Cars you only recently discovered existed

[misteralz]

Hmmm. Not officially, it seems: www.topgear.com/car-reviews/kia/elan

However I distinctly remember there being one in the Kia showroom by the Whitehall Theatre in Dundee, and there being an article in The Courier about it.

Also found a Dutch one on Reddit, but it's an import: https://www.reddit.com/r/spotted/comments/105od8b/yes_youre_reading_this_right_kia_elan/

[andy88]

Saw one of these today. Wasn’t sure what it was. Was an Uber private hire car dropping someone off (had power rear sliding doors). Didn’t recognise the badge on the front (not the usual style Toyota one).







Saw the rear and apparently it’s a Toyota Voxy.

[The Rascal King]

Local Motors Rally Fighter

[squonk]

Top Gear USA did a race between one of these and an air boat

[dikkehemaworst]

Bit of cheating perhaps, but is was in front of the Japanese ambassy.
No V-Class for them, just import a Toyota Alphard from the motherland...

[misteralz]

...except they're not diplomatic plates?

[ratchart]

Apologies if this has been posted before, the Hino Contessa





Built in Japan, rear engined using Renault 4CV oily bits and designed by Giovani Michelotti, hence a vaguely Triumph-ish look, especially the roofline on the 4 door.

[dikkehemaworst]

Poah!! Massive want!! 450 SEL 6.9 Wagon!!

One of 2 ever built by Pollmann in Bremen

[dikkehemaworst]

Clifft Commutercycle
In the 60’s American engineer Dale Clifft created a three-wheel prototype cycle-car built based upon a tubular ‘bird-cage’ frame with PVC fabric (Naugahyde) covered bodywork and powered by a Honda two-cyl 305cc (30hp) engine with a 4-speed manual transmission.

The prototype was not created as a commercial project by Dale but attracted the attention of Liz Carmichael (Twentieth Century Motors), who offered to have the car fully developed and manufactured offering royalties in return for the design.

The story is told in the film/documentary ‘The Lady and the Dale, which chronicles the major fraud and deception over business violations in the late 70’s.

The original prototype appears to have been retained by the family and in long term storage, being finally recovered and loaned to the Peterson Museum and on display with the fibreglass bodies Carmichael (TCM) yellow prototype.

[mrbounce]

Mar 16, 2024 2:23:21 GMT dikkehemaworst said:

Poah!! Massive want!! 450 SEL 6.9 Wagon!!

One of 2 ever built by Pollmann in Bremen

And they painted it brown!!     Still, I'd have it in any colour!

[dikkehemaworst]

Volkswagen Golf E ( electro ) 1980

[dikkehemaworst]

Skoda Buggy
The dune buggy trend was first created in America and spawned many variation, becoming popular with European manufacturers, normally based upon VW chassis and rear-mounted air-cooled engines.

Type 736.
In 1973 Skoda decided to test commercial viability with their own version based upon the 110L with 5/6 prototypes completed in 1975/6, built by students at the Mlada Boleshav apprentice school in Czech Republic.
The bodywork was formed from hand beaten steel/aluminium with a tube frame and powered by a 4-cyl 1107cc (45hp) engine. Plans were for production vehicles to have fibreglass bodywork, but this was never realised.

VF Olap
Is a prototype ‘buggy’ initially produced in the early 70’s by Francoise Vernimmen in Belgium based upon a Skoda 100 powered by a rear-mounted water-cooled 4-cyl 998 / 1107cc (40hp) engine with a 4-speed manual transmission.
First displayed at the Brussels Motor Show in 1972 and in production only until 1975 by which time only 30 vehicles had been produced.

Kirby
Italian importer Autozodiaco also created a similar buggy in 1972 to test the Italian market, but only two prototypes were produced.

[braaap]

dikkehemaworst, did You forget pics of the Olap and the Kirby?

[dikkehemaworst]

Never even seen one!

This is a remarkably original Austin Maestro Countryman from 1986. It’s essentially a high-roofed version of the Maestro station wagon with a camper section in the rear that offers sleeping space for two.

Link: silodrome.com/austin-maestro-countryman/

[ratchart]

A bit weird that they describe it as a station wagon when it's really just a van. Presumably in America it would have been called a sedan delivery. Possibly they're confusing things with the Montego which did come in a proper estate version, and to be fair contained a lot of parts in common with the Maestro.

[braaap]

Wasn't there a maestro van this might be based on?
Me thinks there is one of these vans heavily modified round here, turbo'ed etc.

[westbay]

1989 Austin Maestro 700 L Van 1.3 to 2.0 Turbo

link

[dikkehemaworst]

Apr 4, 2024 8:02:11 GMT westbay said:

1989 Austin Maestro 700 L Van 1.3 to 2.0 Turbo

link

Thats alexhatcher s van!  Seen it at the weekender! Epic thing!

[bmcnut]

The wrangler prowler. Prangler? Apparently a testbed for the chassis before the body was finalised.



Part of me likes it, maybe it's because it reminds me of this



Which I definitely like.

[braaap]

Definitely more practical than a prowler, though similarly ugly-ish.

What's the black one? Rebodied Caterham?