I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

xwesx

Wow. That's a sad story about the Galaxie. Makes you wonder how it made it this long! LOL

ab348

One thing about Pontiacs in the '60s, especially on the Gen-1 Firebirds and GTOs, but also seen here I believe, is that they were in love with Di-electric heat seal patterns on their vinyl upholstery instead of stitched pleating. Over time that gets to look cheap and nasty, though this one was apparently redone as it looks like new.

sda

The GP has factory air, nice. I wonder if it was originally owned in the south.

uplanderguy

I dislike GTO and Firebird, and even '67 Ventura/2+2 seating, for the reason ab348 mentions.

That Grand Prix has what is most likely a manifold vacuum gauge down on the console, but I think it doesn't have a clock so the instrumentation otherwise is...a fuel gauge.

As I'm older, I'm partial to metallic light blues.

kyfdx

sda said:

The GP has factory air, nice. I wonder if it was originally owned in the south.

My mother had a '62 Star Chief w/AC wait a minute... bought in Nashville. (I forgot)

fintail

Here's a cool Youtube channel - this guy in Germany takes odd cars out on the Autobahn and sees what they will do - mostly older cars. Fun POV videos of a place where driving is serious business and self-discipline is usually in play.

Here's how a top of the line (largest engine variant) 70s S-class holds up today. Notice this car has the wool broadcloth/velour interior seen on cars going back to the 50s - this upholstery style existed into the 90s:

https://youtu.be/uJnwhIa7FYs

This largest engine variant of an early 70s E-class performs surprisingly well - somewhat reminds me of driving the fintail (but this has more speed):

https://youtu.be/NkUNkSaOoDk

Maybe the oddest thing, a smallest engine variant mid 80s E wagon with old MB roadside assistance vehicle livery, in very basic spec. The driver operates it a little roughly, which the comment gallery gets upset about:

https://youtu.be/1B7tSMbrERU

ab348

I seem to recall the classic Top Gear did something similar with some used German cars they bought.

sda

In Germany, don’t they have thorough and strict inspections that keep vehicles needing repair off the road?

fintail

I think I remember that TG, where someone (Hammond or May) bought a 16 valve 190E and had issues with the dogleg shifter.

Germany has stricter inspections than anywhere in the US no doubt. I don't think it is as bad as Japan, but probably on par with the UK.

I think the blinking light might be a reflection from the camera recording the speedometer.

stickguy

Decent looking late 70s 911, in a weird light tan. And a green MG. I think a TD. both out driving. And a 76ish barge continental town car.

ab348

fintail said:

I think I remember that TG, where someone (Hammond or May) bought a 16 valve 190E and had issues with the dogleg shifter.

Yes, that's the one, I think that was May's car. I believe the other two had a hotted-up Ford Sierra of some sort and a BMW.

tjc78

stickguy said:

Decent looking late 70s 911, in a weird light tan. And a green MG. I think a TD. both out driving. And a 76ish barge continental town car.

Continental wasn’t me ... I swear lol

andre1969

Mention of the '76 Lincoln made me think of a Collectible Automobile article, where they posted a pic of a '75 Lincoln Continental coupe and a Cadillac Coupe DeVille and asked readers which one they preferred.

For me, it would actually be a hard call. Normally, my preference runs to GM and Chrysler, but with those two specifically, I don't really have a favorite. The General Motors C-body coupes lost most of their charm for me once the true hardtops went away. In '74, you could still get a hardtop coupe, but a landau roof with opera windows was becoming a popular option, and then for '75-76, they were all fixed-pillar. And I never liked the way the two halves of the car joined at the B-pillar. The bottom of the rear window was a bit higher than the door sill, and when you threw on the vinyl trim as well, it just looked mis-matched. 1975 was also when Lincoln went to fixed-window for the coupes as well, I believe, but it seemed better thought out.

The Lincoln seems a bit more conservative and upright, but handsome I think, with its wide grille and hidden headlights. The Caddy just seems a bit more showy, like it's screaming for attention. And, I'm sure they were all bad in their own way back then, but something about the Lincoln just seems higher quality, especially with the interiors. One thing I always remember with Cadillacs of that era was how the soft-touch stuff on the door panels would crack with age. I think the Cadillac had an edge in engines though. The 460 and the transmission were rugged enough, but it seemed like Ford in general had more issues with their emissions controls and carburetors in those days.

Now, if it was 4-doors, I'd go with a Sedan DeVille, because of it still being a hardtop, although I actually prefer the Electra and Ninety Eight to the Caddy. But with coupes, I'm still a bit torn.

But, back in the day, Caddy was the definite winner, as those DeVilles outsold the Lincolns by a long shot, even though they had some internal competition with the Electra/Ninety Eight. Mercury did have the Marquis, and some of its top trim levels actually did overlap with the Electra/Ninety Eight in price. But, in my mind, no matter how nice the Marquis got, I always equated it more to being on par with a really nice LeSabre, Delta 88, or Grand Ville/Bonneville.

fintail

On the road earlier - Kia Sportage 2 door convertible, 79-85 Eldo convertible, ~65 Mustang looking restored but not overly so, Pontiac Solstice roadster, MB 190E that I have noticed parked next to a house for years, which now has a rear bumper boo-boo - probably enough to total it, but doubtful it has comprehensive anyway.

fintail

Fun new upload from Thames - American cars in Britain, 1977:

https://youtu.be/l3i8fYE1eQA

Also spotted at ~2:46, behind an XJ6, a super rare fintail Universal (wagon).

uplanderguy

Saw a tomato-y red late '50's or early '60's Mercedes-Benz 190 SL convert in Kent today, in the parking lot of Five Guys. Looked in excellent shape; had the red-accented wheelcovers. Hadn't seen it around before although students are back now--although no doubt not a student car!

andys120

Driving top down on a beautiful convertible day, what should i see coming at me but a perfect looking red Morris Minor convertible. Can't remember when I last saw one.

uplanderguy

Flipping channels last night, came across a show called "Rust Bros.", I think; Canadian shop; owner with dreadlocks. One of those 'drama at the shop' shows. Told a guy with a '66 Continental convertible that they could restore it in nine weeks. I want to bounce that off the shop that did my '63 Studebaker; the owner's a Facebook friend of mine, LOL.

Anyway, a sub-plot of the episode was getting a '70 Dart Swinger 340 together for sale. When they were cranking it, I said to my wife, "I could always tell a Chrysler starter with my eyes closed". A second later the main character in the show says, "Ah, love the sound of a Dodge starter", LOL.

uplanderguy

Speaking of the autobahn above, someone on a Facebook page I visited showed a recent picture from the autobahn, near Nuremberg, a '67 Avanti II on a trailer, being towed by a VW minivan. The picture was not shareable.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

Flipping channels last night, came across a show called "Rust Bros.", I think; Canadian shop; owner with dreadlocks. One of those 'drama at the shop' shows. Told a guy with a '66 Continental convertible that they could restore it in nine weeks. I want to bounce that off the shop that did my '63 Studebaker; the owner's a Facebook friend of mine, LOL.

Anyway, a sub-plot of the episode was getting a '70 Dart Swinger 340 together for sale. When they were cranking it, I said to my wife, "I could always tell a Chrysler starter with my eyes closed". A second later the main character in the show says, "Ah, love the sound of a Dodge starter", LOL.

That Mopar gear reduction starter was known as the Hamtramck Hummingbird" back then.

Sad to say that show you mentioned along with The Guild Garage just goes to prove that Canadians are no better than Americans when it comes to producing hokey, hackneyed, fake-drama reality shows about cars and those who work on them. I tried Rust Bros. a few times and soon abandoned it.

texases

Yeah, at least on FantomWorks that Lincoln would have taken 9 months, if not longer. Much more realistic.

andre1969

I was watching a movie yesterday called "The Invisible Man". The new one, from just this year. Whomever did the vehicle staging for it must have been an AMC fan...


There was also a Javelin in it. I had missed that one, but the eagle-eyes at the IMCDB caught it!

stickguy

uplanderguy said:

Flipping channels last night, came across a show called "Rust Bros.", I think; Canadian shop; owner with dreadlocks. One of those 'drama at the shop' shows. Told a guy with a '66 Continental convertible that they could restore it in nine weeks. I want to bounce that off the shop that did my '63 Studebaker; the owner's a Facebook friend of mine, LOL.

Anyway, a sub-plot of the episode was getting a '70 Dart Swinger 340 together for sale. When they were cranking it, I said to my wife, "I could always tell a Chrysler starter with my eyes closed". A second later the main character in the show says, "Ah, love the sound of a Dodge starter", LOL.

wasn't that what was known as the "Hammtrack Hummingbird?"

stickguy

I had a Yellow Gremlin of that vintage too. Rear looked just like that.

ab348

I found this pic taken in September of 1986, in Berlin's Neukölln district, hard up against the Berlin Wall as can be seen. A rather remarkable collection. Had no idea Pacers were such a big deal in Berlin back then.

stickguy

That had to be US serviceman parking.

uplanderguy

RE.: andre's post on Lincoln and Cadillac--

I grew up hanging around a Chevy-Cadillac dealership pretty much. Both those cars are enormous, but I never liked the slab sides and blunt front and rear styling of the Lincoln, not to mention the hideaway headlights and baroque grill on the Continental.

I used to like Mark III Continentals, but they were overstyled IMHO now, with some hindsight, too--inside and out. I've come to that conclusion (MHO only, of course) after seeing some '67-70 Eldorados at shows in the past few weeks. Their interiors are simple compared to the Mark III, but I prefer that. And that floor just couldn't be flatter--impressed me then, and now. I do know the Mark III outsold the Eldorado in that period.

I can remember looking at a used '70 Eldo at our hometown dealer, probably in about '76. They'd left the keys in it over the weekend. First time I ever noticed the little quarter windows retracted back, instead of down.

I liked the move to square headlights on the '75 Cadillacs, and the removal of the front fender 'eyebrow' crease, for lack of a better word.

I liked the addition of the small, additional C-pillar window in the full-size GM four-door hardtops in '75 and '76. Adds class I think, and probably a smidgen of visibility.

ab348

stickguy said:

That had to be US serviceman parking.

I don't think so given the age of the cars, the way they are parked and that the pic was taken in '86.

fintail

I've seen export model early Fox Mustangs, and I recall seeing a French market ad for the Pacer, so I bet at least a handful made it over. There were small private importers of US cars in Europe at the time, this could have been the back lot of one back in the day. A couple cars have local registration, which suggests they weren't serviceman cars, but could have been expats or cars brought over by servicemen and sold locally.

omarman

ab348

The same photographer (https://www.flickr.com/photos/m-joedicke/albums/with/72157616044896413) took a couple of other shots of this motley collection and it appears to be in a residential area, so who knows. Being largely unaware of how things were in Berlin at the time of the wall it was jarring to see the guard tower overlooking the neighborhood. There are a lot of really interesting photos taken in Germany on his Flickr page and I think @fintail and possibly others might enjoy browsing them.

fintail

Link doesn't work, but I'd love to take a look.

I'd have a hard time believing those aren't owned by one entity. I also see a big downsized car (Olds 88/98?) parked on the street at left. A pair of Mitsubishi Starion parked on the street nearest the camera - couldn't have been common in Germany then either, big coincidence they are parked together.

ab348

Weird the link didn't work, I still had the tab open and just copied the address. But try this which also worked just now for me:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/m-joedicke/albums/

explorerx4

Just take the paren off the far end of the link to get to flikr

fintail

Works now, looks like some really cool stuff - now that we can't travel this year, virtual is the way to go. Thanks!

stickguy

Maybe Andre has a cousin in Germany? Very odd. Looks like an Audi in front of the starion and behind the big olds.

Also just noticed, the Camaro has flying chicken decals like a firebird.

ab348

stickguy said:

Maybe Andre has a cousin in Germany? Very odd. Looks like an Audi in front of the starion and behind the big olds.

Also just noticed, the Camaro has flying chicken decals like a firebird.

It has Playboy stickers on it too.

fintail

On the road a bit today being the nice grandkid and helping my grandma - saw a late 80s RX-7 convertible, a RHD Mark IV Supra, and the real odd spot, a 41 Chevy convertible zooming down 405.

fintail

On the road today saw some red roadsters - an 80s Alfa Spider and a very early MG Midget, the latter of which maybe didn't have working turn signals, but maybe not unusual. Also saw a small bumper Maverick 2 door parked at a church near where I live, appeared to be in the driver condition one would have expected one to be in ~1982.

explorerx4

Classic Bud Lindemann review.
Jag is pretty impressive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpqLqDk-BVM

stickguy

handles a lot better than the 68 Impala (or so) they tested. that one wallowed incredibly.

explorerx4

Mustang still looking pretty good a few weeks after 29th birthday with us.
Better than the lawn.

xwesx

Yeah, what's going on with those lawns?! Has it been dry there?

uplanderguy

I would expect an XK-E to handle better, at its price, than a car marketed to American families.

The E-type Jags are one of the only foreign cars that tripped my trigger even back when I was a kid!

Our lawn about looks like that too, although yesterday we got torrential downpours, first in quite awhile.

andre1969

I was in Pennsylvania in early August for one of the Carlisle car shows, and noticed that it seemed awfully dry up there. Meanwhile, I'm not even 100 miles to the South, as the crow flies, but it's been considerably wetter than normal down here. Last year around this time, the lawn was pretty dry, and I think the last time I had to cut it was in late August. This time around we've had so much rain that I've had to drain the pool down a few times, and the grass looks like a damn jungle! And the remnants of this hurricane coming through aren't exactly helping matters.

explorerx4

I have been watering parts of the lawn to keep it green for when it comes back.
We have had very little rain with lots of heat.
Raining today, so Mustang stays in the garage.

explorerx4

Next generation(grandson) in the drivers seat.

stickguy

they give a license out young in Ct I see.

xwesx

The perspective almost makes that look like a Thunderbird.

uplanderguy

Saw this an hour ago here in rusty NE OH. Talked to the older lady owner. It's an '89. She said she has an '87 too but it's rusty.

The LF fender looks a different shade in the picture--I did not notice that at all in person.

I always thought the styling, at least in this trim level, beat other small trucks at the time. This one looked absolutely jewel-like in the sun: