By Robert Emslie
It’s Friday, and that means it must be Mystery Car time. Today’s mystery car is one rare cat as the total number produced was only in the triple digits. It shares its platform with another exclusive car, and one that. . . well that’d be giving away too much. Anyway, you guys are like Harry Potter’s annoying girl friend on these things, always getting in in the first five minutes and making me think I need to do a harder one next time, so I don’t think you even need hints.
As always; make, model, production timeframe, factory engine, and what was that car that it shared its platform with? Ready? Think!
Kamil Kaluski
A jaguar XJ?
It has to be a Jag XJ variant of some sort. Possibly an XJ12 since those were made in fewer numbers, or a Daimler. I think its a Series I or II, not a III. Something like a Series I Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas would fit the "rarity" bill.
My grandfather has a '86 XJ6 (series III) in the garage. Unreliable as heck but I love the looks of it.
With your help, I think it is a series I. The triple-digit-only production figures at Wikipedia say:
Jaguar XJ6 4.2 lwb 574
Jaguar XJ12 lwb 754
Daimler Sovereign 4.2 lwb 386
Daimler Double Six swb 534
Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas 351
So it has to be one of those.
Jaguar was my first guess from the rear running light and the gas cap location, but the pushbutton door handle with the recessed sheet metal behind it sure doesn’t look Jag to me. I may be wrong, but early Jags had pushbuttons on smooth doors, then they went to the liftbar type…but 1) I’m no Jag expert 2) this could be a derivative with different body components. Although I don’t think Daimlers were modified so extensively.
I'll go with my usual guess…..Humber Super Snipe
Older Toyota or Mazda?
De Tomaso Deauville?
it's a JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG
Dunno what it is, but it's no Jag.
This is the DeTomaso Deauville, which was produced I think in the late 60's early 70's.
<img src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/12/2008/10/340x_custom_1223483985889_Detomaso-deauville.jpg" alt="" />
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/De_Tomaso_Deauville.JPG" alt="" />
244 made from 1971-1985. I think this is it.
That's it and the chassis mate is the Maserati Quatoporte III
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Maserati_Quattroporte_III.jpg"width=600>
Early 70's Corolla!
RTFA, stupid me. I'm changing my answer to the Mazda Roadpacer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_Roadpacer
Think It's a Fidia.
An Iso Rivolta Fidia. It shares its underpinnigs and much more with the Deauville.