Yesterday I posted the Simca 1100 pick-up (beige vehicle). In one of the greatest automotive transformations ever, Matra turned this rather basic, dated-looking vehicle into one of the most arrestingly stylish mainstream cars of the late 1970s, the Talbot Matra Rancho.This one is in need of a bit of restoration - which is why it was at the recent Practical Classics resto show near Birmingham. (1/2)

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It should have been out on the road. Instead, it lives in a glass case in a museum - the British Motor Museum, to be precise. This is R30. More specifically, it’s a 1/4 scale model of an early iteration of the car that was meant to replace Rover’s 25 and 45. Apparently a production-ready prototype existed by 2000 but after BMW abandoned MG Rover, the R30 never saw the light of day. That may not quite be the end of the story, though. More tomorrow…

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Today, after looking at the Lotus Eletre, Mini Cooper and MG, we’re focusing on a fourth example of British-badged cars using Chinese EV technology. This is the LEVC TX, the modern incarnation of the traditional London black taxi cab, which is basically a range-extender EV. I snapped this one inside the factory near Coventry where it is made in 2019. The plant is operated by the Chinese group Geely, which also owns Lotus, Volvo Cars and Polestar.

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Plenty of comments on the weight of yesterday’s Eletre versus previous Lotuses. I’ll return to that subject in a few days but today we continue with the theme of Chinese-British EVs, with the electric Mini Cooper, seen here at Thruxton Circuit at the SMMT’s southern test day. Although it looks the same as the current petrol model, the electric Mini is made on a completely different platform in China - but it will also be built in the UK from 2026.

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Today, we’re moving on to Vauxhall’s FC Victor, produced between 1963 and 1967. Despite its boxier appearance, the FC was the first Victor with curved side glass. Like the FB from yesterday, it was also available as a sporty VX 4/90 model, or as here, at the The Great British Car Journey in Derbyshire, an estate. Sorry for the odd angles on the photos - the brilliant TGBCJ has packed so many interesting cars into its display space. Well worth a visit!

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Today we’re moving on to Vauxhall’s FB Victor, introduced in 1960. It has a less showy design than its predecessor, yesterday’s American-influenced F-Type Victor. The FB was also the first Victor to be offered as a sporty VX 4/90 model, incorporating such advanced (for the time) features as front disc brakes. This estate/station wagon model is from Vauxhall’s collection. It currently lives at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon in Warwickshire. 1/3

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We’re back in small Fiat territory again today with this heavily facelifted late-model Series 3 127 from the early 1980s. The ‘75HP’ badge on the door cladding suggests this is the Sport model fitted with the 1301cc OHC engine. Snapped at the NEC Classic Motor Show last month.

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