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N. 0/200 D.
Osi Bisiluro Prototype (1967).
Escala 1/66.
Penny Export.
Made in Italy.
Años 60.
More info:
www.hobbydb.com/catalog_items/osi-bisiluro
uno64.mforos.com/2094013/11048854-penny-politoys-polistil...
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Pennys from Italy - Much Admired Micromodelli
Posted by: Doug in Member Blogson Feb 18, 2009
This article was published in 2004, story and images by Doug Breithaupt, Rob Gras and Craig Mueller
(...) "In Italy the models of Mercury were industry leaders and they created Speedy. A relative new-comer, A.P.S. Politoys, founded in 1960, offered a new line of 1:66 scale models and used the Penny name.
Later the Politoys name was changed to Polistil to avoid potential confusion with a British firm named Palitoys.
By 1967, the first explosion of small-scale toy cars was well underway. These early years of 1:64 scale had a strong national flavor with most firms offering a primary selection of models based on the cars and trucks of their native country with a lesser selection of models based on vehicles from other countries.
Often, these models were initially offered for sale in the home country as well although the North American market provided a sales opportunity that could not be ignored."
(...)
"1967 was the initial year for Penny 'micromodelli' and the series only lasted until late 1969 or early 1970 when, like the whole toy car world, a response to Mattel's Hot Wheels was seen essential for survival.
As the packaging shows, a penny and checkered stripe was part of the box art along with illustrations of the model enclosed.
In just 3 short years, Penny produced less than 50 models but among them are some that have become favorites of collectors world-wide."
(...)
"Penny sorted their models into three categories.
- The first was 'Corse', a series of Formula 1 race cars. They created the F1 racing grid for 1967 with models 0/1 through 0/10. New F1 cars for 1968 were offered as 0/11 through 0/15. The rising success of F1 racing and the release of movies like Grand Prix were certainly an inspiration for these models, just as they were for Matchbox, Best Box of Holland and others. The Penny F1 models seem a bit more toy-like than some with large tires. Still, they offer correct colors and must have provided hours of play-time for the junior racing crowd. Polistil continued to offer grand prix cars in small-scale with more realistic models of the 1975, 1976 and 1982 F1 grid, in the later RJ series.
- The second series of models were identified as 'Berlina' and represented a mix of production and concept cars. The remainder of this article will focus on these 'Berlina' models.
- The third category was 'Veicoli Industriali' and included a variety of trucks a snowplow, minibus and tractor shovel in the series. These were numbered 0/110 to 0/122.
(...)
0/200D Osi Bisiluro
"This unique twin-boom concept car is easily the most unique model in the Penny line. While this design has advantages for a sailboat, it's hard to justify on a car."
(...)
0/205 Caravan Trailer
"This tear-drop caravan was the last of the Penny line.
After that, all models carried the Polistil name."
Source: www.planetdiecast.com/index.php?&option=com_myblog&am...
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OSI Silver Fox Prototype (1967)
"O.S.I. (Officine Stampaggi Industriali) Bisiluro “Silver Fox” – Catamaran sportcar (double trunk).
A strange body that resembled more to a nautical vehicle was introduced to the 1967 Turin Motorshow.
Conceived for a possible use in the race or for the attempts of record, it was equipped by a Alpine engine to four cylinders of 1000 cc., positioned behind the seats on the left side. Among the two interior prominences was positioned three wing-shaped aids that furnished an aerodynamic support.
The first one was usable to firm vehicle, the second, that central, with the vehicle in drive, while the third one, systematized on the back one it was fixed and it also included the brakes."
Source: oldconceptcars.com/exotic/osi-silver-fox-prototype-1967/
More info:
es.motors.wikia.com/wiki/OSI_Silver_Fox
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Officine Stampaggi Industriali
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"OSI, acronym for Officine Stampaggi Industriali (literally "Industrial Stampings Workshops") was a coachbuilding company founded in 1960 in Turin by former Ghia president Luigi Segre (1919–63) and Arrigo Olivetti (1889–1977) from the Fergat company, a manufacturer of automotive components.[OSI was intended to be an independent design branch of Ghia's, focussing on niche efforts.
The short lived company made some custom built cars based on Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Ford models.
One of their first contracts was to build the bodyshells of the 1960 Innocenti 950 Spider, designed by a young Tom Tjaarda at Ghia's behest.
Probably its best known model outside Italy was the Ford 20M TS Coupé based on the German Ford Taunus 20M. The car was designed by Sergio Sartorelli, better known as the designer of the Type 3 based Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 34. Approximately 2,200 of the Ford 20M based coupés were produced, of which approximately 200 were thought to have survived through till 2010.
The company also built the Ford Anglia Torino designed by Giovanni Michelotti: 10,007 examples of this model were sold in Italy.
Segre died following appendicitis in 1963, leaving the rising company without its personal link to Ghia and Ford.
He was replaced by Giacomo Bianco of Fergat, but Bianco was unable to keep the company afloat as contracts began to dry up.
In 1966 2,000 employees had to be laid off, and OSI car production ended in December 1967.
Bianco was fired and Sartorelli was charged with winding up operations, incorporating the OSI design office with that of Fiat's in May 1968.
The company remained active as a producer of steel pressings and industrial equipment."
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Some models by Osi:
- Alfa Romeo 2600 Berlina de Luxe 1965.
- Alfa Romeo Giulia Scarabeo 1966.
- Ford Anglia Torino.
- OSI-Ford 20 M TS.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officine_Stampaggi_Industriali
Reliant Scimitar SE4 (1964-66) Engine 2553cc S6 OHV Production 296
Registration Number XBF 496 D (Stoke-on-Trent)
RELIANT SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623815081608/
Based on a design by David Ogle as the Ogle SX250, which had originally been based on the Daimler Dart with Daimler Dart SP250 chassis and running gear. The car had been privately commissioned by Boris Forter, managing director of the Helena Rubenstein Company (UK), who later had another one built for his girlfriend.
Reliant approached Ogle and asked to buy the rights for it, after some changes to the bodyshell and modifications to fit a Reliant Sabre chassis and running gear the new Scimitar took shape. The Scimitar retained the Ford straight six engine from the Sabre, but with triple SU carburettors as standard it now produced 120 bhp and propelled the car to a top speed of 117 mph. It was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1964; priced at £1,292
A big thanks for 21.6 million views
Shot 20:04:2014 at Weston Park Ref 99a-386
DB Schenker's class 92 number 92037 named "Sullivan" in two tone Railfreight grey with large EWS logo and three 'O' shaped channel tunnel rings (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12700569283/in/photost...) hauling Cargowaggon bogie vans from Dollands Moor sidings to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on 13 January 2014. The class 465 Networker that has just passed it was number 465907.
92037 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.
DB Schenker class 92 number 92041 named "Vaughan Williams" painted in EWS two tone railfreight grey livery and a three 'O' shaped channel tunnel roundel logo working 6B37 hauling empty NACCO (North American Car Corporation) tankers from Wembley European Freight Operating Centre to Dollands Moor Sidings as part of their return journey to Antwerpen (Antwerp) Docks, Belgium from Irvine Scotland on 28 February 2014. For the route taken see (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/14289727859/). 92041 traveled down to Wembley earlier in the day as 6M76 photographed at Northampton by Nigel Gould (www.flickr.com/photos/60599026@N05/12831694204/in/photoli...). Prior to this Brian Denton photogrphed these tankers filled with china clay slurry heading northwards towards Scotland on 26 February 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/brian_dentons_linesidephotos-europe...). Once the tankers arrive back at Antwerpen Docks they are reloaded with china clay slurry (kaolin) made from rocks rich in kaolinite, Al2Si2O5(OH)4, imported from Brazil. This slurry is transported to Irvine, Scotland by 6S94 where it is used by the Finnish company, UPM-Kymmene (United Paper Mills Ltd) Corporation's at their Caledonian Paper Mill to produce lightweight coated paper for printing magazines, catalogues and brochures.
92041 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1996, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons were fire tested by BRUSH.
Something of a bitsa this one, with a later 4dr bodyshell converted to a pickup. And a later diesel engine too...
Seen in the rather wet pits at Foxhall Raceway, 25/08/14.
The class 127s had highbacked seats, unlike most other inner suburbans with the high-density bodyshell, for their important commuter role. you can just imagine it full of bowler-hat wearing city gents, travelling up to the city for a day in the bank or insurance company.
DO NOT COPY, SHARE OR POST MY PICTURES ON ANY OTHER WEBSITE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION PLEASE.
Morris Mini Traveller Mk.III (1969-76) Engine 998cc S4 Tr OHV
Registration Number HCF 663 N
MINI (BL) SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623797597842...
The Mark III Mini had a modified bodyshell with enough alterations to see the factory code change from ADO15 to ADO20 which it shared with the Clubman. Changes included larger doors with concealed hinges, the sliding windows replaced by internal wind up windows. The Mark III Mini had a modified bodyshell with enough alterations to see the factory code change from ADO15 to ADO20 as a cost saving measure
Many Thanks for a fan'dabi'dozi 25,790,800 views
Shot 09:06:2014 ar The Luton Classic Car Show, Stockwell Park, Luton REF 102-527
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!
Having previously appeared on a redesigned gearless Mini, the 9X project name would once again make an appearance 10 years later, this time on the Mini's proposed replacement, the Metro! The MG Metro 9X however doesn't really have much more than it being fitted with a six-cylinder engine, apart from that, it's just a regular MG Metro.
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!
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.
.
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.
Nº 235.
Volkswagen Golf II GTI (1984-1992).
Escala 1/56.
Majorette.
France.
Made in Thailand (?).
Años 90 (?).
Some variants in:
www.hobbydb.com/variant_definitions/33380
Majorette Listing - 200 Series - After 1990; Made in Thailand:
swiftysgarage.net/topic/6768319/1/
More info:
passion-majorette.forumactif.com/f9-majorette-serie-200-m...
www.diecastlovers.com/manufacturer/majorette-diecast-manu...
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Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II (1984)
"Este modelo bautizado como Golf GTI Mk II, seguía las mismas líneas de su predecesor con un motor de 112 CV y la ya famosa insignia GTI en la parrilla.
Con solo ocho años de vida, había pasado de ser un recién llegado, a ser todo un icono en el mundo de los coches.
Más tarde Volkswagen introdujo un catalizador para reducir la emisión de gases iba a perjudicar al GTI, haciéndole descender de 112 a 107 CV.
Dos años más tarde, Volkswagen compensó la potencia reducida en el Mk II con un nuevo propulsor de 16 válvulas que entregaba 129 CV aún con catalizador.
Ya en 1990, se presentó el Golf GTI G60, que incluía un sobrecargador G-Lader que aumentaba la potencia hasta los 160 CV."
Fuente: www.revistadelmotor.es/2016/05/06/volkswagen-golf-gti-gen...
Cronología VW Golf GTI II
"1984. Segunda generación del Volkswagen Golf GTI. Motor 1.8 de 112 CV.
1984. Introducción del motor 1.8 de 107 CV con catalizador. No estuvo a la venta en España.
1985. Actualización. Doble faro y doble salida de escape.
El primer GTI II, con faro simple y muy similar a la primera generación, no llegó al mercado español (únicamente estuvo a la venta esta segunda versión).
1986. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V. Motor 1.8 de 129 ó 139 CV. La versión menos potente, que llevaba catalizador, no estuvo a la venta en España.
1990. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI G60. Motor 1.8 de 160 CV."
Fuente: www.km77.com/reportajes/historia/volkswagen/golfgti/t01.asp
More info:
noticias.coches.com/noticias-motor/la-historia-del-exitos...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf Mk2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Volkswagen Golf Mk2 is a compact car, the second generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1.
It was Volkswagen's volume seller from 1983 and remained in (German) production until late 1992.
The Mk2 was larger than the Mk1; its wheelbase grew slightly (+ 75 mm (3.0 in)), as did exterior dimensions (length + 180 mm (7.1 in), width + 55 mm (2.2 in), height + 5 mm (0.2 in)). Weight was up accordingly by about 120 kg (260 lb). Exterior design, developed in-house by VW design director Schäfer, kept the general lines of its Giugiaro-designed predecessor, but was slightly more rounded.
All told, about 6.3 million second-generation Golfs were built."
(...)
"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 US.
It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD turbodiesel (in Euro markets, later using the 1.6 "umwelt" (ECO) diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.8) 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781cc (1.8) 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye Golf".
(...)
"In 1985, British motoring magazine What Car? awarded the Golf Mk2 1985 "Car of the Year". It sold well in Britain, peaking in 1989 with well over 50,000 sales as the 11th best selling car, and most popular foreign car.
However, the Golf was overshadowed in the 1984 European Car of the Year contest, finishing third but being heavily outscored by the victorious Fiat Uno and runner-up Peugeot 205, which were similar in size to Volkswagen's smaller Polo.[
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. They were available in the US from August 1989 as well, as part of the "Wolfsburg Edition" package. They were not standardized until January 1990."
(...)
"The MK2 Golf remained in production until the launch of the MK3 model in August 1991. Continental sales began that autumn, but the MK3 did not take over from the MK2 on the right-hand drive British market until February 1992."
(...)
Golf GTI & GTI 16v
"The successful Golf GTI (or, in the USA, simply "GTI") was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback.
Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a fuel-injected 1.8 litre four developing 112 PS (82 kW; 110 hp).
In 1986 (1987 for North America) a Golf GTI 16V was introduced; here the 1.8 litre engine put out 139 PS (102 kW; 137 hp) (or 129 PS (95 kW; 127 hp) for the catalyst version) and 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. This was maintained through the rest of the Mk2 model era.
In 1990 the GTi G60 was also introduced featuring the 8v 1.8 with a G60 supercharger this version is not to be confused with the very rare G60 Limited."
(...)
---------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf Mk2 (19E)
Manufacturer
Volkswagen
Production
6.3 million units
1983-1992
Assembly
Wolfsburg, Germany,
Brussels, Belgium,
TAS Sarajevo, Yugoslavia,
New Stanton, Pennsylvania, United States
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Uitenhage, South Africa,
Graz, Austria, ( Golf Country only),
Class
Small family car (C)
Body style
3-door hatchback,
5-door hatchback
Layout
Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform
Volkswagen Group A2 platform
Related
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Corrado
SEAT Toledo Mk1
Engine
1.3 L EA111 I4
1.6L EA827 I4
1.8L EA827 I4
1.8L G60 I4
2.0L EA827 I4
1.6L EA827 I4 diesel
1.6L EA827 I4 turbodiesel
Electric motor
Transmission
4-speed manual
5-speed manual
3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase
2,470 mm (97.2 in)
Length
3,985 mm (156.9 in)−4,054 mm (159.6 in)
Width
1,665–1,700 mm (65.6–66.9 in)
Height
1,415 mm (55.7 in)
Curb weight
910–1,245 kg (2,006–2,745 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor
Volkswagen Golf Mk1
Successor
Volkswagen Golf Mk3
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 CL Series Valiant was introduced in November 1976. Although it used the same bodyshell as the previous VK range, the front and rear ends were restyled. The front end used horizontally arrayed quad round headlamps flanking a central grille. The front guards and bonnet were also reworked accordingly. The new bootlid's curved leading edge flowed down to new taillights that sandwiched a simple centre garnish panel. The bumpers, however, were the same units as had been used on the 1969 VF series Valiants.
The 3.5 L (215 cu in) Hemi-6 and 5.9 L (360 cu in) V8 were dropped, and the only engine options were low- and high-compression versions of the 4.0 L (245 cu in) Hemi-6 and the 5.2 L (318 cu in) V8. The CL's introduction had closely coincided with that of the strict exhaust emission regulations contained in ADR 27A. With the 318 engine, a new emissions control system was introduced: Electronic Lean Burn.
Valiant and Regal sedans also benefited from the 1978 introduction of Radial Tuned Suspension in response to Holden's having marketed their suspension as particularly suited to radial tyres.
36,672 CL Valiants — including the last-ever Chargers — were built.
This Valiant wagon is created for the #mocaround49 challneg #vacationwagon
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!
Nº 235.
Volkswagen Golf II GTI (1984-1992).
Escala 1/56.
Majorette.
France.
Made in Thailand (?).
Años 90 (?).
Some variants in:
www.hobbydb.com/variant_definitions/33380
Majorette Listing - 200 Series - After 1990; Made in Thailand:
swiftysgarage.net/topic/6768319/1/
More info:
passion-majorette.forumactif.com/f9-majorette-serie-200-m...
www.diecastlovers.com/manufacturer/majorette-diecast-manu...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk II (1984)
"Este modelo bautizado como Golf GTI Mk II, seguía las mismas líneas de su predecesor con un motor de 112 CV y la ya famosa insignia GTI en la parrilla.
Con solo ocho años de vida, había pasado de ser un recién llegado, a ser todo un icono en el mundo de los coches.
Más tarde Volkswagen introdujo un catalizador para reducir la emisión de gases iba a perjudicar al GTI, haciéndole descender de 112 a 107 CV.
Dos años más tarde, Volkswagen compensó la potencia reducida en el Mk II con un nuevo propulsor de 16 válvulas que entregaba 129 CV aún con catalizador.
Ya en 1990, se presentó el Golf GTI G60, que incluía un sobrecargador G-Lader que aumentaba la potencia hasta los 160 CV."
Fuente: www.revistadelmotor.es/2016/05/06/volkswagen-golf-gti-gen...
Cronología VW Golf GTI II
"1984. Segunda generación del Volkswagen Golf GTI. Motor 1.8 de 112 CV.
1984. Introducción del motor 1.8 de 107 CV con catalizador. No estuvo a la venta en España.
1985. Actualización. Doble faro y doble salida de escape.
El primer GTI II, con faro simple y muy similar a la primera generación, no llegó al mercado español (únicamente estuvo a la venta esta segunda versión).
1986. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V. Motor 1.8 de 129 ó 139 CV. La versión menos potente, que llevaba catalizador, no estuvo a la venta en España.
1990. Lanzamiento del Volkswagen Golf GTI G60. Motor 1.8 de 160 CV."
Fuente: www.km77.com/reportajes/historia/volkswagen/golfgti/t01.asp
More info:
noticias.coches.com/noticias-motor/la-historia-del-exitos...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf Mk2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Volkswagen Golf Mk2 is a compact car, the second generation of the Volkswagen Golf and the successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1.
It was Volkswagen's volume seller from 1983 and remained in (German) production until late 1992.
The Mk2 was larger than the Mk1; its wheelbase grew slightly (+ 75 mm (3.0 in)), as did exterior dimensions (length + 180 mm (7.1 in), width + 55 mm (2.2 in), height + 5 mm (0.2 in)). Weight was up accordingly by about 120 kg (260 lb). Exterior design, developed in-house by VW design director Schäfer, kept the general lines of its Giugiaro-designed predecessor, but was slightly more rounded.
All told, about 6.3 million second-generation Golfs were built."
(...)
"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 US.
It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options, including a GTD turbodiesel (in Euro markets, later using the 1.6 "umwelt" (ECO) diesel engine), a DOHC 1781 cc (1.8) 16-valve version of the straight-four GTI (as well as the tried and tested 1781cc (1.8) 8v GTI), the supercharged 8v "G60" with front- and four-wheel drive options, and a racing homologated variant of this, the "Rallye Golf".
(...)
"In 1985, British motoring magazine What Car? awarded the Golf Mk2 1985 "Car of the Year". It sold well in Britain, peaking in 1989 with well over 50,000 sales as the 11th best selling car, and most popular foreign car.
However, the Golf was overshadowed in the 1984 European Car of the Year contest, finishing third but being heavily outscored by the victorious Fiat Uno and runner-up Peugeot 205, which were similar in size to Volkswagen's smaller Polo.[
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. They were available in the US from August 1989 as well, as part of the "Wolfsburg Edition" package. They were not standardized until January 1990."
(...)
"The MK2 Golf remained in production until the launch of the MK3 model in August 1991. Continental sales began that autumn, but the MK3 did not take over from the MK2 on the right-hand drive British market until February 1992."
(...)
Golf GTI & GTI 16v
"The successful Golf GTI (or, in the USA, simply "GTI") was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback.
Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a fuel-injected 1.8 litre four developing 112 PS (82 kW; 110 hp).
In 1986 (1987 for North America) a Golf GTI 16V was introduced; here the 1.8 litre engine put out 139 PS (102 kW; 137 hp) (or 129 PS (95 kW; 127 hp) for the catalyst version) and 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. This was maintained through the rest of the Mk2 model era.
In 1990 the GTi G60 was also introduced featuring the 8v 1.8 with a G60 supercharger this version is not to be confused with the very rare G60 Limited."
(...)
---------------------------------------
Volkswagen Golf Mk2 (19E)
Manufacturer
Volkswagen
Production
6.3 million units
1983-1992
Assembly
Wolfsburg, Germany,
Brussels, Belgium,
TAS Sarajevo, Yugoslavia,
New Stanton, Pennsylvania, United States
Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Uitenhage, South Africa,
Graz, Austria, ( Golf Country only),
Class
Small family car (C)
Body style
3-door hatchback,
5-door hatchback
Layout
Front engine, front-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Platform
Volkswagen Group A2 platform
Related
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen Corrado
SEAT Toledo Mk1
Engine
1.3 L EA111 I4
1.6L EA827 I4
1.8L EA827 I4
1.8L G60 I4
2.0L EA827 I4
1.6L EA827 I4 diesel
1.6L EA827 I4 turbodiesel
Electric motor
Transmission
4-speed manual
5-speed manual
3-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase
2,470 mm (97.2 in)
Length
3,985 mm (156.9 in)−4,054 mm (159.6 in)
Width
1,665–1,700 mm (65.6–66.9 in)
Height
1,415 mm (55.7 in)
Curb weight
910–1,245 kg (2,006–2,745 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor
Volkswagen Golf Mk1
Successor
Volkswagen Golf Mk3
Jaguar XJR V8 s-c (X350) (2003-09) Engine 4196cc V8 Supercharged
Registration Number OE 03 HLY
JAGUAR SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671588245...
The X350 is the third generation of Jaguar XJ series, replaceing the 1997-02 X308 Series. Like the Audi A8, the X350's chassis and body were constructed from aluminium. While some steel was used in places throughout the chassis, the X350 has a stressed aluminium monocoque/chassis similar in general design to a conventional steel structure, but with two differences; its underbody components are bonded together with aerospace-grade epoxy adhesives while around 3,200 self-piercing rivets are used to create the new XJ's unibody. On its own, the current XJ's bodyshell weighs about the same as a contemporary Mini Hatch. If the car were made of steel, it was estimated that it would weigh 40% more. The third generation of Jaguar's rear suspension changed from the previous double wishbone layout in favour of a more sophisticated multi-link arrangement. In addition the car has all round adaptive air suspension, just like the Audi A8. The X350 features outer headlights larger than the inner headlights as well as greater width length and height, compared to the previous model. Beginning in 2004, chrome trim in the window areas between the front and back doors has been discontinued.
The 4.2 litre V8 Supercharged engine is at the top of the performance model range with an output of 400bhp
Thanks for 19.1 million views
Shot at the VSCC Hillclimb, Prescot, Gloucestershire 03:08:2013 Ref 95a-857
Around 15 minutes behind the last DMU service to Hull and having spent almost two and a half hours on platform 1 at Scarborough, the canary yellow DMU set, pathed as class 150/153, comes through Nafferton at a fair old lick. Consisting of the power car, class 950, 950001 and support car 999601, it is running on the normal headcode for this set, 2Q08, from Neville Hill T&R.S.M.D. via York, Scarborough & Hull to Doncaster West Yard. It set out early this morning at 04:22 and passed through many locations before reaching here- Leeds, Horsforth, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Poppleton, Skelton Jn., York, Haxby, Kirkham Abbey, Malton, Seamer, then Scarborough for a rest at 07:58, departing at 10:28 to come along the N.E.R. line through Seamer again, then Filey, Hunmanby, Bridlington, Carnaby, Burton Agnes, here, then Driffield, Beverley and on to Hull Paragon for 12:03, for reversal and on via Ferriby, Gilberdyke, Howden, Selby, Temple Hirst Jn and fin all arriving Doncaster West Yard at 13:45; quite a day out! Some information about these sets from Wikipedia-
'...The British Rail Class 950 is a diesel multiple unit that was purpose-built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Holgate Road carriage works for the British Rail Research Division for use as a track assessment unit. It is currently operated by Network Rail.
It was built in 1987 using the same bodyshell as the Class 150/1 Sprinters.[2] It was originally classified as a Class 180, but was reclassified into the departmental series. As part of the privatisation of British Rail, it passed to Railtrack in 1994 and then Network Rail in 2002. The unit is formed of two driving motor vehicles. Individual carriages numbered as follows: DM: 999600-999601...'
A single passenger, not waiting for this train, but the photographer to complete his duties, sits on platform one enjoying the quiet, the plantings and the unusual stock passing right in front.
Peugeot 404 (1960-75) Engine 1618cc S4 OHV
Production 17,223 (Coupe + Cabriolet 1,847,568 (all models France) 2,885374 (all models Total Worldwide)
Registration Number KCK 109 F
PEUGEOT SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690496925...
The Peugeot 404 is a large family car styled by Pininfarina, with a long European production run of 15 years, but continueing for a further three years to 1980 in Argentina and a further 16 years to 1991 in Kenya. The 404 was offered initially as a saloon, estate, and pickup. A convertible was added in 1962, and a coupé in 1963. Development of the earlier 403, The 404 was fitted with a 1.6 litre petrol engine, with either a Solex carburetor or Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection or a 1.9 litre diesel engine available as options. They were noteably rugged vehicles with many serving as Taxicabs, and their unbreakable reputation saw them fair well on the unpaved roads of Africa and the pave of Belgium and Northern France
The Peugeot 404 cabriolet/convertible made its first appearance at the Paris Motor Show in October 1961Paris Motorshow, followed six monthe later by the Coupe. The convertible and coupé bodyshells were made by the Pinin Farina workshops in Turin and only the floorpan and mechanical elements were shared with the saloon. These models were initially powered by the same single carburetter engine as the saloon and the option of a fuel injected engine (XCKF1) with a Kugelfischer injection system was added to the range at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1962.
The last 404 Coupé and Cabriolet models were produced in October 1968, after a production run of 17,223 units.
Diolch am 80,518,759 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.
Thanks for 80,518,759 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.
Shot 30.05.2021. at Capesthorne Hall car show, Siddington Cheshire 145-116
Here we are, one of the rarest Rolls Royces and indeed cars to ever trundle down the roads, the last of the mighty Corniche. Although sold only as the Corniche, it is often dubbed the Corniche 2000 or the Corniche V, depending on your preference.
The last of the original Silver Shadow based Corniche's of the 1960's were built in 1995, and for three years Rolls Royce only sold the Silver Spirit and Spur until these were replaced by the Silver Seraph in 1998 following acquisition of the company by both Volkswagen and BMW.
Volkswagen was contracted to build Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles between 1998 and 2003, whilst BMW supplied the engines to replace the original Rolls Royce V8 that had been handed down since the introduction of the Silver Shadow in 1965. In the end BMW were only able to supply their own V12 to the Silver Seraph, whilst the original RR V8 continues to be used even to this day, with a 6.75L version ending up in the Corniche V.
Either way, to compliment the new Silver Seraph, plans were launched to create a convertible two-door saloon version with the revived Corniche name. However, instead of taking a regular Silver Seraph, removing the rear doors and cutting off its roof, Rolls Royce instead went to long time partners Bentley for design assistance, with the result that the Corniche V is in fact built on the platform and with the bodyshell of the Bentley Azure,with Rolls Royce grille and badging, as well as Silver Seraph styling added instead. This was the first, and only Rolls Royce car to be derived from a Bentley product, instead of the usual tradition where Bentley cars were derived from Rolls Royce models.
In January 2000 that car was launched and became the company's flagship motor, with a base price of $359,900. As mentioned, the car is powered by a 6.75L Rolls Royce V8, providing 325hp and whisking the car to a top speed of 135mph at a rate of 0-60 in 8 seconds, which is pretty good going for a 6,000lb luxury saloon!
Inside the car came outfitted with every luxury and refinement characteristic of a Rolls-Royce. The car has a Connolly Leather interior, Wilton wool carpets, chrome gauges and a wide choice of exotic wood trims. Dual automatic temperature control, a six-disc CD changer, automatic headlamps and automatic ride control are standard.
Vehicles were built to order, but the heavy base price made them not as easy to purchase as the technically similar Bentley Azure, which meant that eventually only 374 of these cars were built between 2000 and 2002 when BMW took full control of Rolls Royce.
The Corniche V has the distinction of being the last ever Rolls Royce to be built at their traditional Crewe Factory, which had housed the company since 1946. On August 30th, 2002, a Corniche with chassis number SCAZK28E72CH02079 left the factory as the final Rolls Royce product of their home base, leaving in the company of a classic 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
Following the departure of Rolls Royce, the company set up shop in Goodwood near Chichester in the south of England, where the next car to be built was the 2003 Phantom. The spiritual successor of the Corniche V is essentially the Phantom Drophead Coupe, but this is a point of conjecture. Production at the Crewe factory was turned over entirely to Volkswagen and the construction of Bentley automobiles. The Bentley Azure continued in production until 2009, bringing an end to the 14 year old design that had helped spawn the last of the Corniches.
Originally the name was meant to be revived on Rolls Royce's latest car, but in the end was dubbed the Wraith.
Today you'd be very, very hard pressed to find one of these cars. Although many forget about the Corniche V and indeed the Silver Seraph, the surviving examples can still fetch a hefty price of up to £250,000 and more.
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produced through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986, when it was replaced by the Rover 800. The SD1 was marketed under various names including Rover 3500, Rover 2300 and Rover Vitesse. In 1977 it won the European Car of the Year title.
In "SD1", the "SD" refers to "Specialist Division" and "1" is the first car to come from the in-house design team. The range is sometimes wrongly referred to as "SDi" ("i" is commonly used in car nomenclature to identify fuel injection).
The SD1 can be considered as the last "true" Rover, being the final Rover-badged vehicle to be produced at Solihull, as well as being the last to be designed largely by ex-Rover Company engineers and also the final Rover car to be fitted with the Rover V8 engine. Future Rovers would be built at the former British Motor Corporation factories at Longbridge and Cowley; and rely largely on Honda.
Design
The new car was designed with simplicity of manufacture in mind in contrast to the P6, the design of which was rather complicated in areas such as the De Dion-type rear suspension. The SD1 used a well-known live rear axle instead. This different approach was chosen because surveys showed that although the automotive press was impressed by sophisticated and revolutionary designs the general buying public was not, unless the results were good. However, with the live rear axle came another retrograde step – the car was fitted with drum brakes at the rear.
Rover's plans to use its then fairly new 2.2 L four-cylinder engine were soon abandoned as BL management ruled that substantially redesigned versions of Triumph's six-cylinder engine were to power the car instead. The Rover V8 engine was fitted in the engine bay. The three-speed automatic gearbox was the BorgWarner 65 model.
The dashboard of the SD1 features an air vent, unusually, directly facing the passenger. The display binnacle sits on top of the dashboard in front of the driver to aid production in left-hand drive markets. The air vent doubles as a passage for the steering-wheel column, and the display binnacle can be easily fitted on top of the dashboard on either the left or right-hand side of the car.
An estate body had been envisaged, but it did not get beyond the prototype stage. Two similarly specified estates have survived, and are exhibited at the Heritage Motor Centre and the Haynes International Motor Museum respectively. One was used by BL chairman Sir Michael Edwardes as personal transport in the late 1970s. The two cars as befit prototypes differ in the detail of and around the tailgate. One car has a recessed tailgate, while the other has a clamshell arrangement, where the whole tailgate is visible when closed.
The SD1 was intended to be produced in a state-of-the-art extension to Rover's historic Solihull factory alongside the TR7. It was largely funded by the British government, who had bailed BL out from bankruptcy in 1975. Unfortunately this did nothing to improve the patchy build quality that then plagued all of British Leyland. That, along with quick-wearing interior materials and poor detailing ensured that initial enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment.
Initial model and first additions to range
Rover 2300 6-cylinder engine, in situ in SD1
This car was launched on its home market in June 1976 in liftback form only, as the V8-engined Rover 3500: SOHC 2.3 L and 2.6 L sixes followed a year later. The car was warmly received by the press and even received the European Car of the Year award for 1977. Its launch on the European mainland coincided with its appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977, some three months after the Car of the Year announcement. Dealers had no left-hand drive cars for sale, however, since production had been blocked by a tool makers' strike affecting several British Leyland plants and a "bodyshell dispute" at the company's Castle Bromwich plant. Closer to home, the car and its design team received The Midlander of the Year Award for 1976, because they had between them done most in the year to increase the prestige of the (English) Midlands region.
Poor construction quality was apparent even in the company's press department fleet. The British magazine Motor published a road test of an automatic 3500 in January 1977, and while keen to highlight the Rover's general excellence, they also reported that the test car suffered from poor door seals, with daylight visible from inside past the rear door window frame's edge on the left side of the car, and a curious steering vibration at speed which might (or might not) have resulted from the car's front wheels not having been correctly balanced. Disappointment was recorded that the ventilation outlet directly in front of the driver appeared to be blocked, delivering barely a breeze even when fully open; the writer had encountered this problem on one other Rover 3500, although he had also driven other cars of the same type with an abundant output of fresh air through the vent in question. Nevertheless, in March 1977, Britain's Autocar was able to publish an article by Raymond Mays a famous racing driver and team manager during, in particular, the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s, in which Mays explained why, after driving it for 12,000 miles, he considered his Rover 3500 was "the best car he [had] ever had", both for its many qualities as a driver's car and for its excellent fuel economy even when driven hard. Similar problems persisted until 1980 and were reported in tests of the V8-S version.
In television shows John Steed in The New Avengers and George Cowley in The Professionals both used yellow Rover 3500 models. Although using different registration numbers both were possibly the same car.
[Text from Wikipedia]
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 Class 230 - D Train.
During November 2014, Vivarail purchased 150 driving motor cars and 300 carriages of London Underground D78 Stock, which had been replaced by S Stock before the end of their lifespan. The intention was to build a diesel electric multiple unit or battery EMU for the British rail network.
Vivarail stated that it planned to pitch the converted trains to a number of train operating companies (TOCs), especially those bidding for the Northern franchise, to be awarded in December 2015. The company positioned the D-Train as being a cost-effective alternative to buying brand new rolling stock, enabling TOCs to replace the Pacer railbuses in the North of England with upcycled Underground stock.
However, Arriva won the bidding for the Northern franchise in December 2015 and its rolling stock plan involved purchasing brand new stock, as well as taking on additional cascaded four-car EMUs. Thus the Class 230 D Train has lost its original intended market.
Nevertheless, a small number of British Rail Class 230 D-Train units have been constructed from converted old London Underground D78 Stock, which were originally manufactured in 1980 by Metro-Cammell. The conversion re-uses the D78's aluminium bodyshells with new interiors. The units run on the same bogies but these are rebuilt to as-new standard by Wabtec and fitted with brand new three-phase AC induction motors, sourced from Austria.
The initial build was for three vehicles for London Northwestern Railway, now known as West Midlands Trains.
During August 2016, a prototype was produced for testing and accreditation and it was announced that the prototype would be tested in mainline service on the Coventry to Nuneaton Line over a 12-month period.
During November 2016, main line testing of the units began, with a prototype unit being based at the Tyseley Locomotive Works. Unfortunately, while it was operating to and from Leamington Spa railway station in December 2016, one of the prototype units caught fire during testing, leading to the postponement of further trials.
At the present time 10, Class 230 units have been constructed. This includes unit 230002, which is an all battery unit, and is still being tested and evaluated at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway.
Unit 23001 is owned and retained by Vivarail.
Three units have been purchased by West Midlands Trains, nos. 230003, 04 and 05. The first of these, no. 230004, entered passenger service with West Midlands Trains on the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley, on 23 April 2019.
The remaining five units, nos. 230006 to 23010, one of which, no. 230008 is pictured here, are diesel - battery powered hybrid units, which have been purchased by Transport for Wales. Testing of these units began in spring 2020 on the Kidderminster Line but the intention is to operate all five units on the Borderlands Line from May 2022. Unit 230008 is seen stabled in the yard at Chester General station during testing on the Borderlands Line, which runs from Wrexham to Bidston.
Class 67 number 67019 in English, Welsh and Scottish Railway maroon with zigzag gold band leads 67012 named "A Shropshire Lad" in Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone silver and slate grey and DB Schenkers class 92 number 92039 named "Johann Strauss" on their way from Dollands Moor Locomotive Holding Sidings to Wembley European Freight Operations Centre on the evening of 11 February 2014. 67019 and 67012 worked 4B45 from Wembley to Dollands Moor with another class 92 number 031 the day before photographed by Ian Dyer (www.flickr.com/photos/95011660@N06/12435220314/in/faves-9...) passing through Wandsworth Road. 67012 and 67019 were last photographed at this location, also working together, hauling the British Pullman murder mystery lunch between London Victoria and Gillingham on 7 February 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12370298605/in/photoli...), both having been built in 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain. 92039 was last photographed here on 21 January 2014 (www.flickr.com/photos/99279135@N05/12066664886/in/photoli...).
92039 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1995, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.
92039 was photographed by Nicolas B being dragged through Staple, France on 15 November 2015 by ECR 77 number 019.
Here we are, one of the rarest Rolls Royces and indeed cars to ever trundle down the roads, the last of the mighty Corniche. Although sold only as the Corniche, it is often dubbed the Corniche 2000 or the Corniche V, depending on your preference.
The last of the original Silver Shadow based Corniche's of the 1960's were built in 1995, and for three years Rolls Royce only sold the Silver Spirit and Spur until these were replaced by the Silver Seraph in 1998 following acquisition of the company by both Volkswagen and BMW.
Volkswagen was contracted to build Bentley and Rolls Royce vehicles between 1998 and 2003, whilst BMW supplied the engines to replace the original Rolls Royce V8 that had been handed down since the introduction of the Silver Shadow in 1965. In the end BMW were only able to supply their own V12 to the Silver Seraph, whilst the original RR V8 continues to be used even to this day, with a 6.75L version ending up in the Corniche V.
Either way, to compliment the new Silver Seraph, plans were launched to create a convertible two-door saloon version with the revived Corniche name. However, instead of taking a regular Silver Seraph, removing the rear doors and cutting off its roof, Rolls Royce instead went to long time partners Bentley for design assistance, with the result that the Corniche V is in fact built on the platform and with the bodyshell of the Bentley Azure,with Rolls Royce grille and badging, as well as Silver Seraph styling added instead. This was the first, and only Rolls Royce car to be derived from a Bentley product, instead of the usual tradition where Bentley cars were derived from Rolls Royce models.
In January 2000 that car was launched and became the company's flagship motor, with a base price of $359,900. As mentioned, the car is powered by a 6.75L Rolls Royce V8, providing 325hp and whisking the car to a top speed of 135mph at a rate of 0-60 in 8 seconds, which is pretty good going for a 6,000lb luxury saloon!
Inside the car came outfitted with every luxury and refinement characteristic of a Rolls-Royce. The car has a Connolly Leather interior, Wilton wool carpets, chrome gauges and a wide choice of exotic wood trims. Dual automatic temperature control, a six-disc CD changer, automatic headlamps and automatic ride control are standard.
Vehicles were built to order, but the heavy base price made them not as easy to purchase as the technically similar Bentley Azure, which meant that eventually only 374 of these cars were built between 2000 and 2002 when BMW took full control of Rolls Royce.
The Corniche V has the distinction of being the last ever Rolls Royce to be built at their traditional Crewe Factory, which had housed the company since 1946. On August 30th, 2002, a Corniche with chassis number SCAZK28E72CH02079 left the factory as the final Rolls Royce product of their home base, leaving in the company of a classic 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
Following the departure of Rolls Royce, the company set up shop in Goodwood near Chichester in the south of England, where the next car to be built was the 2003 Phantom. The spiritual successor of the Corniche V is essentially the Phantom Drophead Coupe, but this is a point of conjecture. Production at the Crewe factory was turned over entirely to Volkswagen and the construction of Bentley automobiles. The Bentley Azure continued in production until 2009, bringing an end to the 14 year old design that had helped spawn the last of the Corniches.
Originally the name was meant to be revived on Rolls Royce's latest car, but in the end was dubbed the Wraith.
Today you'd be very, very hard pressed to find one of these cars. Although many forget about the Corniche V and indeed the Silver Seraph, the surviving examples can still fetch a hefty price of up to £250,000 and more.
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produced through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986, when it was replaced by the Rover 800. The SD1 was marketed under various names including Rover 3500, Rover 2300 and Rover Vitesse. In 1977 it won the European Car of the Year title.
In "SD1", the "SD" refers to "Specialist Division" and "1" is the first car to come from the in-house design team. The range is sometimes wrongly referred to as "SDi" ("i" is commonly used in car nomenclature to identify fuel injection).
The SD1 can be considered as the last "true" Rover, being the final Rover-badged vehicle to be produced at Solihull, as well as being the last to be designed largely by ex-Rover Company engineers and also the final Rover car to be fitted with the Rover V8 engine. Future Rovers would be built at the former British Motor Corporation factories at Longbridge and Cowley; and rely largely on Honda.
Design
The new car was designed with simplicity of manufacture in mind in contrast to the P6, the design of which was rather complicated in areas such as the De Dion-type rear suspension. The SD1 used a well-known live rear axle instead. This different approach was chosen because surveys showed that although the automotive press was impressed by sophisticated and revolutionary designs the general buying public was not, unless the results were good. However, with the live rear axle came another retrograde step – the car was fitted with drum brakes at the rear.
Rover's plans to use its then fairly new 2.2 L four-cylinder engine were soon abandoned as BL management ruled that substantially redesigned versions of Triumph's six-cylinder engine were to power the car instead. The Rover V8 engine was fitted in the engine bay. The three-speed automatic gearbox was the BorgWarner 65 model.
The dashboard of the SD1 features an air vent, unusually, directly facing the passenger. The display binnacle sits on top of the dashboard in front of the driver to aid production in left-hand drive markets. The air vent doubles as a passage for the steering-wheel column, and the display binnacle can be easily fitted on top of the dashboard on either the left or right-hand side of the car.
An estate body had been envisaged, but it did not get beyond the prototype stage. Two similarly specified estates have survived, and are exhibited at the Heritage Motor Centre and the Haynes International Motor Museum respectively. One was used by BL chairman Sir Michael Edwardes as personal transport in the late 1970s. The two cars as befit prototypes differ in the detail of and around the tailgate. One car has a recessed tailgate, while the other has a clamshell arrangement, where the whole tailgate is visible when closed.
The SD1 was intended to be produced in a state-of-the-art extension to Rover's historic Solihull factory alongside the TR7. It was largely funded by the British government, who had bailed BL out from bankruptcy in 1975. Unfortunately this did nothing to improve the patchy build quality that then plagued all of British Leyland. That, along with quick-wearing interior materials and poor detailing ensured that initial enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment.
Initial model and first additions to range
Rover 2300 6-cylinder engine, in situ in SD1
This car was launched on its home market in June 1976 in liftback form only, as the V8-engined Rover 3500: SOHC 2.3 L and 2.6 L sixes followed a year later. The car was warmly received by the press and even received the European Car of the Year award for 1977. Its launch on the European mainland coincided with its appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977, some three months after the Car of the Year announcement. Dealers had no left-hand drive cars for sale, however, since production had been blocked by a tool makers' strike affecting several British Leyland plants and a "bodyshell dispute" at the company's Castle Bromwich plant. Closer to home, the car and its design team received The Midlander of the Year Award for 1976, because they had between them done most in the year to increase the prestige of the (English) Midlands region.
Poor construction quality was apparent even in the company's press department fleet. The British magazine Motor published a road test of an automatic 3500 in January 1977, and while keen to highlight the Rover's general excellence, they also reported that the test car suffered from poor door seals, with daylight visible from inside past the rear door window frame's edge on the left side of the car, and a curious steering vibration at speed which might (or might not) have resulted from the car's front wheels not having been correctly balanced. Disappointment was recorded that the ventilation outlet directly in front of the driver appeared to be blocked, delivering barely a breeze even when fully open; the writer had encountered this problem on one other Rover 3500, although he had also driven other cars of the same type with an abundant output of fresh air through the vent in question. Nevertheless, in March 1977, Britain's Autocar was able to publish an article by Raymond Mays a famous racing driver and team manager during, in particular, the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s, in which Mays explained why, after driving it for 12,000 miles, he considered his Rover 3500 was "the best car he [had] ever had", both for its many qualities as a driver's car and for its excellent fuel economy even when driven hard. Similar problems persisted until 1980 and were reported in tests of the V8-S version.
In television shows John Steed in The New Avengers and George Cowley in The Professionals both used yellow Rover 3500 models. Although using different registration numbers both were possibly the same car.
[Text from Wikipedia]
Denish Welch Motorsports - arguably the most successful racing healey of all times.
£180,000 ! - NOT SOLD
Donald Healey's eponymous company built a prototype two-seater sports car for display at the 1952 London Motor Show. It was based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals and sported a sleek body designed by Gerry Coker and built by Tickford. It was dubbed the 'Healey Hundred' (a moniker chosen to reflect the car's ability to reach 100mph), and, subject to a suitably encouraging response, Healey planned to build production versions in-house at his factory in Warwick. As things transpired, not only did the Ice Blue prototype more than impress the public, but also so excited Austin's Managing Director, Leonard Lord, that he struck a deal to build the car in volume at Longbridge. The newcomer was renamed the Austin Healey 100. The rest, as they say, is history.
These early production bodyshells were made by Jensen and then transported to Longbridge where the cars were assembled alongside the A90. The early cars (code named BN1s) were equipped with the same 90bhp 2660 cc engines and manual four-speed transmissions as the A90 though, in an unusual move, Austin modified the gearbox so it operated as a three-speed unit with overdrive on the top two ratios. The car had 11in drum brakes all round. The front suspension was independent by coil springs while the rear featured a traditional live axle supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs. The steering was by cam and lever. A BN1 tested by Motor magazine in 1953 returned a top speed of 106 mph and achieved the 0-60 mph dash in 11.2 seconds.
The 'Big' Healey enjoyed steady development, with the four cylinder cars giving way to the 100-Six in 1956, which in turn was replaced by the first of the 3000s in 1959. By now the engine capacity had risen to 2912 cc and the power output to 124 bhp - sufficient to grace the standard car with a 0-60 mph time of 11.4 seconds and a top speed of 114 mph. There was the option of Laycock de Normanville overdrive for the four-speed gearbox and braking had been improved by the adoption of discs at the front. There were two body options - a two-seater (BN7) or occasional four-seater (BT7). By the time the MKI 3000 was superseded by the MKII in 1961, a total of 2,825 BN7s and 10,825 BT7s had been produced.
Works Healeys scored some memorable results in international rallying and both factory and privately-entered examples raced with honour at the likes of Sebring, Le Mans, and the Nurburgring; also in such marathon road events as the Mille Miglia and Targa Florio. Replicas of these charismatic cars are a popular choice for today's historic events the world over.
Arguably the daddy of them all is the red and white 1959 example that carries the registration number 6200 NO. It's been the personal possession of Denis Welch for the last 32 years and is generally considered to be the most successful racing Healey of all time. Affectionately known as 'The Bulldog' (in memory of a record-breaking boat belonging to Welch's grandfather), the Healey was purchased from a former ballerina and has seen constant action since 1982. In that time it's won just about everything it was eligible for, from UK championships with the Healey Club, HSCC and TR register, to the hotly contested FIA series. It boasts one of the finest records on the fearsome Nordschleife (three wins, plus a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th) and has twice been victorious on the dips and dives of Bathurst, Australia.
Having sold Denis Welch Motorsport to his son Jeremy in 2007, Welch is now finally ready to part with 6200 NO. On the button, it is equipped to the latest specification, including: straight-cut gearbox with high-performance overdrive; disc brakes all round with dual circuit balance bar system; a long range fuel tank and twin fuel pumps; a 2992 cc competition engine, the performance of which is simply described as 'sufficient'! One imagines the opportunity to purchase 'The Bulldog' will be of interest to competitors the world over, not least those who have been stuck behind it for the last 29 years!
The car's unique roll of honour includes: 1984 Austin Healey /TR register Champion; 1985 HSCC Nostalgia Award; 1986 HSCC pre-1960 Champion & FIA European GTS Class Champion; 1987 HSCC pre-1960 Class Champion; 1988 HSCC Classic GTS Champion & FIA European Class 5 Champion; 1989 HSCC Classic GTS Champion & Austin Healey Club Champion; 1991 HSCC Classic GTS Champion; 1992 HSCC Classic GTS Champion; 1994 HSCC Classic Sportscar Champion.
Individual successes between 1989 and 1995 include:
1989
Cadwell Park, May 7, 1st in class
Brands Hatch, Jun 4, 1st in class
Oulton Park, Jul 29, 1st in class
Zolder, Aug 13, 1st Overall
Donington Park, Sep 10, 1st in class
Snetterton, Oct 22, 1st Overall
1990
Cadwell Park, May 7, 1st in class
Spa Francorchamps, May 20, 1st Overall
Brands Hatch, Jun 3, 1st in class
Donington Park, Jul 8, 1st in class
Donington Park, Jul 22, 1st in class
Zolder Aug 19, 1st in class
Silverstone, Jul 28, 1st in class
Brands Hatch, Aug 27, 1st in class
1991
Donington Park, May 6, 1st in class
Monza May 19, 1st in class
Oulton Park, Jul 6, 1st in class
Donington Park, Jul 20, 1st in class
Mallory Park, Aug 26, 1st in class
Thruxton, Sep 8, 1st in class
Silverstone, Sep 28, 1st in class
Eiffel Klassik Oct 6, 7th Overall
Snetterton, Oct 27, 1st in class
Castle Combe Oct 12, 1st Overall
1992
Cadwell Park, Apr 17, 1st in class
Spa Francorchamps May 17, 1st in class
Brands Hatch, May 30, 1st in class
Montlhery, Jun 27, 1st in class
Oulton Park, Jul 4, 1st in class
Brands Hatch, Aug 31, 1st in class
Donington Park, Sep 13, 1st in class
Silverstone, Sep 19, 1st in class
Eiffel Klassik, Oct 4, 2nd Overall
1993
Spa Francorchamps, May 16, 1st Overall
Brands Hatch, Jun 6, 1st Overall
Brands Hatch, Jun 6, 1st in class
Montlhery, Jun 26, 1st Overall
Montlhery, Jun 26, 1st Overall
Nüburgring, Aug 8, 1st in class
Zolder, Aug 22, 1st in class
Zandvoort, Aug 29, 1st Overall
Donington Park, Sep 4, 1st in class
Oulton Park, Sep 18, 1st in class
Eiffel Klassik, Oct 3, 1st Overall
1994
Castle Combe, May 2, 1st Overall
Donington Park, May 15, 1st Overall
Donington Park, May 15, 1st in class
Brands Hatch, Jun 4, 1st Overall
Brands Hatch, Jun 5, 1st Overall
CadwellPark, Jun 12, 1st Overall
Oulton Park, Jul 2, 1st in class
Oulton Park, Jul 2, 1st in class
Zolder, Aug 7, 1st Overall
Nürburgring Aug 14, 1st in class
Thruxton, Aug 29, 1st in class
Donington Park, Sep 3, 1st Overall
Silverstone, Sep 17, 1st in class
Silverstone, Oct 8, 1st in class
1995
Brands Hatch, Jul 1, 1st Overall
Brands Hatch, Jul 2, 1st in class
Oulton Park, Jul 15, 1st in class
Silverstone, Jul 30, 1st Overall
Eiffel Klassik, Sep 10, 3rd Overall
Dijon, Sep 24, 1st Overall
33208 approaches Bath Spa with a couple of withdrawn Network SouthEast Class 411 4-CEP EMUs - the first set stripped of virtually everything and the bodyshells braced with wood to retain some strength.
22-04-1993
Peugeot 304 (1969-74) Engine 1288cc S4 OC Tr Production 1,178,425 (all variants)
Registration Number XDL 275 L
PEUGEOT SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690496925...
Launched at the 1969 Paris Motor Show to fill a gap in the mid sized car market. Based heavily on the Peugeot 204 sharing the same floorpan, running gear and bodyshell but with different nose styling and larger more powerful engines.
The Coupe and Cabriolet version replaced theeir 204 equivalents from 1970.
Tha 2 door Cabriolet was a two seater and is probably now the most numerous of the range, still running in the UK
Shot taken 10.06.2012 at the Bromley Pagaent of Motoring REF 85-302
Originally Charles Roberts & Company's wagon works was located at Horbury Junction southeast of Horbury, West Yorkshire, England. It became part of the Procor group in the 1970s as Procor Engineering Ltd. and, subsequently, part of Bombardier Inc.'s European railway businesses in 1990 as Bombardier Prorail, closing in 2005.
the plant produced bodyshells for the British Rail Class 60 during the Procor period, and British Rail Class 92 during Bombardier's ownership. During the Second World War the factory was involved in the production of the Churchill Tank.
The plant was involved in the passenger vehicle construction and refurbishment. In the 1950s tram bodies were constructed for Blackpool Tramways 'Coronation Cars', and Sheffield Tramways. In the early 2000s Bombardier Voyager trains were built at Horbury and at Bombardier's BN plant in Bruges, Belgium. Refurbishment of GNER's Mark 4 coach fleet took place at Horbury in the mid-2000s.
Direct Rail Services class 57/0s no. 57002 and 57010 slow for a signal check at Nuneaton with 6U76, Crewe Basford Hall-> Mountsorrel ballast in IOAs on 21st July 2014.
The first Class 57s were built in 1997 for Freightliner, a Class 47 bodyshell was taken, stripped, rewired and then fitted with an EMD engine. In 2002, 12 further Class 47s were converted to 57s for Virgin Trains, these were numbered 57/3 and fitted with ETH. In 2003, four additional locos were ordered for dragging Pendolinos, these were fitted with Dellner couplings from new and the remainder of the fleet was retrofitted with Dellners in the same year. DRS now operate the majority of the class 57/0 and 57/3. Network Rail operate some Class 57/3s, First Great Western operate the Class 57/6 fleet and West Coast Railways operate a fleet of 57/0, 57/3 and 57/6.
DB Schenker's class 92 number 92011 named "Handel", painted in two tone railfreight grey with EWS logo and a three 'O' shaped channel tunnel logo hauling 4E26 07:50 from Dollands Moor sidings to Scunthorpe Redbourne sidings on a sunny 8 January 2014. It was also photographed later on route at Redford (www.flickr.com/photos/90696522@N07/11843968884/in/photoli...). When loaded these wagons are used to transport steel from Tata Steel, Scunthorpe for export via the Channel Tunnel.
92011 was assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough in 1995, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.
1. Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 2. Lancia 037 - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 3. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb 1990 - Hillman Imp, 4. GMW862D, 5. Subaru Impreza WRC Bodyshell - Prodrive Open Day '07, 6. MINI Clubman Cooper S, 7. JPS Lotus, 8. Ford F3L,
9. Vanishing Point, 10. Jaguar XJ12 & Ford Sierra Cosworth @ Brands Hatch 25/08/08, 11. Porsche 911 T/R - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 12. Ford Popular Van, 13. Ford Escort Mexico Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 14. Mini Cooper S, 15. Jackie Stewart's Tyrrell 003, 16. James Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish V12,
17. Aston Martin DBR9 Carbon-Fibre Door, 18. MINI Cooper S R53, 19. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 20. Race Retro 2011, 21. Mini Seat Racer, 22. Giant House Spider (Tegenaria Duellica), 23. Ford Cortina Mk1 Estate, 24. Ferrari 430 GT3,
25. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 26. Ferrari 430 GT3 - Brands Hatch 15th Nov '08, 27. Ford Escort Mexico Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 28. 1:43 Porsche and BMW Jägermeister Cars, 29. VW Bus, 30. Fire Damaged 246 Dino GT, 31. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 32. No.40 - Brands Hatch Rallycross GP - Late 80s,
33. Mini Bodyshells, 34. Rally Day '10, 35. Brands Hatch 31/07/10, 36. Bluebells, 37. Austin A35 Countryman, 38. 993 RS, 39. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 40. Ford Escort Mkll - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08,
41. Ford Escort Mexico, 42. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 43. Prescott Speed Hillclimb '90 - Hillman Imp, 44. My old 6R4 - G610HFV, 45. Prodrive Open Day '07, 46. Race Retro Show '07 Stoneleigh Park 24th March '07, 47. Austin Cooper S Mk1 @ Brands Hatch - Mini Festival 2012, 48. Ferrari 250 GTO,
49. Ford GT40's @ Goodwood Revival '09, 50. '64 Karmann Cabriolet, 51. AC Cobra, 52. Clockwork Orange, 53. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 54. QE2, 55. Britcar 24Hr - Silverstone 20th & 21st Sept '08, 56. Classic Group 1 Touring Cars,
57. Coke Cans, 58. Audi Sport Quattro E2 - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 59. Ford Escort Mexico Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 60. Ford Escort Lotus Twin Cam - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 61. James Hunt's Texaco McLaren M23, 62. Jimmy McRae's Rothmans MG Metro 6R4 - Prodrive Open Day '07, 63. Sunset Over Malaga - Spain Trip June 2012, 64. R90 Alloys,
65. Masters Historic Festival '10, 66. Lotus Sunbeam, 67. Dueling Cortinas, 68. Classics On The Common 29th July '09, 69. Ford Falcon, 70. A1GP - Brands Hatch 2nd May '09, 71. Alfa Romeo GTV, 72. Name The Motor.
1. Opposite Lock, 2. Ferrari 250 GTO, 3. Ferrari Enzo, 4. Ferrari 250 GTO, 5. Tilt-shift fake (with genuine cars) - Ferrari 250TR & Maserati 300S, 6. Jaguar E-Type Series 1, 7. Ferrari 250 GTO, 8. Z-Cars Yamaha R1 Powered Mini,
9. Mini 4x4, 10. GMW862D @ the Official Mini 30th Birthday Photoshoot at Silverstone 1989, 11. 60s Mini Racing, 12. Maserati A6G Zagato, 13. Bill Sollis' Mini Miglia, 14. Stumpy A1 GP, 15. Ferrari 275 GTB4 (Explored 05/02/11), 16. Low Flying Quattro,
17. Bill Sollis' Union Flag Mini Miglia., 18. Ford Pop 100E, 19. Night Racing Tilt-Shift, 20. Morris Cooper S Mk1, 21. Greener than a green thing!, 22. Westfalia Camper - VW T25, 23. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 24. 60s Mini Racing,
25. IMG_4015, 26. Jaguar D-Type, Austin Healey Sprite and Ecurie Ecosse Transporter., 27. Britcar 24Hr Race @ Silverstone. 10:09pm 20/09/08, 28. Mini, 29. VW Camper, 30. Britcar 24Hr Race @ Silverstone. 10:09pm 20/09/08, 31. Ford GT40's @ Goodwood Revival '09, 32. Tilt-shift fake - Mini 30 photo shoot @ Silverstone 1989,
33. Ford Zephyr Ute, 34. Wire frame Subaru Impreza WRC - Prodrive Open Day '07, 35. Britcar 500 Night Race @ Silverstone, 36. Mini Cooper 1.3i, 37. Ferrari 250GTO - Tilt-shift fake, 38. Mini Bodyshells, 39. "Pikes Peak" Audi Sport Quattro, 40. DoF,
41. Ferrari 430 GT3, 42. Lamborghini Miura - Norwich Union Classic Car Run 1987, 43. Ferrari "Breadvan", 44. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 45. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 46. Ferrari 250TR - 0716TR, 47. Mini Mercury Comet Cyclone, 48. ,
49. Britcar 500 @ Silverstone, 50. Mini Cooper 1.3i, 51. Skoda S110R Spaceframe V8, 52. Westfalia Camper - Volkswagen T25, 53. Ford Cologne Capri Mk1, 54. Britcar Into The Night, 55. Audi Quattro A1, 56. Driving home for Christmas.,
57. We come in peace..., 58. Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1, 59. 50 Years Young, 60. Wrong way up., 61. If it ain't rubbin', you ain't dubbin'!, 62. Absolut Vodka - Original (with an added vanilla pod), 63. Renault Alpine A110, 64. Brabham BT42 - Grand Prix Masters - Brands Hatch 26th May '08,
65. Gurston Down Hillclimb '90 - David Nutland, 66. Escort RS1800, 67. Rover P6 V8 5000cc - HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 68. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 69. Dodge Charger R/T - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 70. White Ferrari Testarossa - very Miami Vice., 71. Ferrari 250 GTO, 72. MINI
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Humber Hawk (1957-67) Engine 2267cc S6 OHV Production 15539 (all series, 3754 series 1A)
Registration Number NJB 333 E
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.
Shot taken 10.06.2012 at the Bromley Pagaent of Motoring REF 85-180
1. WRC Fiesta @ Rally Show 2011, 2. Austin A35 Countryman, 3. Jaguar E-Type Bodyshell, 4. Abstract, 5. Brands Hatch 25th May '09, 6. Ferrari 355 F1 Berlinetta, 7. 911 Targa, 8. Ford Escort Mkll - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08,
9. Ford Capri - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 10. VW Bus, 11. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 12. Ferrari 250 GT Nembo Spider - Norwich Union Classic Car Run 1987 - Ferrari, 13. Lydden Hill Sprint '90 - Mini Clubman, 14. Lydden Hill International Rallycross '87, 15. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '06, 16. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '06,
17. Prodrive Open Day '07, 18. Renault R8 Gordini, 19. Ferrari 250 Testarossa, 20. Escort Mk2, 21. Classics On The Common 2010, 22. Race Retro '10, 23. Mini Cooper S Mk1, 24. Pit & Paddock - Brands Hatch 23/05/09,
25. Race Retro Show - 14th March '09, 26. Porsche 911 @ Goodwood, 27. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 28. Going Home, 29. Alexandra Palace Fireworks, 30. Camaro Z/28, 31. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 32. Alfa Romeo 6C,
33. Ford Escort Mk1 - Race Retro '08, 34. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 35. Lotus F1 - Race Retro '08, 36. Mini Cooper S Mk1 - Race Retro '08, 37. Keith Bird's MG Metro 6R4, 38. Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 39. Brands Hatch 23rd Sept '07, 40. Ferrari 355 F1 GTS,
41. Pre-'66 Saloons, 42. Opel Kadett GT/E, 43. Renault Alpine A110, 44. Mini Sprint, 45. Porsche 911 RS, 46. Aston Martin DB9GT, 47. Camaro 383, 48. Classics on the Common '08,
49. Cooper Bristol Mkll - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 50. Gentleman Drivers GTs - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 51. Masters Racing Series - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 52. MG Metro 6R4, 53. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb 1990 - Maguire Mini, 54. My old 6R4 - G610HFV, 55. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 56. Silk Cut Jaguar XJR11 V6 Twin Turbo,
57. Pre-66 Touring Cars Qualifying, 58. Off-Road Rozzers, 59. Brands Hatch 31/07/10, 60. BMW 3.0 CSL Art Car, 61. Michael "The Blade" Rutter, 62. Silverstone Classic 25th July '09, 63. Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, 64. Nick Swift - Mini Cooper S Mk1,
65. Goodwood 28th Feb '09, 66. Maserati A6G Zagato, 67. Austin Healey - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 68. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 69. Masters Racing Series - Brands Hatch 26th May '08, 70. Absolut Mosaic, 71. James Bond's Aston, 72. Audi Ur-Quattro @ Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
1. BMW M3 GTR - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 2. Brands Hatch 25/05/07, 3. Martin Schanche's Escort Xtrac Turbo, 4. Citroën DS, 5. Ferrari 250 Testarossa, 6. TAG Heuer, 7. Race Retro '10, 8. Ferrari 250 GT SWB,
9. Big Cat, 10. Ferrari 430 GT3 - Brands Hatch 15th Nov '08, 11. Vespa SS90 @ Classics on the Common '08, 12. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 13. Keith Bird's Metro 6R4, 14. Ferrari 250 GTO, 15. Rally Show 2011, 16. Stars Of The 70s,
17. Goodwood Revival '09, 18. 8-Port Cooper S Mk3, 19. Ferrari Enzo, 20. Lamborghini Gallardo, 21. Mini Cooper 1.3i, 22. X-Pack Ford Escort RS2000 Mkll - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st July '08, 23. Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 24. Matti Alamäki Lancia Delta S4,
25. 0716TR, 26. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 27. Interserie Revival (Race 2), 28. Bugattis @ Goodwood Revival '09, 29. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 30. Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 31. Mini Miglia @ Brands Hatch, 32. Matti Alamäki - Peugeot 205 T16 @ Lydden Hill Rallycross - Late 80s,
33. Camaro Pro-Street Drag Car - Therapy, 34. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 35. My old 6R4 - G610HFV, 36. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 37. Chevy Camaro Z/28, 38. Masters Festival 2011, 39. Race Retro 2011, 40. Ferrari 250 GT SWB,
41. Mini Sprint, 42. Ferrari 250 GTB, 43. Ferrari 330 GT, 44. Ferrari Enzo, 45. Christmas Light Bokeh, 46. Cooper S, 47. Ford F150 @ Classics on the Common '08, 48. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08,
49. flickr.com/photos/10184672@N06/2564167867/, 50. Audi Sport Quattro SWB - Race Retro '08, 51. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 52. Ferrari 250 TR, 53. Ex-GPO Morris J-Type Van, 54. Ford Mustang, 55. Through the trees..., 56. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08,
57. Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 58. Ford P100 - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 59. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb 1990 - Hillman Imp, 60. Subaru Impreza WRC Bodyshell - Prodrive Open Day '07, 61. Masters Historic Festival '11, 62. MINI Clubman Cooper S, 63. JPS Lotus, 64. Vanishing Point,
65. Jaguar XJ12 & Ford Sierra Cosworth @ Brands Hatch 25/08/08, 66. Porsche 911 T/R - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 67. Ford Popular Van, 68. Ford Escort Mexico Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 69. James Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish V12, 70. Aston Martin DBR9 Carbon-Fibre Door, 71. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 72. Mini Seat Racer
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
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!
A busy scene at the Wabtec site, Doncaster.
Top right - a set of newly-converted Chiltern Railways Mark 3As being electrically tested with redundant Nightstar sleeper 96374. From left to right the stock is
10274 (ex-10255)
12619 (ex-12175)
12618 (ex-12169)
12617 (ex-12174)
12616 (ex-12127) just peering into the picture
In front of the Chiltern Railways set are four carriages from Class 460 no. 460 004. These are here for conversion to Class 458/5.
Top left - just sticking its cab out of the main workshop is Class 320 no. 320 311 undergoing modifications for 90mph running
Centre - Class 08 no. 08669 "Bob Machin" has just hauled Class 466 nos. 466 028 (L) & 466 024 (R) out of the workshop.
Bottom - next to redundant Mark 3 TF 41043 is a spare Class 321 driving trailer bodyshell. Apparently this was constructed after the 1996 Watford Junction collision as a spare after the only other spare had been used in 321 420 to return it to service. In recent times the spare was used for demonstrating the new First Great Eastern corporate livery that was applied to the Class 360s. The spare vehicle is sitting on accommodation bogies.
Finally, 220 021 is leaving Platform 8 with the 06.02 Guildford - Newcastle, 10.19 at Doncaster.
Happy ‘May the 4th’!
For this year's Star Wars Day, I have created a new build from one of the newer Star Wars Universe stories, the 2018 film - 'Solo - A Star Wars Story'.
One of the notable vehicle was a navy blue speeder. This vehicle exhibits design asymmetry, but on closer inspection, the design looks as though it is a vehicle that has been damaged along the left hand side, removing some of the external bodywork.
The vehicle I chose to reinterpret the design over is the classic 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint. This US design (different to the very similar car sold in Australia) was available with both a 2-door bodyshell, convertible and with a V8 engine, sort of a precursor to the Falcon-based Mustang launched the following year.
As well as sharing the 'Falcon' name with a future Han Solo vehicle, this model year Ford Falcon also exhibits the best representation of Ford's 1960 'Space-era' styling - rocket pod rear lamps, along with matched single lamp front end.
One styling theme not found on the earth bound car, but featured on the speeder is a kind of targa-top roof ring. I have placed this over the second row seats in an effort to balance the proportions.
This new build is created for #mocaroundgang #mocaround65 #starwars theme, hosted by @poppalars
Price in the Netherlands fully loaded less than € 60,000.
Further particularities of the Giulia include the outstanding weight distribution across the two axles, the sophisticated suspension (Alfa Rome patent) and the most direct steering in its segment. In addition, the Alfa Romeo Giulia combines extraordinary engine performance with ample use of ultralight materials, like carbon fibre, aluminium, aluminium composite and plastic, in order to obtain the best weight-to-power ratio (less than 3 in the Quadrifoglio version).
In keeping with Alfa Romeo traditions, the new Giulia offers unique technical solutions that make it the benchmark for its segment. The more sophisticated features include the Integrated Brake System (IBS) for considerably reducing braking distance, and active suspension for exceptional comfort. Exclusive to the Quadrifoglio version, the Torque Vectoring technology affords outstanding torque distribution between the two wheels on the rear axle, and the Active Aero Splitter actively controls downforce at high speed.
Not to be forgotten, the Alfa Romeo Giulia has recently earned five prestigious Euro NCAP stars, scoring 98% in adult occupant protection. This is the highest score ever achieved by a car despite the more severe evaluation system introduced in 2015. This outstanding result was achieved by implementing two key elements: firstly, the adoption of a wide range of innovative safety systems, and secondly, the efficiency of a bodyshell that is light and rigid in equal measure, and makes extensive use of ultra-lightweight materials such as carbon-fibre, aluminium and aluminium composite.
Other Giulia Super models have a 180 HP 2.2-litre Diesel engine and a 200 HP 2.0-litre Turbo petrol engine, both with 8-speed automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive. These models have been embellished with the Sport Pack (including sports steering wheel with specific grip, aluminium inserts on the dashboard, central tunnel and door panels, as well as Xenon headlights) and Luxury Pack which includes: full grain leather seats (available in four colours: black, beige, tobacco and red), leather upholstered dashboard and door panels, heated front seats electrically adjustable to eight settings, heated steering wheel, real wood (oak or walnut) inserts on the dashboard, central tunnel and door panels, plus chrome-plated exterior window frames and electrically folding door mirrors. This car also offers refined Mopar accessories in carbon: the wing mirror housing, the front grille and the gearknob.
The stand exhibit is completed by a Competition Red Giulia Quadrifoglio, fitted with a 510 HP 2.9-litre V6 Biturbo petrol engine and presented in the sports configuration featuring 5-hole ultra light-weight 19" wheel rims, carbon ceramic brake system and Sparco seats with carbon structural shell.
1. BMW M3 GTR - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 2. Brands Hatch 25/05/07, 3. Martin Schanche's Escort Xtrac Turbo, 4. Ferrari 250 Testarossa, 5. TAG Heuer, 6. Interserie Revival (Race 2), 7. Race Retro '10, 8. Glam Cabs,
9. Goodwood Revival '09, 10. Ferrari 250 GT SWB, 11. Big Cat, 12. Ferrari 430 GT3 - Brands Hatch 15th Nov '08, 13. Vespa SS90 @ Classics on the Common '08, 14. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 15. Goodwood Revival '09, 16. 8-Port Cooper S Mk3,
17. Lamborghini Gallardo, 18. Mini Cooper 1.3i, 19. X-Pack Ford Escort RS2000 Mkll - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st July '08, 20. VW Bus, 21. Camaro Pro-Street Drag Car - Therapy, 22. Matti Alamäki Lancia Delta S4, 23. Prescott Hillclimb '88 - Alfa Romeo, 24. 0716TR,
25. VW Beetle, 26. Fuch, 27. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 28. Mini Miglia @ Brands Hatch, 29. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 30. Matti Alamäki - Peugeot 205 T16 @ Lydden Hill Rallycross - Late 80s, 31. Peugeot 405 T16 - Race Retro '08, 32. Gurston Down Hillclimb '90 - Audi Sport Quattro SWB,
33. My old 6R4 - G610HFV, 34. Prescott Hillclimb - '88, 35. Rally Day '07 - Castle Combe, 36. Gentleman Drivers, 37. Ferrari 250 GT SWB, 38. Mini Sprint, 39. Ferrari 330 GT, 40. Ferrari Enzo,
41. The Boys In Blue, 42. Christmas Light Bokeh, 43. Ford F150 @ Classics on the Common '08, 44. Ford Escort RS2000 Mkl - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 45. Audi Sport Quattro SWB - Race Retro '08, 46. Rally Day '06 @ Castle Combe, 47. Ex-GPO Morris J-Type Van, 48. Through the trees...,
49. HGTCC - Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 50. Brands Hatch 26th Oct '08, 51. Ford P100 - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 52. Dodge Charger R/T - Classic Ford Show - Santa Pod 1st June '08, 53. Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb 1990 - Hillman Imp, 54. Subaru Impreza WRC Bodyshell - Prodrive Open Day '07, 55. JPS Lotus, 56. Goodwood Revival '09,
57. Vanishing Point, 58. MGB GT, 59. Jaguar XJ12 & Ford Sierra Cosworth @ Brands Hatch 25/08/08, 60. Porsche 911 T/R - Chatsworth Rally Show - 8th June '08, 61. Ford Popular Van, 62. James Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish V12, 63. Aston Martin DBR9 Carbon-Fibre Door, 64. Masters Historic Festival '10,
65. Beetle & E-Type, 66. Into The Night - Brands Hatch 15th Nov '08, 67. Ferrari 430 GT3 - Brands Hatch 15th Nov '08, 68. Fire Damaged 246 Dino GT, 69. Britcar - Brands Hatch 3rd May '08, 70. Gurston Down Hillclimb '90 - Audi Sport Quattro SWB, 71. Rally Day '10, 72. Brabham BT42
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
BMW 328Although BMW's current fame and reputation as one of the greatest automobile manufacturers can be mostly linked to models produced in the last two decades, the history of the marque stretches back almost 90 years and contains numerous achievements that have established it as a benchmark.
The origins of BMW trace back to 1913 when Karl Friedrich Rapp, a Bavarian who had been a well-known engineer in a German aircraft company, formed Rapp Motoren Werke in a suburb of Munich. The company specialized in airplane engines however Rapp found that they were problematic and suffered from excessive vibration. Nearby, Gustav Otto, also an airplane specialist, set up his own shop, Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik, building small aircraft.
Because of the faulty engines, Rapp Motoren Werke secured a contract with Austro-Daimler, who was unable to meet its demands, to build V12 Aero engines under license. The company expanded too quickly, however, and by 1916 Rapp resigned from the company because of financial troubles. In his place Franz Josef Popp and Max Friz, two Austrians, took over the company. In March that same year, Rapp Motoren Werke merged with Gustav Flugmaschinefabrik to form Bayersiche Flugzeungwerke. It was shortly afterwards renamed Bayersiche Motoren Werke (Bavarian Motor Works), or BMW, forming the company we know today.
In 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine went into production, the 6 cylinder Type IIIa. In 1919, using an aircraft powered by its successor, the Type IV, Franz Zeno Diemer set an altitude record of 9,760 metres (32,013 ft). After the Treaty of Versailles was signed in the same year, prohibiting BMW from building aircraft engines, production switched to air brakes for railway cars. When BMW started once again to build aircraft engines in 1922, no fewer than 29 world records in aviation were set with them. The current BMW logo, introduced in 1920, was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.
The first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, went into production in 1923 at the newly constructed Eisenach factory next to the Munich airport of the day. The R 32 used a flat-twin engine transversely mounted in a double-tubular frame producing 8.5 horsepower at 3300 rpm. The 2-cylinder 494cc motorcycle could reach a top speed of 59 mph (95 km/h). BMW manufactured 3090 of them during its 3 year life span.
It was 1928 that made history in terms of the BMW car. Produced at the Eisenbach factory, the Dixi 3/15 PS marked the beginning of BMW automobile production. It was built under license from Austin and was essentially the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun. The first Dixis used an open roof and were powered by a 743cc 4 cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower. Top speed was in the neighbourhood of 50 mph (80 km/h). In 1929 a new improved version was launched, the DA2, which employed an all-steel body and 4-wheel brakes, and in 1930 the Dixi scored its first wins in motor racing. Total production: 18,976 units.
1932 was the year the BMW AM 4 (Ausfuhrung Munchen 4 Gange - Munich Version 4 Speeds) - a.k.a. BMW's first "real" car - went into production. The AM 4, also called the 3/20 PS, was the successor to the Dixi and the first production car to be built entirely in-house by BMW. The powerplant was a 782cc 4 cylinder unit which featured suspended valves and a double chain driving the camshafts, producing 20 horsepower at 3500 rpm and providing the saloon with a 50 mph top speed.
The next year mark ed the introduction of the 303 saloon and the first BMW inline-six cylinder power unit, a configuration that remains BMW's typical choice even in contemporary cars. The 303 was also the first BMW to use the twin-kidney shaped radiator grilles, another cur rent trademark. Using a welded tubular steel frame, independent front suspension and rack and pinion steering, the 303 was a benchmark in technological achievements. Its 1173cc engine provided 30 horsepower and a top speed of 56 mph (90 km/h).
3 years later, in 1936, the BMW 328 was introduced. It was the most popular and remains BMW's most famous pre-war sports car, the successor to the 315/1 (1934-36). The 328 was built mainly for motor sport, where it proved itself successful by winning the Mille Miglia in Italy in its class in 1938, but quickly became a popular road car as well. A curb weight of only 1830 lb was achieved through the use of an extra-light tubular spaceframe and light alloy parts for the hood, doors and tail end. Using a 1971cc inline-6 cylinder engine with three carburettors that produced a healthy 80 horsepower at 5000 rpm, the 328 could reach a maximum speed of 93 mph (150 km/h). 462 units of this classic were produced in total.
In 1935 BMW entered the record books once again, this time on two wheels. Riding a streamlined 500cc compressor machine developing 108 hp and an amazing power-to-weigh ratio (282 lb curb weight), Ernst Henne set a world speed record for motorcycles of 173.7 mph (279.5 km/h) in 1937. It stood for nearly two decades.
BMW 501BMW's success was unfortunately short lived. After the Second World War, the company lay in ruins. Its factories had been destroyed or dismantled and a three-year ban on any production activities was imposed by the Allies in response to the production of aircraft engines and rockets by BMW during the War. The first post war model, the V8 equipped 501 luxury sedan produced in 1951 was a poor production choice for a country that was also devastated by the war. Demand was low and the 501 did not even com e close to meeting BMW's expectations.
It was a totally different approach that started to bring BMW back on its feet. In 1955, the Isetta 250 was launched and participated very successfully in the mini-car era of the 1950's. It was built under license from the Italian manufacturer Iso and used a motorcycle engine and a single door at the front. The engine was a single cylinder 245cc unit producing 12 horsepower at 5800 rpm and a top speed of 53 mph (85 km/h). During its 7 year production run a total of 161,728 Isettas were built.
A couple of years later, with BMW still having no secure financial foothold, one of the most memorable models in its history was introduced. Launched in 1956, the BMW 507 quickly became famous. The light-alloy 2-door bodyshell with a retractable soft top, designed by Alberecht Graf Foertz, has remained timeless as evidenced by the newly introduced Z8, which draws unmistakable clues and its overall shape from it. A large 3168cc V8 engine using dual downdraught carburettors powered the 507 and provided 150 horsepower at 5000rpm, enough for an impressive 124 mph top speed (200 km/h) but not enough to topple its main rival, the Mercedes 300SL. While only 252 examples of the instantly recognizable 507 were ever produced, it remains a symbol of BMW's struggles and ultimate triumphs during the fifties after the end of the War.
The next step in BMW's evolution and the predecessor to the cars we know today was launched in 1962. The 1500, which had been developed during the crisis of the '50s, was another of BMW's saviors. The excellent suspension and striking design for its time, employing a low waistline with a low-slung engine compartment and rear lid characterized the 1500. A 1499cc 4-cylinder engine producing 80 horsepower at 5700 rpm and providing a top speed of 92 mph (148 km/h) powered it. During its two year production run sales amounted to only 23,807 units; however between all of the models in its range (1500,1600,1800,2000) production totaled 334,165 cars. Based on these cars, the first generation 5 series, the E12, was launched 10 years later in 1972. The 3 series was introduced 3 years later and the 7 series 2 years after that, in 1977.
In 1990 BMW re-entered the aircraft engine manufacturing business after forming BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH jointly with Rolls Royce. In 1998, after extended talks concerning the sale of Rolls Royce, BMW officially bought the rights to the Rolls Royce name and logo from Volkswagen, with the transition expected to take place in 2003. 1994 brought about another purchase, as BMW acquired the Rover Group PLC. After heavy losses, the company was finally sold in 2000, with Rover being split up from Land Rover which was purchased by Ford. BMW held the rights to the new Mini and the hot-hatch goes on sale in early 2002.
Today, the Z3, Z8 and all of the 3, 5, 7 and Motorsport series models continue the BMW tradition of building excellent automobiles with a special emphasis on performance, style and technological advancements. 1992 was another year-to-be-remembered for BMW when it, for the first time, outsold Mercedes in Europe. Hopefully in the future the rivalry between these and other makes will persist and companies such as BMW will continue to build great cars.
I painted this one satin black when I did it 25-odd years ago. Another one that's deserving of a freshly painted new bodyshell, which will also give me a spare engine to put in something else.
I might end up putting non-standard wheels onto it. At the moment the original one is wearing the cross-spoke alloys off the BMW M635 kit.
Austin Princess 1959 - 1964
Production run of 12703
In 1959 a new Austin A99 Westminster-based Princess was launched. These vehicles were soon changed to bear the Vanden Plas name which became a badge-engineered marque in its own right (rather than being known as coachbuilder for the cars of other marques). The car was smaller than the previous Princess and was largely identical to the Austin A99 Westminster and other models using the same Pininfarina-designed bodyshell. It featured a Vanden Plas grille (fairly square, with a thick surround and vertical slats), round headlamps, and horn grilles on the front. The interior was lavish in typical Vanden Plas style, featuring burr walnut wood trim, leather seats and panels, and high-quality carpeting. A division between the driver and the rear compartment was an optional extra. Power was a 3-litre unit developing 108 hp (81 kW)[3].
A Princess with automatic transmission was tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1961 and had a top speed of 99.3 mph (159.8 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 16.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 21.1 miles per imperial gallon (13.4 L/100 km; 17.6 mpg-US) was recorded. The test car cost £1467 including taxes. [3]
This model was replaced in 1961 by the Vanden Plas Princess Mark II. Styling was similar but the wheelbase was two inches (5 cm) longer[4] and anti-roll bars were added to the suspension at both ends of the car. The engine was uprated to 120 hp (89 kW). Better brakes were fitted, and interior improvements included built-in drop-down picnic tables the rear seat passengers. Options now included Smith's air-conditioning.
This model lasted until 1964.
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produced through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986, when it was replaced by the Rover 800. The SD1 was marketed under various names including Rover 3500, Rover 2300 and Rover Vitesse. In 1977 it won the European Car of the Year title.
In "SD1", the "SD" refers to "Specialist Division" and "1" is the first car to come from the in-house design team. The range is sometimes wrongly referred to as "SDi" ("i" is commonly used in car nomenclature to identify fuel injection).
The SD1 can be considered as the last "true" Rover, being the final Rover-badged vehicle to be produced at Solihull, as well as being the last to be designed largely by ex-Rover Company engineers and also the final Rover car to be fitted with the Rover V8 engine. Future Rovers would be built at the former British Motor Corporation factories at Longbridge and Cowley; and rely largely on Honda.
Design
The new car was designed with simplicity of manufacture in mind in contrast to the P6, the design of which was rather complicated in areas such as the De Dion-type rear suspension. The SD1 used a well-known live rear axle instead. This different approach was chosen because surveys showed that although the automotive press was impressed by sophisticated and revolutionary designs the general buying public was not, unless the results were good. However, with the live rear axle came another retrograde step – the car was fitted with drum brakes at the rear.
Rover's plans to use its then fairly new 2.2 L four-cylinder engine were soon abandoned as BL management ruled that substantially redesigned versions of Triumph's six-cylinder engine were to power the car instead. The Rover V8 engine was fitted in the engine bay. The three-speed automatic gearbox was the BorgWarner 65 model.
The dashboard of the SD1 features an air vent, unusually, directly facing the passenger. The display binnacle sits on top of the dashboard in front of the driver to aid production in left-hand drive markets. The air vent doubles as a passage for the steering-wheel column, and the display binnacle can be easily fitted on top of the dashboard on either the left or right-hand side of the car.
An estate body had been envisaged, but it did not get beyond the prototype stage. Two similarly specified estates have survived, and are exhibited at the Heritage Motor Centre and the Haynes International Motor Museum respectively. One was used by BL chairman Sir Michael Edwardes as personal transport in the late 1970s. The two cars as befit prototypes differ in the detail of and around the tailgate. One car has a recessed tailgate, while the other has a clamshell arrangement, where the whole tailgate is visible when closed.
The SD1 was intended to be produced in a state-of-the-art extension to Rover's historic Solihull factory alongside the TR7. It was largely funded by the British government, who had bailed BL out from bankruptcy in 1975. Unfortunately this did nothing to improve the patchy build quality that then plagued all of British Leyland. That, along with quick-wearing interior materials and poor detailing ensured that initial enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment.
Initial model and first additions to range
Rover 2300 6-cylinder engine, in situ in SD1
This car was launched on its home market in June 1976 in liftback form only, as the V8-engined Rover 3500: SOHC 2.3 L and 2.6 L sixes followed a year later. The car was warmly received by the press and even received the European Car of the Year award for 1977. Its launch on the European mainland coincided with its appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977, some three months after the Car of the Year announcement. Dealers had no left-hand drive cars for sale, however, since production had been blocked by a tool makers' strike affecting several British Leyland plants and a "bodyshell dispute" at the company's Castle Bromwich plant. Closer to home, the car and its design team received The Midlander of the Year Award for 1976, because they had between them done most in the year to increase the prestige of the (English) Midlands region.
Poor construction quality was apparent even in the company's press department fleet. The British magazine Motor published a road test of an automatic 3500 in January 1977, and while keen to highlight the Rover's general excellence, they also reported that the test car suffered from poor door seals, with daylight visible from inside past the rear door window frame's edge on the left side of the car, and a curious steering vibration at speed which might (or might not) have resulted from the car's front wheels not having been correctly balanced. Disappointment was recorded that the ventilation outlet directly in front of the driver appeared to be blocked, delivering barely a breeze even when fully open; the writer had encountered this problem on one other Rover 3500, although he had also driven other cars of the same type with an abundant output of fresh air through the vent in question. Nevertheless, in March 1977, Britain's Autocar was able to publish an article by Raymond Mays a famous racing driver and team manager during, in particular, the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s, in which Mays explained why, after driving it for 12,000 miles, he considered his Rover 3500 was "the best car he [had] ever had", both for its many qualities as a driver's car and for its excellent fuel economy even when driven hard. Similar problems persisted until 1980 and were reported in tests of the V8-S version.
In television shows John Steed in The New Avengers and George Cowley in The Professionals both used yellow Rover 3500 models. Although using different registration numbers both were possibly the same car.
[Text from Wikipedia]
Estimated : € 80.000 - 120.000
Sold for € 216.720
The Renault Icons
Auction - Artcurial
Renault Manufacture
Flins-sur-Seine
Aubergenville - France
December 2025
- Prototype set up by Jean Ragnotti
- A crucial link in the history of the rally versions of the R5 Turbo
- Fitted with extremely rare and unobtainable parts
- Fabulous restoration project
The origins of the Maxi 5 Turbo
The first works Renault 5 Turbo in 1980 was the Group 4 model. In 1983, the advent of Group B gave rise to a limited run of 20 cars, the famous ‘Tour de Corse’ series. As a result of the regulations, these had narrower rear tyres, which compromised the cars’ stability, according to Jean Ragnotti himself. In 1983, Patrick Landon, the head of Renault’s rally department, gave his agreement for work to proceed on the final evolution of Renault’s ‘pocket rocket’, the car that would be known as the Maxi 5 Turbo. The goal was to revert to wider rear tyres, but also to equip the car with the latest technological developments, including the DPV anti-lag device derived from Formula 1.
To achieve this, a limited series of 200 R5 Turbo 2 ‘type 8221’ cars were built in order to homologate 20 examples of the Maxi 5 with a slightly increased engine capacity, as the Maxi’s 1527cc engine (rather than the 1397cc engine fitted to the other R5 Turbos) would allow them to be fitted with 11.5in rear wheels.
At the end of 1984, the yellow and black Maxi prototype would be driven by Alain Serpaggi to open the Rallye du Var. Following this, in February 1985, the 20 cars required for homologation were presented to the FFSA in Dieppe ... and 10 were then immediately dismantled! Truth to tell, the rally department did not have the resources to assemble 20 cars and provide the after-sales support to all its customers. Only 10 cars were registered: 3 were delivered in kit form to Carlos Sainz, Renault Chartres and Renault’s competition department in Antony, and 7 had their identification plates removed to add to the stock of spare parts, thus explaining why more Maxis exist today than were assembled at the time!
The Maxi made its debut on the Critérium de Touraine from 8-10 March 1985. The victory of Jean Ragnotti, Renault’s works driver, on the Tour de Corse in May, ahead of its 205 T16, Manta 400, Audi Quattro and Porsche rivals, gave the two-wheel drive Maxi its finest hour. Driven by such talented rallymen as Jean Ragnotti, Didier Auriol , François Chatriot and Philippe Touren in France, and Carlos Sainz in Spain, its power and brutal performance left a lasting impression.
The end of Group B for the 1987 season saw the Maxi banned from international rallies, but brilliant amateur drivers such as Meyer, Thomasse, Roussel and Mathon continued to demonstrate the qualities of this ultimate Renault 5 Turbo to the public.
The Maxi 5 in the auction
The presence in the Renault the Originals Museum of three Maxis allows some interesting comparisons to be made with the car in the auction:
- The ‘yellow and black’ prototype, presented in September 1984 and driven by Alain Serpaggi as the opening car for the Rallye du Var, without a chassis number or identification plates;
- The ‘Philips’ Maxi, driven by Jean Ragnotti, chassis no. 702 and registration no. 9489 YB 91, with its authentic identification plates, referred to as C2 by Renault Sport;
- The ‘Diac’ Maxi, driven by François Chatriot, chassis no. 705, the genuine Diac car from the 1985 and 1986 seasons and fitted with its authentic identification plates (there is also a Maxi claiming to be no. 705 in Belgium).
It should be noted that the competition department in Antony had three Maxis, all registered and in Philips livery; like all the motorsport cars, as those involved at the time will readily admit, the exact identity of each car varied according to the event and the degree of preparation of each car!
So what is the Maxi offered here, without any identification plates or registration papers? It was made over to Renault Heritage in 1990 as the ‘Maquette (Model) 3’, but is it merely a display model?
No, since this car has been driven – indeed, it has 7000km on the clock – and had been fitted with identification plates, the drill holes for which are still present on the right front wheel arch.
The car is on its wheels, but is missing its engine and fuel tanks; it has the polyester, Kevlar and aluminium bodywork of a Maxi 5 Turbo, 15in and 16in magnesium wheels, suspension with combined spring/shock-absorber units and no anti-roll bar, and a competition wiring loom. The interior is virtually complete, with a multi-point aluminium roll cage and a location for the spare wheel on the engine cover; the dashboard is also complete, including the turbo boost gauge, but lacks the trip computer for the co-driver. It is equipped with a hydraulic handbrake and a brake balance control. The boot in the front is empty, except for the steering and the ‘works’ cut-out switch already used on the berlinettes in the 1973 WRC! Four ‘works’ brake callipers are supplied with the car.
After a meticulous examination of this Maxi, and comparing it to the other Maxis in Renault’s collection, we can draw the following conclusions:
The bodyshell is not that of a Maxi, but a Tour de Corse modified to Maxi-spec:
- First, it has had a turbocharger on the right next to the shock absorber turret, like a TdC, as marks from overheating indicate, whereas the turbocharger on the Maxi was not installed there;
- Secondly, the internal firewall has three openings let into it, whereas the Maxi only had two, as the turbocharger was relocated behind the co-driver;
- Thirdly, the steering is from an R5 Turbo TdC, and not a Maxi, and the traces of the stiffeners on the anti-roll bar are those of the TdC models and not the Maxi;
- Fourthly, the aluminium roll cage is not a Matter part, but a Ruby model specific to the TdC, all the Maxis having been equipped with Matter roll cages.
The rear strut brace (which is missing) was not that fitted to the Maxi, but rather the first TdC models, as can be seen from its mountings.
On the other hand, several items are similar to a Maxi:
The car has been fitted in the past with a complete Maxi engine, and the water injection tank on the left at the rear is still present, as is the exhaust outlet tube ahead of the right rear wheel, showing that a Maxi turbocharger was installed there.
The mounting plate for the large air filter, originally from a Renault truck, is still in place on the rear valance. It may also be noted that two oil coolers are still fitted in the left and right wings.
The car has a fuel filler on the left wing, with a small Lebozec aviation-type cap.
At present, it has the conventional windscreen wiper set-up from the R5 Turbo, which is also found on some Maxis, but the holes (now plugged) show that the Marchal wipers specific to the Maxi were fitted there.
As far as the rear suspension is concerned, it is a Maxi assembly with a specific attachment for the lower wishbones to the side members, as François Bernard has confirmed..
The front suspension is very interesting: the machine-welded hub carriers are very similar to those of a Maxi, but nonetheless different. They are not, of course, those fitted to the Tour de Corse, as these were made from cast metal.
The front wheel arches are made from polyester and are of the Maxi type.
The front strut brace is identical to those fitted to the Maxi, whereas the TdC had two smaller-diameter braces; in addition, the trapezoidal box section between the two sides of the bodyshell behind the axle, specific to the Maxi, is present.
The conduits for the UV joints (which are missing) at the rear of the chassis have been treated in the same way as on the Maxi, with a small section cut out to increase the clearance for them, and you can see the small tubular tie-rod between the side member and the shock absorber turret from the Maxi, which differs from the strengthening piece fitted to the TdC model.
Naturally, the roof and doors are made from aluminium, and there are two brake master cylinders. All the bodywork parts are those of a real Maxi, including the very specific rear bonnet fastenings.
It should be noted that there is no roof vent, as found on some Maxis.
At this stage in our research, it seems highly likely that this Turbo was in fact a development prototype for the Maxi 5 Turbo. This view is supported by the very precise recollections of the chassis engineer François Bernard regarding the car’s development. During 1983, it was decided to develop a four-wheel drive R5 Turbo, to replace the Tour de Corse. This was intended to adopt several technologies for its engine from the F1 cars, and the project was named ‘NG’ (for new generation). The engineering choices made included installing a DPV anti-lag device, water injection and a Kugelfischer pump. Given the cost of homologating a 4WD version, however, Renault's management turned to a 2WD model, which would be the fastest ever built. And therein lies the explanation for these surprising front stub axles, the centre of which had been designed to accommodate the UV joints for the front axle of the 4WD car!
In the summer of 1983, a prototype engine for the future Maxi was installed in a white Tour de Corse car. The initial tests were carried out with Jean Ragnotti at Malaucène in the Vaucluse in November 1983, and then at Le Luc in Provence. The engine was still a 1397cc unit. The prototype had a Ruby roll cage rather than a Matter one, and it had undergone the mechanical changes specified by the engine designer Philippe Coblence as well as the chassis engineer. Very quickly, this TdC/Maxi became known as the B Zero, but it kept its white livery. In addition, François Bernard confirmed that the steering was from a Tour de Corse and not a Maxi; the yellow and black prototype would be the first to have the very special steering set-up, resembling that fitted to a single-seater. When the yellow and black car appeared in autumn 1984, the B0 prototype, which had gradually been fitted with the body components characteristic of the Maxi during its career, was still used occasionally, before becoming dormant and, most likely, being stored in the third hangar at Renault Sport in Antony. In 1990 therefore, it is this prototype which is believed to have been passed on to Renault Heritage as a display model, and it was at this point that it was repainted: originally white, it took on the blue and red ‘Philips’ colours, like a copy of the Maxi C2 which won the Tour de Corse in 1985, with no attempt made, however, to mask the running gear or front boot!
It therefore appears virtually certain that the car presented here is the B0 prototype used from 1983-1984 by Jean Ragnotti to set up the definitive version of the Maxi 5 Turbo. Starting from a Tour de Corse bodyshell that had already had a previous life, the Renault Sport team applied all the specific chassis and engine features from the legendary Maxi to this car, with the exception of the steering. With its Philips livery, this prototype – which might be termed ‘ex-Ragnotti’, since it was set up by the famous and hugely popular French rally driver – is a crucial link in the history of the R5 Turbo, as it represents the passing of the baton from the TdC (20 cars built) to the Maxi (10 cars). With its numerous very rare components, it deserves to find a complete engine and to breathe in once again the heady aroma of the asphalt!
92003 "Beethoven" in British Rail two-tone grey with EWS Red & Yellow logo and another unidentified class 92 both with a three 'O' shaped channel tunnel logo double-head a freight train of 31 Cargowaggon bogie vans 666A from Dollands Moor Sidings to Wembley European Freight Operating Centre on 9 December 2013. 92003 is famed for being the last British Rail train to ever run, just as this one traveling from Dollands Moor to Wembley at 23:15 on 21 November 1997.
Both class 92s were assembled by the BRUSH Traction Company Loughborough, from sub-contracted components e.g. Procor UK bodyshell, Asea Brown Boveri (ABB Rail) traction converters and GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) controlled via the MICAS-S2 electronics system, retractable third rail collector shoes and pantographs made by Brecknell Willis, the engraved aluminium BRUSH traction works plates made by J M Ranger Limited of Leicester and cast aluminium based alloy Crew Depot plaque produced by David Newton of Nottingham. For track to train communications class 92s were fitted with the Siemens International Train Radio (ITR) "chameleon" system which could automatically change over to match local ground systems e.g. at international boarders and allowed the driver to select from a range of language settings. STS Signals Ltd supplied electronic Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) control units for class 92s as an add on to the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment. STS Signals Ltd also developed a twin-lightweight AWS receiver for use on class 92s so that only one receiver was needed to detect both standard strength magnets on lines powered by AC overhead wires (Rx1) as well as the extra strength magnets used on DC third rail lines (Rx2). All non-metallic components of the class 92 were either certified for Eurotunnels fire regulations by the manufacturers or where suppliers could not provide this information products such as the divers seat (made by Chapman Seating Limited) and plastic push buttons these were fire tested by BRUSH.
The Manta A was released in September 1970, two months ahead of the then new Opel Ascona on which it was based. A competitor to the Ford Capri, it was a two-door "three-box" coupé, and featured distinctive round tail lights, quite similar to those on the Opel GT and which in fact were used on the GT in 1973, its final model year. In the UK market, the first Manta was sold only as an Opel: there was no Vauxhall-branded Manta (or Ascona) until after the launch, in 1975, of the Manta B1 and Ascona B.
The second car to use the Manta name was launched in August 1975. This two-door "three-box" car was mechanically based directly on the then newly redesigned Opel Ascona, but the overall design was influenced by the 1975 Chevrolet Monza. The Manta had more "sporty" styling, including a droop-snoot nose not seen on the Ascona, although it was standard, on the UK version of the Ascona, the Vauxhall Cavalier. There was still no "Vauxhall Manta", with the car remaining an Opel in the UK. However, a Vauxhall Cavalier was available with the same coupé bodyshell.
In 1977, a three-door hatchback version appeared to complement the existing two-door booted car. This shape was also not unique, being available on the Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch variant.
Both Manta versions received a facelift in 1982, which included a plastic front spoiler, sideskirts for the GT/E and GSi models, a small wing at the rear and quadruple air intakes on the grille.
(Wikipedia)
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Der Opel Manta ist ein fünfsitziger Pkw der Adam Opel AG, der als Manta A im September 1970 auf den Markt kam. Der Wagen ist die technisch identische Coupé-Version der zwei Monate später vorgestellten Opel Ascona A-Limousine. Das Coupé mit wassergekühltem Vierzylinder-Frontmotor und Hinterradantrieb wurde als Konkurrent des bereits seit 1968 erfolgreichen Ford Capri auf den Markt gebracht.
Der Manta A wurde zunächst mit drei verschiedenen CIH-Motoren angeboten, die auch in der größeren Rekord C-Limousine Verwendung fanden: zwei 1,6-l-Varianten mit 68 PS bzw. 80 PS sowie der 1,9-l-Version mit 90 PS.
Als im August 1988 der letzte Manta B vom Band lief, war seine Technik mit der aus dem Kadett B von 1967 stammenden Starrachse (Zentralgelenkachse) und den seit 1965 produzierten CIH-Motoren überholt, obwohl die letzten Modelle schon mit ungeregeltem Katalysator und 5-Gang-Getriebe ausgerüstet wurden. Für Opel war der Manta ein Erfolg: Von beiden Modellreihen wurden zusammen 1.056.436 Wagen gebaut.
(Wikipedia)
Coachwork by Henri Chapron
One of the last examples built
The Zoute Sale - Bonhams
Estimated : € 275.000 - 325.000
Unsold
Zoute Grand Prix 2023
Knokke - Zoute
België - Belgium
October 2023
Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering.
The project had been initiated in the 1930s by the company's managing director, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, and would be brought to fruition by designers Andre Lefebvre, previously with Voisin and Renault, and Flaminio Bertoni, who had worked on the styling of the pre-war Traction Avant. Part of Boulanger's brief had been that the proposed 'VGD' (Voiture de Grand Diffusion or Mass Market Car) should be capable of affording a comfortable ride over sub-standard rural roads while remaining stable at sustained high speeds on the Autoroutes. The solution to these seemingly incompatible requirements was the famous hydro-pneumatic suspension, suggested by Citroën engineer Paul Mages. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival until relatively recently on top-of-the-range models.
In September 1965 the DS's original 1,911cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine – inherited from the Traction Avant - was replaced by a short-stroke 1,985cc unit, also available in 2,175cc and 2,347cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection and a five-speed gearbox. Other models offered alongside the original DS were the ID (a simplified, cheaper version), the cavernous Safari estate and the two-door Décapotable (convertible), the latter boasting coachwork by Henri Chapron.
Chapron's first convertibles had been produced independently of Citroën but the factory eventually gave the project its blessing. Citroën's own cabriolet were built on the longer, stronger chassis of the ID Break (Estate) but the model was never produced in England, where Citroën's right-hand drive cars were assembled at its Slough factory up to 1966. Technical developments proceeded in step with those of the saloon; thus in 1966 the convertible gained the DS21 engine and in 1969 the faired-in directional headlamps. DS convertible sales progressively declined as the years passed, and production finally ceased in 1971. In total, 1,365 usine (factory) convertibles were made with either the DS19 or DS21 engine between 1960 and 1971.
Despite the demise of the factory-built soft-top, Henri Chapron continued to build his version in small numbers, on request, first on the DS21 chassis and then the DS23. These Chapron-built convertibles, coming after the end of the factory-built cars, are easily recognised by their sills with a single jacking point, production saloon taillights and the coachbuilder's chromium-plated signature on the lower side of the front wings.
The five-speed example offered here is one of the last convertibles built by Henri Chapron. Its basis is the DS21 with the electronic fuel-injection engine, the final variation of this model, which revived the title 'Queen of the Road' enjoyed by the former 15/6 Traction. This exclusive car is one of only four convertibles constructed on the DS21 platform and equipped with electronic fuel injection. The lower part of the dashboard is trompe l'oeil painted, imitating varnished walnut. The coachbuilder's logo is on the boot and the name is on the front wings. There are two rear fog lights. The vendor advises us that the tyres are new.
The beautiful Citroën convertible offered here was purchased by the current owner in 2003 from a coachbuilder in the Champagne area; it was completely original and ripe for restoration. The restoration began in 2008 and was finished in 2015 when the car was issued with a Contrôle Technique. In the course of the rebuild the mechanicals and hydropneumatic suspension were overhauled using many new-old-stock parts; the interior re-trimmed; and the body repainted (in 2015). The car has covered only some 7,500 kilometres since the restoration's completion eight years ago. The accompanying file contains copies of Chapron's documents dating from 1973; a French Carte Grise; and numerous invoices relating to its restoration.
This extremely rare Chapron convertible - comprehensively restored including coachwork, engine and interior - is worthy of the closest inspection.
Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produced through its Specialist, Rover Triumph and Austin Rover divisions from 1976 until 1986, when it was replaced by the Rover 800. The SD1 was marketed under various names including Rover 3500, Rover 2300 and Rover Vitesse. In 1977 it won the European Car of the Year title.
In "SD1", the "SD" refers to "Specialist Division" and "1" is the first car to come from the in-house design team. The range is sometimes wrongly referred to as "SDi" ("i" is commonly used in car nomenclature to identify fuel injection).
The SD1 can be considered as the last "true" Rover, being the final Rover-badged vehicle to be produced at Solihull, as well as being the last to be designed largely by ex-Rover Company engineers and also the final Rover car to be fitted with the Rover V8 engine. Future Rovers would be built at the former British Motor Corporation factories at Longbridge and Cowley; and rely largely on Honda.
Design
The new car was designed with simplicity of manufacture in mind in contrast to the P6, the design of which was rather complicated in areas such as the De Dion-type rear suspension. The SD1 used a well-known live rear axle instead. This different approach was chosen because surveys showed that although the automotive press was impressed by sophisticated and revolutionary designs the general buying public was not, unless the results were good. However, with the live rear axle came another retrograde step – the car was fitted with drum brakes at the rear.
Rover's plans to use its then fairly new 2.2 L four-cylinder engine were soon abandoned as BL management ruled that substantially redesigned versions of Triumph's six-cylinder engine were to power the car instead. The Rover V8 engine was fitted in the engine bay. The three-speed automatic gearbox was the BorgWarner 65 model.
The dashboard of the SD1 features an air vent, unusually, directly facing the passenger. The display binnacle sits on top of the dashboard in front of the driver to aid production in left-hand drive markets. The air vent doubles as a passage for the steering-wheel column, and the display binnacle can be easily fitted on top of the dashboard on either the left or right-hand side of the car.
An estate body had been envisaged, but it did not get beyond the prototype stage. Two similarly specified estates have survived, and are exhibited at the Heritage Motor Centre and the Haynes International Motor Museum respectively. One was used by BL chairman Sir Michael Edwardes as personal transport in the late 1970s. The two cars as befit prototypes differ in the detail of and around the tailgate. One car has a recessed tailgate, while the other has a clamshell arrangement, where the whole tailgate is visible when closed.
The SD1 was intended to be produced in a state-of-the-art extension to Rover's historic Solihull factory alongside the TR7. It was largely funded by the British government, who had bailed BL out from bankruptcy in 1975. Unfortunately this did nothing to improve the patchy build quality that then plagued all of British Leyland. That, along with quick-wearing interior materials and poor detailing ensured that initial enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment.
Initial model and first additions to range
Rover 2300 6-cylinder engine, in situ in SD1
This car was launched on its home market in June 1976 in liftback form only, as the V8-engined Rover 3500: SOHC 2.3 L and 2.6 L sixes followed a year later. The car was warmly received by the press and even received the European Car of the Year award for 1977. Its launch on the European mainland coincided with its appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1977, some three months after the Car of the Year announcement. Dealers had no left-hand drive cars for sale, however, since production had been blocked by a tool makers' strike affecting several British Leyland plants and a "bodyshell dispute" at the company's Castle Bromwich plant. Closer to home, the car and its design team received The Midlander of the Year Award for 1976, because they had between them done most in the year to increase the prestige of the (English) Midlands region.
Poor construction quality was apparent even in the company's press department fleet. The British magazine Motor published a road test of an automatic 3500 in January 1977, and while keen to highlight the Rover's general excellence, they also reported that the test car suffered from poor door seals, with daylight visible from inside past the rear door window frame's edge on the left side of the car, and a curious steering vibration at speed which might (or might not) have resulted from the car's front wheels not having been correctly balanced. Disappointment was recorded that the ventilation outlet directly in front of the driver appeared to be blocked, delivering barely a breeze even when fully open; the writer had encountered this problem on one other Rover 3500, although he had also driven other cars of the same type with an abundant output of fresh air through the vent in question. Nevertheless, in March 1977, Britain's Autocar was able to publish an article by Raymond Mays a famous racing driver and team manager during, in particular, the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s, in which Mays explained why, after driving it for 12,000 miles, he considered his Rover 3500 was "the best car he [had] ever had", both for its many qualities as a driver's car and for its excellent fuel economy even when driven hard. Similar problems persisted until 1980 and were reported in tests of the V8-S version.
In television shows John Steed in The New Avengers and George Cowley in The Professionals both used yellow Rover 3500 models. Although using different registration numbers both were possibly the same car.
[Text from Wikipedia]