We don't make Muscle Cars. We make it easier for you to make Muscle Cars.

31307 bodyshell only at Doncaster Works 17/06/1984.

Porsche 911 Carrera RS (1973-74) Engine 2808cc Production 48

Race Number 31 James Bates

 

PORSCHE SET

 

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

 

The RS was built so that Porsche could enter racing formulae that demanded acertain number of road cars of the same specification were built for homologation purposes. The RS (Rennen Sport) was originally introduced with a 2687cc engine developing 210bhp with Bosch (Kugelfischer) MFI, revised and stiffened suspension, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, larger brakes, wider rear wheels and arches. In RS Touring form it weighed 1075 kg (2370 lb), 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 made to qualify for the vital FIA Group 4 class.

n 1974, Porsche created the Carrera RS 3.0 with K-Jetronic Bosch fuel injection producing 230 PS (169 kW).It was almost twice as expensive as the 2.7 RS but offered a fair amount of racing capability for that price. The chassis was largely similar to that of the 1973 Carrera RSR and the brake system was from the Porsche 917. The use of thin metal plate panels and a spartan interior enabled the shipping weight to be reduced to around 900 kg

 

49 Carrera RS cars were built with 2808 cc engines producing 300 PS (221 kW).

 

This car raced at Silverstone in the FIA Masters Historic Sports car Race

 

Thanks for 18.7 million views

 

Shot at The Silverstone Classic 28th July 2013 Ref 95-683

Still just about recognisable as the bodyshell of the French Peugeot J10 van of the 1980s, this Turkish version has an updated, BMC-esque, front panel, low floor behind the front axle and plug doors. Some examples had bonded glass, others were gasket glazed as shown here, Despite the Peugeot's sliding driver / passenger doors being replaced with conventional hinged doors, the retain the vertical handles of the original.

Ford Taunus TC Coupe (1972) Engine 1600cc S4

Registration Number WRV 346 K

In 1970 the new Taunus TC range was introduced in Europe. Very similar to the British Cortina Mk.III but without the coke bottle belt line. Both cars were developed by Ford of Europe and shared most components including key parts of the bodyshell. Developed under the code TC for Taunus,/Cortina. and conceived as a World Car by Ford.

The Coupe was only available on the Taunus and sold only in LHD markets.

Shot at the Classic and MPH Show, NEC, Birmingham 13.11.2010. Ref 66-109

Lancia Fulvia Sport (1967-76) Engine 1584cc V4 Production 134,035 (+ 6170 Sport models)

Registrtion Number TYD 888 M

LANCIA SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623795824232...

The Fulvia Coupe was originally launched in 1965 as a compact 2 dood, designed in house by Piero Castagnero with a shorter wheelbase than the Saloon and initially powered by a 1216cc, or 1231cc engine with 80bhp. Numerous versions followed powered by a variety of 1300 and 1600cc engines.

The Sport is a rebodied Coupe, with an aluminium bodyshell, the 1600 has an uprated 1584cc engine producing 115bhp, this version has electric front windows and was the fastest of the production Fulvia's with a top speed of 118mph

 

Shot taken 7:08:2011 at Prescot VSCC Hillclimb, Gothrington Ref: 77-442 .

The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car hand-built in the United Kingdom by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for an earlier car made between 1950 and 1957. The car broke with Jensen tradition by having a steel bodyshell instead of glass-reinforced plastic and by having the body designed by an outside firm, Carrozzeria Touring of Italy, rather than the in-house staff. The early bodies were Italian-built, by Vignale, before production by Jensen themselves began – with subtle body modifications – in West Bromwich.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

- - -

 

Der Jensen Interceptor war ein Sportwagen der GT-Klasse, den die britische Automobilmanufaktur Jensen zwischen 1966 und 1976 baute. Die Bezeichnung Interceptor hatte Jensen bereits 1950 für einen Vorgänger verwendet, der heute meist als Early Interceptor bezeichnet wird.

 

(Wikipedia)

Taken 04/03/19; I seem to fit into the minority asi find the Class 800s visually pleasing and quite like the green livery which I know many find dull. According to Wikipedia the Classs 800s are "... a type of electro-diesel train used in the United Kingdom, based on the Hitachi A-train design. They have been built by Hitachi since 2015. The first units entered service on the Great Western Main Line (GWML) in October 2017, and will enter service on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) from December 2018.

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

The Class 800 units are known as IETs (Intercity Express Trains), as part of the Intercity Express Programme (IEP). They have been named Azuma, meaning East in Japanese, by future operator Virgin Trains East Coast."

First Greater Western Limited, trading as Great Western Railway (GWR), is a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that operates the Greater Western railway franchise

1978 Range Rover with replacement 4-door bodyshell.

 

No DVLA records.

The spare Class 321 bodyshell, which is being used as a source of spares, is seen at Doncaster Works on 7th April 2015.

So after building my N Scale GE "shovel nose" White Pass & Yulon Route loco, I had to find a way of representing one of the Alco DL-535Es. I did it by converting an old Alco 420 bodyshell. The loco is an unpowered dummy that can work with its GE counterpart. I built the chassis from pastic card, mated to two three axle passenger trucks, originally silver but then painted black. In this scale (1:160) from most viewing distances you don't notice the trucks! At this point the model is awaiting some additional detailing, including its roof-mounted air horns. The real White Pass & Yukon Route is a narrow gauge (3ft) railway, based in Skagway, Alaska, but my models are standard gauge (4ft 8.5ins). Funnily enough, I only built the locos because I bought two White Pass passenger cars that are only available at their Skagway store. These are both Athearn standard gauge N Scale models, rather than Nn3 (which uses Z scale standards to represent 3ft narrow gauge railroads).

The Series 2 version of the 127 debuted in May 1977. It featured a restyled front and rear, a new dashboard (although almost identical in layout to that of the Series 1), larger rear side windows (using rear quarter pressings derived from those used on the Brazil market Fiat 147) and the option of the 1049 cc engine - uniquely for the 127 this was the five-bearing OHC "Brazil" 124 series engine from the 147 rather than the Fiat OHC unit from the 128. The tailgate was extended and now reached nearly to the rear bumper, addressing complaints about the high lip over which luggage had to be lifted for loading into the earlier 127 hatchbacks.

 

There was also a "high-cube" panel van version, known as the Fiorino which was based on the Series 2 bodyshell, and this remained in production until 1984, when a new Uno-based Fiorino debuted.

 

In Scandinavia and the Baltic nations it was particularly successful, and there are still many in circulation today.

From Bonham's catalogue:

 

Sold for £2,070 inc. premium

Footnotes

Its styling inspired by Raymond Loewy's Studebakers, an entirely new range of cars was introduced by the Rootes Group in the mid-1950s, the first arrival with this new look being the Sunbeam Rapier. A two-door sports saloon, the latter was announced in 1955, in advance of its Hillman and Singer siblings. Whitewall tyres and a chromed waistband dividing the two-tone colour scheme were obvious transatlantic influences, while the Rapier's pillar-less bodyshell and unique wind-down rear quarter window made for the ultimate in fresh-air motoring this side of a full convertible. Styling changes, mechanical improvements, and larger and more powerful engines were introduced as the Rapier progressed through Series I to V over the next ten years.

 

The Rapier played an important part in Rootes' competition programme, achieving some notable successes both in circuit races and on the 'rough stuff'. The car was first raced in Series I form in the 1956 Mille Miglia but rallying was its true forte, as demonstrated by an impressive tally of class wins and team awards extending into the 1960s. In 1958 Peter Harper finished 5th in the Monte and won the RAC Rally outright, while Paddy Hopkirk finished in 3rd place on the 1959 Alpine event. The Tour de France was another event in which the Rapier excelled, as exemplified by a commanding 1, 2, 3 class finish in 1962.

 

The overdrive-equipped Rapier offered here is an example of the Series IV, introduced in October 1963, which featured a more powerful version of the existing 1.5-litre engine and, from October 1964, an all-synchromesh gearbox. Other significant changes included 13" wheels and a diaphragm clutch. Owned by the current vendor for a number of years, '452 GYU' has been used periodically for rallies/shows and has been driven by his wife. Described as in generally good condition, with original interior, the car is offered with sundry bills, current MoT/tax and Swansea V5. A Holbay modified engine is the only notified deviation from factory specification.

Lot heading

1964 Sunbeam Rapier Series IV Saloon

Registration no. 452 GYU

Chassis no. B/3300791/OD/HHO

Engine no. B/3300791/OD/HHO

Fleet / Reg: 1057 (EFV 148)

Chassis: Leyland Royal Tiger

Body: Duple Roadmaster

Model: Much modified Dinky diecast from 1950's

Notes: Dinky bodyshell modified with Mark Hughes white metal wheelarch inserts, Boltons Bits window sliders and an EFE interior and chassis. Other changes include new lights and grill, new windscreens, new upper trim, thinned window pillars and added details. Ex Standerwick coach modelled in it's last couple of years with the Ribble main fleet..

 

Footnote: This model won the 'Best in show' title and trophy at the 2011 Crewe Model Bus Federation show.

The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland (BL) from 1973 until 1982. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti between 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent. The Allegro was designed as a replacement for the Austin 1100 and 1300 models.

 

It was built and sold by British Leyland alongside the hatchback Austin Maxi (launched in 1969) and the 1971 rear-wheel-drive Morris Marina. All three were eventually replaced by the Austin Maestro in 1983.

 

British Leyland used a saloon design for the Allegro rather than a hatchback, as the company had decided that the Austin Maxi should have a hatchback as its unique selling point.

 

The Allegro used front-wheel drive, with the familiar A-Series engine with a sump-mounted transmission. The higher-specification models used the SOHC E-Series engine from the Maxi, in 1500 cc and 1750 cc displacements. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300).

 

The Allegro was assembled by Innocenti in Italy where it was badged as the Innocenti Regent.

Stylistically, it went against the sharp-edged styling cues largely led by Italian designer Giorgetto Giugiaro that were becoming fashionable, and featured rounded panel work.

AUDI AGs high performance private subsidiary, creates even higher performance versions, known by their "RS" badging. The "RS" initials are taken from the German: RennSport - literally translated as "racing sport". RS is Audi's highest performance 'top-tier' trim level, positioned distinctly above the "S" ("Sport") specification level of Audi's regular model range.

Audi RS cars are some of the most powerful vehicles ever offered by Audi. The Audi RS6 5.0 TFSI quattro, for instance, is more powerful than the Audi S8 5.2 FSI quattro.

Available for limited time scales, on a restricted model range, these "RS" models are wholly designed, developed and produced in-house by Audi AG's high performance private subsidiary company, quattro GmbH, at its Neckarsulm factory, and usually have a wider bodyshell (sometimes informally referred to as 'widebody') to allow for a wider front- and rear-axle track.

All "RS" cars pioneer some of Audi's latest and most advanced technology and engineering prowess, therefore, "RS" cars could be described as "halo vehicles".

There used to be only one RS model in production at a time, but recently Audi has revised its politics and decided to make more than one RS model at a time, claiming that "customers want them, then why not give it to them"

950001 was built in 1987 using the same bodyshell as the Class 150/1 "Sprinter" units that were built from 1985-1986. It was originally classified as a Class 180 test unit, but since this designation is now used by the new First Great Western "Adelante" units, it has been reclassified into the departmental series. The unit is formed of two driving motor vehicles. Individual carriages numbered as follows: DM: 999600-999601

WH Davis site, Mansfield [UK], 7.2.2014

2. Generation Biomass Hopper

 

[D]: Hier wird ersichtlich, warum der Wagenhalter Drax Power Ltd. die Wagen mit Vinylfolien bekleben ließ: Die ersten Wagen wurden offensichtlich noch im unbehandelten Zustand "rostfreier Stahl" ausgeliefert....

 

[EN]: That is why the wagon keeper wanted the cars carrying these colourful vinyls: The first batch of Tafoos-biomass hopper were still delivered with the bodyshells in "pure stainless steel" condition...

CGS Hawke (1992-99) Engine 2993cc S4 Ford Production 115 approx

Registration Number NKR 665 W

 

GCS (Gary Colin Specialist) Cars was founded by partners Garry Hutton and Colin Puttock trading initially from Orpington, Kent, as part of a range of activities, they offered a ‘build service’ for customers of a variety of kit car manufacturers.

Their Hawke sportscar was developed in the early 1990s as a two door open top sportscar that bore a striking resembleance to the Morgan Plus 8though there are no common parts, unlike the Morgan which has an ash frame the Hawke has a one piece GRP bodytub with integral floor to which the nosecone, front wings, rear wheel arches, doors, bonnet, and windscreen are added. It was designed to accept Ford Cortina / Sierra donor vehicle running parts and this led to the bodyshell and wings being considerably wider than the plus 4 Morgan.

Early models used the Ford Cortina as donor for engine, gearbox, electrics, front and rear axles and suspension components. Kits were adapted to meet customer requirements and to take a variety of Ford engines, plus the Rover V8 and others, such as the Nissan 2.8 litre straight 6 and Fiat 2000. Continuous improvement saw the introduction of the Sierra as the donor vehicle with kit specific suspension components, wider wings, the use of Gel Coat on some kits and the introduction of Roll Bars to help meet SVA requirements and improve safety. With the introduction of Sierra based models, the +2 variant was quietly dropped.

 

CGS ceased trading in 1999, following the onset of ill health to one of the partners and the production rights, associated equipment and order book were sold to Jim Dudley of Tiger Racing. Despite input from Colin Puttock, to ensure a smooth transition of production, Tiger manufactured only a handful of vehicles before the model did not sit well with Tigers other products, In August 2003 Paul Chapman and Richard Laking of LCD purchased the Hawke project, but, after an enthusiastic start incorporating a number of improvements, notably the adaption of the kit to take the Ford Zetec range of engines, production stalled and no new kits have been produced since 2007.

 

Thanks for 19.1 million views

 

Shot at the VSCC Hillclimb, Prescot, Gloucestershire 03:08:2013 Ref 95a-889

 

Subsequent to the launch of the Mazda MX-5 in 1989, British Motor Heritage (by then owned by Rover Group) had placed the MGB bodyshell back in production to serve the MGB restoration market. The decision was taken by Rover in 1991 to create an updated MGB model. The suspension was only slightly updated, sharing the leaf spring rear of the MGB. The boot lid and doors were shared with the original car, as were the rear drum brakes. The engine was the 3.9-litre version of the aluminium Rover V8, similar to the one previously used in the MGB GT V8. A limited-slip differential was also fitted. The MG RV8 debuted at the British International Motor Show in October 1992.

 

The interior featured veneered burr elm woodwork and Connolly leather.

 

The engine produced 190 bhp (142 kW) at 4,750 rpm, achieving 0–60 mph (96 km/h) in 5.9 seconds. Largely due to the rear drum brakes and rear leaf springs, the RV8 was not popular with road testers. The high price of the car put it in direct competition with contemporary rivals from specialist manufacturers such as TVR which offered modern technology and a more up to date driving experience.

 

A large proportion of the limited MG RV8 production went to Japan – 1,579 of the 1,983 produced. Three-hundred and thirty RV8s were sold initially in the UK. Several hundred (possibly as many as 700) of these cars were reimported back to the UK and also Australia between 2000–2010 with a peak number of 485 registered at the DVLA in the UK. Several sources consider this a continuation of the MGB model.

BMW H2R

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BMW H2R

 

The BMW H2R ("Hydrogen Record Car") is one of the first of a new breed of racecars adapted to run on liquid hydrogen fuel. Conceived and developed in the relatively short time of 10 months, it has set nine international speed records at the Miramas Proving Grounds in France.

 

The H2R’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine, which draws on BMW's Valvetronic and Double-VANOS technology, is based on the 760i’s gasoline-fueled powerplant. This H2-powered high performer generates 232 horsepower (173 kW), helping it to achieve a top speed of over 187.62 mph (302 km/h).

 

[edit] Technical data

 

On the high-speed track at Miramas the BMW H2R set nine international and FIA-ratified records with hydrogen combustion engines.

 

* Maximum speed: 300.175 km/h (186.52 mph)

* Engine: twelve-cylinder hydrogen concept engine

* Nominal engine power: 982 bhp (732 kW)

* Bodyshell: aluminium space frame structure

* Outer shell: carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic

* Vehicle dimensions: 5.40 metres (212.6 in) long, 2.01 metres (79.1 in) wide, 1.34 metres (52.8 in) high

* Vehicle weight including driver: 1560 kg (3439 lb)

* Drag coefficient (cw): 0.21

 

[edit] Records

Record Time (s) Speed

Flying-start kilometre 11.99 187.62 mph (301.95 km/h)

Flying-start mile 19.91 181.85 mph (292.66 km/h)

Standing-start 1/8 kilometre 9.92 45.62 mph (73.42 km/h)

Standing-start 1/4 kilometre 14.93 60.62 mph (97.56 km/h)

Standing-start 1/2 mile 17.27 65.15 mph (104.85 km/h)

Standing-start mile 36.73 98.60 mph (158.68 km/h)

Standing-start 10 miles (16 km) 221.05 163.81 mph (263.63 km/h)

Standing-start kilometre 26.56 84.72 mph (136.34 km/h)

Standing-start 10 kilometre 146.41 153.90 mph (247.68 km/h)

A nice old Lada 1200 parked in our street, June 2013.

 

Egy szép régi Zsiguli Hódmezővásárhelyen, 2013. júniusában.

 

Lada 1200, officially VAZ-2101 is a compact sedan car produced by AvtoVAZ from 1970 to 1989. VAZ was founded in the mid-1960s as a collaboration between Fiat and the Soviet government, and the 2101 was its first product. 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. 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 Fiat's 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 was 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 model. The 2101 was sold in export markets as the Lada 1200, Lada 1300 and Lada 1200S until 1989.

Porsche 993 (911) Carrera 4S Auto (1993-98) Engine 3600cc Flat 6

Registration Number H 5 AOB (Cherished number originally allocated for issue circa 1990 from Birmingham)

PORSCHE ALBUM

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

 

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

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

 

Diolch am 81,780,197 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

 

Thanks for 81,780,197 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

 

Shot 05.06.2021. at Bicester Heritage Centre, Bicester, Oxon. 146-130

.

    

Fleet / Reg: SELNEC 6367 (GEN 217)

Chassis: Leyland PD3/6 Titan

Body: MCW 'Orion'

Model: Alkit hand built model

Notes: Ex Bury Transport prototype. Rare acquisition for a municipal operator as these had platform doors. Hand made bodyshell from light metal with resin parts.

 

Very proud that this model picked up second prize in class at the Model Bus Federation AGM Show.

This image was taken during the Prodrive Factory Openday in Banbury in 2006. This picture is of a Subaru Impreza WRC car bodyshell and where the rear seats should be.

From Bonham's Catalogue:

 

Sold for £24,150 inc. premium

Footnotes

The first significant up-grade of Jaguar's sensational E-Type sports car occurred in October 1964 with the launch of a 4.2-litre version. Along with the bigger, torquier engine came a more user-friendly gearbox with synchromesh on first gear, and a superior Lockheed brake servo. Apart from '4.2' badging, the car's external appearance was unchanged but under the skin there were numerous detail improvements, chiefly to the electrical and cooling systems, and to the seating arrangements. The top speed of around 150mph remained unchanged, the main performance gain resulting from the larger engine being improved acceleration. Like its 3.8-litre forbear, the 4.2-litre E-Type was built in roadster and coupé forms, and in 1966 gained an additional 'family friendly' 2+2 coupé variant on a longer wheelbase. With the increased length and rear seats came greater headroom, more luggage space, improved heating/ventilation, and optional automatic transmission.

 

Proposed changes to the USA's safety and emissions legislation prompted the revised Series 2, announced in October 1968, and from late 1967 the E-Type began to embody some of the forthcoming modifications, these interim cars coming to be known as the 'Series 1½' although there was never a fixed specification for this unofficial 'model'. The headlight fairings were deleted and enlarged side/rear lights adopted, while a thickened front bumper centre section bridged a larger radiator intake. Interior changes included a collapsible steering column and rocker switches in place of the earlier toggles.

 

Manufactured in 1968 during this transitional period, this 'Series 1½' 2+2 Coupé was purchased by the vendor in 1994 as a non-runner, having previously had only two recorded keepers. 'ULR 564F' was subsequently rebuilt, its owner's aim being the creation of a practical and reliable Gran Turismo suitable for Continental touring. Works carried out include stripping and bead-blasting the bodyshell; welding in a new driver's floor and boot floor; and repairing the rear wings (see photographs on file). An all-new bonnet was fitted, Dinitrol anti-rust treatment applied and the car repainted around 1998. The wiring loom and brake lines have been renewed and the suspension rebuilt with Koni dampers and new springs. Believed previously rebuilt, the engine benefits from overhauled carburettors and is said to display good oil pressure and even cylinder compression readings. Other noteworthy features include Coopercraft brakes, a manual overdrive gearbox (replacing the original automatic), inertia reel seat belts, Porsche seats, MotoLita steering wheel, high-intensity headlights and a heavy-duty radiator with twin fans.

 

The 2+2 body affords greater headroom and easier ingress/egress for taller drivers, and this one is fitted with a Webasto sliding sunroof and has been re-trimmed. The cramped rear seats have been dispensed with, enabling the useful extension of the luggage platform (ideal for bringing the odd case or two of wine back from the Continent) beneath which there is a concealed cubby hole. Driven fewer than 1,000 miles since the completion of its re-commissioning in October 2010, this sensibly upgraded E-Type is described as in generally very good condition and offered with sundry restoration invoices, current MoT/tax and Swansea V5 registration document.

Lot heading

1968 Jaguar E-Type 4.2-Litre 2+2 Coupé

Registration no. ULR 564F

Chassis no. 1E51276BW

Engine no. 7E 54991-9

I had never heard of the 228 model but this is apparently one of only four in the UK. It was created to replace the Kyalami and had a two-door bodyshell on the longer wheelbase of the Quattroporte, the designation meaning 2 doors and 2.8 litres.

I spotted this unique Volkswagen camper in East Brewton, Alabama.

 

The cab is made from the front of a T1 van. The camper is made from a T3 Westfalia bodyshell. This vehicle is powered by a modern, rear-mounted, VW TDI diesel engine. The owner says the camper body can be removed and the vehicle can be used as a flat-bed truck.

1/32 slot car Vauxhall Viva HA track car c.1966. Modified & lowered Airfix bodyshell and modified Scalextric chassis with a Mabuchi motor.

Rover Metro S (1990-94) Engine 1118cc S4

Registration Number J 650 OPC

ROVER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623690660271...

In 1987 the Austin marque was shelved but the Metro continued in production without a marque badge just badges of the model and badges the same shape as that of Rover.

The Metro was revised and fitted with new engines for 1990 and relaunched as the Rover Metro, all models used bought in Peugeot gearboxes and the Hydrogas suspension was modified to improve ride and handling. A new body was designed and a mock up built before cancellation by Chairman Graham Day, because then owners British Aerospace had refused funds. The previous bodyshell was retained with new plastic front and rear bumpers, new front wings, rear lights, boot lid, bonnet and head lights. The interior was revamped and build quality improved.

The car was further redesigned for 1994 as the Rover 100

Not sure what all those stickers on the wings are all about.

Shot at the Catton Park Transport Show 01.05.2011 Ref 66-256

 

Plese don't forget to visit the Flag Counter on my Profile page. Thankyou

1/32 resin slot car Ford Zephyr mk2 1960 Monte Carlo rally driven by Gordon Alfred King & Colin Sproxton to 40th place. Modified PSR resin body kit, PCS32 chassis and MRRC wheels/inserts/tyres.

FORD ESCORT MEXICO SHOOTING BRAKE

Date of first registration 15 February 1973

Year of manufacture 1972

Cylinder capacity (cc) 1601cc

Fuel type PETROL

Export marker No

 

Originally, there were three prototype MK1 Mexico estates built at Ford's AVO factory (PGU 97K, YNO 14L and VEV 678L). They were all made in 1972 although, in 1974, one of them (VEV 678L) returned and was changed into an RS2000 estate. The cars bodyshells were strengthened in a similar way to their rallying relations and everything ahead of the doors matched the sporting specifications of the saloon cars on which they were based. The rear end, however, was constructed from the more ordinary estate panels although beneath the surface there was the proper Mexico/RS2000 running gear.

Unfortunately, the cars never went into full production. They reached the press evaluation stage but went no further as the project was shelved.

All three cars are still in road going state, and can seen at shows in the UK.

*Info gleamed from RS2 Online website.

 

Latest release from Corgi Vanguards.

One of two ex-works rally Golfs sold by David Sutton Motorsport to be turned into BTCC contenders, the car modelled was purchased by the then 23 year old James Shead and his famous yacht designer father Don. The bodyshell retained its distinctive VW livery but was completely rebuilt by John Maguire Racing for James who, in his debut BTCC season, impressed all with his fast, consistent and crash free driving. He scored class victories at Thruxton and Silverstone plus a double at Donington and, while Scottish rival Andrew Jeffrey in the other ex-works Golf also won Class C in 4 of the 13 races, Winchester lad Shead claimed the Championship by 4 points.

Estimated : € 6.000 - 10.000

Sold for € 44.548

 

The Renault Icons

Auction - Artcurial

Renault Manufacture

Flins-sur-Seine

Aubergenville - France

December 2025

 

- Replica inspired by the runner-up in the 1989 Supertouring Championship

- Displayed at the 1991 Bangkok Motor Show

 

Started in 1976, the Production, then Superproduction and Supertouring Championship quickly became very popular as the saloons competing looked similar to the standard production versions. In 1987, Renault decided to enter it with its newly introduced 21 Turbo. Totally modified, the car received a partly tubular chassis, a lighter body, four-wheel drive and an engine prepared by Sodemo, taking its power from 175 to 430 bhp. Driven by Jean Ragnotti and Jean-Louis Bousquet, the R21 brazenly dominated the 1988 season, Ragnotti winning the title and the two drivers together notching up six wins over the ten rounds that year.

The following year, changes to the regulations led to the engine being installed longitudinally rather than transversely. The car was no longer in Renault’s colours but those of Philips Car Stereo, and despite a difficult start to the season, it finished as the runner-up with 11 pole positions out of 14.

 

The car offered today is a display model inspired by car number 21 from the 1988 season, with a stripped-out steel bodyshell, roll cage, bucket seat and the running gear from a standard R21. It was displayed at the 1991 Bangkok Motor Show before joining the collection at a very early stage. With no engine, it represents an absolutely spectacular show car for any Supertouring fan.

The vehicles seen in this video comprise:

 

5O87 (Derby Railway Technical Centre - Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings) - Class 37 37884 'Cepheus' hauling Mk. 2a Brake First Corridor (BFK) Barrier Vehicle 6330 and Mk. 2a Brake Open Second (BSO) Barrier Vehicle 6346, with 37800 'Cassiopeia' at the rear of the formation.

 

1Q99 (Derby RTC - Shireoaks - Derby RTC) - Class 43 43303 hauling Mk. 2f Tourist Open Second (TSO) 5995, Class 488 Trailer Second Open Lavatory (TSOL) 72639, Departmental Coaching Stock 977974, and Mk. 2f TSO 6122, with 43301 at the rear of the formation.

 

0Z95 (Loughborough Brush - Chaddesden Sidings) - Class 43s 43465 and 43480 running Light Locomotive.

 

1Q90 (Derby RTC - London Liverpool Street) - Class 37 37421 hauling Mk. 2d Brake Second Open (BSO) 9481, Class 488 TSOLs 72612 and 72631, and Mk. 1 Generator Van 6262, with 37254 'Cardiff Canton' at the rear.

 

6M72 (Grain Oil Terminal GBRf - Sinfin Sidings GBRf) - Class 66 66686 'Joanne' hauling nine Bogie Tank Wagons (seen twice on two separate days).

 

0Z01 (Rectory Colwick TMD - Derby) - Class 60s 60099 'Ben More Assynt' and 60022 'Ingleborough' operating Light Locomotive.

 

0D20 (Leicester Locomotive Inspection Point - Derby Litchurch Lane) - Class 47 47727 'Caisteal Dhùn Èideann' ['Edinburgh Castle'] operating Light Locomotive (seen twice on two separate days; the headcode on the second occasion was 0D32).

 

2Q32 (Derby - Down Trent Loop via St Andrew's Siding) - Class 153 153311 (VIU 1) on track testing work.

 

1F35 (London St Pancras - Sheffield) - Class 222 'Meridian' 222023.

 

7X18 (Doncaster Up Decoy - Toton North Yard) - Class 69 69006 'John E Cronin' hauling a rake of empty IFA wagons.

 

0R59 (Loughborough Brush - Derby RTC) - Class 37 37501 'Teeside Steelmaster' running Light Locomotive.

 

The railway vehicles represented here span more than six decades of British railway history, from a 1950s Mk1 carriage to locomotives and multiple units built in the twenty-first century. Their individual histories are unusually varied, encompassing British Rail, the private freight companies created by railway privatisation, specialist leasing companies, charter operators, Network Rail's research fleet, international infrastructure work and, in several cases, remarkable rebuilds which have given vehicles a second or even third life.

 

The industrial history behind them is equally varied. Their construction took place at some of the most important railway factories in Britain and Europe, including the English Electric Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows, Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn's works at Darlington, British Rail's Derby Carriage Works, Crewe Works, Metro-Cammell's works at Washwood Heath in Birmingham, Brush's works at Loughborough, BREL Doncaster, Electroputere at Craiova in Romania, General Motors Electro-Motive Division's factory at London, Ontario, and Bombardier's plant at Bruges in Belgium.

 

Class 37 37884 “Cepheus” has a particularly interesting industrial pedigree because, unlike several of the other Class 37s represented here, it was not built at English Electric's Vulcan Foundry. It was constructed by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn Ltd at Darlington, one of Britain's great nineteenth- and twentieth-century locomotive-building centres. The Darlington works had its roots in the Stephenson tradition and, by the twentieth century, had become one of the principal manufacturers of steam and diesel locomotives. The company was absorbed into English Electric's wider manufacturing interests during the period in which the Class 37s were being constructed.

 

37884 entered service on 7 November 1963 as D6883, with works number E3361/8404, and subsequently became 37183 under the 1970s TOPS renumbering scheme. It was later rebuilt into the Class 37/7 configuration, intended principally for heavy freight work, and became 37884 in November 1988. Its early BR career was followed by a period in which the locomotive passed through the increasingly complex ownership arrangements of the post-BR railway.

 

After withdrawal it was acquired by Europhoenix, the specialist locomotive company which has done much to return former BR diesel locomotives to useful main-line careers. It subsequently became associated with Rail Operations Group and was named “Cepheus”. Its tightlock coupling equipment has been especially useful because much modern specialist rolling stock cannot simply be coupled to a conventional locomotive. It has therefore become a regular performer on test trains, stock movements, engineering trains and occasional passenger or charter workings.

 

The history of 37884 is an excellent example of the way in which a locomotive designed in the early 1960s has remained relevant through successive changes in railway technology. Its career has encompassed a Darlington-built English Electric Type 3, a TOPS Class 37/1, a heavy-freight Class 37/7 and finally a twenty-first-century specialist locomotive.

 

Class 37 37800 “Cassiopeia” was constructed much closer to the traditional English Electric heartland. It began life as D6843 at the Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows, on the western edge of the Lancashire/Cheshire industrial area. The Vulcan Foundry had been founded in the nineteenth century and became one of the world's major locomotive factories. By the 1950s and 1960s it was one of English Electric's principal centres for diesel-electric locomotive production. The works subsequently disappeared as a locomotive-building site, but its name survives prominently in the history of British diesel traction.

 

D6843 entered traffic on 29 May 1963 and was initially allocated to Cardiff Canton. Under TOPS it became 37143. Its career was far from uneventful. During the 1960s it spent several years in Scotland, working from depots including Polmadie and Eastfield, before returning to South Wales. In January 1975, while departing Marine Colliery with a coal train for Llanwern steelworks, 37143 ran through incorrectly set trap points, passed through the stop block and descended an embankment. The locomotive came to rest near the River Ebbw and remained there for approximately six months before eventually being recovered.

 

After further depot changes, 37143 entered Crewe Works in 1986 for Heavy General Overhaul. Crewe Works, in Cheshire, was one of the great railway manufacturing complexes of Britain. Established by the Grand Junction Railway in the nineteenth century and subsequently absorbed into the London & North Western Railway, it became one of British Rail's principal locomotive and rolling-stock works. It remained a major centre for diesel locomotive rebuilding long after new locomotive construction had largely moved elsewhere.

 

The 1986 rebuilding transformed 37143 into 37800. It received substantial electrical and mechanical attention, including a GEC G564AZ alternator, and became a Class 37/8 locomotive. It later carried the name “Glo Cymru”. Its career then became unusually international. It was sent to France in 1999 for infrastructure work, returned to Britain in 2000, and was sent to Spain in 2001, where it was operated by GIF and carried the identity L025 and later L33. After approximately eleven years in Spain it returned to Britain in 2012, was acquired by Europhoenix and underwent overhaul before returning to traffic in May 2016.

 

It subsequently became a Rail Operations Group locomotive and was named “Cassiopeia”. It has since worked unit transfers, test trains and specialist movements across the national network. A locomotive which started life at Newton-le-Willows in 1963 consequently spent part of its existence in France and Spain before returning to Britain as a modern railway-operations locomotive.

 

Class 37 37421 has the same English Electric Vulcan Foundry ancestry. It began life as D6967, works number E3527/D956, entering service in February 1965. The Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows was then still one of the principal manufacturing centres for the English Electric Type 3 fleet. Under TOPS the locomotive became 37267, and in December 1985 it entered Crewe Works for conversion to Class 37/4 form, emerging as 37421.

 

The Class 37/4 rebuilds were particularly important because they adapted the versatile Type 3 for passenger work. The locomotives received equipment suitable for electric train heating and regional passenger operation and consequently became closely associated with services in Scotland, Wales and elsewhere. 37421 carried a succession of names during its passenger career, including “Strombidae”, “Star of the East” and “The Kingsman”.

 

It was eventually withdrawn in 2009 and sold to the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway for preservation. Its story might have ended there, but Colas Rail subsequently acquired it and returned it to main-line operation. It has since been employed on engineering trains, Network Rail test workings and driver-training duties. Its passage from Vulcan Foundry-built BR locomotive to passenger locomotive, preserved exhibit and finally modern engineering locomotive demonstrates the extraordinary adaptability of the Class 37 design.

 

Class 37 37254 “Cardiff Canton” was also constructed at the Vulcan Foundry, although slightly later. It began life as D6954, works number 3511/D942, and was accepted by British Railways on 5 January 1965. Its early allocation was to Cardiff Canton, the South Wales depot which would ultimately provide the inspiration for its later name.

 

Unlike 37421 and the 37/7s, 37254 remained fundamentally a Class 37/0. It worked freight and passenger trains over a very wide area, including Wales, the West Country and the London Midland Region. It was also used as a banking locomotive on the Lickey Incline and became involved in a number of notable passenger and rescue workings.

 

After withdrawal in 1999, 37254 entered preservation. It was restored by the 37254 Locomotive Group at the Spa Valley Railway and subsequently returned to the national network. It has since become a Colas Rail locomotive and has been particularly useful on Network Rail's infrastructure-testing fleet. Its current work brings it into contact with many of the former passenger coaches described here, now converted into highly specialised inspection vehicles.

 

Class 37 37501 “Teeside Steelmaster” has perhaps the most complicated history of all the Class 37s in this collection. It began as D6705, entering British Rail service in January 1961. The locomotive was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry, making it one of the earliest members of the production series represented here.

 

D6705 became 37005 under TOPS. In 1986 it underwent a major rebuilding programme which transformed it into Class 37/5 specification. The work included replacement of its original English Electric generator with a Brush alternator and a complete rewiring. It emerged as 37501 and was painted in the distinctive pale-blue British Steel livery associated with Thornaby and the Teesside steel industry. It was named “Teesside Steelmaster” in 1987 and became one of the best-known locomotives of the British Steel fleet.

 

The locomotive was subsequently selected for the proposed Nightstar international sleeper project. It was extensively modified and renumbered 37601 in 1995 as a Class 37/6. Nightstar was intended to operate international overnight passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, but the project was cancelled before the locomotives could perform their intended role.

 

The locomotive consequently passed into Direct Rail Services ownership and acquired the name “Class 37 – Fifty” in 2010 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Class 37. It later operated as “Perseus” under Europhoenix ownership. In 2025 it returned to the identity 37501 and was repainted in a modern recreation of its famous British Steel appearance, again carrying “Teeside Steelmaster”. It remains in specialist main-line service, undertaking stock movements, testing and standby duties.

 

The career of D6705/37005/37501/37601 is therefore almost a miniature history of the Class 37 itself: original Type 3 locomotive, TOPS Class 37/0, heavy-freight rebuild, steel-industry locomotive, experimental international sleeper locomotive, Direct Rail Services machine, Europhoenix specialist locomotive and finally a recreation of its celebrated British Steel identity.

 

The Mk2 coaches in these formations were products of another important Derby industrial tradition. British Rail's Derby Carriage Works, at Litchurch Lane, was one of the principal centres of British railway carriage construction. Derby's railway manufacturing history stretched back to the nineteenth century, when the Midland Railway established its locomotive and carriage works there. The site subsequently became part of the LMS, British Railways and later British Rail Engineering Limited. Large numbers of Mk1 and Mk2 coaches were constructed at Derby, making the city one of the most important locations in the history of British passenger rolling stock.

 

Mk2a BFK 6330 began life as E14084, a Brake First Corridor coach built at BR Derby in August 1968 to Lot 30786. It was therefore originally a conventional first-class locomotive-hauled passenger coach, complete with the brake compartment necessary for the guard and luggage.

 

Its first major transformation came surprisingly early. By 1977 it had been transferred into departmental stock and designated HST barrier vehicle CDB975629. It was subsequently renumbered 6330 in 1990. Its role as an HST barrier coach allowed incompatible stock to be coupled safely in formations involving High Speed Train power cars.

 

The conversion gave a conventional Derby-built first-class coach a completely new existence. It eventually became associated with stock movements involving HSTs, particularly during the withdrawal and storage of HST fleets. It has therefore survived long after the passenger railway for which it was built disappeared.

 

Mk2a BSO 6346 began life as 9422, a Brake Second Open coach. Like 6330, it was subsequently converted into an HST barrier vehicle. The Mk2a BSO fleet was constructed during the late 1960s, with Derby forming an important part of the manufacturing programme. In its original passenger form, 9422 would have worked in conventional locomotive-hauled formations, providing second-class seating together with a brake compartment.

 

As 6346 it became part of the HST barrier fleet and later entered specialist departmental use. Its modern career has included engineering and test-train formations rather than passenger service, providing another example of the way in which British Rail's passenger coaches were progressively absorbed into the engineering railway.

 

Mk2d BSO 9481 belongs to the next generation of Derby-built air-conditioned coaches. The Mk2d vehicles were constructed at Derby from 1971 onwards and represented an important development of the Mk2 concept. Air conditioning allowed the traditional opening windows of earlier Mk2 vehicles to be eliminated, giving passengers a quieter and more controlled environment.

 

9481 eventually left conventional passenger service and became a Network Rail specialist vehicle. It is now associated with the test-train fleet and has served as support accommodation within formations containing infrastructure-inspection equipment. Its modern designation includes Radio Survey Coach duties, and it has travelled extensively across Britain.

 

Mk2f TSO 5995 was constructed at Derby in 1973–74 as part of Lot 30860. The Mk2f was the final major development of the Mk2 design and incorporated numerous refinements over the earlier variants. 5995 began as an ordinary Tourist Second Open coach, designed for long-distance locomotive-hauled passenger service.

 

Its later career took it into the Cargo-D/DRS specialist fleet and subsequently into Network Rail's test-train stock. In 2021 it was transferred to Network Rail alongside a group of other Mk2f coaches, including 6122. The vehicles received retention-tank toilets to make them more suitable for long-distance test-train work. 5995 consequently moved from passenger accommodation into the infrastructure-testing railway.

 

Mk2f TSO 6122 has a closely related history. It was also built to Lot 30860 at Derby in 1973–74. During its passenger career it became associated with specialist operations including Wessex Trains and later the Cargo-D/DRS fleet. It was used on charter trains as well as normal specialist passenger formations.

 

In 2021 it joined Network Rail's test fleet with several other Mk2f coaches. The transfer represented a final change of purpose: a coach originally designed to carry passengers on British Rail's inter-city network became a staff and support vehicle for railway inspection.

 

Class 488 TSOL 72612 began life as Mk2f TSO 6156, another Derby-built coach from Lot 30860. Its first life was therefore as conventional locomotive-hauled passenger stock. Its second was far more unusual. It was converted into a trailer for the Gatwick Express Class 488 electric multiple-unit fleet.

 

The Class 488 fleet was formed from converted Mk2 coaches, giving otherwise conventional locomotive-hauled vehicles an entirely new existence in the electrified commuter railway. The coaches operated between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport, forming part of a dedicated high-speed airport service.

 

After the Class 488 fleet ceased to be required for passenger work, its vehicles were acquired for departmental purposes by Railtrack and subsequently Network Rail. 72612 became a specialist survey vehicle, including radio-survey and test-train duties. It thus progressed from Derby-built Mk2f passenger coach to Gatwick Express electric trailer and finally to infrastructure-testing vehicle.

 

Class 488 TSOL 72631 began as Mk2f TSO 6096 and followed the same route through Gatwick Express. Its later conversion was particularly significant because it became PLPR1, the first of Network Rail's Plain Line Pattern Recognition vehicles.

 

PLPR uses high-resolution imaging equipment to record the railway continuously while the train is moving. Software can identify potential anomalies such as damaged sleepers, missing fastenings and other defects, allowing the results to be examined by railway engineers. The system greatly reduces reliance on purely visual patrols and turns an old passenger coach into a sophisticated mobile inspection laboratory.

 

72631 remains in use on Network Rail test trains, travelling over routes throughout Britain. Its original Derby construction, Gatwick Express career and modern PLPR role make it one of the clearest examples of the technological transformation of former passenger stock.

 

Class 488 TSOL 72639 began as Mk2f TSO 6070, also built at Derby in 1973. Its Gatwick Express conversion gave it a second life as an electric multiple-unit trailer, after which it entered Network Rail's departmental fleet.

 

It subsequently became another Plain Line Pattern Recognition vehicle, PLPR4. Its equipment allows it to undertake automated inspection of the railway in a manner quite unimaginable when the original coach was built. The vehicle therefore represents three distinct railway eras: 1970s inter-city passenger travel, 1980s/1990s airport express operation and twenty-first-century digital railway inspection.

 

Departmental vehicle 977974 has another remarkable Derby story. It began life as Mk2 coach 5854, a Mk2e TSO completed at Derby in December 1972 to Lot 30844. Unlike the conventional passenger coaches which later became test vehicles, 5854 entered specialist use comparatively early.

 

It became “Lab 5” with AEA Technology and was used for railway research. It subsequently formed part of the experimental “yellow banana” HST formations and was involved in work connected with alternative HST propulsion concepts. It was also associated with experimental hybrid HST development.

 

The vehicle was later converted for work connected with the European Rail Traffic Management System. It was intended to operate with Class 97/3 locomotives during ERTMS testing and was subsequently returned to locomotive-hauled configuration rather than remaining a conventional HST trailer.

 

Today 977974 is a Network Rail Track Inspection Coach. It continues to operate from the Railway Technical Centre at Derby and has been recorded on test workings as recently as 2026. Its history makes it more akin to a mobile laboratory than a conventional railway carriage.

 

Mk1 Generator Van 6262 provides a link to an even earlier generation of railway manufacturing. It began life as BG 81064, a Mk1 Brake Gangwayed vehicle constructed by Metro-Cammell to Lot 30228 in May 1957.

 

Metro-Cammell's works were at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The company had developed from the Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Company and became one of Britain's most important builders of railway carriages and multiple units. Its Washwood Heath works survived for many decades and produced an enormous variety of passenger vehicles, including coaches, diesel multiple units and later advanced railway vehicles.

 

81064 was originally a conventional luggage and brake vehicle. It was subsequently renumbered 92028 in 1983 and 92928 in 1992. In 2003 it was converted into Generator Van 6262.

 

The conversion gave the 1957 vehicle an entirely new purpose. Instead of carrying luggage and providing brake accommodation, it became a mobile source of electrical power for specialist Network Rail trains. It has worked alongside many of the former Mk2 vehicles now used for inspection, research and testing. A coach designed during the early years of British Rail has consequently become part of an advanced twenty-first-century railway laboratory.

 

Class 43 power car 43301 began life as 43101, constructed at Crewe Works in 1978. The HST power cars were among the most important products of the later British Rail manufacturing era. Crewe's immense works, descended from the London & North Western Railway establishment, was by then a major centre for locomotive construction, repair and rebuilding.

 

43101 entered service in October 1978 as part of the first generation of production HST power cars. It initially formed part of the Eastern Region fleet and subsequently moved between Western and CrossCountry pools as the national HST network evolved.

 

It was eventually stored at MOD Bicester in 2003. Its career appeared to be finished, but the arrival of the CrossCountry HST programme provided an opportunity for resurrection. The power car went to Brush Traction at Loughborough, where its original Paxman Valenta engine was removed and replaced by an MTU power unit. It emerged as 43301 in 2008.

 

Brush's Loughborough works was another historic British locomotive-manufacturing site. Brush had long been involved in electrical engineering and railway traction, and its Loughborough works became particularly important for diesel-electric locomotive construction and heavy rebuilding. It subsequently became a centre for HST re-engineering and later locomotive refurbishment.

 

43301 therefore combines three major British railway manufacturing traditions: original construction at Crewe, re-engineering at Loughborough and subsequent operation on the modern CrossCountry network.

 

Class 43 43303 followed a similar path. It began as 43103, built at Crewe Works in October 1978. It initially formed part of the Eastern Region HST fleet and later transferred to Western Region and then CrossCountry.

 

It was stored at MOD Bicester from 2003 until the CrossCountry programme brought it back into consideration. Like 43301, it went to Brush Traction at Loughborough for re-engineering, receiving an MTU engine and becoming 43303 in July 2008.

 

The locomotive subsequently became a long-serving CrossCountry power car, working the company's extensive network between the South West, Midlands, North East and Scotland. Its survival illustrates the extraordinary longevity of the HST design and the value of replacing the original Valenta engine rather than abandoning the power cars when the first-generation engines reached the end of their economic lives.

 

Class 43 43465 began life as 43065 at Crewe Works in 1977. It was one of the HST power cars modified during the East Coast electrification programme with buffers and TDM equipment, allowing HST power cars to work in conjunction with Class 91 electric locomotives and Mk4 stock while electrification was being completed.

 

After the HSTs were displaced from some of their original work, 43065 passed through the post-BR passenger railway and eventually into storage. Grand Central acquired the locomotive for its London King's Cross–Sunderland operation and sent it to Brush at Loughborough for extensive refurbishment and re-engineering. It emerged as 43465 with an MTU engine and became part of Grand Central's HST fleet.

 

Following the end of Grand Central's HST operation, 43465 moved to East Midlands Trains and later into the RailAdventure fleet. Its buffers, originally fitted for a very specific East Coast electrification purpose, have subsequently proved useful for specialist stock movements.

 

Class 43 43480 has a closely related story. It began as 43080 at Crewe in 1978 and was also among the HST power cars equipped with buffers and TDM apparatus during the East Coast electrification era.

 

It subsequently entered Grand Central service, went through the Loughborough MTU re-engineering programme and emerged as 43480. It later moved to East Midlands Trains and ultimately to RailAdventure.

 

The specialist value of these buffered power cars became increasingly apparent after their passenger careers ended. They could operate as powerful locomotives for moving rolling stock that was difficult or impossible to handle with conventional modern locomotives. 43480 even spent a period working in Germany before returning to Britain, giving an HST power car built in the 1970s an unexpectedly international afterlife.

 

Class 60 60099 “Ben More Assynt” was constructed at Brush Electrical Machines' Falcon Works at Loughborough. Brush's Loughborough site is therefore represented twice in the story of this locomotive: first as the place where it was constructed and decades later as the place where it was rebuilt.

 

60099 entered service in December 1992 as one of the final Class 60s. It was initially associated with Railfreight and heavy freight and was later operated through the EWS and DB Schenker eras. It also became one of the locomotives involved in the “Super 60” renewal experiments.

 

Eventually withdrawn from service, it spent many years stored at Toton. Its survival was secured when DC Rail acquired it and arranged an extensive overhaul at the former Brush works in Loughborough, now operated by UK Rail Leasing. The work amounted to a major mechanical resurrection rather than a superficial refurbishment.

 

60099 returned to traffic in February 2026, reunited with its original name “Ben More Assynt”. It emerged in a modern DC Rail grey-and-blue livery and returned to freight service after more than a decade away from regular traffic. The locomotive consequently returned to the very factory in which it had originally been built for a second major stage of its life.

 

Class 60 60022 “Ingleborough” was also built at Brush's Loughborough works. It entered service on 7 December 1990 and was allocated to Thornaby, carrying Trainload Freight Metals branding.

 

Its most famous visual period came during the transition to EWS. 60022 spent approximately fourteen months in plain grey primer, with minimal markings, before receiving its eventual EWS identity. This unusual appearance earned it the enthusiast nickname “the ghost”.

 

It remained in freight service until 2009, when serious mechanical problems resulted in storage at Toton. It was subsequently acquired by DC Rail and entered the programme to return stored Class 60s to service.

 

Its revival has been particularly distinctive. During 2026 it was prepared in a crimson-lake livery inspired by the Midland Railway, an intentionally historical interpretation rather than a claim that the locomotive ever belonged to the Midland Railway. The choice is especially appropriate to Derby, whose railway history is inseparable from the Midland Railway and its enormous works and locomotive-building tradition.

 

The two Class 60s consequently have a particularly satisfying industrial connection: both were originally built at Loughborough by Brush, both spent many years in freight service, both eventually became long-term stored locomotives and both have subsequently been revived under DC Rail.

 

Class 66 66686 “Joanne” belongs to a completely different generation and a different continent. It began life as 66776, works number 20148150-004, constructed by Progress Rail/EMD in 2015.

 

The locomotive belongs to the JT42CWR family developed from Electro-Motive Division's long-established American diesel-electric designs. Its manufacturing lineage ultimately goes back to General Motors' Electro-Motive Division, although the later production programme was undertaken under the Progress Rail/EMD organisation.

 

66776 was delivered to GB Railfreight in 2016 and named “Joanne” in June 2017. In 2026 it was renumbered 66686 while retaining its name. Its modern career has included biomass, aggregates and other heavy freight workings.

 

The Class 66 story is particularly significant because these locomotives introduced a major North American diesel-electric engineering philosophy to Britain's loading gauge and operating conditions. They combine an EMD prime mover and electrical equipment with a body and bogie arrangement adapted for European railway use.

 

The Class 222 “Meridian” fleet represents another international manufacturing story. Unit 222023 was constructed by Bombardier Transportation at Bruges in Belgium. The Bruges factory was one of Bombardier's major European railway manufacturing sites and was part of the Belgian industrial tradition associated with BN, later Bombardier and subsequently Alstom.

 

The Class 222s were derived conceptually from the Voyager family, but incorporated numerous changes for Midland Main Line operation. The units were built between 2003 and 2005 and entered service from 2004.

 

222023 was one of the original Midland Main Line “Meridian” units. It passed from Midland Mainline through East Midlands Trains and ultimately to East Midlands Railway. Its career represents the generation of high-speed diesel multiple units which filled the gap between the HST fleet and the newer Class 810 Aurora trains.

 

The unit's construction at Bruges is an important reminder that Britain's railway industry was already heavily internationalised by the early twenty-first century. A train designed for the British loading gauge and operating environment could be manufactured in Belgium and delivered to Britain for long-distance domestic service.

 

Class 153 153311 has a less obvious industrial origin because its present identity conceals its earlier existence. Class 153 vehicles were created by rebuilding Class 155 diesel multiple units into single-car units during the early 1990s. 153311 was subsequently part of the East Midlands passenger fleet before being withdrawn from conventional passenger service.

 

Its transformation into Network Rail's Video Inspection Unit 1, or VIU 1, gave it a completely different purpose. Cameras and inspection equipment were installed so that the vehicle could undertake video surveys of railway infrastructure.

 

The vehicle has subsequently worked over a large proportion of the national network and remains associated with Derby RTC and Network Rail's inspection programme. It is another example of an existing passenger vehicle being repurposed rather than scrapped when its original role ended.

 

Class 69 69006 “John E Cronin” is perhaps the most radical rebuild represented here. Its original identity was 56128, a Class 56 diesel-electric locomotive built at BREL Crewe Works in 1983. The Class 56 fleet itself had a mixed manufacturing origin, with locomotives built both in Britain and by Electroputere in Romania. 56128 was one of the British-built examples constructed at Crewe.

 

By the time it was selected for the Class 69 programme, 56128 had been withdrawn and had spent years in storage. It was eventually reduced almost to a bodyshell and had even reached a scrapyard at Rotherham. Its survival was secured when the remains were acquired for possible reuse.

 

The Class 69 rebuilding programme was undertaken by Progress Rail at Longport in Staffordshire. Longport became a significant modern railway engineering location and was used for the transformation of withdrawn Class 56 locomotives into Class 69s. The rebuild retained the general Class 56 body and frame but introduced a modern EMD 12N-710G3B-T2 engine, modern electrical and control equipment and extensive alterations to the locomotive systems.

 

56128 became 69006 and entered the new Class 69 fleet in 2022. It initially carried the name “Pathfinder Railtours”, commemorating the railtour organisation and Peter Watts, before becoming “John E Cronin” in 2026.

 

The result is technically neither simply a Class 56 nor an entirely new locomotive. It is a modern diesel locomotive built around the surviving structure of a 1980s British Rail machine.

 

The IFA “Multifret” wagons represent another international chapter. Unlike the locomotives and coaches, the IFA is a family/type rather than one particular vehicle, and its history is consequently a little more complicated.

 

The Multifret concept was developed for international intermodal traffic, with the wagons designed to carry containers and swap bodies while remaining suitable for Britain's loading gauge and operating requirements. The IFA designation was applied to several related forms and numbering series.

 

The older Multifret fleet associated with Britain was built in continental Europe, with Arbel Fauvet in France among the principal manufacturers associated with the type. Arbel Fauvet was a major French freight-wagon manufacturer, and its industrial history was part of the long tradition of French private wagon construction.

 

The IFA fleet subsequently became a familiar sight on British intermodal and international freight trains. Nearly eighty Touax-owned IFA Multifret flats were operated in Britain by GB Railfreight before newer FEA-G wagons began to replace them.

 

The wagons were particularly valuable for container traffic and international steel movements, including traffic associated with the Channel Tunnel. Their careers consequently linked Britain with the continental freight network in a way that most British freight wagons did not.

 

By the mid-2020s many of the older IFAs had been returned to France following the arrival of replacement FEA-G stock. Several, however, found an unexpected second life. Three returned to Britain for overhaul and modification at Yellow Rail's Derby Litchurch Lane facility before entering Eurotunnel's infrastructure fleet. The former intermodal container flats therefore became infrastructure-maintenance vehicles.

 

The IFA story demonstrates the same underlying principle as the locomotive and coaching stock: a vehicle can outlive the traffic for which it was originally designed and acquire a new role because its basic structure remains useful.

 

The factories themselves form an important part of this story.

 

The Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows was one of Britain's great locomotive factories. It produced large numbers of steam locomotives before becoming one of English Electric's most important centres for diesel-electric production. The Class 37s built there represent the transition from Britain's steam railway to the diesel railway of the 1960s. The site eventually closed as a locomotive manufacturer, but its products remain represented by surviving Class 37s such as 37501, 37800, 37421 and 37254.

 

Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn's Darlington works, which built 37884, belonged to an even older industrial tradition. Darlington's importance as a locomotive-building centre was closely tied to the development of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and the wider North Eastern railway industry. By the twentieth century the town remained one of Britain's principal railway manufacturing locations.

 

Derby Litchurch Lane occupies another crucial place in the story. The Midland Railway established a huge industrial complex at Derby, which subsequently became one of the principal British centres for railway carriage construction. British Rail's Mk2 coaches, including vehicles represented here, were products of this long tradition. Modern Derby Litchurch Lane has continued the railway-manufacturing and engineering tradition, although its ownership and functions have changed repeatedly.

 

Crewe Works is similarly inseparable from British railway history. Established by the Grand Junction Railway and developed enormously by the London & North Western Railway, it became one of Britain's largest railway engineering complexes. It built and rebuilt locomotives, constructed coaches and later became a major centre for diesel-electric engineering. The original HST power cars 43301, 43303, 43465 and 43480 were products of this industrial tradition, as was the original Class 56 from which 69006 ultimately descended.

 

Metro-Cammell's Washwood Heath works in Birmingham represents another major strand of Britain's railway manufacturing industry. The company built railway carriages, locomotives and multiple units for domestic and overseas customers. Mk1 BG 81064, which ultimately became generator van 6262, was one of the products of this factory.

 

Brush's works at Loughborough has an unusually direct connection with the surviving fleet. It built the Class 60s 60022 and 60099 and later became the site where HST power cars such as 43301, 43303, 43465 and 43480 were re-engineered. Most remarkably, 60099 returned to the same industrial site decades after its original construction for the extensive overhaul that restored it to traffic.

 

Doncaster Works was another great British railway manufacturing centre, particularly important for later diesel locomotive construction. Although the particular Class 69 represented here, 69006, originated from a Crewe-built Class 56, many other Class 69 donor locomotives came from Doncaster, demonstrating how the Class 69 programme brought together surviving British-built locomotives from several manufacturing origins.

 

Electroputere's works at Craiova in Romania supplied another part of the Class 56 fleet. Several Class 69s were rebuilt from Romanian-built Class 56s, illustrating the unusually international origins of what is often regarded as a British Rail locomotive class.

 

Progress Rail's London, Ontario, manufacturing tradition represents the North American side of the Class 66 story. Locomotives of this broad EMD family were constructed for the British market in Canada and shipped across the Atlantic before entering service in Britain. The Class 66s therefore represent an international railway industry in which North American diesel-electric technology was adapted for Britain's much smaller loading gauge.

 

Bombardier's Bruges factory supplied the Class 222s. The plant had a long history of railway-vehicle construction in Belgium and was part of the European manufacturing network that increasingly supplied Britain's railways during the privatised era.

 

The surviving vehicles consequently form a kind of industrial map of railway manufacturing without needing to leave the national network. Newton-le-Willows, Darlington, Derby, Crewe, Birmingham and Loughborough are all represented, alongside Bruges, Craiova and London, Ontario.

 

There is also a chronological progression in the purposes for which these factories built their products. The earliest vehicles were designed around a railway dominated by locomotive-hauled passenger trains and general-purpose diesel locomotives. The Mk2 coaches were products of the era of British Rail's inter-city network. The HST power cars represented the attempt to modernise high-speed passenger services without widespread electrification. The Class 60s represented the final generation of large British diesel locomotives built specifically for heavy freight. The Class 66 and Class 222 belong to the increasingly international railway industry of the privatised era.

 

Their later lives tell a different story. The railway of the twenty-first century has increasingly reused these older assets for specialist purposes. Barrier coaches, generator vans, radio-survey vehicles, video-inspection units, Plain Line Pattern Recognition vehicles, ERTMS laboratories and stock-transfer locomotives have all been created from vehicles whose original designers could not have anticipated such uses.

 

The most remarkable aspect of the collection is therefore not simply its age. It is the number of times the vehicles have changed identity and purpose. D6705 became 37005, then 37501, then 37601, then “Class 37 – Fifty”, then “Perseus”, and finally 37501 “Teeside Steelmaster” once again. D6843 became 37143 and then 37800 “Cassiopeia”, travelled to France and Spain, and eventually returned to Britain. D6883 became 37183 and then 37884 “Cepheus”. A 1957 luggage and brake coach became generator van 6262. Mk2f coaches became Gatwick Express trailers and then sophisticated Network Rail inspection vehicles. A 1970s HST power car became a modern specialist locomotive. A withdrawn Class 56 body became Class 69 69006.

 

Even the Class 60s demonstrate the same principle. 60022 and 60099 were products of the last great British locomotive-building programme at Brush Loughborough, spent much of their working lives hauling heavy freight and then spent years in storage. Their subsequent return under DC Rail demonstrates that the useful life of a locomotive is not necessarily determined by the age at which its original operator decides it is surplus.

 

These vehicles are therefore more than surviving examples of historic rolling stock. Each carries evidence of several different railway eras within the same structure: the factories that built them, the engineers who designed and rebuilt them, the operators who used them, the industries they served, the depots to which they were allocated, the countries to which some were exported, and the specialist tasks for which they have subsequently been adapted.

 

A railway vehicle built in the 1950s can still be providing power to a twenty-first-century test train; a 1961 diesel locomotive can still be moving modern rolling stock; a 1970s carriage can use digital imaging technology to inspect track; a 1970s HST power car can work as a specialist locomotive; a 1980s freight locomotive can be transformed into a Class 69; and a 1990s Class 60 can return to freight service after more than a decade in storage.

 

The continuing survival of these vehicles is therefore as much a story of British industrial adaptability as it is a story of railway preservation. Their original factories may have closed, their original operators may have disappeared and their intended traffic may no longer exist, yet the machines themselves continue to acquire new purposes. The result is a remarkable collection of living railway history in which construction, rebuilding, withdrawal, storage, revival and reinvention are all part of the same continuous story.

Inverting the bodyshell gives good access for these repairs which are invariably needed to the lower parts of the bodyshell.

Painting and sealing of the new panels is also much easier and more effective.

Class 68 no 68011 and Class 57 no 57301 pass Wilson's Crossing on a light engine move from Wembley to Crewe Gresty Road on Saturday 11 November 2017.

 

57301 was rebuilt using the bodyshell of 47845 in June 2002. It was one of the original Virgin Railways "Thunderbirds" and was named "Scott Tracy" between June 2002 and September 2011, but now carries the name "Goliath".

Nick worked for British Rail and Network Rail and his expertise was semaphore signalling and although based in Newton Abbot his work would take him as far as Shrewsbury and Banbury. This photo was taken on one of his weekends woking at the latter.

 

37372 sets back by Banbury North signal box while on ballast train duties. This 37 was first introduced into service in June 1963 as D6859 and was renumbered 37159 and spent many years on the western region. It was renumbered 37372 in May 1988.

 

It was withdrawn in 2007 and bought by The Baby Deltic Project in 2009. The nose of 37372 has been shortened as well as the body length and class 20 bogies are being used. The group purchased the sole Napier Deltic type T9-29 engine and generator set from the National Railway Museum in 2001 and that will end up inside the bodyshell of what is now D5910. I've probably rather simplified a long long process costly in terms of money and time and effort !

 

www.babydeltic.co.uk/about

Cass 57 no 57309 "Pride of Crewe" passes Northampton on a Crewe Gresty Bridge-Wembley CS light engine move on 15 December 2016.

 

57309 was built in 2002 using the bodyshell of Class 47 no 47806 (which had been built at Brush Traction in 1966 as D1931).

The Toledo was a popular small car model when new in New Zealand, sold by NZMC (New Zealand Motor Corporation) in the early 1970s, and assembled at their Nelson plant. Few of this model are now left in New Zealand - this particular car is literally a timewarp of 1970s motoring, particularly with its red vinyl interior, green pinstriping and accessories.

 

What made the Toledo unique was that it was a rear-wheel-drive model, replacing a model that was front wheel drive, yet used the same bodyshell.

 

Photographed at Geraldine Vintage Car & Machinery Museum.

After building my N Scale GE "shovel nose" White Pass & Yulon Route loco, I had to find a way of representing one of the Alco DL-535Es. I did it by converting an old Alco 420 bodyshell. The loco is an unpowered dummy that can work with its GE counterpart. I built the chassis from pastic card, mated to two three axle passenger trucks, originally silver but then painted black. In this scale (1:160) from most viewing distances you don't notice the trucks! At this point the model is awaiting some additional detailing, including its roof-mounted air horns. The real White Pass & Yukon Route is a narrow gauge (3ft) railway, based in Skagway, Alaska, but my models are standard gauge (4ft 8.5ins). Funnily enough, I only built the locos because I bought two White Pass passenger cars that are only available at their Skagway store. These are both Athearn standard gauge N Scale models, rather than Nn3 (which uses Z scale standards to represent 3ft narrow gauge railroads).

999600, track recording unit, is seen at the RTC, Derby. This was built using a Class 150 bodyshell.

Update of a 7mm Skytrex 31 bodyshell, Humbrol acrylic warning yellow applied.

This '55 Imperial comes regularly to the Main Street car show in Garden Grove, CA. 1955 was the first year that Imperial was its own marque, rather than being just a Chrysler Imperial. That year also saw Virgil Exner styling. The bodyshell was shared with the other big Chryslers of the period, but the nose was only shared with that year's C-300 NASCAR racing car (sold in very limited quantities to the public).

 

Power was, of course, a Chrysler "Hemi".

 

For more on Imperial, see Imperial (automobile) on Wikipedia.

The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. It was the first British five-door hatchback.

 

The Maxi (code name ADO14) was the last car designed under the British Motor Corporation (BMC) before it was incorporated into the new British Leyland group, and the last production car designed by famed designer Alec Issigonis. It was the first car to be launched by British Leyland.

 

The new chairman Lord Stokes decided to also change the hatchback's name to the Maxi in homage to the Mini of 10 years earlier. All Maxis were produced at the Cowley plant in Oxford, although the E-Series engines were made at a new factory at Cofton Hackett in Longbridge.

 

Underneath the Maxi's practical and spacious bodyshell lay an all-new front-wheel drive chassis, which was interlinked with an innovative five-speed manual transmission; the fifth gear was another rarity on family cars in 1969 and one which many manufacturers did not adopt until more than a decade later.

 

Despite the new platform, the Maxi's styling suffered from the decision to save tooling costs by re-using door panels from the Austin 1800 "Landcrab", which gave the Maxi an unusually long wheelbase in relation to its length, coupled with the fact that the carried-over doors made the Maxi resemble a scaled down version of the 1800 (and the Austin 3-Litre, which also used the same doors).

Subject Description: This second Eddie Stobart classic rally car carries a standard Escort Mexico colour layout but with the base colour Stobart green. The Ford Escort MkI was one of the most successful rally cars of all time. Its greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, which gave rise to the Escort Mexico special-edition road versions of the rally car with strengthened bodyshells, making them more suitable for competition.

AI Notes: This was hard work. Based on previous experience, I knew that Gemini AI would most likely block anything with Eddie Stobart branding, so I specified a colour layout that left space for this to be added in Photoshop. AI persisted in placing the racing number over the white bodyside stripe and I ultimately had to re-instate the stripe and move the number to a new white panel in Photoshop. I wasn’t happy with the direction of the lighting, which was not what I'd specified, but ultimately decided that it was a battle not worth fighting. That said, the overall result is pleasing - as is the Malcolm Group version to follow tomorrow (06-Mar-26).

 

All rights reserved. Not to be posted on Facebook or anywhere else without my prior written permission. Comments on this image are welcome here but for everything else, please send a Flickr mail. Further information about my Flickr images can be found here:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/6046035749/in/set-7....

Canton-allocated 47 556 works a shortened 1M22 north through Lawrence Hill, on September 7th 1985.

 

The original slide was taken on Perutz film, and has suffered from colour-loss, creating a very blue slide. I've had it colour-corrected with CoPilot. It hasn't done too bad, really.

 

She was built at Crewe as D1583, entering service on May 23rd 1964.

 

TOPS info:-

47556 CF E XA.

 

86A Cardiff (Canton) 23/05/1964

87E Landore 11/1964

86A Cardiff (Canton) 03/1965

81A Old Oak Common 12/1965

86A Cardiff (Canton) 07/1966

81A Old Oak Common 11/1968

86A Cardiff (Canton) 11/1969

81A Old Oak Common 01/1972

86A Cardiff (Canton) 11/1972

D05 Stoke Division 03/1973

D02 Birmingham Division 04/1973

BS Bescot 05/1973

 

Renumbered 47 020 2/3/1974

 

CF Cardiff (Canton) 08/1974

LE Landore 10/1974

CF Cardiff (Canton) 11/1974

LA Laira 05/1975

BR Bristol Bath Road 11/1975

LA Laira 01/1976

BR Bristol Bath Road 05/1976

LA Laira 07/1976

CF Cardiff (Canton) 10/1976

LA Laira 12/1976

BR Bristol Bath Road 05/1978

 

Renumbered 47 556 2/2/1981

 

LA Laira 02/1981

 

Was to have been named Duke of Cornwall at Laira open day on 25/4/82, but the ceremony was called off although the nameplates were cast, and they were never fitted to any loco.

 

LE Landore 05/1982

CF Cardiff (Canton) 01/1984

OC Old Oak Common 05/1987

BR Bristol Bath Road 10/1987

CD Crewe Diesel 04/1989

 

Renumbered 47 844 4/6/1990

 

BR Bristol Bath Road 05/1992

 

Owned by Porterbrook 1/4/94 and leased back

 

CD Crewe Diesel 05/1995

 

The nameplates were removed in 3/97

 

TO Toton 03/1998

 

Named Derby & Derbyshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry, with stainless steel nameplates, at Derby station on 9/1/91

 

Went to Brush Traction, Loughborough 7/5/02 for conversion to a Cl.57

 

HQ Headquarters Pool 29/05/2002

 

The stripped bodyshell was delivered by road from Brush Traction, Loughborough to Crewe Works on 3/9/02, being marked for conversion to Cl. 57 with documentation for

57307 still attached but it was rejected for the conversion programme.

 

It was deregistered in 10/02

 

It was sold to HNRC in 2/04 for scrap, and broken up on site at Crewe Works by staff working for HNRC. Cutting was in progress on 7/10/04, and was completed by 20/10/04.

  

buymeacoffee.com/bristolian

 

gofund.me/01fd2d8b9

 

I hope you enjoy looking through my Flickr images. Please consider helping me pay for my Flickr subscription, and to help me buy-back some of the 4000 of my slides from the past that I'd like to get back.

 

I'll rescan all of my older uploads in the fullness of time.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you.

Swiss driver Loris Kessel first drove a Cheetah (a G501 Ford) in the `70s, and renewed the association in the early `80s by investing in the G603 that Chuck Graeminger had been developing to contest the Group C World Championship of 1982. However, as is often the case with such projects, the G603 took longer than expected to bring to the track - eventually appearing at Spa in 1983 for Kessel and Ferrier, only for its 3.3-litre Cosworth DFL V8 to explode. Matters improved long enough for the car to finish 9th at Imola and 8th at Mugello, at which point legal disputes between Kessel and Graeminger effectively ended the model's brief career. Apparently undeterred, in 1984 Graeminger launched the Aston Martin-engined Cheetah G604, examples of which were piloted over the next couple of seasons by a range of drivers including: Bernard de Dryver, Ray Mallock, Gianfranco Brancatelli, John Cooper, John Brindley, Claude Bourgoignie, Pierre Dieudonne and Tiff Needell.

 

The lot offered is a show car version of the Cheetah G604. Believed to have been manufactured in 1984, it possesses no running gear. Finished in Blue and White and mounted on a rudimentary support frame rather than any form of chassis, it bears the name of Team Motos Rondeau. Said to have "good" paintwork and black trim, this striking bodyshell would be equally suitable as an eye-catching display or a promotional item.

   

Siemens' prototype bodyshell for Eurostar's Velaro e320 was spotted at InnoTrans 2010, a month before the order was announced!