African Muscle Cars - Forum

This Daimler was quite a mish-mash of hurried workmanship because Daimler UK were going bust. They needed a car to get them back on track and hoped this one would do it for them. It was based on the Triumph TR3 and the suspensiom was almost a copy of that car. The handling was suspect. The engine was a Daimler built 2.5 V8 with twin Solex carbs. It developed around 140bhp and could reach about 130 mph. As things would be the car was frowned upon by the MD with typical British prejudice, just because he didn't like the look of the car. It lasted all of 4 years before pruduction stopped. Daimler was then sucked into Jaguar and fell under BMC.

There are one or two racing today, can you believe in the States?

FairmontGT wrote: Talking about Darts, I wonder how many GSM darts and flamingos are left. Do you guys ever see any of them? The flamingo is a nicely designed little car for me.

The Gsm community is still up and around. My one friends got four of them. Two flamingoes and 2 Darts . Nice little cars. The handling are quite something. It stick to the road like you cant believe.
I had an old Car mag with a road test for V8 Flamingo, 260 ford V8 with a 3 speed box, quite uniqe.

As far as I know you can still get the bodies new.
www.gsmclub.co.za/history.htm

Yes the GSM club is very much alive and well. I get updates from them regularly. Quite right about the Flamingo V8. As far as I remember there weren't very many of them built because the power of that engine was bordering on dangerous in such a light body. Some well known driver took one out on Kyalami in the 60's, can't remember who, and when they got back to the pits, they couldn't close their wide open eyes!

There was only one prototype Flamingo V8 made. This was raced and driven on the road by Bob van Niekerk but it was considered too dangerous for production. I believe he still has it. It was gold and I remember seeing it race.

I like the split rear windows of the Flamingo, it reminds me of my favourite corvette.

A very attractive little car, as was the Dart. If I could have one of each, I would be quite happy.

I know this wasn't a V8 and perhaps I shouldn't be posting here, but that is the Chev Corvair. It was a flat six. What a sound it made. A lot of folks didn't like it but I've always had a soft spot for it.

Here's the forgotten (V8) flat six. Has anyone seen these things race? I vaguely remember something like this at Goodwood in Helldriver days.

Nick Van Rensburg raced a Corvair at Goodwood , Willie Olivier from Paarl raced one even before Nicks one in Paarl....

Remember both the Chevair stockcars Gunter refers to.

Evel handling brutes with midmounted V8s if I remember correctly.

What about the V8 engined Beetle that raced at Killarney? Anyone remember it?