Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Ellis

In the autumn of 1972 (forty years ago!) a secluded country house in the Conwy Valley was occupied by a person or persons unknown between the September and December of that year.

The speculation as to the identity of the occupant was intense locally and ranged from a KGB defector, an Arab sheikh, a film actor to Vince Furnier of Alice Cooper fame who had had a huge hit that summer with "School's Out For Summer" - do you remember, those of you of a certain age?

Whoever it was, and we never found out, there were some, what we call now "high end" cars around the property. There was a white Range Rover with darkened windows, a Jaguar XJ6 and a big Merecedes saloon.

One morning while passing near the country house in the school bus, I and others saw a bright metallic blue "supercar" at the nearest road junction. It too had darkened windows and a foreign registration number.

What was it? My perhaps only claim to fame was that I did recognise the car. There had been an Autocar road test of it two years previously and it was one of these :

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It's a Monteverdi Hai 450SS.

Monteverdi was probably better known to us lesser mortals as builders of four door Range Rovers long before Land Rover started.

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The identity of the house's reclusive tenant remains unknown to this day.[/img]
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1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

peter scott · Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 7211 Location: Edinburgh

For me the rarest I ever encountered (and was driven in) was this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_BrTd4uQLA

Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

Ironhead · Joined: 28 Mar 2010 Posts: 458 Location: Leicestershire

a few years ago my bro-in-law ran a TiCi (Tichy City car) not many of them about! bright yellow with a mini engine.

gresham flyer · Joined: 06 Sep 2008 Posts: 1435

Well I have a Renault 4CV 1959.....only 30 examples known to the register in this country.

I also have my Hillman Minx Californian...how many of those have you seen or know about over in the UK.?

When was the last time you saw a basic factory built Bedford CF MK1 van.? So we are talking pre 1979.

And I do not mean ambulance`s,camper vans or military conversions etc.

G.F,

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22780 Location: UK

I remember that model of Monteverdi well, from my 1970s Top Trumps card game Smile

RJ
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D4B · Joined: 28 Dec 2010 Posts: 2083 Location: Hampshire UK

Saw this one and only the other day:

More info here:

http://www.morganmuseum.org.uk/1909-morgan.html

Inglewood · Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 6:34 pm Post subject:

Forrest Citycar

ukdave2002 · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 4231 Location: South Cheshire

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22780 Location: UK

The truck is unique now, and the (bullnose) Saab 95 van I had was the only one left as far as is known, so they're probably the rarest vehicles I've encountered.

Seeing the R-R Silver Ghost reg. AX201 expired in a Crewe housing estate years ago was probably the rarest "spot" I've had, up there with D-Type reg. 774 RW spotted in a queue of traffic one day while we were driving to work Smile

RJ

(There was a TiCi bodyshell awaiting work in the workshop that the truck was rebuilt)
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Roger-hatchy · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 2135 Location: Tiptree, Essex

Can't get rarer than a one of.

roverdriver · Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 10:31 am Post subject:

Found in 1971/2, owned but did not take it for a drive

Later, sold on, and sold again and then finally restored, this is what it turned out like. It was completed last year for the NZ International rally. I would have loved to have been there to see it.

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V8 Nutter · Joined: 27 Aug 2012 Posts: 601

At this years Pershore Plum Festival there was a 1911 La France Roadster, the engine was a 14 litre T head straight six

rjt10/4 · Joined: 26 Nov 2012 Posts: 214 Location: Minions Cornwall

for rarity it has to be my Armstrong Siddeley 17hp town and country limo 1 of 3 known survivors worldwide and none on the road hoping mine will be the first back on the highways

poodge · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 687

For rarity,it has to be the BMW 1700 I saw at a local garage several years ago.
This particular car was a South African assembled version of the Glas 1700.BMW bought Glas,and sold their svelte coupe as their own for a while.I had never seen this version of the saloon,however.
In it's day(mid 60's),the Glas 1700 was quite a sporty middle class saloon.It was also quite pretty,being Michelotti designed:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Glas_1700_%281967%29,_Dutch_licence_registration_AL-90-04_pic1.JPG

PAUL BEAUMONT · Joined: 27 Nov 2007 Posts: 1281 Location: Barnsley S. Yorks

A couple of years back my Jowett shared show space with the only 2 Sheffield Simplexes surviving in the Northern Hemisphere - do they count?

Paul