Pedal Power

Check out this children’s pedal car “Moskvich”, made in the USSR by the State Standard. It was firstly manufactured in 1989 and totally restored in 2011 in accordance with the original model. Now the car works silently and wheels rotate smoothly. All old and idle parts (lights, bumpers, suspension, etc.) are replaced by new ones.

The GL-1

The GL-1 was the first Soviet factory sportscar ever produced, which set speed records before the World War. Unfortunately all the copies of the car and its records were destroyed, and until recently the automobile existed only in archive photos.

The project GL-1 was built in 1938 from a serial model GAZ M-1. An open two seater body was put onto the standard frame along with most of the parts of the M-1, but the total weight was reduced. The “M” engine was forced, the valve diameter was widened and the machine gained 15 horsepower to a whopping 65 horses. A test driver from the GAZ factory recorded 147 km/hr runs out of this car.

The second generation GL-1 was introduced in 1940 with a 3.2 ltr engine and two carburettors. The power was raised to 100 horsepower. Externally a more steamline cabin was designed. The new version was much faster and the new top speed record was set at 161.84 km/hr, which at that time seemed a triumph.

In 1941 the work on the third generation started, unfortunately very soon the country would cease to care about speed records and all the prototypes and road variants were destroyed and most likely melted.

In 2006 Alexander Bushuyev’s body manufacturer decided to reconstruct the legendary car, basing it on an original GAZ M-1 chassis and the numerous pictures of that time.

This beauty is what he came up with.....

Ghost Rider Lada

This is the one of the most widely distributed models of Lada (Vaz-2105), produced in the Soviet Union and during the early years of post-soviet Russia (1980-1992). It still can be found on Russian roads, and some of them are good enough to be tuned.
For example this one, on the pictures below, resembles in some way the vehicle from the “Ghost Rider” movie. Question is, would you drive it ?

Russian Resto Job

The Moskvitch-403 is a transition variant between the 407th and 408th. It’s like a new filling in the old body. Hanging pedals, rather than a hole in the floor, a hydraulic clutch and new steering wheel! This model was produced from 1963 to 1965. In total, a little bit more than 105 thousand cars were assembled. And here is one of those rarities that managed to live till nowadays. Its lucky owner got it from his old relative for free. He restored it over six years and now it looks absolutely stunning.

Shed of the week, Wk 4

THE IMP

In 1955 a small car project was begun by the Coventry based Rootes Group, not so much to come up with an economy car like the Mini, but to provide an idea of what sort of affordable car could be made and what its performance would be. After a few visits to Bob Saward's styling department the group set up project ‘Apex’ led by Mike Parkes and Tim Fry to develop such a car.

On the 2nd May 1963 the first Imp rolled off the production line, manufactured under the Hillman marque.

Rootes produced various basic body styles, the original saloon with an opening rear window, a coupe that was introduced in 1965 and later that year the Commer Imp van. In 1967 an estate badged as a Hillman Husky was also put into production.

The Imp's engine, all 875 cc’s of it was all aluminium and had been adapted from a Coventry Climax fire pump engine. It was mounted behind the rear wheels, slanted over at 45° to fit, keep the center of gravity low and help minimise its effects on the road holding of the car. Superior rear suspension was also added, coupled with a basic front suspension to effectively neutralise the 'tail-happy' handling of the rear engined car.

It also had many innovative features like the opening rear window which was unheard of in hatchbacks in those days, together with the fold down rear seat.

Rootes had to build a new computerised assembly plant on the outskirts of Glasgow, in the town of Linwood in which to assemble the Imp, since planning regulations banned it from further expanding its Ryton plant near Coventry.

The Glaswegian workforce, who were mainly recruited from the shipbuilding industry were not versed in the intricacies of motor vehicle assembly, and Imp build quality and reliability suffered accordingly. Another problem that contributed to the reputation of poor reliability was the lack of understanding of the maintenance needs of the engines by owners and the motor trade in the 1960s.

In 1966 a major revision of the Imp was released, effectively splitting the marque into Mk I and Mk II cars. The Mk I Imps had a pneumatic throttle linkage and automatic choke, both of which were replaced by more conventional items on the Mk II.

The demise of the Imp came n March 1976 and the entire empire collapsed two years later, when it became part of Peugeot.

The Rootes Group produced 440,000 of these extraordinary cars.

1936 Stainless Steel Ford

This is the 1936 Ford Tudor Sedan built for and owned by Allegheny Ludlum Steel. This is one of only four in existence and is the only one currently in
running and road worthy condition. The car is in exceptional condition, with the interior and even the frame looking great. All four cars had over 200,000 miles on them before they were removed from service.

The cars were built for Allegheny Steel as promotional and marketing projects. The top salesmen each year were given the honor of being able to drive them For one year. The V8 engine (max 85 hp) ran like a sewing machine and was surprisingly smooth and quiet.

FYI, the car was insured (we were told) for the trip to Louisville via covered trailer for 1.5 million dollars. 

Shed of the week, Wk 3

THE RANCHO

The Rancho was launched as the Matra Rancho in 1977 by the French engineering group Matra in cooperation with the automaker Simca to capitalize on the off-road trend, started by the Range Rover providing the "off-road look" at a lower price.

Designed by Antonis Volanis, the Rancho was based on the pick-up version of Simca's popular supermini, the Simca 1100, using its front structure and a stretched chassis. The rest of the body was made by Matra from fibreglass and polyester, including the mouldings adorning the body, which made it look more "sturdy".

Unlike most off-roaders, it was not fitted with all-wheel drive, retaining the 1100s front-wheel drive layout. Other elements retained from the Simca 1100 included the dashboard and front seats, The Rancho was powered by the 1442 cc, 80 bhp version of the Simca Type 315 straight-4 engine.

During its life, the Rancho was offered in several versions. Apart from the basic Rancho, there was the Grand Raid, fitted with such "off-road" extras as an electric winch on the front bumper and the spare wheel mounted on the roof - as well as a limited-slip differential. The Rancho X was the upscale model, with additional standard items such as alloy wheels and metallic paint. The Découvrable model's rear cabin consisted of an open frame with roll-down fabric covers, which could serve as an "open" car during good weather. Finally, the Rancho AS was the commercial version, with no rear seat, making it exempt from the French tax on passenger cars.

Imports into the UK did not start until May 1978. British versions of the car were supplied with two moveable spotlights mounted on top of the scuttle panel, a move which was to accelerate the arrival of rust, but made the car look even more purposeful. The Rancho captured the imagination of those members of the British public who wanted a Range Rover, but probably because of the expense had not bought one.

It was rebranded as Talbot in 1979 and the Matra-Simca Rancho now became the Talbot Matra Rancho and production continued until 1984. Just under 56,700 Ranchos were built between 1977 and 1984. Unfortunately, none of them were particularly well protected against rust. As a result, there are surprisingly few Ranchos left running either in Britain or in Europe. Although the rear section, being made of fibreglass, lasts well, the same cannot be said of the rest of the car. Particularly tasty areas for the Rust Bug were the floor, wings, front doors, bulkhead, windscreen surround, rear chassis, front chassis... The engines last well though. If you see one, it is a nice gesture to complement the owner on what is a true labour of love.