	Gregor's Diamond Underdogs

Parts bin fun!

This is correspondent Al's idea. We were mailing each other about the fact that our cars (my SS1 and his wife's MGF actually) were parts bin jobs and he suggested I listed some of the posh cars that used prosaic parts. This sounded like a good way to wind up classic car snobs, so here goes!

Al claims the following:

TVR Griffith: rear lights from Cavalier, knobs and switches from Fiesta (no that's the AC Cobra), engine from Rover Auntie.
I think one of the Lamborghinis had door-handles and indicator stalks from Allegro, which must have been intensely annoying to everybody who traded up directly.

Please feel free to contradict him or give your own suggestions. Al describes his MGF as going along twisty B roads like a joke-shop weasel on elastic.. I like that phrase more than any I've heard on Top Gear.

Taking up the Allegro door handles theme, Peter writes: Austin Allegro door handles were used on a whole pile of 1970's Lotuses (also found on the Scimitar 6/6a/6b...) The same or very similar doorhandles are still fitted to Land Rover Discoveries
(and are made by Willmot Breeden Holdings). I recently replaced the drivers' side doorhandle on my Se6b using one bought from the local Landrover parts counter...

Another Peter tells us that Allegro door handles were also found on the De Lorean! This is getting spooky!

Martin points out a parallel situation in Italy- Ferrari 308s used door handles from the Fiat 127, he informs us.

From Matthew, who, like me, gets annoyed by road testers' phrases (his particular bug-bear is: I just kissed the accelerator and..." These road testers have some very strange driving practices, never mind there unusual anatomy!). For your "Parts Bin Fun" you might like to note;

TVR S (S2, S3, S4 and V8S) has Mk IV Cortina door handles, the later models with "TVR" stamped in them.

Maserati Biturbo has the front light/indicator assemblies from the Fiat 127. Horrible things held together by plastic screws that are guaranteed to shear when you change a bulb. Does that sound familiar?
Oh, and don't call Matthew's Reliant a kit car, because it isn't. Having said that, Feel free to contradict me when I claim that the SS1 has the most diverse genes of any car: Escort engine, Sierra box and diff, Chevette front suspension and rack, Metro front brakes and instruments... I could go on.

Shannon, from Timaru, Newzealand, adds:

The Indicator stalks for the Lamborghini Diablo, were in fact from the Morris Marina! (I wouldn't know why...)

They also were found in the Triumph Stag.

- Morgan, even when they were building oddball threewheelers were using other companies motors (most particularly Ford's)...

- Countless Ferraris throughout the 1980's used mass-produced Fiat componentry for bits of the interiors (e.g buttons, switches).

- The Jensen Healey, built when Jensen were almost bankrupt was what you call a real parts special...

A Lotus modified Vauxhall 2litre, Vauxhall Firenza running gear, Sunbeam Rapier transmission...

And to add to that, on the outside, doorhandles that suspisiously looked like they came from a Hillman Avenger!

Its bigger brother, the Jensen Inteceptor, used a Chrysler V8...

- The handbuilt Aston Martin Lagonda, no matter how exclusive it may be, had exterior door handles from a much less 'exclusive' car, the Ford Cortina!

- Practically all Bristol's (said to be very exclusive cars), have used Chrysler V8 running gear...

As for the amount of manufacturers utilizing the Ford Essex V6 (or later Ford Cologne V6) in their cars, I'm afraid I lost count... Reliant Scimitar GTC/GTE, TVR's......

I'm quite surprised about the De Lorean using Allegro doorhandles however! Well, they too were part specials (in the engine department) as they used Renault/Volvo V6's.

And oh yes, Rolls Royces used General Motors Automatic Gearboxes...

The engine bay of a Reliant Scimitar SS1, complete with XR3 engine.

The back of an SS1, displaying its Capri tail lights. MGF and BMW Z3 owners note: your car has a floppy roof like this one, doesn't it? Well, if you look at the picture of the SS1 at the top left of this page, you'll see that these roofs fold down! Isn't that a clever idea? You really should try it sometime.