View allAll Photos Tagged Bodyshell

Replicar Sportif GT40 (1992) Engine 4942cc

Registration Number JGC 686 C

Chassis Number KCC 032 GT

 

This is a RHD GT40 replicar the fifth chassis built by Replicar Sportif in South Africa. First registered in 1993 to Kai Krige a famous South African film and TV director. After six years of ownership the car was exported to the UK and registered as a Ford GT 40. The car is believed to be based on a KVA kit. and has quality glassfibre mouldings, while the chassis is a fully triangulated space-frame with aluminium cladding. Wherever possible, genuine Ford parts were utilised to facilitate maintenance and upkeep. KVA bodyshells were produced from moulds taken from original GT40s and are recognised as among the most accurate around, being used by many other manufacturers of GT40 replicas.

. The cars interior was finished to a high standard, and power comes from a high-output Ford 302ci (5.0-litre) V8 built by Johan Liebenburg of Cobracore Engineering, Booysens, SA, blueprinted and mated to an Audi five-speed transaxle with over-sized CV joints. The engine specification includes ported cylinder heads, long duration high-lift camshaft, high-compression pistons, and chrome-moly pushrods and guide plates.

More recently the car was sold through Bonhams auction sale at Beaulieu Collectors sale in September 2013 for £ 23,000 including premiums

 

Thanks for 17.9 Million views

 

Shot at The Silverstone Classic 28th July 2013 Ref 95-329

The 1956 Chevrolet was the middle year of what has come to be known as the 'tri-fives', as such, it was the first refresh of the 1955 bodyshell. Notably the radiator grille was now leaned forward at the top, producing a longer hood (bonnet) profile.

 

Models were again arranged 150, 210 and Bel Air. The Bel Air Convertible shown here matched the only ope-top bodystyle with top-specification trim. The car shared a long arc chrome strip with the 210 model, which drooped at the tail and split the body in models with two-tone paint. The roof was paired to the upper bodysides (behind a vertical chromed trim feature half way along the car), along with the trunk, while the hood matched the upper bodyside, ahead of the vertical split (just behind the front door), along with the painted surface under the horizontal arc.

 

A range of six and vee-eight engines were available, the V8 was a 265 CID (4.3 L) rated at 170 bhp (127 kW), 210 bhp (157 kW) or 225 bhp (168 kW) depending on the carburetor configuration. Power was to jump considerable the following year with the introduction of the 283 CID (4.6 L ) small block.

 

Other GM divisions, picked up new bodies for 1957, with the exception of Chevrolet and Pontiac. The 1957 was a hasty refresh of the 1955/56, the top Bel Air trim becoming one of the most famous and sought after Chevrolet models.

VW Golf Mk.III Avantgarde Cabriolet (1993-01) Engine 1984cc S4

Registration Number M 464 MPG

VOLKSWAGEN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623738785355...

 

The third generation Volkswagen Golf was introduced in 1991 replacing the Mk.II version.

 

The Cabrio version was launched in 1994 three years after the Hatchback, replacing the long running 1 st generation Cabrio and was to outlive the Mk.3 Hatch which was replaced in Hatchback and Estate form in late 1999, remaining in production until 2001.

Though the Cabriolet did receive an update in mid 1999 with the front, rear, and steering wheel styling from the Golf Mk4 while still maintaining the body from the Mk3 Cabrio.

 

Conceived as a thoroughly modern design its high-strength two-door monocoque bodyshell featured an integral roll-over hoop and driver's / passenger's airbags. The hood is a six layer quick release hood, . While, drivers had the advantage of both power-assisted steering (complete with an adjustable column) and ABS brakes. Available in S, SE, Avantgarde and Colour Concept trim levels and with a choice of 1.6 (100bhp), 1.8 (75 / 90bhp) or 2.0 litre (115bhp) engines, the model enjoyed a seven-year production run between 1994 and 2001

 

Many Thanks for a fan'dabi'dozi 27,063,600 views

 

Shot 07:07:2014 at on Cars in the Park, Beacon Park, Lichfield REF 102-1107

 

1971 Mercedes 280SE 3.5.

 

H&H classic car auction, Buxton -

 

"Chassis Number: 108.05722.005586

Engine Number: 116.980.22007988

CC: 3499

Body Colour: Mittelblau Blue

Trim Colour: Brown

MOT Expiry Date: Dec 2015

 

- Extensively restored between 1990 and 1997 but bills retained

 

- MB Tex Tan upholstery, auto, elec sunroof / windows, lots of history

 

- Said to be in 'good overall' order, dealer's workshop manual, MOT'd till Dec

 

Further Info:

 

Among the fastest, most luxurious saloons of its generation, the four-door Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 was introduced at the 1970 Amsterdam Motor Show. The work of Paul Bracq, its elegant, understated lines were shared with the rest of the W108 range but gave little clue as to the newcomer's reputed 125mph potential. Based around a beautifully engineered monocoque bodyshell equipped with all-round independent suspension (double-wishbone front / swing-axle rear), power-assisted recirculating ball steering and four-wheel disc brakes, the model was powered by a freshly developed 3499cc SOHC V8 engine allied to four-speed automatic transmission. Credited with developing some 200bhp and 211lbft, the all-alloy powerplant was feted for its flexibility, refinement and punch. Only in production between July 1970 and September 1972, the 280SE 3.5 is notable as one of the last Mercedes' saloons to be handbuilt.

 

Reportedly boasting ownership records back to 1979 and maintenance records back to 1999, 'HNP 866J' is further understood to have been extensively restored between 1990 and 1997 (though, its then keeper has retained all the relevant bills). Finished in Mittelblau Blue with Brown MB Tex upholstery, the 280SE 3.5 Saloon is described by the vendor as being in 'good' condition with regard to its 3499cc V8 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, electrical equipment, bodywork and paintwork, while he rates the interior trim as 'excellent'. Offered for sale with the aforementioned history file, dealer's workshop manual and MOT certificate valid until December 20th 2015."

 

Sold for £7168 on an estimate of £8000 to £10,000.

Chassis n° 303232

 

Zoute Sale - Bonhams

Estimated : € 160.000 - 200.000

Sold for € 178.250

 

Zoute Grand Prix 2021

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2021

 

"Those now-immortal three numbers, 911, have come to signify the benchmark by which every other sports car is measured. Just as it was 30 years ago, sports cars are still all about excitement and speed. And this the 911 provides in abundance," – Peter Morgan, Original Porsche 911, 1995.

 

Few sports cars have proved as versatile as Porsche's perennial 911, a model that, for the past 50-plus years, has proved equally capable as a Grand Tourer, circuit racer or rally car. A 'modern classic' if ever there was one, the 911 first appeared at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show as the '901', but shortly after production proper commenced in 1964 had become the '911' following Peugeot's complaints about the use of '0' model numbers. The preceding Type 356's rear-engined layout was retained but the 911 switched to unitary construction for the bodyshell and dropped the 356's VW-based suspension in favour of a more modern McPherson strut and trailing arm arrangement. In its first incarnation, Porsche's single-overhead-camshaft, air-cooled flat six engine displaced 1,991cc and produced 130bhp; progressively enlarged and developed, it would eventually grow to more than 3.0 litres and, in turbo-charged form, put out well over 300 horsepower.

 

This particular Porsche 911 is one of the early, short-wheelbase cars of the type much favoured by the historic rallying fraternity, a situation that has led to original examples such as this one becoming a great rarity. It belongs to the '0-Programme' series built from the start of production in August 1964 up to the introduction of the longer-wheelbase 'A-Programme' model in August 1967, and thus represents the Porsche 911 in its earliest and purest form.

 

According to the accompanying documentation issued by Porsche Italia, this car was built for the 1965 model year (1st August 1964 to 31st July 1965) with an invoice date of 16th December 1965. The specified colour scheme was Polo Red (colour code 6602) with a brown vinyl interior, while the only other factory option listed was Webasto heating. The country of first registration was Italy, in the province of Macerata in the Marche region, and the car has remained in Italy ever since. The Certification of Origin, again issued by Porsche Italia, confirms engine number '903335' was the original (it is still fitted to the car).

 

The current owner, an avid classic car enthusiast with a small stable of cars, purchased the Porsche in 2004, initially to race it, which he did. But then he decided that a 911 from 1965 was far too valuable to race and commissioned respected Porsche specialists Pentacar of Colico near Milan to carry out a no-expense-spared restoration, commencing in March 2017. The body was stripped back to bare metal, repaired where necessary and professionally repainted to a very high standard in the original colour of Polo Red. The interior was restored at the same time, as of course were the mechanicals and the original matching-numbers engine. The result is described as excellent in all respects, and since the restoration's completion in May 2020 the car has been driven only a little over 1,200 kilometres at the time of cataloguing. As icing on the cake, the owner purchased a new tool kit and jack from Porsche Classic to complete the picture. The car is offered with the Italian libretto and Certificato di Proprietà as well as ASI Targa Oro certification. An original, Italian-delivered Porsche 911 from 1965, with matching engine and colour, this is a car for the true Porsche connoisseur.

Volkswagen Golf GTi Mk.2 (1983-92) Engine 1781cc S4 8v Production 6,000,000 (all Golf Mk.2's)

Registration Number E 697 ETW

VOLKSWAGEN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623738785355...

The second-generation Volkswagen Golf was launched in Europe at the 1983 Frankfurt Motor Show.and launched into the British marketplace March 1984. It featured a larger bodyshell, and a wider range of engine options than the Mark 1 and a more rounded style.

The successful hot GTi model was continued with the Mk2 as a sporty 3- or 5-door hatchback. Like late Mk1 GTIs, it featured a fuel-injected and was later joined by the more powerful Golf GTi 16v marked by discreet red and black "16v" badges front and rear.

 

Many Thanks for a fan'dabi'dozi 29,118,600 views

 

Shot 03:08:2014 at Stafford Castle Ref 102-589a

Class 442. 2415. 'Wessex Electric'. Electric Multiple Unit. In Express livery. Operating the 1A61 1318 Brighton to London Victoria service. Seen at Brighton Station.

 

These units were new to the South Western division of Network SouthEast operating services from London Waterloo to Weymouth. These were withdrawn from South West Trains and eventually transferred to Southern Railway to primarily operate the Gatwick Express services.

Heading a train of hopper wagons a Class 66 locomotive in the livery of English, Welsh & Scottish Railways awaits the green light at Carlisle Citadel station before proceeding to Carlisle Kingmoor freight yard.

Following privatisation of British Rail's freight operations in 1996, EWS acquired the majority of them. Many of the locomotives that EWS inherited were either worn out or of dubious reliability. EWS approached General Motors, whose Electro-Motive Division (EMD) offered their JT42CWR model. This loco used the same bodyshell as the EMD built Class 59; and this gave the advantage of having a locomotive of known clearances.

The engine and traction motors were different models from those in the Class 59, whilst the newer locos incorporated GM’s version of a steering bogie. This bogie allowed the use of a 6-axle locomotive in territory ordinarily restricted to 4-axle types and also exerted lower curving forces than a conventional 3-axle bogie reducing the risk of derailment.

An initial order for 250 units was placed and these were built at GM’s Canadian plant in London, Ontario and shipped to the UK via Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In April 2005, EMD was acquired from General Motors by Babcock & Brown, a group of private investors. This new EMD has been renamed Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. and the plant in London, Ontario is now called EMCC (Electro-Motive Canada Company).

The 66s quickly became unpopular with many rail enthusiasts, not only due to their ubiquity but also due to their displacement of several older types of (mostly) British built locomotives. However their excellent reliability record has helped rail freight to remain competitive and more than 500 are now running in the UK (the engine overhaul period is ten years).

The EWS fleet includes five locomotives capable of banking heavy trains over the Lickey Incline. On these five locomotives, the knuckle coupler has been modified to allow remote release from inside the cab, whilst the train is in motion.

 

Following the recent takeover of EWS by the Berlin based DB Schenker operation these locomotives will be outshopped in that company’s red & grey livery. Other UK based operators running Class 66 variants include DRS, Freightliner, Jarvis Fastline and First GB Railfreight, whilst other variants of the type operate throughout Europe & Scandinavia.

 

The Austin-Healey Sprite is a small open sports car which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1958 to 1971. The Sprite was announced to the press in Monte Carlo by the British Motor Corporation on 20 May 1958, just before that year's Monaco Grand Prix. It was intended to be a low-cost model that "a chap could keep in his bike shed", yet be the successor to the sporting versions of the pre-war Austin Seven. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken at the MG factory at Abingdon. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a tuned version of the Austin A-Series engine and as many other components from existing cars as possible to keep costs down.

 

In 1961 the Sprite was joined by a badge-engineered MG version, the Midget, reviving a model name used by MG from the late 1920s through to the mid 1950s. Enthusiasts often refer to Sprites and the later Midgets collectively as "Spridgets."

 

The little Sprite quickly became affectionately known as the Frogeye in the UK and the Bugeye in the US, because its headlights were prominently mounted on top of the bonnet, inboard of the front wings. The car's designers had intended that the headlights could be retracted, with the lenses facing skyward when not in use; a similar arrangement was used many years later on the Porsche 928. But cost cutting by BMC led to the flip-up mechanism being deleted, therefore the headlights were simply fixed in a permanently upright position, giving the car its most distinctive feature. The body was styled by Gerry Coker, with subsequent alterations by Les Ireland following Coker's emigration to the US in 1957. The car's distinctive frontal styling bore a strong resemblance to the defunct American 1951 Crosley Super Sport. 48,987 "Frogeye" Spriters were made.

 

The problem of providing a rigid structure to an open-topped sports car was resolved by Barry Bilbie, Healey's chassis designer, who adapted the idea provided by the Jaguar D-type, with rear suspension forces routed through the bodyshell's floor pan. The Sprite's chassis design was the world's first volume-production sports car to use unitary construction, where the sheet metal body panels (apart from the bonnet) take many of the structural stresses. The original metal gauge (thickness of steel) of the rear structure specified by Bilbie was reduced by the Austin Design Office during prototype build, however during testing at M.I.R.A. (Motor Industry Research Association) distortion and deformation of the rear structure occurred and the original specification was reinstated. The two front chassis legs projecting forward from the passenger compartment mean the shell is not a full monocoque. The front sheet-metal assembly, including the bonnet (hood) and wings, was a one-piece unit, hinged from the back, that swung up to allow access to the engine compartment.

 

The 43 bhp, 948 cc OHV engine (coded 9CC) was derived from the Austin A35 & Morris Minor 1000 models, also BMC products, but upgraded with twin 11⁄8" inch SU carburettors. The rack and pinion steering was derived from the Morris Minor 1000 and the front suspension from the Austin A35. The front suspension was a coil spring and wishbone arrangement, with the arm of the Armstrong lever shock absorber serving as the top suspension link. The rear axle was both located and sprung by quarter-elliptic leaf springs, again with lever-arm shock absorbers and top links. There were no exterior door handles; the driver and passenger were required to reach inside to open the door. There was also no boot lid, owing to the need to retain as much structural integrity as possible, and access to the spare wheel and luggage compartment was achieved by tilting the seat-backs forward and reaching under the rear deck, a process likened to potholing by many owners, but which resulted in a large space available to store soft baggage.

A true household icon, the Triumph Dolomite brought an end to years of ongoing automotive development, and would turn out to be the last traditional Triumph Saloon car before British Leyland destroyed the company.

 

The Dolomite was, as mentioned, part of an ongoing development scheme that began in 1965 with the Triumph 1300. The scheme was named Project Ajax, and was done to develop a selection of small family saloon cars to replace the Triumph Herald. All of the cars in this range were designed by Giovanni Michelotti, and were powered by a selection of small Triumph engines, ranging from the original 1,296cc to the later 1,493cc powerplant. Triumph were however dissatisfied with the market performance of the 1300; although it had been moderately successful, the higher price and greater complexity meant sales never reached the levels of the simpler and cheaper Herald which preceded it. In an attempt to improve matters, the car was comprehensively re-engineered. Launched in September 1970, the Triumph Toledo was a cheaper and more basic variant of the 1300, but with conventional rear-wheel drive. This new model was assembled alongside the now larger-engined front-wheel drive version (the Triumph 1500) which was launched at the same time as the Toledo.

 

The Dolomite was a combination of all things implemented on previous Project Ajax creations, a culmination of design methods to create a more upmarket and sporty car. The Dolomite made its debut at the 1971 London Motor Show, but wouldn't go into production for over a year due to strikes at the plant. The Dolomite comprised of a longer bodyshell than the previous 1500, although much of its running gear and rear-wheel drive transmission was carried over from the Toledo. Engines started with a Slant-4 1,854cc engine producing 91hp. Performance was a top speed of 100mph and a 0-60 of 11 seconds. An overdrive gearbox was also made available for fuel economy and relaxed motorway cruising.

 

The variant that's remembered the most though is the Dolomite Sprint, or more commonly known as the Dolly Sprint. The Sprint was built to compete with the likes of the BMW 2002, and was fitted with a 1,998cc engine with higher capacity carburettors producing 127hp, although it was originally desired to give the car at least 135hp. British Leyland however were able to get 150hp out of a test engine, but the industrial disputes and lack of quality meant that eventually only 125 to 130hp could be a realistic option. The result was a performance of 119mph, and a 0-60 of 8.4 seconds. The original price of the Sprint upon its launch in 1973 was £1,740 (£20,534 today), which put it in good price competitiveness with other cars of similar size.

 

However, the industrial relations disputes and continued poor quality meant that the Dolly and the Dolly Sprint both suffered heavily in the sales. Between 1972/73 and 1980, only 79,010 Dolomites and 22,941 Dolomite Sprints were built. Attempts at rationalising the range began in 1976, setting the Dolomite Sprint as the top of the range performance model, and the Dolomite 1850HL/1500HL as the luxury versions. This was done to replace the Toledo, which ended production the same year with 113,000 built. Changes as part of rationalisation were minor at best, and even the luxury models suffered heavily at the hands of poor quality. It was rumoured that British Leyland were so ham-fisted with their approach that the wood veneer inside the luxury versions was in fact made up of old floorboards from abandoned houses in the West Midlands, and there'd be every chance you'd get a splinter off them!

 

Sadly the poor old Dolomite's story had to come to a close, and in 1980 following falling sales, the car was replaced by the Triumph Acclaim, a badge engineered version of the Honda Ballade. Although these cars were initially malaigned for their fragile nature, today they're very much modern day cult cars with quite a strong following. Most people consider the Dolly and the Dolly Sprint the last true Triumphs before the Acclaim changed the game, but sadly the fragile nature of the Dolly's means that only about 1,300 of them are left, with only 300 to 400 Sprints.

 

The Dolly Sprint however did return to the frontline in 2008 as part of Top Gear's British Leyland challenge, being driven by Richard Hammond. Sadly the poor Dolly didn't fare well against James' Princess 2200, but certainly got away better than Jeremy's Rover SD1!

Class 45 45054

bodyshell only at Toton

18th May 1985.

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

Puma was a Brazilian specialist car manufacturer which built cars from 1967 until roughly 1997. High import tariffs effectively closed Brazil during much of this period to foreign-built cars. This limited the vehicles available to the average Brazilian to those built locally by foreign manufacturers such as Volkswagen and General Motors (which established Brazilian manufacturing plants), and the products of local companies.

 

The origin of what became the Puma was the DKW-Malzoni, built by Rino Malzoni of Matão in São Paulo (state) from around 1964. Malzoni was a keen auto racer and began building his own competition cars based around a DKW straight-3 two-stroke engine with a light, fiberglass-skinned bodyshell. The cars began to sell in quantities larger than he himself could build, and Malzoni founded a company with a group of other auto enthusiasts. Production started at approximately 35 cars a year, but increased to more than a hundred within a couple of years.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

In den 1950er- und 60er-Jahren versuchte Brasilien intensiv, den Anschluss an die westlichen Industrienationen zu gewinnen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wurden auch Kooperationen mit großen Automobilherstellern eingegangen.

 

Der begeisterte Rennfahrer Rino Malzoni aus Matão (São Paulo) begann 1964 für den Einsatz auf der Rennstrecke seinen eigenen Wettbewerbswagen zu bauen. Basis war die Technik des „DKW 3=6“ mit Zweitaktmotor und dem DKW-typischen Frontantrieb. Diese frühen Fahrzeuge werden heute „DKW-Malzoni“ genannt, damals hießen sie schlicht „GT Malzoni“, ab 1966 „GT DKW“. Das Fahrzeug bestand aus einem Zentralrohrrahmen und einer GFK-Karosserie, eine Bauart, die seit der Einführung der Corvette von Chevrolet (1953) vor allem bei Kleinserienherstellern immer beliebter wurde. Aus der ursprünglich geplanten Homologationsserie entwickelte sich aufgrund starker Nachfrage bereits im zweiten Produktionsjahr eine kleine Serienfertigung. Im Jahr 1967 erfolgte ein erster Höhepunkt mit 121 produzierten Sportwagen.

The owner told me that this is a genuine unused bodyshell.

1964 Studebaker Truck... custom built using original Studebaker chassis and bodyshell, used for regular towing duty I was told by the owner

1959 Ford Thames 300E van 1172cc

produced by Ford of Britain from 1954 to 1961. The Thames (or Thames Trader) name was given to all available sizes of commercial vehicle produced by Ford in Britain during the 1950s and until the arrival in 1965 of the UK built Ford Transit.

 

The 300E was introduced in July 1954, based on the Ford Anglia / Prefect 100E saloon range. It shared its bodyshell and 1172 cc sidevalve four-cylinder engine with the estate car versions of the line. Oddly, the bodyshell was optimized for use as a panel van rather than an estate with its two, short passenger doors and shorter overall length than the saloons. Initially produced only as a single model with 5 long cwt (560 lb; 254 kg) carrying capacity, the range was later expanded with the introduction of Standard and Deluxe 7 long cwt (784 lb; 356 kg) variants. All three offered the same 66-cubic-foot (1.9 m3) load volume. Production totalled 196,885 examples comprising 139,267 5 cwt, 10,056 Standard 7 cwt and 47,562 Deluxe 7 cwt units.

 

300E production ended in April 1961 and the van's replacement, the Anglia 105E based Thames 307E, was introduced in June of the same year

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Thames_300E

Ford Thames 300E (1954-61) Engine 1172cc S4 SV Production 196,885

Registration Number WXR 859

Ford UK/EUROPE SET

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

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

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

This van was purchased by London Transport, in June 1959 as one of a fleet of 13, to the Central Distribution Works. At the beginning of July 1959, it was transferred from Central Distribution to Lillie Bridge depot near Fulham and allocated to the Signals Engineers, remaining there until withdrawn from service at the beginning of December 1964. The unlicensed vehicle was then sold to a Mr C W Borgust of Shooters Hill, London, SW3 for private use.

Obtained and restored by Mr N Anscombe into its distinctive Chiswick Green service vehicle livery, the van was donated to the Trust and arrived at the Museum during May 1998.

 

Shot at the London Bus Museum Brooklands 22:10:2013 REF 79-098

 

Please do not forget to visit the Flag Counter on the link below to record a visit from your country. So far 52 countries (last new country Austria and 32 US states last new State Michigan) Last new overseas visitor Denmark last new US state visitor California

s04.flagcounter.com/more/VIv

     

Towards the end of the 1970's, British Leyland was in a state of absolute despair. Shoddy and dated car designs married to biblical unreliability meant the company was facing near meltdown, and obviously came to the conclusion that they needed someone else to take the helm before the ship properly sank. Enter the Japanese, more to the point, Honda!

 

Since the 1960's, the Japanese had shown the world that they can mass-produce reliable cars, and thus were raking in sales by the million as people turned from their flaky European models to the highly efficient Japanese alternatives. Desperate to stop their market being swept out from under them, European Manufacturers imposed heavy import taxes on Japanese imports so as to try and price them out of the market, which meant builders such as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi were losing a fortune. The alternative past this blockade was to combine their efforts with some of the more struggling car companies of Europe so as to create hybrid cars.

 

And thus the Triumph Acclaim was born!

 

Based almost solely on the Honda Ballade, essentially all that differentiated it was the Triumph badge, and the fact that the car was built at the Cowley Plant near Oxford using the former production lines of the Austin Maxi. The intention largely was to replace the 10 year old Triumph Dolomite as the 4-door saloon of the company. Unlike the Ballade however, the car did come with much more luxury features as with a Triumph badge, the car was intended to be more higher market than the conventional Japanese equivalent. But most importantly, the car has the distinction of being the first truly reliable British Leyland car (and it only took them 12 years to get it right!)

 

Basically, the car's major components were built in Japan and shipped to Cowley, where they were placed into the locally built bodyshells. Build quality was very good too, with the leaky panels and rough ride seemingly absent, and holds the record for the fewest warranty claims on a British Leyland car. However, Japan may have shown Europe how to build a reliable car, but they didn't know how to build a car that didn't rust. Much like it's Japanese counterparts, the Acclaim rusted like crazy. In Japan this was seen as planned obsolescence, with the intention being that a new model would replace it in two or three years time. But in Britain, cars are built to last, with models going unchanged almost completely for years and even decades. Examples being the Mini, which didn't change in any way, shape or form between its launch in 1959 and its demise in 2000!

 

But still, despite the terrible rusting problem, the car's reliable nature resulted in 133,000 cars being sold, and became the first Triumph to be within the Top 10 highest selling cars since 1965. However, in the end the Acclaim's show of being a good, reliable car was merely a testbed for the variety of other Japanese style products British Leyland intended to push in the near future. After only 4 years of production, the Triumph Acclaim was shelved in 1984 along with many other British Leyland products such as the Austin Ambassador and the Morris Ital so as to rationalise the company into a small number of highly reliable machines based off the Triumph Acclaim's Japanese based success. From the Acclaim, the Rover 200 was a direct descendant, being based heavily on the next generation Honda Ballade, but also spurring from this plucky car was the mechanicals of the Austin Maestro and Montego.

 

The ending of Acclaim construction in 1984 also brought the end to the Triumph badge itself on motorcars. Although Triumph still exists on motorbikes, the car division has long since perished, together with Austin and Morris. As for the Acclaim itself, it is truly one of those rarities you won't find everyday. Today only 488 are left, which, although much more than the remaining Ital's and Ambassadors of the same period, is still a very low number. But even so, the Triumph Acclaim did show British Leyland how to make a reliable machine, even though it technically wasn't a British machine in the first place!

Class 92 number 92003 named "Beethoven" in British Rail two-tone grey with EWS Red & Yellow logo, three 'O' shaped channel tunnel roundel logos and a Crewe Electric Depot eagle plaque travels light engine from Dollands Moor Sidings to Wembley European Freight Operating Centre on 5 April 2014. 92003 is famed for being the last British Rail train ever to run, just as this one running from Dollands Moor to Wembley at 23:15 on 21 November 1997.

 

92003 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. 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 XR4Ti was the trim level given to the sportiest of the original release Ford Sierras. The XR4Ti differed from the other Sierra models principally in the adoption of the small side rear window of the 5-door liftback, in the 3-door bodyshell.

 

Apart from this excentricity, the XR4Ti displayed the usual go-faster styling of the period - big wheels, deep bumpers, red stripes and spoilers. One feature taken from the 'Probe' series of Ford concept cars was the use of a 'bi-plane' rear wing, the top section which biseced the rear window.

 

If all these styling diversions were not enough of a shock, the 1982 Ford Sierra range replaced the conservative, three-box, square-cut styling of the best selling Ford Cortina Mk V, with the new aerodynamic, slippery form, as pioneered by the Audi 100 of the same year. The media dubbed the styling 'jellymold' and were critical of the grille-less nose. This bold gamble would stand the Sierra on good stead toward the end of its product cycle, when it still looked modern, whilst many of its principle competitors were starting to look dated. At the time, however, it was widely reported (falsely) that Frd was readying to put the conservative Cortina back into production. The Sierra lost the Cortina's position as the top selling car in the UK to the Escort, but enabled Ford to be perceived as an innovative and contemporary company. The Sierra was replaced in 1993 by the dynamic handling Ford Mondeo, which returned Ford to a more conservative styling template for family cars in Europe.

 

This Lego Ford Sierra model has been created in Lego Difital Designer for Flickr LUGNuts 43rd Build Challenge - 'Plus or Minus Ten' - celebrating vehicles built ten years before or after the birth year of the modeller - in this case the 1982 Ford Sierra.

The registration is from East Ham in London, between 1915 to 1965. Source: British Registrations. As this is a right-hand drive version it probably came into this country as a Chrysler Heston (the British version of the Airflow) and would have been assembled at Kew near London. The hood and grille projecting forward to give the car a longer look, coupled with the altered bumpers, headlight surrounds and hood louvres on the side make this a 1935 Chrysler Airflow Imperial.

 

This car was pictured at the National Railway Museum in York. It was there to demonstrate the fact that streamlining (i.e. aerodynamic design) moved into transport design in the 1930s. (The Duchess of Hamilton loco in these shots was actually built after the Chrysler and even the loco's designers felt that the disadvantages of the streamlining outweighed the benefits. The streamlining was fitted largely for publicity reasons.) Indeed, the Chrysler Airflow was shown with a streamlined loco, as well as being likened to an arrow, in one of its adverts.

 

A Chrysler engineer by the name of Carl Breer started to apply wind tunnel tests to scale models and eventually decided that current car design was inefficient and new principles should be applied to improve aerodynamic efficiency. This resulted in the Chrysler Airflow. (The Chrysler PT Cruiser was designed as a modern interpretation of the Chrysler Airflow.)

 

These new principles included monocoque, or uni-body, design as opposed the two-box design used at the time. The car was also lower and sleeker than other cars and employed many other new design features including: raked two-piece windshield; steel body shell around the passengers; bodyshell sitting between the axles.

 

Unfortunately, despite the car being a design classic the American public did not take to the streamlined Airflow and it did not sell well. This was also due in part to manufacturing problems that hampered not only production of the cars but also their reliability. The Airflow was only produced between 1934 and 1937.

 

A good site for Chrysler Airflow photos of all models.

 

A more detailed technical history of the Chrysler Airflow.

 

A 1936 model that sold for $57,200 in July 2010.

 

There are a number of very good shots of this same car on Flickr:

A wonderful tilt-shift shot.

A good side view.

A nice overhead view.

A better shot of the Duchess of Hamilton and this car.

And a final shot of the two together.

     

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.

The 1956 Chevrolet was the middle year of what has come to be known as the 'tri-fives', as such, it was the first refresh of the 1955 bodyshell. Notably the radiator grille was now leaned forward at the top, producing a longer hood (bonnet) profile.

 

Models were again arranged 150, 210 and Bel Air. The 210 Sport Coupe shown here matched the sportiest bodystyle with mid-range trim. The car now wore a long arc chrome strip which drooped at the tail ans split the body in models with two-tone paint. The roof was paired to the lower bodysides, while the trunk and hood matched the upper bodyside.

 

A range of six and vee-eight engines were available, the V8 was a 265 CID (4.3 L) rated at 170 bhp (127 kW), 210 bhp (157 kW) or 225 bhp (168 kW) depending on the carburetor configuration. Power was to jump considerable the following year with the introduction of the 283 CID (4.6 L ) small block.

 

Other GM divisions, picked up new bodies for 1957, with the exception of Chevrolet and Pontiac. The 1957 was a hasty refresh of the 1955/56, the top Bel Air trim becoming one of the most famous and sought after Chevrolet models.

Triumph Dolomite 1850HL 1980

 

Triumph Dolomite was presented at the London Motor Show in October 1971. However due to a number of strikes and other industrial upsets, the car was not reported to be in full production until October 1972.[2] The name ;Dolomite had been used by Triumph for a range of models prior to the Second World War and this name was revived for the new car. The car used the longer bodyshell of the front wheel drive Triumph 1500, but with the majority of the running gear carried over from the rear wheel drive Triumph Toledo.

 

Initially, the only version available used the new slant-four 1854 cc engine, providing 91 bhp (68 kW) which offered sprightly performance. This was a version of the engine that the company was already providing to Saab for use in their 99 model.[3]

 

The car was aimed at the then-new compact performance-luxury sector, vying for sales against cars such as the BMW 2002 and Ford Cortina GXL, and was offered with a high level of standard equipment, including twin headlamps, a clock, full instrumentation, luxury seats and carpets, a heated rear window, and a cigar lighter. Styling was similar to the Triumph 1500, with some updates such as a black painted rear panel, Vinyl D-posts, and new wheel trims. The car was capable of 100 mph (160 km/h), with 60 mph (97 km/h) coming up in just over 11 seconds. An overdrive gearbox was soon made optional, offering relaxed motorway cruising and improved fuel economy, and there was also an optional automatic transmission.

  

Porsche 911 Carrera RS (1973-74) Engine 2687cc HO6 OC Production 1580

Registration Number PGF 270 L

PORSCHE SET

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

The Carrera name was reintroduced to in 1973, originally applied to the 356 Carrera and in turn came from Porsche class victories in the Carrera Panamerica races accross Central America in the 1950's. The RS was built so that Porsche could enter racing formulae that demanded that a certain minimum number of production cars were made. Compared with a standard 911S, the Carrera 2.7 RS had a larger engine (2687 cc) developing 210bhp. With revised and stiffened suspension, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, larger brakes, wider rear wheels and rear wheel arches. In RS Touring form it weighed 1075 kg, in Sport Lightweight form it was about 100 kg (220 lb) lighter, the saving coming from the thin-gauge steel used for parts of the bodyshell and also the use of thinner glass. In total, 1580 were made, comfortably exceeding the 500 that had to be required to qualify for FIA Group 4 Class.

49 Carrera RS cars were built with 2808 cc engines

In 1974, Porsche created the Carrera RS 3.0 with K-Jetronic Bosch fuel injection producing 230 PS It was almost twice as expensive as the 2.7 RS but offered a fair amount of racing capability for that price.

 

Shot at the Pomeroy Trophy Silverstone 25th February 2012 Ref 74-476

Please do not forget to visit the Flag Counter on the link below to record a visit from your country. So far 51 countries (last new country Chile and 32 US states last new State Michigan) Last new overseas visitor France last new US state visitor Michigan

s04.flagcounter.com/more/VIv

  

Vivarail 3-car Class 230 DMU 230001 stabled in Nuneaton Civil Engineers Sidings. The 3 carriages of 230001 are numbered 300101 300201 & 300001.

 

From the Vivarail website;

 

About Vivarail.

Vivarail Ltd. was formed in 2012 to produce a new type of rolling stock designed specifically for local rail services – the D-Train. Vivarail is headed by Adrian Shooter CBE, previously Chairman of Chiltern Railways, and the development team draws on almost 200 years’ experience in railway engineering and operations. The company is privately funded, in association with an international company that has a successful track record in railway developments worldwide. It is based at a rail-connected site in central England with full manufacturing facilities and a dedicated 4km test track.

 

The Vivarail D-Train – delivering local rail solutions.

Traffic on Britain’s regional rail routes is growing quickly, but suitable rolling stock is in short supply. Existing diesel trains are fully utilised, and many older vehicles no longer meet passengers’ aspirations. Network-wide electrification can be the solution in the long term, but this will take time – and more capacity and better comfort are needed now.

The answer to this problem is Vivarail’s D-train – a new concept that can supplement or replace existing trains, upgrade services and equip new routes, at a fraction of the cost of buying conventional new rolling stock.

 

New technology in a proven package.

The D-Train uses proven technology and innovative systems to give low costs, early delivery, faster acceleration, increased capacity and more comfort. The bodyshells and bogies from surplus London Underground District Line trains are combined with new diesel engines and modern control systems to create Diesel Multiple Unit (DMUs). 2- and 3-car units can be supplied, with interior layouts configured for City, Commuter or Country rail services. The D-Train meets all current standards up to and including the 2020 PRM-TSI regulations.

 

The green machine.

D-Trains will provide significant environmental benefits. The diesel engines meet the latest EU emission standards, and energy consumption and noise are minimised due to the “stop-start” engine technology and the trains’ light weight. The use of upcycled major components will greatly reduce CO2 emissions during construction – and D-trains will be built in Britain!

2007 #18/180 Custom ´64 Galaxie.

2007 New Models (18/36).

Hot Wheels.

Escala 1/64.

Made in Malaysia.

 

"Dark Red color, Chrome Plastic Chassis, Tinted windows and Black interior color."

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

 

Custom '64 Galaxie

 

Debut Series

2007 New Models

 

Produced

2007 - Present

 

Designer

Phil Riehlman

 

Number

K6150

 

Description

 

"The Custom '64 Galaxie is a Hot Wheels casting based on the production car of the same name, debuting in the 2007 New Models.

 

It was slated for use in the 2007 Ultra Hots Series , and a new tool was made with an opening hood and visible engine, but was never produced. Some newer versions of the casting use the new interior piece with the engine invisible underneath the body."

 

Source: hotwheels.wikia.com/wiki/Custom_%2764_Galaxie

 

More info:

hotwheels.wikia.com/wiki/2007_New_Models

twolanedesktop.blogspot.com/2014/09/hot-wheels-custom-196...

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

 

1964 Ford Galaxie

 

"The 1964 Galaxie was described by Ford as "a car bred in open competition and built for total performance".

For 1964, there were 16 models to choose from to include different varieties of sedans, hardtops, convertibles, and wagons. This Galaxie carried much the same lines as the 1963 with new distinctive styling through new trim moldings, grill and rear panel design, and all new interior trim styling.

 

Ford offered the Galaxie 500 in the sedan, hardtop and convertible body styles.

The Galaxie 500XL was offered in the sedan, hardtop, and convertible as well. The 500XL was the deluxe model with standard plush vinyl bucket seats with console, special XL trim moldings and ornamentation and standard equipment V-8 engine., and full wheel covers.

 

1964 was another year of awesome performance with six different engine choices. The most notable was the Thunderbird 390 V-8 engine at 300 horsepower, and two versions of the all powerful 427 power plant. Both a four barrel and dual carburetor version were offered at 410, and 425 horsepower respectively. For transmissions, Ford offered much the same as 1963. The four speed was standard euipment on 427 engine sizes and optional equipment on 390. Ford discontinued the 406 engine for 1964 which was now replaced by the 427. Ford also built a number of 427 Fiberglass race equipped Galaxies for 1964.

 

Many consider the 1964 the most attractive Galaxie ever built. The 1964 Fords are also legendary for their racing history as many of the factory lightweight cars were used by the Ford Motor Company extensively on the race track. This racing experience gave these cars instant popularity that continues to the current day."

 

Source: www.dearbornclassics.com/galaxie.html

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

 

Ford Galaxie

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

"The Ford Galaxie was a full-size car built in the United States by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1959 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race. In 1962, all full-size Fords wore the Galaxie badge, with "500" and "500/XL" denoting the higher series. The Galaxie 500/LTD was introduced for 1965 followed by the Galaxie 500 7-Litre in 1966. The Galaxie 500 part was dropped from the LTD in 1966, and from the XL in 1967; however the basic series structuring levels were maintained. The "regular" Galaxie 500 continued below the LTD as Ford's mid-level full-size model from 1965 until its demise at the end of the 1974 model year.

 

The Galaxie was the high volume counterpart to the Chevrolet Impala. Some Galaxies were high-performance, racing specification machines, a larger forebear to the muscle car era. Others were plain family sedans."

(...)

 

Second generation 1960–1964.

 

"The 1960 Galaxie was all-new in style, abandoning the ostentatious ornamentation of the 1950s for a futuristic, sleek look. A new body style this year was the Starliner, featuring a huge, curving rear observation window on a pillarless, hardtop bodyshell. The formal roofed 2-door hardtop was not available this year, but the roofline was used for the Galaxie 2-door pillared sedan, complete with chromed window frames."

(...)

1961

"For 1961, the bodywork was redone again, although the underpinnings were the same as in 1960.

(...) the 1961 Galaxie offered a new 390 CID (6.4 L) version of Ford's FE series pushrod V8, which was available with either a four-barrel carburetor or, for serious performance, three two-barrel carburetors."

(...)

1962

"For 1962, the Galaxie name was applied to all of Ford's full size models, as the Fairlane moved to a new intermediate and Custom was temporarily retired. New top-line Galaxie 500 (two-door sedan and hardtop, four-door sedan and hardtop, and "Sunliner" convertible) models offered plusher interiors, more chrome trim outside, and a few additional luxury items over and above what was standard on the plainer Galaxie models. Base Galaxie models were available in two- and four-door sedans as well as the plain Ranch Wagon.

(...) The 292 cu in (4.8 l) V8 was standard on the 500/XL. The XL had as sportier trim inside and out as part of the package. "

(...)

1963

"For 1963, Ford saw no reason to radically change a good thing, and the 1963 model was essentially unchanged save for some freshening and added trim; windshields were reshaped and a four-door hardtop 500/XL was added."

(...)

1964

"Model year 1964 was the fourth and final year of this body style. Interior trim was much altered, and the exterior featured a more sculpted look which was actually designed to make the car more aerodynamic for NASCAR. The formal-roof "boxtop" style was replaced by a slanted-roof design for all non-wagon or convertible models, including sedans. Ford's quality control, spotty when the first Galaxie was introduced, was now as good as it ever was, and many 1964 Fords passed the 100,000-mile (160,000 km) mark intact. The 1964 models gained an enviable reputation as durable, comfortable cars that offered decent handling and road-ability at a reasonable price, so it is no wonder they sold so well."

(...)

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Galaxie

   

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.

Now I like a Mark II Escort, and this is one of my favourites. I've got a model of this too.

Having been dropped from production in July 1980, this car was especially prepared for the 1981 Lombard RAC GB rally, utilising a 1977 MkII bodyshell & chassis .

Ari Vatanen finished second, clinching the drivers WRC.

Spotted out and about.

The 1956 Chevrolet was the middle year of what has come to be known as the 'tri-fives', as such, it was the first refresh of the 1955 bodyshell. Notably the radiator grille was now leaned forward at the top, producing a longer hood (bonnet) profile.

 

Models were again arranged 150, 210 and Bel Air. The 210 Sport Coupe shown here matched the sportiest bodystyle with mid-range trim. The car now wore a long arc chrome strip which drooped at the tail ans split the body in models with two-tone paint. The roof was paired to the lower bodysides, while the trunk and hood matched the upper bodyside.

 

A range of six and vee-eight engines were available, the V8 was a 265 CID (4.3 L) rated at 170 bhp (127 kW), 210 bhp (157 kW) or 225 bhp (168 kW) depending on the carburetor configuration. Power was to jump considerable the following year with the introduction of the 283 CID (4.6 L ) small block.

 

Other GM divisions, picked up new bodies for 1957, with the exception of Chevrolet and Pontiac. The 1957 was a hasty refresh of the 1955/56, the top Bel Air trim becoming one of the most famous and sought after Chevrolet models.

The Clan Crusader is a fibreglass monocoque sports two-seater, powered by the Rootes Imp Sport engine, with suspension and main running gear from the same manufacturer.

 

The Crusader was originally conceived by a group of Lotus engineers in the late '60s. Paul Haussauer formed the Clan Motor Company and developed a prototype vehicle with the assistance of Brian Luff. The styling for the Crusader was by John Frayling.

 

Initial production of the first few cars started in a nursery factory in Washington, Tyne-and-Wear. They were completed and registered by July 1971. A purpose built factory unit was leased, taking advantage of government grants designed to improve employment in the area.

 

By the official start of production, in September 1971, five cars a week were being produced. This continued despite the coal miners' strike the next winter, the knock on effect of which caused supply problems. This prevented, to some extent, the growth of production, the factory being capable of four times this throughput.

 

Approximately 350 cars were built by Clan Motor Company including 19 specifically for competiton use. Some at the beginning being sold in component form, i.e. bodyshell fully trimmed, all wiring, glass and piping fitted. (in the same way as Lotus Elans) to beat the 25% purchase tax. With the advent of VAT, component kits were dropped. In May 1972 the Crusader was successfully crash tested at M.I.R.A.

 

Production ceased in late 1973 due to the company's financial difficulties, even though sales were still good. Several finished and part-finished cars were sold after the company's closure.

Puma was a Brazilian specialist car manufacturer which built cars from 1967 until roughly 1997. High import tariffs effectively closed Brazil during much of this period to foreign-built cars. This limited the vehicles available to the average Brazilian to those built locally by foreign manufacturers such as Volkswagen and General Motors (which established Brazilian manufacturing plants), and the products of local companies.

 

The origin of what became the Puma was the DKW-Malzoni, built by Rino Malzoni of Matão in São Paulo (state) from around 1964. Malzoni was a keen auto racer and began building his own competition cars based around a DKW straight-3 two-stroke engine with a light, fiberglass-skinned bodyshell. The cars began to sell in quantities larger than he himself could build, and Malzoni founded a company with a group of other auto enthusiasts. Production started at approximately 35 cars a year, but increased to more than a hundred within a couple of years.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

In den 1950er- und 60er-Jahren versuchte Brasilien intensiv, den Anschluss an die westlichen Industrienationen zu gewinnen. Um dieses Ziel zu erreichen, wurden auch Kooperationen mit großen Automobilherstellern eingegangen.

 

Der begeisterte Rennfahrer Rino Malzoni aus Matão (São Paulo) begann 1964 für den Einsatz auf der Rennstrecke seinen eigenen Wettbewerbswagen zu bauen. Basis war die Technik des „DKW 3=6“ mit Zweitaktmotor und dem DKW-typischen Frontantrieb. Diese frühen Fahrzeuge werden heute „DKW-Malzoni“ genannt, damals hießen sie schlicht „GT Malzoni“, ab 1966 „GT DKW“. Das Fahrzeug bestand aus einem Zentralrohrrahmen und einer GFK-Karosserie, eine Bauart, die seit der Einführung der Corvette von Chevrolet (1953) vor allem bei Kleinserienherstellern immer beliebter wurde. Aus der ursprünglich geplanten Homologationsserie entwickelte sich aufgrund starker Nachfrage bereits im zweiten Produktionsjahr eine kleine Serienfertigung. Im Jahr 1967 erfolgte ein erster Höhepunkt mit 121 produzierten Sportwagen.

The VAZ-2101 is a compact sedan car (small class, passenger car, model 1 in Soviet classification) produced by AvtoVAZ and introduced in 1970. The estate version was known as the VAZ-2102. VAZ had been founded in the mid-1960s as a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet government, and the 2101 was its first product. Better known as the Lada outside the former Soviet Union, the 2101 is a re-engineered version of the Fiat 124 tailored for the nations of the Eastern Bloc, but was widely exported to the West as a budget "no-frills" car. Although the facelifted VAZ-2105, 2104 & 2107 versions largely replaced it in the West in the early 1980s, it was still produced for the domestic market as late as 1988.

 

Known as the Zhiguli within the Soviet Union, the main differences between the VAZ-2101 and the Fiat 124 are the use of thicker gauge steel for the bodyshell, an overhead camshaft engine (in place of the original Fiat OHV unit), and the use of aluminium drum brakes on the rear wheels in place of disc brakes. Early versions of the car featured a starting handle for cranking the engine manually should the battery go flat in Siberian winter conditions, and an auxiliary fuel pump.

 

AvtoVAZ were forbidden from selling the car in competing markets alongside Fiat 124; however, exports to Western European nations began in 1974 when the 124 was discontinued in favour of Fiat's newer 131 Mirafiori model. The 2101 was sold in export markets as the Lada 1200, Lada 1300 and Lada 1200S until 1989; it was sold in the United Kingdom from May 1974, until the arrival of the Riva in 1983. It was the first Lada to be sold in the United Kingdom.

Complete with Ferrari Dino 246GT bodyshell. A hybrid of a very different kind!

Haynes International Motor a Museum, Sparkford, Somerset. Breakfast club, Sunday 8 January 2017.

Engine: 112hp, Peugeot-Citroën "DV6 Monde"1.6 TurboDiesel from late 407 & C5, Ford Mondeo, Volvo S40/ V50

Fibreglass bodyshell

Madagascar, Indian Ocean

The Daimler Sovereigns were based on contemporary Jaguar bodyshells, chassis and engines in an example of badge engineering. Jaguar Cars took over The Daimler Company in 1960 and the 1966 Sovereign was the second Daimler to be based on a Jaguar model. The first was the 2½ litre V8 with a V8 engine designed by Edward Turner. Unlike the Daimler 2½ litre, the Sovereign had a Jaguar engine, marking the end for the Turner designed engines.

 

The first Daimler Sovereign was based on the 1966 Jaguar 420 and is sometimes referred to as the "Sovereign 420". Subsequent Sovereigns arose from the Series I, II and III Jaguar XJ6. In 1983 the model name "Sovereign" was switched to the high specification version of the Series III Jaguar XJ6, the 6-cylinder Daimler based on it simply continuing without a model name.

 

The V12 versions of the Daimler, available from 1972 to 1997, were named Daimler Double-Six after the original Daimler V12s.

Morris Six MS (1948-53) Engine 2215cc S6 S6 OHC Production 12,400

 

Registration Number JWV 833

 

MORRIS SET

 

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690377489...

 

The Morris Six MS was a six-cylinder midsize car made from 1948 to 1953. It was the company's first post war six-cylinder car. At launch the car was priced at £671 on the UK market.

 

The car was very similar to the 1948 Issigonis designed Morris Oxford series MO sharing the same bodyshell from the windscreen backwards. The bonnet was lengthened to take the overhead camshaft, single SU carburettor, 2215 cc six-cylinder engine which produced 70 bhp.

 

The whole car was longer than the Oxford with a wheelbase of 110 inches Suspension was independent at the front using torsion bars and at the rear there was a conventional live axle and semi elliptic springs. The steering was not by the rack and pinion fitted to the Oxford but used a lower geared Bishop Cam system. The 10 inches (250 mm) drum brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system.

 

Thanks for 20.5 Million views

 

Shot at the Catton Hall Transport Show, 5:5:2014 Ref: 98-187

«копейка» — советский заднеприводный легковой автомобиль с кузовом типа седан. Первая модель, выпущенная на Волжском автомобильном заводе.

На базе ВАЗ-2101 было создано так называемое «классическое» семейство автомобилей ВАЗ, находящееся на конвейере до настоящего времени.

За выпуск данной модели в мае 1972 года ВАЗу была вручена Международная премия «Золотой Меркурий». В 2000 году ВАЗ-2101 был назван лучшим российским автомобилем двадцатого века по результатам всероссийского опроса, проведённого журналом «За рулём». За все время производства (с 1970 по 1986 годы) Волжский автозавод дал жизнь почти 3 млн малолитражек «ВАЗ-2101». [1]

he VAZ-2101 is a compact ("small class" in Soviet classification) car, sedan, produced by AvtoVAZ and introduced in 1970. Better known as the Lada outside of its native Russia, it was a localized version of the Fiat 124 tailored for the Soviet and Eastern European market.

Known as the Zhiguli within the Soviet Union, the main differences between the VAZ-2101 and the Fiat 124 are the use of thicker gauge steel for the bodyshell, an overhead camshaft engine (in place of the original Fiat OHV unit), and the use of aluminium drum brakes on the rear wheels in place of disc brakes. Early versions of the car featured a starting handle for cranking the engine manually should the battery go flat in Siberian winter conditions, and an auxiliary fuel pump.

AvtoVAZ were forbidden from selling the car in competing markets alongside Fiat 124; however exports to Western European nations began in 1974 when the 124 was discontinued in favour of Fiat's newer 131 Mirafiori model. The 2101 was sold in export markets as the Lada 1200 and Lada 1300 until 1989; it was sold in the United Kingdom from May 1974, having been shown at the Motor Show the previous autumn, until the arrival of the Riva some 10 years later. It was the first Lada car to be sold in the United Kingdom.

A series of photographs documenting the release of GB Railfreight's Class 92, 92 044 "Couperin" from the Wabtec Brush works at Loughborough. 044 had spent exactly 14 months there for overhaul, reliability mods and new wheelsets. The assisting locomotive was a fellow Brush Traction machine, Class 60, 60 002 "Graham Farish 50th Anniversary 1970-2020".

 

The 60 had also been out of traffic for more than a year after a turbo fire. The Covid-19 pandemic had delayed repairs and then some additional mods were done as well as its immaculate repaint - the first GBRf loco repainted at DB Cargo's Toton depot.

 

This was the 60's first working for GBRf after its long spell in Toton and also its first run on the main line sporting its recently received new name commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Graham Farish.

 

This was also the first time two of GB Railfreight's Brush "cousins" - the Class 60 and Class 92 - had been together. The locos share a common bodyshell design, built by Procor in Wakefield, and have other similar components.

 

Potentially most historically of all, though - with the subsequent announcement the Brush Traction works are due to close by the end of the year - there's a good chance this was the last time a Class 60 will visit the place where the 100-strong class were built in 1989-1993.

 

GB's sole active grey 92 had lost its tunnel rings and Crewe Electric depot plaques whilst in Brush, but there are rumours of a new livery to come in due course. However, that won't be before it gets back to earning some coin for its owners (and DB!) with a brief visit to Crewe for a test run, before heading to Dollands Moor to resume tunnel duties.

 

60 002 ran from Toton as 0Z60 08:45 Toton TMD to Loughborough Brush, then moved 92 044 to Crewe ETD on 0Z61 09:58 Loughborough Brush to Crewe ETD, before the 60 then ran on solo to resume biomass duties on 0Z62 13:09 Crewe ETD to Tuebrook Sidings.

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Though filled with promise, sadly Triumph's tenure in cars was not meant to be after it had been ransacked by British Leyland and its poorly built TR7's. Here we have the end of their legacy, a 1984 Triumph Acclaim which slipped silently off the production line, no pomp, no ceremony, it disappeared out the door, taking the Triumph name with it.

 

Towards the end of the 1970's, British Leyland was in a state of absolute despair. Shoddy and dated car designs married to biblical unreliability meant the company was facing near meltdown, and obviously came to the conclusion that they needed someone else to take the helm before the ship properly sank. Enter the Japanese, more to the point, Honda!

 

Since the 1960's, the Japanese had shown the world that they can mass-produce reliable cars, and thus were raking in sales by the million as people turned from their flaky European models to the highly efficient Japanese alternatives. Desperate to stop their market being swept out from under them, European Manufacturers imposed heavy import taxes on Japanese imports so as to try and price them out of the market, which meant builders such as Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi were losing a fortune. The alternative past this blockade was to combine their efforts with some of the more struggling car companies of Europe so as to create hybrid cars.

 

And thus the Triumph Acclaim was born!

 

Based almost solely on the Honda Ballade, essentially all that differentiated it was the Triumph badge, and the fact that the car was built at the Cowley Plant near Oxford using the former production lines of the Austin Maxi. The intention largely was to replace the 10 year old Triumph Dolomite as the 4-door saloon of the company. Unlike the Ballade however, the car did come with much more luxury features as with a Triumph badge, the car was intended to be more higher market than the conventional Japanese equivalent. But most importantly, the car has the distinction of being the first truly reliable British Leyland car (and it only took them 12 years to get it right!)

 

Basically, the car's major components were built in Japan and shipped to Cowley, where they were placed into the locally built bodyshells. Build quality was very good too, with the leaky panels and rough ride seemingly absent, and holds the record for the fewest warranty claims on a British Leyland car. However, Japan may have shown Europe how to build a reliable car, but they didn't know how to build a car that didn't rust. Much like it's Japanese counterparts, the Acclaim rusted like crazy. In Japan this was seen as planned obsolescence, with the intention being that a new model would replace it in two or three years time. But in Britain, cars are built to last, with models going unchanged almost completely for years and even decades. Examples being the Mini, which didn't change in any way, shape or form between its launch in 1959 and its demise in 2000!

 

But still, despite the terrible rusting problem, the car's reliable nature resulted in 133,000 cars being sold, and became the first Triumph to be within the Top 10 highest selling cars since 1965. However, in the end the Acclaim's show of being a good, reliable car was merely a testbed for the variety of other Japanese style products British Leyland intended to push in the near future. After only 4 years of production, the Triumph Acclaim was shelved in 1984 along with many other British Leyland products such as the Austin Ambassador and the Morris Ital so as to rationalise the company into a small number of highly reliable machines based off the Triumph Acclaim's Japanese based success. From the Acclaim, the Rover 200 was a direct descendant, being based heavily on the next generation Honda Ballade, but also spurring from this plucky car was the mechanicals of the Austin Maestro and Montego.

 

The ending of Acclaim construction in 1984 also brought the end to the Triumph badge itself on motorcars. Although Triumph still exists on motorbikes, the car division has long since perished, together with Austin and Morris. As for the Acclaim itself, it is truly one of those rarities you won't find everyday. Today only 488 are left, which, although much more than the remaining Ital's and Ambassadors of the same period, is still a very low number. But even so, the Triumph Acclaim did show British Leyland how to make a reliable machine, even though it technically wasn't a British machine in the first place!

Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT (1964-66) Engine 1570cc S4 DOHC Producion 1000

Registration Number DRS 135 D

 

ALFA ROMEO SET

 

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759785842...

 

The Giulia Sprint GTC was a Cabriolet version of the Giulia produced in very limited numbers with a total production of around 1000, with only 99 for the British and South African market. Based on the Giulia Sprint GT with the Cabriolet conversion by Touring of Milan. Apart from the convertible top the model also has a black dashboard instead of the crackle grey of the GT.

To restore some of the bodyshell rigidity lost by removing the fixed roof and pillars, Carrozzeria Touring added reinforcement to several areas of the bodyshell. Through the production life of the model, several modifications to the reinforcement applied were made by Touring, apparently in an effort to improve the stiffening achieved.

Carrozzeria Touring was in financial trouble when the Giulia Spring GTC went into production. The company went out of business shortly after production of this model ended.

 

Thanks for 17.3 Million views

 

Shot at The Silverstone Classic 28th July 2013 Ref 95-021

Hopefully a quick, simple Christmas build. Looking to paint it a green shade that looks to be similar to Java Green.

 

I first built the TR7 kit over 40 years ago, just quickly threw it together with the bodyshell unpainted and details done with brush-painted Humbrol. Only the wheels survive and unused decals survive.

Class 92 number 92042 (works number BT1099) 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. 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.

 

According to Realtime Trains the route and timings were;

Dollands Moor Sidings .......0646.........0652.........6L

Ashford International T.......0700.........0702.........2L

Maidstone East [MDE] 1.......0733 1/2...0722........11E

Otford Junction[XOT]..........0818..........0819...........1L

Swanley [SAY] 1.....................0830.........0828........2E

St Mary Cray Junction.........0835.........0832.........3E

Bickley Junction[XLY]..........0836 1/2..0834........2E

Bromley South [BMS]...........0840.........0838 1/2...1E

Shortlands Junction.............0843.........0842.........1E

Bellingham [BGM].................0846 1/2..0844........2E

Nunhead [NHD] 1..................0855.........0854.........1E

Peckham Rye [PMR].............0859.........0856.........3E

Crofton Road Junction........0901.........0857..........4E

Denmark Hill [DMK] 1...........0902........0858.........4E

Voltaire Road Junction........0906 1/2..0902.........4E

Latchmere Junction.............0911 1/2....0908.........3E

Kensington Olympia 2.........0922........0914 1/2....7E

North Pole Junction.............0925........0918 1/2...6E

Mitre Bridge Junction..........0926 1/2..0921.........5E

Willesden West Londn Jn...0928.........0922........6E

Wembley Eur Frt Ops Ctr....0939.........0928........11E

 

395 009 Rebecca Adlington (Left)

395 022 (Right)

at St Pancras Station

 

British Rail Class 395 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) used by train operating company Southeastern for its services along High Speed 1 and onwards to the Kent coast.

The trains were built in Japan by Hitachi and shipped to the United Kingdom to operate new high speed domestic services.

The trains are among the fastest operating domestic service trains in the United Kingdom, capable of running at a maximum speed of 140 mph (225 km/h).

 

During the 2012 Summer Olympics, Class 395 trains will be used to provide the Javelin shuttle service for visitors to the Olympic Games' main venue in Stratford and so the name Javelin has become a common nickname.

 

An order worth £250 million was placed with Hitachi Europe for 28 high-speed ‘A-trains’ in 2004.

A twenty-ninth train was later added to the agreement in order to provide additional capacity.

 

The first train was delivered from Japan to Southampton Docks on 23 August 2007.

It was then hauled to Ashford in Kent for acceptance testing by Serco.

Three more trains were delivered in 2007, with the remainder of the fleet in 2008–2009.

The final unit arrived in Southampton on 17 August 2009.

 

The first of the trains to be delivered was present at the official opening of High Speed 1 and St Pancras station on 6 November 2007.

 

A regular service commenced on 13 December 2009, with 2 trains per hour serving Faversham via Chatham and Gravesend, and 2 trains per hour travelling to Ashford International, where 1 train continues on to Dover Priory, and the other to Margate via Canterbury West.

As of September 2011 extra services run in peak hours from London to Ebbsfleet and Maidstone West, and some Dover Priory trains are extended to Sandwich and Faversham trains to Broadstairs.

 

The trains run up to 140 mph (225 km/h) on High Speed 1, but are restricted to 100 mph (160 km/h) on the South Eastern classic main lines and are based at a £53m five-road depot south of Ashford International railway station in Ashford, Kent, with stabling also at Ramsgate and Faversham.

They are owned by HSBC Rail, and leased by Southeastern.

 

The Class 395 units incorporate design elements from Hitachi's A-Train family including friction stir welded aluminium bodyshells, as well as elements of the 400 Series mini-shinkansen's design, the bogies are derived from shinkansen bogies.

They are designed as true high-speed trains, capable of 225 km/h.

The cab designs bear a resemblance to the 885 series EMUs used on limited express services on Japan's narrow gauge network.

The units are dual voltage, able to operate on third rail 750V DC and 25kV AC 50 Hz overhead electrification systems.

 

The train is equipped with GPS positioning equipment and a database to calculate the train’s exact position.

The pressure-sealed doors on each car can only be opened with an exact alignment to the platform.

 

The 6-car trainsets consist of

2 Driving trailer cars each of length 20.65 metres (67.7 ft)

4 Standard motor cars of length 20.0 metres (65.6 ft)

 

In total the train is 121.8 metres (400 ft) long over the couplings.

The train is unusual for a high speed train in that the doors and vestibules are not set at the ends over the bogies as on most long-distance trains (e.g. Mk 4 carriages), but in order to reduce dwell times (i.e. the waiting time at the station) they are set at approximately ¼ and ¾ along the carriage, which allows for faster loading and unloading, like most commuter trains (e.g. Electrostar); this means that the ride quality for passengers sitting over the bogies is diminished (due to transmission of vibration through the floor), though the quality of track on High Speed 1 is relatively high and the trains will not be used at speed on other lines.

 

The 395 has internally-hung sliding pocket doors, rather than plug doors; this has meant the sacrifice of a smooth external profile.

The door system is identical to that in use on the Japanese Shinkansen or bullet train and has over 40 years of operational experience and development.

  

The Class 395's seating capacity is as follows: Each DPT (1) vehicle seats 28, has 12 tip up seats in the wheelchair parking area and one RVAR wheelchair accessible toilet, each MS vehicle (four per a six carriage EMU train) seats 66 and finally each DPT (2) vehicle seats 48 and has one standard toilet.

 

Unusually for a high speed passenger train, there is no first class accommodation.

In 1970 a new Taunus, the Taunus Cortina (TC), was introduced. Ford offered a two- or four-door sedan or a five-door station wagon/estate (identified like previous Taunus estates as the Turnier). Between 1970 and 1975, for the first Taunus TC, a fashionable fast-back coupé was also included in the Taunus range.

 

This model also formed the basis of the Cortina Mk.III, but with different door skins and rear wing pressings from the "coke-bottle" styling of the Cortina. In addition, there was never a Cortina III equivalent to the fast-back bodied Taunus TC coupé. The Taunus TC and Cortina Mk.III were both developed under the auspices of Ford of Europe, and most major components including key parts of the bodyshell were identical.

1 2 ••• 42 43 45 47 48 ••• 79 80