AutoPuzzles - The Internet's Museum of Rare Cars!
Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2013 => Topic started by: nicanary on October 08, 2013, 04:49:45 PM
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What was this car called, and what is reputed to be its origins?
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The Mormon Meteor?
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The Mormon Meteor?
No. A lot smaller!
(I meant to add last night - welcome Chebby! Nice to see some new faces here, and folks who are willing to try an answer to boot. I hope you stick around - this site can become very addictive).
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Experts ?
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Pros ?
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Is it a rebodied Bugatti?
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Is it a rebodied Bugatti?
No Bugatti connection.
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I'm sure I saw it somewhere...French?
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I'm sure I saw it somewhere...French?
No French connection.
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From Europe?
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From Europe?
Yes. The engine is from one country, and the chassis originated in another, reputedly.
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Looks like it could be a modified 1934 Mercedes Benz W 25?
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Looks like it could be a modified 1934 Mercedes Benz W 25?
I think the builder was trying very hard to recreate that style. But it has nothing to do with Mercedes, and is in fact a lot smaller.
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Does it have a British made chassis?
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Does it have a British made chassis?
Probably not - that's the conundrum! But it does have an essential element which is British.
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A Bristol engine?
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Austin Seven-based?
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Neither Bristol nor Austin connection. This is a quite difficult puzzle, as this car possibly only entered one race, and is not widely covered on the internet. So I'll start giving clues - the engine is from a well-known British make, and was widely-used in sporting cars before and just after WW2.
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Riley engine?
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Riley engine?
Yes! LOCKED for you to find out more.
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I've no idea. I simply thought of who in Britain, other than Bristol, produced a half-decent racing engine immediately pre- and post- WW2.
If the chassis isn't British, is it an Amilcar?
Please unlock as I'm blundering around in thr dark and it wouldn't be fair to someone who does know the answer.
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OK. Unlocked. It's not an Amilcar base. It's a case of knowing which websites are out there - if you can find the right one, it's straightforward!
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was this built in Europe?
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Any relation to Ron "Curly" Dryden?
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was this built in Europe?
Yes. All European components.
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Any relation to Ron "Curly" Dryden?
Not that I am aware of.
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:bump:
There's really no need for this one to sit for months in the Pros before the inevitable BH. We've established that it's powered by a Riley engine, and that it's a special based on an other car. There's a site which will give you all the information you need. Who's going to do that little bit of work to solve this?
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Riley Onslow-Bartlett Special
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Riley Onslow-Bartlett Special
Yes! LOCKED for you for 24 hours to finish the puzzle. Very little is known about the car, but when it first appeared it was claimed that the chassis came from another racing car from before WW2. What was this car?
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It may have started life in 1934 as a supercharged 2-stroke engined racing-car, designed by Swiss-born Dr.Arnold ZOLLER.
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It may have started life in 1934 as a supercharged 2-stroke engined racing-car, designed by Swiss-born Dr.Arnold ZOLLER.
Yes. It had a "did not arrive " at a sprint in 1946, and was observed by none other than Denis Jenkinson at Naish Hillclimb the same year, but there has been no other recorded competition. The Riley 1089cc engine fitted was boosted by a highly-stressed Zoller supercharger, but I have no further information as to why it was supposed to be the pre-war Zoller chassis.
I can only assume that this is what the builder told DSJ. Onslow-Bartlett was well-known as a gentleman amateur driver, taking part in trials and rallies. The Zoller was of similar size and appearance - maybe it was found and "liberated" by British Army personnel at the end of hostilities, and found its way over to the UK. It happened a lot back then in the confusion of post-war life.
Well found. One point.
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The wheel suspensions don't look the same: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=8756.msg267471#msg267471
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The wheel suspensions don't look the same: http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=8756.msg267471#msg267471
Exactly. The very obvious transverse front leaf spring is missing. I am sceptical about the claim - I can't see how it ended up in the possession of Onslow-Bartlett, and why he would re-configure the suspension system. Maybe there was a misunderstanding when he was asked what the car was - the words "based on" can mean two different things.