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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Spotted it getting on the freeway ramp ahead of me.... took me about six miles to catch up. I had no idea what it was from a distance of a hundred yards.. Mechanicals might have been modernized, as he was doing a steady 70 MPH, even uphill through traffic, and the tire/wheel sizes looked to be upgraded..
Looked a little bit like this one (year, body style):
http://atxcarpics.com/c-1963-studebaker-lark-two-door-with-v8-at-daves-perfectio- n-automotive
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Here's my old '63 Lark (my '64 is the blue one lower in the link)--all three of my Studes are now in Australia:
http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?16626-Bill-Pressler-s-63-a- nd-64-Daytonas
I knew right away, that it was different, and that I didn't know what it was.. ;-)
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When the offers came on the '63 and '64 at close to the same time, I thought, "Well, with college tuition coming up shortly, now might be the time". My '66 was a very nice, solid car, but it just didn't do all that much for me compared to the other two, and again, tuition was coming up, so I sold it.
I think Studebakers are popular in Australia and New Zealand because they were exported there from South Bend and sold fairly well--shipped from South Bend "CKD" (completely knocked-down) and assembled by local firms there.
My completely-uninformed opinion is that the economy in Australia must be better than here, overall. Those fellows ask your price, consider it, and if one sends good, detailed pics of it, they pay the asking price. A lot different than in the 'States.
Unlike the USA, Australia only developed along the coastlines. The interior of Australia is rather lethal to settlement. So your buyer will be in a coastal city.
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I've had nothing but good experiences with the Australian guys I've dealt with.
It's funny to see Studes that are RHD and have the instrument panel 'reversed' because of it. That's the way they were shipped there, and in fact Stude offered RHD mail-delivery cars here in the 'States.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Other-Makes-Rover-P6-3500S-NADA-Federal-56-k-3-owners-fr- om-new-rare-factory-a-c-unrestored-survivor-/141105430488?forcerrptr=true&hash=i- tem20da89ffd8&item=141105430488&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
I have only seen one example in the flesh, and that was at a British car show last year.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volvo-240-Sharp-140-Series-Coupe-1971-volvo-142-s-b-20-4- -spd-excellent-original-interior-great-on-/321240045057?forcerrptr=true&hash=ite- m4acb661601&item=321240045057&pt=US_Cars_Trucks
All were, um, troublesome. In two years mine ate a shift linkage (automatic transmission), camshaft, two (2) brake master cylinders (interesting way of dying, as the pads wore the pushrod extended farther and farther and corroded, then when the pads were replaced it cut the master cylinders' seals), many thermostats (always failed closed, major overheats), ...
When it went well it went well, but it didn't do that very often. In a way it brought to mind a long discussion in MotorSport's letters column about the wisdom of buying a use Elan. When they went well they were very nice, but the typical owner could expect to spend more time under his car than in it.
Run away!
And I didn't mention the heating/cooling system's controls. Vacuum operated. The vacuum reservoir sat in the right front wheel well, corroded and one day it stopped holding vacuum. Naturally it did this in mid-winter 600 miles from home. No heat for 600 miles. The vacuum lines split regularly too.
That's a pretty hefty price for an old shoebox Volvo with a lot of miles on it.
Makes me wonder...is a '55 Chevy really that fragile compared to a Studebaker, or was the Stude beefed up and the Chevy weakened, for those scenes?
I'm surprised that they'd trash out a '55 Bel Air convertible in a movie...even back in 1985, I'd think a car like that would be worth a lot of money. But then again, in those days, there probably were still a lot of old cars to choose from, and perhaps that one was already in poor shape, and they just did the "lipstick on a pig" routine to pretty it up for the big screen?
Most 55 cars were body on frame types, so one wouldn't be particularly stronger than another. It's like in demo derby--it's not the size of the car as much as how you hit the other one.
As for my truck? $350 worth of damage...
It didn't even seem to damage the bumper, but the brackets holding it to the frame were bent. However, the shop replaced the brackets, bumper, and backup lights, and put the hitch in the new bumper. If nothing else, at least it got rid of that damned Crime Solvers bumper sticker my stepdad had put on the truck years before...
In a similar vein, back in college I rear-ended an '82 or so Cavalier with my '80 Malibu coupe...I nosedived under the Cav's bumper, and my car took the worst of the damage, by a long shot. I'm sure if they hit bumper-to-bumper, the Cav would have suffered a lot worse.
I was the primary driver of the '73 and it was an awful car, with very poor build quality. That was the first year for the revised dash, which was the best part of the car. But everything else about it was a disaster. Would not start in the wet, would not idle properly, loads of electrical problems, you name it. We only kept it less than 3 years.
I suppose early '70s 142s are rare now, which might explain the price, but I doubt I would want one.
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Oh sweet Jesus. My dad had one of those '68's with the automatic. I truly believe that a drag race between that car and a MB 240D would have been a dead heat.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
The 242 was a better car all 'round, but still cheesy interiors and very bad leather and the typical Volvo clumsiness and heaviness.
The P1800 series was a better built car but shared the same primitive driveline.
Certainly they all had much better heaters than anything British and compared to early 70s Saabs, they were more American than foreign.
Would I want to own one and drive it everyday? No way, unless perhaps I would spend another $5,000 to make it handle and go faster.
Overdrive is a necessity because the racket at highway speeds would drive most people to weariness.
I did like how those Studes had a one-piece curved windshield. My Stude-Packard-MB dealer friend said his '51 V8 Commander 'went, but it would barely stop'!
I don't know if this could be any of it, but it seemed to me that Studes starting rusting more seriously in '53, and Chevys with the '55 (above the headlights particularly, where we lived), with the advent of curvier and more-stylish sheetmetal. Could the clunky Stude be heavier in the sheetmetal department? Who knows at this point.
That could be. Cars in general, had to be sturdier and beefier back in the old days, simply because the roads weren't as good. Some of those old cars, IMO, are more truck than car, anyway. And when you think about it, once upon a time, a pickup was just another body style of car. But, as the roads got nicer and more of the country got paved, cars didn't need the ground clearance and the truck-like stance, so they got lower, and softer riding.
I know in Chrysler's case, the 1955-56 models weren't built as sturdy as the 1949-54 models, which were almost tank-like. And the '57 models were even worse. '57 Fords were also pretty flimsy, compared to their '52-56 forebears.
Back in the early 80's, I remember going to a demolition derby, and someone entered a 1953 or so Chevy, and another Chevy, of the '48 and earlier style. I remember thinking those cars would do well because I thought they were sturdier than the more modern cars. Needless to say, they both got creamed pretty early on, and I remember the older Chevy almost got tipped over. But, even though sheetmetal may have been thicker, that doesn't necessarily mean those old cars were still put together all that sturdy.
IIRC, the two finalists in that demolition derby were a '66-67 Coronet, and a 1971 or so Caddy DeVille. And, believe it or not, the Coronet ended up being the winner! In the final hit, with both of them running backwards into each other, I think the Caddy simply quit running. I also remember something catching on fire, but don't remember what. I'm going on a 30 year old memory here.
I also remember one car that was painted up like a brick wall, and had "The Wall" painted on it in big letters. It was something smaller, like a midsized 60's Rambler, but I can't remember for sure. I also keep getting a mental image of a first-gen Chevy II, but I can't imagine someone putting something that small in a demolition derby, unless it was in a compact class or something. It wouldn't have stood a chance against some of those big bruisers. I do remember "The Wall" lasting a fairly long time though, but towards the end, the rear-end was practically pointing upward.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
Lemko, I grew up about as far away from you as possible and still be in Pennsylvania, but I had heard that back then too. I heard it about the '64-66 Imperials, primarily. Seems like I heard they were built sturdy enough for unibody but also had a frame--I think the last Chryslers to be body-on-frame.
I do remember watching one demo derby my whole life--a '64-66 Imperial did very well.
As for Imperials in demolition derbies, I've heard that too, mainly about the 1960-66 Imperial. It was the same basic car as the 1957-59 Imperial, which was body-on-frame, while the rest of the Chrysler lineup went Unibody for 1960. However, Chrysler did employ a lot of Unibody techniques on the 1960, which made it especially stout. It was sort of a hybrid of Unibody and body-on-frame.
Back in the late 1990's, I remember hearing about an all-Imperial demolition derby that was being staged by some country music cable station, but there was enough outcry from car enthusiasts that it was canceled.
Some Mopar buff rag, back in the late 80's or early 90's tried to take an old '65 or so Imperial, and cut as much off of the car as possible, in order to lighten it, to see how it would affect performance. They were inspired by some GM rag that did a similar trick with a '71 or so Sedan DeVille. Apparently, the Imperial was a LOT harder to pull apart than the Caddy had been...thicker sheetmetal, more welds, bolts, etc.
it's talking about what you can run, and says: "with the exception of pre-1989 Chrysler Imperials, and all 4 x 4s, T-tops, Camaros, Firebirds and El Caminos of ANY weight are NOT permitted"
But it doesn't actually say why exactly.
I'd love to know some of those rationales. For instance, why ban ALL Imperials? I wonder if there was anything in particular about the '81-83 that would give it an unfair advantage? They were based on the Cordoba/Mirada, which in turn were based on the Aspen/Volare. But, they were pretty heavy, around 4000 lb I think, whereas a Cordoba/Mirada probably started around 3200-3300 I'd guess. A lot of that is simply because they were fully optioned, and a V-8 and air conditioning, and power everything is going to add some noticeable weight compared to a stripper with a slant six.
Going back a bit further, there is precious little difference between a 1974-75 Imperial or a '74-78 New Yorker. Or Newport, for that matter. In fact, what had been the '75 Imperial pretty much became the '76 New Yorker Brougham! So if you're banning '74-75 Imperials, I'd think that generation of NY'er and Newport should be included too. There was also the '74-77 full-sized Fury/Gran Fury and Monaco/Royal Monaco, but those were noticeably smaller and lighter.
The '67-68 and '69-73 Imperials had a lot of commonality with the lesser C-body Mopars, although they were still noticeably larger and heavier, and probably still beefed up in comparison to a lesser Newport or New Yorker.
The '57-66 Imperial was the one that was completely unique, beefed up for 1960, and apparently even moreso for '64, so I'd think that one would have the best rationale for banning.
The '55-56 Imperial was really just a New Yorker with a 300 grille, and a slight stretch in wheelbase at the rear. IIRC the wb was 130" for 1955 and 133" for 1956, compared to 126" for the regular Chrysler/DeSoto models. But, perhaps they were beefed up as well, to account for that added length?
I could see the rationale for a Camaro/Firebird, because they're small and low-slung. But wouldn't that apply to a Mustang as well?
If a T-top is banned, I wonder if a convertible would be, as well? One rationale I could see here is that convertibles usually have structures that are beefed up to compensate for the lack of a roof. But while a T-top will also weaken the structure, maybe they don't always beef up the rest of the structure, and that makes them more dangerous?
As for El Caminos, the earlier models were simply modified two-door wagons, while the 1968 and later ones were sort of a combination of coupe, with wagon parts used to form the bed. So I dunno if entering a '76 El Camino in a derby would be any different from me entering my '76 LeMans coupe?
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/4174316564.html
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121207886399&item=1212078- 86399&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466
In the derby I remember seeing a 60 Cadillac, and a fuselage Chrysler, nothing else sticks in my mind.
You know, some cars are best left to die.
I'm pretty sure that later, Chitwood went to using all Chevys.
a Lotus Elise
a late 60's Galaxie 500
two MV-1's being used as taxis
the LL Bean bootmobile in all it's Red Sox glory.