| Author | Message | ||
     Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 367 Registered: 2-2013 |
Yes, now this is something else. You chaps really have to see this one and I like the salesmanship perfect wording "Staggering confident design" In other words if you found it in bed when you woke up, suicide would be your only option. But then there's the rear lights and look we are only talking a shade over a million Australian dollars here so get in quick. I probably will have no luck up loading the photos but google it if you dare. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 368 Registered: 2-2013 |
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| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 369 Registered: 2-2013 |
 If I can't produce a more attractive RR convertible than this I will go back to playing with plasticine. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 370 Registered: 2-2013 |
If I can't produce a more attractive RR convertible than this I will go back to playing with plasticine. | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 1784 Registered: 6-2009 |
The Frua Phantoms that I'm aware of have all been equally (un)attractive. I have not heard anyone have a positive reaction to any of them. Here is an Google Image Search for Frua Phantom and I can see five (I'd only known of three), including a sedanca de ville I'd never seen before and wish I hadn't seen. It really is beyond me how/why anyone ever commissioned the first one, let alone the others. These make the Vignale Silver Wraith look good by comparison. And it don't look good! Brian | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 792 Registered: 5-2015 |
The Frua appears to have BMW rear lights. The Corniche is much better. Vig Nail looks like a nail. Its awful. The curves are all over the place. Also no Rolls Royce uses that font for badges that say Rolls Royce. Isn't it enough that its a Rolls Royce without making look like a car designers nightmare of insets and curves. | ||
| richard george yeaman Grand Master Username: richyrich Post Number: 404 Registered: 4-2012 |
It looks a bit down at heel on the right hand side and the whole styling thing is overdone but then what do I know about style (I am 73 wear my hair long and drive a Turbo R ) Richard. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 371 Registered: 2-2013 |
The taillights are evidently from a Citroen SM. But what a hideous sight this thing is - not even three very pretty girls could make it attractive and I am wondering just what strength wacky backy Frua and his merry men were hooting when they came up with this thing. But don't worry I can guarantee you somebody with tons more money than me will buy it probably for a wife he does not like anymore. Perhaps there is coffee table book here in the making -- the Ugly Children of Crewe. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 793 Registered: 5-2015 |
The Frua shown is the only one. The rear lights are likely to Mercedes not BMW. There is also one 4 door version in red. It reminds me of a Cadillac that has had a RR rad fitted to it. If another front axle was fitted then it would look like Lady Penelopes car from Thunderbirds. I have sometimes long hair and beard because I only cut my hair diy once a year and the only hair style I can do is bald with wipsy bits sticking out. My wife then tidies it up. The Spirit shape is not well like by some and suggestions of Ford Granada 2 are a valid comment. But the Granada/Spirit shape does work and its not un stylish. I quite like the Granada. One off cars can be like a curates egg. Good in parts with awful bits thrown in for free. I worked on this one off Daimler (A lady Docker design) The electric windows were driven by a flexible cable drive meant for driving small drills it was a right bodge up. Underneath the skin of the car was a host of badly thought out components. The main stuff like engine etc was fine. Its the details that didn't work. | ||
| ChristopherCarnley Unregistered guest Posted From: 86.169.76.167 |
Is there a pink one? FAB. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1842 Registered: 4-2003 |
Only its mother could love it - it always amazes me that most one-off interpretations are invariably far less attractive than the original vehicle. This is just another example......................IMHO. | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 794 Registered: 5-2015 |
Somehow the owners who commissioned these cars thought that they could improve upon the original design. The end result is often not good like the car Homer Simpson designed ehen his long lost brother gave him a free hand in his car factory. Fortunately the worst ones get new bodies early on in their life. Not sure about this. RR brought badly bodied cars back at a cheap price and overhauled the chassis and sold them to coach builders. Often a hearse body would be fitted. The biggest customers of RR cars for many years was the Co Op funeral service and Edinburgh taxi drivers who favoured the 20 20/25 models. To me the Shadow shape is just right plus it has 4 doors and a leak proof roof. Itz subtle. I was looking at Shadow estates and the look is not quite right. Plus the suspension towers narrow the load area to the point of having an awkward estate car. Surely the best way is to buy one of the many proper estate cars some of which are very good cars. I saw a customised Shadow de bumpered and shaved it looked quite good until we got to the GM small block and vacuum assisted brakes. The wheels were overdone as well. A 16" wheel with 60 profile would work well and look ok. But this had 18" and rubber bands for tyres. Worthless car. The Vignale also had a bog under the back seat which dumped on to the road. Talk about automatic chassis lubrication. | ||
| Randy Roberson Grand Master Username: wascator Post Number: 592 Registered: 5-2009 |
Egad Montressor...it looks like a Nash. I saw one of the Docker Daimlers in St. Louis a couple of years ago: that was the biggest convertible I have ever seen. It was the same model as the Car known as The Green Goddess. | ||
| Benoit Leus Prolific User Username: benoitleus Post Number: 226 Registered: 6-2009 |
This car was sold in september of this year at a Bonhams auction for 357.000 Pounds. It is now for sale at Vintage & Prestige Motorcars for 500.000 Pounds ! http://www.vandp.net/sales/626/1973-phantom-6-drophead-coupe-by-p-frua/ | ||
| Jim Walters Frequent User Username: jim_walters Post Number: 51 Registered: 1-2014 |
Here is my Green Goddess type Daimler DE36, #6 of 7 built. Currently in a million pieces waiting for the time to finish restoring it. These were apparently the largest 2 door convertibles ever built. It measures 20 feet, 2 inches bumper to bumper. I've owned it since 1992.  I'm on the hunt for a speedo and tachometer like this one shown below. Any leads would be greatly appreciated.  SRE22493 NAC-05370 www.bristolmotors.com | ||
| richard george yeaman Grand Master Username: richyrich Post Number: 409 Registered: 4-2012 |
Jim that is a hefty looking motor car never knew the like existed what is its credentials in the engine bay etc. Richard. | ||
| Jim Walters Frequent User Username: jim_walters Post Number: 52 Registered: 1-2014 |
Daimler OHV 5.4 litre straight eight, Wilson pre-select gearbox with Daimler fluid flywheel. It is Hooper bodied with alloy panelling over ash and cast aluminum framework yet it weighs 7500 lbs. You can't really comprehend the size of the car until one is standing beside it. If you Google "Daimler Green Goddess" and "Lady Nora Docker" you will find some fascinating reading. This model is often referred to as "designed by Lady Docker" but the real designer was Osmond Rivers, who also designed many Rolls-Royce automobiles at Hooper. An odd fact is that the majority of the Osmond Rivers archive of his design work is held by the Denver, Colorado public library. SRE22493 NAC-05370 www.bristolmotors.com | ||
| Omar M. Shams Grand Master Username: omar Post Number: 504 Registered: 4-2009 |
Dear Jim, What a true masterpiece. I am green with envy. You are a luck man. Omar | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 1787 Registered: 6-2009 |
Here's an entry from a 2010 auction at Bonhams which gives a thorough history of the Green Goddess. Jim, is yours one of the two whose fates remain "undetermined" in the Bonhams write-up? Brian, who can't imagine driving a car that long, and I drive a 1996 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon on a routine basis | ||
| Jim Walters Frequent User Username: jim_walters Post Number: 53 Registered: 1-2014 |
Mine is the one that was owned by the Eaton's and was NOT as it says, "irreparably damaged by fire". I had the rolling chassis with running gear and most of the car in a storage building while I was working on the body. The body tub with interior and front wings were destroyed when my shop burned down in 2004. The doors, boot lid, rear spats, bonnet, inner front wings, wiring harnesses and chrome were saved in the storage building. I also have the massive cast alloy rear inner wings and front bulkhead so what I have to do is reconstruct the centre body tub and front wings. It'll be just like making about 20 Morgan body tubs at the same time, that's what I figure is the amount of work to rebuild the main body. Clive Cussler has kindly offered me access to his car at any time for patterns. I contacted several 3D scan companies in Colorado last year but none of them were able to or interested in scanning his car which is in his museum in Arvana. If I can get his car 3D scanned it will save me hundreds of hours making the patterns for the ash framework and bucks for the front wings. I also lost the speedometer and tachometer hence my request in the previous post. These unusual gauges were also used by Hooper on a few Rolls-Royces they bodied. All six Green Goddesses have survived and are known, none of their fates are "undetermined". Bonhams just didn't have the whole story. SRE22493 NAC-05370 www.bristolmotors.com | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 1788 Registered: 6-2009 |
Jim, Are (or were, based on your comments) the headlights faired in and Perspex covered like the example in the Bonhams auction or more like this one in the LeMay Collection? All of these cars are quite striking no matter the color scheme, but some combinations show off the shapes far better than others. Brian | ||
| Jim Walters Frequent User Username: jim_walters Post Number: 54 Registered: 1-2014 |
Mine is one of the three LHD examples built and therefore has the exposed headlight nacelles like the image in the link. However, that picture is not the car that was in the LeMay collection. Someone made a mistake in that post. The Bonham's car is the one that Wes Lematta donated to LeMay's. Steve Frisbie, who restored that car for Lematta, borrowed my bumpers in 1992 to copy for that car as it had none when he bought it. I really, really need to find the time to get going on it again. SRE22493 NAC-05370 www.bristolmotors.com | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 1844 Registered: 4-2003 |
Jim, Now there is a tempting New Year's resolution for you..................... Re the 3D scanning, the Smithsonian Institute has recently started 3D scanning the Apollo 11 Command Module with the intention of allowing replica models to be made with a 3D printer at home. The images on the link below suggest the car can be scanned on-site with relatively simple equipment. http://www.3ders.org/articles/20151209-smithsonian-is-3d-scanning-iconic-apollo-11-to-develop-digital-tour-and-3d-printable-files.html | ||
| Jim Walters Frequent User Username: jim_walters Post Number: 55 Registered: 1-2014 |
Yes David, it's first on my list every year.......  The list is also very long  The scanning technology is moving ahead quite rapidly and even now a year later it may be easier to find someone near Denver who will do it for me. The way it's going with technology I'll probably be able to do it soon with my Iphone. Last time I looked into it I don't think it was practical. Time to get enthused again. SRE22493 NAC-05370 www.bristolmotors.com | ||
| Randy Roberson Grand Master Username: wascator Post Number: 594 Registered: 5-2009 |
Think a company might take it on as a project to showcase their 3-d printing technology in an interesting way? It's such a special car! | ||
| Jim Walters Frequent User Username: jim_walters Post Number: 56 Registered: 1-2014 |
It really is a very special car. I beat myself up all the time about the condition it's in now because of the fire. I'm all enthused again, I just Googled and emailed two Denver scanning services to see if they can do it. Boy Randy if that were to happen it would really get me back on it again! SRE22493 NAC-05370 www.bristolmotors.com | ||
| Randy Roberson Grand Master Username: wascator Post Number: 595 Registered: 5-2009 |
Hey; hope it works; I owe you AND I would enjoy seeing it whole again! |
