Long Story (Part Three)

On the home stretch.

Renault 8 (1962-1973) / Renault 10 (1965-1971)

Largely based on the Dauphine, which would continue to be offered for five years after its introduction, the Renault 8 was styled⁽¹⁾ in the typically ‘boxy’ idiom of other rear-engined cars from the sixties such as the Simca 1000 and NSU Prinz. The 8 would prove to be very popular due to its comfortable ride and spacious interior at an attractive price. The later sporty Gordini versions also enjoyed a strong following and were succesful in various competitions, their powerplants used by Matra and Alpine.

The 8 was powered by the new Cléon-Fonte engine and the little Renault had disc brakes on all four wheels⁽²⁾ which was not common at the time, especially on a small and economical vehicle. The 8 was built, or sometimes assembled from CKD kits, in many countries in addition to France, including Spain, Romania (Dacia), Bulgaria (Bulgarrenault), Morocco, Canada, Venezuela and Australia. It would be produced in France until 1973 and in Spain as late as 1976.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As was often the case with these stretched versions, the Renault 10 of 1965 was developed in order to plug a price and size gap in the range, in this case between the 8 and the 16. Both the front and rear ends were substantially lengthened while the central section remained unchanged. The rearward extension was, of course, entirely cosmetic because of the rear engine but, at the front, the elongation at least offered an advantage in terms of increased luggage capacity.

The somewhat ungainly styling of the 10 — when compared to the relatively clean 8 on which it was based — was the work of lead designer Pierre Mignon, assisted by Vincent Dumolard and a young Michel Boué. The 10, which would be the last rear-engined Renault until the third generation Twingo, would never attain the sales numbers its cheaper sibling did and was discontinued after only six years. Together, the Renault 8 and 10 range found a total of 1,316,134 customers.

Elongating the body of the 8 by 7.9 inches (on an unchanged wheelbase of 89.4 inches) to create the 10 results in a percentage stretch of 5.0%.

BMW E120 2000CS (1965-1968) / BMW E9 2800CS-3.0CSi (1968-1975)

The E120 2000C/CS Coupé introduced in 1965 is somewhat of a forgotten classic from the Munich carmaker. Was it the somewhat unusual looking front-end styling? Or the feeling that the car was a downmarket step with its four-cylinder engine compared to the V8 of its predecessor, the 3200CS? That M10 engine, first seen in the 2000 C/CS, may have been smaller but was nothing to be sneezed at as it would see use in several important BMW models over the course of many years and even served as the basis for BMW’s mighty championship winning turbocharged F1 engine of the 1980s.

Designed by Wilhelm Hofmeister with some input by Giovanni Michelotti, the 2000 C/CS wore the shortlived BMW face as also seen on the 2000 of the era: large rectangular headlights replaced the traditional round items. Raising those rectangular headlights so they ‘hung’ directly under the chrome strip surrounding the beltline instead of a few inches under it as on the 2000 sedan models however resulted, in combination with a quite elongated rendition of the BMW kidneys, in a face that many German observers would call ‘Gewöhnungsbedürftig’. Otherwise, however, the Hofmeister kink was, of course, present and BMW’s new flagship coupé had a handsome and lithe appearance with a generous glass area.

BMW itself never issued a RHD version of the car but, in the UK, BMW Concessionaires in Portslade produced around 150 RHD conversions themselves. Built at Karmann’s facilities in Osnabrück, the 120bhp 2000CS proved to be by far the most popular version: of the 13,691 produced between 1965 and 1968, 9,999 were CS versions. The 100bhp 2000C catered to a different demographic and was mostly sold with an automatic transmission.

With the introduction of the big six-cylinder E3 performance sedan in 1968, the Bavarian carmaker seized the opportunity to upgrade its coupé performance-wise and also bring its not universally appreciated styling in line with the 2500/2800. The larger M30 inline six necessitated some stretching surgery that resulted in a fortuitous improvement in looks; the wheelbase grew a little from 100.4 to 103.3 inches but in total the car, now known as the E9, was just over five inches longer.

Those five inches were spent on elongating the front end only (Apart from slightly reprofiled wheelarches the rest of the bodywork remained untouched.) and this made quite a difference. Gone was the slightly awkward expression, replaced by a purposeful and aggressive sharknose with four round headlights and the front indicators now separate items mounted on the front wings as per the E3.

With the more powerful inline six under the bonnet, BMW’s coupé not only gained in terms of beauty but in performance as well: the initial 2800CS put out 170bhp while the later three-litre versions, the 3.0CS and 3.0CSi, delivered 180 and 200bhp respectively. In response to the energy crisis, a 150bhp 2.5 CS was offered from 1973 on. This is the rarest E9 variant, with just 844 produced, compared with 1,265 of the 3.0 CSL.

In total, over 30,000 E9 variants were built between 1968 and 1975, all at Karmann. Divided over their respective lifespans the E9 did not sell that much more than its predecessor: around 3,800 compared to approximately 3,400 per annum. The successful surgery thus did not translate into substantially higher yearly production figures, which may surprise some⁽³⁾.

Five inches have rarely been more effectively spent than with the transformation from E120 to E9, in percentage terms it’s a modest 3.0% increase.

Mini (1959-2000) / Wolseley Hornet & Riley Elf (1961-1969) / Mini Clubman (1969-1980)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Alec Issigonis’ little masterpiece was subject to major body alterations on two occasions, in both cases only demonstrating that it is sometimes better to leave well enough alone. First came the Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet twins in 1961. Products typical of BMC’s badge-engineering craze, they offered no more interior space than the standard Mini. At the front, a traditional, more ‘important’ grille (with an illuminated badge in the case of the Wolseley) sat rather unconvincingly on the Mini’s visage while, at the rear, the car was stretched by 9.7 inches and now sported a finny rear with vertical taillights.

Both fancy Minis were treated to a more upscale interior and dashboard, and they received concealed door hinges two years before their plebeian sisters did. All this meddling did not translate to any meaningful sales success however: both the Hornet and the Elf, their bodies not built at BMC but by external specialists Fisher & Ludlow, only sold around 30,000 each and were discontinued in 1969.

That same year, another stylistically modified Mini saw the light of day, the Clubman. This time a nose job resulted in a Mini that was just short of four inches longer, all due to a longer, squarer and more bluff (and to most eyes much less attractive) front end. Again, interior room, already good for such a small car, of course, remained the same, as did the capacity of the boot. A claimed benefit of the new nose was improved crash safety, but that selling point obviously did not resonate much with the buying public. The last Clubman was produced in 1980, while the original Mini continued on for two more decades.

The Clubman’s nose job increased its length compared to the original by just 3.1%; the Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf were quite a bit more stretched at 9.7%.

Triumph 1300 (1965-1970) / Triumph 1500 & Toledo (1970-1976) & Dolomite (1972-1980)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Codenamed project Ajax, the successor to the Triumph Herald was unveiled at the 1965 London Motor Show as the front-wheel-drive 1300. Styled by Giovanni Michelotti⁽⁴⁾, the 1300 was a neat and modern design a generation ahead of the Herald, which had flowed from the same designer’s pen. Triumph’s first and last FWD design⁽⁵⁾ never really provided the advantages the company expected of it in terms of handling and roadholding, however, and teething issues related to the technology tarnished the company’s image.

Therefore, in 1970 the 1300 was replaced by two cars. The first to arrive was the 1500, which was still FWD, but fitted with a more powerful 1.5-litre engine. The 1500 received a stylistic update, again by Michelotti – that increased its length, especially at the rear end where the previous distinctive stubby tail was replaced with a more substantial posterior⁽⁶⁾.

In August 1970 the Toledo appeared. Initially only available in two-door form (The four door variant would come in early 1971.) its goal was to serve as the cheaper entry-level member of the family. While it superficially looked mostly the same as the 1500 — it did receive the new nose but retained the old short tail — a fundamental change had taken place under the skin: the Toledo was rear wheel drive.

Just two years later, the FWD 1500 was replaced by the RWD but otherwise almost identical looking 1500TC and at about the same time the Dolomite was presented as the top end model, initially only available with a 1,854cc inline four-cylinder engine. Over time, the Dolomite would be the only surviving model name of the Ajax family as the Toledo was discontinued in 1976. The last Dolomite was produced in 1980.

The 1500 and Dolomite were 9 inches longer than the original 1300, which translates to a percentage gain of 5.9%.

Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle / Volkswagen 1302 (1971-1973) & 1303 (1973-1975)

The original VW Beetle is a record holder in more than just the amount produced: surely no other car in history has been subject to a comparable number of myriad yearly changes over its long lifetime, some miniscule, some more important. Absolutely one of the most fundamental changes was the switch from the old torsion bar to MacPherson strut front suspension, resulting in the new 1302 of 1971. This did not replace the existing Beetle, but rather served as the top model of the Beetle family.

Not only did the new front suspension improve road manners, it also allowed for the luggage capacity to increase from 140 litres to 260 litres⁽⁷⁾, a 43% gain.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Although it was not immediately obvious the 1302’s bodywork was also new from the A-pillar forward and made the 1302 two inches longer; the bootlid now had a less pronounced, more bulbous slope and a blunter ‘point’. The body changes were necessary because of the new suspension and the relocation of the spare wheel which also resulted in a slightly wider front track and a 0.79 inch increase in wheelbase.

The 1302 nameplate would be shortlived — especially so for a Volkswagen — and was succeeded by the 1303 just two years later; this ‘Super Beetle’ was easily identified by its larger wraparound windscreen. This change also involved a heavily redesigned cowl and a shorter bootlid, both quite easily spotted in a direct comparison. The 1303 was deleted from the range in 1975 — as quickly as its predecessor, although Karmann would continue to produce convertible versions of the car until 1980.

The two inch ‘stealth stretch’ of the 1302/1303 represents a tiny 1.2% increase in length; the smallest in this overview.

Austin 1100 ADO16 (1962-1974) / Austin Apache (1972-1978) – Austin Victoria (1972-1975)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

One of the proposals of the cancelled ADO22 program initiated to replace the successful ADO16 did not disappear into the archives or the shredder but ended up in South Africa and Spain. Again, Giovanni Michelotti was behind this restyling proposal. The Italian designer used the same method he applied with Triumph but, in this case, the end result did not look as harmonious — likely one of the reasons for BLMC to reject it. It also modified the appearance of the Pininfarina original to something that might easily wear a Triumph badge, especially at the rear: seen from the rear three-quarter angle, the similarities with the Triumph 2000 MK2 and Dolomite were hard to miss.

During a visit, executives from Leykor, the South African arm of BLMC, spotted the dismissed prototype; they expressed a strong interest and BLMC allowed Leykor to produce the car at their Blackheath plant. It was presented in 1971 as the Austin Apache and would stay in production until 1978, making it the longest surviving ADO16 variant. All Apaches were powered by the 1,275cc A Series with up to 75bhp in the TC introduced in 1973. A total of  21,655 Apaches were produced.

The Authi car company based in Pamplona, Spain produced virtually the same vehicle as the Austin Victoria starting in 1972. It had a slightly different front end with four round headlights in a wide black grille framed by a narrow chrome surround⁽⁸⁾, making it look somewhat like the Audi 80 introduced that same year.

At the time of its introduction, Spain still had a highly protected domestic market, which severely limited competition. Authi had no interest in producing the new Allegro and preferred to build the Victoria, thereby mostly using the tools and presses already in place for production of the old 1100 (named Austin de Luxe in 1974/75). The vast majority of Victorias never left Spain, but they were also marketed in Greece by BLMC as this type of small sedan enjoyed some popularity there. The Victoria was discontinued in 1975.

Giovanni Michelotti lengthened Pininfarina’s basic design quite substantially by 12 inches, a very noticeable 8.2% stretch.

And with this, we’ve reached the end. As stated in the first instalment, this has been a selection of vehicles that received a stretch at some point in their lives to create another car. There are sure to be more, and depending on the criteria you wish to apply, perhaps many more, but we hope this series has covered the most salient examples.

Two summary tables of the cars covered follows. The first includes cars whose wheelbase remained unchanged and the second includes those that saw a wheelbase increase as well.

Absolute and percentage stretch champ on an unchanged wheelbase: Austin Apache & Victoria 305mm / 12 inches: 8.2%.

Absolute and percentage stretch champ on an extended wheelbase: NSU 110/1200 560mm / 22 inches: 16.3%.

_{(1) By Philippe Charbonneaux.}

_{(2) R8’s built in Spain however had drum brakes at the rear.}

_{(3) The fact that there are many more E9 survivors nowadays than E120’s can distort one’s perception in this respect.}

_{(4) A year after the 1300’s introduction, Michelotti’s DAF 44 would display front end styling that was quite similar.}

_{(5) The Acclaim being little more than a rebadged Honda Civic of course.}

_{(6) Michelotti would perform a similar plastic surgery method on the larger Triumph 2000 to create the MK2 version thereof. This makes Michelotti somewhat of a ‘stretching king’, being responsible for three such examples.}

_{(7) The fuel reservoir was also moved slightly towards the rear and the new suspension allowed for the spare tire to be placed flat under the trunk floor, which helped to increase the capacity of the luggage compartment too.}

_{(8) The Victoria also had a partly different interior and dashboard.}

Author: brrrruno

Car brochure collector, Thai food lover, not a morning person before my first cup of coffee View all posts by brrrruno