Obscure and never made "Classics"

mike65 · 11-02-2005 12:08am #1

Okay I'm stretching point for a good picture thread here but here are some shots of cars that either never saw the light of day or did but almost no-one has one!

Bitter SC Coupe

Jaguar XJ40 early prototype

Mike.

Alfasudcrazy · 11-02-2005 1:02am

I remember these - they are DKW's - don' ask what models as I haven't a clue but these cars stick in my mind because even as a 4/5 year old I was really into cars and remember these passing our house now and again and me thinking how weird they were. They had a strange sound and were a bit troublesome as I often saw one broken down or spluttering along sounding very ill.
I don't think they will be classics as they are pig ugly :rolleyes:

Silvera · 11-02-2005 1:59am

I believe DKW's were predecessors to Audi's - note grille badge in second pic above.

Silvera · 11-02-2005 2:06am

Well, they don't come much more 'obscure' than this !! ...........it's the only one ever built !

The 1907 Irish-built Silver Stream............

Alfasudcrazy · 11-02-2005 2:36am

There's the NSU Ro80 of course - I don't think I have ever seen one of these on the road - gave a lot of trouble during their short production life. :rolleyes:

bus77 · 11-02-2005 2:45am

I remember seeing this car in a pack of top-trumps years ago, "6 wheels" and "car" into google and here she is (Same picture aswell)

1977 Panther 6
http://www.panther-car-club.de/cars/six/bilder_six.htm

BlueDrax · 11-02-2005 3:14am

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

There's the NSU Ro80 of course - I don't think I have ever seen one of these on the road - gave a lot of trouble during their short production life. :rolleyes:

I Have

- The old man had a white one ages ago. Wankel rotary engine if I remember right.

Alfasudcrazy · 11-02-2005 3:26am

On the subject of NSU's we can't forget about the ex-NSU VW K70. This was VW's first attempt at a water cooled front wheel drive car. I only saw one around our town and it was not around for too long - another difficult birth car I think :rolleyes:

Here are a few links for more infor about the VW K70

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/2529/k70.html
http://web.telia.com/~u31614134/K70/eVWK70a.html

Fabritzo · 11-02-2005 3:35am

I saw the movie about the Tucker on channel 4 recently and very good it was too (if yer a car buff)
http://www.tuckerclub.org/tucker51.jpg

http://www.tuckerclub.org/

Alfasudcrazy · 11-02-2005 12:13pm

Is this the ugliest Ford ever produced - the Scorpio? I know it was a 'mainstream' model but it never sold in big numbers and was a sad finale to a model - especially the fine Granada Mk1 & 11 of the 70's & early 80's. How could a car like this be released onto the market. Word is that this car was forced on Ford Europe by its American parent against its wishes - I can easily see why :rolleyes:
Note how on the later models (top pic) they removed the chrome strip at the back and done a slight redesign of the lights - 'that will fix it' they thought - sorry you can't make a sow's ear out of a silk purse!

unkel · 11-02-2005 12:26pm

BlueDrax wrote:

I Have

Same here, saw loads of them when I was a boy. Also saw loads of K70s. They looked much more modern then the VW Variant, which probably was it's main competitor. Most of them were, ehrr, variant

Not these rare ones:

unkel · 11-02-2005 12:29pm

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

Is this the ugliest Ford ever produced - the Scorpio?

Course it was. Beware though, the NTL man will come down and haunt us :eek:

In fairness second hand they are great value for money. Buy one and just blindfold yourself until you're inside and you're laughing

peasant · 01-03-2005 10:31pm

sorry to dig up this old thread, but on the "ugly" DKW I couldn't resist but show you its pretty sister:

DKW 1000 sp. (google to show lots more pics) Same two-stroke engine as the 1000 s (the "ugly" one) , only slightly beefed up, AFAIK.

The 1000s was also sold as "3=6", DKW claiming that the 3 cylinder two-stroke due to its running only two strokes instead of four would equal a six cylinder "normal" engine for smoothness and refinement

The 1000 s actually was quite "upmarket" in the 50's and the 1000sp pretty unattainable.

Interceptor · 03-03-2005 2:25pm

Alfasudcrazy wrote:

I remember these - they are DKW's - don' ask what models as I haven't a clue but these cars stick in my mind because even as a 4/5 year old I was really into cars and remember these passing our house now and again and me thinking how weird they were. They had a strange sound and were a bit troublesome as I often saw one broken down or spluttering along sounding very ill.
I don't think they will be classics as they are pig ugly :rolleyes:

Leave the DKW alone - it is not ugly and you are wrong!!! I want one of these more than anything and nearly bought the one in the pics in the other thread. These are sought after classics in many countries and I will drive mine past your house when I get it!!

'c

alastair · 03-03-2005 3:10pm

Speaking of the DKW 'poor man's thunderbird'. I was trying, without success, to find a pic of the 'Shamrock' car made in Dundalk in the fifties. Vaguely 'thunderbird-ish' except that it had a fibreglass body way too big for it's chassis/wheelbase, and it was powered by something like a ford popular engine. There's still one in Dundalk afaik.

ds20prefecture · 03-03-2005 4:34pm

alastair wrote:

Speaking of the DKW 'poor man's thunderbird'. I was trying, without success, to find a pic of the 'Shamrock' car made in Dundalk in the fifties. Vaguely 'thunderbird-ish' except that it had a fibreglass body way too big for it's chassis/wheelbase, and it was powered by something like a ford popular engine. There's still one in Dundalk afaik.

There is also a lime green one in LA. I thought the one here was in Clare - a white one. These are allegedly the only two in existence. It used an Austin A55 engine.

Vile in the extreme.

Silvera · 03-03-2005 8:34pm

Here is a pic I took of a Shamrock at Mosney Car Show in 2000.

(Must be the Dundalk-based car).

I recall that Top Gear (or some BBC motoring programme?) came to Dundalk to drive this car !

Funny that it has a 'ZV' reg ? Either it was brought back from the States, or it was only (first) registered in recent times ?!

peasant · 03-03-2005 9:10pm

talking about "poor man's" and to some extent even "vile" ...here's an interesting link to a micro-car museum:

loads of pictures from the well known to the really obscure ...if one is into that kind of thing.

Here's an appetizer ...hmm ...wouldn't mind that meself ..the dogs would love it in the back

Obscure and never made "Classics"

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