Alto Duo remains a real rarity

The last time I wrote about the quirky Alto Duo was 10 years ago (a Guinness book record car! click here), so I think it's about time to put it in the spotlight here once again. 

Incredibly perhaps, the Duo was offered for sale from 1984 up until 1998, originally by its designers Tommy and David Gornall of Goosnargh, Lancashire but later also by Automotive Concepts of Portsmouth and Antoni Offert of Rhino Engineering in Lancashire. Under all those wings and in all those years, still just 18 materialized. 

I could only find a few different cars in the files, with one registered 'Q469 JWW' seen below. DVLA tells us it's a 1986 car with 998 power and blue in colour, but it was seen in an orangey-red hue when offered for sale in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland back in 2009. This while the pictures of it in a sort of camouflage print were sent to me last year only. Whatever happened to it..?

  

The Alto Duo was offered for 14 years, with just more than 1 sold per year...

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Hardtop was a factory option and the Duo could be supplied as a two-seater or a 2+2

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

'Alto Duo' mean 'Tall Two' and you can see where that name comes from

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Same car some 11 years later, different hue but work is still not finished 

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Where is this? Those are Vauxhall Cavalier rear lights in case you wondered

Picture Jeroen Booij archive

‘ALTOgether a better deal’ said the brochure, but the Alto Duo remains a real rarity

Picture Jeroen Booij archive