The Car Challenge

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Would a Challenge thread about automobiles be of interest?

Poll ended at Mon May 20, 2013 6:03 am

Yes
23
85%
No
4
15%
 
Total votes: 27

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Dannie Boy
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Dannie Boy »

It’s a Daimler Dart - even the UK police were lucky enough to have some of these at their disposal
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Nereus
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Nereus »

Yes it is. But the reason that I posted it is related to an earlier comment from Pete concerning the LHD cars not being British.
a 1961 Daimler SP 250! One of only 1,200 left hand drive SP 250’s produced, along with 1,445 right hand drive units, between 1959 and 1964.
Curbside Classic: 1961 Daimler SP250: The Queen’s Sports Car

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside ... ports-car/
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PeteC
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by PeteC »

Nereus wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:50 am No, its not a Sunbeam, Pete. But your daughter sure has a rare car there!
Yes, they drive it and clean it about once a month and then it sits waiting for the value to go ever higher. They've had it for about 10 years already. I should have taken a photo of the engine. First one I've seen in decades that looks like a car engine with a regular carburetor under a regular air filter! My first comment was "....now this is the way a car engine is supposed to look!..." :D Pete :cheers:
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Dannie Boy
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Dannie Boy »

PeteC wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:16 pm
Nereus wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 11:50 am No, its not a Sunbeam, Pete. But your daughter sure has a rare car there!
Yes, they drive it and clean it about once a month and then it sits waiting for the value to go ever higher. They've had it for about 10 years already. I should have taken a photo of the engine. First one I've seen in decades that looks like a car engine with a regular carburetor under a regular air filter! My first comment was "....now this is the way a car engine is supposed to look!..." :D Pete :cheers:
I just noticed it’s a Tiger, so it will have a V8 under the bonnet - very nice indeed!!
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by PeteC »

^ It's never been out of California so there is not a speck of rust on it. (no snow/road salt damage).
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Nereus »

PeteC wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 3:52 pm ^ It's never been out of California so there is not a speck of rust on it. (no snow/road salt damage).
The cars are not that well known, pherhaps because there are so few of them. A few listed for sale, and the top price being asked is USD$210,000, very low milage if it is correct.
Good description here:
America's Imported V-8 Sports Car - 1964-1968 Sunbeam Tiger
https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hsx/2 ... 05311.html


https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/ca ... 63876.html
#14 of 536 Mark II Tigers built. Originally destined to be a British police car, but pulled from the production line when the British police reduced the number of cars on their order. Police order markings were found under the taillight when we restored the car. Very rare Commodore Blue. Many LAT options: hardtop, LAT 70 wheels, LAT 1 intake and carb, LAT 4 Cast aluminum Tiger oil pan (one of only two I have ever seen), LAT 5 Traction Bars, LAT 8 aluminum valve covers, tach, LAT 50 Ltd slip rear, headers, LAT 74 2" exhaust, LAT metal hood scoop. 100 miles on rotisserie restoration by Tiger expert and Pebble Beach winner. Correct down to the NOS jute used on the back of the wool carpet.
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/ca ... beam/tiger

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/ca ... beam/tiger
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PeteC
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by PeteC »

I'm not even sure what year it is. They both retire in about 20 years so perhaps they'll sell it then. :idea:
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Dannie Boy
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Dannie Boy »

PeteC wrote: Sun Jul 15, 2018 5:43 pm I'm not even sure what year it is. They both retire in about 20 years so perhaps they'll sell it then. :idea:
As Nereus has indicated, it will be around the mid 1960’s so likely just over 50 years old - similar vintage to England’s real football heroes!!
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Nereus »

Here is a interesting vehicle. It had some very unique features well ahead of its time.
800px600.jpg
800px600.jpg (104.51 KiB) Viewed 373 times
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Dannie Boy
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Dannie Boy »

Looks like an Austin Champ from the early 50’s
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Re: The Car Challenge

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Dannie Boy wrote: Tue Jul 17, 2018 9:35 pm Looks like an Austin Champ from the early 50’s
Nobody else?

Strictly speaking, as it appears to be an ex-military version, its official designation was:

"Truck, 1/4 ton, CT, 4×4, Cargo & FFW, Austin Mk.1", however the civilian name "Champ" was universally, if unofficially, applied to it.

The military version was fitted with a Rolls Royce B40 4-cylinder petrol engine, but just because it had Rolls Royce written on it did not mean that it was anything special!

The vehicles uniqueness was in both the suspension and the drive arrangement. It had a 5 speed all synchromesh gearbox, the output of which went direct to a type of "combining" gearbox at the rear axle. From there a long shaft ran all the way back to the front differential. There was no hi / lo transfer gear, just an extra low 1st gear. But the other quirky thing was that it had a separate control for forward and reverse, so all the 5 gears were available for both forward and reverse!
Maybe the designers had in mind selling it to the Italian Army! :rasta:

The suspension was all independent controlled by 4 long torsion bars, which were all centred and anchored at the middle of the chassis. They were adjustable, which allowed the height to be raised or lowered, but not as an operational function, as it required tools to alter them.

I had a "civilian" version many years ago. The engine was a slightly smaller Austin A90 Atlantic, but still a very torquey engine. All the other mechanicals were the same.
As has happened to me many times, not being aware of how rare the civilian ones were, I sold it along with the farm we had. Turns out only about 500 civilian ones were ever made!

During the 1960's the UK Army sold a big lot of them off, along with other surplus equipment. A dealer in Australia bought hundreds of them and imported them. Many of them only had a few hundred miles on the clock, and the bloke turned himself into a millionaire!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Champ

http://www.austinchampownersclub.com/index.htm
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Big Boy
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Big Boy »

HaHa, I didn't have a clue so Googled it yesterday. I thought of the Italian army when I read about the reverse capability.
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Thailightzone »

Big Boy wrote:HaHa, I didn't have a clue so Googled it yesterday. I thought of the Italian army when I read about the reverse capability.
3 forward gears & 6 reverse 🤣🤣🤣
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Nereus »

Hmm?

what is it.jpg
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Re: The Car Challenge

Post by Dannie Boy »

Nereus wrote:Hmm?

what is it.jpg
Morgan Aero GT?



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