Mystery Car!

Jim Brennan

/comment

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Welcome to another special edition of Mystery Car. This time, I decided to revisit the tip I received from FacelVega on the Jidé 1600s Mystery Car Posting. To recap, this is what he stated within his e-mail:

Hey hoon editors. My brother suggests a car for the mystery car series, a Jidé 1600s. In other news, he’s trying to get me to import a …………………, which is obscure enough as it is.

This is the vehicle he is trying to import.
So, let’s see if the Hoons here can identify this very obscure vehicle. No, I will not be giving any hints. The picture is a big enough hint. Remember, try and identify the make and model, and possibly the year. Make me proud…

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Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

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  1. smokyburnout Avatar
    smokyburnout

    I don't know what that is, but when I did an image search for "french jeep" (What? Why are you looking at me like that?) I found this seemingly unembeddable image: http://picasaweb.google.com/m/zoom?uname=HarryEve…

    Reply
  2. Syrax Avatar
    Syrax

    That car reeks of communism.

    Reply
    1. Syrax Avatar
      Syrax

      I keep seeing Iveco Massif but that's just a licensed Defender.
      <img src="http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z241/expeditioncampers/massif-5.jpg"/&gt;

      Reply
    2. smokyburnout Avatar
      smokyburnout

      I associate blinkers over the headlights with Lada, but it's clearly not an XXL version of the Niva pickup.
      <img src="http://www.simoncars.co.uk/russian/soviet/slides/Lada%20Niva%202329%20Pickup%20side.jpg&quot; width="600" />

      Reply
      1. dwegmull Avatar
        dwegmull

        If I remember correctly, Italy requires blinkers on the front fenders. By the way, was the Niva pickup ever sold outside Russia? Growing up in France there were quite a few "regular" Nivas but no pick ups.

        Reply
        1. smokyburnout Avatar
          smokyburnout

          An importer was working on bringing the Niva pickup to the UK just last year, but he's having enough trouble selling the hatchbacks. http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2010/07/18/122285/L…

          Reply
          1. Jim-Bob Avatar
            Jim-Bob

            That almost makes me want to move to the UK! The Niva is everything you need in a small SUV and nothing you don't. Plus, it's a bit more luxurious than my current car.

          2. smokyburnout Avatar
            smokyburnout

            It's also James May approved! http://www.ladaniva.co.uk/topgear.pdf
            I was going to say, "If only it didn't cost $16,000," but what else can do all of that for $16k new?

        2. Maxichamp Avatar
          Maxichamp

          There was a Niva pickup featured on Just A Car Geek recently. It was in Canada.

          Reply
  3. dwegmull Avatar
    dwegmull

    Maybe an Iveco Massif. http://www.spazioauto.it/scheda-auto.asp?id=ga-18…

    Reply
  4. muthalovin Avatar
    muthalovin

    Wow, I am astounded. Jim, you need to do the Mystery Car more often. I Googled every combo of 'france' 'H1' and 'obscure', yet alas, I am left with the first result I found for "French NSX"
    <img src="http://kyushu-danji.com/img/hannita_nsx.jpg&quot; width=500>

    Reply
    1. muthalovin Avatar
      muthalovin

      Surprisingly not as dirty as I would have thought. Damn Google filters.

      Reply
      1. swk Avatar
        swk

        fu-chi?

        Reply
  5. Slow Joe Crow Avatar
    Slow Joe Crow

    My best guess is a UMM Alter III since the nose is higher than an Alter II and the doors are more elaborate, unfortunately I can't find a good picture.

    Reply
  6. RWB Avatar
    RWB

    That's just a Mercedes, isn't it.

    Reply
  7. citroen67 Avatar
    citroen67

    Whatever it is…I would love to own one. It looks like one tough bitch!

    Reply
  8. Max Avatar
    Max

    Santana PS-10?

    Reply
  9. Maxichamp Avatar
    Maxichamp

    Canyon-ero!

    Reply
  10. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    Peugeot P4 version of the M-B G-Wagen?

    Reply
  11. facelvega Avatar
    facelvega

    My brother lives abroad, which is what stuck this thought in his mind, but not in a French-speaking country– don't get thrown just because I called myself Facel Vega. I just didn't want people to think Gordon Keeble was my actual name, and somehow Iso Rivolta didn't have the right ring to it either.

    Reply
  12. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    This is the French answer to the Defender … the Surrender.

    Reply
    1. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
      BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ

      Hahahahahahaha…

      Reply
    2. citroen67 Avatar
      citroen67

      I wish that I could "thumbs up" that comment about seventy-five more times! That was too G.D. funny!!!

      Reply
    3. P161911 Avatar
      P161911

      2 forward speeds and 4 reverse speeds.

      Reply
  13. Manic_King Avatar
    Manic_King

    ARO? No
    Portaro FMAT 250? No
    Renault Sherpa? No
    Iveco something? No
    VEPR, Ukrainian 4×4 Vitali Klitschko bought? No.
    Do I got dice? No
    But I did found this:
    <img src="http://listphobia.com/wp-content/uploads/shoecar.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
    1. Manic_King Avatar
      Manic_King

      <img src="http://www.lr-mad.co.uk/images/LR/jaclr.jpg"&gt;
      1958 Cuthbertson Tracked Land Rover

      Reply
      1. Manic_King Avatar
        Manic_King

        <img src="http://www.seidata.com/~jmullins/IH001.jpg&quot; width="555">

        Reply
        1. Alff Avatar
          Alff

          I wonder if that thing would try to tear itself in half if one were to engage 4WD.

          Reply
          1. smokyburnout Avatar
            smokyburnout

            In my imagination engaging 4WD wouldn't matter because the truck would be in a state of perma-wheelie, but physics may not back me up here.

    2. Alff Avatar
      Alff

      Kia Sole?

      Reply
  14. NothingHappens Avatar
    NothingHappens

    Other things it isn't:
    Iveco LMV
    Iveco VM 90
    Iveco Daily
    Matra Rancho
    Land Cruiser variant
    Patrol variant
    ARO Carpati or the Crosslander 4×4 that never made it to NA
    SsangYong
    Steyr-Daimler-Puch
    UMM (as suggested above)
    Most Panhard trucks
    Things it bares a slight resemblance to:
    The grille looks a lot like a Panhard TC54, but it isn't a direct copy
    By shrinking the image and standing far away from screen I can get a good look. Honestly have never seen one…..
    4 door 4×4 pick up with 8 lug wheels
    Unique squared off fenders
    Turn signals above headlights
    I give up.

    Reply
  15. smokyburnout Avatar
    smokyburnout

    I got it. I'm not proud of it, because like Lotte on the last one, I resorted to the Wiki brute force method. Lucky it starts with an A.
    It's an Askam AS 250. Askam is a Turkish former Chrysler joint-venture that still produces trucks under the DeSoto and Fargo nameplates. Very odd.
    <img src="http://image5.sahibinden.com/photos/42/52/07/1542520743x.jpg&quot; />

    Reply
    1. axelyflor Avatar
      axelyflor

      congrats! toughest one yet?
      I was at the Iveco – russian – Indian part of the brain
      Can I get a 2011 Desoto?

      Reply
      1. smokyburnout Avatar
        smokyburnout

        Looks like it. http://www.askam.com.tr/v2/urun_giris.aspx?id=19

        Reply
    2. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
      BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ

      Who could think that Dodge makes trucks on a brake press in Turkey?

      Reply
    3. blueplate Avatar
      blueplate

      That is damn cool, and you would get a lot of looks driving around Detroit with that machinery.

      Reply
    4. facelvega Avatar
      facelvega

      If my brother does send an Askam over, it's got to be one of the ones that says "DESOTO" across the front. Apparently these have the advantage that since they've been produced with only minor changes for decades, every little thing in the design has been worked out right. Still, what a spare parts nightmare. I'd be getting boxes from Istanbul every three months just to stay on the road.

      Reply
      1. njhoon Avatar
        njhoon

        And DEA, FBI and ATF raids a day after the package arrives.
        Wouldn't that be a nightmare to register with the DMV? I would imagine that they wouldn't get the irony of the DeSoto either.
        edit – hit enter too early

        Reply
        1. facelvega Avatar
          facelvega

          I don't think Turkey would trigger any raids. Very civilized place– yeah it's Muslim but at least Istanbul is essentially Europe.

          Reply
      2. smokyburnout Avatar
        smokyburnout

        Yeah, as soon as I saw that I understood why you'd want to import one.

        Reply
      3. P161911 Avatar
        P161911

        it might not be that bad, but would require lots of research on your part. It appears that the engine is a Deutz diesel that is available in the US for industrial applications. The transmission is an Eaton unit. The axles are Dana Spicer units that probably aren't too uncommon. The transfer case is a Rockwell unit. As far as cosmetic trim bits, yeah care packages from Instanbul.
        Here's a complete engine available in Texas: http://www.memo-omega.com/EngineDetails.aspx?Seri…
        http://www.askam.com.tr/v2/english/product_techni…

        Reply
        1. facelvega Avatar
          facelvega

          It would be doable, and my brother apart from having a job in Istanbul is a solid hobby mechanic, but basically this was his response to my suggestion that we should buy an old M715 as a camp truck.

          Reply
    5. Maxichamp Avatar
      Maxichamp

      Does it have a Hemi?

      Reply