TEI #020 - Solved. Town Sedan concept by Eric J. Roberts, c. 1966.

Tom_I · May 30, 2011, 12:08:57 PM

Can you identify this urban vehicle? For a point, who designed it, and what was unusual about it from a mechanical point of view?

Tom_I · June 05, 2011, 11:41:19 AM

Experts?

Tom_I · June 11, 2011, 04:41:34 AM

Open to everyone.

Otto Puzzell · June 11, 2011, 05:48:07 AM

Electric?

Tom_I · June 11, 2011, 05:58:30 AM

No, a combustion engine as far as I know.

Wendax · June 13, 2011, 06:02:56 AM

From USA?

Tom_I · June 13, 2011, 07:53:35 AM

No, not from the USA.

pnegyesi · June 13, 2011, 08:28:02 AM

From the Soviet Union?

Tom_I · June 13, 2011, 08:36:59 AM

No, not from there either.

pnegyesi · June 13, 2011, 09:22:27 AM

European?

Tom_I · June 13, 2011, 09:45:06 AM

Yes.

Wendax · June 13, 2011, 09:46:21 AM

British?

Tom_I · June 13, 2011, 09:59:37 AM

Yes!

woodinsight · June 15, 2011, 03:57:51 AM

Design for a Gordon four-wheeler?

Tom_I · June 15, 2011, 05:07:54 AM

An intriguing thought, but it has nothing to do with Gordon or Vernon Industries.

woodinsight · June 15, 2011, 05:12:26 AM

Were three-wheelers built by the company this car was designed for?

Tom_I · June 15, 2011, 05:26:01 AM

This car was not designed for any specific company.

woodinsight · June 15, 2011, 05:50:46 AM

Designed 1950s?

Tom_I · June 15, 2011, 05:52:13 AM

Later.

Tom_I · June 27, 2011, 05:41:17 AM

Time for a helpful hint on this one, I think.

As far as I know, this car existed only as a concept, which was developed over a period of several years. I don't think a full-scale prototype was ever made.

The puzzle photo was scanned from a periodical publication, and I have not been able to find it online.

However, this car is mentioned in at least two articles in a journal which can be read online free of charge. One article has only line drawings, but the other has an artist's impression in similar style to the puzzle photo, which is shown below, but you can see that it looks significantly different. The dimensions and technical descriptions of the two are the same.

In terms of publication date, the puzzle photo is the later of the two, though the one below looks "purer" in style. However, the later one, with proper headlights, a higher waistline and roofline extended backwards to give storage space behind the seats, is clearly a more practical design.

Finding either picture will provide enough information to answer the puzzle question, which is who designed this car, and what was unusual about it from a mechanical point of view?

Good luck!

Tom_I · July 22, 2011, 05:48:17 AM

This has been languishing for a while, so time for a

I can see two ways to solve this.

One would be to find the periodical publication I scanned the puzzle picture from. There's a visual hint below.

Online, it can be done if you can guess what the designer called this car. I referred to it as "urban vehicle". That's not the name, obviously, but it is a similar two-word phrase that includes the environment in which the car would be used, and a descriptor of the vehicle itself.

Otto Puzzell · July 22, 2011, 05:51:14 AM

I'll open the bidding with "City Car"

Allemano · July 22, 2011, 05:51:58 AM

to start with the most obvious: "City Car"?

edit: time is running... $:-\$

Tom_I · July 22, 2011, 05:58:20 AM

Not "city car" - both words are wrong.

Allemano · July 22, 2011, 06:00:18 AM

something like "Commuter"?

News:

TEI #020 - Solved. Town Sedan concept by Eric J. Roberts, c. 1966.