RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: Bob Purton on February 17, 2007, 04:43:16 PM
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Who can identify this vehicle [keep it clean!]
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Hi
Looks like it should be called the conservatory car ????????????
John
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Does anyone really care about the car - just look at the contents!
It was based on a Mini. Give me a couple of days and I'll have the
answer...
Amities a tous
Nick D.
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Hi, Thanks for the reminder Nick.
One of only two made in 1968, it is a Quasar-Unipower. Made by the producers of the Unipower GT. A city car designed by Vietnamese born Quasar Khanh. With a metal framed box of toughened glass on a 4-wheeled tubular chassis, powered by an automatic 1100cc BMC engine.
I was sure it was A Tart Cart or a Hustler: (US slang). ;D
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I didnt really want to know what the car was, just wanted to give you all a cheap thrill!
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What, bring us down to your level? ;D
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Language Witney44!! No seriously, I remember seeing this car somewhere before but couldnt remember where or what is was then Gille Perez sent me the picture as a happy new year card[I think its him sitting their in the picture]. Thanks for the identification. It does look like a patio door on wheels though, does it not!
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I once tried typing "Hustler" into the Department's search engine and got a rap on the knuckles for my trouble.
What I was actually looking for was a kit car designed by the late great William Towns and based on an Austin 1100/1300 and with a huge amount of glass - access by sliding glass doors. There was even a 6-wheeler version!
What the Nanny Filter thought I was looking for was a magazine of a certain style, hence the reprimand. How judgemental...
Nick D.
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Well these things happen Nick. We are all misunderstood in this field of interest. I actually started the 'Name that car' topic because it appears that the majority of postings these days are all to do with what folk have seen on Ebay , we should rename the forum Ebaywatch. Second thoughts, the name might be too racey for some.
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The Car was designed by a double glazing sales man especially for exhibitionists who want to drive relativly slowly. The Unipower Quasar wasbased on a widened and shortened Mini subframe chassis and was not very economical as it was both heavy and lacked any aerodynamics.
The suggestion that it should be called a Hustler I take great exception too. I own one of the few six wheel Hustlers and it looks nothing like a Quasar. If it needs an alternative name how about Ann Summers?
Any other unusual cars you wnt renaming.
Chris Thomas
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The Quasar in question is currently owned by Jean-Claude Joly, a French microcar enthusiast and former mayor of Vieille-Toulouse where he still lives.
Unfortunately, he hasn'r got the (female) contents in his garage...
Chris, tell me more about your Hustler when you visit soon. I am mightily impressed that I know someone with a 6-wheeler and definitely look forward
to seeing it. Is it a runner?
Nick D.
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Hello all. What an interesting discussion here.
Yes, the car in picture is one of the Quasar Unipower designed by Quasar Khanh and built by Unipower in from 67 to 69. Not any confusion possible with the hustler.
But, 15 vehicles have been built not only two. 12 came in France, one did stay in Uk and one gone to Us. I recorded 6 still surviving vehicles in France.
Yes, one has been built to promote the Triplex Spectrafloat glasses and has been showed at the Earls Court motor show on the Picklington stand in 1968, but it is not the one pictured here. It was very different than the "standard" vehicles.
All the others cars was not built for this use.
And despite the similar registration number, it is not the present vehicle owned by the french collector Jean-Claude Jolly.
This present car is well known to has been used in a french movie but seems to has been scrapped in early 70.
This picture is photoshoped from an oiriginal one which is the cover of a french glamour magazine dated October 1969.
As I'm writting a book about this very interesting citycar, I started my research on it since 1995, own now a lot of documents and is lucky to be in contact with Quasar Khanh, the designer, and Tim Powell, ex- director of Unipower as much as Jean Claude Jolly and the other french owners. Hope to post all of my knowledge on the subject soon, after publication of my book, on my web site quasar-unipower.com.
Best to you all.
Danny
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Interesting reading about the 'Nanny' filter .It completely upset some yorkshire folk when they were looking for anything on the net to do with Scunthorpe and found their enquiries blocked !
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And, to get top marks in Scrabble from the use of the word 'Quasar', here is my (former) 1981 Quasar (http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ff/quasar0.html), which is not easily confused with the Unipower!
(http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ff/quasar1s.jpg) (http://www.angib.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ff/quasar2s.jpg)
It does look more like a Quasar should, doesn't it? And for more mini/microcar connection, underneath the handlebars is a Reliant engine/gearbox.
Andrew
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Not sure this is the same vehicle as the one that started this thread, but it sure looks cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TdNPIsRzII
I think the owner had this Bambino http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYu6K4mLgAM pictured in RCN last year, now this is how a microcar should sound. ;)
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Hi Blob
The vehicle in the first Utube video is a dutch Witcar, most of which were electric
The Unipower Quasar was a 4 wheeler with a mini engine in the rear, rather than what sounds like a single cylinder 2 stroke.
Chris Thomas
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Dear Blob
Watching it again the Witcar is an electric one. Where I heard the single cylinder 2 stroke noise from I have no idea. I must be going a bit mad in my old age.
Chris Thomas
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Re Quaser Spectrafloat. Came across the topic by accident but if anybody is interested I bought the Triplex Spectrafloat from Triplex when they disposed of it. They advertised it in Autosport magazine and I went to their works in Birmingham to buy it. I may well have some pictures and possibly some cine film of it.
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Hello there!It would be nice to see the pics, and the cine - if you can get it transferred then down-loaded onto you tube
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Hello,
I'm in search about the Quasar-Unipower (VLC 694G) used by Triplex at their factory since a long time and I'm very glad to read your post. I would be very interested to hear all detail about this car, to see all pictures, films you could have about it...
(http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/418/triplexcar.jpg)
I'm also interested to know the date you found it in Autosport and bought it. And of course, one question : are you still the owner of this car ???
I'm collecting all information since 14 years to writte a book about the Quasar-Unipower city car. See www.quasar-unipower.com and www.flickr.com/people/quasar-unipower/
Could you please contact me ? Many thanks in anticipation.
Danny