The cars that time forgot

If you’re one of those people who likes to out-geek your car-mad mates, cast your eye over this lot and see how many you’re familiar with.

Autocar

23 May 2018

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All of these automotive cul de sacs sold in tiny numbers and as a result they’re now pretty much forgotten.

In some cases that’s entirely deserved as we don’t fancy the Asia Rocsta or Sao Penza being revived any time soon. But not all of these cars were dogs – some deserved a better fate.
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Goliath GP700 (1950)

Despite being blessed with a mere two-cylinder two-stroke 688cc engine, the GP700 was highly innovative with front-wheel drive, full-width styling and from 1952 there was even fuel injection.
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Volvo P1900 (1956)

No, that's not a typo. Before the P1800 came the P1900 but just 68 were made. It was a glassfibre-bodied open-topped sportscar, inspired by the plastic Chevrolet Corvette.
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Fiat Dino (1967)

Fiat's Dino used the same 2.0 or 2.4-litre V6 engines as Ferrari's car of the same name. all came with left-hand drive with Pininfarina responsible for styling the spyder edition while Bertone designed the coupé.
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Iso Lele (1969)

Italian firm Iso started out building the Isetta bubble car. BMW bought the rights to this, leaving Iso to make big, costly V8-engined luxury cars such as the Lele, 317 of which were made.
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Lamborghini Jarama (1970)

Effectively a cut-down edition of Lamborghini's Espada, the Jarama featured the same 3929cc V12 up front, 2+2 seating and 350-385bhp. In three years, 327 were made between 1969 and 1974.
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De Tomaso Longchamps (1972)

A short-wheelbase edition of the Jaguar XJ-esque Deauville, the Longchamp featured a 330bhp 5.8-litre V8. Offered as a coupé or convertible, 302 were produced in all.
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Citroen LN (1976)

Nothing more than a rebadged Peugeot 104 with a 2CV engine, the LN was remarkably unremarkable; it was sold only in its home market. But UK consumers were able to buy the LN’s successor, the four-cylinder LNA with Pug 104 power. Few did though.
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Dacia Denem (1982)

Romanian car maker Dacia reckoned the Renault 12 was cutting-edge in the early 1980s, so it jumped at the chance to produce its own version. But when the marque was introduced to the UK, buyers steered clear.
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Alfa Romeo 90 (1984)

Alfa Romeo has made some odd decisions over the years, but this must rate as one of the barmiest. It sat between the equally forgettable Alfetta and disastrous Six and even for a 1980s Alfa Romeo it was unbelievably badly built.
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Monteverdi 375 (1967)

Swiss BMW importer Peter Monteverdi moved into building ultra-exclusive exotica in 1967; over the next decade there would be a string of Chrysler-engined specials including the splendid 7.0-litre 375L High Speed pictured here.
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Paramount 1.5-Litre (1950)

Throughout the 1950s there seemed to be a new low-volume British car maker springing up every week. Paramount was based in Derbyshire and built Ford-engined sporting cars but just 70 or so were made before production ended in 1956.
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Marauder (1950)

George Mackie and Peter Wilks left the Rover Car Company to build their own sportscar in conjunction with Spen King; the Rover P4-based Marauder was the result. All of 15 were made though.
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Swallow Doretti (1954)

A car that was arguably prettier than the Triumph TR2 on which it was based, Swallow was founded by Jaguar's William Lyons then sold to the giant Tube Investments conglomerate. It built 276 Dorettis before the plug was pulled.
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Peerless GT (1958)

Later revived as the Warwick, the Peerless used Triumph TR3 mechanicals and a bespoke tubular steel chassis. Around 300 of these four-seater coupés were produced in 1958 before Peerless disappeared.
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Elva Courier (1958)

Taking its name from the French for 'she goes' (elle va), the Courier was Elva's most successful model. Around 400 examples were made between 1958 and 1961, most powered by an MGA or MGB engine.
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Rochdale Olympic (1960)

Rochdale built its first glassfibre cars in 1952, with the incredibly aerodynamic Olympic appearing in 1960. Early cars featured Riley 1.5 engines; from 1962 there was 1.5-litre Cortina power. And yes, Rochdale did come from Rochdale in Greater Manchester.
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Reliant Sabre (1961)

Initially offered with Ford Consul four-cylinder power before a change to a six-pot Zodiac unit in 1962, the Sabre was originally developed for Israeli company Autocars. It was produced in both coupé and convertible forms.
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Tornado Talisman (1962)

Tornado sprang up to offer glassfibre bodyshells that could be built from kits by enthusiasts in their garages. The Talisman was easily the company’s biggest-selling model; 186 were sold before the company closed in 1964.
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Unipower GT (1966)

Universal Power Drives was better known for its agricultural machinery, but 75 examples of this interesting diversion were also created, each fitted with a mid-mounted Mini engine displacing either 998cc or 1275cc.
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Trident Clipper (1967)

Starting out as a TVR at the 1965 Geneva motor show, the Trident went into production independently and lasted a decade – although just 200 or so were made in all.
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Piper GTT (1968)

Piper began building racing cars, then moved into road-going models in 1967. However, over a six-year run just 100 or so of these plastic-bodied sportscars were made. Most had Ford power but some came with Alfa Romeo or Austin Healey engines.
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Gilbern Invader (1969)

The only car company to be based in Wales so far, Gilbern set up shop in 1959 and built over 1000 cars in all, including around 600 of this final model, with Ford V6 power.
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Ford GT70 (1970)

While the GT40 quickly became an icon, its successor, the V6 mid-engined GT70, didn't take long to fade into obscurity. It was built by Ford of Britain for rallying, but never got that far, and just six were made.
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Marcos Mantis (1970)

Marcos was renowned for its curvy cars, so the angular Mantis came as rather a shock to the system when it was unveiled. Power was from a Triumph 2.5-litre engine and just 32 were made.
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Monica 560 (1972)

Intended to compete with Bristol, the Monica was a French confection that featured Chrysler V8 power. Finally bought by Panther, the car never really made production, although 35 or so were made.
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Clan Crusader (1971)

Set up by ex-Lotus engineers in 1969, the Crusader was killed off by the energy crisis of 1973. The project was revived in 1985 as the Clover, but that soon failed too.
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Scorpion Coupe (1973)

Like the Clan Crusader, the Scorpion had a rear-mounted Hillman Imp 998cc engine and was killed off by the energy crisis. With its neat glassfibre bodyshell it promised so much.
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Lonsdale Saloon and estate (1983)

Mitsubishi set up a factory in Australia to build these rebadged Sigmas for the UK, with a choice of 1.5, 2.0 or 2.6-litre engines. Hardly any were sold here, unsurprisingly.
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Evante 140TC (1986)

Lincolnshire-based Vegantune had been restoring and tuning Lotus Elans for years; this was the company’s own interpretation of the Hethel Classic, with Ford-based 1.7 or 1.8-litre twin-cam engines.
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AC Ecosse (1988)

A car that never reached production, the Signature was meant to supersede the 3000ME with an Alfa Romeo-sourced 2.5-litre V6. But there wasn't the money to develop it. Another one of those might-have-beens that automotive history is littered with.
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Sao Penza (1991)

Take one defunct Mazda 323, rebrand it and what do you have? Answer: a Sao's ear, or more accurately, a Sao Penza. Sao was an offshoot of the South African Motor Corporation (SAMCOR) but in less than two years the Penza had been withdrawn from UK sale.
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Asia Rocsta (1994)

Unveiled in 1990 but sold in the UK only between 1994 and 1998, this poorly made 4x4 wasn't Kia's finest hour. That’s because it was Kia which sold the car on behalf of Asia, which turned out to be a bad move…
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Keinath GT (1996)

Looking like an early Seventies Opel GT drop-top, the Keinath featured a 3.0-litre six-pot Senator engine and a folding hard top before they became popular elsewhere.
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Strathcarron SC-5A (2000)

First seen in prototype form in 1996, the production SC-5A was ready in 2000. But type approval changes quickly ruled the car illegal, which is why just 20 were produced.

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