Alfasuds are alive and well and sought after. Alfa Arnas on the other hand.....
How about the Matra Rancho? 2wd Discovery predecessor of the late 80s? Not seen one in years, which given the fibreglass shell points the finger firmly at the French engineering.
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www.rootes-chrysler.co.uk/devmatra2f.htm
Duff info, sorry. Fibreglass rear only.
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Datsun Sunny.
Datsun Cherry.
Austin 1100 / 1300.
Morris Oxford / Cambridge.
Haven't seen any of those around for a while.
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Wartburg two stroke? would anyone admit to ever seeing one
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Let us not forget the Berkeley 3 wheeler 3 cyl 2 -stroke with the IIRC 492 cc Excelsior engine. I had a fiensidh FWD chain system.
That had a very high power to weight ratio with tis light plastic body and was both exhilarating and hair-raising to drive.
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Talbot Horizon - these were not that bad in the 80's, comfy ride but the notorious tappety engine was a problem. Likewise the Talbot Alpine, became the Rapier saloon and hatch.
The rare Tagora luxury barge also must be exctinct by now, bet they only sold 32 in total.
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Dad had a Solara as a company car. Looked at the Tagora when the Solara came for replacement but went for a 505GTi in the end.
Typical of PSA at the time, they were unable to provide a black one as ordered, so he got a brown one and they resprayed it!
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My dad had not one but two Talbot Alpines - sucker for punishment?
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505 GTI - what a car! Had a really purposeful stance and mean look to it. Proper square styling. I was glancing at the new 407 SW estate the other day and the large chrome rear number plate trim with '407' embossed took me back to the old 504 estate of the 70's for some reason, some were 7 seaters. Reminded me of the styling.
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I don't think anyone's mentioned the Moskvitch yet! There were quite a few imported in the 70's - I knew someone who bought one and hated it. Am I right in thinking the Moskvitch was considered virtually incapable of passing an MOT test which ensured their early demise?
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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505 GTI - what a car! Had a really purposeful stance and mean look to it. Proper square styling.
Oh it was a proper brute. Mind you, dad called it few other things when the electric windows and sunroof failed in the middle of Spain as a thunder storm appeared on the horizon....
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Hey I used to drive 2 Talbot Alpines, they were not sooooo bad otherwise would not have bought the second one.
My Mother had a Talbot Sunbeam - total rubbish, it was a shorter floorpan Hillman Avanger. Almost forgot the colour was dazzling as well -lime green.
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Horizons, they've all rotted away by now. Bet my old one has anyway, back in the 80's driving down a stormy Aberystwyth seafront it had half the seawater in Cardigan Bay and half the pebbles from the beach dumped on top of it. Never the same after that.
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Oops, nearly 3 a.m. after an excellent lapu-lapu au gratinee, a surfeit of Moreau Blanc (well at two quid a bottle why not) and in the middle of a shoulder massage by Miss Philippines.
Try again:
"It had a fiendish FWD chain system . Had a very high power to weight ratio with its light plastic body and was both exhilarating and hair-raising to drive".
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Wartburg two stroke? would anyone admit to ever seeing one
Mate of mine actually owned one in the 70s! The engine had a strange buzzing sound and smelt of summer lawn mowing. The gear lever broke off in his hand on more than one occasion but was simply welded back on.
Amazing thing was that he paid less than £100 to buy the thing, then ran it (sort of)for six months then sold it for £150! Not many cars you can sell at a profit!
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As we seem to be running through the demise of Rootes/Chrysler, has anyone seen a Chrysler 180 recently? These were very common at one time. Don't seem to be any Avengers about either.
Interesting, it's the everyday cars that become the rare ones.
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Tatra. haven't seen one for years, there is a great web site and a screen saver, i'm so sad i down loaded it !!!!
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By 'extinct', we mean, of course, 'extinct in Britain'.
One of the joys of motoring in Mediterranean regions is seeing all these cars that we've not seen at home for years. Hence I'm always saying things to my wife "Look!! A Simca 1100!!"
She couldn't care less of course, but I feel a bit like one of these zoologists who has just discovered a beast that was believed to have died out a couple of million years ago.
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I always find it amazing that in the UK we can't seem to hold on to older cars. I was Porto a few weeks ago - I seen so many Renault 9's 11's in mint condition. Even my mates thought it was bit odd seeing their first cars resurrected.
--
306 2.0 SE Cabriolet
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Fantastic looking cars, there's something Flash Gordon about them - also the extra central headlight. I'll be driving one when I win the lottery along with a Citroen Traction-Avant.
Once again, I think they're too weird, and that a hard core of enthusiasts will always maintain them. Not the case with the likes of Chrysler Neon / Protons etc.
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YugoI would take out a contract on any still living
Why? Good cars those. I went to Bosnia recently and there are loads of them. Yes they were not spectacular cars but they did/do the job and if they bust you could fix em with a screwdriver. They really abuse them in Bosnia too and by that I mean drive them off road and the things never break.
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As I own one I am going to put forward the Ford Escort XR3i MKIII.
But it must be totally unmodified and look as new.
I have not seen one for ages and I think it will get a lot rarer as the cost of keeping one like new far outweighs its minimal resale value. It took me a year to find a reasonable car (and it still needed lots of work).
Finally before I am mocked out of here, just look at how performance MKII Escorts were worth nothing and now can reach 5 figures easily.
I reckon find a good hot hatch from the 80's lay it down and you will not lose money as they have all been thrashed and crashed to the point extinction.
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What about the Renault Feugo? That seems to have gone. Come to think of it Renault is mentioned an awful lot in this thread.
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See one of the old Unusual Sightings threads...watched a Fuego being driven upto a scrappie in Oxfordshire only last year.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=23901&...e
StarGazer
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As I own one I am going to put forward the Ford Escort XR3i MKIII.
I was asked to do some of the judging at the Wessex RS Owners' Club meet at Beaulieu last year. Was asked to judge cars from some of the guest RSOC from other districts. Faced with cossies galore, I gave first prize to....
A pristine, as new MkIII RS1600i.
The owner couldn't believe it. Nor could the owners of all the highly modified Cossies he had to walk past to get his trophy.
Lovely car, owned by a lad from the Isle of Wight. A real delight to see one in original condition.
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Yep, the Renault is rare.
Thanks for the info on the RS NoDosh...I can now (almost) raise my head high! :)
Seriously though, drive any rare car is great fun whether it is a Renault 30 or the much maligned XR3i.
People love seeing these type of cars and it makes owning them a joy.
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What about that NSU rotary engined thing from the early 70´s? Always looked ahead of its time, but are there any still around, or have they all helicoptered off to the great NSU garage in the sky?
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Most of them have died with worn rotor tips, although I did see one on the road last year. Judging by the bluish tinge to the smoke I doubt it will get much further.
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3 wheel invalid carriages - thank goodness !
Motor bike and sidecar ? (OK, not a car)
John
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3 wheel invalid carriages - thank goodness !
Nope, there's still one in Bournemouth. Lovely pale blue colour.
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They were all pale blue ! Would be Bournemouth wouldn't it ?
OK, I'll try again. Fiat X1/9 ?
John
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>> 3 wheel invalid carriages - thank goodness ! >> Nope, there's still one in Bournemouth. Lovely pale blue colour.
I thought these were illegal now. See www.3wheelers.com/endinva.html .
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>> >> 3 wheel invalid carriages - thank goodness ! >> >> >> >> Nope, there's still one in Bournemouth. Lovely pale blue colour. >> I thought these were illegal now. See www.3wheelers.com/endinva.html .
Goodness knows how Barbara kept hold of hers. The lady in question used to work with my ex wife and I last saw her in it early last year.
Who knows, perhaps it has gone now? Certainly the article you point to suggests it was well past it's use by date. Knowing Barbara she would have barricaded the thing into her garage rather than give it back.
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What about that NSU rotary engined thing from the early 70´s? Always looked ahead of its time, but are there any still around, or have they all helicoptered off to the great NSU garage in the sky?
A friend of mine owns a single-rotor NSU, one of the tiny sports convertibles. It was really a test bed for the twin rotor Ro80s that came afterwards. There are quite a few of them around too, Ro Technics used to be the place to get them fixed I think.
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Tatra. haven't seen one for years, there is a great web site and a screen saver, i'm so sad i down loaded it !!!!
There are quite a few around, I've owned two.
I'm so sad I wrote the website and created the screen saver - glad you like it!
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Hunslett Scootacar. I had one in the sixties, tipped it over twice!
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Anybody remember the Isetta bubble car? It's main design feature was the door which was the whole front end of the "car". Park too close to something and you had no way to get out! The thing had no reverse gear (in common with all the bubbles of that era).
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Not so. I had one many years ago, and it had a reverse tho' it was cable operated and once the cable had stretched getting it into reverse could be a bity problematic. It also had a sunroof as standard, as it only had the one door and an alternative exit was required.
The Messerschmitt also had reverse, only that was done by stopping the engine and starting it backwards - hence 4 reverse gears and the ability to do 60(ish) backwards!
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There was a story only this morning on Radio 2 about a Lady Mayor who has shunned the council Daimler and turns up to functions in her Isetta Bubble Car.
Ny old Maths teacher had a Messerscmitt back in the 60's but I haven't seen one in years. I believe that they are highly collectable these days.
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One reason I like going to France is I see cars that have long since departed from this country. At Easter I saw several Renault 18's, a 20, Fuego and an early 5, the one with the gear stick coming out of the dash. Also saw a Peugeot 604 (who remembers those?) and loads of Citroen XM's - where have they all gone?
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Talking of cars with the gearstick on the dash - I saw a beautifully preserved Citroen (light 15?) in a driveway recently.
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-Talking of cars with the gearstick on the dash -
I used to drive round our on roadworks sites in a company Renault Fourgon van in the early seventies, used to have to try and remember my seasickness pills with that very soggy suspension....
....and of course my current Honda Civic also has a dash mounted gearstick, strange how the old ideas are resurrected.
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Ny old Maths teacher had a Messerscmitt back in the 60's but I haven't seen one in years. I believe that they are highly collectable these days.
There's a kit car available. based on a 500cc semi-auto scooter. Tri-king.
Will set you back more tgan the price of a new Smart ForTwo
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No-one seems to have mentioned the Fiat 131 Mirafiori so beloved and sold in their many thousands. Made with rusty metal and fell apart before the first MOT. They were everywhere at one time.
The Matra Rancho has already been mentioned but I remember it for it's plastic bull bars. Say no more........
I know of someone who has locked a Talbot tagora away in the belief that it will one day be worth ££££££££.
Lastly, the VX Royale complete with red velvet seats.....mmmm lovely.
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what about an isuza piazza? Not that old but have seen any for years
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Lastly, the VX Royale complete with red velvet seats.....mmmm lovely.
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I've got an Opel Rekord in my garage which is the same thing, but with less chrome and only 4 cylinders instead of 6 (more popular here as the first Vauxhall Carlton). Gold with gold velvet seats...even the dashboard is two-tone gold and black! Don't see them any more, especially not in mint condition - which is why I bought it.
What were GM thinking of with that velvet upholstery fetish in those days?
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>>Yugo I would take out a contract on any still living
I Recently saw an immaculate one in Somerset(the little hatchback model that looked a bit like a Nova).
Cheers, Sofa Spud
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Don't see Ventoras or VX4/90s any more.
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Don't see any Vauxhall/Opel Mantas about anymore
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Don't see any Vauxhall/Opel Mantas about anymore
A chap local to me used to knock about in one but over the years the tinworm took hold - he's now driving round in a calibra.
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Or Vauxhall Royale Coupe/Opel Monzas. Anybody here got one?
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If I could have a fiver for every hour that I spent fooling around with a hose-pipe and a tin of dum-dum, trying to make various Mantas waterpoof, I would be a rich man!
Take a (brilliant!) MKI Cavalier, and make it hygroscopic, and more prone to driver abuse = Manta!!!
Number_Cruncher
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