Escartus - the world's ugliest coupe?

It's not that bad . Not as bad as a Honda Insight

I suspect it's a 4 seater and would look better as a 2 seater
 
All those side windows are a mess, if it just had the door window and a large rear quarter it might look better, then again I could be clutching at straws ! :LOL:
 
What do you think ??, I've made the rear quarter one window and slightly angled the door window, I also moved the front wheel up a bit to compensate for the missing engine....
 

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Looking at it now, the big problem is that bonnet, I assume the engine is still in the front, so to get a low nose but clear the engine the bonnet has a rediculous rake, then the screen is very short (probably due to choice of donor screen), it's basically all wrong ! As stated before, should have been 2 seater with engine in the back, then it could have had a proper screen and bonnet lines, basically it would have looked like an Esprit !
 
Also noticed, most of lights are SD1 I think, indicators look like sd1 upside down, and rear cluster looks SD1.
 
webmaster said:
What do you think ??
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Dramatic improvement already!

webmaster said:
Also noticed, most of lights are SD1 I think, indicators look like sd1 upside down, and rear cluster looks SD1.
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The ad says the rear clusters are XD Ford Falcon, which looks right to me:

XDTailLight.jpg


Stands to reason - XD Falcons were a lot more common in this part of the world than the SD1. But you're right, those front indicators do look a little Roverish.

But to step back a little - can anybody tell me how people build Frankencars like this and really think they're the duck's nuts? My God! It's UGLY!
 
But to step back a little - can anybody tell me how people build Frankencars like this and really think they're the duck's nuts? My God! It's UGLY!
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It's an interesting one, I suspect it's people that want to build their own car, they're engineers mostly so they can deal with the chassis, engine etc, but they're not designers (when did you last see a designer holding a spanner ?), now what they should do is get a designer to do the bodywork, or at least sketch it out for them, but they don't, they give it a go themselves, and voila !
 
That sounds like a reasonable theory, Richard. And after all, there is no accounting for taste.
 
That is truly hideous! At least he's stopped claiming it's a Lamborghini. But no one seems to have told him that his 'Rover V8 crate engine' is a Leyland P76 motor with a quick blow-over of silver paint.
 
You're not serious are you? He claimed it was a Lambo?

The evidence of the spray can attack can be seen in the overspray that's all over everything.
 
Its certainly a head turner, just not sure which way people will be turning their heads LOL
 
There's a small badge on the back that says 'by Lamborghini' in chromed plastic letters that look like birthday cake decorations but the first time it was advertised, it was listed as a Lambo escartus! On a similar note, did you (NZ) guys see that VG Valiant hatchback that was on TM a while back? Talk about an abomination!
 
You're right - I took another look at the photos and can see the "By Lamborghini" on the rear. Which bit was by Lamborghini? So far I can see an engine by Leyland Australia, gearbox by Ford Sierra, dash cluster by Austin Metro (or some other generic 80s Eurobox), tail clusters by Ford Australia and body by Room 10, Avondale Primary.

I never saw the Valiant hatch, but my imagination has already dreamed up something horrible.
 
About seven or eight years ago I was shown a collection of interesting cars stored in a dusty building in Napier,NZ. Among them was an Escartus. I must say I was fascinated by it as the fibreglass body had been very well executed. I was determined to find out more about it, as I had never seen one on the road. After gathering information from various sources, this is what I discovered: In 1979 a firm in Napier who specialised in fibreglass manufacturing, decided to design a car. They were motivated by the fact that with rigid import controls, there was not much variety and what there was, was mainly British. (Japanese cars with their superior build quality and reliability were only just enterinng the market). They realised that they would have to obtain a suitable platform to take afibreglass body and they used either a Herald or Spitfire base. Most of the parts were Triumph. The transmission was P76 and the engine was the V8 Leyland sold for the Terrier truck which was available for $2000. They made seven cars, some of which are still in use but soon discovered that that import duties and the punitive sales tax in force at the time made it an uneconomical proposition, even if they tried to sell it as a kit car.
P.S. I forgot to mention the windscreen is Alfa Romeo.
 
AArghh,looks ugly but..but hey BL Princess looks ugly 20 years ago.,.and now when i see 1 or 2 in annual British car meeting here in Finland..they look quite ok..or what can you say..maybe nice..you know.. :D

Rgds:Jukka
RR92 Westminster 4.6
-73 Rover P6 3500Si
 
Dear members, i know its ages since this post was first put out but i am currently one proud owner of this ugly beast ;), P.S> by the way, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", right???? Well definitely right!!

The minute i laid my eyes on it, i fell in love with its fine workmanship (i.e. the fiberglass body's exceptional make after you recess the whole front end up on the hinges to allow access to the front engine bay). The fact that the entire rear section of the car, from the windscreen all the way back to the rear bumpers all can be lifted up as one piece revealing the chassis. This was (as i came to read and believe the original reason for the herald's unique design in the 60s) where they wanted the whole "shell" to be replaceable from that of a saloon to a convertible, coupe, etc.., apparently depending on the weather :D .)

Now, the reason for this post is multi fold and i truly appreciate and anticipate your replies on the following points:

1-) I am going to dismantle the whole car down to the bare chassis and work my way up doing the following restoration work:

a- Oven bake the chassis to wear off all old paint and expose it to the bare steel to 1-) examine extent of rust 2-) replace completely eroded cross members, sections, tube assemblies etc... (where needed) 3-) treat minor/superficially rusted areas by rust stoppers and preventers

b- After the above stage, have the chassis Blasted (with glass of course not sand, can't risk pinholes and excessive wearing due to the age of chassis) and immediately washed and heat dried after that.

c- Within the hour, i'll have it prime coated.

d- Followed by "the final chassis coating". Now QUESTION 1 i need advise here a) should i powder coat b) poly c)ceramic etc... which one for the chassis coating??

Assuming Chassis is all good and now like new (;) yeah right, like), well "assuming", i now will proceed to do the following

2-) Strip the entire paint of the fiberglass shell (front, rear, all around), repair all panels and areas requiring fiberglass patching, repairing, etc.... Apply epoxy filler as necessary although from what i can see at the moment, very minor work needs to be really done in this regards all around the car.

3-) Now for the more interesting and fun part ( i will use your quotes as guides and help)

webmaster said:
What do you think ??, I've made the rear quarter one window and slightly angled the door window, I also moved the front wheel up a bit to compensate for the missing engine....
Click to expand...

I love webmasters implementation of the rear glass panels and will have the same done, merge the rear glass panels into one, instead of the unnecessary two panels.

webmaster said:
Looking at it now, the big problem is that bonnet, I assume the engine is still in the front, so to get a low nose but clear the engine the bonnet has a rediculous rake, then the screen is very short (probably due to choice of donor screen), it's basically all wrong ! As stated before, should have been 2 seater with engine in the back, then it could have had a proper screen and bonnet lines, basically it would have looked like an Esprit !
Click to expand...

Yes, engine is at the front, correct. WindScreen is extremely and annoyingly VERY VERY short. I'm not that tall 5'6" but there is just enough head space and enough clearance, obviously as its a sports car design (doesn't need or have a high roof, etc...), doesn't bother me at all, in fact i consider it has PLENTY of head space and roomy, but I CANT SEE THE DAMN FRONT OF THE CAR even if i squeeze my head against the roof :) which pisses me insanely!!!! I need to see the damn front of the car to know how much bumper to bumper space i have when driving and I simply can't drive a car if i can't see its hood's tip, full stop??!!!

Anyways, my solution to this is very very drastic (and costly) and an 'in your face car' (kinda thing),

1) i am going to remodel the fiberglass front part of the car (from the dashboard's side) to extend the panel (post the dashboard) outwards by no less than 5-7 inches downwards. This should hopefully give me enough clearance to see the car's front tip past the new extended dashboard and increased windscreen size and

2) re modify the front "hood" (i.e. shorten it) to accommodate the extra push that i am giving from the other end (extending it from dashboard's side), which brings me to

Question 2 what should i do with the front windscreen? Do the same mistake as the designer and get one first and redesign the fiberglass panels in front of it and behind it around the new windscreen's glass, OR work out the design that best suits me and then have a windscreen custom made to fit in??? Is this something do-able by the way, sorry i am clueless when it comes to car windscreens and whether they can be approved to be road worthy and safe from a registration point of view if custom made for a car?

Classicus said:
About seven or eight years ago I was shown a collection of interesting cars stored in a dusty building in Napier,NZ. Among them was an Escartus. I must say I was fascinated by it as the fibreglass body had been very well executed. I was determined to find out more about it, as I had never seen one on the road. After gathering information from various sources, this is what I discovered: In 1979 a firm in Napier who specialised in fibreglass manufacturing, decided to design a car. They were motivated by the fact that with rigid import controls, there was not much variety and what there was, was mainly British. (Japanese cars with their superior build quality and reliability were only just enterinng the market). They realised that they would have to obtain a suitable platform to take afibreglass body and they used either a Herald or Spitfire base. Most of the parts were Triumph. The transmission was P76 and the engine was the V8 Leyland sold for the Terrier truck which was available for $2000. They made seven cars, some of which are still in use but soon discovered that that import duties and the punitive sales tax in force at the time made it an uneconomical proposition, even if they tried to sell it as a kit car.
P.S. I forgot to mention the windscreen is Alfa Romeo.
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Classicus, i BEG and PLEAD of you to please get in touch with me if you're still around this site and read this! I would love to hear from you, where in Napier did you go, who did you meet, what is the street and name of that mysterious building, and are the original fiberglass manufacturers still around (in business). The reason is i'd love to go there, speak with the guys, and possibly have them make the fiberglass mods i have in mind for me, i mean, obviously who better than them will be able to make this modification as they know the car inside out (hopefully, that's assuming the company is still there and well and in business).

In addition, i would love to make contact with and go meet some current the so called "Escartus" owners (if you know or have knowledge of the whereabouts of any of them) to see how their cars are going along, what sort of repairs/mods have they made to the original design (if any), etc....

3-)Finally, i will have the following made:

1- Remove those ugly looking falcon XD tails and have custom made nice straight cut clear rear light panels made with definitely LED lights like in your modern Audis (rectangular shaped) or even more like your BMW's angel eyes (round and circular) ;).... i'll probably maintain the patina for the rear indicator lights, need help from you please

2- Can't think of nice designs for the front lights as well but really least of my concerns at the moment

3- I'll leave it till i start getting some replies from all of you but seriously this is going to be the BIGGEST BIGGGESSSTT surprise ever for you all, i'll tell you about it later what i intend to do...... u'll love this surprise!!

Regards to all!! :)
 
DaveHerns said:
After all those mods you plan , will it still be an Escartus ?
Good luck for whatever you do with it
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Hi, ;) thanks for your reply. No no, not at all!!! In fact first thing i did is stripped off the 'ice caking like labelling" off the back with a blade. I don't even intend it to be an Escartus (not trying to restore it to its original condition or anything), just simply moding it to suits my needs of a hip, cool looking, very lightweight, extra ordinarily aerodynamic sports car, that's all.

I'll be uploading more pics of closeups real soon.
 
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