In 1970 a new Taunus, the Taunus Cortina (TC), was introduced, as a two- or four-door sedan, station wagon (or Turnier) and coupé. It was very similar to the British Ford Cortina Mk III but without the "coke bottle" belt line. Also, the Taunus was available as a coupe, a bodystyle that the Cortina was never made in.

Both cars were developed under the auspices of Ford of Europe, and most major components including key parts of the bodyshell were identical. From 1976 Taunus and Cortina models were identical in all but name, 'Taunus' being the name used in left hand drive (LHD) markets, and 'Cortina' in right hand drive ones, although the Cortina name was used in LHD South Korea and Taiwan. The Mk III was also sold in Scandinavia, alongside the Taunus.

The Ford Taunus TC series was conceived in the late 1960s to be a "world car" alongside its technical sibling the Cortina Mk III, with construction and design work taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. As with the design of the first generation, it was done under the supervision of Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen, of former General Motors fame. The car is often nicknamed "Barock 2" (pointing back to the Taunus P2 series of the late 1950s, commonly known as the "Barock-Taunus") or "The Knudsen Nose" by its German owners because of the pointy hood scoop that, as the legend has it, was put there on direct order from Knudsen. Otherwise the major design work is rumoured to have been done by German car designer Luigi Colani, who also did design concepts for BMW's motorcycle division in the late 1970s.

(Wikipedia)

- - -

Der Ford Taunus TC ist ein Pkw der Mittelklasse von Ford, der von Herbst 1970 bis Mitte 1982 gebaut wurde. Die Schwestermodelle des englischen Ford Cortina MK III (daher auch die Bezeichnung „TC“) haben Vierzylinder-Reihenmotoren oder Sechszylinder-V-Motoren und Hinterradantrieb. Sie sind Nachfolger der Ford 12m und 15m (P6), die mit Frontantrieb (P6) und V-4-Motoren technisch anders ausgeführt waren.

(Wikipedia)

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Estimated : € 50.000 - 80.000

Sold for € 51.750

Zoute Grand Prix 2018

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2018

'The Mustang can be tailored to be anything from a gentle in-town ladies' car to an impressive 130mph highway performer. Undoubtedly its almost infinitely variable personality is one of the car's chief attractions...' - William S Stone, 'The Ford Mustang'.

Ford created a new class of car almost overnight with the introduction of the Mustang sports coupé part way through the 1964 season, catching the rest of the US auto industry off guard. Brainchild of Lee Iacocca - subsequent saviour of the Chrysler Corporation – the Mustang is one of the most remarkable automotive success stories of modern times and arguably the pinnacle of his long career with Ford. Aimed at the affluent young, for whom a car was as much a lifestyle statement as means of transport, the Mustang succeeded brilliantly, achieving sales in excess of a quarter million by the end of '64. This remarkable debut was followed by a staggering 524,791 sales in 1965, earning Ford a fortune.

The secret of the Mustang's success was a broad appeal that extended beyond the target market thanks to a great value-for-money package combining sporty looks, decent economy and brisk performance. Mustangs could be ordered in specifications ranging from six-cylinder 'economy' to V8-powered luxury, while customers could choose from an extensive range of factory options, with the result that seldom are two Mustangs identical.

In 1994, Mr John Wilson from Hillsborough, California was looking for an original rust-free, undamaged and all matching numbers Ford Mustang. He found this car in San Francisco and purchased it from the original owner. The Mustang had covered relatively few miles and had not been run for the preceding ten years. Mr Wilson drove the Mustang for three years, and in 1998 decided to restore it to factory-original show standard, commissioning one of the West Coast's most renowned specialists, Potts Restorations of Burlingame, to carry out the work. Working with Potts, the owner spared no expense in his pursuit of perfection. The Potts team methodically disassembled the Mustang down to the bar bodyshell and carefully worked their way upwards, incorporating all 'new-old-stock' parts. Noteworthy features include automatic transmission, power brakes, power steering, electric hood, radio, 'Pony' wheels, and whitewall tyres.

This car is fully matching and correct in every detail, having been restored to the same state it left the factory in 1965. Completed in 2000, the Mustang was shown widely across the USA for the next few years, winning the 'Best in Show' award at every event entered. For two years in a row, it was the MCS Grand National winner as the best Mustang in the country – the ultimate accolade. Other important awards include: Gold AACA Grand National (2001, 2002); ISCA Best Antique Restored Senior Award (2002); ISCA Eastern Division Class Champion (2003); and Carolina Grand National Gold (2000-2003). Over 30 awards come with the car, which 15 years later is still in effectively 'as new' condition, exactly as it left the factory in 1965. Offered with California Certificate of Title and Netherlands registration papers, this breathtaking Mustang is worthy of the closest inspection.

150234 stands in the platform 2 at Cardiff Central having recently arrived with 1C81, 15:00 Cardiff - Taunton, 22nd September 2015.

Unit History

150234 is one of the final batch of 85 two-car class 150 units which were built in 1986/87 with front-end gangway connections and numbered in the range 150201-285. They had different interiors to the earlier class 150/1 units and were used on longer-distance services. The end gangways make them very similar in appearance to later batches of the electric class 317 units, also based on the Mark III bodyshell. 150234 was initially allocated to Newton Heath before migrating to the Western Region in the early 1990’s and is currently allocated to Bristol Phillips Marsh.. 150233 is currently one of sixteen class 150 units operated by First Great Western for local duties.

The Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina and Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina (both 105 series) were executive cars (E-segment) produced by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1968 to 1977. Berlina is the Italian term for a saloon car. Both cars had Alfa Romeo twin cam inline-four engines; the 1.8-litre 1750 Berlina was made between 1968 and 1971, when it was phased out in favour of the improved 2.0-litre 2000 Berlina.

The 1750 Berlina was based on the existing Giulia saloon, which continued in production. The 1750 was meant to top the saloon range, above the 1300 and 1600 cc versions of the Giulia. In the United States, however, the Giulia saloon ceased to be available and was entirely replaced by the 1750 Berlina. The 1750 entered full production in South Africa in early 1969, later complemented by the 2000.

In contrast to the Giulia, the 1750s had reworked bodywork and bigger engine, shared many parts with other concurrent models in the Alfa Romeo range, but sold many fewer units during their production span.

The 1750 bodyshell had a longer wheelbase than the Giulia, and revised external panels, but it shared many of the same internal panels. The windscreen was also the same. The revisions were carried out by Bertone, and while it resembled the Giulia some of that vehicle's distinctive creases were smoothed out, and there were significant changes to the trim details. The car's taillights were later used on the De Tomaso Longchamp.

The Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina was produced by Alfa Romeo between 1971 and 1977. The engine was bored and stroked out to 1,962 cc. A different grill distinguishes 2000 from 1750. Also, external lights were different between the models. The 1750 had 7 inch diameter outboard headlights, whereas the 2000 had 5 3/4 inch diameter in all four positions. The tail light clusters were also of a simpler design on the 1750.[8] With two carburetors, this 2 litre Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine produces 132 PS (97 kW; 130 hp). Top speed was 190 km/h (118 mph) and 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration took 9 seconds. Gearbox was 5-speed manual (also 3-speed automatic on some versions).

Class 47/0 No.47295 approaches Ipswich yard running from Felixstowe on 18th December 2001 with a freightliner at 13:15.47295 was new as D1997 on 3rd June 1966 at 50A York and withdrawn in March 2002 and moved to Brush Traction,Loughborough for partial stripping on 27th January 2003.Whilst at Brush she was sold to the Brush Type 4 Fund in February 2003 and the bodyshell moved to MOD Ashchurch for secure storage,then on to Long Marston.Preservation did not happen and she was cut up at EMR Kingsbury in July 2011.

Arriving at Cambridge with the terminating 2C16 service from London King's Cross is Great Northern Class 321, 321407.

The Class 321's were never originally residents of the East Coast Mainline, but the recent reshuffling of stock, and the availability of 321 vehicles displaced from the West Coast Mainline by Class 350 Desiro units has seen them become regular performers of the Semi-Fast workings in and out of King's Cross.

The Class 321's made their debut in 1988, being built by BREL of York in a set of three batches of 117 units overall. The first batch were the Class 321/3's, of which 66 members were built to operate on the Great Eastern Mainline out of London Liverpool Street, replacing many of the original AC units that dated back to the 1950's. The second batch the 321/4's, were a set of 48 units built to operate on the West Coast Mainline out of London Euston and Birmingham New Street. The final batch, the 321/9's, were built to work trains in West Yorkshire between Leeds and Doncaster, of which three units were built.

The Class 321's design is based largely off the bodyshell of the MkIII coach, and have 1,300hp at their disposal, whisking them to 100mph. The success of these units have seen a selection of derivative units being built, including the Class 320's that work in the Glasgow Area, the Class 322's that were originally built for the Stansted Express but now reside in West Yorkshire, and the Class 456's that operate for Southwest Trains, being of the same design but powered by DC 3rd Rail.

Today, the fleet is still in heavy use on the London commuter networks, with Greater Anglia being the largest operator of the Class on trains out of Liverpool Street. Great Northern inherited a fleet of 13 Class 321's from First Capital Connect, which took these from Silverlink and London Midland after they were displaced from their usual West Coast Mainline stomping ground by the Class 350's. London Midland continue to operate 7 Class 321's in the peak periods for extra capacity, but are highly underutilised as the company pursues a standardised Desiro fleet.

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. Officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 it was an all-new redesign of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model ranges were sold concurrently until the Series III was discontinued in 1992. The XJ40 used the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement, and featured a number of technological enhancements (such as electronic instrumentation)

Development:

Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40", which was an all-new model intended to replace the original XJ6. Scale models were being built as early as 1972. Due to the 1973 oil crisis and problems at parent company British Leyland, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from both Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production and, in February 1981, the British Leyland board approved £80 million to produce the new car.

Jaguar historians claim that the XJ40 was the last car which company founder Sir William Lyons had contributed to during its protracted development phase. The previous generation XJ had been the final Jaguar to be developed wholly under Lyons' leadership - although he continued to take an active consultative role within Jaguar design, long after had retired from the day to day management of the firm following its merger in 1966 with the British Motor Corporation.

During development, the XJ40 pioneered significant improvements to the way Jaguar designed, built, and assembled cars. Among these improvements was a 25 per cent reduction in the number of bodywork panels required per car (e.g. three pressings needed for a Series 3 door compared with one for a XJ40 door), resulting in not only a more efficient assembly process, but also a weight saving and a stiffer structure. Greater attention to panel gaps improved the drag factor (reduced from 0.849 Cd to 0.762 Cd), while also improving the fuel economy and lowering wind noise inside the cabin.

Mechanicals:

AJ6 4.0 L engine (in a 1990 Daimler)

Initially, only two engines were offered across the XJ40 models: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L version of the AJ6 inline-six. In 1990, these were changed to 3.2 L and 4.0 L versions. In 1993, the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six (both equipped with the Jaguar V12 engine) were added to the available models.

During the development of the XJ40, British Leyland had considered providing the Rover V8 engine for the car, which would have eliminated the need for future Jaguar engine production. The XJ40 bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent fitting V-configuration engines such as the Rover V8; this delayed the introduction of the V12-powered XJ12 until 1993.

The automatic gearbox used in the 2.9 L, 3.2 L and 3.6 L six-cylinder cars was the four-speed ZF 4HP22. On the 4.0 L, the four-speed ZF 4HP24 was used. A stronger automatic gearbox was required for the V12-equipped cars, and the four-speed GM 4L80-E was selected. The manual gearbox fitted to early cars was the five-speed Getrag 265, while later cars received the Getrag 290.

The automatic transmission selector was redesigned to allow the manual selection of forward gears without accidentally selecting neutral or reverse. This new feature was dubbed the "J-Gate" and has carried over to more recent Jaguar models.

Exterior:

The curvaceous lines of the outgoing Series XJ were replaced by the more angular, geometric shape of the XJ40. The nose of the car would accommodate either matched pairs of round headlights, or rectangular single units; the latter were fitted to the higher-specification Sovereign and Daimler trim levels, and also to all cars for the US market.

The bumper is a visually distinct black-rubber-covered bar that runs the full width of the car and incorporates the sidelights and indicator lights. The bonnet is hinged at the front. Window frames are either chromed or black, depending on model. Rain gutters, door mirrors, and door handles are also finished in chrome. All XJ40s have a chrome surround for the windscreen and a single windscreen wiper.

Early low-specification cars were fitted with metric-sized steel wheels and plastic wheelcovers. From 1991, the wheels were changed to non-metric sizing.

[Text from Wikipedia]

This Lego miniland-scale 1986 Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts 85th Build Challenge, - "Like, Totally 80s", - for vehicles created during the decade of the 1980s.

Renault 5GTS (1985) Engine 1397cc S4

Registration Number C 83 YNE

RENAULT SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690632985...</a

The second gereration of the Renault appeared in 1985, designed by Marcello Gandini. with a new chassis and bodyshell.

The new body was wider and longer featuring 20 percent more glass area and more interior space, and with a reduced drag coefficient, The biggest change was the adoption of a transversely-mounted powertrain taken directly from the 9 and 11, plus a less sophisticated suspension design, which used MacPherson struts. Upon launch it had engines of 956cc for the entry level TC, 1108cc for the TL and 1108cc in the GTL, Automatic, TS and TSE. with differing power ratings.

The GTL with 59bhp

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Austin Allegro 1500SDL (1973-75) Engine 1493cc S4 E SeriesTransverse

Registration Number RYV 745 L

AUSTIN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759808208...

The Allegro was designed as the replacement for the popular Austin 1100 and 1300 models by Sir Alec Issigonis.and was available as 2 and 4 door Saloons and a 3 door Estate. Powered by the BMC A series engine in 1100 and 1300cc versions or the E series engine in 1500 and 1750cc forms, with a sump-mounted transmission. driving the front wheels. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300). Early Allegro models featured a "quartic" steering wheel, which was rectangular, with rounded sides. The quartic wheel did not take off, and was first dropped in 1974.

The SDL remained top of the 1300cc and 1500cc ange throughout the life cysle of the Series i Allegro

A big thankyou for an incredible 22.5 million views

Shot at the Classic Car Show, NEC, Birmingham 16:11:2013 REF 101-047

Austin Allegro 1300SDL Mk2 (1976-80) Engines 1275cc. S4 Tr.

Registration Number ULJ 725 S

AUSTIN ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157623759808208

The Allegro was designed as a replacement for the 1100 - 1300 models, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis the new car was launched in 1973. The Allegro used front-wheel drive, using the familiar A-Series engine with a sump-mounted transmission. The higher-specification models used the SOHC E-Series engine (from the Maxi), in 1500 cc and 1750 cc displacements. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300). Stylistically the car bucked the trend of the 1970's sharp edge look in favour of a rounded bodyshell Early Allegro models featured a "quartic" steering wheel, which was rectangular with rounded sides. This was touted as allowing extra room between the base of the steering wheel and the driver's legs.

The quartic wheel did not take off, and was dropped in 1974

The updated Allegro 2 was launched at the 1975 London Motorshow the Allegro 2 had the same bodyshells but featured a new grille, reversing lights on most models and some interior changes to increase rear seat room, Changes were also made to the suspension, braking, engine mounts and drive shafts.

The Allegro received its second major update, launched as the Allegro 3 at the end of 1979. The refreshed car used an "A-Plus" version of the 1.0 litre A-Series engine (developed for the forthcoming new Metro), and featured some cosmetic alterations in an attempt to keep the momentum going, but by then the Allegro was outdated and the Metro was due on stream in 1980. By 1980 the Allegro failed to dent the he top 10 best selling new cars in Britain, a table it had topped a decade earlier, though BL were represented by the fast selling Metro and the Triumph Acclaim. The Vanden Plas models were rebranded as the 1.5 and the 1.7, the 1.5 having a twin carburettor 1500 cc engine and a manual gearbox, while the 1.7 had a single carburettor 1750cc engine and an automatic gearbox. Some models of Allegro 3 (the early HL and later HLS models) were equipped with four round headlights, rather than the more usual two rectangular ones. The final Allegro was built in March 1982 with its successor the Austin Maestro going into production December 1982.

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Shot at Catton Hall 02.05.2010 Ref 53-27

Wiesmann GT MF5 (2012) Engine 4395cc V8 BMW twin scroll turbo Production 55

ENTRANT: Wiesmann GmbH

Introduced in 2009 as the most powerful Wiesmann model to date. The GT MF5 is a closed two-seater & two-seater roadster with production limited just 55 examples.

The chassis is a bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque. With a high quality glass fibre bodyshell.

The car is powered by a BMW twin-scroll twin turbocharged V8 engine of 4395 cc driving the rear wheels and rated at 547bhp mated to a six speed sports automatic gearbox with steering wheel paddle shifters.

The car has a 0-100kmph time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 193mph.

Priced from £ 189,500 in 2010.

Shot at The Goodwood Festival of Speed 30:06:2012 Ref: 87-497

Please do not forget to visit the Flag Counter on the link above to record a visit from your country.

s04.flagcounter.com/more/VIv

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The Lancia Fulvia (Tipo 818) is an Italian car introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1963 by Lancia and produced until 1976. Fulvias are notable for their role in motorsport history, including winning the International Rally Championship in 1972. On testing it in 1967, Road & Track summed up the Fulvia as "a precision motorcar, an engineering tour de force". Named after Via Fulvia, Roman road leading from Tortona to Torino.

The Fulvia was available in three variants: Berlina 4-door saloon, 2-door Coupé, and Sport, an alternative fastback coupé designed and built by Zagato on the Coupé floorpan.

Specifications:

Chassis

The Fulvia Berlina was designed by Antonio Fessia, to replace the Lancia Appia with which it shared almost no components. The Appia was a rear wheel drive car, however, while the Fulvia moved to front wheel drive like the Flavia. The general engineering design of the Fulvia was identical to that of the Flavia with the major exception of the engine, the Flavia having a four-cylinder horizontally opposed engine and the Fulvia a 'Narrow Angle' vee configuration as featured on most production Lancias from the Lambda. The Fulvia used a longitudinal engine mounted in front of its transaxle. An independent suspension in front used wishbones and a single leaf spring, while a beam axle with a panhard rod and leaf springs was used in back. Four wheel Dunlop disc brakes were fitted to first series Fulvias. With the introduction of the second series in 1970 the brakes were uprated with larger Girling calipers all round and a brake servo. The handbrake design was also changed - using separate drums and brake-shoes operating on the rear wheels.

Engine

The V4 engine of a 1972 Fulvia Berlina

One element that was new was the narrow-angle V4 engine. Designed by Zaccone Mina, it used a narrow angle (12°53'28") and was mounted well forward at a 45° angle. The engine is a DOHC design with a one camshaft operating all intake valves and another operating all exhaust valves. The very narrow angle of the cylinders allowed for use of a single cylinder head.

Displacement began at just 1091 cc with 58 bhp (44 kW) with a 72 mm bore and 67 mm stroke. A higher (9.0:1) compression ratio and the fitment of twin Solex carburettors raised power to 71 bhp (53 kW) soon after.

The engine was bored to 6 mm to enlarge displacement to 1216 cc for the HF model. This, and some tuning, raised output to 80 to 88 bhp (60 to 66 kW).

The engine was re-engineered with a slightly narrower bank angle (12°45'28") and longer (69.7 mm) stroke for 1967. Three displacements were produced: 1199 cc (74 mm bore), 1231 cc (75 mm bore), and 1298 cc (77 mm bore). The new 1298 cc engine was produced in two versions; the type 818.302 produced 87 bhp (65 kW) at 6000 rpm and was fitted to 1st series Coupés, Sports and Berlina GTE and later to the 2nd Series Berlina. The Type 818.303 was first produced with 92 hp (69 kW) and was fitted to the 1st series Coupé Rallye S and Sport S. For the 2nd Series Coupé and Sport power was slightly reduced to 90 hp (67 kW) at 6000 rpm.

The engine was completely reworked for the new 1.6 HF with an even-narrower angle (11°20' now) and longer 75 mm stroke combined with a bore of 82 mm gave it a displacement of 1584 cc, and power ranged from 115 to 132 bhp (85 to 98 kW) depending on tune.

Coupé 1.3 S Montecarlo: 1972–73.

Special edition based on the 1.3 S, commemorating Lancia's victory at the 1972 Monte Carlo Rally. The livery resembled the works car, with matte black bonnet and boot lid bearing Monte Carlo rally plate-style stickers. This version used his own bodyshell with flared wheel arches, similar to but different from the 1.6 HF bodyshell. Other accouterments included 1.6 HF Lusso interior fittings such as bucket seats with headrests, rectangular front fog lamps, no bumpers and black single wing mirror; 4.5J steel wheels of the standard Coupé were fitted.

[Text from Wikipedia]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Fulvia

This Lego miniland-scale Lancia Fulvia Coupe 1.3 S Monte Carlo - has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 106th Build Challenge, titled - 'Exclusive Edition!' - a challenge for vehicles made in a 'special edition' - for whatever reason.

Ford Thames 300E (1954-61) Engine *2000cc

Registration Number YXP 555

FORD (UK) SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181...

Based on the Ford 100E cars the 300E was introduced in 1954 and it shared a bodyshell with the station wagon. Powered by a Ford 1172cc engine

*(i know it sys 2.0ltr above but that was taken from the DVLA record for this van YXP 555)

Initially produced only as a 5cwt (250kg) carrying capacity, the range was later expanded with the introduction of the 7cwt (350kg) Standard and Deluxe variants. Total production 196,885 = 139,267 5cwt, 10,056 7cwt Standard and 47,562 7cwt Deluxe.

This van carries the decals of AC Cars of Thames Ditton (home of AC) and may explain that odd sized engine.

Shot at the Silverstone Classic 25.07.2010 Ref 57-260

Bodyshell modified with a longer cab.

Estimated : CHF 70.000 - 100.000

Sold for CHF 66.700 - € 60.597

The Bonmont Sale

Collectors' Motor Cars - Bonhams

Golf & Country Club de Bonmont

Chéserex

Switzerland - Suisse - Schweiz

September 2019

Porsche's long-running and much loved 911 sports car first appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Show as the '901', but shortly after production proper commenced in 1964 had become the '911' following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers. The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.

The first of countless upgrades to the perennial 911 came in 1966, two years after production had commenced, with the introduction of the 911S, which featured stylish Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels and a heavily revised and more powerful engine. Improved handling courtesy of a lengthened wheelbase arrived in 1969 and then in 1970 the 911's air-cooled, flat six engine underwent the first of many enlargements - to 2.2 litres. By this time the models on offer had stabilised at three: the entry-level 911T, middle-ranking 911E and top-of-the-range 911S, all of which were available as either a closed coupé or Targa convertible. With the 2.2-litre engine's arrival, a common type of cylinder head was adopted, the differing power outputs being determined principally by valve timing rather than valve sizes as had been the case hitherto. In 1972 all 911 variants received the 2,341cc (nominally 2.4-litre) unit, which in 'E' specification produced a maximum of 165bhp.

According to the vendor, this delightful Porsche 911E Targa had been comprehensively restored by Harald Brandner of BMC Classics in Florida, USA in 2011/2012. When the car arrived in Europe, the engine was again thoroughly overhauled by renowned specialist Tobias Nussbaumer of Flat Six Cars in Basel. Since then it has seen only sporadic use in good weather only. Finished in grey with grey/black interior, this extensively restored 2.4-litre 911 is offered with Swiss Carte Grise; MFK document; and assorted invoices, correspondence, and photographs relating to its restoration.

The very last of British Leyland's attempt to replicate the success of the Mini. Though the Metro did sell strong on the domestic market, it's ability to woo the international market like its predecessor was sadly not meant to be. Here is the very last Rover 100 Metro, signed by members of the production team as it left the Longbridge factory for the last time.

Originally conceived by British Leyland, the Metro was built to similar principals as those of the Mini it was intended to replace, with a small, practical platform with as much use available to the passenger as was possible. The car came under various initial guises, including the Austin Metro, the Austin miniMetro, the Morris Metro van and the MG Metro, a version of the car with a 1.3L A-Series Turbo Engine.

Although the car was launched in 1980, development of a Mini replacement had dated back to the beginning of the 70's. Dubbed ADO88 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 88), the Metro was eventually given the go ahead in 1977, but wanted to have the appeal of some of the larger 'Supermini' (what a contradiction in terms) cars on the market, including cars such as the Ford Fiesta and the Renault 5. Designed by Harris Mann (the same guy who gave us the Princess and the Allegro), the car was given a much more angular body for the time, but despite its futuristic looks did share many features of the earlier Mini, including the 675cc BMC-A Series engine that dated back to 1959, and the gearbox. Initial cars also included the Hydragas Suspension system originally used on the Allegro and the Princess, though with no front/rear connection. The car was also built as a hatchback, which would eventually be a key part of its success as the Mini instead utilised only a small boot.

The Metro was originally meant for an earlier 1978 launch, but a lack of funds and near bankruptcy of British Leyland resulted in the car's launch being pushed back. This delay however did allow the folks at Longbridge to construct a £200m robotic assembly plant for the new Metro line, with the hope of building 100,000 cars per year. Finally the car entered sales 3 years late and got off to quite promising initial sales, often being credited for being the saviour of British Leyland. The Metro was in fact the company's first truly new model in nearly 5 years, with the 9 year old Allegro still in production, the 1980 Morris Ital being nothing more than a 7 year old Marina with a new face, and the 5 year old Princess not going anywhere!

As mentioned, an entire myriad of versions came with the Metro, including the luxury Vanden Plas version and the sporty MG with its top speed of 105mph and 0-60mph of 10.1 seconds. Eventually the original incarnation of the car, the Austin Metro, went on to sell 1 million units in it's initial 10 year run, making it the second highest selling car of the decade behind the Ford Escort. However, like most other British Leyland products, earlier cars got a bad reputation for poor build quality and unreliability, combined with the lack of rustproofing that was notorious on many BL cars of the time.

The show was not over however, as in 1990 the car was given a facelift and dubbed the Rover Metro. The 1950's A-Series engine was replaced by a 1.1L K-Series, and the angular bodyshell was rounded to similar principals as those by acclaimed styling house Ital to create a more pleasing look for the 90's. This facelift, combined with an improvement in reliability and build quality, meant that the car went on to win the 'What Car?' of the Year Award in 1991.

In 1994 the car was given yet another facelift, with once again a more rounded design and removal of the Metro name, the car being sold as the Rover 100. Engines were once again changed, this time to a 1.5L Peugeot engine and more audacious colour schemes were available for the even more rounded design of the new car. However, the car was very much starting to look and feel its age. Aside from the fact that the design dated back to 1977, the new car was not well equipped, lacking electric windows, anti-lock brakes, power steering, or even a rev counter! In terms of safety, it was very basic, with most features such as airbags, an alarm, an immobiliser and central locking being optional extras.

Eventually the curtain had to fall on the Metro, and in 1997, twenty years after the initial design left the drawing board, it was announced that the car would be discontinued. Spurred on by dwindling sales due to lack of safety and equipment, as well as losing out to comparative cars such as the ever popular Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and Vauxhall Corsa, with only fuel economy keeping the car afloat, Rover axed the Metro in 1998 with no direct replacement, although many cite the downsized Rover 200 a possible contender. Stumbling blindly on, the next car to fill the gap in Rover's market was the 2003 CityRover, based on the TATA Indica, which flopped abysmally and pretty much totalled the company (but that's another story).

In the end only 2,078,000 Metro's were built in comparison to the 5.3 million examples of the Mini that it was meant to replace. The main failings of the Metro were down to the fact that the car was too big compared to the Mini, and the rounded old-world charm of the Coopers and Clubmans was replaced by the angular corners. Because of this the car simply didn't have the novelty that the Mini continued to claim even 20 years after the first ones left the factory, and the Mini would even go on to outlive the Metro by another 2 years, ending production in 2000, then going on to have a revival in the form of BMW's New Mini Cooper that's still being built today. Unlike the Mini, the Metro also failed to conquer the international market in the same way, scoring its 2 million units pretty much in Britain alone, although some cars were sold in France and Spain, but only to the total of a few hundred.

The Metro however survived only on fuel economy and its spacious interior, but by the early 1990's, whilst other car manufacturers had moved on leaps and bounds, Rover continued to be stuck in the past with not the money or the enthusiasm to change what was a terribly outdated and extremely basic car. Towards the end the Metro, which had only a few years earlier won awards for its practical nature, was ending up on lists for Worst car on the market.

Today however you can still see Metro's, later editions are especially common on the roads of Britain. Earlier models built under British Leyland have mostly rusted away and are apparently only down to about a thousand nowadays, but the Rover 100's and Rover Metros continue to ply their trade, a lonely reminder of how here in Britain, we can never ever seem to move on!

Spotted on visit to Bridport Porsche Specialists Marque 21. www.marque21.co.uk/

Many thanks to Kieron & Samie for organising the visit :-))

Subaru Impreza WRC

Empty body shell of a 1934-1952 Citroën Traction Avant on a trailer, ready for transportation.

The Citroën Traction Avant was designed by a team lead by André Lefèbvre and Flaminio Bertoni.

Production TA: 1934-1957.

Number seen: 1.

Probably near Besançon (Doubs, Fr.), Avenue de la 7ème Armée Américaine, D683, Aug. 19, 2016.

© 2016 Sander Toonen Amsterdam | All Rights Reserved

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 40.000 - 60.000

Sold for € 32.200

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2018

- Delivered new to France

- Three owners from new

- Very well maintained

- Fully documented

- 29.307 km recorded

In the mid-1980s, Ford to renew its alliance with Cosworth to create the eponymous Sierra, assembly commencing in June 1986 at the company's Genk plant in Belgium. Based on the three-door Sierra bodyshell, the RS Cosworth combined the standard 1.993 cc Pinto engine's cylinder block with a forged steel crankshaft and connecting rods, the first time the latter combination had been seen in a production Ford engine. Topping it off was a Cosworth-developed, 16-valve cylinder head fed by a Garrett AiResearch turbocharger, the latter being deemed necessary to achieve a competitive power output for racing, which in time would amount to over 500bhp! Even in standard road trim the RS Cosworth produced a staggering 204bhp. Needless to say, the standard Sierra underpinnings were comprehensively up-rated to cope.

This Sierra RS Cosworth was delivered new in France on 25th April 1988 via the official Ford dealer, Durruty in Bayonne. Its first owner, Mr Pourvahab, a businessman living in Biarritz, paid a total of FF 175.000 for the car, and took delivery on a temporary registration (the original invoice and registration certificate are on file). Six weeks later, the car was registered by its owner in Biarritz, and at the same time received the anti-theft etching required by the insurance company (certificate on file).

The first owner took great care of the car for more than 20 years, covering 28.732 km (see bill of sale on file). The next owner, Mr André Lenoir of Berre-l'Etang (Bouches-du-Rhône), registered the Sierra in February 2009 and kept it for the next seven years. The car was well stored seldom be driven (the roadworthiness report of 2015 indicates 29.217 km). Finally, in 2016, the car was added to the stable of a prominent Belgian collector. Today, the car still sports its French second-owner registration plates from the Départment Bouches-du-Rhône ('308 BTS 13').

The car's current condition is a testimony to the great care it has enjoyed all its life. The interior shows almost no signs of wear, and the original Zandvoort Blue exterior colour presents beautifully. All books and instruction manuals are present, including the very rare 'Sierra Cosworth RS' supplement. The car is described as in generally excellent condition and runs extremely well.

The Sierra RS Cosworth has always been a coveted car as confirmed by a recent article in 'Octane' magazine dated January 2018, with record numbers stolen in their early days. Today, they are much sought after by discerning collectors, especially when presented in original, unmolested condition and with excellent provenance like this stunning example, which ticks all the boxes.

66092 was moving very slowly and therefore an opportunity arose to shoot this meet with 158888 on a Salisbury - Romsey - Southampton - Romsey service. SouthWestTrains has a little group of class 158 Sprinters and all of the three-car class 159 fleet for a few not-electrified routes and services (and the Lymington branch on weekdays) and they are painted in their attractive white-orange-red livery. It surely makes up for the not so attractive class 158/159 bodyshell.

The second-generation Volkswagen Golf (also known as the Typ 19E until the 1991 model year, and Typ 1G thereafter) was launched in Europe at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1983, with sales beginning in its homeland and most other left-hand drive markets soon after. It debuted in March 1984 on the right-hand drive British market, and it was introduced as a 1985 model in the United States. It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options.

During the life of the Golf MK2, there were a number of external style revisions. Notable changes to the looks of the Golf MK2 included the removal of quarterlight windows in the front doors, and the introduction of larger grille slats with the August 1987 facelift. The most notable was the introduction of so-called "Big Bumpers", which were introduced in the European market with an August 1989 facelift.

The successful Golf GTI (or, in the US, simply "GTI") was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback. Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a naturally aspirated Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injected 1,781 cc (1.8 L; 108.7 cu in) Inline-four engine developing 112 PS (82.4 kW; 110.5 hp). In 1986 (1987 for North America) a Golf GTI 16V was introduced; here the 1.8 litre engine output was 139 PS (137 hp; 102 kW) at 6,100 rpm (or 129 metric horsepower (95 kW) for the catalyst version) and 168 newton metres (124 lbf⋅ft) at 4,600 rpm of torque,[6] the model was marked by discreet red-and-black "16V" badges front and rear. US/Canadian GTIs were later equipped with 2.0, 16-valve engines, available in the Passat and Corrado outside North America. In 1990, like the Golf, the GTI was given a facelift, and the "Big Bumper" became standard on all GTIs.

Being October, which had always been the LUGNuts anniversary month, this Mk2 VW Golf GTi has been built to the 42nd challenge theme 'Autos aus Deutschland'.

The Hillman Avenger is a rear-wheel drive small family car originally manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group from 1970–1976, and made by Chrysler Europe from 1976–1981 as the Chrysler Avenger and finally the Talbot Avenger. The Avenger was marketed in North America as the Plymouth Cricket.

The Avenger was initially produced at Rootes' plant in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, England, and later at the company's Linwood facility near Glasgow, Scotland.

1970: Hillman Avenger

Introduced in February 1970, the Avenger was significant as it was the first and last car to be developed by Rootes after the Chrysler takeover in 1967. Stylistically, the Avenger was undoubtedly very much in tune with its time; the American-influenced "Coke Bottle" waistline and semi-fastback rear-end being a contemporary styling cue, indeed the Avenger would be the first British car to be manufactured with a one piece plastic front grille. However, from an engineering prospective it was rather conventional, using a 4-cylinder all-iron overhead valve engine in 1250 or 1500 capacities driving a coil spring suspended live axle at the rear wheels. Unlike any previous Rootes design, there were no "badge-engineered" Humber or Singer versions in the UK market. The Avenger was immediately highly praised by the press for its good handling characteristics and generally good overall competence on the road and it was considered a significantly better car to drive than rivals like the Morris Marina.

Initially, the Avenger was available as a four-door saloon in DL, Super and GL trim levels. The DL and Super could be had with either the 1250 or 1500 cc engines, but the GL was only available with the 1500 cc engine. Since the DL was the basic model in the range, it featured little more than rubber mats and a very simple dashboard with a strip-style speedometer. The Super was a bit better equipped, featuring carpets, armrests, twin horns and reversing lights, though the dashboard was carried over from the DL. The top-spec GL model featured four round headlights (which was a big improvement over the rectangular ones from the Hillman Hunter that were used on the DL and Super), internal bonnet release, two-speed wipers, brushed nylon seat trim (previously never used on British cars), reclining front seats, and a round-dial dashboard with extra instrumentation.

Not only was the Avenger's styling totally new, but so were the engine and transmission units, which were not at all like those used in the larger "Arrow" series Hunter. Another novelty for the Avenger was the use of a plastic radiator grille, a first in Britain and at 4 ft 6 in (137 cm) wide claimed as the largest mass-produced plastics component used at this time by the European motor industry. The Avenger was a steady seller in the 1970s, in competition with the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Viva. Chrysler was attempting to make the Avenger to be a "world car", and took the ambitious step of marketing the Avenger as the Plymouth Cricket in the U.S. Complaints of rust, unreliability, plus apathy towards small cars amongst buyers in the U.S., saw it withdrawn from that market after only two years.

Introduction of body and trim variations

In October 1970, the Avenger GT was added to the range. It had a twin-carburettor 1500 cc engine, four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission (also optional on the 1500 DL, Super and GL). The GT featured twin round headlights, go-faster stripes along the sides of the doors and "dustbin lid" wheel covers, which were similar to those found on the various Datsuns and Toyotas of the 1970s.

The basic fleet Avenger was added to the range in February 1972. It was offered with either 1250 or 1500 cc engines (the latter available with the automatic transmission option). The fleet Avenger was very basic: it did not have a sun visor for the front passenger, and the heater blower had just a single speed. In October 1972, the Avenger GT was replaced by the Avenger GLS, which came with a vinyl roof and Rostyle sports wheels.

In March 1972, the five-door estate versions were introduced, in DL and Super forms (both available with either 1250 or 1500 cc engines) and basically the same specifications as the saloon versions. However, 'heavy-duty springing' was fitted and the estate had a maximum load capacity of 1,040 lb (470 kg), compared to 840 lb (380 kg) for the saloon.

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The two-door saloon models were added in March 1973, with all engine and trim options of the existing four-door range. Styling of the two-door was similar to the four-door, but the side profile was less curvaceous.

The car was extensively marketed in continental Europe, first as a Sunbeam. It was without the Avenger name in France, where it was known as the Sunbeam 1250 and 1500; later the 1300 and 1600. Some northern European markets received the car as the Sunbeam Avenger.

Both engine sizes were upgraded in October 1973. The 1250 became the 1300, while the 1500 became the 1600 with nearly all the same previous trim levels except for the basic fleet Avenger, which was discontinued at this point. The GL and GT trim levels were now also offered with the 1300 engine and two-door saloon body.

1972: Avenger Tiger

Named to evoke memories of the Sunbeam Tiger, the Avenger Tiger concept began as a publicity exercise. Avenger Super (four-door) cars were modified by the Chrysler Competitions Centre under Des O' Dell and the Tiger model was launched in March 1972. Modifications included the 1500 GT engine with an improved cylinder head with enlarged valves, twin Weber carburetors and a compression ratio of 9.4:1. The engine now developed 92.5 bhp (69 kW) at 6,100 rpm. The suspension was also uprated, whilst brakes, rear axle, and gearbox are directly from the GT.

A distinctive yellow colour scheme ("Sundance") with a bonnet bulge, rear spoiler and side stripes was standard, set off with "Avenger Tiger" lettering on the rear quarters.

Road test figures demonstrated a 0–60 mph time of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 108 mph (174 km/h). These figures beat the rival Ford Escort Mexico, but fuel consumption was heavy. Even in 1972, the Tiger developed a reputation for its thirst.

All Avenger Tigers were assembled by the Chrysler Competitions Centre and production figures are vague but around 200 of the initial Mark 1 seems likely.

In October 1972, Chrysler unveiled the more "productionised" Mark 2 Tiger. The Avenger GL bodyshell with four round headlights was used. Mechanically identical to the earlier cars, the bonnet bulge was lost although the bonnet turned matt black, and there were changes to wheels and seats. These cars went on sale at £1,350. Production was around 400. Red ("Wardance") was now available as well as yellow ("Sundance"), both with black detailing.

[Text from Wikipedia]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillman_Avenger

This miniland-scale Lego 1972 Hillman Avenger Tiger has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 91st Build Challenge, - "Anger Management", - all about cars with some link to being angry.

1967 car restored with a New Heritage bodyshell and a 1950cc engine.

Legends car racing is a style of race car, designed primarily to promote exciting racing and to keep costs down. ( Approx £5,000 ) The bodyshells are 5/8-scale replicas of American automobiles from the 1930s and 1940s, powered by a Yamaha motorcycle engine. Legends cars are a "spec" series, meaning all cars are mechanically identical, with the exception of three styles of car (standard coupe, 34 coupe, and sedan)

59204 rounds the curve at Crofton, working 7A09 Merehead - Acton TC loaded aggregate.

It's strange to think the first class 59s predate the class 66 by over a decade, and that the bodyshell of the 66 (seen all over Europe, and beyond) was based on the 59 - which had to fit British loading gauge. The 59/2s were built in 1995 for National Power, in its bid to operate its own coal trains, but the company sold out to EWS (which was subsequently taken over by DB Schenker), and the 59/2s eventually ended up working Mendip Rail aggregate trains as a result of them being more powerful than 66s. Now they are operated by Freightliner, which won the Mendip Rail contract a few years ago, and are gaining their third livery - G&W orange.

Estimated : CHF 70.000 - 100.000

Sold for CHF 66.700 - € 60.597

The Bonmont Sale

Collectors' Motor Cars - Bonhams

Golf & Country Club de Bonmont

Chéserex

Switzerland - Suisse - Schweiz

September 2019

Porsche's long-running and much loved 911 sports car first appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Show as the '901', but shortly after production proper commenced in 1964 had become the '911' following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers. The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.

The first of countless upgrades to the perennial 911 came in 1966, two years after production had commenced, with the introduction of the 911S, which featured stylish Fuchs five-spoked alloy wheels and a heavily revised and more powerful engine. Improved handling courtesy of a lengthened wheelbase arrived in 1969 and then in 1970 the 911's air-cooled, flat six engine underwent the first of many enlargements - to 2.2 litres. By this time the models on offer had stabilised at three: the entry-level 911T, middle-ranking 911E and top-of-the-range 911S, all of which were available as either a closed coupé or Targa convertible. With the 2.2-litre engine's arrival, a common type of cylinder head was adopted, the differing power outputs being determined principally by valve timing rather than valve sizes as had been the case hitherto. In 1972 all 911 variants received the 2,341cc (nominally 2.4-litre) unit, which in 'E' specification produced a maximum of 165bhp.

According to the vendor, this delightful Porsche 911E Targa had been comprehensively restored by Harald Brandner of BMC Classics in Florida, USA in 2011/2012. When the car arrived in Europe, the engine was again thoroughly overhauled by renowned specialist Tobias Nussbaumer of Flat Six Cars in Basel. Since then it has seen only sporadic use in good weather only. Finished in grey with grey/black interior, this extensively restored 2.4-litre 911 is offered with Swiss Carte Grise; MFK document; and assorted invoices, correspondence, and photographs relating to its restoration.

The Porsche 993 is the company's internal name for the version of the Porsche 911 model manufactured and sold between late 1993 and early 1998, replacing the 964. Its discontinuation marked the end of air-cooled Porsches.

Like previous and future generations of the Porsche 911, there were several variants of the car manufactured, varying in body style, drivetrains, and included equipment. The Porsche 993 was replaced by the Porsche 996.

The external design of the Porsche 993, penned by Englishman Toni Hatter, used the basic bodyshell architecture of the 964, but with changed external panels, with much more flared wheelarches and a smoother front and rear bumper design, an enlarged retractable rear wing, teardrop mirrors, but keeping the doors and roof panels.

Porsche 993 Carrera Auto (1993-98) Engine 3600cc Flat 6

Registration Number N 3 GOV

PORSCHE SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690528015...

The 993 designation is the companies internal name for this generation 911. The external design of the Porsche 993, penned by Englishman Toni Hatter, used the basic bodyshell architecture of the 964, but with changed external panels, with much more flared wheelarches and a smoother front and rear bumper design, an enlarged retractable rear wing, teardrop mirrors, but keeping the doors and roof panels.

The Carrera represented the "base model" of the 993, and was available in rear and all-wheel drive versions. It was equipped with the naturally aspirated 3.6 liter M64 engine, further developed from the 964 and combined with a new dual-flow exhaust system now incorporating two catalytic converters. In contrast to the 964 were the numbers Carrera 2 or 4 were used to differentiate between two and four wheel the numbers have been dropped and the models are simply referred to as C2 and C4.the cars can be distinguished by the Carrera 4 having clear front turn signals and rear red lenses instead of orange on the 2WD.

Shot at Donington Historic Festival, 6th May 2012 Ref: 84-406

Chrysler newport (4th gen) (1965-68) Engine 383cu in (6130cc) V8

Registration Number NAL 331 E

CHRYSLER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623652517005...

Introduced in 1965, the 4th Generation Chrysler Newport was built on the all new Chrysler C platform, shared with the 300 and New Yorker, along with the Dodge Polara and Plymouth Fury. Styling mimicked the square lines of the Lincoln Continental and the 1964 Imperial, while wheelbases increased 2 in to 124 inches. All body styles were continued from 1964 including the pillared four-door sedan, four-door hardtop sedan, two-door hardtop coupe, and convertible, along with the station wagon, which was renamed the Chrysler Town and Country and became a separate series.The standard engine for the 1965 Newport was the 383 cu in (6.3 L) V8 with two-barrel carburetor and 270 hp (201 kW; 274 PS), with the option of a 383cu in with four-barrel carburetion and 315 hp. The standard transmission was a three-speed column shifted manual and optionally available was the three-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission.

The 1966 Newport received a new grille and tail lights. Engines were revised with the 270bhp 383cu in continueing as before while the four-barrel 383 received a 10 hp to 325bhp. New for 1965 was the 440cu in (7.2 L) V8 that was available in a high-output TNT version with four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts, and dual-snorkel air cleaner rated at 365bhp

For 1967, the Newport and other Chryslers received new sheet metal, but retained the basic 1965 bodyshell. Two-door hardtops received a new angular semi-fastback roofline featuring reverse-slant side windows while the rooflines of four-door pillared and hardtop sedans, and station wagons were unchanged. The slow-selling six-window Town Sedan was dropped. Engines remained the same with the exception of the 440 cu in (7.2 L) TNT version which had a power boost increasing it up to 375 hp. New to the Newport line for 1967 was a more luxurious Newport Custom series available in four-door pillared and hardtop sedans, along with the two-door hardtop..

The 1968 Newport received only a minor facelift which again included new grille and tail lights. he standard 383 cu in was increased to a 290bhp output, the four barrel carburettor version to 325bhp while the 440cu in remained unchanged at 375bhp.

A big thanks for 21.1 million views

Shot 20:04:2014 at Weston Park Ref 99a-171

Another day, another E-Type, and this example is one of what many consider the better cars, being the stylish and flamboyant Series I fitted with the powerful and reliable 4.2L Straight Six engine!

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

Collection d'un amateur d'automobiles Anglaises

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

Estimated : € 15.000 - 20.000

Sold for € 10.350

To many - its designer Alec Issigonis included - the notion that the Mini might have a future as anything other than basic transport was anathema, and the idea of a high-performance version was laughable. One man, though, saw it quite differently. Racing car manufacturer John Cooper already knew a lot about tuning BMC's A-Series engine, and a test drive in a prototype Mini convinced him of the car's competition potential. The result, launched in September 1961, was the Mini Cooper, a car that offered a size/price/performance package that was nothing short of miraculous. Enlarged to 997cc and suitably tweaked, the revised A-Series engine easily met its 55bhp target. The extra power endowed the Mini Cooper with an 85mph-plus top speed, and to cope with this increased performance Lockheed developed special 7"-diameter disc brakes for the front wheels. The new car soon established its credentials as a rally and race winner, and the stage was set for even faster versions.

According to the vendor, this is a completely rust-free car retaining its original bodyshell and engine. Featuring the 998cc engine first introduced in 1964, this Mini was first registered in 1969 and was bought by the present owner in 1998. A 'last nut and bolt' restoration was then commenced that would take two years to complete. Since the restoration's completion, the Mini has covered approximately 2,000 kilometres and has been regularly serviced and maintained. Described by the vendor as in very good condition, the car is offered with Greek registration papers.

The original Rover 200 (sometimes referred to by the codename SD3) was the replacement for the earlier Triumph Acclaim, and was the second product of the alliance between British Leyland (BL) and Honda. Only available as a four-door saloon, the 200 series was intended to be more upmarket than the company's Maestro and Montego models, which the 200 Series came in between in terms of size. It was launched on 19 June 1984, at which time there was still a high demand for small family saloons, with many manufacturers selling this type of car under a different nameplate to similar-sized hatchbacks. For example, Ford was selling the saloon version of the Escort as the Orion, the saloon version of the Volkswagen Golf was called the Jetta, and Vauxhall would soon launch an Astra-based saloon called the Belmont. The Rover 200 Series, however, was not based on a hatchback.

Essentially, the 200 series was a British-built Honda Ballade, the original design of which had been collaborated upon by both companies. Engines employed were either the Honda Civic derived E series 'EV2' 71 PS (52 kW; 70 bhp) 1.3 litre 12 valve engine, or BL's own S-Series engine in 1.6 litre format (both in 86 PS (63 kW; 85 bhp) carburettor and 103 PS (76 kW; 102 bhp) Lucas EFi form). The resulting cars were badged as either Rover 213 or Rover 216.

The 213 used either a Honda five-speed manual gearbox or a Honda three-speed automatic transmission. The British-engined 216 also employed a Honda five-speed manual gearbox, unlike the S-Series engine when fitted in the Maestro and Montego. There was also the option of a German ZF four-speed automatic on some 216 models as well.

The Honda-badged version was the first Honda car to be built in the United Kingdom (the Honda equivalent of the 200 Series' predecessor, the Triumph Acclaim, was never sold in the UK). Ballade bodyshells, and later complete cars, were made in the Longbridge plant alongside the Rover equivalent, with the Ballade models then going to Honda's new Swindon plant for quality-control checks.

This model of car is well known as Richard and Hyacinth Bucket's car in the BBC Television sitcom Keeping up Appearances (1990–1995). A blue 213 model was also used in the Series 2 episode "Think Fast, Father Ted" of comedy series Father Ted.

LNER Class 800 Azuma 800106 was captured at platform 2 at Edinburgh Waverley operating 1W03 0708 hrs Leeds to Aberdeen. LNER commenced Azuma operation to Aberdeen in late November 2019, Edinburgh services having commenced at the beginning of August. The Hitachi built trains have bodyshells fabricated in Kasado (Japan) with the trains assembled at Newton Aycliffe, Co. Durham. 800106 is a nine coach bimode set.

150270 pauses at Kirkham and Wesham station working 2F69, 12:03 Blackpool -Liverpool South, 26th August 2014.

150270 is one of the final batch of eighty five two-car class 150 units which were built at York works in 1986/87 with front-end gangway connections and numbered in the range 150201-285. They had different interiors to the earlier class 150/1 units and were used on longer-distance services. The end gangways make them very similar in appearance to later batches of the electric class 317 units, also based on the Mark III bodyshell.

Problems during production and testing led to several class 323 bodyshells being stored in Halifax. Here seen at the former Asquiths engineering company at Highroad Well. These units were built by Hunslet in Leeds.

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. Officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 it was an all-new redesign of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model ranges were sold concurrently until the Series III was discontinued in 1992. The XJ40 used the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement, and featured a number of technological enhancements (such as electronic instrumentation)

Development:

Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40", which was an all-new model intended to replace the original XJ6. Scale models were being built as early as 1972. Due to the 1973 oil crisis and problems at parent company British Leyland, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from both Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production and, in February 1981, the British Leyland board approved £80 million to produce the new car.

Jaguar historians claim that the XJ40 was the last car which company founder Sir William Lyons had contributed to during its protracted development phase. The previous generation XJ had been the final Jaguar to be developed wholly under Lyons' leadership - although he continued to take an active consultative role within Jaguar design, long after had retired from the day to day management of the firm following its merger in 1966 with the British Motor Corporation.

During development, the XJ40 pioneered significant improvements to the way Jaguar designed, built, and assembled cars. Among these improvements was a 25 per cent reduction in the number of bodywork panels required per car (e.g. three pressings needed for a Series 3 door compared with one for a XJ40 door), resulting in not only a more efficient assembly process, but also a weight saving and a stiffer structure. Greater attention to panel gaps improved the drag factor (reduced from 0.849 Cd to 0.762 Cd), while also improving the fuel economy and lowering wind noise inside the cabin.

Mechanicals:

AJ6 4.0 L engine (in a 1990 Daimler)

Initially, only two engines were offered across the XJ40 models: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L version of the AJ6 inline-six. In 1990, these were changed to 3.2 L and 4.0 L versions. In 1993, the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six (both equipped with the Jaguar V12 engine) were added to the available models.

During the development of the XJ40, British Leyland had considered providing the Rover V8 engine for the car, which would have eliminated the need for future Jaguar engine production. The XJ40 bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent fitting V-configuration engines such as the Rover V8; this delayed the introduction of the V12-powered XJ12 until 1993.

The automatic gearbox used in the 2.9 L, 3.2 L and 3.6 L six-cylinder cars was the four-speed ZF 4HP22. On the 4.0 L, the four-speed ZF 4HP24 was used. A stronger automatic gearbox was required for the V12-equipped cars, and the four-speed GM 4L80-E was selected. The manual gearbox fitted to early cars was the five-speed Getrag 265, while later cars received the Getrag 290.

The automatic transmission selector was redesigned to allow the manual selection of forward gears without accidentally selecting neutral or reverse. This new feature was dubbed the "J-Gate" and has carried over to more recent Jaguar models.

Exterior:

The curvaceous lines of the outgoing Series XJ were replaced by the more angular, geometric shape of the XJ40. The nose of the car would accommodate either matched pairs of round headlights, or rectangular single units; the latter were fitted to the higher-specification Sovereign and Daimler trim levels, and also to all cars for the US market.

The bumper is a visually distinct black-rubber-covered bar that runs the full width of the car and incorporates the sidelights and indicator lights. The bonnet is hinged at the front. Window frames are either chromed or black, depending on model. Rain gutters, door mirrors, and door handles are also finished in chrome. All XJ40s have a chrome surround for the windscreen and a single windscreen wiper.

Early low-specification cars were fitted with metric-sized steel wheels and plastic wheelcovers. From 1991, the wheels were changed to non-metric sizing.

[Text from Wikipedia]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJ

5Z50 0744 Wolverton Centre Sidings-Exeter St Davids Prem Tran.

After spending 16 months in Wolverton having extensive work done to to its bodyshell, seen here returning back down the West.

Another day, another E-Type, and this example is one of what many consider the better cars, being the stylish and flamboyant Series I fitted with the powerful and reliable 4.2L Straight Six engine!

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

Ref. 26-1611.

Audi 80 GL (1972-1976).

Escala 1/43.

Testauftrag >S<.

Schuco.

Made in Germany.

Production year: 1976.

"Schuco no. 26-1611 Test order S, from the 1976 series "For test drivers". Apart from actuality, what was special about these modellautos, that they could be divided into about 15 to 20 individual parts and thus the slogan test assignment got a special significance! (...)"

Source: www.autostadt.de/de/eshops/audi-80-gl.html

(original text in german language)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUDI 80 (B1)

"The Audi 80 was developed by Ludwig Kraus and was presented in 1972.

It quickly became the bestseller in the lower middle class.

With a facelift in September 1976, the style of the Audi 80 was aligned towards that of the Audi 100, which had just been launched.

The Audi 80 GL was the top model in the series. Front-wheel drive, negative steering scrub radius and diagonal brake circuit distribution provided for driving safety even in adverse conditions."

Engine: 4-cylinder inline engine

Displacement: 1,297 cc to 1,588 cc

Power: from 55 hp at 5,500 rpm to 110 hp at 6,000 rpm

Series: 07/1972-09/1978

Production: 932,403 cars (without US models)

Source:

www.audi-me.com/me/brand/en/company/audi_history/Evolutio...

www.audi-me.com/me/brand/en/company/audi_history/Evolutio...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Audi 80 (B1) (1972-1978)

"This model debuted in Europe in 1972 as the Audi 80, and in 1973 in Australia and North America (Canada and the USA) as the Audi Fox, and was available as either a two-door or a four-door saloon (sedan).

It effectively took the place of several models that Audi had discontinued (the F103 series, which included the first model designated as an "Audi 80"), and provided the company with a viable rival to the Opel Ascona and the Ford Taunus (Ford Cortina in the UK), as well as more upmarket offerings including the Alfa Romeo Alfetta and Triumph Dolomite."

"The Audi 80 B1 was only the second modern-era Audi product to be developed entirely under Volkswagen ownership - Audi chief engineer Ludwig Kraus had famously been disparaging about the outgoing F103 series, referring to it as the "bastard", owing to its Auto Union/DKW bodyshell and Mercedes-Benz engine.

The B1 was a clean break from the Auto Union era, being equipped with.a range of brand new 1.3- and 1.5-litre SOHC inline-four petrol engines - the first appearance of the now legendary EA827 series of engines, whose descendants are still used in VW Group vehicles to the present day."

(...)

"On the home market, two- and four- door saloons were available in base trim (55 or 60 PS, called simply Audi 80 and 80 S, respectively), as L models (LS with 75 PS engine) or as a more luxurious GL (85 PS only).

In September 1973, Audi added the sporty 80 GT (two-door only) featuring a carburettor 1.6 litre engine (code: XX) rated at 100 PS (74 kW; 99 bhp)."

(...)

"Audi's design and development efforts paid off during the 1973 European Car of the Year competition where the 80 won ahead of the Renault 5 and the Alfa Romeo Alfetta.

A facelift in autumn 1976 brought about a revised front end in the style of the newly introduced Audi 100 C2 with square instead of round headlights, 1.6- instead of 1.5 litre engines (still of 75/85 PS) and a new 80 GTE model with a fuel-injected version of the 1.6-litre (110 PS (81 kW; 108 bhp)) replacing the former 80 GT."

(...)

"The B1 platform was dropped from the European market in 1978, although it was sold into the 1979 model year in North America."

(...)

---------------------------

Audi 80 B1 (80/82)

Also called

Audi Fox

Production

1972–1978

1,103,766 built

Body style

2/4-door sedan

5-door wagon

Layout

Front-engine, front-wheel-drive

Platform

Volkswagen Group B1 platform

Engine

1.3 L I4

1.5 L I4

1.6 L I4

Transmission

4-speed manual

3-speed automatic

Dimensions

Wheelbase

2,470 mm (97.2 in)

Length

4,175 mm (164.4 in)

Width

1,600 mm (63.0 in)

Height

1,362 mm (53.6 in)

Chronology

Predecessor

Audi 72

Successor

Audi 80 (B2)

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_80

More info:

www.speeddoctor.net/2012/audi-80-b1-1972-78/

Standard 8 (Mod) (1953-56) Engine *803cc S4 OHC Production 136317

Registration Number PNX 189

STANDARD SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623722503183...

Introduced in 1953 the new Standard 8 and 10 were a completely new design with unit construction and an overhead-valve engine. It was offered only as a 4-door saloon. The new engine of 803 cc produced slightly less power than the outgoing larger sidevalve unit with 26 bhp but was increased in 1957 to 40bhp. The 4-speed gearbox, with synchromesh on the top three ratios, was available with optional overdrive from March 1957. Girling hydraulic drum brakes were fitted. To keep prices down, the car at launch was very basic with sliding windows, single windscreen wiper and no external boot lid. Access to the boot was by folding down the rear seat, which had the backrest divided in two. The 1954 De luxe got wind up windows and the Gold Star model of 1957 an opening boot lid. From mid-1955 all the Eights finally got wind up windows. At launch the car cost £481 including taxes on the home market

The Standard Ten of 1954 shared the bodyshell and running gear and would outlast the Eight by continuing until 1961.

The cars were sold as Standards utility models, and rivals for the Austin A30, Morris Minor.

This car has been modified with a 1200cc engine

Shot at the VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone 20-21 April 2013 REF:90C-943

Shoot on Agfacolor 200.

Great Western Railway Class 800, 800026, is seen at London Paddington as it prepares to depart with the 1U28 to Bristol Temple Meads.

The British Rail Class 800 is a type of bi-mode multiple unit designed and produced by Hitachi for use in the United Kingdom on the Great Western Main Line since October 2017. They use electric motors for traction, but in addition to operating on track with overhead electric wires, they have diesel generators to enable them to operate on unelectrified track. Based on the Hitachi A-train design, the trains have been built by Hitachi since 2014. They are very similar to the Class 802 units, which have uprated diesel engines and larger fuel tanks.

The units first entered service on the Great Western Main Line on 16 October 2017, under the brand name "Intercity Express Train (IET)" and the units entered service on the East Coast Main Line on 15 May 2019, under the brand name "Azuma." The planned launch date had been December 2018, but this was put back when the trains were found to interfere with trackside signalling equipment.

These trains are being assembled at the Hitachi Newton Aycliffe facility, alongside the related Class 801 electric multiple unit, from bodyshells shipped from the Kasado plant in Japan; no body construction takes place in the UK.

The Class 800 units are part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) and are part of the Hitachi AT300 product family. Train operating companies have also given the train separate brands. On Great Western Railway, they are known as Intercity Express Trains (IET) and on London North Eastern Railway, they are known as Azumas.

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

The Network Rail Track Recording Unit 950001 is seen heading through Avoncliff with the 2Q08 08:06 Bristol High Level Siding to Reading Triangle Sidings working. This unit was purpose built using a bodyshell from the class 150/1 production line. 23/02/18.

Well half of it anyways...

This unique DMU is now looking rather sorry for herself after being withdrawn in December 2024 in favour of more converted Class 153s.

Only one Class 950 was ever built, the one you see here. She was purpose built in 1987 using a Class 150 bodyshell for track monitoring and was even numbered as a Class 150 under TOPS.

She is spotted at the back of Derby RTC, from London Road Bridge. I'm unaware of where the other half of this unit is though I imagine it could well have met a sticky end already...

Humber Hawk (1957-67) Engine 2267cc S6 OHV Production 15539 (all series, 7230 series 1I)

Registration Number VFO 416 (Radnor)

HUMBER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665287863...

The 1957 Hawk had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would go on to share with the 1958 Humber Super Snipe. This was the biggest bodyshell for a saloon/estate car built in Great Britain at the time. The 2267 cc engine was carried over, though with modifications to the distributor mounting, and other details; and an automatic transmission, the Borg Warner D.G. model, was now available. The body was styled in Rootes' own studios and featured more glass than previous models, with wrap-around front windscreen, which gave it a considerable resemblance to a 1955 Chevrolet.

There were several revisions during the car's life, each resulting in a new Series number.

The 1959 Series 1A had changed gear ratios and minor trim changes.

The Series II launched in October 1960 had disc front brakes, servo-assisted. The automatic option was no longer available on the home market.

The Series III of September 1962 had a larger fuel tank and bigger rear window. The export model automatic option was also dropped.

More significant changes came with the October 1964 Series IV. The roof was made flatter, the rear window smaller and an extra side window fitted behind the rear doors. Synchromesh was fitted to bottom gear. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the rear.

The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced, this time being the Borg Warner Model 35.

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Shot 17:08:2014 at Lupin Farm Classic Car Show, Orgreave, Staffordshire Ref 102-712b

EUROPE: Designed to meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15227, Bombardier’s Talent 2 is the latest entrant in the competitive European market for regional EMUs. Dr Harry Hondius reports.

Formally unveiled at the InnoTrans 2008 fair in Berlin last September, Bombardier’s Talent 2 EMU is currently undergoing commissioning and acceptance trials before entering service with DB Regio in Germany.

Talent 2 is the latest in a series of new regional and suburban trainsets designed to meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15227. As such, it forms part of the second generation of EMUs to be designed by the manufacturers rather than the railway operators themselves. Talent 2’s main competitors are Alstom’s Coradia Continental, Siemens’ Desiro ML and Stadler’s Flirt designs.

Talent 2 has a strong heritage. The Talent 1 DMU was developed by Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen, just before Bombardier purchased the company in 1995. Unveiled in the spring of 1996, the regional diesel train was a completely new and striking design. Talent 1 proved very successful, with 223 diesel-mechanical and 63 diesel-electric sets built. In addition, 198 ‘Elektro Talent’ EMUs were built with Elin in Austria, of which 20 were for use in Hungary, making 484 trains in all.

Bombardier’s NINA EMUs for BLS have many similarities with Talent 1, including the Flex-Compact bogies, albeit with electrical equipment from Alstom; this family comprises 37 RABe525 S-Bahn sets and 13 RABe535 regional sets for the Lötschberg route. In Scandinavia Bombardier has delivered 90 Regina wide-bodied EMUs to Swedish operators. The company’s biggest success came in France, where 698 AGCs have been ordered along with 172 Spacium wide-bodied suburban EMUs for the Paris region. These two designs also use bogies from the Flex-Compact (formerly Wegmann) platform.

So why, with so many trains in production, has Bombardier developed another new design? Changing demands from operators and leasing companies and the new crashworthiness norms are the main reasons, along with the desire for greater flexibility to meet differing customer requirements over the lifetime of the train, especially regarding the number of doors and the entrance height.

Crashworthiness norms

From August 1 2008 any new rolling stock designs in the European Union must meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15277. These demand a survival space for the driver, and the train must remain structurally intact, safeguarding the passengers, in three specific scenarios:

* in a collision between two similar trains at 36 km/h,

* in a collision with a 90-tonne freight wagon at 36 km/h,

* in a collision on a level crossing with a 15 tonne lorry at 110 km/h.

Although the rules came into force in August there is provision for local safety authorities to allow a four-year transition period. So far the Dutch have taken the lead in demanding full application, with the latest Sprinter EMUs (RG 3.08 p180), 82 out of 437 GTW trainsets and the Protos EMUs all compliant. Alstom’s Coradia Nordic was also built to meet the crashworthiness criteria from its inception, but so far the Coradia Continental sets for DB do not (RG 5.08 p321). Whilst the ET 422 S-Bahn units are compliant, DB placed framework contracts in July 2008 for 120 Coradia Lint, 60 RegioShuttle and 60 Desiro Classic DMUs, which do not meet EN 15227; these will be ordered as and when DB Regio AG wins regional operating concessions.

Bombardier’s AGC and Spacium designs, as well as the Desiro ML from Siemens do meet the EN 15227 requirements. The NINA does not, nor do the 614 Flirts from Stadler, although a crashworthy Flirt variant has been prepared for future orders.

Among the second-generation competitors, Alstom has won orders for 150 Coradia Lirex Nordic and 141 Coradia Lirex Continental units, Siemens is supplying 17 Desiro Main Line EMUs in Germany and 305 for Belgium, and Stadler has 186 German orders out of 614 Flirts in total.

Framework contract

In February 2007 DB AG signed a framework agreement with Bombardier for Talent 2, providing for up to 321 trainsets to be supplied between May 2009 and December 31 2014. These will be converted to firm orders as and when DB wins regional or S-Bahn concessions which require new electric trainsets.

So far, firm orders have been placed for 76 sets:

* S-Bahn Nürnberg: 42 four-car sets of Class ET 442;

* Moselbahn, Koblenz – Trier/Perl: eight four-car and five two-car units;

* Cottbus – Leipzig: three four-car and three two-car units;

* Rhein-Sieg regional express, Aachen – Köln – Siegen: three three-car, 10 four-car and two five-car units.

This last order was valued at €60m, which equates to just €19 000/m²; this is a very competitive price indeed.

All-steel bodyshell

Developed in Hennigsdorf, Talent 2 is planned as a platform offering trainsets of two to six cars, varying from 40 m to 104 m in length (Fig 2). It is an all-steel welded car, with the bodies fabricated at Ceska Lipa. The principal concept behind Talent 2 is to offer the greatest operational flexibility terms of seating arrangements, toilets and door positions. The window panels have the same dimensions as the door panels, so that doorways can be added, or even removed, at a later date.

The end cars have entrances at 800 mm above rail. The floor height in the intermediate cars can vary depending on customer requirements. The option selected for the Nürnberg units was shown at InnoTrans: a small ramp links the floor at 695 mm above rail with the entrances at 773 mm. A Bode sliding step at 573 mm (Fig 3 left) serves 550 mm high platforms. An alternative arrangement (Fig 3 right) would have a ramp down from the 695 mm floor to a doorway at 598 mm, still only 50 mm higher than a 550 mm platform and a sliding step at 360 mm for lower platform heights.

To meet EN 15227, the end cars have hydraulic energy absorbers at two levels, in addition to the energy absorption qualities of the automatic Voith Scharfenberg coupler. A steel cage around the cab provides the survival space for the driver, enclosed by a GRP nose from Stratiform. Reinforcement of the articulations prevents damaging energy levels being transmitted to the inner coaches. The Hübner corrugated gangways provide an inter-car walkway 732 mm wide.

Talent 2 also runs on bogies from the Flex-Compact family like those used on AGC or Spacium which have H-frames with a degree of in-built flexibility. The primary suspension and axle guidance acts as a linkage to the axle boxes, connected to the frame via rubber bushes on the inner side and via steel primary springs with a vertical shock absorber on the outer side. Secondary suspension is by air springs, with rubber/metallic auxiliary springs on each side complemented by a vertical shock absorber, and two torsion anti-roll stabilizers, two yaw dampers and one horizontal damper. A central connection transmits traction and braking forces. Knorr electro-pneumatic wheel brakes act on 10 wheels, and spring-loaded parking brakes are applied to 12 wheels. One of the end bogies is equipped with electromagnetic track brakes and both end bogies have Delemon flange lubrication equipment.

A single pantograph feeds the electrical equipment which was designed at Västerås. Skoda asynchronous four-pole forced ventilated motors drive the two end bogies and the central articulation bogie. They have a maximum power of 505 kW and a continuous rating of 380 kW, with a maximum speed of 5 614 rev/min. The motors are fully suspended, and drive through a toothed coupling and 1:5·05 single-reduction Watteeuw gears which are suspended from the frame on one side and rest on the axle. Two-stage gearing is provided for the powered articulation bogie because of the limited space.

All of the equipment is mounted on the roof with the exception of the two transformers and the 110 V, 105 Ah batteries, which are slung under the floors of the end cars. The two transformers deliver 6 x 428 kVA. Each motored bogie has its own inverter, of which two include auxiliary inverters. A separate 500 W inverter feeds the 24 V DC circuit.

To meet DB Regio’s design requirements, the trains are fitted with Kiel’s Match type seats. The single-glazed windows come from Securit in Poland. Bode has also supplied the electrically operating sliding-plug doors. Because of EBA’s latest safety requirements, the closing of the doors is monitored by optical sensors in two dimensions and the doors are fitted with highly-sensitive rubber edging strips incorporating Mayser electronic sensors. The fully-accessible toilet compartment has a shell from Bahrain and fittings from Denmark.

Air-conditioning is provided on all vehicles. Each unit is rated at 2 900 m³/h when air is being recirculated, or 1 900 m³/h with fresh air. The end cars have provision for 31·75 kW of heating, compared with 33·4 kW for the intermediate vehicles, cooling rate for all cars is 27 kW. Warm air is fed into the saloons from below, cool air from the roof. The driving cabs are equipped with separate air-conditioning units, rated at 5·4 kW heating and 4·5 kW cooling. These can recirculate at 550 m³/h or add fresh air at 400m³/h. Overall train design is by Michel Sohn at Hennigsdorf.

A versatile family

Although we have not yet had the opportunity to sample the riding qualities of Talent 2, Bombardier seems to have made a serious effort to develop a largely-standardised steel-bodied trainset with the flexibility to deliver a variety of functional interior layouts without incurring heavy engineering costs. As well as the established Flex-Compact bogies, Talent 2 uses several elements that are well-proven in other DB series. The cab layout, for example, is identical to that of the Class ET 422 units.

In the private operator market, the closest competitor to Talent 2 is the Flirt, which does not yet meet EN 15227, is 1·8 m shorter, and carries 51 fewer passengers. The Flirt has 5·2% less power, and only four driven axles, but is 8·6% lighter.

This text is from railway gazette

DRS Brush/GM Class 57 'Bodysnatcher' number 57 307 'LADY PENELOPE' seen stabled in the weeds at Carlisle Railway Station on the West Coast Mainline. This locomotive used the bodyshell of 47 225.