What's My Car.
 

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What's My Car.

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I walked past this today.  With a bit of judicious googling and educated guesses I think I know what's under the tarp.

Any resident petrolheads care to have a guess?

WhatsApp Image 2024-06-28 at 16.48.25_23427c92


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:04 pm
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Lotus Esprit S3 or Unimog. Can't decide.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:10 pm
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the-homer-inline4


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:11 pm
hightensionline, peterno51, davros and 11 people reacted
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Trident Clipper


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:16 pm
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Lancia Stratos.

Or James Bond's Lotus Esprit with the skis on the back hanging forward over roof.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:17 pm
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Marcos?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:21 pm
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It's the Alleycats that are confusing me.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:23 pm
benos, pondo, fruitbat and 3 people reacted
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Those wheels look TVR ish


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:29 pm
pondo, leffeboy, TedC and 3 people reacted
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Very low bonnet screams ginetta but i can fathom the sharp bits.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:39 pm
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TVR Tasmin?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:43 pm
spandex_bob, TedC, spandex_bob and 1 people reacted
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Something like a triumph herald convertible? It's got (actual) wing mirrors and a screen but nothing to the rear above the quarter panel.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 6:48 pm
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Dutton Phaeton ? (Crappy 70s or 80s kit car)


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:01 pm
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Capri


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:19 pm
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Hibernating cockchafer

Do not wake it up!


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:22 pm
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No idea but that's the worst wrap I've ever seen.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:22 pm
peterno51, breninbeener, hardtailonly and 13 people reacted
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Satsuma castanet.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:30 pm
johnnystorm, oldnpastit, oldnpastit and 1 people reacted
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Surfmatt's 3 series?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:36 pm
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Some Stratos-a-like kit car? - Though the sharp front is a bit high

Whatever it is. WTF is it doing there? (all the time??)


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:38 pm
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Nevermind the car there's a Lidl and Tesco in close proximity

What a time to be alive and in need of groceries!!


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:41 pm
cogglepin and cogglepin reacted
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Toyota Supra Mk2 with raised popup lamps.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:44 pm
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A terrible time to have such a small car though...Tesco OR Lidl, but not both.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:49 pm
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Something like a triumph herald convertible?

Would have been my guess. Or a Sunbeam Alpine.
Some sort of early 60’s soft top.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 7:55 pm
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Europa S2?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 8:05 pm
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Ford escort


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 8:21 pm
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They look like Leyland wheels and ex of mine has on an earlier mini, but that's no mini...


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 8:24 pm
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Fiat X19 or a Triumph TR7?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 8:58 pm
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something that WCA has built?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 9:30 pm
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Something like a triumph herald convertible?

If - IF - I'm correct, this is the closest guess so far.

Contrary to how it might immediately appear, I believe that the nose of the car is on the left in this picture.

It's a marque no longer in production.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 9:53 pm
TedC and TedC reacted
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the nose of the car is on the left

Batmobile


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 9:59 pm
ElShalimo and ElShalimo reacted
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Vitesse?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 10:03 pm
colournoise, spandex_bob, colournoise and 1 people reacted
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Hillman Minx maybe? I used to have those style Alleycats on a Imp.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 10:04 pm
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Triumph Vitesse with the roof down?


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 10:12 pm
spandex_bob, TedC, spandex_bob and 1 people reacted
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It's an early Popemobile prototype made from holy fibreglass

Every time there was a problem with the fibreglass Il Papa fixed it via the laying on of hands


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 10:12 pm
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It’s an early Popemobile prototype made from holy fibreglass

Every time there was a problem with the fibreglass Il Papa fixed it via the laying on of hands

White smoke from the exhaust will confirm


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 10:28 pm
susepic, ElShalimo, Cougar and 5 people reacted
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Hillman Minx maybe?

Bingo. 👏👏

A Super Minx I think.  I'll swing back over and ask them at some point, and report back.  I could, of course, be wildly incorrect.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 10:33 pm
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My first car was a Super Minx. Not the earlier convertible though, a MK4 Estate with the mighty 1725cc engine.


 
Posted : 28/06/2024 11:05 pm
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Ford escort

Have you ever seen a Ford Escort?

That’s a Mk1, there’s loads of others, but I can’t find any that’ll show up on the site.
Pretty sure it ain’t an Esky.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 2:08 am
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I think half of us thought it was pointing the other way.

I am not saying youare wrong... But i feel the front and back are too different in height for a minx.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 7:20 am
nickc and nickc reacted
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Nevermind the car there’s a Lidl and Tesco in close proximity

Is it the Tesco? Ask the security guard, it’s probably his. 😉


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 7:30 am
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If the front is on the left, as it looks like it might be due to where the wing mirrors are, then it's got a fairly short bonnet, and then a fairly steep windscreen. Doesn't look like it has a roof,  ot up anyway, and then a very low rear end. Quite blunt ends and not much ground clearance.

Mini Moke maybe? Although it does look a little long for that, could be camera angle. The wheels do look a bit 80s Lotus


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 9:39 am
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Upon reflection, I've changed my mind

It looks like an early Triumph Thunderbastard


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 11:18 am
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It’s a tough one. And there’s no hint from those aftermarket Alleycat wheels.

And I also thought it was pointing the other way at first!


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 11:26 am
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Not the earlier convertible though, a MK4 Estate with the mighty 1725cc engine.

This is a 1725 also, if I'm correct.  The plate dates it as 1963.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 1:59 pm
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It's a DMC DeLorean


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 3:26 pm
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I thought of a 304 convertible but the rear isn't finned, and Peugeot is also in production.

Also thought of Sunbeam Alpine but already been said.

I did wonder about Amphicar


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 5:06 pm
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This is a 1725 also, if I’m correct

I don't think you are. I believe the convertible was only produced 1962-3, the 1725 only appeared in 1965 in the mk 4. I think it would be a 1600, I'll have to hit Wikipedia to check. Don't have time to look now, it'll suck me into a rabbit hole as usual and I've things to do!


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 5:19 pm
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I have the benefit of knowing the registration number (unless my brain scrambled it in the five minutes it took to walk home, which isn't wholly impossible).  1725 is what it comes back with on gov.uk's lookup.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 5:54 pm
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Like @scruffythefirst said my first thought was an early ish Lotus Europa possibly S2

1280px-EuropaS2-sideview

But I can't quite match the sill line


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 6:09 pm
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1725cc In that case its not a Lotus & would make it a Roots group product or based on such?


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 6:14 pm
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I had to google "root(e)s group" and yes, you would seemingly be correct.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 6:52 pm
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1725 is what it comes back with on gov.uk’s lookup

It's certainly possible, I think the 1725 was essentially just a bored out 1600 so probably a simple drop in swap. 1600 will be what it left the factory with but there's a lot can change in 61 years!

“root(e)s group”

Rootes it is, Sunbeam was the sporty marque, Humber the posh one and Hillman was the boggo cooking variant.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 7:03 pm
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One of those is correct.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 7:11 pm
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Lotus Esprit S3 or Unimog. Can’t decide.

Could quite easily be an Esprit S2, and what's under the tarp is what hasn't fallen off yet.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 7:13 pm
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One of those is correct

My money's on it being a Hillman Super Minx then, I thought you'd said it was a Super Minx a while back? The other Rootes equivalents to the Super Minx are the Sunbeam Rapier and the Humber Sceptre and I've never seen either of them as convertibles in the wild, I'm not even sure they made them, as convertible was already a bit of a niche market.


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 8:40 pm
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66 Sunbeam Alpine?


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 8:47 pm
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Tasvan -- aka TVR Tasmin as per MrTricky


 
Posted : 29/06/2024 10:22 pm
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A Super Minx I think. I’ll swing back over and ask them at some point, and report back. I could, of course, be wildly incorrect.

So, was it?


 
Posted : 14/07/2024 9:18 pm
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A Super Minx I think. I’ll swing back over and ask them at some point, and report back. I could, of course, be wildly incorrect.

Like this one?


 
Posted : 15/07/2024 12:43 am

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