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Detroit, 5:05 AM
Wed Dec 9
26 posts in the last 24 hours

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    TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere

    And The REAL Buttonwillow Histrionics Winner Is... The Mr Bean Austin Mini!

    Jalopnik's 16 Favorite British Leyland and Rootes Group TV Commercials
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of MushyHeirloom MushyHeirloom
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    I've said for years that I'd kill for an E30 estate, and I meant it. Not sure it can compete with that panel van, though! So much cool stuff down under that we never caught a glimpse of...
     Reply
    MushyHeirloom was starred MushyHeirloom was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    I remember seeing a black SP250 around Cocoa Beach in the 1970s. You have to wonder about the Daimler directors standing around the styling buck and saying "We have to build this!". Perhaps a moment of desperation? Daimler had frittered away too much money on a wide variety of luxury cars selling in small numbers. There was also the matter of a managing director and his wife using company funds for a ridiculously extravagant lifestyle, including several over-the-top show cars like the one I've pictured. It was on its last legs as an independent manufacturer and would very soon find itself in the not-so-loving arms of Jaguar. Maybe the SP250 was hideous, but it was also pretty fast for the time - top speed was close to 125 mph.
     Reply
    tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of brandegee brandegee
    11/29/09

    @tonyola: 125 mph is definitely very fast for the time...similar front-end to the fast Studebakers. The Majestic Major, with the larger 4.5-litre V8, also had a top speed above 120 mph despite being extremely heavy. It's mystery to me why Jaguar never bothered to install these engines in their cars.

    The SP250 was such a weird car for a company best known for making the limousine of choice for super-high-end hotels all over the world. Hong Kong, in particular, swore by them.
     Reply
    brandegee was starred brandegee was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    11/29/09

    @brandegee: William Lyons, the head of Jaguar, was notoriously protective of the make and refused to acknowledge that any ideas from "outside" might be of benefit to his cars. Too bad - the 4.5 would have been a natural for the Mark X and XJ6. Some Jaguar Mark II sedans were given the 2.5 and badged Daimler 2 1/2 Liter and V8-250 - these were said to be nicer to drive than the Mark IIs, though not as powerful as the 3.4/3.8 Jags.
     Reply
    tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of Armand Armand
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    I just re-read The Unfair Advantage over the Thanksgiving holiday, and it reminded me of what a horrible car the Daimler SP250 was. Styling aside (which, of course, is purely subjective) the fiberglass body was flimsy, the gearbox was clunky, and in pretty much every race Mark Donohue entered with his it would overheat and wipe out the center main bearing. Plus, they were no bigger or roomier than a Sunbeam Alpine, not much faster than a Triumph TR4, and nearly as expensive as an E-Type. About the only nice thing Donohue said about it was that it made a great noise from the 2.5-liter hemi-head V8.

    TheEastBayKid's pictures make me think I could deal with engine rebuilds every few hundred miles, if only I could sit in that interior, look over that curved hood and motor off into the sunset. I'll just have to remember to keep a bunch of center main bearings in the trunk.
     Reply
    Armand was starred Armand was unstarred
    Image of CptSevere CptSevere
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    That Daimler is new to me. What a cool car. The front end reminds me of a Kurtis. Does it have the Buick 215 V8?
     Reply
    tonyola promoted this comment CptSevere was starred CptSevere was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    11/29/09

    @CptSevere: Nope - it had a Daimler-built 2.5-liter hemi v8 that has a reputation of being an outstanding engine for the time. Daimler did a lot of wrong things after WW II, but their hemi V8s in 2.5 and 4.5 sizes were a big exception.
     Reply
    tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of scroggzilla raids again scroggzilla raids again
    11/29/09

    @CptSevere: No. The Daimler V8 is their own design.
     Reply
    scroggzilla raids again was starred scroggzilla raids again was unstarred
    Image of CptSevere CptSevere
    11/29/09

    @scroggzilla raids again: You learn something new here every day. Now that sounds intriguing, a baby hemi.
     Reply
    CptSevere was starred CptSevere was unstarred
    Image of scroggzilla raids again scroggzilla raids again
    11/30/09

    @CptSevere: The guy who designed it, Edward Turner, cut his teeth designing motorcycle engines for Ariel and Triumph in the 30's.
     Reply
    scroggzilla raids again was starred scroggzilla raids again was unstarred
    Image of jbh11126 jbh11126
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    Wooowwwww...never seen a Daimler SP250 before.

    I LOVE those wheel arches. So flowing.
     Reply
    FTGDWolverineEdition'09 promoted this comment jbh11126 was starred jbh11126 was unstarred
    Image of Novaload Novaload
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    Appropriately, the handsome toothy fishy-sleek Daimler is by the fish shop. What a catch! Epic find. And that old school blue Citroen is what I always picture mentally when I hear or read the word "Citroen."
    What a great trip this must have been.
     Reply
    Novaload was starred Novaload was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    So, you can have side windows in your panel van down under? Wiki seems to agree.
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of brc is never late, because of his v8 brc is never late, because of his v8
    11/29/09

    @beercheck: yes, but many of them were aftermarket cut-ins. Also popular in the '70s was the dark tint bubbled perspex window
     Reply
    beercheck promoted this comment brc is never late, because of his v8 was starred brc is never late, because of his v8 was unstarred
    Image of CasterOil CasterOil
    11/30/09

    @beercheck: Oh yes. Factory fitted (they rusted badly), or else after-market (which rusted really badly!).

    But side windows were great, except for shaggin wagons.

    This was an actual, televised advertisment for,....well, something..., in 1976, prior to all the PC crap.

    Enjoy!
     Reply
    beercheck promoted this comment CasterOil was starred CasterOil was unstarred
    Image of Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    Great finds!
     Reply
    Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp was starred Paul Y. can't get in the club; gotta parking lot pimp was unstarred
    Image of duurtlang duurtlang
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    That Daimler. Wow. Where can I buy one? And I definitely would not have expected Citroëns in New Zealand.

    What I don't get is what's so special about the E30 Touring? Sure they're nice, but you can still see them everywhere. And they were made well into the nineties. 1994 If I'm not mistaken.
     Reply
    Armand promoted this comment duurtlang was starred duurtlang was unstarred
    Image of Armand Armand
    11/29/09

    @duurtlang: We never got the E30 Touring here in America, so seeing one is a rare treat for an American Bimmerphile like TheEastBayKid.
     Reply
    Armand was starred Armand was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    Nice old iron. Especially that grey grouper.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of skaycog skaycog
    11/29/09

    In reply to TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere
    Thank you, EastBayKid, for these photos. The Daimler intrigues me.
     Reply
    skaycog was starred skaycog was unstarred
    Image of Nappe1 Nappe1
    08/18/09

    In reply to And The REAL Buttonwillow Histrionics Winner Is... The Mr Bean Austin Mini!
    Interesting displacement number... body is definitely Mk 1, meaning it's still either Austin Se7en or Morris Mini Minor or either one of Cooper or Cooper S.

    So engines used for Mk I were: (stock euro power figures.)
    - 848cc (Se7en, Minor) 32hp
    - 997cc (Cooper, 1962-1964) 50hp
    - 998cc (Cooper, 1964 onwards) 55hp
    - 1071cc (first Cooper S, 1963-1964 ) 70hp
    - 970cc ("small S" Cooper S, 1964-1965 homologation special for 1000cc class) 65hp
    - 1275cc ("big S" Cooper S, 1964-1971) 80hp

    so either the 949cc is typo or then they have bored the 848cc block somehow...

    in racing use the "small S" gave up to 120bhp bored to 999cc in 1968 (used mechanical fuel injection already then though.) and 1275cc bored to 1293cc gave aproximately ~125-130bhp after mid 60's... does not sound much but when the car weighted wayyy under 700kg and had one all time best chassis ever built on fwd car, it used to eat K-code Mustangs alive in twisted tracks even in dry weather. in rain, no one else had fat chance.

    yet it is always delighted to see these in the new continent, after all the importing ended in 1966 due exhaust regulations. :)
     Reply
    Murilee Martin promoted this comment Nappe1 was starred Nappe1 was unstarred
    Image of Murilee Martin Murilee Martin
    08/18/09

    @Nappe1: Sorry, it's a 998cc engine, not 948cc. Had it mixed up with the Sprite, which does have the 948.
     Reply
    Murilee Martin was starred Murilee Martin was unstarred
    Image of LeMons Lover LeMons Lover
    08/17/09

    In reply to And The REAL Buttonwillow Histrionics Winner Is... The Mr Bean Austin Mini!
    Not to take anything away from these truly great competitors nor their awesome car, but the Geo Metro Gnome's engine gets it done with 893 cc's. That Mini is sporting a big block by comparison.
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet promoted this comment LeMons Lover was starred LeMons Lover was unstarred
    Image of thunder; now eta-powered thunder; now eta-powered
    08/17/09

    In reply to And The REAL Buttonwillow Histrionics Winner Is... The Mr Bean Austin Mini!
    Did it have the padlock & chain for securing the door too?
     Reply
    thunder; now eta-powered was starred thunder; now eta-powered was unstarred
    Image of Maymar Maymar
    08/17/09

    In reply to And The REAL Buttonwillow Histrionics Winner Is... The Mr Bean Austin Mini!
    The only thing that would've been better is if there was a La-Z-Boy on the roof with a mannequin strapped in and "driving."
     Reply
    Maymar was starred Maymar was unstarred
    Image of Braff Braff
    08/17/09

    @Maymar wishes Jalopnik a happy 5th birthday: they made them remove the La-Z-Boy... but they did have it on there heading into tech
     Reply
    Braff was starred Braff was unstarred
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