Vintage Car Identification Help!

Mr_Shiftright · January 2012

Yep, I think so.

Essex was Hudson's cheaper line. As sales declined during the Depression, the Essex was called Essex-Terraplane. Terraplane is a play on "terra" (the earth) and plane, as in aero-plane! :P

The Essex is often cited by historians as the "first affordable closed car"--1924 I believe. In 1919 or so, 90%+ of all cars were open; by 1930, it was about the other way 'round. So the humble Essex is a significant automobile in history....but not a 1933 model so much.

fintail · January 2012

That was the 1922 Essex IIRC, and yes, probably the most boring car of historical significance. My grandparents had an Essex around 1930 - it was pretty much all right angles, kind of funny looking for that.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2012

yes might very well have been 1922.

You, too, could have one of your very own!

fintail · January 2012

And that was considered to be fairly luxurious.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2012

Can't imagine running around the NE in open cars in winter but people did it all the time. Of course, in the countryside they just put their cars away and got out the horses.

rhusaker · January 2012

Thanks everyone!!!

fintail · January 2012

Or even had special clothing for motoring. About 20 years ago when my parents were actively dealing in antiques, they had a scarf from around 1910 that was made for driving - still in box. I think it brought around $100 then.

Mr_Shiftright · January 2012

In open cars, you often needed a "duster", a hat, gloves, goggles and a lap robe. The combination of dust, oil from the engine, and horse manure was pretty challenging for early motorists.

Closed cars were mostly custom-built and quite expensive until...well..cars like the '22 Essex. You could buy a Ford Model T "Doctor's Coupe" but it was pretty primitive.

tamangel · February 2012

photo featured in POST magazine in 1947 so unknown if new at that time or even American make..

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fintail · February 2012

It's an Opel Olympia (German), I am pretty sure they didn't get that chromey front end until 1950.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2012

good catch! The 50s Olympia had more of a gap mouth grill insert and the very early ones had I think different hub caps, so I'm guessing about 1948-49 here. The '47 was produced in such low numbers I don't think anyone ever noticed!

tamangel · February 2012

thanks guys..would have never figured this one out..any recommendations on a Euro car book like the American car Spotter?

a little more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Olympia

Mike

fintail · February 2012

The chromey style might have came around in 1949, but no earlier - it was prewar style before then. The car remained in production with a basic prewar shape until 1953 or so, when the Germans experienced their first jump towards modern cars.

And about the "Spotters Guide" book for old European cars - no such book that I know of. Most cars did not undergo yearly changes unlike American cars, such a book might not have enough demand. There is this website which is not at all inclusive and is kind of odd, but it spans many years in the pull down menu.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2012

Very neat site! I bookmarked it. Thanks.

I need to study up on early Opels more. I don't think I yet have all the grill changes straight in my mind.

fintail · February 2012

It's not a great site, but the only thing in a yearly format I have found.

Here's a very good site for cars and trucks, focus is on prewar material

Most German cars aren't hard, everything is prewar until the early 50s with slightly updated details added around 1950. British cars are even better with some prewar style living until about 1960.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2012

I've got an excellent British car encyclopedia, and a bunch of those little charming Sports Cars books they used to publish in the UK, with color plates. Not a lot of info but sturdy hardback books with plenty of obscure makes in there, including rare race cars.

Do you know this site?

http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/

fintail · February 2012

Vaguely but now I will bookmark it, thanks.

Funny I sometimes have a hard time with people faces, but car faces are usually easy for me

lwbyars · February 2012

I need help identifying this auto. The photo is my dad probably in 1942 - 1947 in his Sunday-church best living where he grew up in South Carolina? My brother thinks it was a Ford. I searched many sites, and the only auto that I found that had this distinctive grill: wide at the top and just a bit of sheet metal above was simply labeled: "Ford Saloon 1939." The year makes sense in terms of the year, but when I researched further, I found that the '39 Saloon was a Ford UK automobile, and my dad lived in South Carolina.???? Thanks if anyone can help.

lwbyars · February 2012

I need help identifying this auto. The photo is my dad probably in 1942 - 1947 in his Sunday-church best living where he grew up in South Carolina? My brother thinks it was a Ford. I searched many sites, and the only auto that I found that had this distinctive grill: wide at the top and just a bit of sheet metal above was simply labeled: "Ford Saloon 1939." The year makes sense in terms of the year, but when I researched further, I found that the '39 Saloon was a Ford UK automobile, and my dad lived in South Carolina.???? Thanks if anyone can help.

texases · February 2012

They must have used similar styling to US Fords, here's a (US) '37 Ford coupe (the '38 and '39 look different):

fintail · February 2012

Definitely a 1937 US market Ford. A similar era British Ford had similar but noticeably different styling.

tamangel · February 2012

looks like the license plate is labeled 1937 also. Some States in earlier days, changed plates every year rather than the current base year and add yearly stickers practice..

here's a link.. edit: for some reason link doesn't pick up..copy link including .jpg and paste in menu bar..should work then..

http://www.worldlicenceplates.com/jpglps/USA_SC_GI3_1930's.jpg

so if true, that pic was taken in 1937..

Mike W

lwbyars · February 2012

Thank you! That's it for sure. LB

batman9115 · June 2012

Does anyone know what vehicle this might belong to? I found it in my garage!!!!"

Mr_Shiftright · June 2012

Ah, that's a 1957 Invisible 2 door hard top!

(no picture in your post--let me know if you need help posting a photo!)

garv214 · June 2012

Did you notice that Claude Rains and Harvey the Rabbit were in the picture as well... :P

Mr_Shiftright · June 2012

YES I DID! :surprise:

jhud0377 · July 2012

I need help in identifying a car in a photo. It is a 1947-1952 wagon. The hood ornament is an eagle, or it appears, there are two circular headlights, a single, not segmented, windshield. I have a good photo, but can't figure out how to post it. If you are good with this era of cars, send me an email and I will send pic that way. I think it is a 1950 Pontiac, but not sure.

texases · July 2012

You can google just about any car and click on 'images' to see if your guess is right. For example, here's a photo of a 1950 Pontiac wagon, is this it?

imidazol97 · July 2012

Just post the picture on photobucket to a free account and then link to that image in your post here. Someone on the forum will know the vehicle.

andys120 · July 2012

I'm not sure about an eagle but Packards had a winged hood emblem>

Did it look anything like this>

52 Packard wagon

jhud0377 · July 2012

jhud0377 · July 2012

jhud0377 · July 2012

Still no luck. Any ideas?

jhud0377 · July 2012

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imidazol97 · July 2012

That's a 1953 Chevy.

glenncraven · August 2012

I know I shouldn't be looking at the automobile. And I know you can't see much of it. But any guesses as to what this car might be?

It "feels" mid-60s GM A-body to me, but then I can't seem to fully match its visible characteristics to such cars via a Google image search. The vent window seems slightly too swept-back, the door panel doesn't seem to match anything I've seen factory (is it custom?), the mirror is missing (but is a flat, chrome disc on the driver's side), the rims look like aftermarket products, and part of the front quarter badge appears to be missing.

Thanks in advance for any help or guesses.

Photobucket

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lemko · August 2012

It might be a 1965 Chevrolet Impala as I can make out the letters IMP near her right leg.

glenncraven · August 2012

Ah, you have better eyes than I do at this age. I was thinking that was a busted-up emblem, but you're probably right. THANKS!

I found a lot of pictures of Impala SS models from the era and they have a script-style "SuperSport" in that location. But the plainer-Jane Impala (which the amateur model here certainly isn't) had block lettering "IMPALA" and the emblem with the African antelope just behind the fenderwell.

So it's probably a GM "B" and not an "A." The only A-body in the photo is the young lady.

freddie_ml · September 2012

Who can tell me wich car is that in the picture, tks!!
http://alturl.com/a4ugp

fintail · September 2012

1937-38 Willys, rare then and much less common today.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2012

Gee back when Americans knew how to dress. :P

surfaceunits · September 2012

My uncle says this is a 32 Pontiac Roadster, but googling that doesn't show a car this small. It looks to be a convertible.

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fintail · September 2012

Looks like a Model A to me.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2012

don't think it's a 32 Pontiac...I don't see landau bars for the top.

Why do people always stand in the EXACT place I need to look at to identify a car? :P

andys120 · September 2012

Fintail is right, it does look like a Model A but then so did everything in the early 30s

Your uncle is probably right, popular-price roadsters and coupes back then weren't all that large.

andre1969 · September 2012

I'm gonna guess 1932 Ford Model A. I googled some pics, and the Chevy had landau bars, just like the Pontiac. The Plymouth didn't have landau bars, but the back window had a bit more forward rake to it. The Model A rear window was totally upright, though.

fintail · September 2012

I am pretty sure it is a Model A. They are pretty small in 2-door form, looks just like that car. I don't know how to distinguish the year of an open car from that angle, but it is 1928-31.

ukbirdflu · October 2012

I have some old photos of my parents and they have this car which I am not familiar with, these were taken in Hong Kong in c1952. It could be a Hillman cos after this car they definitely bought a Hillman. To view the pictures go to this Skydrive site:

http://sdrv.ms/QpxfaP

Thanks in advance.

hpmctorque · October 2012

Without doing any research, it looks like a 'late '40s Holden to me. That would be an Australian General Motors car, but it's just a spontaneous guess.

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