So, who has the coolest car name?

@VDCdriver; Thank for the correction. I was less than 5 riding in that car and the model tag had fallen off. Just know the name. We used to have a Fiat 500 (the original one) before that. Believe it or not, my dad used to carry lumbar on the roof of that thing.

“We used to have a Fiat 500 (the original one) before that. Believe it or not, my dad used to carry lumbar on the roof of that thing.”

Wow!
What a backache that must have been…

;-))

@gallant
The muffler was actually in the engine compartment fastened to the manifold and if I remember correctly it was a ball and socket connection, therefore you get the banging you described. The exhaust pipe connected to that through the fender apron and ran along the rocker. It was a 9 foot long pipe with two tiny rubber hangers.

Also, the rims were attached with only 3 lugs.

@meaneyedcatz: perfect explanation of what I was picturing.
I believe they had a special tool for bleeding the cooling system, but we made a generic one ourselves.
Also, no brake booster on my model; made for fun stopping with 5 big guys from our hoop team riding in that car.

I’m showing my age but I have a fondness for Tom Slick’s “Thunderbolt Grease Slapper”.

Ed B.

@edb1961
Don’t remember the Thunderbolt Grease Slapper but if I remember correctly was not Tom Slick part of the Wacky Racers cartoon?

I’m not sure if Lagonda is cool, but it does sound like one of Godzilla’s fiercest opponents. An incredibly ugly car, too.

Isetta.

Isetta here thinkin’ 'bout how cramped this car is.

@jtsanders The Lagonda belonged to the “semi-knife-edge” school of design. British car magazines called it an elegant car; I agree with you that is was ugly. That did not deter Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband from ownig one and getting numerous speeding tickets (citations?) in it. Needless to say, he did not have to pay them.

British Royalty always have to be seen to driving British cars. The Queen was the first to publicly drive a Mini, thus confirming that it was a trustworthy car. She also always drove a Range Rover on the “Estate”.

“Isetta here thinkin’ 'bout how cramped this car is.”

…not to mention that even the slightest frontal impact would make it impossible to open the door…IF you survived the impact.

If ever a car was a “death trap”, it was the Isetta.

@VDCdriver. If the original Beetle was a death trap, the Isetta was that in spades. The slightest front end collision could put you in a wheelchair for life.