Milano

[elansprint72]

A car about which I know very little, other than I don't think it was made in Italy- for some reason I think it might be Australian, but can't for the life of me think why. Anyone know any details?

[stuny]

Pete -

Attractive little fellow. We've recently seen other pictures of this model. I have no idea what it is either.

[luigi bertolotti]

Uhm... an interesting chase for identifying ... it's little and gracious (and you caugth a fine timely pic) ; me too would say it's not an Italian car : the front is someway similar to some Abarths, and also resembles the styling of Alfa TZs, but surely neither of these two marques, and I find anayway something "English" in the design (pity not having atoher views, but it smells also of a miniaturized Jag E coupè): so the Australian hipotesys could be right, indeed...

[stuny]

I too wondered if it wasn't from one of the tiny UK marques.

[steed]

Ginetta. Ask no more.
JW

[elansprint72]

Originally Posted by steed

Ginetta. Ask no more.
JW

Mrs Peel tells me that it definitely not a Ginetta. It has an engine of about 3500cc btw. There seems to be nothing on the interweb other than a couple of photos and nothing in my bible either.

[stuny]

3500? Perhaps the B-O-P aluminum V8 engine from the very early 1960s later licensed to Rover? If so, perhaps a search on who used the engine?

[flatfour]

I am reliably informed that it is a slightly modified Ginetta G4

[elansprint72]

That's two learned votes for Ginetta- but I'm sure that it's larger than a G4 (which is tiny).
Here is a rear view shot from 06 with the FZ-30, I think the car in front is an AC Ace, or early Cobra. It was wet!

[ijporter]

It is indeed Australian, but I'm not sure of its origins. I'll do some digging and try to get back with some clarity on the issue.

Ian

[elansprint72]

Originally Posted by ijporter

It is indeed Australian, but I'm not sure of its origins. I'll do some digging and try to get back with some clarity on the issue.

Ian

Ha! So I'm not totally brain-dead then?

[Rona|d]

Elfin

[elansprint72]

Originally Posted by Rona|d

Elfin

Another can of worms! I've seen Elfin single-seater cars once in a while but what has that got to do with Milano?

[Rona|d]

You asked for the car brand? Elfin.

edit #1: might have an straight six engine from Holden, an australian friend told me. He also think it´s an Elfin.

edit #2: click here and see the blue car with #91, see the windscreen, the lights, body shape etc. As Elfins are "plastic" cars, not many of them look 100% similar.

Still can of worms?

[Rona|d]

It´s an 1962 JWF Milano-Holden GT MK1. The body is Elfin-based.

[elansprint72]

Originally Posted by Rona|d

It´s an 1962 JWF Milano-Holden GT MK1. The body is Elfin-based.

Ron solves the mystery, partially(!) now we need to know what JWF is/was!

Having got the magic name JWF Milano-Holden, there are lots of recent references on the web but I still can't find any period info about the cars. A couple of pictures on this interesting french-language forum, scroll down a bit.

http://http://www.forum-auto.com/automobiles-mythiques-exception/section5/sujet251633-11550.htm

[Rona|d]

It seems that JWF is coupled with the small aussi company NOTA. Found this on the web:

JWF involvement
I tend to think that a company like Nota would have been involved purely in the construction of their own cars, but it wasn't the case. Back in the September 1996 issue of ACC we featured the cars of local constructor JWF who, under Sam Johnson's control, made a series of open and coupè-style motor cars. Interestingly, the HSRCA commemorated JWF at a recent Wakefield Park historic race meeting. Besides offering alternate bodies for proprietary chassis, JWF also offered complete cars with their own chassis. Who made some of the chassis? Nota of course.

By the early '60s, success for Nota and Guy Buckingham was assured. In addition to such successful cars as the Nota Major he was also building up a lucrative side business of tuning road and competition cars. His knowledge of matters automotive was well sought after and for a time Guy even had his own Saturday morning television program on the Channel 9 Network advising viewers on tuning and modifications.

Thankfully, Guy Buckingham kept records of all work that went through the company, including extensive notes on each of the cars produced. Nota cars continued to leave the small factory which by this stage had moved to the Sydney suburb of Parramatta. Cars like Sid Howard's front engine Formula junior that was equipped with a MG XPEG engine blown to 17 psi. Then a true mid-engined FJ car with a Ford 10SE engine and VW transaxle, that was closely followed by the NotaDin complete with Holden six, Peugeot 403 gearbox and Skoda differential - car now owned by Terry Harris. There were also a series of successful clubman-style cars for drivers like Sid Howard, Jacque Sapir, Peter Wilson, George Sonta and Neil Leffler.

Towards the mid '60s Nota was moving into a field that was to prove the most successful for the small company. From the outside it appeared to be another Streamliner but behind the driver was the ubiquitous Mini drive-train with its steering arms locked into position. It was possibly the first time in the world where a Mini engine had been used in such a configuration and in the years to come the Mini drive-train was to feature heavily in future Notas.

Source: 50 Years of Nota

You can contact Nota, maybe they can provide more details: Nota Sports and Racing Cars

[steed]

Kudos to those who beat me at the trivia game I thought that I owned. I suspect some kind of component link, though. Take a look at a real Ginetta and you can see how I was lead astray.
John W

http://www.ginettaheritage.co.uk/silverstone72.jpg