Friday, February 23, 2024

Posted by John Mellberg January 16, 2024 Share Behind the Iron Curtain

 


In 1977 a low-slung GT car with classic sportscar proportions emerged from the basement of an engineer in the Soviet Union, one Rafik Ordyan. Finished in June of that year, the car boasted one of the lowest profiles of any car at the time, just over 3 feet. Wherever this bright orange car appeared, a crowd of people came to marvel at it.

His dream became reality in the dark, dusty basement of his house which had a low ceiling. At just 7 feet tall, it was uncomfortable to say the least of it. Rafik worked for Soviet Ministry of Transport in the experimental department by day, but all of his spare time and resources went into the project, which was started in 1973. The doors alone took 6 months to perfect. "I had a goal," he said in an interview in 1978, "to create a modern, original car, different from all the others." 

Rafik Ordyan's GT-77 being presented to officials at the Russian Grand Prix 

To power his car, Rafik chose a 47-horsepower Skoda 1202 engine, as well as a steering box and transmission from a Soviet Moskvitch 412. The rest of the car, including the chassis, were custom built by Ordyan. The trunk space, instrument placement, and interior added to its appeal while engine placement, low center of gravity and an entirely fiberglass body were the defining features of the final product.

The Ordyan GT-77 in front 3/4 view

The impact of Rafik Ordyan’s victory in the 1977 Soviet Grand Prix was significant in Armenia. Unfortunately, Rafik died in May of 1979, of heart disease. He was just 30 years old. The Yerevan Automobile Factory had planned to mass-produce Ordyan’s GT-77 in Armenia for the Soviet market but shelved the plans after his death. Shortly thereafter the Armenian Autolover’s Club was established in Yerevan and membership grew as Rafik’s friends, colleagues, and fans carried on the tradition in his memory. 

After the Soviet collapse, the use and legal ownership of precious metals in the newly independent Republic of Armenia gave way to the creation of a handmade memorial plaque which is given out every year by the Car Club to the best handmade car of the year. The plaque features a center relief of the GT-77 with the name “Ordyan, R.S.” at the bottom. The GT-77 still exists and is part of the Ordyan family collection in Yerevan. As part of the 30th anniversary of the passing of its creator a restoration commenced in May of 2009.

Sources:

The Ordyan Memorial Plaque

The Ordyan GT-77 at rear

The Ordyan GT-77, front right 3/4 view 

The Ordyan GT-77 in Soviet Media

The Ordyan GT-77 in repose

The Ordyan GT-77 at the Russian GP

The Ordyan GT-77 with its creator

The Ordyan GT-77 with its creator (left) and friend (at right)

The Ordyan GT-77 with Rafik Ordyan

A Brazilian SL-Class

 


As some readers may know, Brazil closed its ports to the importation of foreign vehicles for nearly 20 years, beginning in the 1970s. At that time three major companies dominated the domestic market: Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford - with Chrysler closing its doors in the country, as well as Fiat. With the lack of competition from international models, little was invested in the diversification of market niches, leaving gaps for smaller entrepreneurs to explore their creative potential, especially to meet the demand for cars with a sporty appeal, as well as the search for alternatives of greater refinement.

Precisely because they tolerated a more spartan finish, the sporty cars were the first to leave the drawing boards of designers, conquering the Brazilian public through a recipe that would be widely used by manufacturers of low-volume cars: fiberglass bodywork on common donor cars that were easily maintained, with a wide availability of replacement parts. As one can imagine, there weren't many options to choose from among local offerings. The VW engines of the Beetle and the GM straight 6cyl. of the Opal, were the most logical choices.

Rendering of the Lafer LL

Appearing in the late 60s, the Puma was the most successful pioneer in this emerging field of the Brazilian automobile scene. Their waiting list and the public reception of their products encouraged other companies to join the game. Among them was Lafer, which had the merit of being the pioneer in the field of replicas or as some would call them, "neo-classics", with the MP Lafer. This car was even lauded in the very competitive North American market, where this type of car was much appreciated and had a loyal audience. The success of the MP, based on the lines of the MG TD and the quality of its construction, showed that it could go further.

Both the Puma and the MP Lafer utilized the air-cooled running gear of the VW Beetle, whose modest performance prevented its aficionados from enjoying a more spirited drive. But the good sales of both gave the go-ahead for the emergence of a second generation of special vehicles, with the strength of the General Motors Opal's six-cylinder engine and with the promise of a more luxurious and comfortable finish. In the mid-70s, the Puma GTB and the Santa Matilde appeared, almost simultaneously, but anyone who thought that Lafer would not follow this trend was wrong.

The Lafer LL, rear quarter view

The project brief of the Lafer LL was ambitious: to offer a select Brazilian consumer the best that could be found in other countries, a luxury coupé with sporty characteristics. The kind of thing that could no longer be brought to the southern hemisphere for legal reasons. The clear benchmark for comparison was the Mercedes SLC series, which represented the paradigm of success, a status symbol both in Germany and in the United States. From this model, the Lafer LL inherited that profile, with clean and aerodynamic lines, anticipating trends that would prevail only a decade later, in the national market.

Only five prototypes were developed, between 1976 and 1979, always with the Opal's 250-S mechanics, whose 4,100 cc straight 6-cylinder guaranteed optimal performance, given the light weight of the fiberglass body, with its 171 horsepower. As a curiosity, the numbering of these rare examples can be checked in the engine compartment, paying attention to the surface on the housing of one of the front wheels. 

The Lafer LL engine bay with its GM250 Inline 6cyl.

The engine of the LL left no one in the lurch, as it had a wide range of spare parts available and was used in many of the models that GM manufactured at the time, such as the Opala and the Caravan. In addition, it accommodated a good deal of tuning, and its performance could be tailored to the customer's liking.

The Lafer prototype had an interior that, in terms of fit and finish, was commensurate with such a car. It pampered its occupants with spacious leather seats for up to four passengers, in a two-plus-two configuration, in addition to the use of fine woods in the console. Unlike other automobiles of the time, the windshield was installed flush with the bodywork, a concept that would be common only in the most advanced of cars in the era.

The Lafer LL interior with steering wheel mounted digital gauges and controls

Another of its novelties was its dashboard, which was digital and boasted red LED dials in the middle of the steering wheel. This was a rather futuristic feature, at the time exclusive to the Aston Martin Lagonda in a production car. The Lafer LL, as such, was a pioneer in this use of digital instrumentation. To give an idea of what this represented, something similar wouldn't be shown in concept cars until the Buick Wildcat concept car in the 80's, and it took until the 90's for digital gauges to appear in the steering wheels of Formula 1 cars. But some twenty years earlier, such technology was not yet fully developed, which is why conventional analog dials were ultimately adopted in the surviving prototypes.

Such complexity in the innovative details of the LL helped prevent the vehicle from being launched in series, due to the increasing amount of investment required to move the project forward. After all, Lafer did not have the capital of a large multinational to keep more than a couple of models on the market. It already had two with the MP, in the classic version and the Ti version, recently created in the same period. 

A pair of Lafer LL coupes

At the beginning of the 80's, however, Miúra perfected the means to craft the combination of comfort, technology, and good performance, needed to occupy the market share that could have been destined for the LL, at least until the reopening of importation at the dawn of the following decade, which buried a majority of the Brazilian car builders.

Perhaps the Lafer LL was too ambitious and innovative for its market at the time. It was also tremendously expensive. In 1977 the Lafer LL had a USD equivalent price of roughly $17,000. Though it’s unlikely to be a clean comparison, the US price of a Mercedes-Benz 450SLC at that time was $12,750. Nevertheless, the LL should have done better than it ended up doing. The contemporary Santa Matilde and Puma GTB, also Opala-based, were produced in decent numbers for much longer than the Lafer, the last of which was produced in mid-1979.

Lafer continued production of their ersatz MG's until 1990, when Brazil would fully open its car market to imports. However, the Lafer furniture business continues to this day.


the Lafer LL, front quarter view

the Lafer LL at rear

the Lafer LL at front

the Lafer LL, left side

the Lafer LL, right side

the Lafer LL, driver's side door and dashboard

the Lafer LL rear

the Lafer LL in profile

the Lafer LL with conventional dashboard

the Lafer LL interior

the Lafer LL rear seating

The Carlton Carrera story

  


Carlton Automotive was based in Royston, Barnsley, UK and was run by Dave Peasant and Stuart Allatt. Both shared experience as engineers and their company specialized in GRP manufacturing, for external clients as well as their own offerings. They produced two models; a pioneering sport utility vehicle called the Commando and the Carrera sportscar which is the subject at hand.

The Carlton Carrera was a 3-door sports coupe made between 1985 and 1994. It was based on the ubiquitous (in the UK at least) Ford Cortina. It was compatible with drivetrain and mechanicals from the Mark 3, 4, and 5 Cortinas specifically. The kit featured a forward hinging bonnet assembly which combined both inner and outer wings. Two intake scoops, mounted symmetrically on the bonnet allowed fresh air for the car's internal ventilation system. An intricate molding provided the under-bonnet air ducting which was directly linked to the heater box.

The Carlton Carrera, rear 3/4 view

The main body shell was a one-piece molding, providing a sealed bulkhead and rear floor section. A steel roll-over cage was molded into the body shell and carried the seat belt mounting points. The doors were completely GRP, mounted onto steel posts and housing Ford Capri window winding systems on pillarless frames. The doors also included two steel tubes for support and side impact protection. The rear tailgate was a one-piece molding housing an MGB GT rear window. An Mk2 Escort would donate front indicator units, the rear lamps were from a Manta or Cavalier Coupe. The headlamps were the usual 7" Lucas units, as found on so many British cars, going back to the 1940s.

The body was aerodynamically efficient with subtle curves along with integrated spoilers and side skirts. The chassis was of deep box section construction, with "back-bone" type rails to provide a very high degree of torsional rigidity. The chassis extended the full length and width of the car giving superb front, rear and side impact protection.

The Carlton Carrera, with rear hatch and clam-shell hood open



The styling certainly recalled the Jaguar E-Type but was not strictly a replica. The design actually had a far more graceful roofline than the various versions of the E-Type coupe. The use of the windshield and side-glass from the Ford Capri gave the car a slight resemblance to the classic Datsun/Nissan 240z as well. The design was intended to be more evocative than a mere Jag copy. The result was a handsome GT with classic proportions.

The Carlton Carrera's Fort Cortina sourced dashboard



Two versions of the Carrera were offered, one a 2+2 (using Cortina front and rear axles), or the full 4-seater, which utilized a Jaguar rear end, with the option of using either Cortina or Jaguar front suspension. Optional extras included a glass sunroof, and gas struts for the tailgate and the bonnet. A convertible version would also go on to be offered, later in the production run. Apparently 150 Carreras were sold, with an unknown number completed. Carlton ceased trading in 1994.

Sources:

The Carlton Carrera, front 3/4 view

The Carlton Carrera, front right view

The Carlton Carrera, front left view

The Carlton Carrera, rear left view

The Carlton Carrera, rear right view

The Carlton Carrera

The Carlton Carrera in profile

The Carlton Carrera convertible

The Carlton Carrera, print advertising