CLASSIC and important CARS - open thread:

DaleTheChippy said:
This Car belongs to a friend of a friend I think its a POP.
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Not a Pop - tthe "Pop" is a Ford Popular while the car you've shot is an Austin. I think it's a 7.
 
justpix said:
I see ... You may also like this one :
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That looks awfully like a NSU Ro80, which my brother-in-law described as the worst car he'd ever driven.

It was a company car and he claimed to have sent it back to the transport manager on a trailer, after the third time it stranded him half-way to important meetings!
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
That looks awfully like a NSU Ro80, which my brother-in-law described as the worst car he'd ever driven.

It was a company car and he claimed to have sent it back to the transport manager on a trailer, after the third time it stranded him half-way to important meetings!
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Hi, experiences may vary, as they say. I never owned a Ro 80, so I can only state the general opinion of this car.

It was conceptually avantgarde. However, the Wankel engine had gasket problems, which made it unreliable.

The Ro 80 led to the downturn of the NSU company. Which was and is a pity, because they made very good cars such the Prinz TTs ...
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
That looks awfully like a NSU Ro80, which my brother-in-law described as the worst car he'd ever driven.

It was a company car and he claimed to have sent it back to the transport manager on a trailer, after the third time it stranded him half-way to important meetings!
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Yep company car driven like a company car. Wankel engine was a great concept and even now Mazda can't get acceptance for the engine. Once NSU had got to the bottom of the problem it was curtains for the company.
 
welshwizard645 said:
Yep company car driven like a company car. Wankel engine was a great concept and even now Mazda can't get acceptance for the engine. Once NSU had got to the bottom of the problem it was curtains for the company.
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Hi, the Ro 80 got a reputation for unreliability, which was widely publicized in the automotive press, which was heavily influenced by the major car manufacturers.

Nowadays fuel economy and resale value seem to make the Wankel MAZDAs less attractive. My brother in law thought about the MAZDA Wankel but bought an AUDI TT ... --


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About 1% of the entire production run!
 
On my way back from photographing the Redstart at Newton Cove saw this other lovely Claus Luthe creation (he designed the Ro80 as well) but really is a Paul Bracq design updated by Luthe. It's a 520i and IMO BMWs of that era are peak-BMW. Living in Wales where the hills in winter meant RWD cars were inept in snowy conditions meant we became a Saab family.
DSC_0183 E20 BMW520.jpg
 
Meeting of the BedsBucksHerts Saab owners group at the Ace Cafe on the A406 North Circular. This is a 1971 99 with the 1.85 litre engine shared with the Dolomite. The 99 is my absolute favourite car bar none The same silhouette was shared with the last of the new generation of 9-5 launched in 2009 (and even though the design was signed off in 2005 it still looks modern). Although it was the template of most moden Saabs (except Trollblazer and Saabaru), it remains one of the safest cars to travel in courtesy of those pillars (see Top Gear tribute), and the 1971 model saw the introduction of headlamp washers. All turbocharged family saloons can call this car daddy; the 1.85 grew to 2-litres in 1972, and then turbocharged in 1976, A pristine barn find.


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At a very quick glance, I thought that was a Renault 12, although the 12 was a 4 door rather than 2.
 
For several years, we were a Saab household, with a succession of different models.

The first was a late model 99 GLs, which we kept for a very long time, my wife "aquiring" it, when she decided I needed a 900 for work! The last was a 9-3 convertible, again my wife's "domain", which was abandoned only when, replacing a defective electronic control system, was going to cost more than the resale value. The 2000 in the foreground here, is my work car and the early version in the background just happened to be there, honest!

Second version Saab 2000 with original behind Nikon F 1996-20_31.jpg
 
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welshwizard645 said:
Meeting of the BedsBucksHerts Saab owners group at the Ace Cafe on the A406 North Circular. This is a 1971 99 with the 1.85 litre engine shared with the Dolomite. The 99 is my absolute favourite car bar none The same silhouette was shared with the last of the new generation of 9-5 launched in 2009 (and even though the design was signed off in 2005 it still looks modern). Although it was the template of most moden Saabs (except Trollblazer and Saabaru), it remains one of the safest cars to travel in courtesy of those pillars (see Top Gear tribute), and the 1971 model saw the introduction of headlamp washers. All turbocharged family saloons can call this car daddy; the 1.85 grew to 2-litres in 1972, and then turbocharged in 1976, A pristine barn find.


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My older brother had a 99 then much later I had a 9000 and then a 9-5....Can't decide between my two which was the best!
 
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A rare example of an odd number Bimmer being good looking - it's generally the evens! Apart from the X6...
 
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