I-Spy Classic Cars/Bikes-What have you spotted?

[Paul-R]

Some really strange curves and body lines there. I'm trying to work out what the origin of the door mechanicals is.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Some really strange curves and body lines there. I'm trying to work out what the origin of the door mechanicals is.

There is a flickr gallery here of 14 images of the Troll Car, including in open toppage mode, and as close-up as likely with a couple of magnifying clicks on the door mechanicals on some of the pics. *I think one of the featured cars (the Troll 7) may be a recreation from the original moulds.

Worth a look excellent pics, unusual car but only 33 views. This should give it a few more.

Flickr Album: Troll Norwegian Built Car from the 1950's.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/56123975@ ... 0994508038

* indeed it is

Troll 7
Took a short trip to Hønefoss to have a closer look at the seventh troll. The Troll factory near Lunde in Telemark had big ambitions for a Norwegian car adventure. A total of 5 Troll cars were built at the factory, but the 6th car was also built from parts that had been manufactured ready.

Some young people at school were thinking about what they should come up with in their free time, well.. we're building a car... a Troll..

As said so done, the original moulds are still there and the guys were able to borrow these for the project. A few thousand hours later, this is the result, a Troll 7 convertible. The car has a VW 1200cc engine and drivetrain, unlike the original which had 2 cyl. 2 stroke in front. Creative and very well done.

Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

There is a little 5 minute section in this "film" which covers the recovery from the USA and restoration of one of the Troll 700's at the Norway Historic Vehicles museum near Lillehammer.

The link starts at the start of the 5 minute sequence. Looks like its a video of a video telling the story at the museum, but as close up a look on the internet as you are likely to get of the Troll 700.

https://youtu.be/vcWO1vZLUC4?t=513

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcWO1vZLUC4

Neil

[Gibbo2286]

Nice museum Neil looks worth a visit but it's a bit distant, a Coventry built Flying Standard in there too probably a 'nine' but difficult to tell.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Nice museum Neil looks worth a visit but it's a bit distant, a Coventry built Flying Standard in there too probably a 'nine' but difficult to tell.

There are probably better presented videos of the Museum, but that was the only one which had the story of the restoration of the Troll 700 exhibit. Reading around the story there are many tangents. I read the piece in the written accounts in wiki and elsewhere of the failure of of the project, and the failure of Norway to develop its own car industry. A major factor was a barter treaty Norway had with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to buy cars from them as they bought fish products from Norway. As such, the government was afraid that domestic car production would disrupt this trading balance.

In the mid 1950's when the Troll 700 project was trying to get off the ground two cars dominated the Norwegian car market
The VW beetle, and the Pobeda (GAZ M20) along with other Eastern European Brands. ( https://bestsellingcarsblog.com/1957/01 ... -dominate/ )


GAZ-M-20 "Pobeda" on CMSh in Lahti, Finland
Gwafton, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Another tangent is in German brand Gutbrod yes literally "good bread"...from which the Troll 700 acquired it's the advanced water-cooled 2-stroke Bosch fuel injected engine, developed for application in their Gutbrod Superior model.

The resemblance of the Gutbrod Superior to the Nissan Figaro is not co-incidental.

I did watch and enjoy this. Not compulsory though



Neil

[bobins]

Mmmmm E Type.

An E Type - own work

It was in altogether 'great' condition, but in need of minor work here and there - a few bits of paint needed touch-ups, all the leather needed a damn good feed and re-colouring, but basically it was sound.
Yes - I'd love it, but not for the speed or power, but just for the evocation of good times.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Anyone like a BMW?

This got a Falcon Shutter Click. It was an old "Y" reg ie Aug 82 to July 83. Probably a R80 ST.

The paint job was suitably demure, but unusual for that and possibly led to the shutter-click. Not fantastic condition but OK and a reasonably neat package, if you can see your way past those sticky out cylinders.

Neil

[Armidillo]

Thanks Neil - I had a couple of Beemeers, both Stroke 5s. The second, an R75/5, had the proper Krauser panniers that you could fit a full-face helmet in!

This one, as you say, looks like an R80 - one of the "modern" flat twins with the more angular tappet covers .

After a series of Japanese bikes, what I learned to appreciate about the Teutonic twins was that they prioritised function over form, and the general over-engineered reliability. I always thought of my Peugeot 504s as sharing a similar design philosophy - not particularly powerful, but practical, reliable, comfortable and at their best on the open road.

PS - been looking for a photo of my 2nd Beemer, but no luck so far.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Thanks Neil - I had a couple of Beemeers, both Stroke 5s. The second, an R75/5, had the proper Krauser panniers that you could fit a full-face helmet in!

PS - been looking for a photo of my 2nd Beemer, but no luck so far.

Nice article from Hagerty here on the R75/5 with plenty pics.

Riding the BMW R75/5 with its gleaming “toaster tank”

https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/moto ... ster-tank/

Nice looking bike, and this bit had me intrigued
"But half a century ago this updated R75/5 caused a rumpus when BMW, aiming to shed its dowdy touring image, introduced a smaller, 18-litre petrol tank with chromed panels to its top-of-the-range roadster. The firm had already broken with tradition following the R75/5’s launch three years earlier, by offering its 24-litre tank not just in black paint but alternatives including blue, green and mustard.

Need to find a picture of a mustard one.

Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Bftw

[NewcastleFalcon]

Wiki supplies this variation in the colour offer.


Right-3qtr-bagsmall
User Jeff dean on en.wikipedia, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

and this one is known as Curry Metallic Gold

Article Hurry Curry – 1972 BMW R75/5 https://www.bike-urious.com/hurry-curry-1972-bmw-r755/

Neil

[Armidillo]

Oooh gorgeous! Yep, that's like the one I had - even looks to have the stainless steel exhaust system. However mine had the full-size, 25 litre fuel tank, and the smaller, lower handlebars. I think the upswept bars (as in your photo) were for the US market.

The big fuel tank meant that when you wanted a break on a trip you weren't tied to petrol stations, as you were with Jap bikes with little tanks. It was also brilliant during petrol rationing.

It looked like this one - functional rather than elegant!

Photo courtesy Anthony Godin

[NewcastleFalcon]

No one out and about in cars that are the remotest bit noteworty so far, but looks like bike day has come to the rescue.
Newish Retro's of course.

Neil

[Armidillo]

I've never ridden a Kwaka 900, but they were a very big seller out here, and very successful in the Castrol 6 Hour.

https://amcn.com.au/editorial/win-on-su ... -six-hour/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castrol_Six_Hour

I went to the Six hour race a couple of times, including in 1977, when Mike Hailwood rode a Ducati 750. He didn't win, but he made the local riders look like cowboys. In fairness to the other riders, the Duke probably handled a lot better than the Japanese bikes almost everyone else was riding.

BMWs were competitive against the hordes of Japanese bikes - an R75 was 3rd in 1973 - but it was the R100S that finally gave BMW a victory in 1977.

[mickthemaverick]

You may find this interesting Alec: