This Car Is Related To The One Above because...

[rblote]

The specs of the race car above were pretty wild in 1906.It must have been a rocket on wheels.
The VW Golf GTI (Mk II) had similar specs. It had a similar weight and similar horse power.

[jpsmit]

well, I have been looking at this for a number of hours wondering about a relevant relationship. All I could think of my friend Ed who had a white one very much like the pic. In 1982 he and I took a road trip from Toronto to Tisdale Saskatchewan. 2672 KM 28 hours straight through. Because you do. We got there only to find that there had been a family emergency (cell phone what's a cell phone) so we spent one night at our friend's house and drove straight back. So, Saturday morning - Wednesday morning 5000+ km. bonkers.

The only connection is that before he had the GTi he had a brown Super Beetle with a hurst shifter handle and flared rear fenders. It looked literally nothing at all like the car in the picture, but, still a connection. That's all.



Oh and the reason I posted this is because having been reminiscing about the GTi and the trip almost 30 years ago, My friend Ed messaged me out of the blue this afternoon to see how we are doing.

[vulgalour]

Here's one I only recently learned about, the Rhodesian Leopard Security Vehicle.



It's a funny looking thing for a reason, it's form follows function. Land mines are a particularly horrific weapon of war and that's what the Leopard is designed to counter. Rather than the Beetle's flat floor and comparatively low ground clearance, the Leopard makes use of a V-hull and raised cabin so should it encounter a land mine the blast is less likely to damage the vehicle or the occupants. It seats five, including the driver, and has lots of design choices dictated purely by its role. The rollover hoops are an obvious item, allowing the vehicle to be righted and offering further protection should it be knocked over. The soft top roof less so, not something you'd expect to see on an armoured vehicle, it's purpose is to reduce pressure build up inside the cabin in the event of an explosion.

The Leopard is also unusual in that it wasn't aimed at the military and was instead aimed at the civilian population. I suppose that gives us another link back to the Beetle in that it was a people's car in its own way. Unlike the Beetle, the Leopard didn't meet with success in its intended market due to its cost and the economic difficulties in Rhodesia at the time.

[bl1300]

Another military vehicle based on a civilian production car.

DAF YA66

[jpsmit]

and of course a civilian car based on a military vehicle

[rodharris83]

The Detroit Diesel V8 that powered the H1 also appeared in the 1981 Chevrolet Impala:

Specifications

Engine RPO codes: LH6 ('C' series, with EGR / EPR) and LL4 ('J' series)
Displacement: 6.2 L (379 cu in)
Bore × stroke: 3.98 in × 3.8 in (101.1 mm × 96.5 mm)
Block / Head: Cast iron / Cast iron
Aspiration: Natural
Valvetrain: OHV 16-valve
Compression: 21.5:1
Injection: Indirect
Horsepower / Torque (at launch): 130 hp (97 kW) at 3,600 rpm / 240 lb⋅ft (325 N⋅m) at 2,000 rpm
Horsepower / Torque (final): 160 hp (119 kW) at 3,600 rpm / 285 lb⋅ft (386 N⋅m) at 2,000 rpm
Horsepower / Torque (US Army HMMWV model): 185 hp (138 kW) at 3,600 rpm / 330 lb⋅ft (447 N⋅m) at 2,100 rpm
Max RPMs: 3,600 rpm
Idle RPMs: 550 ± 25

[jpsmit]

well my first inclination was to continue the diesel theme with pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum. Something like the 70mpg

the Smart fortwo



By an astonishing coincidence as I was googling around for this, I discovered this odd article on Cars.com

www.cars.com/articles/best-and-worst-gas-mileage-2016-1420683223195/

Why is it odd? Well, in addition to listing the best and worst gas mileage of each segment (Which makes total sense) they also included the average gas mileage for the entire segment. I can't imagine myself thinking, "gee I wonder what the average gas mileage of the two seater segment of cars in 2016 would be?" Would that influence my buying decision?

Because if you did wonder such a thing you would discover to your delight that the average mileage for the entire segment (of which the Smart Car is a part) is 22 MPG - the same amount as the aforementioned diesel Impala. Coincidence? I think not.

[ratchart]

The link is 3 bolt wheels.

The French seemed to like them a lot. I could have chosen one of the obvious cars like a 2CV but I've plumped for the lesser seen Peugeot 304 instead. My dad had an estate (utter pile of poo!), and I've seen a cabriolet a couple of times but this coupe is the nicest looking version.

[mrbounce]

Cars are often described as having a "Face" and that Peugeot (and others of that era) looked like it had a furrowed brow.

Another car reminiscent of having some sort of visage is the Mk1 Escort which looked very much like it had been to Specsavers, sporting either round or rectangular glasses.

[jpsmit]

Happiest car face ever - Bugeye Sprite!

[MkX]

For the second time within a fortnight I'll invoke the name Crosby - this time their Super Sport. Like our 'frogeye' Sprite it looks like it's waiting for a passing fly;

[mrbounce]

There have been a few cars that use the Super Sports name, such as the recent Bugatti. That however is WAY too new. Instead, have a 1965 Chevrolet Malibu SS. No prizes for guessing what the "SS" stands for...

[Del]

A Chevrolet Malibu (admittedly a 1964 but I believe the same generation?) is central to cult classic movie Repo Man.
One of the lead characters in Repo Man is played by the late, great Harry Dean Stanton.
And the year before Repo Man, Stanton appeared in Christine.
So let us have a 1958 Plymouth Fury.

[jpsmit]

Hey MkX - bugeye, frogeye, frogeye, bugeye, let's call them whole thing off.

It seems like modern cars have angrier and angrier faces - not sure if it is a cause or an effect.

Like stormtrooper Dodge's (connection face and Chrysler product)

[jpsmit]

well my own connection just because it is Friday night and it popped into my head.

Storm trooper

Star Wars

Spaceballs

Winnebago

[vulgalour]

Feels like we've drifted well away from the original intention of the thread now.

[MkX]

From Christine to The Car -

[ferny]

Apparently that's a Lincoln Continental Mark III which is a Ford Thunderbird underneath, so... heres something which is retro but not retro because it isn't retro despite being retro.

[jpsmit]

This Thunderbird seemed silly to my eyes when it first came out. I have a love/ hate relationship with new retro cars - On the one hand they seem a shameless money grab, but, on the other hand when literally every other car on the planet looks exactly the same they are a refreshing alternative. Besides SWMBO loves them. We gave her new beetle to my daughter and she replaced it with a Mini (and in other news my Kia Soul died one week into lockdown - change your timing belt! - and I have literally no incentive to even look for another car though of course I am

But, back to the T'Bird - it has really grown on my and I wouldn't kick it out of my garage for dripping oil.

Sooo the TBird is built on the Ford DEW platform, which among other cars is shared with the Jaguar XF. Similarly it (the T'Bird) had a Jag designed AJ-30 V8

[The Rascal King]

The other recipient of the DEW98 platform was the Lincoln LS, which sadly did not pair the AJ-30 V8 with a manual. Fortunately, that can be rectified...