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Just got back from Benidorm and saw a good few interesting cars there, as well as the ubiquitous SEAT 600's, on a dealer's forecourt near the open air market, there's a SEAT 125 and a Citroen AMI, of course I'd left the camera at the hotel!
But I saw a couple of oddities that maybe some of you may be able to shed some light on:-
1) A tin-top 2CV, it had rectangular head lights, so I'm guessing late 70's-early '80's. The steel roof had swage lines in it to match those on the boot-lid, and it all looked 'factory'
2) A 2-door Jetta
3) I know this ain't really retro, but I saw a couple of late-model Land-Rover Defenders, with twin headlights, different taillights and badged as a "Santana".
I also saw a lot of 3-dr Sierras including a couple of XR4's, but these were '92 models (I could tell by the dash) and had Cosworth-type shells. All the Sierra's I saw were completely rust free, including a very early Ghia with top-mount mirrors and the original 3-louvre wheel-trims.
By the way, if any of you are into die-cast models, there's a shop on Avda. Del Mediterraneo that's full of retro stuff, in including 1:18 scale Renault 8 & 12 Gordini's, Peugeot 203, 403 and 504 coupe's
and loads of 1:43 scale stuff as well. Worth checking out if you're out there.
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1953 Minor (Long term project)
PT Cruiser
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Spanish oddities.jettadeluxe
@GUEST
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2-oor Jettas aren't oddities, the continent got Jetta coupes as standard, only us poor UK folks never had them offered to us.
I'd love a 2-door Jetta 1, there are a couple over here that have been imported, a orange one with Ronal Turbos always comes to the local No-Rice meet.
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Ah but although they are new, they are 'retro in design' as the majority are still produced with leafspring/cart spring suspension.
Santana was a factory originally set up by Land Rover in Spain (in 60's I think?) but by the 70's they started to add there own designs/defferences. The firm did go into receivership for a while but seems to be 'ticking over' at present, believe there is still some design/conection rights with Land Rover (who ever it be that own them at present ...Ford is about to sell it off!).
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By the way, if any of you are into die-cast models, there's a shop on Avda. Del Mediterraneo that's full of retro stuff, in including 1:18 scale Renault 8 & 12 Gordini's, Peugeot 203, 403 and 504 coupe's and loads of 1:43 scale stuff as well. Worth checking out if you're out there. Wish we could get these over here! I've also seen 1:18 Citroen SMs and numerous Panhards on ebay.fr but they're not imported to the UK. I've been told it's because the quality can be patchy (eg one type is great but another isn't) so I don't want to buy one unseen  |
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K5
Part of things
Drives Vauxhall Ampera and Kadett E GT and sometimes camp out in our 1988 Classic Hymer
Posts: 579
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Aug 22, 2006 18:48:40 GMT
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I´m out on the Costa Daurada as well, i regulary see all sorts although not as many as a few years ago. The ones that are left have hardly any rust at all. Lots of Miafiori´s Renault 18,s Simcas, Seat 600, s etc and in one of my own father in laws garages a poor little Seat 850 Coupe choking under the weight of all that is stacked up on top of it. You cannot get inside it for boxes and when you first walk in the garage it´s a case of what car? I would imagine that if it is pulled out it could be re stored quite easily, the roof would need some work though due to the weight of all that is on top crushing down on it. I asked him if i could drag it out and restore it everytime i am over here but he said no! He is a hoarder! Very sad sight to see. I took some pics on my mobile as no camera due to airport security being tight when we came out. I will see if i can get them up when i get back. |
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Retro Classic cars and parts found, bought and sold from Catalunya. PM me for more details.
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Aug 22, 2006 20:12:51 GMT
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The Santana company now has a licence to remanufacture the early Suzuki Vitara. The Land Rover model, I think, runs on Ford Diesels. The Santana LR actually looks meaner and tougher than the genuine article............and cheaper. Although rot isnt that great a problem here, dents and general bodywork damage is. The standard of driving here is horrific,the average Spanish driver is a complete cretin. Not too many classics on show over here, quite a few Chaved cars, not much else. The ones we consider to be oddities are actually quite logical. Why didnt Fiat sell a four door version of the 127 in the UK if Seat could sell its version in Spain? Although there is probably a lot more Retro tin on the mainland, expect most to be shagged out. The MOT ( ITV) over here isnt as stringent as in the UK and an awful lot of cars don't have them and the drivers no driving licences. They have recently introduced the points system here, to mirror the UK, and drivers are getting hit with penalty points like its going out of fashion. The Government is making a bloody fortune. Wont stop them driving like c***ts though.......  |
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If Typhoo put the Tea in Britain who put the c**t in Scunthorpe?
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Odin
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,406
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Aug 22, 2006 21:18:51 GMT
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Santana were given a licence in the mid 50s to build Land Rovers. I'm not sure but I think it's either really long or perpetual. Since then they've kinda developed on their own. I read somewhere a while ago that they were being trialled by the British Army as cheaper substitutes for Land Rovers.....I don't think Land Rover would be too happy about that.  |
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I forgot to mention the immaculate SEAT 131 Supermirafiori I saw as well.
Yes spanish drivers are something else. I think that the bumper-cars is a compulsory part of their driver training.
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1953 Minor (Long term project)
PT Cruiser
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Santana`s have been available for sale in the UK for a couple of years now and have become quite popular mainly due to the fact that they are a lot cheaper than an equivalent land rover model, admittedly they are better compared to a 15 year old land rover rather than a new defender.
I gather they have passed the first stage of trials for the MODand one of the reasons they were trialled in the first place is because the MOD will not buy TD5 engined land rovers as they are too complicated to repair in the field and they cannot be run on anything other than good quality diesel. So they couldnt be run on veggie oil , kerosene etc.. if the need arose.
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And the fact that some of the military comunication systems/Radio's/transmitters when fitted in the vehcile were scrambling the Engine management systems to the extent of imobilising the vehicle!
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K5
Part of things
Drives Vauxhall Ampera and Kadett E GT and sometimes camp out in our 1988 Classic Hymer
Posts: 579
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Aug 24, 2006 10:07:33 GMT
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Bit stupid of Land rover not to hold something in reserve for one of their biggest customers!
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Retro Classic cars and parts found, bought and sold from Catalunya. PM me for more details.
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