Last Friday I headed northwards on the coastline of Israel, heading past Haifa to a shopping center area where, as with most Fridays around the country, there was a classic car meeting. It’s what you would call a quality-over-quantity meeting, again displaying a various lineup of classics.
This meeting was set up by people who, for various reasons, did not want to be part of Israel’s leading classic car’s club, the Five Club (I wrote about it here). Curiously enough, the Five Club was hosting its own meeting less than a mile away… don’t ask.
But unlike the other meeting I went to, which was not set up around any particular club (anyone with a classic car was welcome), these guys formed their own unofficial club, and were very organized, as you’ll see from the pictures, having signs, banners, and flags done, plus shirts which they wore proudly. Also, on the day, they celebrated their friend’s end-of-restoration Triumph Herald, so I was curious to see the result.
So, on with the pictures:
That’s not the star of the meeting, but another Herald brought in to reinforce the unavailing.
Next to the Herald was this truly one of a kind- the only one in Israel- 1950 Standard Vanguard.
“Three little maids from school are we”…
Yet another 1960s Brit, a pretty Austin A40 Farina.
And here’s another (older) A40 arriving on the scene.
Compare the difference between these MGB, Anglia and Morris Ten.
Turning away from the British isles, lets see some other nationalities.
This FF1 and and it’s Leone successor above have ten years between them, which isn’t that apparent when you look at them.
This NSU was one of my favorites at the display.
I’m not too sure about this 4X4 look… But the color is lovely.
A very old W136 Merc.
Could these two be anymore different one from another?
Time now to address the Israeli Autocars, or as some of you may know them by Susita. Three distinctive models turned up at the meeting, as this two-photos-for-the-price-of-one illustrates;
The left two are both mid-1960s Susita 12s, sort of shooting-Brake (though I use this term VERY reluctantly). Far right is a mid-1970s Rom Carmel 1300, the “Susita” moniker dumped after Autocars collapsed and was sold on. And second from right is the last of the breed, a Rom Carmel 1301 from 1981.
Here’s a better look at those 12s. Note the rubber fin under the fuel cap. This is not the car owner’s whim; I distinctly remember seeing these on Susitas when I was a kid.
Note the Rom Carmel 1300 is a two-door body car.
The 1301’s engine, purchased from Chrysler Europe after the usual Ford units were dwindling and Ford refused to sell further units to the Israelis. More will be discussed in an up-and-coming article about this weird Israeli car.
The Merc and the SAAB were rather late to arrive at the meeting.
Two Kadett B Coupes were also present.
Here’s a very rare Autobianchi A112 Abarth, I think also one of its kind in Israel.
And this Volvo 360 GLT belongs to an acquaintance I met at the meeting.
Lest we forget the reason for this celebration- here is the star of the show, a 1968 Triumph Herald. And a very good job was done restoring it too- it was very pretty.
And as night falls on the meeting, I’ll finish off with my most favorite car of the meeting; this Ford Escort XR3i which sends me back more than thirty years. I used to lust after that car, which was a proper Hot-Hatch. I wouldn’t mind one today.
Nice show. The NSU is actually a 1000 or one of its variants. The Prinz was a smaller car, with a 600 cc twin.
Not sure you’re right. I mean, yes it’s an “1000”, but my knowledge recollects that they were called “Prinz 1000”.
WIkipedia agrees:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Prinz#Prinz_1000.2C_TT
Anyway, I’ve changed the text to NSU, there’s no conflict there…
This is what German Wikipedia says:
…Die Bezeichnung „Prinz“ entfiel ab 1967 für die Vierzylindertypen…
From 1967 onward no Prinz-designation anymore if it had a 4-cylinder engine.
Quite the variety at that show !
That explains it. Pretty much all my exposure to them was post-1967, and I only remember them being referred to as NSU 1000. I did not know/remember that they were called Prinz 1000 in the first few years of production. Thanks for the clarification.
I like that A112 Abarth, and the Escort XR3 as well.
The convertible A40 is a reasonably rare Austin A40 Somerset Coupe. Why they called the drop top a Coupe I have no idea.
Great set of photos.
Drop Head Coupe was an old term used for convertibles in the UK (as opposed to Fixed Head Coupe).
I think you are correct about its origins. Triumph kept those terms right up to the TR7/8. But this one was merely called Coupé. Austin must have gone with the (confusingly) shortened term.
Ah, the Subaru Leone. That brings back a pleasant memory of my 1979 DL wagon (same body but without the Leone name in the U.S.) It was a really good car. I bought it out of necessity after my Toyota Corona Liftback was totaled in what appeared at first to be a minor accident. When I acquired the Subaru it had 69,000 miles but was very clean and everything, including the air conditioner, worked great. Except for having to replace a clutch at 100,000, the car was trouble free and rode remarkably well for a small car.
A long time ago I had a 1978 Subaru 4-door just like the one in the photo, but blue instead of red. Definitely a funky little car. It had dealer-installed AC and I remember that the evaporator took up most of the glove compartment. Never really had any problems with it aside from the rust that took it down in the end.
Everything looked very familiar until the Susita, WTF, some sort of local car making effort I guess looking forward to hearing more about that one, the severely over restored Herald at the end is why I dont attend many shows its nice yes but its halfway to a custom, the yellow one at the start is what they really looked like. Nice range of cars though. Those phase one Vanguards were very common in NZ years ago even the rare wagons were her in good numbers virtually none left now rust and hard use thinned the ranks.
I too count the NSU 1000 to my favorites. Indeed I used a shot of one as wallpaper for a long time.
and here is a shot of a 1959 NSU Prinz. That’s before the refresh.
Love the Sussitas
Loved that XR3i. It was a big inspiration to me back in the mid 80’s when I had my ’82 Escort GT. There was a small outfit in the states that was selling XR3i hop up parts, and I seem to remember doing a few of the minor bits on the car. My first attempt at doing something personal to a car (a good decade before ‘ricers’ started appearing), short-circuited when my dad insisted that I inherit my late mother’s Buick Century Estate Wagon, and rather forcibly traded cars on me.
The XR3i was depressing to me, for it was so much more appealing than the US model I had. The half-baked engineering & thick B-pillar with aluminum trim were major sore points with that toad. By the time they remedied the shortcomings, I lost interest in US small cars.
Replacing its flabby struts improved roadholding a lot.
Thanks for sharing another great variety of cars we don’t get to see at the average car show in the States. And a few we do. Very enjoyable!
Nice stuff… Another Sussita teaser! He he he …
Lots of British metal. What’s the little RHD roadster in the 1st pic?
Pre war Morris 8 Sports 918cc sidevalve engine engine was carried over and installed in the first Issigonis Minors in 48.
Yep, specifically this is a 1935 Morris 8 Tourer.
Thanks again for your comments, I uploaded more photos here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/yohai90/albums/72157676829212865
Thanks for all of your photos from the Israeli car scene; a very eclectic mix of vehicles to be sure. Many of the European models are new to me despite nearly sixty years of automobile fandom. Does anyone else feel that the NSU looks somewhat like a shrunken Corvair? Of course if the NSU came first then perhaps the Corvair is a plus size NSU:-)
Great selection with some great looking cars and nice contrasts.
The Herald restoration looks to be a bit more than just a restoration, judging by the seats and some other details, but still a neat looking car.
Nice line up of Minors too.