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Diccon Towns
Приєднався 23 вер 2013
Відео
Wooden Hustler
Переглядів 4 тис.8 років тому
A mini-based kit car - the first ever all wood monocoque construction.
Microdot Three Seater Hybrid
Переглядів 6 тис.8 років тому
Designed by William Towns, this is a petrol-generated/electric hybrid from circa 1976. More info here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microdot_(car)
William Towns Interview 1992
Переглядів 2,5 тис.8 років тому
Beyond Productions (Australia) interview with William Towns from 1992.
I've always thought this is one of the best designed car body.
Beautiful. My favourite exotic of all time.
What's the music at the start and near the end? Shazam has no idea.
Hahaha 🤣 what a lie. Starting out with calling a lawnmower engine a moped engine, but this is a tiny unforgettable detail. The notion that a petrol engine converting it's power to charge a battery that will drive an electric motor is economic is laughable. The chain of loss is huge. To get the best mileage he would surely have to run the car directly by the lawnmower engine 🤣
Visionary? or bonkers? could be either...
Terrific design. A shame that the infrastructure never made them viable.
Why was the infrastructure an issue?
So let me get this straight, the guy put a petrol engine in the car, not to move but to generate electricity and charge the batteries so they start the electric motor!!! The amount of loses this has is insane. How did they get it all wrong? They also said it doesn't pollute or make noise.... ding dong you have a petrol motors on there! You still drive with petrol.
They state that its a Hybrid. The whole idea was that it uses less petrol. From what it shows that worked for him anyway.
I believe William passed away the year after this was filmed. Easily my favourite car designer, how sad he died so young and wasn't able to complete more of his designs.
Hi Diccon, would you be able to get in touch with me. I'd love to speak to you about using this brilliant clip. My email is Laura.senior (at) northonetv.com
2:45 whats the dail on the right mean
Probably something to do with a shutoff limit. A lot of older bowsers would pump to a glass container above then drain down. They had strange stuff back then.
@@OffGridInvestor oh
Was this when their was a fuel crisis
...it uses fuel jesus christ!
@@aryaprincess2479 i know i was saying was this when there was a fuel crisis in the 70s and there was fuel rationing
@@aryaprincess2479 Of course... It's a hybrid.
@@thepurdychannel8866 probably just after
It made its first appearance at the 1976 British International Motor Show. It being an evolution of his prior design the Minissima from 1972. Which looked very similar in design but dwarfs the Microdot, it being a much larger vehicle (but still a small car). It was not a hybrid but instead used a 4 cylinder engine. Both were designed to be so-called city cars. However cool the microdot is completely impractical unless you're a petite short teenage girl. It's really small and cramped inside. Despite having a very open appearance inside. It is very open, it's also very small. 😂
the Twizzy and its success shows how this nowadays could have been a bit of a success. Plus, love the cheese wedge design!
Unfortunately description is wrong. These weren't wood monocoques, they had a steel chassis with a fibreglass floor. Marcos did wood monocoques though.
There were several steel and fibreglass models, but the wooden ones were definitely just that - Mini sub-frames bolted into a wooden chassis. The only things you got with the kit were the glass and the plans
A car ahead of its time.
The entire computer power on that Lagonda could probably be done on a Raspberry Pi now.
Electronics on these cars were much simpler than a raspberry pi..... raspberry pi is very powerful compared to computers in the 1980s....
@@martinbaldwin1906 This technology is 1970s not 1980s.
Anyone know if plans are available today?
This is what I mostly like at You Tube. Forgotten pieces that I never have seen without you and You tube. Thanks deeply for sharing.... and William Towns: What a man!
I had no idea Tom Jones built engines for Lagonda. Fun fact.
Neat idea having the shopping basket tuck into the rear of the car.
That's the designer William Towns at the wheel of the wooden car. He also designed the Aston Martin Lagonda.
This is what the Lagonda should have been.
That is one damn fine automobile!
1:28 HAHAHA
sarcasm is very strong here with narrator
Not really all that funny. When the Lagonda came out, the electronics really were revolutionary. PCs weren't out yet, and many office buildings only had one or two minicomputers that ran on punch tape. A computer in a car? Magical. Sure, technology passed it by, and now it looks dated. But it was the first. Not ONE of the first...THE first. Props where they're due.
Are you related to William Towns?
A luxury motor sedan pretty much in the league with Maserati Quatroporte in rare sedans.
THIS
cool!
Styling clearly influenced the 1977-90 GM B-bodies. Even as a kid I noticed this; it's like an early concept sketch of what became the '77 Caprice escaped Bill Mitchell's studio and was brought to life.
😀😀😀😀😄😄 Idiot yank. Who the fuck buys American cars.
Citroen style steering wheel.
Toussantlbisso deoug demuro ....
Beautiful. Where would the world be without. ROLLS ROYCE. BENTLEY. ASTON MARTIN. JAGUAR. RANGE ROVER ETC.
very good place with cars no faults.
Less oil leaks on driveways & more robust wiring.
Great to see .
In my opinion, William Towns was a man light-years ahead of his time; he established the Hustler vehicle range long before the term MPV was coined. Today Multi-purpose vehicles outsell all other classifications around the world. Mind you, no one else has had the vision to produce a six-wheeler. I've always loved William Towns' designs. I have a Huntsman that I've been building for some years. William's earlier Hustler designs are well represented on the internet, but sadly his later car illustrations are not. The Force 4 / Holiday influenced model shown on William's drawing board is absolutely Stunning!!! Diccon, would you be able to post up some of these unseen treasures for public appreciation?
My name is actually William towns
I was besotted by Towns Minisama when it appeared at the 73 motor show and later the Microdot. Some years later purchased a prototype Microdot that was to be produced by a company on the south coast. This modified version which Towns was consulted had a front mounted mini automatic and no hybrid items. I met with Towns about obtaining glass for it but he basically talked me out of completing the car due to the high cost of curved glass and this prototype being front engined wasn't true to the hybrid drive Microdot design. I ended up buying a six wheel Hustler from him and utilising all the new mechanicals off the Microdot. My memory of meeting Towns was of a gentleman very knowledgeable, much in demand with an early mobile phone constantly in use.