW Passat CC, Audi A5, Mercs, BMWs et al. Many seem to put this down to the Mercedes Benz CLS but surely the (or one of the) first coupe styled executive car was the Rover SD1? I have a real yearning for an SD1. Actually saabs 99 combi was around in '74. I suppose not that executive though.
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'98 e36 316i lux '97 mx5 harvard '87 Saab 900 T16s
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Mar 15, 2014 16:34:25 GMT
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This was way ahead of its time... 4-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes on a car in the mid-1960's was mind bending...!!! Cost a few bob at the time though!
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***GARAGE CURRENTLY EMPTY***
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Mar 15, 2014 21:51:52 GMT
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It was a mere 113 years later that the concept of a smal city-car with tiny rear engine was ready for mass production And it took 17 more years for the concept to spread; the next Renault Twingo (3) will be rear engined! Based on the Smart. Well ok - I guess that was a bit far fetched
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And here's another one; the AMC Amitron. From 1967(!) - fully electric, 500kg and a range of 155 miles at 50mph. Making use of nickel-cadmium and lithium batterys and braking recuperation to charge the accumulators. It didn't enter production, but I think that's pretty much the predecessor of modern electric cars. And even better; it had room for three! Not just two - like the electric Smart The picture demonstartes the advantages of the then space-age batterys opposed to common lead-acid batterys. Conventional batterys with similar capacity would have weighed almost a ton!
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v8ian
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,762
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Atmo V8 Power . No slicks , No gas + No bits missing . Doing it in style. Austin A35van, very different------- but still doing it in style, going to be a funmoble
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Clement
Europe
ambitious but rubbish
Posts: 2,095
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Mar 16, 2014 10:16:06 GMT
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Sorry to play the Frenchy French Frenchman but it hasn't been mentioned yet!
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Mar 16, 2014 18:18:45 GMT
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when this came out it was ahead of it's time certainly for styling compared to it's predisesor even if the underpinning were quite traditional. You either loved it or hated it when it was launched, but within a couple of years it was common place, even if it put off Ford being ambitious again for a long time. The underpinnings were far from traditional. A lot of people seem to think that these were still Cortinas under the skin, not so. The engine and gearbox were the same but that's all and that doesn't make the car. The Cortina used an american style double wishbone front suspension set up on a subframe. The Sierra used McPherson struts up front attached straight to the body shell. The Cortina used a 4-linked live axle in the rear, the Sierra used trailing arm independent rear suspension. So the whole thing was new. Yes all that was done to make it handle better than the outgoing Cortina and to keep up with the opposition so the rwd layout was traditional and the engine was definitely traditional, infact it was meant to be fwd but ford didn't have a suitable power plant ready. But it was good job they didn't or the kit car world would have been stumped it just a shame so many have succumbed to being kit car fodder as there are less than 12k left on our roads out of geing on for over a million built
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Mar 16, 2014 18:38:35 GMT
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This was way ahead of its time... 4-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes on a car in the mid-1960's was mind bending...!!! Cost a few bob at the time though! So many people forget about the Jensen FF, they all seem to remember the Audi Quattro though... Not sure what the first all wheel drive convertible was , but this is quite special. Built by Jensen Parts & Services.
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MGB GT, Jensen Interceptor (ex Mike Yarwood)
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Mar 16, 2014 19:00:57 GMT
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The Porsche 914.... They even featured an unmodified one in the Gerry Anderson series UFO....
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ITV4 Presenter of Auto Mundial and Motorsport Mundial Weekly on your telly. Classic Car Mag Writer/Journalist Previous rides: Split Ambulance, Thing & h/top, Military Beetle & 4x181s, , Golf Country, Bay(sold to Vernon Kay). '68 Ghia, Iltis, 3xTrabants, Volvo PV544, 2xPontiac Fiero, Jeep, Nissan Pao, 2xGolf Cabbys, 2xScirroccos, K70 etc. etc.
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Smiler
Posted a lot
I no longer own anything FWD! Or with less than 6 cylinders, or 2.5ltrs! :)
Posts: 2,492
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Mar 16, 2014 20:15:52 GMT
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Not sure what the first all wheel drive convertible was , but this is quite special. Built by Jensen Parts & Services. Series 1 Landrover!
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www.Auto-tat.co.uk'96 Range Rover P38 DSE (daily driver) '71 Reliant Scimitar SE5 GTE 3.0ltr Jag V6 Conversion '79 Reliant Scimitar SE6A 3.0ltr 24valve Omega Conversion '85 Escort Cabrio 2.0 Zetec - Sold '91 BMW 525i - Sold '82 Cortina 2.9i Ghia Cosworth - Sold '72 VW Campervan - Sold '65 LandRover 88" - Sold
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Oct 29, 2014 19:15:54 GMT
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These still look modern & all ali construction
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Resident Toyota Geek Current Fleet: HDJ81 Landcruiser, GZ20 Soarer, JZX81 Cresta
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Oct 29, 2014 20:12:14 GMT
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EmDee
Club Retro Rides Member
Committer of Autrocities.
Posts: 5,920
Club RR Member Number: 108
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Cars ahead of their timeEmDee
@emdee
Club Retro Rides Member 108
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Oct 29, 2014 20:19:38 GMT
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Dare I post this? Yes, I do, flame on.
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Oct 29, 2014 20:35:42 GMT
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Daihatsu charade GTTI one litre, three cylinder turbo. Over 25 years later ford are really pushing 1.o litre, 3 cylinder turbo engines
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***Please contact me if you need Tig welding done***
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Oct 29, 2014 22:11:39 GMT
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How about an SM?
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Still learning...still spending...still breaking things!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Cars ahead of their timeChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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Oct 29, 2014 22:31:15 GMT
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Sorry to play the Frenchy French Frenchman but it hasn't been mentioned yet! Damn, I got beat to it. With the exception of a few cars this has to be one of the most advanced cars ever built, with it taking years for competitors to come close. What it lacked in a decent engine (partially rectified later with Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection) it gained by the spades with its practicality, surprisingly spacious interior, and generally unrivalled ride quality. Time for a few others, albeit not with the same success most of the time or execution of the DS. The Triumph MkI Saloon and Stag deserve a mention I feel: Both had many features which previously were not present on the British executive/family car. These included a practical and roomy cabin, servo assisted brakes on the later models, IRS suspension which was great for its time in addition to great road manners. In the case of the 2000 it would take many manufacturers years to build a shell as torsionally strong as the 2000 item. The Stag IMO built upon the ideas of the saloons, with electric windows, a height adjustable steering wheel, alloy wheels when they appeared to be in their infancy in addition to the T-Bar arrangement and concealed roof design, where many of those ideas would later come to be featured on other convertibles in electric form. Both in sorted form even drive very well, and dare I say it quite modern! You do wonder how BL got it so wrong! A number of people have said that the Stag signifies everything about BL, the good and the bad. However, in keeping with this thread I think a certain unsung hero encapsulates the situation at BL much better That is the Austin Maxi: OK, this car was and still is the butt of many jokes, and generally vanished from history with little credit. With tales of awkward cam chain changes, the horrrific gearchanges that plagued the early cars and rather iffy styling. What seems to be forgotten about the Maxi is that it was very practical and versatile and innovative ideas which despite being poor back then would come to be used later on. This was in part due to it being one of the first true hatchbacks ever made along with features we would come to take for granted, including the fold down seats, a 5 speed gearbox and FWD layout in a larger car so as to maximise space and a (problematic) cable gear change. With poor execution for a variety of factors it is almost criminal how BL managed to scupper many of the good ideas they had as a result of poor execution. One of the more successful designs was the C2 Corvette: IMO this is where Chevrolet really leapfrogged in their car design theory, and with almost seamless implementation. The C2 brought many new ideas to the table including dash/cowl ventilation, a radio player in your line of sight. That is before we get to the chassis; The IRS really improved matters on the rear of the car when compared to earlier cars in addition to the engine being set further back in the engine bay along with attention being paid to reducing the unsprung weight of the car. Having the body made of fibreglass also helped matters. For the size of the car the Stingray was light, further improving road manners to a level surpassing buyer's expectations. I can see more being added soon, but these shall do for now .
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eternaloptimist
Posted a lot
Too many projects, not enough time or space...
Posts: 2,578
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Oct 29, 2014 23:47:30 GMT
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1934 Wilson Brougham, electric car made by Partridge Wilson & Co. Body by Muliners of Birmingham. And I reckon the Maxi loses out to this
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XC70, VW split screen crew cab, Standard Ten
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,194
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Cars ahead of their timeChasR
@chasr
Club Retro Rides Member 170
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I guess that I am slightly biased but you have hit the nail on the head with the Renault, which arguably coined the term hatchback . I was going to say that more features on the Maxi are still in use on modern cars, but of course it was released after the 16 .
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Last Edit: Oct 30, 2014 7:10:02 GMT by ChasR
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quackshot
Posted a lot
...friggin' cars...
Posts: 1,354
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