Voitures Anciennes

[Niftyons]

Mk 4 Ford Executive.

Like driving a warehouse without brakes.

[Hotrodder]

Much like American cars of the same period.

[RobertArthur]

About retro designs, August last year, a New Beetle with a bit of wide-angle perspective distortion, almost a stretch limousine. Compared with the new Mini closer to the original VW Beetle, but not as close as the retro Fiat 500 introduced in 2007. A direct descendent of the original Bambino of the fifties and sixties.

[Hotrodder]

It is a credible effort. Very distinctive style, easily recognised today surrounded by so many clones of random design ( ) so similar you can't tell one from another.

Today's stylists are not up to much.

[RobertArthur]

Missing link: the 2CV new style. From the early eighties the question was: Citroën, can you do better and design and produce something with the same functionality? Finally the answer: the Cactus. Not a retro design. An attempt to bring something simple and functional to the market. The same spirit in modern clothing. So far, so good, a bit special. Now they have been upgrading it, the same mini-SUV, streamline, a hatchback as everybody else has. Infotainment system included, simple switches not allowed. Price goes up of course. A car for the masses? A test ride in Germany.

[DominicBest]

About retro designs, August last year, a New Beetle with a bit of wide-angle perspective distortion, almost a stretch limousine. Compared with the new Mini closer to the original VW Beetle, but not as close as the retro Fiat 500 introduced in 2007. A direct descendent of the original Bambino of the fifties and sixties.

I would say that the ‘new’ Minis were far closer to the original than either the Beetle or 500. The Mini has maintained the transverse water cooled engine format with front wheel drive and clever packaging from the late ‘50s model. Both the VW and FIAT are little more than styling exercises, their rear mounted air cooled engines and rear wheel drive are long gone. Interestingly the first BMW Minis and reborn FIAT 500s we’re built on the same platform.

[Hotrodder]

I fear you have missed the point of "Retro" designs. Its nothing at all to do with technical specs. I don't think that many people who buy them are the least bit interested in what lies beneath the skin. Its about the distinctive styling that is so rare these days. I was hoping after the three we have been discussing appeared on the market there would be a revival of the 2cv as well. Probably one of the most recognisable styles on the planet could have been the basis of a great retro model. Inevitably it wouldn't be an "entry level" product but could have been a contender among the genre displaying the style of the original with sensible mechanical upgrades.

[ajm]

I read somewhere that a UK company is building electric 2cv cars.

[RobertArthur]

@ AJM, the original 2CV, now all electric in the same package:

1/ In the UK.

2/ A modern Italian design, a test ride once again in Germany. The original fourgonnette looks like this.

3/ A Swiss engineer in action as a DIY.

4/ Not electric, a 2 CV four-wheel drive.

5/ No huge batteries, one or two 10 kW. Range from 110 km to 220 km. Summertime or wintertime?

6/ Last but not least, a retrofit available in France. With a touch of DIY: how to protect the extra wiring.

[Hotrodder]

And a custom flatbed, thankfully not electric.

2CVflatbed-vi.jpg

2CVflatbed2-vi.jpg