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This is a modification of my hot rod pickup. It still has everything that you might like (motorized/remotely controlled driving/steering, lights, turn signals, working steering wheel, working V8 and radiator fan, working door handles, gearbox…) and some new features (wheels, suspension, engine, roof, front lights, interior, fuel tank, movable license plate, chrome details…). Like the old one, it is 50 studs long and 28 studs wide but it is heavier - it weighs 1285g.
VIDEO: youtu.be/jR0rCEck7_0
Characteristics:
-Leaf spring suspension with height-adjustable rear
-License plate with simple mechanism to hide it (manual)
-Lights (front and rear) manually controlled with a lever connected to a speed dial of 8878 battery (which allows you to switch between low and high beam)
-Turn signals (front and rear) connected to a servo motor via coupled PF switches (2 switches)
-Working steering wheel
-Manual gearbox – 4 gears (5:1, 3:1, 5:3, 1:1)
-Suicide doors with working door handles
-It is powered by two L motors and 7.4 V (8878) rechargeable battery box.
-Servo motor for steering
-Working V8 fake engine with some details to make it resemble real V8 engine, connected directly to the driving motors so it works at the same speed no matter what gear you choose (in neutral also)
-Working radiator fan, connected directly to a V8 engine
-Rear doors can be opened.
-Roof window, fire extinguisher, fuel tank…
-Front tires from 8070 supercar, and rear from 42000 Grand Prix Racer.
I hope you like it, feel free to comment…
p.s. it has been blogged: thelegocarblog.com/2014/07/03/rod-mod/
L4.72W2.53H1.87M700 • Cₓ1.1 • 1.4MW, 8,834Nm, 12kHz, η>99%
18kg Li₂O₂ EVB, 40MJ/kg, 720MJ • 340kph • 0-100kph→1.8s, 1.5g₀
HH RIPSAW ⚡AV3F1 is the fastest and most maneuverable dual tracked ÆAV ever developed, with MC G-CNT STANAG 4569L6 NBC hull, forged β-Ti ERC, 2 × 2.8 × 0.4 m² CP, 406 mm ST, 528 mm AGC, Li-Fi, DBWL, TVS, TVPJ. Compared to analogous GP systems, CTT distributes vehicle's forces on a greater ground area, with enhanced handlings on harsh, steep slopes, better flotation over obstacles, lower rolling resistance, greater traction and acceleration, reducing soil compression and compaction without sinking on loose & impervious terrain even at low speed. Wheeled vehicles require much larger overall size and higher levels of mechanical complexity to achieve comparable cross-country mobility (e.g. G6).
REFERENCES
E.G.F. Regina 2025: X4æ specs & layout.
M. Guiggiani 2022: Vehicle dynamics science.
T. Li 2022: Vehicle/tire/road dynamics.
J.M. Jafferson & H. Sharma 2021: 3DP airless tires.
S. Arora & al. 2021: Heavy duty e-vehicles.
D. Venter 2020: ZA AFVs, pp. 38-44.
T. Yildiz 2019: Carbon fiber shipping container design.
W. Zhu & al. 2019: Ti-5Al-4Zr-8Mo-7V βc-Ti.
N. Pugh 2019: AdAstra 2 rover.
A. Walker 2018: DARPA GXV-T final demonstrations.
B. Maclaurin 2018: High speed off-road vehicles.
P. Nilsson 2018: TO of swing arm for CTTV.
C.C. Tutum & al. 2018: FGD & AM.
G. Palmer 2017: RSI Ursa rover 2945.
N. Aage & al. 2017: GVCMG for structural design.
R. McCallen & al. 2016: Heavy vehicle aerodynamics I-III.
A.M. Nawrat 2014: Tracked vehicle innovative control systems.
G. Mastinu & M. Plöchl 2014: Road & OTR vehicle dynamics.
A.L. Gain & al. 2013: TO using polytopes.
Ü. Özgüner & al. 2011: Autonomous ground vehicles.
A.F. Andreev & al. 2010: Ground vehicle driveline systems.
J.Y. Wong 2009: Terramechanics & off-road vehicle engineering.
V. Asnani & al. 2009: Lunar roving vehicle wheels.
T. Muro & J. O'Brien 2004: Terramechanics.
A.B. Pandey 2001: ASMHB, v. 21, pp. 395-404.
B. DeLong 2000: 4-wheel freedom.
S. Laughery & al. 2000: Vehicle mobility & Bekker's equations.
D. Cebon 1999: Vehicle-road interaction.
J.P. Kelche & al. 1997: FINABEL 20A5 runflat tires.
C.Q. Bowles 1997: ASMHB, v. 19, pp. 32-35.
G.W. Kuhlman 1996: ASMHB, v. 14, pp. 588-627.
S. Laughery & al. 1990: Bekker's terramechanics off-road vehicle model.
M.C. Bell 1987: G6-45 rhino 1981 blueprint 1/76 scale.
M.G. Bekker 1960: OTR locomotion.
M.G. Bekker 1957: OTR locomotion latest developments.
M.G. Bekker 1956: Land locomotion theory.
6DoF · ACOA · AM-SL · CBRN · GA · FGD · OSA · XFEM-TO · TSP · ISO668 · twistlock · runflat tire · HML · NASA SEV · HAS
Driver and cab shot from July 26th 1975 of D1059 Western Empire.......Seems like yesterday. This was the real deal for me with wizzo's, not many were pristine in 75 (except D1010) as I recall. Most were work stained and faded like this fine example. A condition you just don't see in preservation, It kinda added to the character I suppose. When asked if we could "cab" the loco the driver promptly rounded with "No I'm in a hurry". Must have been his last job.
There were a few class 52's that were unique in there appearance. Enterprise's deeper nameplate. Emperor with its height adjusted number plate. Monarch with its flush end and and all the cab vent examples. Monitor with its uneven cab face warning flashes and Patriarch with the old windscreen wiper in the middle. Empire was also unique at one end at least. On the drivers side of the cab one of it's marker lights had been replaced. The original lights had a bulbus protruding lens. But on Empire one had a been replaced with a flush fitting fairly flat one off a Warship. You can see it bottom left in this shot.
This is another motorized and remotely controlled hot rod - 100% LEGO
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPqg0OhQlA
Regarding size and functions it is somewhere in between my models “Fire bucket” and “Lucky 13”.
Dimensions: 41 studs long, 19 studs wide, 13 – 14.5 studs high and weighs 804 g.
PF components: 1 L motor - driving, 1 M motor - steering, 1 8878 battery, 1 IR receiver
Motorized functions: driving and steering
Other functions:
Working suspension:
Front: solid axle, leaf spring
Rear: Height-adjustable, live axle, leaf spring
Working steering wheel – drag link steering
Working pistons, radiator fan and generator - custom made fake v8 engine
Working door handles – openable suicide doors
Retractable rear license plate – controlled with a fake handbrake lever inside the cabin
Trunk door can be opened – behind it is a mechanism for adjustment of rear height of the vehicle (manually controlled gear) and battery (easy to turn on/off and charging)
Roof can be removed easily
Features:
Custom chrome parts – wheels, headlights, door handles and rear view mirrors
Interior – red seats and dashboard
I hope you like it :)
Vienna Volksoper
The Volksoper is after the Vienna State Opera, the second-largest opera house in Vienna. The program includes operettas, operas, musicals and ballet.
(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Volksoper seen from Währing street
History
Founding and time as spoken theater
The Jubilee City Theatre woodcut from the Leipzig magazine of 19 January 1899
1897 Karl Lueger was appointed mayor of Vienna. The architectural thought - ie the redesign of Vienna - was the prevailing social, economic and political trend in this as ring road time known era. In the same year the emperor anniversary Municipal Theatre Association (Kaiserjubiläums-Stadttheater-Verein) was founded by committed citizens of the City of Vienna to set up with the objective of the 50th Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1898 a theater for the performance of German speaking pieces in Waehring.
In addition to this club significantly involved was also the Christian Social dictrict leader of Währing Anton Baumann because the building until 1905 stood in the 18th District. The theater association commissioned the architect Alexander Graf with the implementation of the building, which together with the architect Franz Freiherr von Krauss built the Emperor's Jubilee City Theatre in just 10 months.
The total costs were estimated at 650,000 guilders before construction begins. This amount was financed through shares, which were sold like hot cakes. With some delay, the construction work was started in March, 1898. The high pressure of time led to a violation of the construction costs by approximately 25%, or 160,000 guilders. This missing amount was not subsidized by public authorities, but was imposed the director Adam Müller-Guttenbrunn in the form of a lease rate increase.
Another shadow over the opening on 14 December 1898 cast the fact that the emperor himself stayed away from the opening of the house, as his wife Elizabeth had been killed three months earlier. After this bad start of the theater followed after not yet five years in 1903, the first bankruptcy .
The musical theater from 1903 until the postwar years
The Jubilee City Theatre at the time of opening, 1898
On 1 September 1903, Rainer Simon took over the directorate. He for himself had completed his apprenticeship with famous singers such as Julius Stockhausen or composers like Engelbert Humperdinck. A clear goal in mind, although he would indeed continue the popular German speaking parts in the sense of its predecessor, but put the first steps towards musical theater. During the 1904/05 season - in which for the first time appeares in the subtitle Volksoper, too - Simons introduced the first comic operas. Due to the great public appeal, Simons already ventured 1906-1908 the leap to the big opera. From 1908 the venue operated only under the name Volksoper.
After many highly successful years, finally in 1925 the Volksoper massively had to fight with the effects of inflation. After some brief closures and various rescue attempts by the working groups Volksoper was closed on 5 July in 1928 and only on 5 November 1929 reopened as New Vienna Schauspielhaus. 1938 took over the city of Vienna the now Urban Vienna Volksoper (Städtische Wiener Volksoper) later renamed Opera House of the City of Vienna. Towards the end of the Second World War the Volksoper became, for several months, the second largest cinema of the city with 1,550 seats, since after 1 September 1944 for all theaters was ruling prohbition of theater performances and there were some Viennese cinemas already destroyed by air raids.
After the Second World War, the Volksoper served as temporary quarters for the destroyed Staatsoper. After the opening of the restored State Opera building in 1955, the People's Opera became again independent musical theater with operas, operettas and musicals. In the same year, the Volksoper was integrated into the Austrian Federal Theatre.
Recent history
Under the director Karl Dönch took place in 1973 a first major reconstruction of the theater house.
1979 Robert Jungbluth has initiated in his former role as Secretary General of the Federal Theatre Association for the Volksoper a guest performance in Japan. It was the first operetta which was performed in Japan. In 1984, followed an American tour.
September 1991 to June 1996, the Staatsoper and the Volksoper were under joint command. During this time singers were hired for both houses simultaneously. The season was, however, autonomous, since both platforms serve different priorities.
The People's Opera as stage house of the Austrian theater became with the Federal Law on the reorganization of the Federal Theatre (Federal Theatre Organisation Act) in 1998 a legally independent company. 1999 took place the establishment of the "Volksoper Wien GmbH" as a 100% subsidiary of the Federal Theatre Holding GmbH.
Since 1 September 2007 is the Volksoper Vienna conducted by Kammerschauspieler Robert Meyer as director and artistic director. Rainer Schubert acts as Deputy Director. At the same time Mag. Christoph Ladstätter was appointed Chief Financial Officer. Diethmar Strasser acts as artistic director of operations, and Gerrit Prießnitz is the musical director of studies.
Robert Meyer is pursuing a consistent policy of reform. Its goal is to position the Volksoper again as "the musical theater in Vienna" to enhance the operetta and to a wider audience.
Iron Curtain
An iron curtain of the Vienna Volksoper
On the Iron Curtain, the dedication of the house of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph I. By the two year figures 1848, on your left, and 1898, on your right, good recognisable. This was painted by Karl Schuller and Georg Janny.
The curtain is showing in the center front Vindobona. The man in the right half of the picture is supposed to symbolize the citizens of Vienna. By removal of the blindfold this one now should be able to see the beautiful muses, too.
Before the war, the curtain was cleared away and was then lost until it reappeared in the 1990s in the attic of the Theater an der Wien.
Facts and Figures
Spectators and house
Current seating plan of the Volksoper
At three different levels to visitors a total of 1261 seating and 72 standing places, and 2 wheelchair places are available. From September to June, there is, with few exceptions, every day a performance. The most important figures in recent years:
Season Performances Visitors avg seat utilization employees
2004/2005 [2 ] 287 293 695 75.41 % unknown
2005/2006 [3 ] 276 280 520 74.77 % 524
2006/2007 [ 4] 281 289 721 78.34 % 523
2007/2008 [ 5 ] 291 325 491 85.77 % 526
The for maintenance activities responsible federal-Holding has spent in the fiscal year 2006/2007 for a facade renovation of the historic building Volksoper EUR 1.1 million.
Specifications
Lighting and views to the orchestra pit at the Volksoper
The orchestra pit is equipped with two electrically powered lifting platforms. The load capacity is 500 kg/m² (front single podium, stage-sided double-decker panel) and is height adjustable from 0 to 2.65 feet below stage level.
The existing red velvet curtain head is hydraulically liftable and raff. The gathering speed is 0.15 to 3.0 m/s, the lifting speed is up to 2 m/s.
The sound curtain of aluminum frame also operates hydraulically. The additional capacity of 300 kg with a point load of 150 kg. The lifting speed as sound curtain is up to 0.8 m/s. The lifting speed as heavy truck is up to 0.5 m/s.
The hydraulically operated Schleierzug has a load capacity of 350 kg with a point load of 150 kg.
The stage area is 480 square meters with a maximum of 500 kg / m² load . The usable platform width is 17.2 meters and the depth of the stage from the front edge to the portal sliding gate are 19 meters.
Volksoper from the belt
The stage surface is made of a rotatable and raisable core disk having a diameter of 7.20 m in the middle, and a rotatable annular disc having an outer diameter of 15 meters of the core slices. Furthermore, there are three hand-operated, stationary personal meditations.
Organizational Structure
Since 1999, the Vienna Volksoper belongs to 100 % to the Federal Theatre holding just like the Staatsoper GmbH Vienna and Burgtheater GmbH. Another subsidiary is the theater GmbH which belongs to 51.1 % to the Federal Theatre Holding. The remaining 48.9% hold the three stage companies in equal parts (each 16.3%). Together with the Vienna State Opera, the Volksoper is subordinaded the independent consortium Ballet of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper. Directors
Adam Müller- Guttenbrunn (1898-1903)
Rainer Simons (1903-1917)
Raoul Mader (1917-1919)
Felix Weingartner (1919-1924)
August Markowsky/Fritz Stiedry (1924 )
Hugo Gruder-Guntram/Leo Blech (1925 )
Frischler Hermann (1925-1928)
Jacob Feldhammer/Otto Preminger (1929-1931)
Leo Kraus (1931-1933)
Karl Funny-Prean/Jean Ernest (1934-1935)
Alexander Kovalevsky (1935-1938)
Anton Baumann (1938-1941)
Jölli Oskar (1941-1944)
Juch Hermann (1946-1955)
Salmhofer Franz (1955-1963)
Albert Moser (1963-1973)
Karl Dönch (1973-1986)
Eberhard Waechter (1987-1992, 1991-1992 also the director of the Vienna State Opera)
Ioan Holender (1992-1996, also the director of the Vienna State Opera)
Klaus Bachler (1996-1999)
Dominique Mentha (1999-2003)
Rudolf Berger (2003-2007)
Robert Meyer (from 2007)
Premieres
The Kuhreigen, Musical Theatre by Wilhelm Kienzl, 23 November 1911
Love chains, opera in three acts by Eugen d'Albert, 12th November 1912
The Testament, musical comedy by William Kienzl, on 6 December 1916
The lucky hand, drama with music by Arnold Schoenberg, on 14 October 1924
This is the first love affair, operetta by Eysler, 23 December 1934
On the green meadow, operetta by Jara Benes, on 9 October 1936
Spring Parade, operetta by Robert Stolz, on 5 March 1964
Felix. Or of someone who set out to learn to shudder, and jazz opera by Klaudia Kadlec (libretto ) and Max Nagl (music) after the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm on 23 June 2002
Honorary members
Klaus Bachler
Franz Bauer-Theussl
Rudolf Bibl
Adolf Dallapozza
Otto Fritz
Hans Grötzer
Karlheinz Haberland
Johannes Heesters (since 1984)
Michael Heltau (since 2004)
Robert Herzl (since 1998)
Ioan Holender
Renate Holm
Mirjana Irosch
Wolfgang Schultze
Dagmar Koller
Erich Kuchar
Guggi Löwinger
Sigrid Martikke
Peter Minich
Sonja Mottl Dönch
Helga Papouschek
Herbert Prikopa (since 1986)
Harald Serafin
Wicus Slabbert (since 2005)
Christiane Sorell
Helmut Süß
Paul Walter Rudolf Wasserlof
On 2 April 2004, almost four years after Ford's acquisition of Land Rover from BMW, Land Rover introduced the Discovery 3, marketed as the LR3 in North America and the Middle East.
It retained the key features of the Discovery, such as the stepped roofline and steeply raked windscreen.
Land Rover developed a body construction method for the Discovery 3, marketed as Integrated Body Frame (IBF). The engine bay and passenger compartment are built as a monocoque, then mated to a basic ladder-frame chassis for the gearbox and suspension. Land Rover claims IBF combines the virtues of monocoque and ladder-frame – though it makes for a heavier vehicle than a monocoque construction, compromising performance and agility somewhat but adding strength, toughness and adaptability.
The LR3 features full independent suspension (FIS). Like the Range Rover L322, this is an air suspension system, enabling ride-height adjustment by simply pumping up or deflating the air bags. The vehicle can be raised to provide ground clearance when off-road, but automatically lowered at high speeds to improve handling, and manually lowered when stationary to make entry to and exit from the vehicle easier.
The engines used in the Discovery 3 were all taken from Land Rover's sister company at the time, Jaguar. A Ford/PSA-developed 2.7-litre, 195 hp (145 kW), 440 N⋅m (320 lb⋅ft) V6 diesel engine (the TdV6) was intended to be the biggest seller in Europe.
For the US market and as the high-performance option elsewhere, a 4.4-litre petrol V8 of 300 hp (220 kW) was chosen. A 216 hp (161 kW) 4.0-litre SOHC Ford V6 petrol engine was available in North America and Australia.
This is another motorized and remotely controlled hot rod - 100% LEGO
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPqg0OhQlA
Regarding size and functions it is somewhere in between my models “Fire bucket” and “Lucky 13”.
Dimensions: 41 studs long, 19 studs wide, 13 – 14.5 studs high and weighs 804 g.
PF components: 1 L motor - driving, 1 M motor - steering, 1 8878 battery, 1 IR receiver
Motorized functions: driving and steering
Other functions:
Working suspension:
Front: solid axle, leaf spring
Rear: Height-adjustable, live axle, leaf spring
Working steering wheel – drag link steering
Working pistons, radiator fan and generator - custom made fake v8 engine
Working door handles – openable suicide doors
Retractable rear license plate – controlled with a fake handbrake lever inside the cabin
Trunk door can be opened – behind it is a mechanism for adjustment of rear height of the vehicle (manually controlled gear) and battery (easy to turn on/off and charging)
Roof can be removed easily
Features:
Custom chrome parts – wheels, headlights, door handles and rear view mirrors
Interior – red seats and dashboard
I hope you like it :)
Aiming for a limited run of 25 cars, Gemballa has reworked the Enzo's aerodynamics, adding appropriate carbon-fiber bits that give the Maranello mauler much more of a techie Teutonic flavor. Active aero components include a front spoiler lip and a rear wing that increase downforce and improve high-speed handling. Gemballa also provides additional cooling ducts for the brakes and engine compartment, with inlets on the roof and behind the doors.
The Germans have tried to make the MIG-U1 a bit more livable with such niceties as an optional electrohydraulic height adjustment function which, at the touch of a button, lifts the body by 1.8 inches — particularly useful when negotiating such urban obstacles as speed bumps. The car automatically lowers itself back to the original position at speeds above 50 mph.
Gemballa adds forged alloy wheels, shod with 265/35R19 rubber in front and 335/30R20 in the rear.
The massive Ferrari V12 has been gently massaged to produce 691 horsepower, largely the result of an upgraded ECU and a freer-flowing exhaust with quad tailpipes and pneumatic flap control.
The cockpit also gets the Gemballa touch, with redesigned seats, center console and steering wheel rendered in leather and Ultrasuede. There is also a high-end multimedia system with 950 watts of power, a DVD changer, a 7-inch touchscreen and, of course, an iPod connection.
This is another motorized and remotely controlled hot rod - 100% LEGO
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPqg0OhQlA
Regarding size and functions it is somewhere in between my models “Fire bucket” and “Lucky 13”.
Dimensions: 41 studs long, 19 studs wide, 13 – 14.5 studs high and weighs 804 g.
PF components: 1 L motor - driving, 1 M motor - steering, 1 8878 battery, 1 IR receiver
Motorized functions: driving and steering
Other functions:
Working suspension:
Front: solid axle, leaf spring
Rear: Height-adjustable, live axle, leaf spring
Working steering wheel – drag link steering
Working pistons, radiator fan and generator - custom made fake v8 engine
Working door handles – openable suicide doors
Retractable rear license plate – controlled with a fake handbrake lever inside the cabin
Trunk door can be opened – behind it is a mechanism for adjustment of rear height of the vehicle (manually controlled gear) and battery (easy to turn on/off and charging)
Roof can be removed easily
Features:
Custom chrome parts – wheels, headlights, door handles and rear view mirrors
Interior – red seats and dashboard
I hope you like it :)
BX Break Service (Van) by Heuliez are rare and hard to find.
Most of them were sold in Great-Britain, where they were only available with the 19 Diesel engine, as "BX 19 TD Standard" or "BX 19 TD Special".
bxworld.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&...
Engine: 1905ccm Diesel – PSA XUD9 [XUD9A / D9B with 71 HP]
Fuel tank capacity: 52 litres (= ~11.44 british gallons)
Tyres: 165/70 R14 MXL
Standard equipment on "BX 19 TD Standard":
– Rear window defroster
– Stereo cassette radio
– Wheel trims
– Headliner in the loading area
– Height-adjustable head rests
– Floor carpets
– "Mosaic" seats
– Protective mouldings on the doors
Options:
– Roof rails
– Rear window wiper
– Power steering
Standard equipment on "BX 19 TD Special":
"BX 19 TD Standard" + options + metallic paint
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
BX Break Service (Van) von Heuliez sind selten und schwer zu finden.
Die Meisten wurden in Großbritannien als "BX Van" verkauft, wo sie nur mit dem 19er-Dieselmotor als "BX 19 TD Standard" oder "BX 19 TD Special" erhältlich waren.
bxworld.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&...
Motor: 1905 ccm Diesel – PSA XUD9 [XUD9A / D9B mit 71 PS]
Füllmenge Kraftstofftank: 52 Liter
Reifen: 165/70 R14 MXL
Serienausstattung von "BX 19 TD Standard":
– Heckscheibenheizung
– Kassettenradio (Stereo)
– Radkappen
– Dachhimmel im Laderaum
– Höhenverstellbare Kopfstützen
– Bodenteppiche
– "Mosaic"-Sitze
– Rammschutzleisten auf den Türen
Zusätzlich erhältliche Ausstattung:
– Dachreling
– Heckscheibenwischer
– Servolenkung
Serienausstattung von "BX 19 TD Special":
"BX 19 TD Standard" + zusätzlich erhältliche Ausstattung + Metalliclack
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Les BX Break Service (Van) de Heuliez sont rares et sont difficiles à trouver.
La plupart ont été vendus en Grande-Bretagne, où ce modèle était proposé uniquement avec la motorisation 19 Diesel avec les appellations "BX 19 TD Standard" ou "BX 19 TD Special".
bxworld.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&...
Moteur: 1905 ccm Diesel – PSA XUD9 [XUD9A / D9B avec 71 CH]
Capacité du réservoir: 52 litres
Pneus: 165/70 R14 MXL
Equipement de série "BX 19 TD Standard":
– Lunette arrière dégivrante
– Autoradio stéréo à cassette
– Enjoliveurs de roues
– Habillage de ciel de toit dans la partie de chargement
– Appuis-tête réglables en hauteur
– Moquette de sol
– Sellerie "Mosaic"
– Baguettes latérales de protection.
Options:
– Barres longitudinales de toit
– Essuie-glace de lunette arrière
– Direction assistée
Equipement de série "BX 19 TD Special":
"BX 19 TD Standard" + options + peinture métallisée
Silver’s NEOMAX Coilover Kit is perfect for street driving and still outperform most on the track. The Silver’s NEOMAX coilovers are a monotube shock, independently height adjustable, with 24 levels of dampening adjustment and come with an 18-month warranty. Source: bit.ly/2XV1gbc
This K12 Micra in silver is a 5 door NTEC model and It is in great shape and well looked after for a 60 reg, it has a private 51 reg.
The NTEC model has the 1.2-litre engine, side airbags, a 60/40 split sliding rear seat, drivers seat height adjustment, front fog lights, heated electric mirrors, Sat Nav, fog lights
This one is seen here on Craigleith Drive, Edinburgh.
This is a modification of my hot rod pickup. It still has everything that you might like (motorized/remotely controlled driving/steering, lights, turn signals, working steering wheel, working V8 and radiator fan, working door handles, gearbox…) and some new features (wheels, suspension, engine, roof, front lights, interior, fuel tank, movable license plate, chrome details…). Like the old one, it is 50 studs long and 28 studs wide but it is heavier - it weighs 1285g.
VIDEO: youtu.be/jR0rCEck7_0
Characteristics:
-Leaf spring suspension with height-adjustable rear
-License plate with simple mechanism to hide it (manual)
-Lights (front and rear) manually controlled with a lever connected to a speed dial of 8878 battery (which allows you to switch between low and high beam)
-Turn signals (front and rear) connected to a servo motor via coupled PF switches (2 switches)
-Working steering wheel
-Manual gearbox – 4 gears (5:1, 3:1, 5:3, 1:1)
-Suicide doors with working door handles
-It is powered by two L motors and 7.4 V (8878) rechargeable battery box.
-Servo motor for steering
-Working V8 fake engine with some details to make it resemble real V8 engine, connected directly to the driving motors so it works at the same speed no matter what gear you choose (in neutral also)
-Working radiator fan, connected directly to a V8 engine
-Rear doors can be opened.
-Roof window, fire extinguisher, fuel tank…
-Front tires from 8070 supercar, and rear from 42000 Grand Prix Racer.
I hope you like it, feel free to comment…
p.s. it has been blogged: thelegocarblog.com/2014/07/03/rod-mod/
This K12 Micra in grey, is a 3 door Spirita model and is in great shape and well looked after.for a 56 reg
The Spirita model has the 1.2-litre engine, side airbags, a 60/40 split sliding rear seat, drivers seat height adjustment, air con, service indicator.
This one is seen parked up on Westgarth Avenue, Edinburgh
Shown at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show alongside the Production Rhino Mk IV is the Team Magnus Racing, Paris Dakar Rally-Raid offroad racing truck.
Magnus Racing will be campaigning the Rhino in the 2015 Dakar Rally, and other extreme offroad racing events.
The forth generation of the Rhino has been developed in conjunction with the British firm Bowler.
The Rhino utilises the latest edition of the JLR V8 powertrains. The 5.0 litre Supercharger V8 petrol produces 375 kw and 625 Nm or torque. The 4.4 litre turbo-diesel produces 250 kW and 700 Nm of torque. Both engines are backed by the ZF 8HP automatic transmission, incorporating the advance Bosch/ZF Electric Hybrid drive to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption in the on-road edition - for racing, this extends the range and reduces the amount of fuel that must be carried.
The Rhino has height-adjustable suspension to increase ground clearance, along with short front and rear overhangs to aid offroad maneuverability and traction. The Rhino's Dakar-bred chassis has a proven track record in offroad racing and durability events.
And, of course, the trademark 'X' for Xavier, the founder of the Ralston Corporation is displayed proudly and prominently in the 21st century interpretation of the the traditional grille. The tail profile of the Rhino is enhanced by the 'X'-form incorporated into rocket-pod tail lamps flanking the additional tire.
The 2015 Ralston Rhino MkIV Rally-Raid racing truck featured here has been produced as part of the Flickr LUGNuts 77th build challenge, - 'Designing the Ralston Rhino'.
The Custom StuG 3 Ausf-G is a replica of the German DAK WW2.
- It consists of 577 bricks
- Cannon is height adjustable
- Side panels for removing
- Portable chain runs
- Adaptation of the chains on the ground
- Many small details and its shape make it authentic
- Dimensions (W / H / D): 13,1 / 7,3 / 17,1 cm (without antenna)
Instructions PDF + XML available.
For more information look on my Homepage or watch on our YouTube Channel.
Thanks for visiting!
This is another motorized and remotely controlled hot rod - 100% LEGO
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPqg0OhQlA
Regarding size and functions it is somewhere in between my models “Fire bucket” and “Lucky 13”.
Dimensions: 41 studs long, 19 studs wide, 13 – 14.5 studs high and weighs 804 g.
PF components: 1 L motor - driving, 1 M motor - steering, 1 8878 battery, 1 IR receiver
Motorized functions: driving and steering
Other functions:
Working suspension:
Front: solid axle, leaf spring
Rear: Height-adjustable, live axle, leaf spring
Working steering wheel – drag link steering
Working pistons, radiator fan and generator - custom made fake v8 engine
Working door handles – openable suicide doors
Retractable rear license plate – controlled with a fake handbrake lever inside the cabin
Trunk door can be opened – behind it is a mechanism for adjustment of rear height of the vehicle (manually controlled gear) and battery (easy to turn on/off and charging)
Roof can be removed easily
Features:
Custom chrome parts – wheels, headlights, door handles and rear view mirrors
Interior – red seats and dashboard
I hope you like it :)
1973 250C, European model, factory green with parchment MB-Tex, 64,000 original miles since new. Beside the 15" steel wheels and hubcaps (yes, 15"), slightly lowered ride-height adjustment, and any needed past mechanical, this car is almost 100% original. I must say, it looks pretty damn good for being almost 40 years old. (night series photo #6)
Manchester has just got its very own bikeshare scheme, thanks to Beijing based Mobike.
The whole thing works through a smartphone app, which helps you find a bike, reserves it, and upon arriving at the bike, unlocks it (the bike is internet connected & the Dutch wheel lock is electronic).
The cycle is very interesting in its construction as may or may not be obvious at first glance. The magnesium wheels have a new type of solid tyre meaning no punctures.
The hubs are single sided & the single speed transmission is shaft driven, rather than chain or rubber belt. Whilst not as friction free, the shaft was fine in use although it's bulk meant the pedals were noticeably far apart.
On the rear is a disk brake, whilst the front has a Shimano Roller Brake which was super smooth to use. At low speeds my motorcycle head has me using the rear brake usually but I much preferred the front Roller Brake on this bike.
The only grumbles we're the limited saddle height adjustment. At 5'11" I'm at upper limit & would've preferred a bit more. If the saddle could go higher an adjustable handlebar stem would be nice too. Lastly, those mudguards look like a token effort. It often pisses it down here & whilst I want to be proven wrong, I'd expect to get wet with these.
Otherwise? Well, brilliant really. More of the same please!
Update: have heard there may be longer seatposts in the works.
M-289.
Escala 1/43.
Citroën 2CV (1966) - Pop Cross (1974).
Paris (France), Vigo (Spain).
Pilen.
Hecho en España / Made in Spain.
Año 1975. (?) (2/74)
Miniatura con suspensión, apertura de capó y faros redondos de diamante (en mi miniatura faltan los cristales de diamante de los faros, una pérdida bastante habitual en los modelos jugados).
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Aunque el primer modelo del Citroën 2 CV de Pilen (M-511) apareció en el catálogo del año 1974, esta variante Pop Cross
(M-289) pudo verse por 1ª vez en el catálogo de Pilen del año 1975 (?) y se mantuvo en catálogo hasta el año 1980. (?) Pertenece a la 1ª serie fabricada por Pilen, que se caracteriza principalmente por:
- Los faros delanteros son redondos, con imitación de cristal en su hueco interior (faros de diamante).
- Los intermitentes están en los laterales (ver parte posterior del lateral en las fotos).
- Los pilotos traseros son pequeños.
- En esta variante, la parrilla delantera, los parachoques, los pilotos traseros y la placa de matrícula trasera están pintados del mismo color que la carrocería.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/cat%C3%A1logos/
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/catalog_items?type_i...
Nota:
En el Citroën 2CV real, los faros redondos fueron sustituidos por faros cuadrados en el año 1974.
Fuente: www.forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=130408&page=30
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Pop Cross: El mítico 2CV, estrella de la competición más loca de los 70.
"Pop Cross tuvo lugar en junio de 1974 en España, desde donde se extendería a Portugal, italia y Francia, donde aún se siguen celebrando carreras.
Bastaba con poseer un Citröen 2CV, quitarle las puertas traseras e instalarle un arco de seguridad. Su peculiar suspensión y la pasión de los pilotos hacían el resto sobre los circuitos de tierra."
Fuente: www.lasexta.com/motor/noticias/pop-cross-el-mitico-2cv-es...
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PILEN - Historia
"Pilen nació en Ibi (Alicante) a finales de los 60, creada por Pilar y Enrique Climent (de ahí Pil-En); éste ya comercializaba en compañía de sus hermanos los juguetes Clim.
Al principio fabricaron miniaturas de Fórmula 1 a escala 1:36, pero en seguida se pasaron a la 1:43 copiando moldes de las marcas Corgi, Tekno, Politoys, Mebetoys...
Obtuvieron de la casa francesa Dinky el permiso para fabricar sus modelos en España.
Sus coches tuvieron numerosas variantes (hasta cromados), distintos tipos de ruedas, etc. Se asociaron a otras marcas, como las holandesas AHC, Artec, Oto y Doorkey, la venezolana Juguinsa y la española Guiloy."
(...)
"Los fundadores de PILEN son Enrique Climent Gisbert y su esposa, Pilar.
De ahí el logotipo de la marca, formado por las primeras letras de sus nombres. Debajo, las iniciales del fundador, Enrique Climent Gisbert. [ECG]
(...)
--------------------------------
"Hacia 1962, uno de los socios fundadores de la fábrica juguetera Climent Hermanos, S.L, D. Enrique Climent Gisbert, decide abandonar la firma familiar para crear su propia empresa junto a su mujer Pilar (PIL-ar y EN-rique)."
(...)
"La primera línea de productos estará compuesta por una serie de pistolas y revólveres hechos de fundición de material zamack."
El 23 de enero de 1970 se regularizarán como sociedad anónima bajo la marca comercial PILEN."
(...)
"Poco a poco fueron abandonando la primera gama de juguetes para centrarse de manera completa en la fabricación de miniaturas de metal reproducidos a escala."
(...)
"Fue una empresa que tuvo gran protagonismo al gozar sus juguetes de mucha aceptación.
En el año 1983 cesó sus actividades (...). Desde la propia firma se auspiciaría poco después la creación de otra sociedad llamada Artec, que abrió sus actividades en el año 1988 y que (...) seguían ofreciendo unos juguetes de gran calidad (consiguieron un Molinillo de Plata el mismo año que se lanzaron al mercado como marca."
Fuentes:
"La industria juguetera en Ibi, 1905-2005", edición del Ayuntamiento de Ibi, 2005.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/coches-1-43/
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-mis-fotos-569751
foro.autoescala.net/index.php?threads/miniaturas-espa%C3%...
www.paolorampinieditore.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AUT...
wikivisually.com/wiki/Auto_Pilen
minicarmuseum.com/database/pdf/autopilen1977.pdf
thevintagetoyadvertiser.org/tag/auto-pilen/
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Auto Pilen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Auto Pilen was a diecast line of model cars made in Ibi, Alicante, in southeastern Spain by Pilen S.A..
Models were produced from the 1970s through the mid-1990s mostly in 1:43 scale.
A majority of the castings were inherited from French Dinky. The company was started in the 1960s, diecasting items like colorful metal sailboats and key chains.
In the late 1980s. Pilen was apparently bought by AHC of the Netherlands."
(...)
"Pilen made at least 50 different models, in the most convoluted story of diecast seconds and recasts of any successful diecast manufacturer (Colleccion Auto Pilen. No date).
Dies were apparently used or copied from a variety of other companies including French Dinky, Corgi Toys, Solido, Mebetoys, Tekno, Politoys (Polistil), and possibly some Mercury models."
(...)
"Pilen's model selection appears taken (whether by direct copying from blueprints or through available dies) from a variety of other producers, especially French Dinky Toys. Some tools from Meccano s.a. were transferred from Calais to Pilen in Spain so the models made by Pilen were Dinky castings – the base plate of which had been modified from MADE IN FRANCE to MADE IN SPAIN. For example, the Talbot/Simca/Chrysler 1100 saloon, Renault 12 saloon, Mercedes 250 coupe, Ferrari P5, Citroën CX Pallas, and Matra-Simca Bagheera were French Dinky castings (Dinky Toys Encyclopaedia). Later versions of these cars, though, did not say Dinky anywhere on the base plates.
So, from 1974 until 1981, several French Dinky Toys passenger cars were made by Pilen.
Bickford says that originally there was an agreement to market the French Dinkys in Spain, but most were sold under the Pilen brand name (Bickford 2009).
The French dies were used, but of course the base plates were altered, hiding that fact. These cars were almost exactly similar to the French dies, but with Pilen's own paint finishes."
(...)
"Auto Pilen also made a line of Matchbox-sized 1/64 scale cars, but these are more rare. Besides a SEAT 131 Wagon, a SEAT Ritmo, a Renault 4F (Van), a Peugeot 504, and a Range Rover – among others – were made but little is known about them."
(...)
"Pilen maintained a close association with other Spanish toy makers also headquartered in Alicante like Joal, Guiloy, Guisval, and Mira."
(...)
"Around 1980 there was a Pilen connection with Holland OTO, which had taken over Dutch Efsi Toys.
A 1980 Auto Pilen catalog shows many of the revered Efsi vehicles like the Model T series and many Efsi trucks continued as a line Pilen 1980 (Bras 2012).
Around 1990, there was also a connection with the Dutch diecast company AHC which appears to have bought Holland Oto and thus Auto Pilen (Bickford 2009). AHC has since shared dies and traditionally Pilen stamped cars can be found in both AHC and Holland OTO labeled boxes (Bickford 2009; Johnson 1998, p. 15)."
(...)
"With the bankruptcy of Doorkey in the early 1990s, Auto Pilen disappeared.
The last new models with the Pilen name appeared at this time.
In its time, Auto-Pilen was the king of the knock-off and die-cast second. Perusal of the model lineup shows castings were copies or closely copied vehicles from several different companies (Collection Auto Pilen).
Models were precisely crafted in a professional and uniform-looking range from leftover castings that had previously been in use elsewhere. Pilen appears to have been the most successful company ever at using second hand castings – yet so very nicely reconfigured."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Pilen
More info:
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-dinky-espa-a-fabrica...
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-i/
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-ii/
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Citroën 2CV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. 'two steam horses'), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front wheel drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948-1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods. Often called "an umbrella on wheels," the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989-1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami: (over 1.8 million) the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford".
(...)
Special edition saloon models
"The special edition models began with the 1976 SPOT model and continued in the 1980s:
1980 Charleston: inspired by Art-Deco two colour styles 1920s Citroën model colour schemes
1981 007: in association with the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only
1983 Beachcomber: known as "France 3" in France or "Transat" in other continental European markets – Citroën sponsored the French America's Cup yacht entry of that year
1985 Dolly: two colours
1986 Cocorico: meaning "cock-a-doodle-doo" – supporting France in the 1986 Football World Cup. 'Le Coq Gaulois' or Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France
1987 Bamboo
1988 Perrier: in association with the mineral water company."
Manufacturer
Citroën
Production
1948–1990
Assembly
Forest/Vorst, Belgium
Liège, Belgium
Slough, UK
Jeppener, Argentina (1960–1962),
Buenos Aires, Argentina (1962–1980)
Montevideo, Uruguay (Panel van & pick-up)
Arica, Chile
Mangualde, Portugal
Paris, France
Vigo, Spain
Koper, Yugoslavia
Designer
André Lefèbvre
Flaminio Bertoni
I got brave, and started hacking on my nearly new Rokinon fisheye well after midnight. With the able assistance of my surgeon girlfriend's steady hands, I managed to remove the huge, fragile front element with a pair of scissors.
I mounted a rear lens cap, and covered the lens barrel with packing tape. I cut two circles of card stock to fit tightly inside the hood. They served to keep the dust and bits out.
To cut the hood down, I used a small abrasive cutoff wheel, meant for a Dremel-type rotary tool. The wheel was chucked in my tiny Harbor Freight bench top drill press, and the lens handheld on the drill press table, with the end cap resting on the table, and the table height adjusted to place the cutting wheel right inline with the intended cut line around the hood (shoulda taken a photo or video of this setup, I know).
Multiple careful passes around the plastic hood neatly separated it. Some sanding and deburring with a utility knife soon had it looking almost like it was made this way. You can see the duller finish on the front of the remaining portion of the hood.
The remaining challenge is to make a good lens cap. The original mounted to the hood, so will no longer fit. The bulging front element and vestigial hood leave minimal mounting options. I'm considering designing a cap in CAD, then having it 3D printed out of ABS. It will be a challenge to get a proper snap fit on the remaining portion of the lens hood. I might even integrate a knob on the front of the cap, to ease installation and removal.
A Toyota Global Icon for Nearly 70 Years
10 Million Land Cruisers Sold … and Counting
Today: A Leader in Luxury and Capability
2020 Heritage Edition Marks Continuous Presence in U.S. Since 1958
PLANO, Texas (November 14, 2019) – Can a vehicle really be in a class of one? In America in 1958, the Toyota Land Cruiser was. That’s because Toyota sold just a single Land Cruiser in the United States in its first year here. Just one. But then, legends sometimes get off to a slow start.
That legend had global impact, as reflected in Toyota selling its 10 millionth Land Cruiser in summer 2019 in Australia, Land Cruiser’s largest market. (The total includes some Land Cruiser models that were not imported to the U.S.)
As one of today’s most luxurious full-capability SUVs, the 2020 Land Cruiser might seem to have little in common with the bare-bones Land Cruiser models built through the late 1970s. Yet, Land Cruisers new and classic are connected through the decades by world-renowned capability, an adventurous streak, and the shared Toyota core values of quality, dependability and reliability.
For 2020, a limited-availability Land Cruiser Heritage Edition honors this vehicle’s constant presence in Toyota’s U.S. lineup since 1958. The choice of Midnight Black Metallic or Blizzard Pearl exterior color, plus bronze-colored BBS® forged aluminum wheels, heritage badges and other exclusive exterior design and interior appointments, commemorate this milestone in a characteristically understated way.
The Beginning: 75 Horsepower and Climbing Mt. Fuji
Land Cruiser heritage stretches back to 1950 and a vehicle originally developed for military use. Japan’s National Police Reserve Forces had called for a rugged, locally built all-terrain four-wheel drive vehicle, and Toyota demonstrated a highly capable little truck known as the Toyota BJ. Its 3.4-liter inline six-cylinder engine made 75 horsepower with plenty of low-speed torque, just what such a vehicle needed.
The Toyota BJ proved its mettle in July 1951, when Toyota test driver Ichiro Taira drove one up the trail on Japan’s 12,388-foot-high Mt. Fuji, making it to the sixth checkpoint (there were, and still are, 10 checkpoints). That was further up the mountain than any motor vehicle had ever gone before. Although the National Police Reserve Forces passed on Toyota’s plucky BJ, Japan’s National Police Agency ordered a fleet, as did government forestry and utility agencies.
In 1954, Toyota gave the BJ a new name: Land Cruiser was suggested by Toyota Director of Technology Hanji Umehara, who observed that the vehicle seemed to easily cruise over the roughest terrain.
Land Cruiser 20 Series
For 1955, Toyota introduced the Land Cruiser 20 Series, now with a more powerful 3.9-liter inline-six. It was still a Spartan machine, but with some suspension changes to improve the ride. Toyota’s all-terrain workhorse found early markets in South America and the Middle East, and an upgraded model in 1955 had doors and a metal top.
Toyota added more body styles for the 20 Series, including a pickup truck, station wagon, and a cab/chassis fire truck version. The Land Cruiser became the basis of Toyota’s export strategy, using the vehicle to establish a reputation of toughness.
On October 31, 1957, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. opened in a former Rambler dealership in Hollywood, California. Vehicle sales began in 1958, with the aforementioned single Land Cruiser, along with 287 Toyopet Crown sedans. It was a start.
Birth of a Legend: Land Cruiser FJ40
The Land Cruiser 20 Series continued for a few more years before a major change came in 1960. The 40 Series, a.k.a FJ40, looked evolutionary, but there was more to it than met the eye. The chassis with solid front and rear axles on leaf springs continued, as did the fold-down windshield. But angular styling, a flat, white roof, wraparound rear windows and short overhangs established a new look, soon to become iconic. Improved assembly processes raised quality and finish.
The inline-six produced 125 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque, more than other utility vehicles offered at the time. The FJ40 was the first Land Cruiser with a two-speed transfer case, which improved off-road capability and greatly contributed to the Land Cruiser legend. (The 20 Series had relied on a super-low 5.53:1 first-gear ratio for handling steep inclines.)
The FJ40 came to the U.S. in 1960 and was Toyota’s best-selling vehicle here through 1965, when the Corona passenger car arrived and took over that mantle.
Featured image: 1977 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
Family Matters
By the mid-1960s, many customers were seeking larger 4-wheel drive vehicles, for businesses such as ranching and surveying, as well as for sportsman and family outdoors activities. Toyota responded with the Land Cruiser 55 Series wagon model in 1967, built on a 16-inch longer wheelbase and featuring its own, modern styling and an improved version of the 3.9-liter inline-six. Toyota became the third-best-selling import brand in the United States that year.
As global demand for these mountain goats on wheels steadily increased, Toyota expanded Land Cruiser production to additional countries. Toyota built its 100,000th Land Cruiser model in 1968, and the 300,000th in 1973.
While Land Cruisers were not high-volume vehicles, an intensely loyal global following had made them icons of Toyota’s global family. There was no doubt that the Land Cruiser’s reputation for durability had positively impacted the Toyota passenger car line in all markets. This minimalist, trail-conquering machine had become a sort of brand halo vehicle.
Both the 40-series and 55-series Land Cruisers gained a new 4.2-liter inline-six in 1975, and a 4-speed transmission replaced the 3-speed. In 1979, the FJ40 retailed for about $6,000 in the U.S., and, with neither air conditioning nor power steering, was still a back-to-basics SUV. By then, however, it was clear that another evolutionary step was needed.
Featured image: 1977 Toyota Land Cruiser 55 Series
One Era Ends, Another Begins
For 1980, Toyota replaced the Land Cruiser 55 Series with the all-new 60 Series (FJ60), which offered greater comfort while still retaining the rugged capability. The one millionth Land Cruiser was built that year.
Toyota ended FJ40 sales in the U.S. in 1983 and stopped building the landmark vehicle the following year. (A new model, the Land Cruiser 70 Series, replaced the FJ40 in many markets, though not in the U.S.) In 2007, Toyota introduced the FJ Cruiser, a rugged though comfortable SUV inspired by the FJ40’s design and built using some components from a Land Cruiser model called the Prado (J120). The FJ40, meanwhile, has today become a collectible vehicle, with some selling at major auctions for $50,000+.
Featured image: 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60
Land Cruiser Muscles Up
The Land Cruiser 60 Series evolved slowly through the 1980s, a decade that would see significant growth in the SUV market. The 1988 Land Cruiser was updated with a new dash and upgraded interior, and a new 155-horsepower 3F 4.0-liter engine replaced the old 4.2 liter. Rectangular headlamps immediately identify the 1988 model.
More evolution was needed, especially in the U.S. market, where the SUV market was rapidly expanding. Introduced in spring 1990 as a 1991 model, the Land Cruiser 80 Series represented a major leap forward for the vehicle. Coil springs for the front suspension improved ride quality, and for the first time in a Land Cruiser, a full-time 4-wheel drive system could be used in all conditions, including dry roads. A locking center differential ensured off-road capability, something many Land Cruiser owners used.
By 1991, leather-trim seats, air conditioning, upgraded audio and other amenities were pushing the Land Cruiser into luxury territory. Safety evolved, too, with airbags and ABS braking. For 1993, Toyota endowed the Land Cruiser with an all-new, 24-valve, DOHC 4.5-liter inline-six engine producing 212 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, the added power making the Land Cruiser an even better tow vehicle than before.
Featured image: 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser 80 Series
Despite its plusher appointments, the Land Cruiser 80 Series remained a highly capable trail warrior, now also equipped with front and rear locking differentials. The 80 Series also became the basis for the Lexus LX 450, the luxury brand’s first-ever SUV.
Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series: Power and Luxury on the Rise
Land Cruiser evolved more quickly in the 1990s, becoming a versatile, rugged and comfortable everyday family vehicle for many customers. Then came a major leap: The Land Cruiser 100 Series introduced for 1998 was sleeker, but still with a shape defined by function. The new chassis was 50 percent stiffer, and the ride was more comfortable thanks to Land Cruiser’s first independent front suspension. For the first time, the Land Cruiser’s engine was not an inline six, but rather a 4.7-liter V8 with 230-horsepower. For 2006, output increased to 275 hp.
As plush as the Land Cruiser had become, it was as capable as ever, with steep approach and departure angles for trail driving, along with automatic height adjustment suspension. The V8 delivered 80 percent of its peak torque at just 1,100 rpm, burnishing Land Cruiser’s towing performance and off-road chops. This was a vehicle that could conquer the trail while coddling its passengers. The more luxurious Lexus version was the LX 470.
The somewhat smaller Land Cruiser Prado (J120), meanwhile, became the basis for the Lexus GX 470 SUV in 2003, and the basic chassis also underpinned the fourth generation Toyota 4Runner. This 120 Series evolved into the 150 Series, achieving its best-equipped and most luxurious form as the Lexus GX 460 with a 301-hp 4.6-liter V8.
Featured image: 2004 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series
Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series
If the 100 Series Land Cruiser had been blazing a trail to premium luxury, the 200 Series certainly reached that destination when introduced in 2008. The current-generation Land Cruiser created a benchmark for combining no-compromise capability with premium luxury.
The Land Cruiser’s brawny yet refined 381-horsepower 5.7-liter DOHC V8 engine produces 401 lb.-ft. of torque, channeled through an 8-speed Electronically Controlled Automatic Transmission with intelligence (ECT-i). The versatile full-time 4WD system uses a TORSEN limited-slip locking center differential and a 2-speed transfer case with selectable low-range.
The modern Land Cruiser’s roots show in its tough-as-nails body-on-frame construction. Its sophisticated chassis with Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) provides exceptional ride comfort, while a full array of advanced chassis technologies, including Downhill Assist Control, Hill Start Assist, CRAWL Control, and Off-Road Turn Assist, make Land Cruiser adept at handling difficult trails.
Beneath the polished, elegant exterior, the Land Cruiser is all business, with skid plates to help protect the front suspension, radiator, fuel tank, and transfer case. With its standard Trailer Towing Package, the Land Cruiser can pull a trailer up to 8,100 pounds.
Using the Multi-Terrain Select system, the driver can tailor the Land Cruiser’s wheel slip control to the surface and driving conditions. The Multi-Terrain Monitor provides nearly 360-degree visibility on tight trails, displaying potential obstacles on the 9-inch touchscreen.
Featured image: 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser Heritage Edition
Roughing It Doesn’t Have to be Rough
No matter how difficult the road or trail gets, the 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser indulges its occupants in comfort. Among the premium luxury features are leather-trimmed seating for up to eight, ventilated front seats, heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescoping and memory, power moonroof, four-zone automatic climate control with 28 cabin air vents, a refrigerated compartment inside the center console, and much more.
Musically speaking, the Land Cruiser is lightyears beyond the AM/FM stereo offered in the 1980s FJ60 model. The 2020 Land Cruiser’s standard Toyota Premium Audio with JBL® and Integrated Navigation features 14 JBL speakers, split-screen capability, advanced voice recognition, Siri® Eyes Free mode, SiriusXM® Satellite Radio, Bluetooth® connectivity and music streaming, and Qi wireless phone charging with compatible phones.
All 2020 Land Cruiser models come standard with Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P), which includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert with Sway Warning System, Automatic High Beams and High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC). In addition, Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert are also standard.
Featured image: 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser
Brand Cornerstone
In 2018, Toyota sold 318,000 Land Cruiser models worldwide (all versions included), with Australia the largest market. The U.S. takes a few thousand per year, and while that’s a huge leap over the single Land Cruiser sold here in 1958, Toyota’s flagship SUV remains a proud cornerstone on which the brand’s success was built.
This is another motorized and remotely controlled hot rod - 100% LEGO
VIDEO: <a www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPqg0OhQlA
Regarding size and functions it is somewhere in between my models “Fire bucket” and “Lucky 13”.
Dimensions: 41 studs long, 19 studs wide, 13 – 14.5 studs high and weighs 804 g.
PF components: 1 L motor - driving, 1 M motor - steering, 1 8878 battery, 1 IR receiver
Motorized functions: driving and steering
Other functions:
Working suspension:
Front: solid axle, leaf spring
Rear: Height-adjustable, live axle, leaf spring
Working steering wheel – drag link steering
Working pistons, radiator fan and generator - custom made fake v8 engine
Working door handles – openable suicide doors
Retractable rear license plate – controlled with a fake handbrake lever inside the cabin
Trunk door can be opened – behind it is a mechanism for adjustment of rear height of the vehicle (manually controlled gear) and battery (easy to turn on/off and charging)
Roof can be removed easily
Features:
Custom chrome parts – wheels, headlights, door handles and rear view mirrors
Interior – red seats and dashboard
I hope you like it :)
M-279.
Escala 1/43.
Citroën 2CV Safari (1974).
Paris (France), Vigo (Spain).
Pilen.
Hecho en España / Made in Spain.
Año 1977. (?) (2/74)
Miniatura con suspensión, apertura de capó y faros cuadrados pintados.
---------------------
Aunque el primer modelo del Citroën 2 CV de Pilen (M-511) apareció en el catálogo del año 1974, esta variante (M-279) pudo verse por 1ª vez en el catálogo de Pilen del año 1977 (?) y se mantuvo en catálogo hasta el año 1980. (?)
Pertenece a la 2ª serie fabricada por Pilen, que se caracteriza principalmente por:
- Los faros delanteros son cuadrados y pintados.
- Los intermitentes están en la parte frontal (desaparecen los intermitentes laterales del modelo anterior)
- Los pilotos traseros son más grandes y rectangulares, sobresaliendo de la carrocería.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/cat%C3%A1logos/
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/catalog_items?type_i...
Nota:
En el Citroën 2CV real, los faros redondos fueron sustituidos por faros cuadrados en el año 1974.
Fuente: www.forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=130408&page=30
-----------------------------------------------------
PILEN - Historia
"Pilen nació en Ibi (Alicante) a finales de los 60, creada por Pilar y Enrique Climent (de ahí Pil-En); éste ya comercializaba en compañía de sus hermanos los juguetes Clim.
Al principio fabricaron miniaturas de Fórmula 1 a escala 1:36, pero en seguida se pasaron a la 1:43 copiando moldes de las marcas Corgi, Tekno, Politoys, Mebetoys...
Obtuvieron de la casa francesa Dinky el permiso para fabricar sus modelos en España.
Sus coches tuvieron numerosas variantes (hasta cromados), distintos tipos de ruedas, etc. Se asociaron a otras marcas, como las holandesas AHC, Artec, Oto y Doorkey, la venezolana Juguinsa y la española Guiloy."
(...)
"Los fundadores de PILEN son Enrique Climent Gisbert y su esposa, Pilar.
De ahí el logotipo de la marca, formado por las primeras letras de sus nombres. Debajo, las iniciales del fundador, Enrique Climent Gisbert. [ECG]
(...)
--------------------------------
"Hacia 1962, uno de los socios fundadores de la fábrica juguetera Climent Hermanos, S.L, D. Enrique Climent Gisbert, decide abandonar la firma familiar para crear su propia empresa junto a su mujer Pilar (PIL-ar y EN-rique)."
(...)
"La primera línea de productos estará compuesta por una serie de pistolas y revólveres hechos de fundición de material zamack."
El 23 de enero de 1970 se regularizarán como sociedad anónima bajo la marca comercial PILEN."
(...)
"Poco a poco fueron abandonando la primera gama de juguetes para centrarse de manera completa en la fabricación de miniaturas de metal reproducidos a escala."
(...)
"Fue una empresa que tuvo gran protagonismo al gozar sus juguetes de mucha aceptación.
En el año 1983 cesó sus actividades (...). Desde la propia firma se auspiciaría poco después la creación de otra sociedad llamada Artec, que abrió sus actividades en el año 1988 y que (...) seguían ofreciendo unos juguetes de gran calidad (consiguieron un Molinillo de Plata el mismo año que se lanzaron al mercado como marca."
Fuentes:
"La industria juguetera en Ibi, 1905-2005", edición del Ayuntamiento de Ibi, 2005.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/coches-1-43/
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-mis-fotos-569751
foro.autoescala.net/index.php?threads/miniaturas-espa%C3%...
www.paolorampinieditore.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AUT...
wikivisually.com/wiki/Auto_Pilen
minicarmuseum.com/database/pdf/autopilen1977.pdf
thevintagetoyadvertiser.org/tag/auto-pilen/
-------------------------------------------------------
Auto Pilen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Auto Pilen was a diecast line of model cars made in Ibi, Alicante, in southeastern Spain by Pilen S.A..
Models were produced from the 1970s through the mid-1990s mostly in 1:43 scale.
A majority of the castings were inherited from French Dinky. The company was started in the 1960s, diecasting items like colorful metal sailboats and key chains.
In the late 1980s. Pilen was apparently bought by AHC of the Netherlands."
(...)
"Pilen made at least 50 different models, in the most convoluted story of diecast seconds and recasts of any successful diecast manufacturer (Colleccion Auto Pilen. No date).
Dies were apparently used or copied from a variety of other companies including French Dinky, Corgi Toys, Solido, Mebetoys, Tekno, Politoys (Polistil), and possibly some Mercury models."
(...)
"Pilen's model selection appears taken (whether by direct copying from blueprints or through available dies) from a variety of other producers, especially French Dinky Toys. Some tools from Meccano s.a. were transferred from Calais to Pilen in Spain so the models made by Pilen were Dinky castings – the base plate of which had been modified from MADE IN FRANCE to MADE IN SPAIN. For example, the Talbot/Simca/Chrysler 1100 saloon, Renault 12 saloon, Mercedes 250 coupe, Ferrari P5, Citroën CX Pallas, and Matra-Simca Bagheera were French Dinky castings (Dinky Toys Encyclopaedia). Later versions of these cars, though, did not say Dinky anywhere on the base plates.
So, from 1974 until 1981, several French Dinky Toys passenger cars were made by Pilen.
Bickford says that originally there was an agreement to market the French Dinkys in Spain, but most were sold under the Pilen brand name (Bickford 2009).
The French dies were used, but of course the base plates were altered, hiding that fact. These cars were almost exactly similar to the French dies, but with Pilen's own paint finishes."
(...)
"Auto Pilen also made a line of Matchbox-sized 1/64 scale cars, but these are more rare. Besides a SEAT 131 Wagon, a SEAT Ritmo, a Renault 4F (Van), a Peugeot 504, and a Range Rover – among others – were made but little is known about them."
(...)
"Pilen maintained a close association with other Spanish toy makers also headquartered in Alicante like Joal, Guiloy, Guisval, and Mira."
(...)
"Around 1980 there was a Pilen connection with Holland OTO, which had taken over Dutch Efsi Toys.
A 1980 Auto Pilen catalog shows many of the revered Efsi vehicles like the Model T series and many Efsi trucks continued as a line Pilen 1980 (Bras 2012).
Around 1990, there was also a connection with the Dutch diecast company AHC which appears to have bought Holland Oto and thus Auto Pilen (Bickford 2009). AHC has since shared dies and traditionally Pilen stamped cars can be found in both AHC and Holland OTO labeled boxes (Bickford 2009; Johnson 1998, p. 15)."
(...)
"With the bankruptcy of Doorkey in the early 1990s, Auto Pilen disappeared.
The last new models with the Pilen name appeared at this time.
In its time, Auto-Pilen was the king of the knock-off and die-cast second. Perusal of the model lineup shows castings were copies or closely copied vehicles from several different companies (Collection Auto Pilen).
Models were precisely crafted in a professional and uniform-looking range from leftover castings that had previously been in use elsewhere. Pilen appears to have been the most successful company ever at using second hand castings – yet so very nicely reconfigured."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Pilen
More info:
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-dinky-espa-a-fabrica...
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-i/
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-ii/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citroën 2CV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. 'two steam horses'), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front wheel drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948-1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods. Often called "an umbrella on wheels," the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989-1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami: (over 1.8 million) the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford".
(...)
Special edition saloon models
"The special edition models began with the 1976 SPOT model and continued in the 1980s:
1980 Charleston: inspired by Art-Deco two colour styles 1920s Citroën model colour schemes
1981 007: in association with the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only
1983 Beachcomber: known as "France 3" in France or "Transat" in other continental European markets – Citroën sponsored the French America's Cup yacht entry of that year
1985 Dolly: two colours
1986 Cocorico: meaning "cock-a-doodle-doo" – supporting France in the 1986 Football World Cup. 'Le Coq Gaulois' or Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France
1987 Bamboo
1988 Perrier: in association with the mineral water company."
Manufacturer
Citroën
Production
1948–1990
Assembly
Forest/Vorst, Belgium
Liège, Belgium
Slough, UK
Jeppener, Argentina (1960–1962),
Buenos Aires, Argentina (1962–1980)
Montevideo, Uruguay (Panel van & pick-up)
Arica, Chile
Mangualde, Portugal
Paris, France
Vigo, Spain
Koper, Yugoslavia
Designer
André Lefèbvre
Flaminio Bertoni
NEC's SmartScan is different. It starts with a modern user interface and intuitive screen utilizing Microsoft Windows 10 with modern touch, pinch-and-zoom and swipe features now common on all devices. Then it is housed in a visually pleasing, height adjustable, ergonomically designed kiosk with larger foot pedals for improved fingerprint and palmprint capture. #biometrics Learn more today - goo.gl/vDvaWH
M-289.
Escala 1/43.
Citroën 2CV (1966) - Pop Cross (1974).
Paris (France), Vigo (Spain).
Pilen.
Hecho en España / Made in Spain.
Año 1975. (?) (2/74)
Miniatura con suspensión, apertura de capó y faros redondos de diamante (en mi miniatura faltan los cristales de diamante de los faros, una pérdida bastante habitual en los modelos jugados).
---------------------
Aunque el primer modelo del Citroën 2 CV de Pilen (M-511) apareció en el catálogo del año 1974, esta variante Pop Cross
(M-289) pudo verse por 1ª vez en el catálogo de Pilen del año 1975 (?) y se mantuvo en catálogo hasta el año 1980. (?) Pertenece a la 1ª serie fabricada por Pilen, que se caracteriza principalmente por:
- Los faros delanteros son redondos, con imitación de cristal en su hueco interior (faros de diamante).
- Los intermitentes están en los laterales (ver parte posterior del lateral en las fotos).
- Los pilotos traseros son pequeños.
- En esta variante, la parrilla delantera, los parachoques, los pilotos traseros y la placa de matrícula trasera están pintados del mismo color que la carrocería.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/cat%C3%A1logos/
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/catalog_items?type_i...
Nota:
En el Citroën 2CV real, los faros redondos fueron sustituidos por faros cuadrados en el año 1974.
Fuente: www.forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=130408&page=30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Pop Cross: El mítico 2CV, estrella de la competición más loca de los 70.
"Pop Cross tuvo lugar en junio de 1974 en España, desde donde se extendería a Portugal, italia y Francia, donde aún se siguen celebrando carreras.
Bastaba con poseer un Citröen 2CV, quitarle las puertas traseras e instalarle un arco de seguridad. Su peculiar suspensión y la pasión de los pilotos hacían el resto sobre los circuitos de tierra."
Fuente: www.lasexta.com/motor/noticias/pop-cross-el-mitico-2cv-es...
-----------------------------------------------------
PILEN - Historia
"Pilen nació en Ibi (Alicante) a finales de los 60, creada por Pilar y Enrique Climent (de ahí Pil-En); éste ya comercializaba en compañía de sus hermanos los juguetes Clim.
Al principio fabricaron miniaturas de Fórmula 1 a escala 1:36, pero en seguida se pasaron a la 1:43 copiando moldes de las marcas Corgi, Tekno, Politoys, Mebetoys...
Obtuvieron de la casa francesa Dinky el permiso para fabricar sus modelos en España.
Sus coches tuvieron numerosas variantes (hasta cromados), distintos tipos de ruedas, etc. Se asociaron a otras marcas, como las holandesas AHC, Artec, Oto y Doorkey, la venezolana Juguinsa y la española Guiloy."
(...)
"Los fundadores de PILEN son Enrique Climent Gisbert y su esposa, Pilar.
De ahí el logotipo de la marca, formado por las primeras letras de sus nombres. Debajo, las iniciales del fundador, Enrique Climent Gisbert. [ECG]
(...)
--------------------------------
"Hacia 1962, uno de los socios fundadores de la fábrica juguetera Climent Hermanos, S.L, D. Enrique Climent Gisbert, decide abandonar la firma familiar para crear su propia empresa junto a su mujer Pilar (PIL-ar y EN-rique)."
(...)
"La primera línea de productos estará compuesta por una serie de pistolas y revólveres hechos de fundición de material zamack."
El 23 de enero de 1970 se regularizarán como sociedad anónima bajo la marca comercial PILEN."
(...)
"Poco a poco fueron abandonando la primera gama de juguetes para centrarse de manera completa en la fabricación de miniaturas de metal reproducidos a escala."
(...)
"Fue una empresa que tuvo gran protagonismo al gozar sus juguetes de mucha aceptación.
En el año 1983 cesó sus actividades (...). Desde la propia firma se auspiciaría poco después la creación de otra sociedad llamada Artec, que abrió sus actividades en el año 1988 y que (...) seguían ofreciendo unos juguetes de gran calidad (consiguieron un Molinillo de Plata el mismo año que se lanzaron al mercado como marca."
Fuentes:
"La industria juguetera en Ibi, 1905-2005", edición del Ayuntamiento de Ibi, 2005.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/coches-1-43/
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-mis-fotos-569751
foro.autoescala.net/index.php?threads/miniaturas-espa%C3%...
www.paolorampinieditore.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AUT...
wikivisually.com/wiki/Auto_Pilen
minicarmuseum.com/database/pdf/autopilen1977.pdf
thevintagetoyadvertiser.org/tag/auto-pilen/
-------------------------------------------------------
Auto Pilen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Auto Pilen was a diecast line of model cars made in Ibi, Alicante, in southeastern Spain by Pilen S.A..
Models were produced from the 1970s through the mid-1990s mostly in 1:43 scale.
A majority of the castings were inherited from French Dinky. The company was started in the 1960s, diecasting items like colorful metal sailboats and key chains.
In the late 1980s. Pilen was apparently bought by AHC of the Netherlands."
(...)
"Pilen made at least 50 different models, in the most convoluted story of diecast seconds and recasts of any successful diecast manufacturer (Colleccion Auto Pilen. No date).
Dies were apparently used or copied from a variety of other companies including French Dinky, Corgi Toys, Solido, Mebetoys, Tekno, Politoys (Polistil), and possibly some Mercury models."
(...)
"Pilen's model selection appears taken (whether by direct copying from blueprints or through available dies) from a variety of other producers, especially French Dinky Toys. Some tools from Meccano s.a. were transferred from Calais to Pilen in Spain so the models made by Pilen were Dinky castings – the base plate of which had been modified from MADE IN FRANCE to MADE IN SPAIN. For example, the Talbot/Simca/Chrysler 1100 saloon, Renault 12 saloon, Mercedes 250 coupe, Ferrari P5, Citroën CX Pallas, and Matra-Simca Bagheera were French Dinky castings (Dinky Toys Encyclopaedia). Later versions of these cars, though, did not say Dinky anywhere on the base plates.
So, from 1974 until 1981, several French Dinky Toys passenger cars were made by Pilen.
Bickford says that originally there was an agreement to market the French Dinkys in Spain, but most were sold under the Pilen brand name (Bickford 2009).
The French dies were used, but of course the base plates were altered, hiding that fact. These cars were almost exactly similar to the French dies, but with Pilen's own paint finishes."
(...)
"Auto Pilen also made a line of Matchbox-sized 1/64 scale cars, but these are more rare. Besides a SEAT 131 Wagon, a SEAT Ritmo, a Renault 4F (Van), a Peugeot 504, and a Range Rover – among others – were made but little is known about them."
(...)
"Pilen maintained a close association with other Spanish toy makers also headquartered in Alicante like Joal, Guiloy, Guisval, and Mira."
(...)
"Around 1980 there was a Pilen connection with Holland OTO, which had taken over Dutch Efsi Toys.
A 1980 Auto Pilen catalog shows many of the revered Efsi vehicles like the Model T series and many Efsi trucks continued as a line Pilen 1980 (Bras 2012).
Around 1990, there was also a connection with the Dutch diecast company AHC which appears to have bought Holland Oto and thus Auto Pilen (Bickford 2009). AHC has since shared dies and traditionally Pilen stamped cars can be found in both AHC and Holland OTO labeled boxes (Bickford 2009; Johnson 1998, p. 15)."
(...)
"With the bankruptcy of Doorkey in the early 1990s, Auto Pilen disappeared.
The last new models with the Pilen name appeared at this time.
In its time, Auto-Pilen was the king of the knock-off and die-cast second. Perusal of the model lineup shows castings were copies or closely copied vehicles from several different companies (Collection Auto Pilen).
Models were precisely crafted in a professional and uniform-looking range from leftover castings that had previously been in use elsewhere. Pilen appears to have been the most successful company ever at using second hand castings – yet so very nicely reconfigured."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Pilen
More info:
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-dinky-espa-a-fabrica...
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-i/
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-ii/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citroën 2CV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. 'two steam horses'), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front wheel drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948-1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods. Often called "an umbrella on wheels," the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989-1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami: (over 1.8 million) the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford".
(...)
Special edition saloon models
"The special edition models began with the 1976 SPOT model and continued in the 1980s:
1980 Charleston: inspired by Art-Deco two colour styles 1920s Citroën model colour schemes
1981 007: in association with the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only
1983 Beachcomber: known as "France 3" in France or "Transat" in other continental European markets – Citroën sponsored the French America's Cup yacht entry of that year
1985 Dolly: two colours
1986 Cocorico: meaning "cock-a-doodle-doo" – supporting France in the 1986 Football World Cup. 'Le Coq Gaulois' or Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France
1987 Bamboo
1988 Perrier: in association with the mineral water company."
Manufacturer
Citroën
Production
1948–1990
Assembly
Forest/Vorst, Belgium
Liège, Belgium
Slough, UK
Jeppener, Argentina (1960–1962),
Buenos Aires, Argentina (1962–1980)
Montevideo, Uruguay (Panel van & pick-up)
Arica, Chile
Mangualde, Portugal
Paris, France
Vigo, Spain
Koper, Yugoslavia
Designer
André Lefèbvre
Flaminio Bertoni
Found an old review of the scanner (2007) and this adjustment to the negative carrier was referred to. I am not sure it made a big difference but it did not do any worse. A wet print would be the best but.....
M-279.
Escala 1/43.
Citroën 2CV Safari (1974).
Paris (France), Vigo (Spain).
Pilen.
Hecho en España / Made in Spain.
Año 1977. (?) (2/74)
Miniatura con suspensión, apertura de capó y faros cuadrados pintados.
---------------------
Aunque el primer modelo del Citroën 2 CV de Pilen (M-511) apareció en el catálogo del año 1974, esta variante (M-279) pudo verse por 1ª vez en el catálogo de Pilen del año 1977 (?) y se mantuvo en catálogo hasta el año 1980. (?)
Pertenece a la 2ª serie fabricada por Pilen, que se caracteriza principalmente por:
- Los faros delanteros son cuadrados y pintados.
- Los intermitentes están en la parte frontal (desaparecen los intermitentes laterales del modelo anterior)
- Los pilotos traseros son más grandes y rectangulares, sobresaliendo de la carrocería.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/cat%C3%A1logos/
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
www.hobbydb.com/marketplaces/hobbydb/catalog_items?type_i...
Nota:
En el Citroën 2CV real, los faros redondos fueron sustituidos por faros cuadrados en el año 1974.
Fuente: www.forocoches.com/foro/showthread.php?t=130408&page=30
-----------------------------------------------------
PILEN - Historia
"Pilen nació en Ibi (Alicante) a finales de los 60, creada por Pilar y Enrique Climent (de ahí Pil-En); éste ya comercializaba en compañía de sus hermanos los juguetes Clim.
Al principio fabricaron miniaturas de Fórmula 1 a escala 1:36, pero en seguida se pasaron a la 1:43 copiando moldes de las marcas Corgi, Tekno, Politoys, Mebetoys...
Obtuvieron de la casa francesa Dinky el permiso para fabricar sus modelos en España.
Sus coches tuvieron numerosas variantes (hasta cromados), distintos tipos de ruedas, etc. Se asociaron a otras marcas, como las holandesas AHC, Artec, Oto y Doorkey, la venezolana Juguinsa y la española Guiloy."
(...)
"Los fundadores de PILEN son Enrique Climent Gisbert y su esposa, Pilar.
De ahí el logotipo de la marca, formado por las primeras letras de sus nombres. Debajo, las iniciales del fundador, Enrique Climent Gisbert. [ECG]
(...)
--------------------------------
"Hacia 1962, uno de los socios fundadores de la fábrica juguetera Climent Hermanos, S.L, D. Enrique Climent Gisbert, decide abandonar la firma familiar para crear su propia empresa junto a su mujer Pilar (PIL-ar y EN-rique)."
(...)
"La primera línea de productos estará compuesta por una serie de pistolas y revólveres hechos de fundición de material zamack."
El 23 de enero de 1970 se regularizarán como sociedad anónima bajo la marca comercial PILEN."
(...)
"Poco a poco fueron abandonando la primera gama de juguetes para centrarse de manera completa en la fabricación de miniaturas de metal reproducidos a escala."
(...)
"Fue una empresa que tuvo gran protagonismo al gozar sus juguetes de mucha aceptación.
En el año 1983 cesó sus actividades (...). Desde la propia firma se auspiciaría poco después la creación de otra sociedad llamada Artec, que abrió sus actividades en el año 1988 y que (...) seguían ofreciendo unos juguetes de gran calidad (consiguieron un Molinillo de Plata el mismo año que se lanzaron al mercado como marca."
Fuentes:
"La industria juguetera en Ibi, 1905-2005", edición del Ayuntamiento de Ibi, 2005.
More info:
pilen.jimdofree.com/coches-1-43/
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-mis-fotos-569751
foro.autoescala.net/index.php?threads/miniaturas-espa%C3%...
www.paolorampinieditore.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/AUT...
wikivisually.com/wiki/Auto_Pilen
minicarmuseum.com/database/pdf/autopilen1977.pdf
thevintagetoyadvertiser.org/tag/auto-pilen/
-------------------------------------------------------
Auto Pilen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Auto Pilen was a diecast line of model cars made in Ibi, Alicante, in southeastern Spain by Pilen S.A..
Models were produced from the 1970s through the mid-1990s mostly in 1:43 scale.
A majority of the castings were inherited from French Dinky. The company was started in the 1960s, diecasting items like colorful metal sailboats and key chains.
In the late 1980s. Pilen was apparently bought by AHC of the Netherlands."
(...)
"Pilen made at least 50 different models, in the most convoluted story of diecast seconds and recasts of any successful diecast manufacturer (Colleccion Auto Pilen. No date).
Dies were apparently used or copied from a variety of other companies including French Dinky, Corgi Toys, Solido, Mebetoys, Tekno, Politoys (Polistil), and possibly some Mercury models."
(...)
"Pilen's model selection appears taken (whether by direct copying from blueprints or through available dies) from a variety of other producers, especially French Dinky Toys. Some tools from Meccano s.a. were transferred from Calais to Pilen in Spain so the models made by Pilen were Dinky castings – the base plate of which had been modified from MADE IN FRANCE to MADE IN SPAIN. For example, the Talbot/Simca/Chrysler 1100 saloon, Renault 12 saloon, Mercedes 250 coupe, Ferrari P5, Citroën CX Pallas, and Matra-Simca Bagheera were French Dinky castings (Dinky Toys Encyclopaedia). Later versions of these cars, though, did not say Dinky anywhere on the base plates.
So, from 1974 until 1981, several French Dinky Toys passenger cars were made by Pilen.
Bickford says that originally there was an agreement to market the French Dinkys in Spain, but most were sold under the Pilen brand name (Bickford 2009).
The French dies were used, but of course the base plates were altered, hiding that fact. These cars were almost exactly similar to the French dies, but with Pilen's own paint finishes."
(...)
"Auto Pilen also made a line of Matchbox-sized 1/64 scale cars, but these are more rare. Besides a SEAT 131 Wagon, a SEAT Ritmo, a Renault 4F (Van), a Peugeot 504, and a Range Rover – among others – were made but little is known about them."
(...)
"Pilen maintained a close association with other Spanish toy makers also headquartered in Alicante like Joal, Guiloy, Guisval, and Mira."
(...)
"Around 1980 there was a Pilen connection with Holland OTO, which had taken over Dutch Efsi Toys.
A 1980 Auto Pilen catalog shows many of the revered Efsi vehicles like the Model T series and many Efsi trucks continued as a line Pilen 1980 (Bras 2012).
Around 1990, there was also a connection with the Dutch diecast company AHC which appears to have bought Holland Oto and thus Auto Pilen (Bickford 2009). AHC has since shared dies and traditionally Pilen stamped cars can be found in both AHC and Holland OTO labeled boxes (Bickford 2009; Johnson 1998, p. 15)."
(...)
"With the bankruptcy of Doorkey in the early 1990s, Auto Pilen disappeared.
The last new models with the Pilen name appeared at this time.
In its time, Auto-Pilen was the king of the knock-off and die-cast second. Perusal of the model lineup shows castings were copies or closely copied vehicles from several different companies (Collection Auto Pilen).
Models were precisely crafted in a professional and uniform-looking range from leftover castings that had previously been in use elsewhere. Pilen appears to have been the most successful company ever at using second hand castings – yet so very nicely reconfigured."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Pilen
More info:
www.gamas43.com/Dinky_SP/DinkyEsp.html
myspace.com/pilenmania/mixes/classic-dinky-espa-a-fabrica...
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-i/
pilen.jimdofree.com/asociaci%C3%B3n-con-otras-marcas-ii/
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Citroën 2CV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Citroën 2CV (French: "deux chevaux" i.e. "deux chevaux-vapeur" (lit. 'two steam horses'), "two tax horsepower") is a front-engine, front wheel drive, air-cooled economy car introduced at the 1948 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile and manufactured by Citroën for model years 1948-1990.
Conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in 1930s France, the 2CV is noted for its minimalist combination of innovative engineering and utilitarian, straightforward metal bodywork — initially corrugated for added strength without added weight. The 2CV featured a low purchase cost; simplicity of overall maintenance; an easily serviced air-cooled engine (originally offering 9hp); low fuel consumption; and an extremely long travel suspension offering a soft ride, light off-road capability, high ground clearance and height adjustability via lengthening/shortening of tie rods. Often called "an umbrella on wheels," the bodywork featured a distinctive and prominent full-width, canvas, roll-back sunroof, which accommodated oversized loads and until 1955 reached almost to the car's rear bumper, covering its trunk.
Manufactured in France between 1948 and 1989 (and its final two years in Portugal 1989-1990), over 3.8 million 2CVs were produced, along with over 1.2 million small 2CV-based delivery vans known as Fourgonnettes. Citroën ultimately offered a number of mechanically identical variants including the Ami: (over 1.8 million) the Dyane (over 1.4 million); the Acadiane (over 250,000); and the Mehari (over 140,000). In total, Citroën manufactured over 8.8 million "A Series" cars, as 2CV variants are known.
A 1953 technical review in Autocar described "the extraordinary ingenuity of this design, which is undoubtedly the most original since the Model T Ford".
(...)
Special edition saloon models
"The special edition models began with the 1976 SPOT model and continued in the 1980s:
1980 Charleston: inspired by Art-Deco two colour styles 1920s Citroën model colour schemes
1981 007: in association with the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only
1983 Beachcomber: known as "France 3" in France or "Transat" in other continental European markets – Citroën sponsored the French America's Cup yacht entry of that year
1985 Dolly: two colours
1986 Cocorico: meaning "cock-a-doodle-doo" – supporting France in the 1986 Football World Cup. 'Le Coq Gaulois' or Gallic rooster is an unofficial national symbol of France
1987 Bamboo
1988 Perrier: in association with the mineral water company."
Manufacturer
Citroën
Production
1948–1990
Assembly
Forest/Vorst, Belgium
Liège, Belgium
Slough, UK
Jeppener, Argentina (1960–1962),
Buenos Aires, Argentina (1962–1980)
Montevideo, Uruguay (Panel van & pick-up)
Arica, Chile
Mangualde, Portugal
Paris, France
Vigo, Spain
Koper, Yugoslavia
Designer
André Lefèbvre
Flaminio Bertoni
Citroen CX 25 GTi Turbo (1985-91) Engine 2499cc S4 Fuel Injected Turbo Production (all CX) 1,042,300 (all CX)
Registration Number C 120 XJT (Bournemouth)
CITROEN SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623776731490...
The Citroen CX ran from (1974-91) designed by Robert Opron to replace the DS the car was an instant success in Europe with 132,000 sales in 1978 after being voted European Car of the Year 1975. Combining of Citroen's self levelling suspension and speed adjustable power steering and a unique interior design that did away with steering column stalks
The arrival of the CX. coincided with Citroen's 1974 bankruptcy and the merger with Peugeot effectively meaning the new PSA conglomerate had three cars competing in the executive car market the CX the Peugeot 604 and Talbot Tagora and also to compete for scarce developement resources. Citroen were also unable to market the CX in the US due to legislation opposing certain design features, like mineral oil brake fluid, aerodynamic head lights, and height adjustable suspension. But the final nail in the coffin for US sales was the prohibition of height adjustable suspension in 1974.
The Series 2 vehicles (1985–91) can be distinguished by the use of plastic bumpers, gave the car a more aggresive look, in contrast to the more elegant Series 1, cars maintained the "stalk-free" layout, where turn signals, wiper controls, horn and headlights could be operated by the driver's fingertips while his/her hands remained on the steering wheel. The suspension became stiffer in most models,
The launch of the CX25 GTi Turbo in 1985 finally gave the CX a model that could fully exploit the capabilities of its chassis, with a top speed of just over 137mph.
The model also recieved a minor update in 1985 but did little to halt the declining sales figures though a replacement was nowhere near. Finally the CX was replaced by the SM which was based on the Peugeot 605 chassis.
The series 2 was introduced in with a number of modifications. For identification purposes the series 1 has chromium plated bumpers against plastic bumpers on the series 2
Many thanks for a fantabulous 33,556,600 views
Shot at the VSCC Spring Start, Silverstone 18:04:2015 Ref 105-188
The Custom StuG 3 Ausf-G is a replica of the German DAK WW2.
- It consists of 577 bricks
- Cannon is height adjustable
- Side panels for removing
- Portable chain runs
- Adaptation of the chains on the ground
- Many small details and its shape make it authentic
- Dimensions (W / H / D): 13,1 / 7,3 / 17,1 cm (without antenna)
Instructions PDF + XML available.
For more information look on my Homepage or watch on our YouTube Channel.
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This K12 Micra in black, is a 3 door Acenta Plus model and is in good condition for a 59 reg.
The Acenta Plus model has the 1.2-litre engine, side airbags, a 60/40 split sliding rear seat, drivers seat height adjustment, air con, lumbar support, sports seats, colour coded spoiler, service indicator and 15-inch alloys.
This one is seen parked up on Harrison Gardens. Edinburgh
Front:
18x9.5" ET22 EC-7 Wheels in Race Silver
275/35/18 R888 Tires
5mm Spacer to clear KW HAS kit
Rear:
18x11" ET44 EC-7 Wheels in Race Silver
305/35/18 R888 Tires
KW Suspension H.A.S. Kit (Height Adjustable Spring)
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The Citroën DS (French pronunciation: [si.tʁɔ.ˈɛn de ɛs]) is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive executive car manufactured and marketed by the French company Citroën from 1955 to 1975 in sedan, wagon/estate and convertible body configurations. Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car. Paul Magès developed the hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension.
Noted for its aerodynamic, futuristic body design and innovative technology, the DS set new standards in ride quality, handling, and braking—and was the first production car equipped with disc brakes.
Citroën sold 1,455,746 examples, including 1,330,755 built at the manufacturer's Paris Quai André-Citroën production plant.
The DS came third in the 1999 Car of the Century poll recognizing the world's most influential auto designs and was named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine
MODEL HISTORY
After 18 years of secret development as the successor to the Traction Avant, the DS 19 was introduced on 5 October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show. In the first 15 minutes of the show, 743 orders were taken, and orders for the first day totalled 12,000. During the 10 days of the show, the DS took in 80,000 deposits; a record that has stood for over 60 years.
Contemporary journalists said the DS pushed the envelope in the ride vs. handling compromise possible in a motor vehicle.
To a France still deep in reconstruction after the devastation of World War II, and also building its identity in the post-colonial world, the DS was a symbol of French ingenuity. The DS was distributed to many territories throughout the world.
It also posited the nation's relevance in the Space Age, during the global race for technology of the Cold War. Structuralist philosopher Roland Barthes, in an essay about the car, said that it looked as if it had "fallen from the sky". An American advertisement summarised this selling point: "It takes a special person to drive a special car".
Because they were owned by the technologically aggressive tire manufacturer Michelin, Citroën had designed their cars around the technically superior radial tire since 1948, and the DS was no exception.
The car featured a novel hydropneumatic suspension including an automatic leveling system and variable ground clearance, developed in-house by Paul Magès. This suspension allowed the DS to travel quickly on the poor road surfaces common in France.
In addition, the vehicle had power steering and a semi-automatic transmission (the transmission required no clutch pedal, but gears still had to be shifted by hand), though the shift lever controlled a powered hydraulic shift mechanism in place of a mechanical linkage, and a fibreglass roof which lowered the centre of gravity and so reduced weight transfer. Inboard front brakes (as well as independent suspension) reduced unsprung weight. Different front and rear track widths and tyre sizes reduced the unequal tyre loading, which is well known to promote understeer, typical of front-engined and front-wheel drive cars.
As with all French cars, the DS design was affected by the tax horsepower system, which effectively mandated very small engines. Unlike the Traction Avant predecessor, there was no top-of-range model with a powerful six-cylinder engine. Citroën had planned an air-cooled flat-6 engine for the car, but did not have the funds to put the prototype engine into production.
The DS placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, and fifth on Automobile Magazine's "100 Coolest Cars" listing in 2005. It was also named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine after a poll of 20 world-renowned car designers, including Giorgetto Giugiaro, Ian Callum, Roy Axe, Paul Bracq, and Leonardo Fioravanti.
NAME
Both the DS and its simpler sibling, the ID, used a punning name. "DS" is pronounced in French as "Déesse" (goddess); "ID" is pronounced as "Idée" (idea). An intermediate model was called the DW.
MOTORSPORT
The DS was successful in motorsports like rallying, where sustained speeds on poor surfaces are paramount, and won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1959. In the 1000 Lakes Rally, Pauli Toivonen drove a DS19 to victory in 1962.
In 1966, the DS won the Monte Carlo Rally again, with some controversy as the competitive BMC Mini-Cooper team was disqualified due to rule infractions. Ironically, Mini was involved with DS competition again two years later, when a drunk driver in a Mini in Sydney Australia crashed into the DS that was leading the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon, 98 miles from the finish line. The DS was still competitive in the grueling 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally, where it won over 70 other cars, only 5 of which even completed the entire event.
TECHNICAL INNOVATION - HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS
In conventional cars, hydraulics are only used in brakes and power steering. In the DS they were also used for the suspension, clutch and transmission. The cheaper 1957 ID19 did have manual steering and a simplified power-braking system. An engine driven pump pressurizes the closed system to 2,400 pounds per square inch.
At a time when few passenger vehicles had independent suspension on all wheels, the application of the hydraulic system to the car's suspension system to provide a self-levelling system was an innovative move. This suspension allowed the car to achieve sharp handling combined with very high ride quality, frequently compared to a "magic carpet".
The hydropneumatic suspension used was pioneered the year before, on the rear of another car from Citroën, the top of range Traction Avant 15CV-H.
IMPACT ON CITROEN BRAND DEVELOPMENT
The 1955 DS cemented the Citroën brand name as an automotive innovator, building on the success of the Traction Avant, which had been the world's first mass-produced unitary body front-wheel-drive car in 1934. In fact, the DS caused such a huge sensation that Citroën was apprehensive that future models would not be of the same bold standard. No clean sheet new models were introduced from 1955 to 1970.
The DS was a large, expensive executive car and a downward brand extension was attempted, but without result. Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s Citroën developed many new vehicles for the very large, profitable market segments between the 2CV and the DS, occupied by vehicles like the Peugeot 403, Renault 16 and Ford Cortina, but none made it into production. Either they had uneconomic build costs, or were ordinary "me too" cars, not up to the company's high standard of innovation. As Citroën was owned by Michelin from 1934 to 1974 as a sort of research laboratory, such broad experimentation was possible. Michelin after all was getting a powerful advertisement for the capabilities of the radial tire Michelin had invented, when such experimentation was successful.
New models based on the small, utilitarian 2CV economy car were introduced, notably the 1961 Ami. It was also designed by Flaminio Bertoni and aimed to combine Three-box styling with the chassis of the 2CV. The Ami was very successful in France, but less so on export markets. Many found the styling controversial, and the car noisy and underpowered. The Dyane, was a modernised 2CV with a hatchback, competed with the 2CV inspired Renault 4 Hatchback. All these 2 cylinder models were very small, so there remained a wide market gap to the DS range all through the 1960s.
In 1970, Citroën finally introduced a car to target the mid-range - the Citroën GS, which won the "European car of the Year" for 1971 and sold 2.5 million units. It combined a small 55 horsepower flat-4 air-cooled engine with Hydropneumatic suspension. The intended 106 horsepower Wankel rotary-engined version with more power did not reach full production.
REPLACING THE DS
The DS remained popular and competitive throughout its production run. Its peak production year was 1970. Certain design elements like the somewhat narrow cabin, column-mounted gearstick, and separate fenders began to seem a little old-fashioned in the 1970s.
Citroën invested enormous resources to design and launch an entirely new vehicle in 1970, the SM, which was in effect a thoroughly modernized DS, with similar length, but greater width. The manual gearbox was a modified DS unit. The front disc brakes were the same design. Axles, wheel bearings, steering knuckles, and hydraulic components were either DS parts or modified DS parts.
The SM had a different purpose than replacing the 15-year-old DS design however - it was meant to launch Citroën into a completely new luxury grand touring market segment. Only fitted with a costly, exotic Maserati engine, the SM was faster and much more expensive than the DS. The SM was not designed to be a practical 4-door saloon suitable as a large family car, the key market for vehicles of this type in Europe. Typically, manufacturers would introduce low-volume coupés based on parts shared with an existing saloon, not as unique models, a contemporary example being the Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class.
The SM's high price and limited utility of the 2+2 seating configuration, meant the SM as actually produced could not seize the mantle from the DS.
So, while the design funds invested would allow the DS to be replaced by two cars - a 'modern DS' and the smaller CX, it was left to the CX alone to provide Citroën's large family or executive car in the model range.
The last DS came off the production line on 24 April 1975 - the manufacturer had taken the elementary precaution of building up approximately eight-month's of inventory of the "break" (estate/station wagon) version of the DS, to cover the period till Autumn 1975 when the estate/station wagon version of the CX would be introduced.
DEVELOPMENT
The DS always maintained its size and shape, with easily removable, unstressed body panels, but certain design changes did occur. During the 20-year production life improvements were made on an ongoing basis.
ID 19 submodel to extend brand downwards (1957–69)
The 1955 DS19 was 65% more expensive than the car it replaced, the Citroën Traction Avant. This affected potential sales in a country still recovering economically from World War II, so a cheaper submodel, the Citroën ID, was introduced in 1957.
The ID shared the DS's body but was less powerful and luxurious. Although it shared the engine capacity of the DS engine (at this stage 1,911 cc), the ID provided a maximum power output of only 69 hp compared to the 75 hp claimed for the DS19. Power outputs were further differentiated in 1961 when the DS19 acquired a Weber-32 twin bodied carburettor, and the increasing availability of higher octane fuel enabled the manufacturer to increase the compression ratio from 7.5:1 to 8.5:1. A new DS19 now came with a promised 83 hp of power. The ID19 was also more traditional mechanically: it had no power steering and had conventional transmission and clutch instead of the DS's hydraulically controlled set-up. Initially the basic ID19 was sold on the French market with a price saving of more than 25% against the DS, although the differential was reduced at the end of 1961 when the manufacturer quietly withdrew the entry level ID19 "Normale" from sale. A station wagon variant, the ID Break, was introduced in 1958.
D SPECIAL AND D SUPER (1970–75)
The ID was replaced by the D Spécial and D Super in 1970, but these retained the lower specification position in the range. The D Super was available with the DS21 2175ccm engine and a 5 speed gearbox, and named the D Super 5.
SERIE 2 - NOSE REDESIGN IN 1962
In September 1962, the DS was restyled with a more aerodynamically efficient nose, better ventilation and other improvements. It retained the open two headlamp appearance, but was available with an optional set of driving lights mounted on the front fenders. All models in the range changed nose design at the same time, including the ID and station wagon models.
Series 3 - Nose redesign in 1967 with Directional headlights
In late 1967, for the 1968 model year, the DS and ID was again restyled, by Robert Opron, who also styled the 1970 SM and 1974 CX. This version had a more streamlined headlamp design, giving the car a notably shark-like appearance. This design had four headlights under a smooth glass canopy, and the inner set swivelled with the steering wheel. This allowed the driver to see "around" turns, especially valuable on twisting roads driven at high speed at night.
Behind each glass cover lens, the inboard high-beam headlamp swivels by up to 80° as the driver steers, throwing the beam along the driver's intended path rather than uselessly across the curved road. The outboard low-beam headlamps are self-leveling in response to pitching caused by acceleration and braking.
However, this feature was not allowed in the US at the time (see World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations), so a version with four exposed headlights that did not swivel was made for the US market.
This 'turning headlight' feature was new to the market - it had only been seen before on the very rare three headlight 1935 Tatra 77A. The Tucker, which never was mass-produced, had a central headlight that turned with the steering. 45 years later, it is now a commonly available feature, even in the United States.
NEW GREEN HYDRAULIC FLUID
The original hydropneumatic system used a vegetable oil liquide hydraulique végétal (LHV), similar to that used in other cars at the time, but later switched to a synthetic fluid liquide hydraulique synthétique (LHS). Both of these had the disadvantage that they are hygroscopic, as is the case with most brake fluids. Disuse allows water to enter the hydraulic components causing deterioration and expensive maintenance work. The difficulty with hygroscopic hydraulic fluid was exacerbated in the DS/ID due to the extreme rise and fall in the fluid level in the reservoir, which went from nearly full to nearly empty when the suspension extended to maximum height and the six accumulators in the system filled with fluid. With every "inhalation" of fresh moisture- (and dust-) laden air, the fluid absorbed more water.
For the 1967 model year, Citroën introduced a new mineral oil-based fluid LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Minéral). This fluid was much less harsh on the system. LHM remained in use within Citroën until the Xantia was discontinued in 2001.
LHM required completely different materials for the seals. Using either fluid in the incorrect system would completely destroy the hydraulic seals very quickly. To help avoid this problem, Citroën added a bright green dye to the LHM fluid and also painted all hydraulic elements bright green. The former LHS parts were painted black.
All models, including the station wagon and ID, were upgraded at the same time. The hydraulic fluid changed to the technically superior LHM in all markets except the US and Canada, where the change did not take place until January 1969, due to local regulations.
INTERNATIONAL SALES AND PRODUCTION
The DS was primarily manufactured at the Quai André-Citroën in the Javel neighborhood of Paris, with other manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, South Africa, the former Yugoslavia (mostly Break Ambulances), and Australia.
Australia constructed their own D variant in the 1960s at Heidelberg, Victoria, identified as the ID 19 "Parisienne." Australian market cars were fitted with options as standard equipment such as the "DSpecial DeLuxe" that were not available on domestic European models.
Until 1965, cars were assembled at the manufacturer's Slough premises, to the west of London, using a combination of French made knock down kits and locally sourced components, some of them machined on site. A French electrical system superseded the British one on the Slough cars in 1962, giving rise to a switch to "continental style" negative earthing. After 1965 cars for the British market were imported fully assembled from the company's French plant. The British-built cars are distinguished by their leather seats, wooden (early ID19 models) one piece plastic (early DS19 models) dashboards, chromed number plate mount let into the front bumper, and (on pre-1962 cars) Lucas-made electrics. These were all right hand drive cars.
The DS was built and sold in South Africa from 1959 to 1975.
The DS was sold in Japan, but the models were built in France and left hand drive.
DS IN NORTH AMERICA
The DS was sold in North America from 1956 to 1972. Despite its popularity in Europe, it didn't sell well in the United States, and little better in Canada. While promoted as a luxury car, it did not have the basic features that American buyers expected to find on such a vehicle, such as an automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows, or a powerful engine. The DS was designed specifically to address the French market, with punitive tax horsepower taxation of large engines, as well as very poor roads – it's no great mystery that it was a fish out of water when those constraints were removed.
Jay Leno described the sporadic supply of spare parts as a problem for 1970s era customers, based on his early experiences working at a Citroën dealer in Boston.
The DS was expensive, with a 115 hp (86 kW) vehicle costing $4,170 in 1969, when the price was $4,500 for a 360 hp (268 kW) Buick Electra 225 4 door sedan. For all years, 38,000 units were sold.
US regulations at the time also banned one of the car's more advanced features: its composite headlamps with aerodynamic covered lenses. Based on legislation that dated from 1940, all automobiles sold in the U.S. were required to have round, sealed beam headlamps that produced a meager 75,000 candlepower. The powerful quartz iodine swiveling headlamps designed for the 1968 model DS represented so many performance improvements at once that they were far beyond what the regulations could allow.[50] Even the aerodynamic headlight covers were illegal – as seen on the 1968 Jaguar E-Type. It took the lobbying muscle of Ford to point out that the government was requiring two contradictory things – safety, by ensuring that all headlights were best-of-breed circa 1940, and fuel economy through the CAFE standard – by definition, cars with poor aerodynamics are sacrificing fuel economy. Composite bulb lamps and aerodynamic covered headlights were not permitted until 1983.
The European lamps were legal in Canada, including the directional headlamps.
The hydraulic fluid change in 1967 was another brain teaser for U.S. automotive regulators at the Department of Transportation. NHTSA follows the precautionary principle, also used by the Food and Drug Administration, where new innovations are prohibited until their developers can prove them to the regulators; this stifles the experimentation that automakers need to advance their products. NHTSA had already approved a brake fluid they considered safe – DOT 3 brake fluid, which is red and hygroscopic to promote internal rust. This completely different fluid, used in aircraft applications – the technically superior green LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Mineral) – took NHTSA two years to analyze for automotive use. Approval finally came in January 1969, so half the U.S. cars of the 1969 model year use red fluid and half use green fluid.
DESIGN VARIATIONS
PALLAS
In 1965 a luxury upgrade, the DS Pallas (after Greek goddess Pallas), was introduced. This included comfort features such as better noise insulation, a more luxurious (and optional leather) upholstery and external trim embellishments. From 1966 the Pallas model received a driver's seat with height adjustment.
STATION WAGON, FAMILIALE AND AMBULANCE
A station wagon version was introduced in 1958. It was known by various names in different markets (Break in France, Safari and Estate in the UK, Wagon in the US, and Citroën Australia used the terms Safari and Station-Wagon). It had a steel roof to support the standard roof rack. 'Familiales' had a rear seat mounted further back in the cabin, with three folding seats between the front and rear squabs. The standard Break had two side-facing seats in the main load area at the back.
The Ambulance configuration was similar to that of the Break, but with a 60/30 split in the rear folding seat to accommodate a stretcher. A 'Commerciale' version was also available for a time.
The Safari saw use as a camera car, notably by the BBC. The hydropneumatic suspension produces an unusually steady platform for filming while driving.
CONVERTIBLE
Rarest and most collectable of all DS variants, a convertible was offered from 1958 until 1973. The Cabriolet d'Usine (factory convertible) were built by French carrossier Henri Chapron, for the Citroën dealer network. It was an expensive car, so only 1,365 were sold. These DS convertibles used a special frame which was reinforced on the sidemembers and rear suspension swingarm bearing box, similar to, but not identical to the Break (Station Wagon) frame.
CHAPRON VARIATIONS
In addition, Chapron also produced a few coupés, non-works convertibles and special sedans (including the "Prestige", same wheelbase but with a central divider, and the "Lorraine" notchback).
BOSSAERT COUPE
Between 1959 and 1964, Hector Bossaert produced a coupé on a DS chassis shortened by 470 mm. While the front end remained unchanged, the rear end featured notchback styling.
THE REACTOR
In 1965, noted American auto customizer Gene Winfield created The Reactor, a Citroën DS chassis, with a turbocharged 180 hp (130 kW) flat-six engine from the Corvair driving the front wheels. Since the DS already had the engine behind the front wheels, the longer engine meant only one row of seats. This was draped in a streamlined, low slung, aluminum body.
The Reactor was seen in American Television programs of the era, such as Star Trek: The Original Series episode 2.25 ("Bread and Circuses)," Batman episodes 110 ("Funny Feline Felonies") and 111 (driven by Catwoman Eartha Kitt), and Bewitched, which devoted its episode 3.19 ("Super Car") to The Reactor.
MICHELIN PLR
The Michelin PLR is a mobile tire evaluation machine, based on the DS Break, built in 1972, later used for promotion.
Technical details
SUSPENSION
In a hydropneumatic suspension system, each wheel is connected, not to a spring, but to a hydraulic suspension unit consisting of a hydraulic accumulator sphere of about 12 cm in diameter containing pressurised nitrogen, a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid screwed to the suspension sphere, a piston inside the cylinder connected by levers to the suspension itself, and a damper valve between the piston and the sphere. A membrane in the sphere prevented the nitrogen from escaping. The motion of the wheels translated to a motion of the piston, which acted on the oil in the nitrogen cushion and provided the spring effect. The damper valve took place of the shock absorber in conventional suspensions. The hydraulic cylinder was fed with hydraulic fluid from the main pressure reservoir via a height corrector, a valve controlled by the mid-position of the anti-roll bar connected to the axle. If the suspension was too low, the height corrector introduced high-pressure fluid; if it was too high, it released fluid back to the fluid reservoir. In this manner, a constant ride height was maintained. A control in the cabin allowed the driver to select one of five heights: normal riding height, two slightly higher riding heights for poor terrain, and two extreme positions for changing wheels. (The correct term, oleopneumatic (oil-air), has never gained widespread use. Hydropneumatic (water-air) continues to be preferred overwhelmingly.)
The DS did not have a jack for lifting the car off the ground. Instead, the hydraulic system enabled wheel changes with the aid of a simple adjustable stand. To change a flat tyre, one would adjust the suspension to its topmost setting, insert the stand into a special peg near the flat tyre, then readjust the suspension to its lowermost setting. The flat tyre would then retract upwards and hover above ground, ready to be changed. This system, used on the SM also, was superseded on the CX by a screw jack that, after the suspension was raised to the high position, lifted the tire clear of the ground. The DS system, while impressive to use, sometimes dropped the car quite suddenly, especially if the stand was not placed precisely or the ground was soft or unlevel.
SOURCE AND RESERVE OF PRESSURE
The central part of the hydraulic system was the high pressure pump, which maintained a pressure of between 130 and 150 bar in two accumulators. These accumulators were very similar in construction to the suspension spheres. One was dedicated to the front brakes, and the other ran the other hydraulic systems. (On the simpler ID models, the front brakes operated from the main accumulator.) Thus in case of a hydraulic failure, the first indication would be that the steering became heavy, followed by the gearbox not working; only later would the brakes fail.
Two different hydraulic pumps were used. The DS used a seven-cylinder axial piston pump driven off two belts and delivering 175 bar (2,540 psi) of pressure. The ID19, with its simpler hydraulic system, had a single-cylinder pump driven by an eccentric on the camshaft.
GEARBOX AND CLUTCH
HYDRAULIQUE OR CITROMATIC
The DS was initially offered only with the "hydraulique" four-speed semi-automatic (bvh—"boîte de vitesses hydraulique") gearbox.
This was a four-speed gearbox and clutch, operated by a hydraulic controller. To change gears, the driver flicked a lever behind the steering wheel to the next position and eased-up on the accelerator pedal. The hydraulic controller disengaged the clutch, engaged the nominated gear, and re-engaged the clutch. The speed of engagement of the clutch was controlled by a centrifugal regulator sensing engine rpm and driven off the camshaft by a belt, the position of the butterfly valve in the carburettor (i.e., the position of the accelerator), and the brake circuit. When the brake was pressed, the engine idle speed dropped to an rpm below the clutch engagement speed, thus preventing friction while stopped in gear at traffic lights. When the brake was released, the idle speed increased to the clutch dragging speed. The car would then creep forward much like automatic transmission cars. This drop in idle throttle position also caused the car to have more engine drag when the brakes were applied even before the car slowed to the idle speed in gear, preventing the engine from pulling against the brakes. In the event of loss of hydraulic pressure (following loss of system fluid), the clutch would disengage, to prevent driving, while brake pressure reserves would allow safe braking to standstill.
MANUAL - FOUR SPEED AND FIVE-SPEED
The later and simpler ID19 had the same gearbox and clutch, manually operated. This configuration was offered as a cheaper option for the DS in 1963. The mechanical aspects of the gearbox and clutch were completely conventional and the same elements were used in the ID 19. In September 1970, Citroën introduced a five-speed manual gearbox, in addition to the original four-speed unit.
FULLY AUTOMATIC
In September 1971 Citroën introduced a 3-speed fully automatic Borg-Warner 35 transmission gearbox, on the DS 21 and later DS 23 models. It is ironic that the fully automatic transmission DS was never sold in the US market, where this type of transmission had gained market share so quickly that it became the majority of the market by this time. Many automatic DSs, fuel-injected DS 23 sedans with air conditioning, were sold in Australia.
ENGINES
The DS was originally designed around an air-cooled flat-six based on the design of the 2-cylinder engine of the 2CV, similar to the motor in the Porsche 911. Technical and monetary problems forced this idea to be scrapped.
Thus, for such a modern car, the engine of the original DS 19 was also old-fashioned. It was derived from the engine of the 11CV Traction Avant (models 11B and 11C). It was an OHV four-cylinder engine with three main bearings and wet liners, and a bore of 78 mm and a stroke of 100 mm, giving a volumetric displacement of 1911 cc. The cylinder head had been reworked; the 11C had a reverse-flow cast iron cylinder head and generated 60 hp (45 kW) at 3800 rpm; by contrast, the DS 19 had an aluminium cross-flow head with hemispherical combustion chambers and generated 75 hp (56 kW) at 4500 rpm.
Like the Traction Avant, the DS had the gearbox mounted in front of the engine, with the differential in between. Thus some consider the DS to be a mid engine front-wheel drive car.
The DS and ID powerplants evolved throughout its 20-year production life. The car was underpowered and faced constant mechanical changes to boost the performance of the four-cylinder engine. The initial 1911 cc three main bearing engine (carried forward from the Traction Avant) of the DS 19 was replaced in 1965 with the 1985 cc five-bearing wet-cylinder motor, becoming the DS 19a (called DS 20 from September 1969).
The DS 21 was also introduced for model year 1965. This was a 2175 cc, five main bearing engine; power was 109 hp This engine received a substantial increase in power with the introduction of Bosch electronic fuel injection for 1970, making the DS one of the first mass-market cars to use electronic fuel injection. Power of the carbureted version also increased slightly at the same time, owing to the employment of larger inlet valves.
Lastly, 1973 saw the introduction of the 2347 cc engine of the DS 23 in both carbureted and fuel-injected forms. The DS 23 with electronic fuel injection was the most powerful production model, producing 141 hp (105 kW).
IDs and their variants went through a similar evolution, generally lagging the DS by about one year. ID saloon models never received the DS 23 engine or fuel injection, although the Break/Familiale versions received the carburetted version of the DS 23 engine when it was introduced, supplemented the DS20 Break/Familiale.
The top of the range ID model, The DSuper5 (DP) gained the DS21 engine (the only model that this engine was retained in) for the 1973 model year and it was mated to a five-speed gearbox. This should not be confused with the 1985 cc DSuper fitted with an optional "low ratio" five-speed gearbox, or with the previous DS21M (DJ) five-speed.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
President Charles de Gaulle survived an assassination attempt at Le Petit-Clamart near Paris on August 22, 1962, planned by Algerian War veteran Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry. The plan was to ambush the motorcade with machine guns, disable the vehicles, and then close in for the kill. De Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life – the car was peppered with bullets, and the shots had punctured the tyres, but the car could still escape at full speed. This event was accurately recreated in the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal.
Beyond de Gaulle and the French aristocracy, the roomy DS also appealed to French taxi drivers.
Outside France, the car drew an eclectic customer mix, such as Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Pope John XXIII, painter Marc Chagall, and actors Ken Berry, Jeff Bridges, and Rosamund Pike.
The DS appeared in several episodes of contemporary television series Mission: Impossible, including substantial appearances in 'The Slave' (ep. 2.06) and 'Robot' (ep. 4.09).
An ode to Jane Child's DS21 appears on her 1989 self-titled album.
In 1989, the film Back to the Future Part II featured a modified Citroen DS as a flying taxicab, when the main characters travel 30 years into the future (2015). Scarface (1983 film) with Al Pacino and the 2009 television series The Mentalist both feature the DS in key roles. According to Internet Movie Cars Database, the DS/ID has made over 2,000 film and television appearances so far.
Two films focus on the DS, including The Goddess of 1967 about a Japanese man purchasing a DS (goddess or déesse in French) in Australia, and 1995's Icelandic-Japanese road movie Cold Fever.
LEGACY
Citroën DS values have been rising – a 1973 DS 23 Injection Electronique "Decapotable" (Chapron Convertible) sold for EUR €176,250 (USD $209,738) at Christie's Rétromobile in February 2006. and a similar car sold by Bonhams in February 2009 brought EUR €343,497 (USD $440,436). On 18 September 2009 a 1966 DS21 Decapotable Usine was sold by Bonhams for a hammer price of UK£131,300. Bonhams sold another DS21 Decapotable (1973) on 23 January 2010 for EUR €189,000.
The DS's beloved place in French society was demonstrated in Paris on 9 October 2005 with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of its launch. 1,600 DS cars drove in procession past the Arc de Triomphe.
From 2005 to 2008, a young Frenchman named Manuel Boileau travelled around the world in a 1971 DS ambulance. It was an 80,000 kilometer journey across 38 countries called Lunaya World Tour. While traveling through Laos, he located the forlorn 1974 DS Prestige belonging to Sisavang Vatthana, the last King of the Kingdom of Laos, which is now preserved and restored by specialists in Bangkok.
In 2009, Groupe PSA created a new brand - DS Automobiles, intended as high quality, high specification variations on existing models, with differing mechanics and bodywork. This brand ranges across four models, the DS3, DS4, DS5, and the China-only SUV DS 6. The DS3, launched in March 2010, is based on Citroen's new C3, but is more customisable and unique, bearing some resemblance to the original DS, with its "Shark Fin" side pillar. These have created their own niches, with the DS4 being a mix of a crossover and a coupe and the DS5 mixing a coupe and an estate. Many feature hybrid-diesel engines to maximise efficiency.
WIKIPEDIA
Completing the line-up of soft-top Porsche 911s, the Speedster revived a charismatic model from Porsche's past when it arrived in 1989, the name previously having been applied to that most stylish of the many Type 356 variants. Based on the 911 Turbo Cabriolet, though normally aspirated, the 3,2-litre Speedster was launched immediately prior to the introduction of the new Type 964 bodyshell, and thus was the last 911 model to feature the old style body based on the original design of 1963.
The latter was reworked by chief stylist Tony Lapine, incorporating numerous references to the original 356 Speedster as well as a pair of controversial 'camel hump' cowlings behind the seats that concealed the stowed-away manual hood, a simplified affair described by the factory as for 'temporary' use. One of the rarest of the 911 family, the Speedster was built during 1989 only, a mere 2.065 cars being completed.
This 'triple black' Porsche 911 Speedster was delivered new to the late Donald Simpson in November 1989 in Los Angeles and registered there in his name. Born in 1946, Don Simpson was a legendary Hollywood film producer, whose box-office successes included 'Cannonball', 'Flashdance', 'Beverly Hills Cop', 'Top Gun', 'Bad Boys', etc. Simpson was a die-hard Porsche aficionado, and reputedly one of the first to take delivery of a 911 Speedster. This car's custom audio system is said to have been installed at his instigation, while other noteworthy features include the factory options of a short gear lever; electrically height-adjustable seats; cruise control; air-conditioning; and a storage compartment behind the seats, the latter a rare fitting. Following Don Simpson's death, the Porsche was sold to Keith Melton, prominent author of more than 25 non-fiction works including 'The Ultimate Spy Book', and was registered in his name in Florida in December 1997.
Purchased by the current owner in 2013, the car has since formed part of a select collection of 'special black Porsches' in Holland. A matching-numbers, matching-colours example, it appears accident-free and undamaged, and is believed never to have been repainted. The current odometer reading is circa 19.900 miles (approximately 32.000 km) and the Speedster is presented in highly original and generally excellent condition.
The car comes with its original pouch containing instruction books and the service booklet, while accompanying documentation consists of a Carfax recording the mileage at various dates; Porsche Geburtsurkunde listing the factory specification; taxation report (September 2016) confirming the car's originality; invoices in the names of both Don Simpson and the current owner; and current Dutch registration papers.
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Sold for € 287.500
Estimated : € 275.000 - 475.000
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2017
Patented by DHL, this Highloader has an height adjustable roof to allow for an hydraulic moving floor, which enables DHL to load twice the amount of Airline catering equipment a standard Highloader can carry.
INFLATABLE ART AND HYPER-JOYFUL SCULPTURE:
AN EXHIBITION EXPLORING DISABILITY BY DIGITAL ARTIST JASON WILSHER-MILLS
Jason has developed this body of work with disabled communities around the UK, including Venture Arts in Manchester and groups in North Lincolnshire, Hull, Corby and London.
At the centre of the exhibition lies a large-scale inflatable Argonaut.
This sculpture tells people’s stories from the Changing Places movement, a campaign calling for fully accessible toilets equipped with height adjustable changing benches, tracking hoists and space for two carers to be installed in all large public venues throughout the UK.
This Argonaut inflatable is accompanied by Jason’s vibrant, hyper-joyful fibreglass sculptures, light box digital paintings, and highly ornate wallpaper.
THE HARLEY FOUNDATION
The Harley Foundation is a charitable trust whose mission is to create spaces where the imagination can flourish. It was set up by Ivy, Duchess of Portland in 1978 and is still based on the historic ducal estate of Welbeck, home to the Dukes of Portland and their families since 1607. In all our work we celebrate the handmade and encourage the enjoyment of the visual arts.
GALLERIES
We have two exhibition spaces; The Harley Gallery and The Portland Collection, which have both won awards for their architecture. Both are free admission and have a changing programme of exhibitions and events.
The Harley Gallery shows exhibitions from leading contemporary artists and makers, with exhibitions changing quarterly. The Portland Collection displays the internationally significant fine and decorative art collection of the Dukes of Portland and their families.
The Citroën DS (French pronunciation: [si.tʁɔ.ˈɛn de ɛs]) is a front-engine, front-wheel-drive executive car manufactured and marketed by the French company Citroën from 1955 to 1975 in sedan, wagon/estate and convertible body configurations. Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre styled and engineered the car. Paul Magès developed the hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension.
Noted for its aerodynamic, futuristic body design and innovative technology, the DS set new standards in ride quality, handling, and braking—and was the first production car equipped with disc brakes.
Citroën sold 1,455,746 examples, including 1,330,755 built at the manufacturer's Paris Quai André-Citroën production plant.
The DS came third in the 1999 Car of the Century poll recognizing the world's most influential auto designs and was named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine
MODEL HISTORY
After 18 years of secret development as the successor to the Traction Avant, the DS 19 was introduced on 5 October 1955 at the Paris Motor Show. In the first 15 minutes of the show, 743 orders were taken, and orders for the first day totalled 12,000. During the 10 days of the show, the DS took in 80,000 deposits; a record that has stood for over 60 years.
Contemporary journalists said the DS pushed the envelope in the ride vs. handling compromise possible in a motor vehicle.
To a France still deep in reconstruction after the devastation of World War II, and also building its identity in the post-colonial world, the DS was a symbol of French ingenuity. The DS was distributed to many territories throughout the world.
It also posited the nation's relevance in the Space Age, during the global race for technology of the Cold War. Structuralist philosopher Roland Barthes, in an essay about the car, said that it looked as if it had "fallen from the sky". An American advertisement summarised this selling point: "It takes a special person to drive a special car".
Because they were owned by the technologically aggressive tire manufacturer Michelin, Citroën had designed their cars around the technically superior radial tire since 1948, and the DS was no exception.
The car featured a novel hydropneumatic suspension including an automatic leveling system and variable ground clearance, developed in-house by Paul Magès. This suspension allowed the DS to travel quickly on the poor road surfaces common in France.
In addition, the vehicle had power steering and a semi-automatic transmission (the transmission required no clutch pedal, but gears still had to be shifted by hand), though the shift lever controlled a powered hydraulic shift mechanism in place of a mechanical linkage, and a fibreglass roof which lowered the centre of gravity and so reduced weight transfer. Inboard front brakes (as well as independent suspension) reduced unsprung weight. Different front and rear track widths and tyre sizes reduced the unequal tyre loading, which is well known to promote understeer, typical of front-engined and front-wheel drive cars.
As with all French cars, the DS design was affected by the tax horsepower system, which effectively mandated very small engines. Unlike the Traction Avant predecessor, there was no top-of-range model with a powerful six-cylinder engine. Citroën had planned an air-cooled flat-6 engine for the car, but did not have the funds to put the prototype engine into production.
The DS placed third in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, and fifth on Automobile Magazine's "100 Coolest Cars" listing in 2005. It was also named the most beautiful car of all time by Classic & Sports Car magazine after a poll of 20 world-renowned car designers, including Giorgetto Giugiaro, Ian Callum, Roy Axe, Paul Bracq, and Leonardo Fioravanti.
NAME
Both the DS and its simpler sibling, the ID, used a punning name. "DS" is pronounced in French as "Déesse" (goddess); "ID" is pronounced as "Idée" (idea). An intermediate model was called the DW.
MOTORSPORT
The DS was successful in motorsports like rallying, where sustained speeds on poor surfaces are paramount, and won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1959. In the 1000 Lakes Rally, Pauli Toivonen drove a DS19 to victory in 1962.
In 1966, the DS won the Monte Carlo Rally again, with some controversy as the competitive BMC Mini-Cooper team was disqualified due to rule infractions. Ironically, Mini was involved with DS competition again two years later, when a drunk driver in a Mini in Sydney Australia crashed into the DS that was leading the 1968 London–Sydney Marathon, 98 miles from the finish line. The DS was still competitive in the grueling 1974 London-Sahara-Munich World Cup Rally, where it won over 70 other cars, only 5 of which even completed the entire event.
TECHNICAL INNOVATION - HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS
In conventional cars, hydraulics are only used in brakes and power steering. In the DS they were also used for the suspension, clutch and transmission. The cheaper 1957 ID19 did have manual steering and a simplified power-braking system. An engine driven pump pressurizes the closed system to 2,400 pounds per square inch.
At a time when few passenger vehicles had independent suspension on all wheels, the application of the hydraulic system to the car's suspension system to provide a self-levelling system was an innovative move. This suspension allowed the car to achieve sharp handling combined with very high ride quality, frequently compared to a "magic carpet".
The hydropneumatic suspension used was pioneered the year before, on the rear of another car from Citroën, the top of range Traction Avant 15CV-H.
IMPACT ON CITROEN BRAND DEVELOPMENT
The 1955 DS cemented the Citroën brand name as an automotive innovator, building on the success of the Traction Avant, which had been the world's first mass-produced unitary body front-wheel-drive car in 1934. In fact, the DS caused such a huge sensation that Citroën was apprehensive that future models would not be of the same bold standard. No clean sheet new models were introduced from 1955 to 1970.
The DS was a large, expensive executive car and a downward brand extension was attempted, but without result. Throughout the late 1950s and 1960s Citroën developed many new vehicles for the very large, profitable market segments between the 2CV and the DS, occupied by vehicles like the Peugeot 403, Renault 16 and Ford Cortina, but none made it into production. Either they had uneconomic build costs, or were ordinary "me too" cars, not up to the company's high standard of innovation. As Citroën was owned by Michelin from 1934 to 1974 as a sort of research laboratory, such broad experimentation was possible. Michelin after all was getting a powerful advertisement for the capabilities of the radial tire Michelin had invented, when such experimentation was successful.
New models based on the small, utilitarian 2CV economy car were introduced, notably the 1961 Ami. It was also designed by Flaminio Bertoni and aimed to combine Three-box styling with the chassis of the 2CV. The Ami was very successful in France, but less so on export markets. Many found the styling controversial, and the car noisy and underpowered. The Dyane, was a modernised 2CV with a hatchback, competed with the 2CV inspired Renault 4 Hatchback. All these 2 cylinder models were very small, so there remained a wide market gap to the DS range all through the 1960s.
In 1970, Citroën finally introduced a car to target the mid-range - the Citroën GS, which won the "European car of the Year" for 1971 and sold 2.5 million units. It combined a small 55 horsepower flat-4 air-cooled engine with Hydropneumatic suspension. The intended 106 horsepower Wankel rotary-engined version with more power did not reach full production.
REPLACING THE DS
The DS remained popular and competitive throughout its production run. Its peak production year was 1970. Certain design elements like the somewhat narrow cabin, column-mounted gearstick, and separate fenders began to seem a little old-fashioned in the 1970s.
Citroën invested enormous resources to design and launch an entirely new vehicle in 1970, the SM, which was in effect a thoroughly modernized DS, with similar length, but greater width. The manual gearbox was a modified DS unit. The front disc brakes were the same design. Axles, wheel bearings, steering knuckles, and hydraulic components were either DS parts or modified DS parts.
The SM had a different purpose than replacing the 15-year-old DS design however - it was meant to launch Citroën into a completely new luxury grand touring market segment. Only fitted with a costly, exotic Maserati engine, the SM was faster and much more expensive than the DS. The SM was not designed to be a practical 4-door saloon suitable as a large family car, the key market for vehicles of this type in Europe. Typically, manufacturers would introduce low-volume coupés based on parts shared with an existing saloon, not as unique models, a contemporary example being the Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class.
The SM's high price and limited utility of the 2+2 seating configuration, meant the SM as actually produced could not seize the mantle from the DS.
So, while the design funds invested would allow the DS to be replaced by two cars - a 'modern DS' and the smaller CX, it was left to the CX alone to provide Citroën's large family or executive car in the model range.
The last DS came off the production line on 24 April 1975 - the manufacturer had taken the elementary precaution of building up approximately eight-month's of inventory of the "break" (estate/station wagon) version of the DS, to cover the period till Autumn 1975 when the estate/station wagon version of the CX would be introduced.
DEVELOPMENT
The DS always maintained its size and shape, with easily removable, unstressed body panels, but certain design changes did occur. During the 20-year production life improvements were made on an ongoing basis.
ID 19 submodel to extend brand downwards (1957–69)
The 1955 DS19 was 65% more expensive than the car it replaced, the Citroën Traction Avant. This affected potential sales in a country still recovering economically from World War II, so a cheaper submodel, the Citroën ID, was introduced in 1957.
The ID shared the DS's body but was less powerful and luxurious. Although it shared the engine capacity of the DS engine (at this stage 1,911 cc), the ID provided a maximum power output of only 69 hp compared to the 75 hp claimed for the DS19. Power outputs were further differentiated in 1961 when the DS19 acquired a Weber-32 twin bodied carburettor, and the increasing availability of higher octane fuel enabled the manufacturer to increase the compression ratio from 7.5:1 to 8.5:1. A new DS19 now came with a promised 83 hp of power. The ID19 was also more traditional mechanically: it had no power steering and had conventional transmission and clutch instead of the DS's hydraulically controlled set-up. Initially the basic ID19 was sold on the French market with a price saving of more than 25% against the DS, although the differential was reduced at the end of 1961 when the manufacturer quietly withdrew the entry level ID19 "Normale" from sale. A station wagon variant, the ID Break, was introduced in 1958.
D SPECIAL AND D SUPER (1970–75)
The ID was replaced by the D Spécial and D Super in 1970, but these retained the lower specification position in the range. The D Super was available with the DS21 2175ccm engine and a 5 speed gearbox, and named the D Super 5.
SERIE 2 - NOSE REDESIGN IN 1962
In September 1962, the DS was restyled with a more aerodynamically efficient nose, better ventilation and other improvements. It retained the open two headlamp appearance, but was available with an optional set of driving lights mounted on the front fenders. All models in the range changed nose design at the same time, including the ID and station wagon models.
Series 3 - Nose redesign in 1967 with Directional headlights
In late 1967, for the 1968 model year, the DS and ID was again restyled, by Robert Opron, who also styled the 1970 SM and 1974 CX. This version had a more streamlined headlamp design, giving the car a notably shark-like appearance. This design had four headlights under a smooth glass canopy, and the inner set swivelled with the steering wheel. This allowed the driver to see "around" turns, especially valuable on twisting roads driven at high speed at night.
Behind each glass cover lens, the inboard high-beam headlamp swivels by up to 80° as the driver steers, throwing the beam along the driver's intended path rather than uselessly across the curved road. The outboard low-beam headlamps are self-leveling in response to pitching caused by acceleration and braking.
However, this feature was not allowed in the US at the time (see World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations), so a version with four exposed headlights that did not swivel was made for the US market.
This 'turning headlight' feature was new to the market - it had only been seen before on the very rare three headlight 1935 Tatra 77A. The Tucker, which never was mass-produced, had a central headlight that turned with the steering. 45 years later, it is now a commonly available feature, even in the United States.
NEW GREEN HYDRAULIC FLUID
The original hydropneumatic system used a vegetable oil liquide hydraulique végétal (LHV), similar to that used in other cars at the time, but later switched to a synthetic fluid liquide hydraulique synthétique (LHS). Both of these had the disadvantage that they are hygroscopic, as is the case with most brake fluids. Disuse allows water to enter the hydraulic components causing deterioration and expensive maintenance work. The difficulty with hygroscopic hydraulic fluid was exacerbated in the DS/ID due to the extreme rise and fall in the fluid level in the reservoir, which went from nearly full to nearly empty when the suspension extended to maximum height and the six accumulators in the system filled with fluid. With every "inhalation" of fresh moisture- (and dust-) laden air, the fluid absorbed more water.
For the 1967 model year, Citroën introduced a new mineral oil-based fluid LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Minéral). This fluid was much less harsh on the system. LHM remained in use within Citroën until the Xantia was discontinued in 2001.
LHM required completely different materials for the seals. Using either fluid in the incorrect system would completely destroy the hydraulic seals very quickly. To help avoid this problem, Citroën added a bright green dye to the LHM fluid and also painted all hydraulic elements bright green. The former LHS parts were painted black.
All models, including the station wagon and ID, were upgraded at the same time. The hydraulic fluid changed to the technically superior LHM in all markets except the US and Canada, where the change did not take place until January 1969, due to local regulations.
INTERNATIONAL SALES AND PRODUCTION
The DS was primarily manufactured at the Quai André-Citroën in the Javel neighborhood of Paris, with other manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom, South Africa, the former Yugoslavia (mostly Break Ambulances), and Australia.
Australia constructed their own D variant in the 1960s at Heidelberg, Victoria, identified as the ID 19 "Parisienne." Australian market cars were fitted with options as standard equipment such as the "DSpecial DeLuxe" that were not available on domestic European models.
Until 1965, cars were assembled at the manufacturer's Slough premises, to the west of London, using a combination of French made knock down kits and locally sourced components, some of them machined on site. A French electrical system superseded the British one on the Slough cars in 1962, giving rise to a switch to "continental style" negative earthing. After 1965 cars for the British market were imported fully assembled from the company's French plant. The British-built cars are distinguished by their leather seats, wooden (early ID19 models) one piece plastic (early DS19 models) dashboards, chromed number plate mount let into the front bumper, and (on pre-1962 cars) Lucas-made electrics. These were all right hand drive cars.
The DS was built and sold in South Africa from 1959 to 1975.
The DS was sold in Japan, but the models were built in France and left hand drive.
DS IN NORTH AMERICA
The DS was sold in North America from 1956 to 1972. Despite its popularity in Europe, it didn't sell well in the United States, and little better in Canada. While promoted as a luxury car, it did not have the basic features that American buyers expected to find on such a vehicle, such as an automatic transmission, air conditioning, power windows, or a powerful engine. The DS was designed specifically to address the French market, with punitive tax horsepower taxation of large engines, as well as very poor roads – it's no great mystery that it was a fish out of water when those constraints were removed.
Jay Leno described the sporadic supply of spare parts as a problem for 1970s era customers, based on his early experiences working at a Citroën dealer in Boston.
The DS was expensive, with a 115 hp (86 kW) vehicle costing $4,170 in 1969, when the price was $4,500 for a 360 hp (268 kW) Buick Electra 225 4 door sedan. For all years, 38,000 units were sold.
US regulations at the time also banned one of the car's more advanced features: its composite headlamps with aerodynamic covered lenses. Based on legislation that dated from 1940, all automobiles sold in the U.S. were required to have round, sealed beam headlamps that produced a meager 75,000 candlepower. The powerful quartz iodine swiveling headlamps designed for the 1968 model DS represented so many performance improvements at once that they were far beyond what the regulations could allow.[50] Even the aerodynamic headlight covers were illegal – as seen on the 1968 Jaguar E-Type. It took the lobbying muscle of Ford to point out that the government was requiring two contradictory things – safety, by ensuring that all headlights were best-of-breed circa 1940, and fuel economy through the CAFE standard – by definition, cars with poor aerodynamics are sacrificing fuel economy. Composite bulb lamps and aerodynamic covered headlights were not permitted until 1983.
The European lamps were legal in Canada, including the directional headlamps.
The hydraulic fluid change in 1967 was another brain teaser for U.S. automotive regulators at the Department of Transportation. NHTSA follows the precautionary principle, also used by the Food and Drug Administration, where new innovations are prohibited until their developers can prove them to the regulators; this stifles the experimentation that automakers need to advance their products. NHTSA had already approved a brake fluid they considered safe – DOT 3 brake fluid, which is red and hygroscopic to promote internal rust. This completely different fluid, used in aircraft applications – the technically superior green LHM (Liquide Hydraulique Mineral) – took NHTSA two years to analyze for automotive use. Approval finally came in January 1969, so half the U.S. cars of the 1969 model year use red fluid and half use green fluid.
DESIGN VARIATIONS
PALLAS
In 1965 a luxury upgrade, the DS Pallas (after Greek goddess Pallas), was introduced. This included comfort features such as better noise insulation, a more luxurious (and optional leather) upholstery and external trim embellishments. From 1966 the Pallas model received a driver's seat with height adjustment.
STATION WAGON, FAMILIALE AND AMBULANCE
A station wagon version was introduced in 1958. It was known by various names in different markets (Break in France, Safari and Estate in the UK, Wagon in the US, and Citroën Australia used the terms Safari and Station-Wagon). It had a steel roof to support the standard roof rack. 'Familiales' had a rear seat mounted further back in the cabin, with three folding seats between the front and rear squabs. The standard Break had two side-facing seats in the main load area at the back.
The Ambulance configuration was similar to that of the Break, but with a 60/30 split in the rear folding seat to accommodate a stretcher. A 'Commerciale' version was also available for a time.
The Safari saw use as a camera car, notably by the BBC. The hydropneumatic suspension produces an unusually steady platform for filming while driving.
CONVERTIBLE
Rarest and most collectable of all DS variants, a convertible was offered from 1958 until 1973. The Cabriolet d'Usine (factory convertible) were built by French carrossier Henri Chapron, for the Citroën dealer network. It was an expensive car, so only 1,365 were sold. These DS convertibles used a special frame which was reinforced on the sidemembers and rear suspension swingarm bearing box, similar to, but not identical to the Break (Station Wagon) frame.
CHAPRON VARIATIONS
In addition, Chapron also produced a few coupés, non-works convertibles and special sedans (including the "Prestige", same wheelbase but with a central divider, and the "Lorraine" notchback).
BOSSAERT COUPE
Between 1959 and 1964, Hector Bossaert produced a coupé on a DS chassis shortened by 470 mm. While the front end remained unchanged, the rear end featured notchback styling.
THE REACTOR
In 1965, noted American auto customizer Gene Winfield created The Reactor, a Citroën DS chassis, with a turbocharged 180 hp (130 kW) flat-six engine from the Corvair driving the front wheels. Since the DS already had the engine behind the front wheels, the longer engine meant only one row of seats. This was draped in a streamlined, low slung, aluminum body.
The Reactor was seen in American Television programs of the era, such as Star Trek: The Original Series episode 2.25 ("Bread and Circuses)," Batman episodes 110 ("Funny Feline Felonies") and 111 (driven by Catwoman Eartha Kitt), and Bewitched, which devoted its episode 3.19 ("Super Car") to The Reactor.
MICHELIN PLR
The Michelin PLR is a mobile tire evaluation machine, based on the DS Break, built in 1972, later used for promotion.
Technical details
SUSPENSION
In a hydropneumatic suspension system, each wheel is connected, not to a spring, but to a hydraulic suspension unit consisting of a hydraulic accumulator sphere of about 12 cm in diameter containing pressurised nitrogen, a cylinder containing hydraulic fluid screwed to the suspension sphere, a piston inside the cylinder connected by levers to the suspension itself, and a damper valve between the piston and the sphere. A membrane in the sphere prevented the nitrogen from escaping. The motion of the wheels translated to a motion of the piston, which acted on the oil in the nitrogen cushion and provided the spring effect. The damper valve took place of the shock absorber in conventional suspensions. The hydraulic cylinder was fed with hydraulic fluid from the main pressure reservoir via a height corrector, a valve controlled by the mid-position of the anti-roll bar connected to the axle. If the suspension was too low, the height corrector introduced high-pressure fluid; if it was too high, it released fluid back to the fluid reservoir. In this manner, a constant ride height was maintained. A control in the cabin allowed the driver to select one of five heights: normal riding height, two slightly higher riding heights for poor terrain, and two extreme positions for changing wheels. (The correct term, oleopneumatic (oil-air), has never gained widespread use. Hydropneumatic (water-air) continues to be preferred overwhelmingly.)
The DS did not have a jack for lifting the car off the ground. Instead, the hydraulic system enabled wheel changes with the aid of a simple adjustable stand. To change a flat tyre, one would adjust the suspension to its topmost setting, insert the stand into a special peg near the flat tyre, then readjust the suspension to its lowermost setting. The flat tyre would then retract upwards and hover above ground, ready to be changed. This system, used on the SM also, was superseded on the CX by a screw jack that, after the suspension was raised to the high position, lifted the tire clear of the ground. The DS system, while impressive to use, sometimes dropped the car quite suddenly, especially if the stand was not placed precisely or the ground was soft or unlevel.
SOURCE AND RESERVE OF PRESSURE
The central part of the hydraulic system was the high pressure pump, which maintained a pressure of between 130 and 150 bar in two accumulators. These accumulators were very similar in construction to the suspension spheres. One was dedicated to the front brakes, and the other ran the other hydraulic systems. (On the simpler ID models, the front brakes operated from the main accumulator.) Thus in case of a hydraulic failure, the first indication would be that the steering became heavy, followed by the gearbox not working; only later would the brakes fail.
Two different hydraulic pumps were used. The DS used a seven-cylinder axial piston pump driven off two belts and delivering 175 bar (2,540 psi) of pressure. The ID19, with its simpler hydraulic system, had a single-cylinder pump driven by an eccentric on the camshaft.
GEARBOX AND CLUTCH
HYDRAULIQUE OR CITROMATIC
The DS was initially offered only with the "hydraulique" four-speed semi-automatic (bvh—"boîte de vitesses hydraulique") gearbox.
This was a four-speed gearbox and clutch, operated by a hydraulic controller. To change gears, the driver flicked a lever behind the steering wheel to the next position and eased-up on the accelerator pedal. The hydraulic controller disengaged the clutch, engaged the nominated gear, and re-engaged the clutch. The speed of engagement of the clutch was controlled by a centrifugal regulator sensing engine rpm and driven off the camshaft by a belt, the position of the butterfly valve in the carburettor (i.e., the position of the accelerator), and the brake circuit. When the brake was pressed, the engine idle speed dropped to an rpm below the clutch engagement speed, thus preventing friction while stopped in gear at traffic lights. When the brake was released, the idle speed increased to the clutch dragging speed. The car would then creep forward much like automatic transmission cars. This drop in idle throttle position also caused the car to have more engine drag when the brakes were applied even before the car slowed to the idle speed in gear, preventing the engine from pulling against the brakes. In the event of loss of hydraulic pressure (following loss of system fluid), the clutch would disengage, to prevent driving, while brake pressure reserves would allow safe braking to standstill.
MANUAL - FOUR SPEED AND FIVE-SPEED
The later and simpler ID19 had the same gearbox and clutch, manually operated. This configuration was offered as a cheaper option for the DS in 1963. The mechanical aspects of the gearbox and clutch were completely conventional and the same elements were used in the ID 19. In September 1970, Citroën introduced a five-speed manual gearbox, in addition to the original four-speed unit.
FULLY AUTOMATIC
In September 1971 Citroën introduced a 3-speed fully automatic Borg-Warner 35 transmission gearbox, on the DS 21 and later DS 23 models. It is ironic that the fully automatic transmission DS was never sold in the US market, where this type of transmission had gained market share so quickly that it became the majority of the market by this time. Many automatic DSs, fuel-injected DS 23 sedans with air conditioning, were sold in Australia.
ENGINES
The DS was originally designed around an air-cooled flat-six based on the design of the 2-cylinder engine of the 2CV, similar to the motor in the Porsche 911. Technical and monetary problems forced this idea to be scrapped.
Thus, for such a modern car, the engine of the original DS 19 was also old-fashioned. It was derived from the engine of the 11CV Traction Avant (models 11B and 11C). It was an OHV four-cylinder engine with three main bearings and wet liners, and a bore of 78 mm and a stroke of 100 mm, giving a volumetric displacement of 1911 cc. The cylinder head had been reworked; the 11C had a reverse-flow cast iron cylinder head and generated 60 hp (45 kW) at 3800 rpm; by contrast, the DS 19 had an aluminium cross-flow head with hemispherical combustion chambers and generated 75 hp (56 kW) at 4500 rpm.
Like the Traction Avant, the DS had the gearbox mounted in front of the engine, with the differential in between. Thus some consider the DS to be a mid engine front-wheel drive car.
The DS and ID powerplants evolved throughout its 20-year production life. The car was underpowered and faced constant mechanical changes to boost the performance of the four-cylinder engine. The initial 1911 cc three main bearing engine (carried forward from the Traction Avant) of the DS 19 was replaced in 1965 with the 1985 cc five-bearing wet-cylinder motor, becoming the DS 19a (called DS 20 from September 1969).
The DS 21 was also introduced for model year 1965. This was a 2175 cc, five main bearing engine; power was 109 hp This engine received a substantial increase in power with the introduction of Bosch electronic fuel injection for 1970, making the DS one of the first mass-market cars to use electronic fuel injection. Power of the carbureted version also increased slightly at the same time, owing to the employment of larger inlet valves.
Lastly, 1973 saw the introduction of the 2347 cc engine of the DS 23 in both carbureted and fuel-injected forms. The DS 23 with electronic fuel injection was the most powerful production model, producing 141 hp (105 kW).
IDs and their variants went through a similar evolution, generally lagging the DS by about one year. ID saloon models never received the DS 23 engine or fuel injection, although the Break/Familiale versions received the carburetted version of the DS 23 engine when it was introduced, supplemented the DS20 Break/Familiale.
The top of the range ID model, The DSuper5 (DP) gained the DS21 engine (the only model that this engine was retained in) for the 1973 model year and it was mated to a five-speed gearbox. This should not be confused with the 1985 cc DSuper fitted with an optional "low ratio" five-speed gearbox, or with the previous DS21M (DJ) five-speed.
IN POPULAR CULTURE
President Charles de Gaulle survived an assassination attempt at Le Petit-Clamart near Paris on August 22, 1962, planned by Algerian War veteran Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry. The plan was to ambush the motorcade with machine guns, disable the vehicles, and then close in for the kill. De Gaulle praised the unusual abilities of his unarmoured DS with saving his life – the car was peppered with bullets, and the shots had punctured the tyres, but the car could still escape at full speed. This event was accurately recreated in the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal.
Beyond de Gaulle and the French aristocracy, the roomy DS also appealed to French taxi drivers.
Outside France, the car drew an eclectic customer mix, such as Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Pope John XXIII, painter Marc Chagall, and actors Ken Berry, Jeff Bridges, and Rosamund Pike.
The DS appeared in several episodes of contemporary television series Mission: Impossible, including substantial appearances in 'The Slave' (ep. 2.06) and 'Robot' (ep. 4.09).
An ode to Jane Child's DS21 appears on her 1989 self-titled album.
In 1989, the film Back to the Future Part II featured a modified Citroen DS as a flying taxicab, when the main characters travel 30 years into the future (2015). Scarface (1983 film) with Al Pacino and the 2009 television series The Mentalist both feature the DS in key roles. According to Internet Movie Cars Database, the DS/ID has made over 2,000 film and television appearances so far.
Two films focus on the DS, including The Goddess of 1967 about a Japanese man purchasing a DS (goddess or déesse in French) in Australia, and 1995's Icelandic-Japanese road movie Cold Fever.
LEGACY
Citroën DS values have been rising – a 1973 DS 23 Injection Electronique "Decapotable" (Chapron Convertible) sold for EUR €176,250 (USD $209,738) at Christie's Rétromobile in February 2006. and a similar car sold by Bonhams in February 2009 brought EUR €343,497 (USD $440,436). On 18 September 2009 a 1966 DS21 Decapotable Usine was sold by Bonhams for a hammer price of UK£131,300. Bonhams sold another DS21 Decapotable (1973) on 23 January 2010 for EUR €189,000.
The DS's beloved place in French society was demonstrated in Paris on 9 October 2005 with a celebration of the 50th anniversary of its launch. 1,600 DS cars drove in procession past the Arc de Triomphe.
From 2005 to 2008, a young Frenchman named Manuel Boileau travelled around the world in a 1971 DS ambulance. It was an 80,000 kilometer journey across 38 countries called Lunaya World Tour. While traveling through Laos, he located the forlorn 1974 DS Prestige belonging to Sisavang Vatthana, the last King of the Kingdom of Laos, which is now preserved and restored by specialists in Bangkok.
In 2009, Groupe PSA created a new brand - DS Automobiles, intended as high quality, high specification variations on existing models, with differing mechanics and bodywork. This brand ranges across four models, the DS3, DS4, DS5, and the China-only SUV DS 6. The DS3, launched in March 2010, is based on Citroen's new C3, but is more customisable and unique, bearing some resemblance to the original DS, with its "Shark Fin" side pillar. These have created their own niches, with the DS4 being a mix of a crossover and a coupe and the DS5 mixing a coupe and an estate. Many feature hybrid-diesel engines to maximise efficiency.
WIKIPEDIA
This is a Vintage Euro-Mini Folding bike branded as KTM and made in Austria
comes with Sachs Torpedo Schweinfurt Kickback 2 speed hub.
20" ISO406 Wheels and Primo Comet 1.3" Tyres
Original Pletscher rack carrier.
Fork has brazed dropouts not stamped/crimped ends like the Raleigh Twenty or Brompton
Installed a Wald USA axle mounted kickstand as the original Pletscher clamp on tends to pinch the rear stays.
the only alloy part is that rack eveything else is Austrian steel.
Chain guard and fenders had been removed ...don't need it ! doesnt rain much here in sunny Southern Ca.
The handlebar had been replaced w/ a more comfortable moustache type bend and twin Cateye 1watt LED lamps set for High/Low beam.
The seat is Mesinger. the original seat is not comfortable anymore.
2 piece steel crank. only the port side is cottered.
quill height adjustment is via a knob on top of the quill.
Wheels are original steel 36 spoke hole
back rear brake plate stamped "ESGE" Made in Germany
other detailed photos available by clicking my photostream
A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, designed to permit the compact hanging of wet clothes and their maximum area to be exposed to drying by wind rotation.
The Hills Hoist has been manufactured in Adelaide, South Australia by Lance Hill since 1945. The Hills Hoist and similar rotary clothes hoists remain a common fixture in many backyards in Australia and New Zealand. They are considered one of Australia's most recognisable icons, and are used frequently by artists as a metaphor for Australian suburbia in the 1950s and 1960s.[1] Although originally a product name, the term "Hills Hoist" became synonymous with rotary clothes hoists in general, throughout Australia.
As early as 1895 Colin Stewart and Allan Harley of Sun Foundry in Adelaide applied for a patent for an 'Improved Rotary and Tilting Clothes Drying Rack'. In their design the upper clothes line frame tilted to allow access to the hanging lines.[2] Gilbert Toyne of Geelong patented four rotary clothes hoists designs between 1911 and 1946. Toyne's first patented clothes hoist was sold though the Aeroplane Clothes Hoist Company established in 1911.[3] It was Toyne's 1925 all-metal model (Australian Patent No. 24553/25) with its enclosed crown wheel-and-pinion winding mechanism that defined clothes hoist designs for decades to follow.[4][5]
Courtesy of Wikipedia:
Lance Hill began to manufacture the Hills rotary clothes hoist in his backyard in 1945. His wife apparently wanted an inexpensive replacement to the line and prop she had for drying clothes.[6][7]
Lance Hill's brother-in-law Harold Ling returned from the war and joined him to form a partnership in 1946. Ling became the key figure in expanding the production and marketing of the Hills Hoists. In 1947 Hills Hoists began manufacturing a wind-up clothes hoist which was identical to Gilbert Toyne's expired 1925 patent with the crown wheel-and-pinion winding mechanism.[8][9] Initially the clothes hoists were constructed and sold from Lance Hill's home on Bevington Road, Glenunga.[10] Soon production moved to a nearby site on Glen Osmond Road and within a decade the factory had relocated to a larger site at Edwardstown.[8] The company Hills Hoists became Hills Industries in 1958.
A Darwin family reported that the only thing left standing after Cyclone Tracy was their Hills Hoist.[11] The company is still Australian owned to this day, trading as Hills Holdings, and sells other products including TV antennae and playground apparatus. The Hills Hoist is listed as a National Treasure by the National Library of Australia.[12]
This K12 Micra in black, is a 3 door Acenta model in metallic blue and is in great shape for a 08 reg.
The Acenta model has the 1.2-litre engine, side airbags, a 60/40 split sliding rear seat, drivers seat height adjustment, air con, heated mirrors, sports, seats dark tinted headlights, colour coded spoiler, service indicator.
This one is seen at Riccarton, Edinburgh
This is another motorized and remotely controlled hot rod - 100% LEGO
VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjPqg0OhQlA
Regarding size and functions it is somewhere in between my models “Fire bucket” and “Lucky 13”.
Dimensions: 41 studs long, 19 studs wide, 13 – 14.5 studs high and weighs 804 g.
PF components: 1 L motor - driving, 1 M motor - steering, 1 8878 battery, 1 IR receiver
Motorized functions: driving and steering
Other functions:
Working suspension:
Front: solid axle, leaf spring
Rear: Height-adjustable, live axle, leaf spring
Working steering wheel – drag link steering
Working pistons, radiator fan and generator - custom made fake v8 engine
Working door handles – openable suicide doors
Retractable rear license plate – controlled with a fake handbrake lever inside the cabin
Trunk door can be opened – behind it is a mechanism for adjustment of rear height of the vehicle (manually controlled gear) and battery (easy to turn on/off and charging)
Roof can be removed easily
Features:
Custom chrome parts – wheels, headlights, door handles and rear view mirrors
Interior – red seats and dashboard
I hope you like it :)
"The Natimuk Pavilion Classroom was constructed by the Victorian Public Works Department in 1914 as an open air classroom for school children at Natimuk Primary School. It consisted of a rectangular timber structure 20’ x 30’ with a gabled roof.
The room was intended to accommodate 48 children in dual seater desks. Three sides of the classroom are boarded with weatherboards to the height of three feet; above that height, adjustable canvas shutters were fitted right to the roofline. The back wall, on which the blackboard was mounted, was boarded from floor to ceiling. The room was built on sleeper plates for easy removal.
44 of these classrooms were constructed for Victorian schools between 1911 and 1914, but after World War I, the Education Department discontinued their construction. They were unpopular with teachers in winter weather. However they were used for additional accommodation in schools for many years.
Natimuk Primary School moved from Main Street to a site in Jory Street in 1961. The pavilion classroom was relocated by the Education Department to the Australian House Museum at Deakin University in 1988, because it was under threat. The building was returned to Natimuk in 2002 and is now located in the grounds of the present Natimuk Primary School in Jory Street.
Open air classrooms were designed to provide a healthy environment for delicate children, and resulted from the hygiene movement in education at the beginning of the 20th century. It was hoped that improvements in lighting and ventilation aimed at improving the child’s physical conditions would lead to better educational and health outcomes. The open air classroom reflected the preoccupation with the benefits of light and fresh air for the health and education of young children.
Medical opinion of the time favoured fresh air and a bracing environment for all, derived from the ideas behind the open air sanatoriums used for the treatment of tuberculosis patients. The spread of tuberculosis, known as the 'white plague’ was a constant concern, it was responsible for one death in nine in Victoria in 1902, and in 1904 was declared a notifiable disease.
This classroom is architecturally significant, as the only surviving, relatively intact and rare example of an open air classroom."
Source: wimmera-w-b-w.blogspot.com.au/2012_09_01_archive.html
The 2016 Mazda CX-3 is 5-passenger subcompact cross-over SUV accessible in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring trim ranges. The base Sport begins with 16-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, rear roof spoiler, double exhaust outlets, cloth upholstery, variable intermittent wipers, height-adjustable driver seat, push-button ignition, full power accessories, tilt and telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, Bluetooth (phone and audio), air-conditioning, rear-view camera, USB port, 6-speaker audio system (with a CD player, auxiliary audio jack and Aha/Pandora/Stitcher Internet radio), voice controls and 7-inch touchscreen interface with a repetitive rotary control knob on the center console.
The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Touring contributes heated mirrors, keyless entry and ignition, blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, front-row center armrest, leatherette (premium vinyl) and cloth upholstery, heated front seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.
The 2016 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring provides 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive LED headlights, sunroof, LED foglights and taillights, enhanced instrumentation, leather and synthetic suede upholstery, head-up display, navigation system, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, automatic climate control, rear cargo cover and 7-speaker Bose audio system with a HD radio and satellite radio.
Provided solely on the 2016 Mazda CX-3 Grand Touring is an i-Activsense bundle that consists of automatic high beam headlight control, auto wipers, lane departure warning, forward collision mitigation system with automatic braking and adaptive cruise control.
Powertrains and Performance
2016 Mazda CX-3 is prepared with a 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine ranked at 146 hp and a matching 146 pound-feet of torque. A 6-speed automatic is the only accessible transmission. Front-wheel drive (FWD) is standard, with all-wheel drive (AWD) provided as an choice on all trim levels.
Safety
Every 2016 Mazda CX-3 arrives standard with anti-lock brakes, front side airbags, stability and traction control, rear-view camera and side curtain airbags. As mentioned above, the Touring contributes a blind-spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert, although the Grand Touring can be prepared with an i-Activsense package that consists of advanced technologies like a forward collision mitigation system with automated braking.
2016 Mazda CX-3 Interior Features
2016 Mazda CX-3's cabin unveils excellent performance overall, with great quality materials and a smooth dashboard that conveys style and complexity. The Grand Touring's large central tachometer and incorporated digital speedometer are simple to read and look great; the head-up display seems tacked on, however, and lower trims must create do with a more common gauge cluster. All trims advantage from a 7-inch touch-screen interface. It has crisp graphics, and we like the handy auxiliary control knob on the center console, though we've found that certain easy tasks, switching between satellite radio stations, for occasion require multiple steps to achieve.
Driving Impressions
2016 Mazda CX-3 is absolutely a top athlete in this class, beaten only by the turbocharged Juke. Handling is exceptional thanks to accurate steering and nimble reflexes. The 146-hp engine sounds rather rough above 4,000 rpm, but it gets the job done, serving up over average acceleration in tandem with the sleek and sensitive 6-speed automatic.
[thecarspecs] thecarspecs.com/2016-mazda-cx-3-review/
This is a modification of my hot rod pickup. It still has everything that you might like (motorized/remotely controlled driving/steering, lights, turn signals, working steering wheel, working V8 and radiator fan, working door handles, gearbox…) and some new features (wheels, suspension, engine, roof, front lights, interior, fuel tank, movable license plate, chrome details…). Like the old one, it is 50 studs long and 28 studs wide but it is heavier - it weighs 1285g.
VIDEO: youtu.be/jR0rCEck7_0
Characteristics:
-Leaf spring suspension with height-adjustable rear
-License plate with simple mechanism to hide it (manual)
-Lights (front and rear) manually controlled with a lever connected to a speed dial of 8878 battery (which allows you to switch between low and high beam)
-Turn signals (front and rear) connected to a servo motor via coupled PF switches (2 switches)
-Working steering wheel
-Manual gearbox – 4 gears (5:1, 3:1, 5:3, 1:1)
-Suicide doors with working door handles
-It is powered by two L motors and 7.4 V (8878) rechargeable battery box.
-Servo motor for steering
-Working V8 fake engine with some details to make it resemble real V8 engine, connected directly to the driving motors so it works at the same speed no matter what gear you choose (in neutral also)
-Working radiator fan, connected directly to a V8 engine
-Rear doors can be opened.
-Roof window, fire extinguisher, fuel tank…
-Front tires from 8070 supercar, and rear from 42000 Grand Prix Racer.
I hope you like it, feel free to comment…
p.s. it has been blogged: thelegocarblog.com/2014/07/03/rod-mod/