David WilkinsAs the 1970s wore on, the small Triumph saloons were starting to look a bit old fashioned. One idea for a successor was this 1972 proposal for a reskinned Dolomite from Triumph’s established design partner Michelotti. This would have given the Dolly much sharper, modern, Italian-style looks while making as much use of the old car as possible. Squashed away from the main display area at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in 2023.
Just to give you an idea of how far the #Triumph #TR7 I featured yesterday departed from established notions of the traditional British sports car, here is one of its predecessors in the TR line, the hairy-chested TR4, seen in a fetching British Racing Green at #TechnoClassica 2023. The #TR4 inherited most of its mechanical parts, including an engine shared with the #Ferguson TE20 tractor, from previous TRs but wrapped these in restyled bodywork by #Michelotti. #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar
Next up in the pre-Ford Vignale story - the beautiful Lancia Flavia Vignale Convertible. Launched at the 1962 Salone dell'Automobile di Torino but seen here in the more prosaic setting of the Bremen Classic Motor Show in 2016. Designed by Giovanni Michelotti, built by Vignale. Before and after base car comparisons tomorrow. #WeirdCarMastodon #davidsdailycar #Lancia #Vignale #Michelotti