Notices by David Wilkins (davidwilkins@mastodon.online)

Today, from 1975, the last ever Wolseley, seen here at the British Motor Museum a couple of weeks ago. For a few months, the car that later became the Leyland Princess, was sold in separate Austin and Morris versions, with the top models being Wolseleys. Among the refinements were Hydragas suspension, a vinyl roof and a very smooth, although not especially quick, transversely 2.2-litre straight six engine. (1/2)

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Yesterday, @clanger9 raised the question of asymmetry in Renaults. By coincidence, the very next car I snapped at the 2014 Bremen Classic Motor Show after yesterday’s AMC Pacer, this nice red Renault 4, is a perfect example. Like several older Renaults, the Quatrelle had a slightly longer wheelbase on one side than the other thanks to the design of its torsion bar rear suspension, which placed one torsion bar across the car in front of the other.

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Today we jump forward in the Matra story to the 2001 Renault Avantime, seen here at the recent Practical Classics resto show. This was a sort of two-door coupé/hatch grand tourer which was in retrospect aimed at the same ‘French luxury’ niche as today’s DS models. It was quite unlike anything else, and car buyers didn’t really get it. Sales were low. Which of course means that it was loved - even revered - by later generations of car geeks (1/3)

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After yesterday’s CityRover, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the other initiatives of the 2000-2005 independent MG Rover. In 2002, the MG F roadster (white car) was developed into the MG TF (red car). This change was more than just a facelift. Hydragas suspension was replaced by steel springs, and the body structure was improved. Both cars seen at last weekend’s Practical Classics restoration show at the NEC.

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In 1989, the successor to yesterday’s Rover 200 arrived, a car code-named R8. Unlike the first 200 and the Triumph Acclaim before it, R8 wasn’t an off-the-shelf Honda design but the result of a more genuinely collaborative development effort between Rover and Honda. It was the most successful BL/Rover product of the modern era. Seen here at the NEC Classic Car Show, 2024 in 3-door (red) and 5-door hatch 200 series versions. More R8 tomorrow. (1/2)

#davidsdailycar #Rover #Honda #WeirdCarMastodon

As the 1970s wore on, the small Triumph saloons were starting to look a bit old fashioned. One idea for a successor was this 1972 proposal for a reskinned Dolomite from Triumph’s established design partner Michelotti. This would have given the Dolly much sharper, modern, Italian-style looks while making as much use of the old car as possible. Squashed away from the main display area at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in 2023.

#davidsdailycar #Triumph #Michelotti #WeirdCarMastodon

Long before the motor industry invented terms like platform-sharing and scalable architectures, Triumph was already doing it in the 1960s with the Spitfire (green car) and six-cylinder GT6 (yellow car), which were based on the Herald/Vitesse, a process facilitated by the Herald’s separate chassis and bolt-on panels, which made it easier to offer different body types. Photos taken at The Great British Car Journey in 2023. Back on the saloons tomorrow.

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In 1957, Standard-Triumph introduced the ultimate development of the Standard Eight/Ten line, the Standard Pennant. This enjoyed further refinements - note the chrome and two-tone paintwork - and more power (a heady 37 bhp). Bolder styling featured a stronger ‘face’ with a revised headlamp treatment, plus modest tail fins at the rear. Snapped at The Great British Car Journey, 2023. Tomorrow, the car that Heralded a new era in small Triumphs.

#davidsdailycar #Standard #Triumph #WeirdCarMastodon

Today, a second helping of gloriously over-the-top Panther De Ville retro. This is the convertible version, of which only eleven were made. I’m not sure whether this one also uses the Landcrab doors or not. My first thought was that they might have used the rear doors rather than the fronts but after looking at several other photos, I don’t think that’s quite right unless they’ve been modified in some way. Snapped: NEC Classic Motor Show in 2024.

#davidsdailycar #Panther #WeirdCarMastodon

The H-Type typifies the change of direction towards the mass market taken by Vauxhall under GM’s ownership after 1925.

I had initially assumed that its innovative features were the result of leaning on GM’s expertise. In particular I thought that its pioneering unibody/monocoque design would have relied on the know-how of GM’s famous US Fisher Body division. But in fact, the H-Type predates the first US-market GM unibody (the Corvair) by about two decades. 2/2

Today, the Vauxhall story rolls on to 1937 and the launch of the 10-4 H-Type saloon under GM. Compared with previous Vauxhalls, this was a more affordable car, with a 1.2-litre engine. That said, the H-Type was an innovative design with torsion bar independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes. It was also the first British example of unibody construction. One element of continuity - the Vauxhall bonnet flutes. Snapped: National Motor Museum. 1/2

#davidsdailycar #Vauxhall #WeirdCarMastodon

@lionelb Not sure. I suspect that like a lot of these things, it depends on how you define it and there are competing claims! Without reading up I think I’m right in saying Lancia is usually credited with the first use on a production car.

More Lancia loveliness today with the Flaminia 2500 Sport Zagato. This is a 1959 pre-series car which apparently has some extra features compared with the series cars produced from 1960 - including the distinctive glazed headlamp covers similar to those fitted to the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. Snapped at Techno Classica Essen last year.

#davidsdailycar #Lancia #Zagato #WeirdCarMastodon

Today, I thought I’d post this lovely Citroën 2CV, which I saw yesterday. It’s being used as a static advertisement for the presumably French-themed restaurant at a sort of farm shop mini-mall that was recently set up on one of the main farms in the area where I live. Probably cheaper than the more usual H van as well…

#davidsdailycar #Citroen #WeirdCarMastodon