By Antti Kautonen
This post finishes up my Amsterdam contributions, and puts together a string of photographed cars that I’ve only captured with one or two quick shots instead of more detailed photos.
The cars here range from old weirdness to newer hotness, so check it out.
This gloriously red Opel Manta was shot from the other side of the canal, as we were on a guided tour and I daren’t sneak on the other side of the canal to photograph the car. Thankfully, the zoom capabilities of my phone pulled through.
The 1986 car only has a 1.8-litre engine, so it’s not too snappy.
A classic Land Rover is always worth a shot.
The 340-series Volvo is one of the cars considered most Dutch. It was originally a DAF design, adopted under the wing of Volvo with small modifications. This 1984 340 has a 1.4 Renault engine under the hood.
An eta-engined BMW E28, with bottlecap wheels. It’s an automatic car from 1986.
A brown W123 Mercedes-Benz 250 from 1979. Noteworthy for being converted to run on LPG, says the plate info.
This 1982 230E runs on regular gasoline. Am I right in saying both of them have MB-Tex interiors?
Next to it, a run-off series BMW E30 316i touring Design Edition. Noteworthy for the special green colour and special cloth upholstery with sports seats, these late-model cars added just a little bit of early-1990s flair to the E30 series.
And the final sighting gets to be a Fisker Karma; the first one I’ve seen in the metal. And it’s even a brown one!
[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]
Mercedes Lilienthal 
Kamil Kaluski
The Volvo 340 is one ugly little car, especially the dashboard. But: With the CVT you can drive as fast in reverse as you can forward. Well, "can" – it's possible at least. The car is grotesquely undervalued, too. In German car forums people tell tales of acquiring mint 340's with <30000km for 600-900€. One owner cars hardly ever get above the four-digit-threshold.
And then you can put tiny wheels on it…
<img src="http://www.speedhunters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC3736_copy.jpg">
So that's where my sofa casters went!
Add to the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" file.
The cage has me wondering what else has been done to it.
You know, the 300-series being RWD and all it's not totally dissimilar to an European AE86, when paired with a proper engine. i don't know if the 360 is quick enough.
I believe the 360 has about 112 hp on a dry weight of 1060 kg. 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds or so. It was quick for the era, but the smaller/lighter Toyota was significantly faster. I'd guess the Volvo B20/B200 block, which was available in the 240 as well, will accept a nice turbo without too much hassle. But that's just a guess.
I test-drove a 1986 Opel Manta when it was brand-new on the lot. It was a nice-looking dark grey colour, GTE I believe. When I pulled the driver's door shut, the entire panel fell off onto the ground. My dad yelled at me until the same thing happened to him on the passenger side. A little bit down the road the shift knob came off and the glovebox door fell open. Otherwise it was a really nice car and I still vaguely want one.
I absolutely love the Opel Manta B2. Definitely one of the most underrated Euro coupes of the 80's; probably due to the somewhat forgettable looks. I'd love to import one, put some white wheels and fog lights on it, then hoon the crap out of it on AND off road.
<img src="http://trialx.com/curetalk/wp-content/blogs.dir/7/files/2012/11/cars/1977_Opel_Manta-1.jpg">
They do have an entire cult-subculture in Germany, so over there it's not underrated. 🙂
Re: the brown W123 – what element of the license plate indicates the LPG conversion, the "1" in superscript?
Nah, I just checked the registration using ovi.rdw.nl and it told me about the LPG conversion.
The 1 superscript means it's a duplicate plate. The original plate was lost (/stolen). If someone else uses the lost/stolen plate in a traffic violation the rightful owner can easily prove his innocence as his plates now have the superscript.
Interesting. I'm not aware of anything similar in the US. Eminently practical, which seems to be in direct opposition to the raison d'etre of the DMV in all 50 states.
wonder if that karma was shipped from valmet in finland, to fisker in la/anaheim, and then back. if so, that's awfully allante-ish.
It's possible it came to the Netherlands straight from Finland, but then again everything illogical is always a possibility as well…
Those aren't your typical BMW "bottle cap" wheels – those are TRX wheels, meaning they're metric sized. They used 200/60VR390 tires – yes, the wheels are 390mm, not inches. Michelin was basically the only company that made them. Lots of '80s BMWs and Fords used them, along with a few other European car companies, but overall the idea didn't catch on.
Coker Tire is the only place you can get them now, and they're god awful expensive – more than $400 each – and at that price you're getting 1980s technology tires. Most people who have a car originally equipped with TRX tires just replace the wheels with similar standard sized wheels from other models.
http://www.cokertire.com/michelin-trx.html
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histori…