Topic: Rear Light Mysteries

[Djetset]

Fellow Puzzlers, as some of you may have noticed over the years here, I have a strange fascination with the tail lights used at the rear of cars, especially when they are 'taken/borrowed' from one car to use on another (for example, Fiat 850 Spider tail lights used on early Lamborghini Miuras, Ford Cortina Mark I used on the Howet TX, E21 BMW 3-Series on the MVS Venturi, Hillman Hunter on the Bond Bug, and so on).

It may sound odd, but I am now compiling a publication of car tail lamp use, hopefully set for release later this year, containing thousands of examples. Before this publication can be finalized though, I still have a few outstanding mysteries about which cars used which rear lamps, so I will begin to post these here shortly as I am sure that the huge, combined car expertise gathered here at Auto Puzzles may be able to help solve some of these queries.

Until then, however, to help test the water, does any one know which OE car originally used the tail lights pictures below (this shot taken of an ASA 1000 GT) please? They look like NSU TT lamps, but they don't seem to be, and these small round rear lights were used on many other Italian cars (e.g. Alfa Romeo Giulia SS Bertone, OSCA 1600 S Fissore, Bizzarini 5000 GT, Michelotti Maserati 5000 GT, etc.).  Any ideas will be very much appreciated, and thank you in advance.

I will post some of my other 'mystery' rear lights here shortly, so please stay tuned in.  Thanks again 
 

[Wendax]

Definitely not NSU TT.

[Djetset]

Definitely not NSU TT.

Agreed Wendax, and thank for your reply.  As these tail lights were first used in at least 1959 (on the Bertone 101-Series Alfa SS); before the NSU existed.  The lamps remain a frustrating mystery to me; for the moment at least... ! 

[Djetset]

I'm not sure why this on-going rear tail light mystery research has been moved into the Rookies puzzle section, as it's not meant to be a points-earning 'regular' Puzzle, so I am moving it back to where it began.

Anyway, to continue with these tail lamp mysteries, does anyone recognize what car this lamp unit is taken from please, as added to the back of an American Amore Cimbria SS kit car? All suggestions welcome, and thank you in advance for your help.

[Djetset]

And another tail lamp mystery, this time fitted to an ASL (Autobacs Sportscar Laboratory) Garaiya, but I suspect taken from a more mainstream production car (possibly Mazda?), but which one?

[Djetset]

And the third one for today; the lovely Apollo 3500 GT, which I guess used an Italian rear light unit (??, turned sideways. The question is, from which car originally though?

[Carnut]

The nearest I can see to the Apollo lights are on the PF Ferrari 250 Cabriolet (see below).  There are many upright lights on the rear wings but none quite as close as these.

Are those lights on the ASA the same as the ones on the Allemano Maserati (below?)  Still doesn't tell you where they are from though even if they are the same...

[Djetset]

The nearest I can see to the Apollo lights are on the PF Ferrari 250 Cabriolet (see below).  There are many upright lights on the rear wings but none quite as close as these.

Are those lights on the ASA the same as the ones on the Allemano Maserati (below?)  Still doesn't tell you where they are from though even if they are the same...

Thank you Carnut.  I think you might be right about the PF Ferrari 250 Cabriolet rear lights for the Apollo, as they look the same, just mounted sideways for the latter.  To the best of my knowledge, the Pininfarina-bodied Lancia Appia Coupe was the main source for these lamp units.

[Carnut]

I wonder if those ASA 1000 lights are from a commercial vehicle rather than a car?
They could be off a bus from the second half of the 1950s?

[Delorean]

And another tail lamp mystery, this time fitted to an ASL (Autobacs Sportscar Laboratory) Garaiya, but I suspect taken from a more mainstream production car (possibly Mazda?), but which one?

[Djetset]

Wow, Alfa 147, of course! How did I miss that one    Thanks for solving this one Delorean, it's very much appreciated. More tail lights mysteries to follow shortly...

[Djetset]

Another set of mystery tail lights, on the Ares X-Raid G-wagen.  Logically they will be taken from another Mercedes-Benz model, but I can't find one that matches.  The Ford EcoSport lamps are also similar, but not the same. Any ideas and suggestions very welcome.

Also, I'm not sure why, but this topic seems to have been moved into the Solved section, and I can't seem to move it back into the general area that would seem to be a more logical home for an on-going subject

[Djetset]

And another rear lamp mystery, the Brazilian Aurora 122-C Turbo, in case anyone might know which other car these lights are taken from?

[Otto Puzzell]

Anyway, to continue with these tail lamp mysteries, does anyone recognize what car this lamp unit is taken from please, as added to the back of an American Amore Cimbria SS kit car? All suggestions welcome, and thank you in advance for your help.

Those are from a Pontiac Sunbird, circa 1976-1980

[Djetset]

Perfect, thanks for putting me out of my misery on this one Otto  . More mystery tail lamps to follow soon.

[Djetset]

Another tail light mystery that I'm hoping a wise fellow Puzzler might know the answer to please; what rear lamps did the late 1950s Opperman Unicar Model 'T' use please, as I recognize them, but just can't place them?! Thank you in advance.

[Wendax]

Could be from a 1953 Opel Olympia Rekord:

[Djetset]

Well done Wendax, I think you are right!  That's another crossed off my mystery tail light list; thank you 

[Djetset]

Does anyone have any idea from which car the real lights for the Japanese Griffon Coupe were sourced from please, as below? Thank you.

[Djetset]

Another rare light query for you all. Which main car do you think the tail lamps of the Francis Lombardi FL-1 are taken from please, as they look like they could be taken from at least three different Italian cars of the 1970s? Thank you for your thoughts.

[Djetset]

And another tail light mystery, Any idea which lamps the EVEX 1 used please?

[Carnut]

The ones on the Lombardi FL-1 look like they're from an Alfa S;pider Kamm tail:

[Djetset]

Another tail light frustration for me as my knowledge of mainstream American sedans of the 1970s and 80s simply isn't as good as it should be. So...

Does anyone recognize the source of the rear lamps attached to this Seltzer Willow kit car please? Thank you.

[gte4289]

Another tail light frustration for me as my knowledge of mainstream American sedans of the 1970s and 80s simply isn't as good as it should be. So...

Does anyone recognize the source of the rear lamps attached to this Seltzer Willow kit car please? Thank you.

1973-78 Toyota Corona Sedan. Their design makes the metal trim appear to be more excessive than it really is when viewed from higher angles.

[gte4289]

...does anyone recognize what car this lamp unit is taken from please, as added to the back of an American Amore Cimbria SS kit car? All suggestions welcome, and thank you in advance for your help.

1977-80 Pontiac Sunbird