[Double Mac]

Originally Posted by CyCarConsulting

ID 892
Pedro Serra Dodge....3700 Dodge Boulevard.......How do you dig this stuff up?

Now, that’s a funny question, CCC! Actually, coming from you, it seems almost indecent!

I knew you were gonna nail it though! Time to shed some light on this unique Spanish take on the Mopar craze then.

The Boulevards were essentially Dodge Darts assembled and marketed (as Dodge 3700’s from 1971) by Madrid-based Barreiros Diesel from parts supplied by Chrysler (who weren’t permitted to export complete cars to Spain). The interesting thing is that the renowned Spanish coachbuilder responsible for the 1972-74 project, Pedro Serra – rather than place his fiberglass bodywork on the 3700 chassis – would manufacture his own tubular chassis, while retaining the Dodge’s original drivetrain, suspension, dash, instruments and other interior elements. It is believed that the Boulevard was directly inspired by Michele Liprandi’s LMX Sirex 2300 (which was displayed at the 1970 III International Barcelona Motor Show). Even its outward appearance is remarkably similar although Franco Scaglione’s more rounded and refined LMX design feels definitely more alluring (in a decidedly Italian way) whereas the Boulevard’s raw angularity seems to point to its Dodge roots:






Apparently, between 40 and 50 Boulevards were planned but only 18 were eventually made, of which about 12-14 are still accounted for. More info can be found here.

It might be also worth mentioning that Serra’s first attempt to rebody a Dart was this cute, unique fastback one-off called the Specter (though traditionally referred to as ‘Spectro’) introduced at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1968:

[CyCarConsulting]

And I must add that I've never seen any one of these Spanish creations in the U.S.
However I did see my first Wartburg yesterday at a local car show, so maybe one day.

[CyCarConsulting]

Good MPG or not? What is this econo design?

[Ram]

ID:893 is an AWZ P70 (AWZ stands for Automobilwerk Zwickau).
Predecessor of the Trabant.

A total of 1,500 coupettes were made from 1957 to 1959.

Atypical of microcars, this car had a thermo-siphon water-cooledtwo-cylinder two-stroke 690 cc engine that put out a max. of 22 bhp @ 3500 rpm.

Despite a massive looking radiator mounted at the rear of the engine compartment, there was no engine driven cooling fan.

Like the DKW two-stroke engines, each spark plug had its own ignition coil.
A 32 litre fuel tank shared engine compartment space, with the tiny engine.

The engine drove the front wheels through a three-speed non-synchro transaxle.

The body was put together by bolting plastic fenders and metal bonnet, doors and roof on a wooden box frame.

Braking was by mechanical (non-hydraulic) cable-operated drum brakes.

[FourWheelDrift]

Looks like ID:893 has been posted earlier (ID:517) and was identified

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intern...P70#post940176

[CyCarConsulting]

Some earlier iron of grace and style.............

[vw splitscreen]

Looks very similar to a mid 30s Ford cabriolet maybe 34/35 what a beauty.

[CyCarConsulting]

ID 894

No sir...................................

[wasif]

That car has been rodded and has no place on this thread.

It is an early thirties Ford by the looks of it 32 / 33

[CyCarConsulting]

ID894

No sir. Not a Ford. The exterior is all original, I don't call this an altered Rod.

[Double Mac]

Originally Posted by wasif

That car has been rodded and has no place on this thread.

You don’t know what it is yet you’ve already decided that it’s ineligible for the thread?

The, uhm, hot rod looks very much like a 1935 Terraplane, by the way.

[CyCarConsulting]

No sir, not a Terraplane, however it is a 1935 Hudson convertible, which looks exactly like a Terraplane, so you are correct sir!

[wasif]

Originally Posted by Double Mac

You don’t know what it is yet you’ve already decided that it’s ineligible for the thread?

The, uhm, hot rod looks very much like a 1935 Terraplane, by the way.

LOL...I don't really know the exact model and make but going by the wheels I can say for sure it is rodded and modded which opns up the possibility of the entire bodywork to be subtly altered.

The side louvres ont eh bonnet are typical Ford but the front grille was a bit too wide for Ford.

The mere fact that it is on aftermarket / altered rims disqualifies it from this thread.

[Double Mac]

Originally Posted by wasif

LOL...I don't really know the exact model and make but going by the wheels I can say for sure it is rodded and modded which opns up the possibility of the entire bodywork to be subtly altered.

‘For sure’? Have you actually made an effort to compare the above specimen with other Hudsons of the same vintage? Take a look at this one, for example. Sure, it’s not a convertible, but it has a similar bumper, grille, hood vents, fenders, running boards… and wheels. (Here’s another shot of what I believe is CCC’s original puzzle car which offers a more revealing glimpse of the wheels.)

Oh yeah… and the hood ornament was a dead giveaway.

Originally Posted by wasif

The mere fact that it is on aftermarket / altered rims disqualifies it from this thread.

The LMX Sirex I introduced in this thread (and reposted above for comparison purposes) had what I believe were aftermarket rims but the model was still perfectly recognizable, and I deliberately chose that particular picture because of the quality and the angle. CCC’s recent Hino Contessa entry may have been lowered and modified with custom wheels but the focus was still on the car’s distinctive rear end. Even the ‘convertible’ Paykan posted by rpmx1000 was readily identifiable, as far as I’m concerned.

With regard to CCC’s Vignale-bodied Matra M530, however, I do agree that – as an admitted one-off – it had no place in this thread. Then again, Ram didn’t choose the most fortunate example to illustrate the point because Savonuzzi’s Supersonic design was applied to as many as three XK120’s. Three cars with virtually identical bodywork, that’s definitely not a one-off we’re talking about.

If we exclude coachbuilt editions, we’ll be hastily neglecting something as essential as the Figoni & Falaschi Talbot-Lago T150C (of which 16 were made – each one, apart from the obvious New York / Jeancart distinction, a little different but instantly recognizable nonetheless) or the 5 Touring berlinettas on the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B chassis. By comparison, the ‘production’ Bugatti 57S(C) Atlantic amounted to a mere 4 units.

To sum up the rant, I’ll say that we should, perhaps, be a little less dismissive of examples ‘enhanced’ with some minor modifications (as the poster will often go for what he thinks is the most useful shot) when those modifications do not affect our ability to identify the actual model.

[CyCarConsulting]

To sum up the rant, I’ll say that we should, perhaps, be a little less dismissive of examples ‘enhanced’ with some minor modifications (as the poster will often go for what he thinks is the most useful shot) when those modifications do not affect our ability to identify the actual model

Ah, the most important point of all, put so eloquently