For one point I need full information - maker/type/model name/approximate year and what type of engine was fitted.
Moving up
Is it some sort of prototype being tested.
Quote from: wingroad on February 14, 2012, 03:01:51 PM
Is it some sort of prototype being tested.
Yes it is - it's the first prototype.......
Is it German ?
British? As it has RHD
hillman imp prototype
Fergusson 4WD saloon prototype
Is it the Rootes Swallow
It looks a bit like the gas turbine Rover T3, so could it be the Rover 2000 which ended up looking more like the T4?
Quote from: D-type on February 17, 2012, 05:51:02 PM
It looks a bit like the gas turbine Rover T3, so could it be the Rover 2000 which ended up looking more like the T4?
Not that either.
Remember this was the first prototype, the second and third were quite different in appearance.
could it be an Issigonis pro to for the later Austin 1100? before farina kicked in...
Quote from: qwaszx on February 18, 2012, 03:52:52 AM
could it be an Issigonis pro to for the later Austin 1100? before farina kicked in...
There is an Austin connection although through the parent group name.
Here's a photo of the chassis that may help to pin it down -
Disturbing: Nuffield group produced Austins and Moriisses as well as Riley's and Wolseley's. Ont his latter pic we see a transverse mounted engine, two volume platform with hydraulic steering servo. BMC Maxi maybe?
Quote from: qwaszx on February 18, 2012, 10:12:29 AM
Disturbing: Nuffield group produced Austins and Moriisses as well as Riley's and Wolseley's. Ont his latter pic we see a transverse mounted engine, two volume platform with hydraulic steering servo. BMC Maxi maybe?
It was built by xxx under the BMC name with a project name and number.
The second prototype carried an Austin badge whilst the third and final prototype didn't carry any specific badge.
I'm going to lock it for you as you have come up with the BMC connection.......
Thanx wood insight but count me out: I don't know and I am curious...
(BMC/ADO/??)
Just a thought is it the ERA 378 prototype.I seem to remember it was FWD,punt type chassis,oil cooled engine and hydraulic suspension.
Quote from: wingroad on February 21, 2012, 02:13:04 PM
Just a thought is it the ERA 378 prototype.I seem to remember it was FWD,punt type chassis,oil cooled engine and hydraulic suspension.
Yes it is!
Can you complete the description asked for in the question?
ERA/BMC
xxxxxxx Project 378 19
xx (the
xs are the missing letters and numbers).
Locked for you.......
Unlock it please as all I know about the project is what I have previously written.Date wise I would hazard a guess at 1958-9 and the project code is ADOXXX
Quote from: wingroad on February 22, 2012, 02:33:38 PM
Unlock it please as all I know about the project is what I have previously written.Date wise I would hazard a guess at 1958-9 and the project code is ADOXXX
I'm going to give you the point as you were virtually there.
The year of this first prototype was actually 1957 and the project name was Maximin.
Thanks for that.
I was hoping this one would make it up to the pros... I wouldn't have remembered the code name and project number anyway though! Sadly the magazine with the excellent article on this project was amongst the stuff that got thrown out a few years ago. Hopefully Woodinsight can scan a few of the other images of the car??
Incidentally, the 'finished' car has already been featured here before, but it's erroneously listed as a Rootes Swallow prototype (there was a connection between these two projects, but this was definitely the BMC car)
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=1810.0
If I remember rightly David Hodkin was one of the designers.
I agree that the car shown as the Rootes Swallow is not the Swallow or Maximin,but an rear engined RWD prototype made for BMC by ERA in the late 1950's.
Quote from: barrett on February 23, 2012, 11:16:22 AM
I was hoping this one would make it up to the pros... I wouldn't have remembered the code name and project number anyway though! Sadly the magazine with the excellent article on this project was amongst the stuff that got thrown out a few years ago. Hopefully Woodinsight can scan a few of the other images of the car??
Incidentally, the 'finished' car has already been featured here before, but it's erroneously listed as a Rootes Swallow prototype (there was a connection between these two projects, but this was definitely the BMC car)
http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=1810.0
Yes, I will scan the article in the next couple of months. My library is in store until the end of March when I should have completed my move to Antibes.
In the meantime I've scanned the three prototypes of the ERA/BMC Maximin Project 378 for comparison.
The first prototype (the puzzle car) was deliberately styled to look like a homebuilt car whilst the second was quite different and badged as an Austin. The third and final prototype (wrongly puzzled here as a Rootes Swallow) was again very different in appearance - the bodywork was done by Vanden Plas.
Apologies for the large size but I've temporarily lost the means for reducing the picture size.
Thanks so much for that, I've wanted to see these again for years. As I remembered, the Austin-badged example is a very neat looking car that hides its bulk and engine layout incredibly well. The less said about the VdP example the better...
The only other photo I have is a three-quarter rear view of the 3rd. prototype -
Look forward to seeing the article about 378.
Quote from: woodinsight on February 24, 2012, 01:28:46 PM
The only other photo I have is a three-quarter rear view of the 3rd. prototype -
The more colorful it gets, the prettier it ain't