Reader mail: 1967 Daimler DR450 needs to be saved.

Almost a year ago we featured a Daimler DR450 that was for sale in North Salt Lake. The car is gone and we figured it was probably the first and last one we’d ever run across. With only 864 cars made, they’re not exactly a common find.

A few days ago we got an email from a man in Indiana saying he had found another DR450. It’s a 1967 and he told us it looked to be in better shape than the one we found in Utah. Here are the pictures that he sent us:

The body doesn’t look too fresh but the man reassures us that it looks better in person than it does in photos and that the rust on it is merely surface rust. The photos confirm that; the only perforation on the car is limited to two small holes on each rocker panel.

Unlike the North Salt Lake car we found this one appears to be fairly complete. The car even still has its original V8 engine and it apparently runs! The glass is all there, most of the trim is there, it even still wears its British-issue license plates. Complete is only half the story, though: most if not all of it will need to be refurbished, but it's the perfect base for a complete restoration.

If anyone is interested in saving this rare piece of British automotive history, please contact us and we will send you the rest of the photos and get you in touch with the owner. And if you know of an interesting car that needs to be saved from a trip to the crusher, send us some photos and its story and we'll try to find it a new home.

Developing the death-proof car.

As a result of rising death rates in auto crashes, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched the Experimental Safety Vehicle program in 1970. The program was intended as a way for various automakers to learn more about both passive and active safety in cars and apply that knowledge to production cars in the next ten or so years.

It consisted of building prototypes that met certain requirements: they had to keep passengers alive in a 50mph crash into a solid barrier, withstand side impacts at 30mph, protect the car’s occupants in a 75mph rear end collision, and survive two complete rollovers at 60-70mph.

Some of the guidelines revolved around handling so manufacturers couldn’t simply turn an economy sedan into an armored tank that destroyed everything in its way. The prototypes had to stop from 60mph within 155 feet on a dry road, accelerate from 30 to 70mph in less than 12 seconds with a 60% load and make an abrupt 180 degree turn at 70mph without rolling over.

The test cars were organized by weight classes: 1500 pounds, 2000 pounds, 2500 pounds and 4000 pounds. Part of the guidelines was, of course, that the cars actually respect the weight limit in each class, something most of the participating manufacturers had a hard time doing given the extra equipment they bolted on to each car.

These prototypes were remarkable in both the effort and resources put forth to develop and build them but also in the far-fetched ideas that some manufacturers came up with in order to supposedly make a car safer. Popular Mechanics hit the nail on the head when in June of 1972 they observed that “the world may never want to place an ESV in production, but we sure want the answers the cars can give us.”

We picked a few ESV prototypes to take a look at but it’s far from an exhaustive list. Looking at all of them would take ages; lots of manufacturers took part in the program including Opel, Renault, GM and Nissan.

American Machine & Foundry AMF 2

AMF has manufactured a vast variety of products: bicycles, tennis rackets, golf clubs, snowmobiles and even Harley Davidson motorcycles, just to name a few. Conspicuously absent from that list are cars, but they gave the ESV program a shot anyways. Their prototype was part of the 4000 pound category but weighed a whopping 5,791 pounds. It had a steel body with aluminum bumpers that had a thirty inch (!) travel. Rear visibility was assured by a submarine-like periscope, visible on the roof.

Like many other ESV prototypes it had airbags to protect the occupants and AMF took it further by adding automatic fire extinguishers. It is remembered as one of the best ESVs built by an American company.

Fiat ESV 1500

Fiat’s ESV for the 1500 pound category was one of the three the company built in the early 1970s. The other two were in the 2000 pound and 2500 pound category, respectively.

To develop the 1500 pound ESV Fiat used crash test data from the 500. The prototype uses a 500 running gear with a slightly bigger engine to counter the added weight, though the use of 126 parts is noticeable as well. This one met most DOT requirements for its weight class including fire protection, safe driving in foggy weather and pedestrian safety. The requirement it didn’t meet was the weight – it weighed a little over 1700 pounds in a weight class limited to 1500 pounds.

Ford ESV

Unlike a lot of other ESVs Ford’s prototype was based entirely on an existing production car, the LTD. Compared to the car found on dealer lots, the LTD ESV had a longer hood and a shorter trunk. Like the AMF above it was part of the 4000 pound category and also like the AMF, it weighed considerably more: the Ford tipped the scales at almost 5,300 pounds.

Compared to a stock LTD the brakes and suspension were modified to comply with the DOT’s handling requirements, including the addition of an ABS system that acted only on two wheels. The bumpers were hydraulically retractable to withstand a 10mph crash.

Both Ford and GM charged the government $1 for the development of their ESVs.

Honda ESV

Honda’s ESV was not an ESV in the true sense of the term. Instead they tried to build a mass-produced car to ESV standards, the same path that Ford followed. Ford did much better than Honda but they were starting with a bigger and heavier car; Honda was starting with a Civic. Honda strengthened the Civic’s body all around, including the door pillars to increase protection in a rollover. The engine was the same 55hp unit found in the production car.

Because of miscellaneous setbacks revolving around the Civic’s tiny size, the prototype took a year longer to complete than the other ESVs.

Mercedes-Benz ESF 22

Mercedes was very active in the ESV program: the ESF 22 was their third prototype after the ESF 5 in September of 1971 and the ESF 13 in 1972. First two prototypes were based on a w114 250 sedan but the ESF 22 was based on the w116 450 SE.

The ESF 22 used ABS brakes all around and experimented with airbags. Although the ESF 22’s long hood kept occupants alive even in the event of a 40mph crash against a solid structure, Mercedes’ prototypes did not comply with all of the DOT-mandated requirements in the program. Mercedes built a fourth and final one, the ESF 24, and called it quits.

MG SSV 1

This was another small car entry. MG started with a B GT body and added equipment such as a heads up display for the speedometer, airbags, big rubber bumpers and a self leveling suspension that would be later outlawed by DOT.

MG drunk driver-proofed the car by having a little colorful sequence show up on a screen when the key was inserted. Before the car would start, the driver would have to reproduce the sequence. The driver had three tries; if by the third the correct sequence had not been entered, the car would be impossible to start for an hour. The idea was that if someone was drunk enough, they wouldn’t be able to reproduce the sequence in the right order.

One of the few features from the SSV 1 to make it on a production MG are the huge rubber bumpers, though certain MG owners have reported seeing a sequence of flashing lights on the dash followed by their car not starting.

Toyota ESV

Toyota took a smaller approach to the ESV prototype: they developed a 2500 pound two-seater coupe. It was powered by a 1700cc mated to an automatic transmission, seen as safer than a manual transmission since it was run by a computer and not a human.

The prototype was packed full of electronics, including a system that adjusted the brightness of the headlight based on the car’s speed. The car also had radars to scope out the road ahead for obstacles. If one was found too close and the radar judged that a collision was unavoidable, it would send a signal to deploy the “gasbags”. The car also used what Toyota called failure warning board, a sort of on-board computer that monitored brake fluid level, engine oil level, etc.

Volkswagen ESVW-I

Staying true to Volkswagen tradition, their ESV had a 1700cc rear-mounted air-cooled engine. It developed 100 hp and was fully compliant with U.S. emissions.

Interestingly enough Volkswagen opted not to use airbags. Instead, they had seatbelts that automatically restrained passengers in the event of a crash thanks to gas-fired pistons. The car was equipped with what Volkswagen called a “silent co-pilot” system that calculated how much crosswind was hitting the car and from what side and electronically compensated the steering for it.

On the outside the bumpers didn’t stick out near as much as other prototypes and period Volkswagen literature bragged that their ESV had a “nearly normal” appearance, as opposed to other cars in the program.

Volkswagen built a second ESV in 1974, the ESVW – II, based on a first generation Golf/Rabbit. They exited the program soon after because they realized that the safety features would be too costly to implement in a production car.

Volvo VESC

Volvo has always been a leader in auto safety so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they started developing the VESC in 1969, a full year before the DOT started the ESV program. With that said it was not developed with any of the program guidelines in mind but excelled anyways. It weighed a few pounds shy of 3,200 pounds.

The bumper had a seven inch travel distance to absorb shock and the engine was designed to get pushed under the floor in the event of a front collision, something Mercedes introduced on their W168 A-Class in 1997. To effectively stop the car ABS was fitted on all four wheels. On the inside, occupants were protected by both front and rear airbags.

Great Automotive Failures: Triumph TR7 & TR8

The classic British roadster conjures many stereotyped thoughts in the minds of automotive aficionados. Think for a moment of a cool Clint Eastwood motoring around Carmel in his Jaguar XK-150 in "Play Misty For Me." On the other hand, there are those who would point out that you probably would never see Clint bent under the open hood of an MGB trying to determine why the headlights didn't work or where all the crankcase oil went.
That aside, these cars have a significant following. Affordability, classical styling, simplicity, and sheer fun propelled the market for literally millions of units from the likes of MG, Austin-Healey, and Triumph.
Of the less-expensive brands of British cars, Triumph certainly made some of the greats. The Spitfire, and TR series were serious competition for the UK's own brands (prior to industry unification, of course), Fiat, Alfa-Romeo, etc.
Looking back, the TR2 and TR3 really got the Triumph name to stand out in the all-important US / North American market. Michelotti-designed TR4, TR6, and Spitfire gave the brand an nice Italian flair, while the Triumph straight-six engine gave the "bigger" models a lot of power for the price.
Naturally, the curse of British-Leyland and poor build quality mounted throughout the 1970s. The Spitfire and TR6 were decidedly "old-school" in production methods and amidst a rapidly developing industry were quite dated by the later part of the '70s. The Spitfire was the cheaper and smaller model, and continued to sell well enough to remain in production for 18 years until 1980. The "range-topper" TR-6 was to be replaced, however.

The all-new Triumph TR7, introduced in 1975 was advertised as "the shape of things to come" with distinctly '70s wedge-shaped styling and pop-up headlights. It even featured (gasp!) unibody construction. This was to be the Golden Boy - the savior of the marque that would bring Triumph back to its former glory. That was the idea anyway...
Until the TR7's debut, the TR series was always made up of convertibles. Many manufacturers were fearful that United States legislation would ban convertibles from its highways. While Triumph's own Stag, for example, maintained a rag-top, it incorporated a roll-bar structure to get around this potential problem. Porsche, meanwhile, went so far as to introduce the famous Targa cars. The TR7, unfortunately, rolled off the production line for the first four years of its life as a coupe only.

Whereas the TR7's predecessor was driven by Triumph's straight 6, a rather bland 2.0L inline four powered the new car (the same one found in early Saab 99s). Performance was lacking at best. The reasons for this engine choice, of course, being emissions and fuel economy. Furthermore, as many cars were being fitted with 5-speed gearboxes by this time, Triumph stuck with a 4-speed initially. Eventually a 5-speed would be offered, along with a 3-speed automatic. Acceleration from 0-60 could eventually achieved in a little over 10 seconds and top speed short of 110mph.

Quality control was a bit of a mythological thing to British Leyland by this point, and the TR7 was down-right devoid of it. Particularly horrid examples were built in the infamous Speke factory before it was shut down. If the TR7's "modern" shape failed to bring the Triumph name back to notoriety, the appalling lack of reliability did its best.
To boost appeal, particularly to Americans, the venerable Rover V8 was fitted to the chassis, thus producing the TR8 in 1978. The Buick designed 3.5 L engine significantly improved performance and was probably the most reliable part of the revised car. Naturally weight increased with the larger powerplant, and as a result, the underwhelming brakes of the TR7 were upgraded.

The fear of anti-convertible laws subsided enough (and sales suffered enough) that Triumph finally released a roadster version of the TR7 & TR8. Most of the (relatively few 2,800 or-so) TR8s were of the "drophead coupe" convertible variety. Most TR7s were coupes, though about 28,800 roadsters were built - roughly a quarter of total production.

By 1981, the "shape of things to come" was the shape of things gone awry and away.  Production of the TR7 and TR8 ended after the money-hemorrhaging company could no longer viably produce the car. Even Leyland's typical "pretty girl" advertising couldn't save it. It was the last roadster to carry the Triumph name, and the last car the company would design themselves. The brand's long history of building cars since 1923 was over when the re-badged Honda known as the Triumph Acclaim halted sales in 1984.

*RWP takes no credit for images.

Daimler DR450.

The city of North Salt Lake has been mentioned previously on Ran When Parked. A November 13^th, 2007, article defines the city as “a mildly depressing place dotted with refineries, factories and construction businesses.” Unfortunately things have not improved since, one could even argue the opposite. However, the city has again given us a rare find: a Daimler DR450.

The Daimler DR450 came out in 1961 and was essentially a much longer and much heavier limousine version of the Majestic Major sedan introduced in 1959. Its name hints at the 4561cc V8 with hemispherical cylinder heads that lurks under the hood. The engine was carried over from the Majestic Major mated to an automatic transmission.

The Majestic Major was a fairly luxurious car but the DR450 took it to new heights. It had all the equipment one would expect from a limousine including a glass separation between front and rear compartments, a middle row of jump seats and a back seat bigger than your average sofa. Wood paneling was standard all around and the dash included a complete set of gauges.

To simply state that this car is big would be an immense understatement. This car dwarfs a w126-series Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Let’s put it into perspective: a w126 560SEL (the long wheelbase model, mind you) is 203 inches (5160mm) long and weighs 3,980 pounds (1,805 kgs). The DR450 is 226 inches (5740mm) long and weighs a hefty 4,650 pounds (2,109 kgs). Despite its weight the V8 managed to quietly and comfortably propel the car to a top speed of over 110 miles per hour.

Production ended in 1968 after 864 cars came out of the Coventry factory. It was replaced by the Jaguar-based DS420 limousine.

The car photographed above and below is for sale. We have no relation to the seller, it merely caught our attention on the side of the road in rush hour traffic. It's missing the engine, the transmission, the bumpers, the rear bench seat, two gauges and a title, though applying for one would be a quick and painless process in Utah. It has some rust but it just came out of a storage unit so it doesn't have the cancer that a car sitting outside would have. The seller is not clear on what year the car is. Contact us if you are interested and we will give you the phone number that is written on the car.

Race Oddity: Lotus 56 "turbine car"

Turbine powered automobiles have been tried and tested many times as a replacement to the conventional piston engine. Essentially a jet-engine mated to a mechanical drive shaft, turbines allow a vast power curve and relative simplicity. The idea became gained popularity in the late 1950's "Jet Age" and was experimented with heavily by Chrysler in particular. They proved rather impractical on street cars though for various reasons like extreme heat, noise, and high fuel consumption. Even Rover took the technology to LeMans in 1963 with Graham Hill and Richie Ginther, but that of course is another story.

Andy Granatelli's STP-Paxton turbine-powered special came close to winning the 1967 "500" at the hands of Parnelli Jones before dropping out 10 laps from the finish due to a bearing failure in it's unique 1-speed drivetrain. The turbine's wide operating speed range meant changing ratios was unnecessary, but power was sent to the ground with a bespoke Ferguson (as in Massy-Ferguson tractors) four-wheel-drive system. Though it didn't win, Granatelli was sold on the potential of the formula.

(The STP-Paxton chassis and engine)

The next year, Lotus joined STP's efforts with their vast racing expertise and built on Granatelli's idea. This project became known as the Lotus 56. As if the 500+ horsepower Pratt & Whitney turbine (designed for helicopters) wasn't radical or innovative enough, designer Maurice Philippe clothed the car in an unusual new aerodynamic "wedge" shape. Unlike the 56's predecessor, which placed the driver beside the engine, the Lotus had its turbine was mounted in the center behind the driver, which allowed for a completely symmetrical and balanced chassis. Perhaps even early in development, Lotus had plans for the four-wheel-drive car on tracks that were not just ovals. In any case, it seemed like a very promising package and STP's Granatelli was eager for his team to have a victory at Indy.

(Granatelli and his 1967 effort with Chapman, Clark, and the Lotus)

Initially, Chapman intended to have his best F1 drivers and Indy veterans drive the new machine - Jim Clark and turbine veteran Graham Hill. Tragically, Clark was killed early in 1968 in a Formula 2 crash before the Indianapolis event. Chapman then asked Mike Spence to step in, though he too died at the wheel. During practice for the "500" he struck the wall in one of the 56s and was hit in the head with the right front tire. Former motorcycle racer Joe Leonard replaced him and went on to capture the pole, his teammate Hill qualified in second, and relative newcomer Art Pollard took 11th in a third car.

(Spence's fatal crash in the Lotus 56)

When race day came, Hill's car was the first to bow out, losing a wheel at lap 110 and crashing into Turn 2. Leonard was passed after 31 laps of the race, however, he regained 1st after leader Bobby Unser had problems with his car's transmission. At a re-start after the final caution flag, both Lotus 56s suffered from snapped fuel pump shafts and were forced out of the running. Victory once again eluded the STP turbine-car effort in spite of so much promise. To make matters worse, USAC (Indy's governing organization at the time) banned turbine-power as well as four-wheel-drive.

(David Walker in 1971 at the wheel of a 56B - note addition of wings)

Back overseas, Chapman was still trying to get his money's worth. A modified version of the 56 (the 56B) was casually tried in Formula One during the 1971 season. The "B" would only compete in three F1 races where it proved heavy, unreliable, and overly complex. The car looked like a contender in the Dutch Grand Prix where wet-weather allowed the FWD system to come into its own, however driver Dave Walker went off-track and didn't finish. At Silverstone suspension failure put the car out, and finally Emerson Fittipaldi could only manage 8th at the Italian Grand Prix.

(Fittipaldi in Italy with later livery - front wings removed for this high-speed track)

The 56's career was finally over. Lotus had already carried-over the "wedge" design to the very successful 72 F1 car, but turbines whirred away into the history books.

Some "American" cars.

Many so-called "American" cars have been made over the years that just weren't American at all. Most have been re-badged offerings from Toyota, Mitsubishi, Daewoo, Kia, or Hyundai. Rarer though, are the ones that source their heritage to Europe. So, let's have a look at a couple of these European-American automobiles (in no particular order):

Hudson / Nash Metropolitan (1953-1961)

aka
Austin Metropolitan

Nash-Kelvinator saw the American desire for smaller cars -particularly marketable towards women - beginning to make an appearance. With the introduction of the VW Beetle to the US market, they didn't want the Yankees to be left out. They embarked on a plan for a small and inexpensive personal car. Nash decided that building such a vehicle from scratch wasn't going to be cost effective and eventually teamed up with Austin-BMC of England to do the work. The car would be manufactured there using a variety of Austin bits, including the B-series 1.2 and later 1.5 liter engines. Several exterior variations occured through the years, though essentially they maintained the "Nash" family look. Though produced in the UK, less than 2,000 of the nearly 10,000 Metropolitans were sold there, and only the earlier models carried an "Austin" badge. Though sales were not bad, Nash ended production of the car due to internal competition from the AMC Rambler, which was significantly larger and not much more expensive than it's diminutive English cousin.

Plymouth Cricket (1971-1973)

aka
Hillman Avenger

Back in the days when Chrysler was actually buying-out companies rather than trying to stay alive, they acquired the Rootes Group of England. During that time, the Hillman Avenger saloon and estate was developed and sold under a variety of names throughout the world. Notably, even as a Volkswagen 1500 in Argentina.
The English market looked upon the Avenger favorably and so, in 1971 it found its way to American shores badged as the Plymouth Cricket. Conveniently, being of Anglican decent, it used SAE fasteners and the 'Coke bottle' styling fit with the rest of the Plymouth range. Unfortunately, it was also rather unreliable, underpowered  (70 hp from the 1.5L engine) for American tastes, and had a tendency to rust rather badly. By 1973 Chrysler gave up on the Cricket and the final model year was simply to dump the remaining stock.

Dodge Omni / Plymouth Horizon (1978 - 1990)

aka
Chrysler Sunbeam / Simca Horizon / Talbot Horizon

Known internally as the "C2", the Simca division of Chrysler Europe somewhat unwittingly produced a true "World-Car". The 1977 launch of the Chrysler Sunbeam and Simca / Talbot Horizon from Chrysler Europe came at a time when the American counterpart was facing real trouble as a result of the fuel crisis. The decision was made to bring the new design Stateside. The US cars were in fact American built, but little about this car was American at all. The European versions utilized Simca sourced drive-trains, whereas in North America, a Volkswagen manual transmission and 1.7 liter engine was used initially though they sported a Chrysler-designed head (complete with traditional Mopar valve clatter). The VW engine was used until 1983 and was then replaced with a 1.6 liter Peugeot/Simca unit. Eventually the "L-body" American versions would see a variety of engines including a two turbocharged units from Chrysler itself - some Shelby versions even! The American cars also utilized different suspensions - A pity considering Europe got a Lotus-tuned version of the Talbot. Chrysler Europe was sold to Peugeot for $1.00 in 1978 amidst horrible monetary hemorrhaging - the same year the car began to roll off US production lines.  The Franco-American hatchback met its demise in 1990, four years after the PSA group allowed the sun to set on the Horizon overseas.

Pontiac LeMans (1987-1993)

aka
Opel Kadett E / Daewoo LeMans / Vauxhall Astra MkII

Opel Kadetts have been a major seller throughout Europe for decades as an affordable economy car. Beginning with the "D" variant, the Kadett became front-wheel-drive. The "E" variant continued using the "T-Platform" of the "D" but with updated aerodynamic fast-back styling. At best, this, the last of the Kadett evolution, was "crappy". Nevertheless, GM never lost an opportunity to make an easy buck and the rights were sold to Daewoo of South Korea. At the same time the decision was made to have Daewoo produce the Kadett for the North American market under the rather presumptuous "LeMans" badge. A sedan was also made with a 2.0 engine and a wheezing 96 hp. The end result was perhaps one of the General's worst offerings to date. The horrid build quality killed the car even in it's "home" Korean and German markets and it provided a less than stellar book-end to the Pontiac LeMans series of performance cars.

Cadillac Catera (1997-2001)

aka
Opel Omega B

The "Caddy that zigs" was more like the "Caddy that gags". Intending to appeal to a more youthful market with the Cadillac brand, the Catera promised performance and handling like that of a European sport-sedan. Well, they were almost there when they chose the Opel Omega sedan as the basis. Though "sporty" is up for considerable debate. The car was rather 'lame' in terms of excitement and just down-right bad in terms of quality. Numerous issues plagued the German built Cadillac from unacceptable tire wear due to suspension settings to complete failures of its L81 V6 (a unit which would plague numerous GM-built Saab models as well). Not to mention the fact that the car's "styling" was more like a gaudy patterned polo shirt than the cheap suits of other Cadillacs from the era. In 2001, poor sales led to the Catera's death and it was the final guise of the Omega B to be offered after European sales ended in 1999.

We could of course go on to discuss more; the most recent Pontiac GTO, the Saturn Aura and Astra, and even the latest Chevrolet Malibu. But then really, havn't we all heard enough about GM lately? It of course will also be interesting to see what Fiats make it here in the coming years via Chrysler's lineup. Ford is of course absent here, as they have long had a significant European presence. While occasionally some make it here, I think it's safe to say the Focus, Cortina, old Xr4ti's, and so-on need not be grouped with the above examples.

Great Automotive Failures: Caterham 21

The Lotus 7 has long been a living legend in the sports car world. Since its debut in 1957, Colin Chapman's diminutive roadster has been one of the gold-standards by which automotive agility and sheer driving pleasure is judged against. By 1973, Lotus sold off the rights to manufacture the design to their primary distributor, Caterham. They continued the manufacture and sale of the 7 (in the most desirable form of the Series 3) with only minor changes and improvements. In 1994, however, Caterham decided to embark on a new project - the 21. The 21 was based around the chassis and drive-train of the 7, but it featured a new, curvaceous, fully enclosed body.

The shape was penned by Iain Robertson and designed to use existing lights and other miscellaneous parts where possible. The headlights were from a Suzuki Cappuccino, the taillights from a Ford Mondeo, the steering column from a Vauxhall and door handles from an Opel. Much of the design work was done using a full-scale foam mock-up to ensure a fluid design around these bits. Inside the car featured leather seats and a sculpted dash, though still quite austire in terms of ammenities.


The first prototype hit the car show circuit clothed in a polished aluminum body. Initially, Caterham planned to offer the car in both alloy or fiberglass, though only fiberglass models saw production.


The car was powered by either the venerable 1.6L Rover K-series engine or the 1.8 Vauxhall unit, both of which could be found in the 7 model. The transmission was also, predictably, the same Ford sourced 5-speed as the 7. Despite the extra bodywork, the 21 still weighed less than 1,500 lbs.
Unfortunately, the 21 wasn't as well received as enthusiastically as it was conceived. Only 48 were built before the plug was pulled on the project. It was still considered expensive, and despite the effort, perhaps it just lacked the character of its Lotus designed predecessor.