Should the coupe have looked like this?

[Gee tc]

There was a guy featured in a recent Practical Classics who did a Rover 75 coupe.
He grafted BMW 3 series rear roof / window area.
Also he produced the double ended 75 too. For me I'd prefer a 4 door marina saloon converted to a 2 door.
Then put Lotus striping on it
T

[Morris McKinnon]

I do want to have a go at a two door saloon. What are the laws on cutting a car in half to shorten the wheelbase?

[david painter]

Not a lot from what I have seen as long as you own both halves and its done properly may well have to have some sort of SVA / IVA test when you try any change body type on V5C
Dave

[MarinaCoupe]

Hmmm, if you extend the door by say four or five inches and then move the B pillar back by four or five inches to match, you are not actually changing the wheelbase.

Then of course, if you did the same to a Mumford, you could dispense with the the funny side windows, but maybe adapt a Stag roll over bar to compensate?

[Morris McKinnon]

Yes, IVA would probably be needed. I've seen Mini "shorty's" which have obviously been chopped so I guess it can be done. I think the Marina Coupe and saloon have the same wheelbase. Lengthening the front door would probably better as there isn't much sill between the edge of the door and rear wheel arch anyway.
I was looking at pictures of the Allegro two door and glass looks like it could work with some trimming.

[marinabuoy]

I can see the appeal of a saloon converted to a two door, and if the proportions of it ended up looking anything like a two door Escort you might be able to add a nought onto the value of it!

It had occurred to me that the easiest way of balancing out the proportions of the glass in the coupe might be to shorten the whole car by 4 inches or so just behind the B post, but then you'd be loosing your rear seat leg room and the whole thing would probably just look a bit stumpy, not to mention I don't know how shortening the wheelbase would effect steering geometry / ackerman angles relating to wheelbase and all that kind of stuff I don't really understand. Probably not make much difference, but the idea for me really was just to make the coupe look the way the designers originally intended before the accountants got their cost cutting claws into it and decreed that one door fits all.


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[Tenner]

I managed to dig up a photo of the prototype coupe, I seem to remember several complete cars were actually made, but then the bean-counters did their grisly work. No idea if any of them survive now, any survivors that weren't worn out or scrapped were probably destroyed in that fire.

[Morris McKinnon]

I'm looking at TTM and thinking I mean, why not? She's a wreck of a car and I have the parts to make it work. It's not a sudden idea I've had, I've thought about it for a long time and I have various sketches and measurements, it can be done quite easily. Plan would be, I'd push the B pillar back a few inches and lengthen the doors to suit. I'd trim and cut some mk3 front door glass for the fixed rear side windows to make up for the loss of the quarterlight and for the front doors I'd try Allegro door glass from a two door, trimming it square so as to keep the Marina quartelight.
To be honest, I'll probably use another car to do this on, preferably a 1.8, but having a bare shell outside where I could just get straight to work on, it is very tempting!

[Morris McKinnon]

By using the n/s front door glass for the o/s rear and vice versa, the mk3 door glass is ideal. It has the perfect profile and only needs a small amount of trimming to fit.

I'm getting excited now, need to calm down

[Tenner]

What on earth have I done?

Now we need an MG Marina, a Wolseley Marina and a Vanden Plas Marina to complete the set of "what ifs"!

[Morris McKinnon]

Hmm, MG Marina... two door

[david painter]

I Have thought about badging my Brown Coupe as an MG when fitted the TC 2lt O Series. Not sure if door glass can be trimmed with it being Toughened Glass but just googled it find if heated to 900 deg F in a oven then allowed to cool for 8 hours it can then be cut.
Dave

[Tenner]

It might theoretically be possible to cannibalise a dead MGB V8 and make a musclecar MG Marina!

[Morris McKinnon]

ah yes, I forgot it's tempered glass

[Pont.skins]

What on earth have I done?

Now we need an MG Marina, a Wolseley Marina and a Vanden Plas Marina to complete the set of "what ifs"!

They did a one off MG Marina.The last I heard an MG enthusiast had it.