Tag Archives: Hatchback

Neither Nor – Renault 16

While Citroën was busy trying to develop a suitably innovative vehicle known as Projet F with a wankel motor and torsion bar suspension to fit between it’s successful small 2CV and and successful large DS models Renault’s Gaston Juchet was developing today’s featured Renault 16 with an aluminium straight 4 motor and torsion bar suspension for exactly the same market.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

Like the Renault 4 launched in 1961 the 16 featured front wheel drive, umbrella stick gear change and an asymmetrical wheelbase thanks to the torsion bar suspension.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

Another similarity with the smaller Renault sibling was the five door body style, neither car was offered with anything else for private use, though in the case of the 16 the rear door was noticeably more inclined toward the front.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

Motoring Illustrated in May 1965 reported that “The Renault Sixteen can thus be described as a large family car but one that is neither a four door saloon (sedan) and nor is it quite an estate (wagon). But, importantly, it is a little different.”

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

The important neither nor word the journalist was struggling for was of course “hatchback” a term that was not coined as a body style until the early 1970’s.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

European Journalists were so impressed with the Renault 16 that it became the first French car, after the Rover 2000 and Austin 1800, to named European Car of The Year in 1966.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

Initially the Sixteen was launched in Grand Luxe and Super variants both powered by a 1470cc / 89 cui motor producing 54 hp.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

At the 1968 Geneva Motor Show the TS version was launched with a 1565cc / 95 cui engine, an all-new instrument panel that included; a tachometer, water temperature gauge, two-speed windscreen wipers, column shift, rear defroster, passenger reading light, and optional electric powered windows.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

In 1970 no less a luminary than Stirling Moss was quoted as saying “”There is no doubt that the Renault 16 is the most intelligently engineered automobile I have ever encountered and I think that each British motorcar manufacturer would do well to purchase one just to see how it is put together”.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

By the time production of the facelifted Renault 16 ceased in 1980 over 1.8 million examples had been built, and most European manufacturers had a similar 5-door hatchback in their showrooms.

Renault 16 TS, Cotham, Bristol,

It is said that when the Renault 16 was launched Citroën cancelled it’s Projet F because of the similarities of the 16 and F amid rumours of industrial espionage, however these remain unfounded possibly in the light of the similarities of the Renault 4 and 16, possibly because the truth was the planned Wankel engine Citroën hoped to use could not be made as reliable as they would have liked.

Unlikely as it may seen among my earliest motor racing memories was seeing a Renault 16 being raced in Zambia at typically Gaulish angles on the corners by a chap called de Decker who tried in vain to keep up with a similarly standard Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV driven by Sergio Pavan at Nchanga.

The left hand drive non UK spec ’68 model year Renault 16 TX seen in these photographs taken in Bristol was not registered in the UK until October 2008.

Thanks for joining me on this “Neither Nor” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Dust Thy Neighbour – Volkswagen Golf GTi 16V

In 1983 while I was an intern at the Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg there was great excitement as the announcement of the revamped VW Golf Mk 2 was anticipated.

Volkswagen Golf GTi 16v, Oulton Park

As I arrived the first of the new cars were being assembled in Halle 54 a giant factory space in which the body panels were held together with over 400 spot welds made by an army of robots as was most of the assembly work.

Volkswagen Golf GTi 16v, Oulton Park

The 110hp GTi version of the Golf II was available powered by the same 110hp motor as the face lifted VW Golf GTi I. In 1986 in Europe and 1987 in the USA 16 valve versions of the motor giving 137 hp in Europe and 129 hp in the USA became available.

Volkswagen Golf GTi 16v, Oulton Park

UK advertising for the GTi 16v emphasised the quality of the body, while US advertising emphasised the performance of the car with the strap line “Dust Thy Neighbour“.

Volkswagen Golf GTi 16v, Oulton Park

Today’s featured vehicle is seen at an Oulton Park track day a couple of years ago with non standard rims. It has been estimated that around 6.3 million Golf II’s were manufactured at VW plants in Wolfsburg, Brussels, Sarajevo, New Stanton Pennsylvania, Puebla, Mexico and Uitenhage, South Africa.

Thanks for joining me on this “Dust Thy Neighbour” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Turbo PKD – MG6 TSE GT Turbo

The MG6 was announced by SIAC Motor, owners of the MG brand and much of the MG production facilities, which have been shipped from Longbridge, England to Pukou, Nanjing, China, in 2009.

MG6 TSE GT Turbo, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

Apart from sharing it’s front sub frame with the Rover 75 and MG ZT the MG6 design is a restyled version of the Roewe 550, the latter which is confusing rebadged as the MG 550 in Chile and is based on the MG Rover RDX60 project which was being developed when MG Rover went bankrupt in 2005.

MG6 TSE GT Turbo, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

In China two power units were initially available normally aspirated 133 hp and turbocharged 158 hp, in Britain only the 158 hp was initially available until a couple of weeks ago a 148 hp diesel was announced with vehicles already entering the UK dealership network.

MG6 TSE GT Turbo, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

Both the Stying and Engineering for the MG6 was carried out at the MG Motor UK Technical Centre in the UK.

MG6 TSE GT Turbo, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

Initially only the hatchback ‘GT’ body style was available but this has been joined by a conventional saloon / sedan known at the MG Magnette. The 2011 car seen here has the top of the range TSE trim option which includes 18″ alloy wheels instead of the standard 17″ items.

MG6 TSE GT Turbo, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

All MG6’s for the UK market are assembled from partial knockdown kits (PKD) at Longbridge in Birmingham where the last of the MG Rovers were built prior to the companies collapse.

MG6 TSE GT Turbo, Summer Classics, Easter Compton

It will be interesting to see how the MG Marque fares over the coming years, concepts for a smaller hatch back MG5 and super mini MG3 have already been made public and it obvious that SIAC are looking to build a long term future for the MG marque.

Wishing all GALPOT Readers and Contributors all the best in the year ahead !

Thanks for joining me on this “Turbo PKD” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Fully Loaded Rare Breed – Zastava Type 102 / Yugo 65AGLX

Reading through the Zastava history on the zastava-yugo.co.uk website I was surprised to learn that just 83 of all Zastava/Yugo types remain registered on British roads,

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

which makes today’s featured 1989 Yugo 65AGLX branded Zastava Type 102 a rare breed in Britain, if not it’s homeland and the area surrounding Serbia where it was built.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Today’s featured 1989 model, is the top of the UK range GLX fitted with a 1298 cc / 79 cui motor which could be ordered with either a 5 speed manual or Renault derived 3 speed automatic gearbox.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

In the USA where the 65AGLX was known as the GVX (GV = Great Value) along with the spoilers front and rear, side body kit and alloy wheels it was possible to order a GVX with a automatic electro-hydraulic folding/raising cabrio roof. US destined Yugo’s were apparently built on a separate production line manned by an elite staff who were paid a premium wage.

Yugo 65AGLX, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Despite modest acceleration times of 0-60 mph in 13.5 seconds and a top speed of 85 mph, US spec, production of the Zastava Type 102 survived the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia, the factory at Kragujevac in Serbia survived a bombing, and did not end until 2008 with 794,428 examples built.

Thanks for joining me on this “Fully Loaded Rare Breed” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Modern Style, Top Technology – Zastava Type 102 / Yugo 45

Like the Zastava Type 101 “Stojadin” I looked at last week the Zastava Type 102 is a design unique to Zastava built on a FIAT chassis pan and running gear.

Yugo 45A, Qwara, Malta

The FIAT chassis and engine designs for the Type 102 are from the FIAT 127 hatchback which was manufactured from 1971 to 1983.

Yugo 45A, Qwara, Malta

Type 102’s were also marketed with a myriad of different names in different markets, the Yugo 45A seen here in Malta bears no exterior Zastava identification marks at all.

Yugo 45A, Qwara, Malta

Originally sold with a ‘Modern Style, Top Technology‘ strap line, the first Type 102’s were built in 1980 and appear to have been made available for export the following year. the 45 designation indicates this car has a 903 cc / 55 cui motor with a four speed manual gearbox.

Yugo 45A, Qwara, Malta

The red ‘GTi’ pin stripe suggests this particular car dates from somewhere around 1989. Like the Type 101 the Type 102 survived the disintegration of Yugoslavia and was manufactured in Serbia under the Zastava Koral until
FIAT took over the Zastava plant in 2008 and immediately halted all Zastava production, bar a few pick ups.

Thanks for joining me on this “Modern Style, Top Technology” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Championship Clincher – Talbot Sunbeam Lotus (Type 81)

In 1977 the European division of Chrysler launched the Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback which was financed with Government aid that was part of a strategic plan to keep jobs at Chryslers Linwood factory in Scotland where the Hillman Imp production had come to a halt in 1976.

The new hatchback used the floor plan of the Hillman Avenger, another model manufactured at Linwood, of which sales were falling and which was to be discontinued in 1981.

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

In 1978 Chrysler commissioned Lotus to develop a competition version of the Sunbeam hatchback, which appears to have shared the same type number ’81’ as the Lotus Ford ’81’ Formula One car.

Incidentally this appears to be the third of two completely unrelated projects have shared a Lotus Type number, I have read suggestions this occurred because some one lost the book in which the Lotus projects were recorded, I have also seen suggestions that what ever Lotus type numbers vehicles have now, they were not necessarily the same as those that appeared on the original Lotus drawings.

The Sunbeam Lotus was produced with a 150 hp for road trim and 250 hp for competition rally trim both versions using variants of the Lotus Type 907 motor first seen in the Lotus 62 sports racing car and later in the Lotus Elite, Type 75, road car.

Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, Race Retro, Stoneleigh

The Sunbeam Lotus was first seen in early 1979 but by the end of the year Chrysler had sold it’s European operations to Peugeot for US$1 (One US Dollar) which came packaged with all of Chrysler Europe’s debt. For 1980 all of Chrysler Europe’s models including the Chrysler Sunbeam Lotus were rebranded as Talbots and all of the road going Sunbeam Lotus models appear with Talbot badges.

In 1979 a works Chrysler Sunbeam Lotus team entered selected World Championship Rally events in anticipation for a full scale onslaught in 1981. The following year the now Talbot entered team scored three wins two for Henri Toivonen one on snow and the other on gravel, while Frenchman Guy Fréquelin partnered by Jean Todt, since of Peugeot and Ferrari management and now president of the FIA.

In 1981 going into the final rally of the season the RAC Rally Guy and Jean led the World Rally Drivers Chanpionship and Talbot the manufacturers championship despite only managing to score one overall victory. For some reason Guy never got to grips with his second RAC Rally start and he retired while Ari Vatenen his only challenger finished second in a Ford Escort behind Hannu Mikkola in his Audi. After Henri Toivonen also retired the manufacturers championship was clinched for Talbot by Swedes Stig Blomqvist and Bjorn Cederberg in the #14 Swedish Dealer Team entered Talbot which carried the registration/license plated LAC999V.

However I can’t be sure that the car shown in the two photos above is the same car because all thought the car above carries the LAC999V plates it is painted in the factory Talbot Sunbeam Lotus colours which were not the same as the colours carried on Stig’s car in the 1981 RAC Rally.

Thanks for joining me on this “Championship Clincher” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a Rolls Royce. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Straight and True – Austin A40 Countryman

For the first official post at the new home of GALPOT I thought it might be appropriate to go back to the birth place of my passion for the automobile and for driving by having a look at an Pinin Farina styled Austin A40 Countryman.

Austin A40 Countryman, Goodwood Revival

I was 5 years old when my Folks purchased their first car I remember going to the offices of the British Motor Corporation in Nicosia, Cyprus and looking through seemingly countless brochures full of illustrations of two tone motor cars when we went to order it. The car Dad ordered was grey with a white roof his thinking being that the colours would reflect the fierce Mediterranean sunlight and help keep the interior of the car just a little cooler. The car came with red vinyl seats and red carpets.

Austin A40 Countryman, Goodwood Revival

I’ll never forget my excitement when Dad pulled into our grapevine dappled drive for the first time with our shiny new car registered CE 270, we spent what seemed like hours pouring over the details I mistook the shiny chrome heater control panel for a radio and learned where to find the spark plugs, distributor, the spare wheel and jacking tools. Seems incredible to think now that our Austin hatchback was not supplied with any seat belts, though it was not long after we got it that Dad had some fitted to the front seats.

Austin A40 Countryman, Goodwood Revival

Over the ensuing two years we explored the ancient history of Cyprus from north to south and east to west, but best of all most Sundays of the summer we loaded up a picnic, home made awning, swimming goggles, flippers, buckets and spades and then headed to Mckenzie Beach, just outside Larnaca, where all our neighbours and my school friends would be. That beach is particularly important to me because one Sunday Dad invited me to sit on his lap in the drivers seat and steer the car. My first lesson being that you could drive it straight and true without any input to the steering wheel at all.

Austin A40 Countryman, Goodwood Revival

Without any navigation skills most of the time I spent in the car was naturally on the back seat, in fact I probably spent as much time sitting astride the transmission tunnel where, although exterior view was limited, I used to pretend I was riding a motor bike ! In 1966 when Dad got posted back to the UK our little grey A40 Countryman was loaded onto a ship and we headed for Istanbul and then Athens where the car was unloaded. From Athens we started our first road trip driving over 2,500 miles through Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungry, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and a bit of France on our way to London.

Austin A40 Countryman, Goodwood Revival

The last time I saw our A40 Countryman, called Daisy, now with the UK registration DHM 44D was 3 years after we sold it, the hours of fun we had on the beach were telling in the large areas of bubbled paintwork under which rust seeded by the Mediterranean sea had obviously terminally taken hold of the bodywork on our now eight year old A40 Countryman.

Thanks for joining me on this ‘Straight And True’ edition of ‘Getting’ a li’l psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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