Whatsthisthen?

2cy · Unread post by **2cy** » 06 Mar 2016, 11:21

In 1901 driving an automobile at an average of 55mph, for six hours, over 300+ mile open road course (not exactly A-class roads at that time !) led to some pretty impressive monster cars and exceptionally brave drivers.. not to mention the extraordinary feats of the mechanics.. Surely that's enough to warrant the exclamation "Gordon Bennet !"

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Mar 2016, 12:01

NewcastleFalcon wrote:in particular junior who was well known in the USA and Europe, for a controversial and "playboy" lifestyle of some notoriety.

Ahh! now there could be the root of it... The exclamation is often directed at notorious things or happenings...

Gibbo2286 · Unread post by **Gibbo2286** » 06 Mar 2016, 12:57

CitroJim wrote:
NewcastleFalcon wrote:in particular junior who was well known in the USA and Europe, for a controversial and "playboy" lifestyle of some notoriety.
Ahh! now there could be the root of it... The exclamation is often directed at notorious things or happenings...

You could ask Susie, if anyone knows it will be her.

https://twitter.com/susie_dent

NewcastleFalcon · Unread post by **NewcastleFalcon** » 06 Mar 2016, 13:59

Gibbo2286 wrote:
You could ask Susie, if anyone knows it will be her.

https://twitter.com/susie_dent

A celebrity contribution to whatsthisthen? bring it on! she may even mention the FCF on Countdown

Haven't joined the "Twitter" club as yet, and probably never will, so maybe one of the youngsters on the forum can lead the way!

Regards Neil

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Mar 2016, 14:10

I just don't 'get' Twitter

I've looked at it a couple of times but it never makes any sense to me...

Facebook is a different matter. I love it...

NewcastleFalcon · Unread post by **NewcastleFalcon** » 06 Mar 2016, 14:16

Is anyone any good at identifying vehicles just from an entry in their owners handbook from 1964?

“Don’t start up a cold engine and then leave it idling while you rush indoors to pay a belated farewell to your wife.In the interests of minimum engine wear, skip the farewell and drive away. When facing the music on your return in the evening, make a mental note henceforth to adopt a definite sequence of events prior to your morning departure. You will achieve substantially diminished wear from your engine and deserve greater affection from your wife”.

Humour in a handbook? In 1964?....Narrows the possibilities down, and by no means unusual for the marque.

More clues will follow if it proves to be a 5-spanner whatsthisthen?

Regards Neil

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Mar 2016, 14:19

Gosh, that's quite something to appear in a handbook... Not a major manufacturer I'd guess but rather a small 'family' sort of outfit.. First guess is a Morgan.. It seems to reflect my perceived ethos of that company at the time...

NewcastleFalcon · Unread post by **NewcastleFalcon** » 06 Mar 2016, 14:35

CitroJim wrote: Not a major manufacturer I'd guess but rather a small 'family' sort of outfit.. First guess is a Morgan.. It seems to reflect my perceived ethos of that company at the time...

Yes your first deduction is correct, but not a Morgan. Has to be British of course, no secret there, and small right again.

Not many produced, but well known, and judging by the variety of examples on a google image list most of the production still survives to today.

Logical deduction and elimination may well produce the answer, at which point, all will fall into place.

here's a tool to help

classiccarcatalogue.com

Regards Neil

Unread post by **myglaren** » 06 Mar 2016, 15:27

Howsaboutthisthen?

NewcastleFalcon · Unread post by **NewcastleFalcon** » 06 Mar 2016, 16:16

Steve, that is a car which apparently

.... stole the Frankfurt show in 1969, leaving show-goers and journalists in awe. Equally stunned, xxxxxxx tentatively asked Italian coachbuilder Frua to build a less futuristic version of the car with a toned-down exterior design and a more realistic interior. xxxxxx insisted that the coupe had to retain the concept’s lightweight fiberglass body and the ..... V8.

Frua built several prototypes ... but the project was ultimately canceled.

The xxxxx story didn’t stop there. xxxx saw a huge potential in the coupe and formed his own company in 1971 in order to build a modified version of the Frua-designed prototype.

and this is it....

regards Neil

Unread post by **myglaren** » 06 Mar 2016, 16:37

I only just heard about and have never seen one previously but did know a guy who bought a derived version - with a diesel engine and column shift.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Mar 2016, 16:49

NewcastleFalcon wrote: Yes your first deduction is correct, but not a Morgan. Has to be British of course, no secret there, and small right again.

Gordon Keeble? Gilburn? Reliant? Jensen?

Am I getting warm?

myglaren wrote:Howsaboutthisthen?

That is gorgeous... Car is OK too...

NewcastleFalcon · Unread post by **NewcastleFalcon** » 06 Mar 2016, 16:57

CitroJim wrote:
NewcastleFalcon wrote: Yes your first deduction is correct, but not a Morgan. Has to be British of course, no secret there, and small right again.
Gordon Keeble? Gilburn? Reliant? Jensen?

Am I getting warm?.

That's the scattergun approach Jim but one of them is 100% correct. I like the badge and the story of how the badge for the correct marque was arrived at!

Regards Neil

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 06 Mar 2016, 17:22

Ahh ha! Gordon Keeble! The story behind the badge is of a tortoise that wandered into a photo shoot of the car in the factory...

They enjoyed the irony!

And hence the badge

NewcastleFalcon · Unread post by **NewcastleFalcon** » 06 Mar 2016, 19:03

CitroJim wrote:Ahh ha! Gordon Keeble! The story behind the badge is of a tortoise that wandered into a photo shoot of the car in the factory...

They enjoyed the irony!

And hence the badge

Well done Jim! There was a tenuous link to what went before re Gordon Bennett ie the Gordon bit!

Here's the badge in all its glory, great to have a tortoise as an emblem for a fast sports car!

Regards Neil

French Car Forum

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