Ecce:
(http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r139/colinrear/UK%20Events%202012/Shelsley%20Walsh%20July%202012/P1100676.jpg)
Marcos?
No.
Is it a Lotus logo I see on the bonnet?
It might be.....
Mazda 2 / Demio - next to the mystery car. :lol:
That is certainly correct!
Jensen?
9
Good way to say "Nein". :lol:
Whatever it is, it sure is pretty. :wub:
Triumph?
Non, monsieur.
Mzziaz was on the money.......... follow his thought!
So, a Lotus, but with a Marcos-like rear and a Ferrari-esque front.
Are we talking obscure concepts here?
Obscure? Well, let's put it like this........... I had not seen a car like this before, and when I talked to the owner I found out that it is indeed a one-off, based on a well known production car. It did even feature in a well known motoring magazine a couple of months ago.
Any French DNA in it? I'm thinking it might have some Renault connections due to Lotus use of some Renault motors in their cars.
No Renault connection here.... that did not start til the Europa in 1966, and this predates that (a bit).
Was it based on the Elite?
Not the Elite, no
Hmmm....Elan connection?
Yes, it is based on an Elan.
Yay, I got something right. :lol:
But I have no idea about the car. Was it a UK manufacturer who made use of this chassis?
Yes.
Colin Chapman did not approve of the "restyling" and said that he would not supply any more chassis if the firm made anything else like this one! this car lived in Switzerland all its life until very recently.
Is it a Ford based on a Lotus platform?
No, it is a special bodied Lotus Elan.
All you need to tell me is either who designed it, or who made it. The former was a famous name in the 1960s who among other things modified Minis and the latter also built a famous car with a front end strikingly similar to this one, the majority of which survive to this day.
That enough clues?
John Cooper?
Another one on the tip of the tongue in the back of my head...
I'll say Frank Costin :huh:.
Not Costin.
Not John Cooper either?
John Gordon, perhaps?
Still no.
John Smith? :lol:
Not a John.
And not s Smith, either.
Jim Keeble?
Getting warmer.......... there is a (slightly tenuous) link to Keeble, as the front of the car evidences.
Williams and Pritchard?
Yes, they built it........
I think this had proved hard enough that I am inclined to give it to you, FoMoJo.
The car is based on an Elan. It was designed by Radford (that was the link to the modified Minis) with body work by Ian Walker racing. Williams & Pritchard who built it also built the Gordon Keeble, the front of which has quite a strong resemblance to this car. It was sold to a customer in Switzerland who owned it until a couple of years ago, at which point it came back to the UK. The current owner has had it sorted by Paul Matty, a well known Lotus specialist, so it now drives likes it is supposed to.
Quite a remarkable car based on those who had a hand the creation of all its parts. I was a big fan of the Lotus camp, and their entourage, back in the early '60s, though mostly of their F1 endeavours. The course of this thread has mentioned some names that were/are legends. The names missing are Michael Costin and Keith Duckworth who, if this car is powered by a Lotus engine, have, also, had a hand in its creation. I just thought I'd mention that.