Outspan Orange Mini: A fruitful advertising campaign!

The Outspan orange car has to be the funkiest mode of transport ever invented. Cars are a passion of mine and the more bizarre the better for me. The only other car that comes close to this is the Bond Bug, which like the Outspan Mini, to give it it's correct title, looks like you could eat it (but not obviously in one go!) I first saw the fruity four wheeled wonder outside my local greengrocer shop in the early 70's. It had a crowd surrounding it, in awe of the madness on view. Based on a Mini it can apparently achieve a top speed of 30mph, any more and the thing becomes unstable and could roll over (and roll, and roll, and roll... for some distance, I would guess judging by the shape of the thing!) They built six of these for advertising campaigns in the UK and Europe and can be seen regularly at motoring events.

...And now for something completely different (well, in shape that is, not colour) Meet it's cousin, the 3 wheeled wonder Bond Bug. This car was quicker than the Outspan Mini, it has a 700cc engine and boasts a top speed of 78mph (126km/h) Not bad for a lump of cheese! They were built between 1970 and 1974 and over 2000 were made. It has a lift up canopy instead of doors and the engine apparently protrudes into the cabin! They weren't cheap however, despite being a microcar, it was more expensive than a basic mini with a bigger 850cc motor. The car is much sought after by collectors and enthusiasts and quite rightly, it's a classic bit of English eccentricity at it's finest. I had a Dinkey model of this and wish I still did.

This cute thing below (the car, not my son, although it has to be said he is rather cute too) is the BMW Isetta 300 'bubble car'. Who said the German people lacked a sense of humour. Having said that the BMW is a very sensible mode of transport. It is very economical as you would expect from egg on wheels! It has a BMW single cylinder motorcycle engine giving it a top speed of 53mph (83km/h) so in a race with the Outspan Mini, the BMW would win, unless the British car became unstable going downhill and decided to roll, the momentum would probably make the Outspan Mini triumphant, -it's a long shot, but it's possible!!! Actually the car was an Italian design (hence the name Isetta) and built under licence from the manufacturer in several countries. The German nickname for it was rolling egg, or coffin car, due to the zero distance (I presume) between the passengers and oncoming traffic. But my favorite name is from the French, er...yogurt pot, how very cute and apt. The UK variant had one less wheel (the others had two narrow track wheels at the rear) This was specifically to make the vehicle legible for cheaper tax and licencing as with three wheels it was basically classed as a motorcycle. You gained entry by the single door at the front, the steering wheel and instrument panel swung out with the door too.

What's your favorite weird and wonderful car, whether it's a production car, a one off, or something from TV, i.e. The Batmobile, The Pink Panthers car etc? please let me know.

Alfa Romeo Carabo concept car found on moon!

The Alfa Romeo Carabo (green beetle) is undoubtedly one of the greatest concept cars ever. You can see 'Olga' doing her Jane Fonda workout with it, in the header on the top of my blog. She can also be seen pushing the damn thing (left) as it seems to have broken down (whilst she still continues with her Jane Fonda regime!) It's incredible to think this king of concept cars is over 40 years old now. I wonder how old Olga is? Drawing her pension, no doubt! (I just made the name up, I've no idea who she is or what her name is...but to me she looks like an Olga for some reason. The car was built way back in 1968 and before man stepped on the moon! Looks like it could of been some sort of UFO that you could find up there actually. Apparently when it was revealed to the world, people were stunned, I personally still am to this day. I had a Matchbox model of this car, I think round about 1970 and along with my Lotus Europa, were my two favorite models cars

The man that designed this car is called Marcello Gandini and if I remember correctly he was at the unavailing of the Triumph TR7, maybe at the London Motor Show 1975? The car was on a turntable, so you could view it from all angles. He (very wittily and with a hint of sarcasm) said after viewing the car from one side, and as the car spun round to reveal the other side, was disappointed that the design hadn't improved... 'oh dear, they've done the same mistake this side too! meaning he didn't like the design and maybe they would improve it on the other side! He should know what he's talking about as he also designed two Lamborgini's, the Miura and Countach whilst working for the design studio Bertone. Incidentaly, did you know that the word Countach is an exclamation of astonishment used by men on seeing a very beautiful woman, in English the equivalent could be 'Phwoar!' for example, the verbal equivalent of a wolf-whistle. The name stuck when Nuccio Bertone first saw the car in his design studio.

Near where I live in Bangkok you have a very posh shopping mall called Siam Paragon where you can buy anything from Armani to Versace, and also the latest Lamborghini, a real one, not a diecast model (see pic below) I had a look with my son one day and although the car was very very nice, and I wouldn't say no, I don't think the design is as good as the Carabo, Countach, or certain other designs that preceed it by 40 years. What do you think? is automobile design not moving forward so to speak. Let me know, thanks.

Concept car classic, the Vauxhall SRV is really a coffee table on wheels!

The Vauxhall SRV (Styling Research Vehicle) is an extraordinary concept car that still looks astonishing even after almost 40 years. I saw this classic car at the Beaulieu Motor Museum in 1982 and it was awesome. It was built in 1970 around the time my dad had his own Vauxhall - the slightly less than extraordinary Viva. I remember thinking it was a similar height to our coffee table back home, but I suspect somewhat faster!!! It stands only 41 inches, 104cm high, not to sure about the engine size though, maybe someone can let me know? Maybe it didn't have an engine, as some of these concept cars were basically just made out of wood (as our coffee table was) and fibreglass. It's a car you would expect Captain Kirk to have waiting for him back home in his garage after his five year mission was completed. Or another Captain, this time Captain Scarlet, who on his days off from working for Spectrum i.e. keeping world order despite the onslaught from the Misterons, could be well suited to 'posing' in this vehicle and I'm sure he wouldn't have problems attracting the ladies either! Actually, if I remember rightly, his company car was the similarly titled, SPV (Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle) Maybe the Vauxhall SRV could stand for Spectrum Recreational Vehicle! The car was rumored to be an inspiration for the Lamborghini Countach and certainly they share a similar nose, don't you agree? It's (surprisingly) a four seater and has four doors, although on you can't really tell as they are handle-less. This concept of disguising the rear doors is ahead of its time and only in recent years have some car manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo and Mazda incorporated this feature into their design.

I think the closest Vauxhall (the British wing of General Motors) came to the SRV was the Firenza 'droop snoot' (right) Nowhere near as dramatic as the SRV but is still a beautiful classic car and a welcome and worthy alternative to the Ford Mexico, RS1600, Capri or Triumph Dolomite Sprint of the time. Apparently only 204 examples were ever built, and all in silver, production problems and an oil crisis were the culprit (ah, that old excuse!) and as a result the car has become a very collectable classic. Quite right too, I've only seen maybe two or three examples and they are gorgeous...well I certainly think so. Did you father own one of the aforementioned classic cars? (except, I should imagine the SRV! but who knows, someone must own it) or you just want to write about your favorite classic/retro/concept car, it's up to you. Please write in with your experiences or thoughts on this subject.