It's Time to Play "WHO AM I"?

Mr_Shiftright

RULES:

1. Give your mystery car a mystery name so that we can run 2-3 contests at once and we know which mystery we are referring to. e.g. "the unloved one".

2. Must be a CAR or a CAR-PERSON.

3. Get "real" when you do this. Not many people are going to know much about the 1910 American Moosejaw or Henry Ford's tailor.

4. Do it up like an autobiography. Have fun. e.g. "I was born in the time of the Great Depression, of humble origins, but ended up racing at Indianapolis." (and more if you wish to clarify if you are a car or a person).

5. Make it difficult, but not impossible.

I'll start off with what i hope is a fairly easy one.

Mr_Shiftright

I am one of the most maligned cars in U.S. history, but not necessarily the most famous one that everyone laughs at. I don't understand why. I was attractive, technically interesting and fun to drive. Had someone shown more interest in me, I might have developed over time into a unique American creation.

Even today, I'm not worth very much. Sadly I may never be rehabilitated.

Who Am I?

You can ask for more hints if you wish, but I have the right to decline to give them. :shades:

andre1969

My first guess would be a 1960 Chevy Corvair?

Mr_Shiftright

very close. Try another year.

andre1969

1965 Corvair then, first year of the 2nd-gen? Didn't GM actually put a lot of effort into that one, compared to the '60-64, to clean up its handling act?

Mr_Shiftright

Yes '65 Corvair. Well they put STYLING effort but kept many of the same maladies (of course). The tail-happiness was corrected in 1964 actually, before the new body style. The '65 Corvair coulda been a contendah for the "American Porsche" or perhaps the Miata. One of GM's most regrettable errors, but then they kept the Corvette, which they were planning to kill in 1955.

parm

OK, I'll play. Here goes:

While my model name was produced both before and after this year, one of my most popular hardtop iterations is referred to by a two-word nickname - of which, this first year I was produced tends to be more synonymous with this term. I shared my body style with other corporate cousins, but I’m generally regarded as the most sought after by collectors.

What year and make/model am I??? And, what’s my two-word nickname?

hpmctorque

I'd guess "The Goat," but I'm not sure to which Pontiac GTO year(s) you'd be referring, assuming that's even the one you're describing.

parm

Nope, not a GTO. Think rear roofline.

parm

Nope, not a GTO. Think rear roofline . . . . . . sort of.

texases

How about '61 Chevy Impala "Bubble Top"? (ignoring the other "Bubbletop" name )

parm

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!!!

Actually, I thought the '61 model was the only year for the bubble top, but in the "minutes" of exhaustive research I did before posting the question, I came to find that the term "bubble top" also referred to some 1962 models.

BTW, the "pop" in the title was a hint (albeit an obsure one) aimed at the whole bubble top thing. :P

Mr_Shiftright

pretty good effort parm. Thanks!

PS: Your mystery car doesn't have to be OLD!

Mr_Shiftright

I'm a Corvette that deserves better. My hard-headed older brother gets all the glory, and a lot of it, too--- even though we're very close in age. It's not fair! I look almost the same, and I can do anything he can do! In fact, if I have to say so myself, I'm really an improvement in subtle ways.

Worse yet, even my *younger* brother gets more respect, even though he's barely younger. All he's got is a bit better athletic ability. He can go fast and stop on a dime. I take a bit longer to do that.

If you saw all three of us coming towards you, you'd think we were triplets. But get close, and suddenly I am unfairly judged.

Who am I?

hpmctorque

The C5 Z06, the older brother being the ZR-1.

Mr_Shiftright

Nope, but a good guess. Remember this is a year, not a model, and it is bracketed by two siblings.

hpmctorque

Okay, I'll let a Corvette expert take a whack at it.

parm

Sounds like we’re talking about a fairly modern car here. I must admit, if it’s newer than 1972 (perhaps 1974 for a Vette), my interest tends to fade pretty quick. Mainly because major changes to the Corvette’s styling occurred so seldom between the mid 1970’s and 1997 resulting in a homogenized product for many years in a row. Heck, there haven’t been that many changes since ’97. Tough to get excited when the same warmed over car is trotted out year after year. And, some of the Vette’s styling cues in the 1980’s were absolutely horrid. I’m sure a true Corvette enthusiast would see it differently. But, to me, they’ve become somewhat of a dependable appliance (albeit a sporty one) that few can afford – compound that if you’re talking about a ZR-1 which is absolutely a great car and I’d love to have one. But, how often does one really need to hustle from 0-100 in less than 13 seconds and stop on a dime when stopping on a quarter is more than adequate? Sorry, didn’t mean to be such a buzz kill. I’m sure somebody out there will know the answer. It just ain’t me! :confuse:

Mr_Shiftright

Nope not a modern Vette.

Hint: We are talking about C2s

bhill2

I'll take a crack at this. I will say the 1964 Corvette, maybe the convertible to fit the reference to "hard-headed older brother", which would be the '63 split window. In 1965 the "younger brother" had the 425 hours 396, the first year of the big block.

Mr_Shiftright

And a GOLD STAR to bhill.

That is correct. The '64 Corvette coupe, whilst at the very least a well-sorted out version of the '63, merely doesn't have that split back glass, thereby relegating it to secondary status in value and prestige to its nearly-identical older brother.

To further add insult to injury, the 4-wheel disk brakes of the '65 are much prized (actually a good thing in a Corvette, which, prior to this time, could only seriously race in a straight line, to be taunted in the curves by cheeky little Mini Coopers).

So the unfortunate '64 coupe, while certainly not CHEAP to buy, is always in the back row of the C2 beauty pageants.

Mr_Shiftright

nippononly

I was heralded as the second coming of the brand I worked for because of my "European roots", and indeed I was that brand's first new model in much too long.

Despite that, I sold badly and my brand is now defunct. :-(

You can call me the "Round One"; I didn't have a hard corner on me anywhere.

anythngbutgm

Saturn LS?

Caddy Catera? Nope.

nippononly

Dang, you're good! Yup, Saturn LS, in fact I believe it was actually the "L-series", there were 100s, 200s, and even 300s at some point.

anythngbutgm

Oh ya, the "LS" was the sedan whereas the "LW" was the wagon. I think there was an "LC" coupe concept at one point as well.

anythngbutgm

But it was the first thing I could think of...

I was once proclaimed by a well known magazine as "Like a Rat in Reeboks" when it came to my zippy handling, nimble nature and racing roots.

bhill2

I thank you for the gold star, sir, and for not pointing out that I misspelled 'horse' (fingers faster than brain). Anyway, I will take a crack at the other side of this one:

Although I do not represent the first time a manufacturer put the engine out of a larger bodied car into a smaller body, I am the first one where the manufacturer took the engine out of one of their full sized car and put it in one of their intermediates to get a performance sedan. The operative word is sedan; I am a 4-door. As a result, I could out-accelerate any other car that year with the single exception of the fuel-injected Corvette; I could stay with the carbureted ones.

parm

Way to go bhill2! Nicely played. I kept having the 1968 Vette on the brain because it had its problems, but it didn't fit the other criteria - mainly that you'd never confuse a 1968 Corvette with its one year older version - the 1967 (which was actually supposed to be the first year for the Mako Shark design).

That whole Saturn thing hurt my head thinking about it. You guys are good.

parm

bhill2 - any chance you're a Mopar product from the 1950's?

parm

I'm also conjuring up dog dish hubcaps on something from the 1960's. A real sleeper. Am I even remotely near the ballpark??? . . . . you know, like two bus tranfers and a train ride away? :P

bhill2

You are half right. I am from the '50s. I should mention that calling me an 'intermediate' may be somewhat misleading, since that term was not widely used at the time. However, it is true that I had both a smaller and a larger sibling.

tlong

OK, I'll bite.

I was ubiquitous, but my year was the last before a major electrical change. And look at my new hubcaps!

This should be easy if you are familiar.

andre1969

First thought is a 1957 Rambler Rebel, although those were considered compacts at the time. Although in all fairness, they were closer to intermediate...even if that term hadn't been coined yet.

IIRC, the Rebel had something like 270 hp, in an engine around 291 CID?

xwesx

I am way out of my element here, but is this a Sentra SE-R?

bhill2

You get the latest gold star, Andre. I am indeed the 1957 Nash Rambler Rebel. As you said, I was considered a compact at the time, but I had a big brother (the Nash Ambassador) and a little brother (OK class, who can be the first to name my little brother?)

210delray

Little brother is the Nash Metropolitan, as I believe there was no Rambler American in '57.

210delray

This has to be a 6-volt to 12-volt conversion in the early 50s. Could it be the '52 Ford?

bhill2

Little brother is the Nash Metropolitan, as I believe there was no Rambler American in '57.

Rightyo! The American debuted the next year.

nippononly

Or it could be the Beetle, which went from 6 to 12 volts much later, I want to say '63?? I used to have facts like this at the tips of my fingers. :-(

nippononly

I was wondering if anythingbutgm's might be the original CRX, but I don't believe it had racing roots? If it is the original CRX, that's the '84 model I believe.

nippononly

Despite being a mere repaint of an existing wagon, with a few very minor changes to the suspension and tires, I singlehandedly turned my brand around, from heading for the grave to solidly prosperous for most of 15 years. I also spawned a little brother that quickly became the most popular trim in his own model line for many years.

Shucks, aint it funny what people will fall for with good marketing? Who am I?

Mr_Shiftright

When I debuted in 1948 my maker thought I might sell a few hundred copies, but in fact I created a world sensation. I was a winning combination of styling, value and performance, and was, in fact, the fastest production car in the world, for a price that any middle class man could afford. I set the automotive world on its ear.

I am valuable today but nothing like a vintage Ferrari or a rare muscle car. I guess this is because i was made in rather large numbers for the type of car I was.

Some find me a bit of a bear to drive, but I am still considered one of the world's most attractive cars.

texases

"Despite being a mere repaint of an existing wagon"

Subaru Outback? Little brother...hmmm...Impreza? Forester?

nippononly

Yeah, that was too easy. You have to go back to the 60s and before for really good ones I think. "Little brother" was supposed to refer to the Outback Sport, which is technically a trim of the Impreza.

texases

1948 Jaguar XK120?

fintail

Jaguar XK120?

Mr_Shiftright

Love the car but I hate those chrome wires. They should be painted.

nippononly

My model was sold for more than 30 years in the U.S., but isn't any more. I was built in my model's most popular year, when the truck engine under my hood was fuel injected for the first time and around the time I got an edgy new body style. A few years after I was built my model line went FWD, and it was never the same after that.

Who am I?

british_rover

Caddy Deville?

Not sure what year they got fuel injected though.

nippononly

Nope. Gosh, were there 30+ years of Devilles? Yikes.