Solved THOR #109: Mini Bug by Barrian Cars

thorax · February 20, 2015, 07:21:04 PM

name and country for one point

iani · February 21, 2015, 02:07:05 PM

Stimson mini bug, early 70s. Think they were made in the south of England.

thorax · February 21, 2015, 06:31:13 PM

not the name I have

iani · February 22, 2015, 09:10:53 AM

Later built under licence as Barclay in Holland, only a few though.

thorax · February 22, 2015, 01:17:24 PM

sorry but not the name I have: this one is not built in Nederlands

iani · February 24, 2015, 08:06:31 PM

The moulds for these are still going apparently!
Design developments made them from 1970-71, before selling them on to concentrate on the safari 6.
Do you have it as a Barrian, from 1971-3?

thorax · February 25, 2015, 10:14:46 AM

the name I have: one point for you!

Wendax · February 25, 2015, 12:40:26 PM

Could you please add the solution to the header?

iani · February 25, 2015, 09:07:39 PM

After a bit of ferreting around the recesses of the interweb, and my car mag collection, it's the stimson mini bug 2 prototype (the rear 'spoiler' is different from the mk1's optional roll hoop.)

The woman is Liz Smith, the wife of Stimson's business partner Ian Smith who drove the prototype to Monaco where journalist David Benson took it over for a report, and then crashed it before Jackie Stewart had a chance to drive it around the GP circuit!

The moulds have passed through at least 6 businesses' hands, and are mostly still extant, however that particular car was written off in May 1970 before the moulds (and presumably chassis jigs) passed on to barrian, fauchan, nouveau, evans, minimotors and others (Dutch, Swiss) got their hands on the moulds or copies!

Carnut · February 26, 2015, 04:19:03 AM

Thanks for that iani.
So that would make it not a Barrian then, in which case the heading should be changed.

But since it's a Mk 2 that would make it not a re-post of either of these:!

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=6401.msg44587#msg44587

http://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/index.php?topic=10841.msg87543#msg87543

thorax · February 26, 2015, 08:52:12 AM

I've this advertise:

Carnut · February 26, 2015, 09:17:48 AM

So it must be a case of using a picture of the Stimson to advertise a car they had the moulds for and intended to sell as the Barrian when they made some..
So technically the picture is probably not of a car made by Barrian?

News:

Solved THOR #109: Mini Bug by Barrian Cars