Whatsthisthen?

[NewcastleFalcon]

A Lada Niva !?

and you've come up with the right answer otherwise known as....

n falcon own work 10 Nov 2017

Can you explain my own logic and clues back to me

Was it car knowledge or the adverts?

regards Neil

[bobins]

Can you explain my own logic and clues back to me

Was it car knowledge or the adverts?

regards Neil

What got me thinking was the front lighting arrangement. I thought that whoever came up with a utilitarian design like that must have had a huge styling budget.... so I looked accordingly. It really didn't take long to work out it was a Lada !

[Zelandeth]

A very late Niva, in Cossack trim if it's got that garish cloth - which will also have been plastered all over the door cards and centre console. ...also featuring some of the most hideous plastic mouldings in the history of the earth.

They're a bad idea all round, especially given that these things like to rust like a 70s Alfa and that often the trim was attached by self tappers straight into the metal!

This is what it should look like sans all the silly plastic, and with a fitting set of lights installed.

[NewcastleFalcon]

and bit of a treat for Cossack Hair Spray fans...in celebration of the identification of the Lada (Niva) Cossack

In 4 minutes, the story of the 1976 RAC Rally won by none other that Roger Clark in his mk II Escort...must have left that fancy looking Lancia trailing in its wake!



Regards Neil

[myglaren]

Still clueless Neil. I know nothing of any of the above,
Seen two gear knobs in an old Land Rover - that would be about 55 years ago though.
See two knobs regularly, I have to work with them but fail to see the connection here.
Football, rally drivers? Pass.
Only one I know of is Erik Carlsson. (Carlsson på taket)

Sorry Steve when you know the answer and have an affliction like me of remembering the garbage churned out in old adverts, you dont associate Roger Clark the Rally Driver with his exploits behind the wheel of an escort, but more the adverts he used to do for the product emblazoned all over his rally car.

Regards Neil

Yeah, sorry to as I don't ever watch adverts so this information stream is missing for me.

[NewcastleFalcon]

I'll pop the answer up for this in a few days, doubt if anyone will get it before the new year.

Plenty to go on

Regards Neil

[xantia_v6]

That one was easy for me. It is a Lloyd Alexander TS



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Ger ... -Lloyd.jpg

I only ever saw one in real life. When I was about 10 years old a local school had a fund-raising day and charity auction, and a Teacher had donated one of those to the auction. I asked my dad if we wanted to bid for it and he was horrified, saying (something to the effect) that they were a heap of junk and he pitied the person who ended up driving it away.

According to wikipedia (probably referencing slightly earlier models): A contemporary derisive verse went "Wer den Tod nicht scheut, fährt Lloyd" ("He who is not afraid of death, drives a Lloyd").

[xantia_v6]

Diverging from the automotive theme, I thought that this might provoke some head scratching.
I saw it in a museum a while ago, and due to reflections, this was the best picture I took.
It was built to serve a useful purpose (not a toy or art installation), but what is it?

own work

[NewcastleFalcon]

looks a bit meccano-ish

people have made paper plane making machines out of the stuff



right track?

regards Neil

[xantia_v6]

Yes, it is largely made from meccano. It does not produce anything as tangible as a paper aeroplane, but perhaps it was more useful.

It was assembled some 80 years ago at a UK university.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Yes, it is largely made from meccano. It does not produce anything as tangible as a paper aeroplane, but perhaps it was more useful.

It was assembled some 80 years ago at a UK university.

That extra clue nailed it I do believe, and the NZ connection referred to here just about confirms it.

from wiki Differential analyser
Use of Meccano

The model differential analyser built at Manchester University in 1934 by Douglas Hartree and Arthur Porter made extensive use of Meccano parts: this meant that the machine was cheaper to build, and it proved "accurate enough for the solution of many scientific problems".[28] A similar machine built by J.B. Bratt at Cambridge University in 1935 is now in the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) collection in Auckland, New Zealand.[28] A memorandum written for the British military's Armament Research Department in 1944 describes how this machine had been modified during World War II for improved reliability and enhanced capability, and identifies its wartime applications as including research on the flow of heat, explosive detonations, and simulations of transmission lines.

In 1948, this machine was bought by Professor Harry Whale of Auckland, for 100 pounds sterling, and he then took it to Auckland for use at the Seagrave Radio Research Centre.

It is estimated that "about 15 Meccano model Differential Analysers were built for serious work by scientists and researchers around the world". More recently, building differential analysers with Meccano parts has become a popular project among serious Meccano hobbyists. An example is the differential analyser built at Marshall University, which is now used for educational purposes, in that a student not only solves a differential equation but also becomes the "calculator" by operating the machine, and so develops a better understanding of what a differential equation is.

Regards Neil

[xantia_v6]

Yes, That is it.

here is a picture showing some detail:


the picture is from an article on the history of Meccano Differential engines: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/143 ... eload=true

If you read the article and scroll down to the section "The Cambridge Model" it gives an interesting history of this particular example, which after having 3 lives as a serious research tool, narrowly escaped scrapping on 2 or 3 occasions.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Excellent FCF random colateral information, just what I like. I saw the reference to Meccano Magazine October 1973 edition and asked myself the question...wonder if its on the net somewhere?

Of course it is! Page 55 has the relevant bit

http://meccano.magazines.free.fr/html/1 ... 100055.htm

Then of course you look at the gallery of absolutely gorgeous colour artwork of the covers of the magazine vitrually from its inception, and I feel a POTD coming on...

Top quality work on the LLoyd Alexander by the way, the one I put up is currently on e-bay.

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

I will give you this one for nothing. Its quite a curiosity with an interesting back story. It's literally been dug up once.

The story of the Wolseley Gyrocar is told in the Meccano MagazineOctober 1963 issue which if you flick through any of the issues, is a wealth of information, and much more than magazine about just Meccano.




regards Neil

[CitroJim]

That's a fascinating story Neil

Reminds me very much of the Ner-A-Car

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ner-A-Car

I remember them as a kid - dad used to look after one for an old gentleman...

Last time I visited there was one in Beaulieu...