The Renault Fuego

After eight years of moderate coupé sales with the 15/17, Renault needed something fresh, and in February 1980 introduced the Fuego 3-door coupé.

The Fuego's exterior was designed by Michel Jardin, working under Robert Opron who had previously designed the Citroën SM, Citroën GS, Citroën CX, and later followed with the Renault 25 in 1984.

Available as TL and GTL with 1,397 cc engine and a 4-speed manual gearbox, and GTS with 1,647 cc engine and a 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic gearbox.

The TL had basic equipment with 155 SR 13 tires, heated rear window, rear fog light, split/fold rear seat, and cloth upholstery. The GTL adds 175/70 13 tires, electric front windows, tachometer, height-adjustable steering wheel, front head restraints, analog clock, wheel covers, remote-adjustable drivers door mirror, laminated windscreen, opening rear quarter windows, H4 headlights, pre-installed radio kit, and velour upholstery. The GTS adds engine oil level gauge, power-assisted steering, and optional 3-speed automatic transmission.

It was heavily based on the Renault 18, sharing its floorpan and drivetrain, but featuring a new front suspension design. In the electronic spirit of the early 1980s the Fuego was the first car in the world to have a remote keyless system with central locking and was also the first car to have steering wheel mounted satellite controls for the audio system.

It parked uncomfortably in Renault's line-up of mediocre family cars, a sore thumb with a proper, emotive name (it's Spanish for fire) instead of a number like the 5, 9, 18 or 25.

In 1984, Renault gave us the Fuego Turbo, with a blown 1.6-litre engine putting out 132bhp through desperately scrabbling front wheels as the torque-steer did its un-level best to hamper every smooth start. It even came with a largely pointless on-board trip computer to fiddle about with while waiting at traffic lights to floor the throttle once more. An obscenely huge sticker on the doors read "TURBO" for the benefit of anyone who hadn't already guessed.

In truth, the Fuego was not the committed performance driver's choice. The spongy MacPherson strut suspension, betraying the Renault 18 within, had been devised for comfort and not for being hurled in and out of tight corners at speed. There was little of the finely tuned and supple Golf GTi to the car, and hot hatchbacks like that were, by then, rapidly overshadowing cars such as the Capri, Manta and Fuego.

The Fuego was axed from French production lines in 1985 and stopped importing it into Great Britain in 1986, although it was made in Spain until 1987, and spent its twilight years in Argentina, where it was produced as the Fuego GTA Max until 1993 with a 2.2-litre engine.

The Fuego was not directly replaced by another model in the Renault range. A Fuego II was planned, similarly styled as the Renault Alpine GTA, but the development of the new model was cancelled at the last minute due to Renault's financial problems and the falling sales of sports coupés in general at that time.

An exact production total for the Fuego is impossible to come by, but around 226,583 were made in France, with maybe another 40,000 hailing from Spain, Argentina and Venezuela.

The Classic ZAZ

In the wake of the early Space Race victories the Russian’s wanted to create a vehicle that would rival the VW Beetle or the Citroen 2CV, so Krushchev ordered the construction of an affordable “people’s car,” the only car that ordinary citizens might hope to own. Only after sitting on a waiting list for many years, of course.  

Design work started in 1956 in Moskvitch car plant, and first prototypes were designated as Moskvitch-444. Production began in 1958 at the Zaporozhets Automotive Factory (ZAZ) in Ukraine. The car was patterned upon the Fiat 600, with similar general composition, body, transmission, steering mechanism and rear suspension. However, to facilitate the all-too-frequent valve adjustments required by clattery-ass air-cooled engines, particularly when so many Soviet citizens would be forced to wrench on their rides in a dirt-floored "garage" in Siberia or Turkmenistan, the ZAZ engineers decided to make their car's engine a 746 cc V4 engine designed by Moscow’s NAMI institute instead of a boxer four. It was a simple, reliable machine, tolerant of rough roads and indifferent maintenance.

The base model ZAZ-965 was manufactured between November 1960 and 1963, and the modernized ZAZ-965A, between November 1962 and May 1969. 322,106 were made in total.

It sold well, and factory legend held that the head engineer, Vladimir Steshenko, based his pricing formula on the idea that the car should never cost more than 1,000 bottles of vodka.

But much like the leader who gave it his blessing, the Zaporozhets proved too temperamental to trust. It broke down frequently. The engine emitted a steady, hell-raising roar and had trouble with speeds over 80 miles per hour. Worst of all was the bonnet-loaded fuel tank that tended to explode in front-end collisions. People began to joke that the car never passed any of its safety tests because the test dummies ran away, terrified.

Even with its many nicknames such as "zapor," translated is “constipated,”  or “gorbatiy” which means “hunchback” for its trunk design, its the Zaz’s ungainly shape and appearance which truly made the Zaporozhets a national punchline.

Historical significance aside, nobody in his or her right mind should want one of these things... but I must have one !

Shed of the week, Wk 2

THE PRINCESS

 

Designed by Harris Mann, also responsible for the Austin Allegro the car was launched on March 26, 1975 as the 18–22 Series. The name referred to the engine sizes 1800 cc and 2200 cc. For the first six months of production three badge-engineered versions were produced: Austin, Morris and Wolseley.

Unlike the Allegro, the 18-22 Series made it to production relatively unscathed and unaltered from Harris's original plan. The bonnet was made a little higher, to allow for taller engines, but the biggest change from Harris's design involved the rear. Harris had intended the design to be a five-door hatchback, but management decided that the Austin Maxi should be the only hatchback in the range, making that its unique selling point. Consequently, it received fixed rear glass and a separate boot, belying its appearance. Some feel this was to prove a sales-loser for the 18-22 Series entire life.

Austin versions were identifiable by their trapezoidal headlamps and low bonnet line, while Morris and Wolseley versions sported twin headlamps, with a humped bonnet and raised grille section. Engines were either the 1800 B-Series four-cylinder or the 2200 E-Series six-cylinder, all with a four-speed gearbox or three-speed automatic. Trim levels were basic or HL for both Austin and Morris versions. The difference being chrome trim embellishments and vinyl C-posts. Apart from their bonnet and headlamp designs, and of course their badging, the Austin and Morris models were virtually identical. The Wolseley model was only available with the six-cylinder engine, full chrome grill and luxury velour interior trim.

Like many other controversial cars of its time, the exterior styling was distinctive and innovative. "The Wedge", as it was often nicknamed, was indeed very wedge-shaped. Within BL the car was often referred to as "The Anteater".

After only six months on sale, the 18-22 Series was renamed Leyland Princess in September 1975 and the range would be rationalised. Sadly, the last Wolseley rolled down the production line at Cowley in September 1975. There was talk of resurrecting the Wolseley name for the 1982 hatchback version of the Princess but alas; it was called the Austin Ambassador instead.

 It should be noted that in the six months the Wolseley 18-22 was on sale, it was far more popular than its replacement, the Princess 2200HLS.

Build quality of the Princess was affected by poor quality control and constant industrial disputes; it gained a reputation for unreliability that it could never shake off, even though quality improved in later years. The styling, praised upon introduction, was soon labelled "ugly".

In July 1978, the Princess was given a revamp and renamed the Princess 2. The main change was the replacement of the old 1800 cc B-Series engine with the new O-Series engine. The new engine was offered in two sizes: 1695 cc and 1993 cc. Since there was an 1800 cc tax barrier for company cars at the time, the 1700 cc O-Series engine was developed to take advantage of that, whilst the 2000 cc engine was developed for the private motorists who wanted something different from the popular Ford Cortina. The car had perhaps reached its pinnacle when the prestigious Motoring Which publication described the Princess 2200HLS automatic model as "An excellent car, marred only by poor reliability".

Production of the Princess ceased in November 1981.

The basic Princess design lived on in revised form until 1984 as the Austin Ambassador.

The shooting brake

In the early 19th century, a “brake” was a large carriage-frame without body, used for breaking in young horses. By the late 19th century the meaning had been extended to a large wagon designed for country use.

A “shooting-brake” carried a driver and gamekeeper facing forward and up to six sportsmen on longitudinal benches with their dogs, guns and game carried alongside in slat-sided racks.
When horsepower replaced the horses the term was subsequently applied to custom built luxury estate cars altered for use by hunters and other sportsmen such as golfers, riders, and polo players requiring easy access to larger storage areas than offered by the typical automobile boot.

Since the unveiling of the DB5 shooting-brake it becomes popular to think of a shooting brake as an estate car converted from a coupe: fast, comfortable, from luxury origin and very exclusive.

Top Gear described a “shooting-brake” as a cross between an estate and a coupe.

In 2006, The New York Times described a “shooting-brake” as a sleek wagon with two doors and sports-car panache, its image entangled with European aristocracy, fox hunts and baying hounds, adding that while the name has been loosely applied to station wagons in general, the most famous shooting brakes had custom two-door bodies fitted to the chassis of pedigreed cars from the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce.

Dubai loves a Mitsubishi Pajero

The Mitsubishi Pajero is a sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. It was named after Leopardus pajeros, the Pampas Cat which is native to the Patagonia plateau region of southern Argentina. However, since pajero is an offensive term for "wanker" in Spanish, alternative names have been used for many markets overseas. It is known as the Mitsubishi Montero (meaning "mountain warrior") in Spain, India, and the Americas (excepting Brazil), and as Mitsubishi Shogun in the United Kingdom.

The first generation made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 1981, and was launched in May 1982. Initially, it was a three-door, short-wheelbase model available with a metal or canvas top and three different engines options: The Pajero, however, failed to appeal to everyone. It was seen to be a commercial vehicle, and since it was only available in a short-wheelbase form, it didn’t really appeal to those with families.

Hence, in February 1983, Mitsubishi came out with a long-wheelbase, five-door model, to serve the needs of a larger target market. The long-wheelbase model also increased seating capacity to seven, with available third row seats, which could be folded to the sides for additional trunk space or combined with second row seats to form a bed. It was further refined in June 1984. The turbo diesel engines now had higher power/torque ratings, whilst the long-wheelbase models got standard four-wheel disc brakes and four-way adjustable shock absorbers as standard equipment. A new flagship model was then introduced in early 1987

Mitsubishi sold over three hundred thousand Pajeros in 1989 and 1990.

The second generation was introduced on January 22, 1991 and manufactured until 1999. It retained the two body styles, but design was rounder and more city-friendly than the previous bulky model. The 3.0 L V6 gasoline engine was retained, now available with a 24-valve head. In 1993, the it was slightly restyled, and larger engines were introduced, a 3.5 L V6 and a 2.8 L SOHC turbodiesel.

The third generation was introduced on August 2, 1999 and was scheduled to be replaced by the Autumn of 2006, having been restyled in 2003, to counter its home rival Toyota Land Cruiser's growth. An all-new 3.8 Liter SOHC 24-valve V6 powerplant was also introduced on this generation. This engine utilized an Electronic Throttle Valve (ETV), to deliver a refined cruising power with power to spare for offroad ventures.

The fourth generation was introduced at the Paris Motor Show on September 30, 2006. New interior and exterior styling were accompanied by enhanced safety with dual-stage SRS front airbags as well as new side-impact and curtain airbags. The Super-Select 4WD II system was retained, complemented by an improved Active Stability & Traction Control (ASTC) system and electronic brakeforce distribution. With skid plates, heavy weight components and 8.7 inches of ground clearance the vehicle retains its reputation as one of the toughest and most capable 4x4s.

The engines were upgraded with the 3.2 L Diesel and the 3.8 L V6 gaining MIVEC variable valve timing to boost power to 184 kW. Both engines meet new Euro IV emissions standards. The 3.0 L V6 is retained for the Japanese and GCC markets.

The first generation Pajero was also marketed as the Hyundai Galloper in Korea, Europe and GCC Countries.

Classic Vans

I read an interesting thread yesterday on the Piston Heads web site about classic vans which got me thinking about what were my favorite classic British vans.
I started remembering the old Post Office and British Telecom vans which opened a can of worms, What are the iconic British vans ?
Austin, Bedford, Commer, Morris, Ford to name a few.
I started googling and came across loads of different blogs and sites on classic British vans and then spent hours looking through them.
This site did an excellent job of covering them all from 1940 to the end of the 1960's.
http://www.oldclassicvans.co.uk 
I also came across this very interesting blog which covered just about everything to do with trucks and vans. The link below takes you to the vintage and classic vans category but trust me there is hours of reading there so enjoy.
http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/big-lorry-blog/vintage-and-classic-vans/

Shed of the week

VAUXHALL CAVALIER SPORTS HATCH

As 1970s as Old Spice. But this probably smells beter...

Say the words 'Vauxhall' and 'Sports Hatch' in the same sentence these days and you'll probably think of the thoroughly forgettable three-door version of the Astra (You know, the one that tries really hard to pretend it's a coupe when it really isn't). Say the same two words to a moustachioed, over-lapelled gentleman of the 1970s, however, and he would probably nod, smile and point you in the direction of his rakish looking, velour-upholstered fastback coupe. Which would be, in all probability, some shade of brown.

What you will see is a Vauxhall Cavalier Sports Hatch. And if this looks to you exactly like an Opel Manta, that's because it is just that, save for a spot of badging. But while the Opel Manta B soldiered on until 1988, Vauxhall was done with the Sports Hatch by 1981, when the Cavalier went all modern and front-wheel drive. Mechanically identical to the Cavalier saloon (and thus also both the Opel Ascona and Manta), the Sports Hatch was fitted with either a 75bhp 1.6 (in GL form) or a 100bhp, 113lb ft 2.0-litre unit (for the bells-and-whistles GLS model). And that was good for 110mph.

This particular car is the fancy-pants GLS, but with a three-speed auto gearbox we're not sure it would set said fancy pants on fire in terms of performance. The interior would definitely impress, though, with its symphony-of-gold crushed velour upholstery.
Not sure about the 'Rostyle' wheels, mind - they look like nasty plastic Halfords jobs to me.

The Volkswagen Golf GTi MK1

 


The Golf was never meant to be a performance car. It was supposed to be a small, fuel-efficient model – just the kind of thing people would be looking for in the aftermath of an oil crisis. Fortunately, VW engineer Alfons Löwenberg saw the potential and gathered together a small group of like-minded colleagues at Wolfsburg to begin work – in their spare time – on what they would call the Sport Golf. 

Their first prototype was in fact based on a Scirocco, not a Golf (the two cars shared the same underpinnings), but with a 100bhp version of the Audi 80 GT’s 1588cc engine, a barely silenced exhaust and race-car-firm suspension. It certainly showed what the platform was capable of, but the team decided it was also too extreme to present to management as a potential production model, so when the prototype was eventually demonstrated to VW’s top brass at the company’s Ehra-Lessien test facility it was in a far more civilised state of tune. It was still like nothing else on the road, though, and the bosses loved it.

‘The fastest Volkswagen ever’ made its public debut at the 1975 Frankfurt motor show. Amongst the details that marked it out from the basic Golfs were a chin spoiler (the only aerodynamic add-on, required to increase front-end downforce at high speed), black side stripes, black plastic wheelarch extensions and a red pinstripe around the grille. Inside there were sports seats with tartan upholstery, black headlining and a gearknob that resembled a golf ball – even though the Golf was named not after the sport but, as with many other VWs, a wind, in this case the Golfstrom or Gulf Stream. 

The car also wore new badges bearing the initials GTI, ‘GT’ standing for gran turismo, ‘I’ for injection (or, continuing the Italian, iniezione), referring to the adoption of Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection in place of the carburettor originally fitted to the Audi engine. Along with further mods that included larger inlet valves and a higher compression ratio, this enabled the 1.6-litre engine to produce 108bhp at 6100rpm and 103lb ft at 5000rpm. With a kerb weight of just 810kg, the GTI could get to 60mph in 9 seconds. Top speed was 110mph.

The Ford Escort XR3

The Ford Escort XR3 made it's first appearance back in September 1980 the third generation Escort was a state-of-the-art small car. With it's front wheel drive and transverse engine, it was to be one of the best "Hot Hatchbacks" and family car's of the eighties.The XR3 was made available as soon as the new MkIII Escort went on the market, although it shared the same three door body work it was identified by several differences. The most obvious was the Cloverleaf Alloys fitted with 185/60R14 tyre's which neatly hid the ventilated front discs. A large rubber spoiler on the tailgate went well with the other body trim fitted to the front and at the front edge of the rear arches. The XR3 was nowhere near sluggish, fitted with a 1,597cc CVH engine with a twin choke DFT Weber carburettor, it produced 96bhp at 6,000rpm. This was enough to give the car a top performance of 113mph and a 0-60 time of 9.2 sec's. It was reported that some 11,000 XR3's were sold in the UK in 1981 making it one of Fords best selling cars. The XR3 was made even better in February 1982 when a new five speed synchromesh gearbox was fitted.

The XR3 was handed over to Ron Mansfield of the SVE (Special Vehicle Engineering) and that's when we got the XR3i.

The XR3i was first released back in January 1983 and was built in Saarlouis, Germany. Work began in October 1981 and took a little over a year to modify and better the cars original design. The ride and handling of the car got an overhaul and we found that the new version had been slightly lowered and new gearing was used. Ford also introduced the Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection system which then gave 105bhp at 6,000rpm, a top speed of 120mph and had lowered the 0-60 time to 8.5secs. Since then two variations of the XR3 have been built, the RS1600i and the RS Turbo were produced. These were built to satisfy the Group A regulations for racing & rallying.