davidwilkins

davidwilkins, 1 day ago to random

More construction machinery for @MarSolRivas - a big wheeled crane at a hospital rebuilding project near where I live.

Big crane with white cab and orange lifting arm, cab detail

davidwilkins, 1 day ago to Fiat

Today, we’re back at Techno Classica Essen 2014, with the pretty little Fiat 850 Coupé, which was based on the Fiat 600. The 850 Coupé was designed by Fiat itself, and was first introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1965.

#davidsdailycar #Fiat #GIMS #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 2 days ago to Fiat

Today, we’re looking at Fiat’s mid-engined X1/9. I should logically have done this one after I covered the Fiat 128 as it uses the 128’s engine and gearbox shifted to the rear - rather in the manner of the later Metro/MGF ‘flip’ I also featured recently. The X1/9, introduced in 1972, was designed, and later manufactured, by Bertone. It carried that company’s badge, rather than Fiat’s, from 1982. I saw this one at Techno Classica Essen in 2014.

#davidsdailycar #Fiat #Bertone #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 3 days ago to Fiat

More sporty Fiats today with these two quite similar Fiat 500s that have been given the Abarth treatment. On the left, a 500 “upgraded with the Abarth Classiche 595 Engine Tuning Kit” and on the right, one “with Abarth ‘record’ tuning”. Both cars were on display at Techno Classica in Essen in 2019.

#davidsdailycar #Fiat #Abarth #WeirdCarMastodon

Light grey Fiat 500 “with Abarth ‘record’ tuning”, front quarter view

davidwilkins, 4 days ago to Fiat

In 2016, Fiat introduced the 124 Spider, which was designed to capture something of the character of the 1966 124 Sport Spider I featured yesterday. This car was based on Mazda’s MX-5/Miata and manufactured by Mazda as well. But the appearance was modified quite a bit, and the engines came from Fiat too. Geek point - the cooperation with Mazda was initially aimed at producing an Alfa, not a Fiat. Snapped at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016.

#davidsdailycar #Fiat #Mazda #GIMS #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 8 days ago to Fiat

Most Autobianchis sold in small volumes. The exception was the 1969 A112 hatch, which was seen in significant numbers all over Europe in the 1970s. It stayed in production until 1986. Under the skin, it borrowed much from the larger Fiat 128, and also provided the basis for Fiat’s own pioneering super-mini, the 127. Always really liked these. This one was at Automotoretro in Turin in 2016.

#davidsdailycar #Fiat #Autobianchi #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 10 days ago to Fiat

Today, the most important car most people have never heard of, the 1964 Autobianchi Primula. Fiat often used Autobianchi as a test-bed for new ideas - one of those was the end-on gearbox set-up later used in the Fiat 128. You’ll read a lot of stuff this year about how ‘innovative’ the Volkswagen Golf is as it celebrates its fiftieth anniversary - but the Primula, also available as a hatch, had it all ten years before. Pic details: see alt txt

#davidsdailycar #Autobianchi #Fiat #WeirdCarMastodon

Blue Autobianchi Primula coupé, front quarter view, Automotoretro Turin, 2016

davidwilkins, 12 days ago to Fiat

Now we’re on the subject, I thought I’d do a few more sporty Fiats. This is the 128 3P Coupé, which I snapped at Automotoretro in Turin in 2016. The ‘3P’ is a reference to the three-door hatchback body. The original 128 coupé was launched in 1971 as a two-door fastback, with the 3P hatch being introduced later on. Based on the Fiat 128 saloon/sedan, but with a shorter wheelbase. Orange.

#davidsdailycar #Fiat #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 15 days ago to random

One last car from the illustrious history of MG. I somehow missed the MGA in my recent broadly chronological sequence, so here it is. Produced between 1955 and 1972, the sleek MGA marked a complete break from its more traditionally styled predecessors. This one, in Old English White, was snapped at the NEC Classic Car Show last year, and has a few choice under-the-skin upgrades such as a five-speed gearbox.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 20 days ago to random

As well as introducing MG versions of its Rover saloons and hatches, in 2002 MG Rover also revamped the MGF sports car, which was rebadged as the TF. The most visible change was a slightly more aggressive frontal treatment. But under the skin, there was a stiffer body shell and the replacement of the previous hydragas suspension with coil springs. Snapped at the 2023 NEC Classic Car Show.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 28 days ago to Jaguar

Today, we’re stepping away from the current sequence on MG with the most dramatic Jaguar ever made, the XJ220 - although there is an interesting MG connection. This is the XJ220 prototype which had 4WD and a Jag V12 engine. The production version instead got rear-wheel drive and a development of the V6 engine used in yesterday’s MG Metro 6R4. Those fancy scissor doors were dropped for production too. Snapped at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon.

#davidsdailycar #MG #Jaguar #WeirdCarMastodon

Silver prototype Jaguar XJ220 with scissor doors, rear quarter view

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

After yesterday’s ADO 34, here’s a slightly later attempt to come up with a Mini-based MG sports car, the Targa-style ADO 70. This was designed in the UK but the prototype was actually built by Michelotti in Italy. They seem to have used the left-over green paint from the ADO 34. This one didn’t make it into production either. Pics taken: British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

Green ADO 70 sports car prototype, side view

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

Today, probably the best known of all MGs, the MGB. Over its eighteen year life between 1962 and 1980, over half a million roadsters were made, and more than 100,000 MGB GT fixed-head lift-backs. This particular car at the British Motor Museum Gaydon was restored at the 1988 NEC Classic Car Show, using the first brand new ‘heritage’ MGB body shell manufactured by British Motor Holdings, and mechanical parts from a 1969 donor car.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

After a couple of early MG Midgets from the thirties and fifties, today we’re looking at the last of the line, which was produced between 1961 and 1979. This final Midget wasn’t, perhaps, quite the purebred MG it appeared. It started as a rebadged Austin-Healey Sprite, and later cars like this one, with its US-spec bumpers, got a 1500cc Triumph Spitfire engine to compensate for power-sapping emissions kit. Pic taken at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

Over the last few days, I’ve posted several of MG’s super-streamlined record breaking cars used in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. If you were wondering how these creations influenced the design of MG’s road cars, the answer appears to be ‘not at all’. This is the 1954 MG TF Midget, which very much sticks with the traditional British sports car look. Note the MG-typical octagonal instrument surrounds. Pics taken at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

Black 1954 MG TF Midget, rear quarter view
Black 1954 MG TF Midget, interior shot showing red leather upholstery and octagonal instrument surrounds

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

One last MG speed record car from the British Motor Museum collection at Gaydon. This is the 1957 EX181, which was powered by a supercharged MGA twin cam engine. In 1957, Stirling Moss took it to 245.6 mph on the Utah Salt Flats. With a slightly enlarged engine, Phil Hill was able to improve on this with a speed of 254.9 mph in 1959.

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

Light green MG EX181, side view
Light green MG EX181, rear view

MarSolRivas, 1 month ago to random French

📅 Aujourd'hui 1er avril, journée mondiale du crochet. On fête Hugues, Ludovic et Valéry.

#JournéeMondiale #WorldDay

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

Yesterday, I explained how Austin’s 1969 Zanda concept was designed to take a mid-mounted version of the Maxi’s engine and gearbox. In 1995, the mid-engined MGF followed the same principle: mechanically it was based on a 180 degree flip of the Metro’s front subframe, engine and gearbox. Another link to the Maxi/Metro - the MGF had Hydragas suspension, although this was replaced by steel springs when the F became the TF. Pic taken at the British Motor Museum

#davidsdailycar #MG #WeirdCarMastodon

Red MGF, side view
Red MGF, rear quarter view

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

The same year Austin launched yesterday’s rather dowdy Maxi, 1969, the company also released the much more go-ahead Zanda concept. The Zanda was designed to be powered by a mid-mounted Maxi engine/gearbox combination. The wedge shape later influenced the Princess and TR7, while the idea of flipping around a transverse FWD powertrain to make a mid-engined car was later seen with the Metro and MGF. Snapped at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon.

#davidsdailycar #AustinZanda #WeirdCarMastodon

Gold coloured wedge-shaped Austin Zanda concept car, rear quarter view

davidwilkins, 1 month ago to random

Today, in celebration of World Marbles Day (thanks for the reminder @MarSolRivas) we are featuring the Austin Maxi, snapped here at Techno Classica Essen in 2014.The Maxi was brilliant in concept but let down by patchy execution. One reviewer famously compared the action of early cars’ cable operated gear shift to stirring a bag of marbles with a knitting needle. The Maxi deserved better and I shall return to this story of what might have been soon.

#davidsdailycar #AustinMaxi #WeirdCarMastodon