24 replies to this topic

[MrBounce]

Found a pic of the V12 one.

 

[Itsaminithing]

"1985 Highlander 6, powered by the 5.3-litre, 12-cylinder Jaguar engine, which apparently only found eight eager customers"

- I wonder how many of those 8 are still about?

[MrBounce]

"1985 Highlander 6, powered by the 5.3-litre, 12-cylinder Jaguar engine, which apparently only found eight eager customers"

- I wonder how many of those 8 are still about?

And how many owners are still traumatised beyond belief having driven them??? 

[r3k1355]

These were a conversion offered by Williams Town. It's based on a Mini Moke.

 

 

 

So you took them a Mini Moke and they gave you that monstrosity?

 

or they looked at the design and thought they could come up with something better (and failed) ??

[Spider]

 

These were a conversion offered by Williams Town. It's based on a Mini Moke.

 

 

 

So you took them a Mini Moke and they gave you that monstrosity?

 

or they looked at the design and thought they could come up with something better (and failed) ??

 

 

From what I understand, you took them a Mini Moke, and they built this on top of it.

[Itsaminithing]

No! That would be like trying to make an orange out of a potato -they're completely different animals.

 

I will have to check with a friend who built a Six but as far as i can make out it was a low-slung steel floorpan mounted in a tubular square steel frame, acres of glass & aluminum for all-consuming dehydration, & optional lower fibreglass body panels.

(the donor vehicle for the suspension/running gear/brakes/electrics could be whatever you wanted- Mini, 1100/1300, Moke etc).

[CCBG]

 

 

 

I have a strange deja-vu feeling about this car, like I've seen it at a show when I was a kid, or it was on a TV show or something. Hmm. 

 

 

i know what you mean, but i can't figure out if those memories relate to the car or the magazine of the same name !!

 

Did the one you're thinking of have a pope in the back?

 

 

And here's proof of the Lego connection!

 

 

That back axle seems to be a bit too far back in the wheelarch..

[panky]

Bit of a porky pope

[Itsaminithing]

Bit of a porky pope

Perhaps he's hiding a couple of choirboys under his cassock

.....you never know when you might have to do an emergency mass.

[fujijon]

Cannot see the image from the OP , as this is an old post but with references to MFI guess its a wooden Hustler - 6 wheeler , or a 4 wheeler ? These were , as others here have said made from a set of plans designed and sold by William Towns .

The same man was responsible for designing the Aston Marton Lagonda  - find an image online and you'll see the design concept .

This was in a different world to today's , way back when D.I.Y extended far beyond fitting a new door to a kitchen cabinet .

 

Towns also sold a successful series of fibreglass Kit Cars to the same iconic 70's boxy pattern . 

These were , certainly in the beginning all British Leyland / Austin Mini based , using everything from a donor without modification .

Front and rear subframes complete with all ancillaries were be dropped from the donor and swapped straight over .

Stripping a donor Mini may seem odd today but this was at a time when a rusted-out Mini , even a 1275GT could be had for virtually nothing dragged out from a barn and even then was too expensive to bring back to life for an Mot . 

 

These kits cars were available in both 4 wheel and 6 wheel versions ,  the Hustler 4 and Hustler 6 .

The 6 wheeler version used 2 Mini rear subframes fitted back to back . 

There was also a pared down to the basics jeep style 4 wheeler called the Hellcat  , basically a 4 but with less of everything .

This had only a half roof with no glass other than the windscreen . 

The Hellcat was a very practical jump in and go runabout .

 

The driving characteristics of the Mini are well known and transferred over to the Hustler flawlessly . 

Having owned a number of 4 wheelers (only ) I can vouch for this same handling .

As for performance , being lighter than a factory Mini , an old 850cc lump was adequate , a 1275 power plant was simply thrilling .

Most all aftermarket custom Mini bits that were fitted to a Mini could be fitted to a Hustler . 

One super benefit - was how the ride was so much more refined on my Hustler 4 compared to that on any Mini .

In theory the lighter fibreglass bodywork ( what little there was of it )  should have made it a harsher ride , but no .

I can vouch that these wonderful cars offered practical every-day motoring .

 

 Later cars like the Highlander , although sharing the same design were obviously way different .  

Contemporary with the then  ' new' Renault Espace , this and the earlier Huster 6 did have kerb appeal for those with larger families or who were self employed . Many were modified further for example to be used as business vans , and  specifically ice cream vans  . 

The Highlander certainly lost some of the original panache i.m.o .

Edited by fujijon, 22 February 2023 - 01:55 PM.