Hi all I’ve recently purchased a 1958 500N
I’ve had it shipped over from Portugal.
It appears a good honest car with most of the period features as I understand parts for the model a few and far between and usually a price tag to reflect it.
Just need to Sus out how to post some pictures.

I would really appreciate any advice I even like constructive criticism.

Cheers Spike

Spike64 said:

I would really appreciate any advice I even like constructive criticism.

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Yeahh get rid of it... an unreliable "Prototype", more trouble than they are worth...
I certainly wouldn't buy one....
You need to swap it for one of the more luxurious Modern ones Post 65 when they corrected the door opening problem....

Or I would take the pain on your behalf and give it a home...

Welcome aboard Andy

P.

Here’s a couple of pictures

I was talking to a guy in NZ about his N a few months ago.
He had it online, and had offers from all over the world to ship it out - I think it ended up going to India.
Anyway, I guess that means hold onto it and enjoy, nice find

(but if you want what's best for the car, send it out here to Australia where it'll never see a salted road or barely a rainy day so that top will be open every drive )

BambinoClassic said:

I was talking to a guy in NZ about his N a few months ago.
He had it online, and had offers from all over the world to ship it out - I think it ended up going to India.
Anyway, I guess that means hold onto it and enjoy, nice find

(but if you want what's best for the car, send it out here to Australia where it'll never see a salted road or barely a rainy day so that top will be open every drive )

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Ha ha cheers . I think I’ll keep it here in the UK ?

Spike64 said:

Here’s a couple of pictures

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Nice find

Welcome to the forum. :

BambinoClassic said:

send it out here to Australia where it'll never see a salted road or barely a rainy day so that top will be open every drive )

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Ohhh not only do that lot down under flaunt their RHD highly collectable mk 2 early cars...
they want us to ship our Prototypes to them as well...

Today I decided to see how bad the corrosion was on the bottom of my petrol tank to decover all sorts of nasty patches. So I’ve cut the bottom out and the rest of the tank has the most awful hard putty like stuff inside so I decided to put it in a bucket of costic soada and put electricity through via a battery charger and the results are amazing.
So now when the new plate is welded back in place I will line the tank with Kreem tank liner .

That's what I like to see. Someone who likes a challenge!

Franko500 said:

That's what I like to see. Someone who likes a challenge!

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Maybe Andy hasn’t got a lot of choice Sean given the price and especially the availability of parts for ’Prototipo’ cars

Ha ha me and challenges go well together if you see the state of mini mini traveller I restored ?
The brake reservoir and fuel tank sensor got the same treatment today

IanEmery said:

Maybe Andy hasn’t got a lot of choice Sean given the price and especially the availability of parts for ’Prototipo’ cars

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Andy has a lot of finding to do... although he seems to have a nose for bits....
but think he will show us some interesting tips and tricks...
I for one have never applied electrickery to stuff I put in caustic soda....
but interesting none the less..
may give that a bash...

just be careful with aluminium - they don't go well together and gets rather stinky! & dangerous if inhaled.

I read through Sean’s thread the section on getting the pully off.......
Hay presto !!!!

Cheers matey

Spike64 said:

I read through Sean’s thread the section on getting the pully off.......
Hay presto !!!!

Cheers matey

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good job... welding them does not always work.. and a replacement????
Probably easier to buy a car and break for spares... lol

Made a few inroads today stripped out the engine for vapour blasting!!

Pics

I'm not understanding the "prototype" label. I thought these cars came out in '57?
And surely it wouldn't be put on the market until "perfected" – I use the word perfected loosely.

Also, isn't a prototype made of wood or clay, or a one-off? Maybe that was what was under the petrol tank?

Someone enlighten me please.

Tim

timgarman said:

Someone enlighten me please.

Tim

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It is the rivalry between us Early car owners and the post 65 ones....
as the post 65 cars are more numerous and more refined, so it seems to have been decided that the N/D's must have been prototypes for the later F/L/Rs..
Really the ones with they doors opening the wrong way (that's post 65) were just mass produced because they could not produce the hand crafted N/D's in volume
(nothing more than friendly banter)

I see a competition brewing between Sean the King of Rust vs Andy Mr Shiny and polish - D vs N ohhh this will be exciting....

Great, thanks for that. As a post '65 owner I'll just stand and watch. Can I hold anyone's coat?