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

uplanderguy

Explorer, thanks again; that is the way we’ll take. Came here only with a simple AAA Trip-Tik and no atlas (never again).

Gotta say, we ate at Frank Pepe’s pizza place last night and it was terrific. Since 1925. I couldn’t believe we could get a table on a Friday evening but their seating system got us right in and it was busy. Great service from an older server too.

explorerx4

@uplanderguy,
Pepe's is an institution in CT. Glad you got to try it.
If you have Google Maps on your phone, you can type in Watertown, CT and hit Directions button.
It gets you to I-84 West of Waterbury(a traffic choke point). Just another alternative.

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

Explorer, thanks again; that is the way we’ll take. Came here only with a simple AAA Trip-Tik and no atlas (never again).

Gotta say, we ate at Frank Pepe’s pizza place last night and it was terrific. Since 1925. I couldn’t believe we could get a table on a Friday evening but their seating system got us right in and it was busy. Great service from an older server too.

Apizza? New Haven style?

fintail

TPiR, September 1982. First off, this game show staple, MSRP $6221:



And then something now incredibly rare, MSRP $7415:



And a fun prize, apparently the small screens could be used for CCTV playback. This thing was $1245, probably a collectible today:



My 10 year old niece had a fun observation when a prize was a grandfather clock (not an antique, but a 1980s interpretation of one): "nobody wants that!" Seeing how cumbersome heavy furniture isn't selling at estate sales etc, that sounds right.

ab348

fintail said:

My 10 year old niece had a fun observation when a prize was a grandfather clock (not an antique, but a 1980s interpretation of one): "nobody wants that!" Seeing how cumbersome heavy furniture isn't selling at estate sales etc, that sounds right.

Funny that came up just now. Last night I abandoned the Mets game after they engineered another loss and was looking around on YouTube. After watching our friend Adam's latest video about a '67 Delta 88 coupe, I stumbled onto about 10 episodes of This Old House from 1982, their 3rd season. Bob Vila and Norm were doing a renovation of a 1950s tract bungalow. The place appeared mostly original and had very little done to it in its 27 years. A not very attractive house.

What struck me, aside from the crude production itself, was how much things had changed between 1982 and now. It seemed like everything he did was the opposite of what you would see now. He relocated the kitchen and made it smaller, almost tiny. He built the kitchen cabinets on-site with pine boards and plywood, nailed, not screwed them to the walls, then finished them with Formica. He added a master ensuite with a 5'x30" closet and a 5'x9' bathroom featuring a 3'x3' fiberglass shower stall, no tub, single sink. He converted the garage into a living room and attached it to the house with a "greenhouse room" with lots of glass on a concrete slab. I missed how he was heating those spaces. It had a basement rec room where he left the original (asbestos?) tiles on the floor and just covered them with a sheet of vinyl flooring, seeming to do nothing else. He asked Plumber Rich if he could keep the original 1950s toilet in the pink-and-black '50s bathroom upstairs by replacing all of the working parts, and was told sure, it'll cost maybe $50. He replaced a few of the '50s 4"x4" pink tiles with ones that almost but not quite matched the originals. Rich also got him a used pedestal sink for free from another job they were doing. The furnace guy told him he should replace the boiler with a new unit for $2500, he said no, let's see if we can nurse this one through another winter. And the finishes - wallpaper in most of the rooms, some whitewashed knotty pine boards in another, a strange mix of white clapboards and natural cedar outside. Today everything he did would be instantly ripped out. 1982 was a long, long time ago in the home design and renovation world.

andre1969

I just got back a few hours ago, from the "Das Awkscht Fescht" classic car show in Macungie, PA.

Here's a bunch of pics I took.

This show, I believe, is put on by the AACA, and normally limited to stock, or at least mostly stock vehicles 25 calendar years and older. But, I think they finally woke up to the fact that their target market is starting to die off, so this year they seemed to open it up a bit. I don't know what, exactly, the criteria was for a car being eligible, but there was a pretty good variety.

benjaminh

Seen today at the car show at the Kentucky exposition center in Louisville. Most of the cars were hot rods, but a few were less modified, including this one....

benjaminh

andre1969 said:

I just got back a few hours ago, from the "Das Awkscht Fescht" classic car show in Macungie, PA.

Here's a bunch of pics I took.

This show, I believe, is put on by the AACA, and normally limited to stock, or at least mostly stock vehicles 25 calendar years and older. But, I think they finally woke up to the fact that their target market is starting to die off, so this year they seemed to open it up a bit. I don't know what, exactly, the criteria was for a car being eligible, but there was a pretty good variety.

Great pix! Thanks for posting. I esp. like that lime green Chrysler from c. 1959 or so. What model is that?

fintail

I saw Adam's video too, I'm curious as to the exact count of his collection. I noticed he mentioned he's interested in buying more - maybe a good idea, presenting cars as he does may attract some sellers who could help him add to the hoard. Waiting to see what he has next, could be almost anything 60s-80s.

I've been doing a little house shopping lately, and those cut corners seem to be what I notice in a lot of 70s-80s builds. Many older houses appear to have at least "solid bones", but much of the later material, especially affordable houses, seems to have been built kind of half-arsed, as cheaply as possible. I like some of the time warp aspect to these old houses, one or two owner homes that have been meticulously cared for, and only updated for practicality - original kitchens and bathrooms, flooring, etc. I looked at a 40s bungalow that looked rock solid, had a weird tiny 60s renovated kitchen with a small efficiency style stove (probably 55 years old but looked new), same owner since 1957, 4 car garage/shop, so/so neighborhood, but was pending fast. Only the custom builds from the 70s-80s seem better, but even here, those are way out of my price range, and I don't want a big house anyway. Most 1982 houses I'd want I couldn't buy.

ab348 said:

fintail said:

My 10 year old niece had a fun observation when a prize was a grandfather clock (not an antique, but a 1980s interpretation of one): "nobody wants that!" Seeing how cumbersome heavy furniture isn't selling at estate sales etc, that sounds right.

Funny that came up just now. Last night I abandoned the Mets game after they engineered another loss and was looking around on YouTube. After watching our friend Adam's latest video about a '67 Delta 88 coupe, I stumbled onto about 10 episodes of This Old House from 1982, their 3rd season. Bob Vila and Norm were doing a renovation of a 1950s tract bungalow. The place appeared mostly original and had very little done to it in its 27 years. A not very attractive house.

What struck me, aside from the crude production itself, was how much things had changed between 1982 and now. It seemed like everything he did was the opposite of what you would see now. He relocated the kitchen and made it smaller, almost tiny. He built the kitchen cabinets on-site with pine boards and plywood, nailed, not screwed them to the walls, then finished them with Formica. He added a master ensuite with a 5'x30" closet and a 5'x9' bathroom featuring a 3'x3' fiberglass shower stall, no tub, single sink. He converted the garage into a living room and attached it to the house with a "greenhouse room" with lots of glass on a concrete slab. I missed how he was heating those spaces. It had a basement rec room where he left the original (asbestos?) tiles on the floor and just covered them with a sheet of vinyl flooring, seeming to do nothing else. He asked Plumber Rich if he could keep the original 1950s toilet in the pink-and-black '50s bathroom upstairs by replacing all of the working parts, and was told sure, it'll cost maybe $50. He replaced a few of the '50s 4"x4" pink tiles with ones that almost but not quite matched the originals. Rich also got him a used pedestal sink for free from another job they were doing. The furnace guy told him he should replace the boiler with a new unit for $2500, he said no, let's see if we can nurse this one through another winter. And the finishes - wallpaper in most of the rooms, some whitewashed knotty pine boards in another, a strange mix of white clapboards and natural cedar outside. Today everything he did would be instantly ripped out. 1982 was a long, long time ago in the home design and renovation world.

roadburner

andre1969 said:

I just got back a few hours ago, from the "Das Awkscht Fescht" classic car show in Macungie, PA.

Here's a bunch of pics I took.

This show, I believe, is put on by the AACA, and normally limited to stock, or at least mostly stock vehicles 25 calendar years and older. But, I think they finally woke up to the fact that their target market is starting to die off, so this year they seemed to open it up a bit. I don't know what, exactly, the criteria was for a car being eligible, but there was a pretty good variety.

I'll take the Judge, the Grand Am, Can Am, and Allard.
I have a friend with a Levante, it's a cool SUV- if you like those kinds of things.

fintail

Fun stuff. I like that 61 Caddy 6 window, you never see those. The 62 (?) Fleetwood is also seldom-seen. My eye was also caught by the 77-79 Fleetwood, 75-76 Sedan Deville, Lincoln Versailles, Excalibur 4 door, the old electric car, Pacer, 59 Ford 4 door HT, FI 57 Chevy, Nomad, 62 Plymouth convertible, 60 Sunliner, Crown Vic Skyliner, beaky Bird sedan, pimpy bustleback, Bitter, and Betty White's Seville.

andre1969 said:

I just got back a few hours ago, from the "Das Awkscht Fescht" classic car show in Macungie, PA.

Here's a bunch of pics I took.

This show, I believe, is put on by the AACA, and normally limited to stock, or at least mostly stock vehicles 25 calendar years and older. But, I think they finally woke up to the fact that their target market is starting to die off, so this year they seemed to open it up a bit. I don't know what, exactly, the criteria was for a car being eligible, but there was a pretty good variety.

ab348

fintail said:

I've been doing a little house shopping lately, and those cut corners seem to be what I notice in a lot of 70s-80s builds. Many older houses appear to have at least "solid bones", but much of the later material, especially affordable houses, seems to have been built kind of half-arsed, as cheaply as possible. I like some of the time warp aspect to these old houses, one or two owner homes that have been meticulously cared for, and only updated for practicality - original kitchens and bathrooms, flooring, etc. I looked at a 40s bungalow that looked rock solid, had a weird tiny 60s renovated kitchen with a small efficiency style stove (probably 55 years old but looked new), same owner since 1957, 4 car garage/shop, so/so neighborhood, but was pending fast. Only the custom builds from the 70s-80s seem better, but even here, those are way out of my price range, and I don't want a big house anyway. Most 1982 houses I'd want I couldn't buy.

The other week I got on a site offering houses for sale in Detroit. This wasn't the city agency that is trying to sell off all of the abandoned houses they took title to, but the next level, ones that have been sold into private hands and have either been reno'ed or are just offered as purchased, sometimes with partial repairs. That is a tough situation. The ones offered as-is need a ton of work but in a lot of cases were lovely houses originally. But neglect, abandonment and time mean they need so much done I can't see how it makes much financial sense. A shame because they were very fine houses originally. Just as bad in a different way are the ones that have already been renovated for resale. Holy cats, are some of those design/material choices awful. I would need to rip out most of the new work I'm paying for because of the bad taste of those who did the work.

andre1969

Thanks guys...

That lime green Mopar, was it a 4-door with fender skirts? That would be a 1960 DeSoto. I think it was an Adventurer but it could have been the cheaper Fireflite. For 1960, the DeSoto lineup was reduced considerably, and also downgraded in price and prestige, and didn't look that different from a Chrysler. About the only difference up front is that the grille on a DeSoto extends outward to house the turn signals, whereas on a Chrysler it doesn't extend outward, and the turn signals stand by themselves under the headlights. And in back, they put three little chrome slashes on the boomerang-looking Chrysler taillight, as sort of a nod to the triple-stacked taillights of '56-59.

It was also pretty cool seeing Betty White's Seville there, considering I'm a bit of a "Mama's Family" fan. When I was younger, and saw the "Mama for Mayor" episode that the car was used in, I used to think it was white. It was filmed (or rather videotaped most likely) on a bright, sunny day, and the light green really washed out, making it appear white. Plus in those days I was seeing it on a 25" tube tv, at best. But in later years, I could just barely make out that it was a really pale green. It's pretty sharp looking, in person. I could almost hear Mama now, coming out in her nightgown and fuzzy slippers and hollering "ELLEN HARPER JACKSON, you get that car off my grass NOW!!"

That '74 Grand Am was pretty cool, too. I don't think I've ever seen one in green, and that really caught my eye. Usually it seemed like they were white, dark red/burgundy, or black.

Funny story about the Can Am. It came onto the show field not too long after I did. I got there later than normal, and by that time they didn't have very many people directing traffic, and the few they had weren't doing a very good job. One of them motioned for me to go off in one direction, and I drove down the little road, expecting to find the next person to tell me where to go, but then, I saw I was in an exclusively Cadillac area, and beyond that was vendors, so I knew I had gone too far. When I went to turn around, the car stalled out. If it's been running awhile, and then forced into a situation where it has to idle alot and move really slowly, I have to drive it two-footed sometimes to keep it from stalling out. And, if it's hot enough, sometimes it won't start back up until it's been sitting for a bit. But thankfully, this time it fired back up, and I was able to park more or less where I think I was supposed to. At least, that '70 Judge was on one side, and the '71 Impala convertible pulled in next to me, so I figured that was good enough!

Well then, I see the Can Am come in, but then the driver just sort of sits there, unsure of where to go, so a couple of us went over to talk to him, find out what class his car was in, and such. He just said to me, "I don't know, I was following YOU!" One of the other guys said that he was supposed to be over in another field. But when the driver tried to turn around, he stalled out, too! Must be a Pontiac thang!

That Levante thing was actually at a restaurant we went to after the show. But I'd never seen one before, and it seemed oddball enough that I snapped a pic of it.

It seemed kind of ironic too, how I had mentioned before that I'd love getting a '61-62 Cadillac, and then suddenly, at this show, there were more of them than I'd ever seen in one place at the same time, almost as if to tempt me!

fintail

All of the messed up and neglected 1900-1940 middle class type housing in some areas is really sad, as those houses would be in high demand in this part of the country. Quick flipper types are also a blight, as they too often make slapdash and/or tasteless "upgrades" in an attempt at a fast sale and to keep some cash flow - no doubt some are good, but I see some questionable stuff here, too.

Some things, like a perfectly preserved kitchen or bathroom, I could leave as-is if clean and no real wear or damage.

ab348 said:

fintail said:

I've been doing a little house shopping lately, and those cut corners seem to be what I notice in a lot of 70s-80s builds. Many older houses appear to have at least "solid bones", but much of the later material, especially affordable houses, seems to have been built kind of half-arsed, as cheaply as possible. I like some of the time warp aspect to these old houses, one or two owner homes that have been meticulously cared for, and only updated for practicality - original kitchens and bathrooms, flooring, etc. I looked at a 40s bungalow that looked rock solid, had a weird tiny 60s renovated kitchen with a small efficiency style stove (probably 55 years old but looked new), same owner since 1957, 4 car garage/shop, so/so neighborhood, but was pending fast. Only the custom builds from the 70s-80s seem better, but even here, those are way out of my price range, and I don't want a big house anyway. Most 1982 houses I'd want I couldn't buy.

The other week I got on a site offering houses for sale in Detroit. This wasn't the city agency that is trying to sell off all of the abandoned houses they took title to, but the next level, ones that have been sold into private hands and have either been reno'ed or are just offered as purchased, sometimes with partial repairs. That is a tough situation. The ones offered as-is need a ton of work but in a lot of cases were lovely houses originally. But neglect, abandonment and time mean they need so much done I can't see how it makes much financial sense. A shame because they were very fine houses originally. Just as bad in a different way are the ones that have already been renovated for resale. Holy cats, are some of those design/material choices awful. I would need to rip out most of the new work I'm paying for because of the bad taste of those who did the work.

fintail

I wonder how the Levante is for resale, I suspect in terms of quality it is like a Ghibli.

I saw this image online the other day, looks like the same Seville (passenger is Carol Channing):



I recall hearing about Ellen and her Seville, I imagined her in a bustleback. IIRC there was an episode where her husband cheated on her and bought her a new car as a gift/bribe, maybe that would be the bustleback.

andre1969 said:

Thanks guys...

That lime green Mopar, was it a 4-door with fender skirts? That would be a 1960 DeSoto. I think it was an Adventurer but it could have been the cheaper Fireflite. For 1960, the DeSoto lineup was reduced considerably, and also downgraded in price and prestige, and didn't look that different from a Chrysler. About the only difference up front is that the grille on a DeSoto extends outward to house the turn signals, whereas on a Chrysler it doesn't extend outward, and the turn signals stand by themselves under the headlights. And in back, they put three little chrome slashes on the boomerang-looking Chrysler taillight, as sort of a nod to the triple-stacked taillights of '56-59.

It was also pretty cool seeing Betty White's Seville there, considering I'm a bit of a "Mama's Family" fan. When I was younger, and saw the "Mama for Mayor" episode that the car was used in, I used to think it was white. It was filmed (or rather videotaped most likely) on a bright, sunny day, and the light green really washed out, making it appear white. Plus in those days I was seeing it on a 25" tube tv, at best. But in later years, I could just barely make out that it was a really pale green. It's pretty sharp looking, in person. I could almost hear Mama now, coming out in her nightgown and fuzzy slippers and hollering "ELLEN HARPER JACKSON, you get that car off my grass NOW!!"

That '74 Grand Am was pretty cool, too. I don't think I've ever seen one in green, and that really caught my eye. Usually it seemed like they were white, dark red/burgundy, or black.

Funny story about the Can Am. It came onto the show field not too long after I did. I got there later than normal, and by that time they didn't have very many people directing traffic, and the few they had weren't doing a very good job. One of them motioned for me to go off in one direction, and I drove down the little road, expecting to find the next person to tell me where to go, but then, I saw I was in an exclusively Cadillac area, and beyond that was vendors, so I knew I had gone too far. When I went to turn around, the car stalled out. If it's been running awhile, and then forced into a situation where it has to idle alot and move really slowly, I have to drive it two-footed sometimes to keep it from stalling out. And, if it's hot enough, sometimes it won't start back up until it's been sitting for a bit. But thankfully, this time it fired back up, and I was able to park more or less where I think I was supposed to. At least, that '70 Judge was on one side, and the '71 Impala convertible pulled in next to me, so I figured that was good enough!

Well then, I see the Can Am come in, but then the driver just sort of sits there, unsure of where to go, so a couple of us went over to talk to him, find out what class his car was in, and such. He just said to me, "I don't know, I was following YOU!" One of the other guys said that he was supposed to be over in another field. But when the driver tried to turn around, he stalled out, too! Must be a Pontiac thang!

That Levante thing was actually at a restaurant we went to after the show. But I'd never seen one before, and it seemed oddball enough that I snapped a pic of it.

It seemed kind of ironic too, how I had mentioned before that I'd love getting a '61-62 Cadillac, and then suddenly, at this show, there were more of them than I'd ever seen in one place at the same time, almost as if to tempt me!

benjaminh

explorerx4

I like that red Galaxie except for the big puddle of fluid underneath it.

uplanderguy

explorer, we did take 91N, then 691, then 84, 81, and 80. Soooo much better than 95 and dealing with 80 the second we got into NJ, on Thursday. Thanks so much for the local insight.

explorerx4

@uplanderguy,
Glad it worked out for you.
I wish you had been able to take 63 North to I-84.
It would have given you a look at small town CT.

stickguy

passed a true Jim Rockford Firebird today. About a 75 in that gold color his were. Some sort of esprit/formula. No hood nostrils. Looked super clean.

benjaminh

explorerx4 said:

I like that red Galaxie except for the big puddle of fluid underneath it.

I think it was just condensation from the ac. Hot day today in Kentucky.

uplanderguy

explorer, we left the hotel in downtown New Haven at just after six this morning. We noted some sketchy areas in New Haven while we were there and thought we wouldn't experiment leaving the hotel on those more-'local' roads. Long story short, but her stuff which was picked up in CA (where she lived until one week ago) on 7/14 hasn't arrived here in OH yet, so we'll have to take a second trip up there with a rental truck--once the stuff arrives. The broker and mover are being evasive about a date, although the broker had originally told me "Up to three weeks, but most likely will be two", sigh. We will try those routes on the way back, to avoid that city in CT on 84 whose name escapes me.

explorerx4

@uplanderguy,
I'm thinking Waterbury if it was soon after you got on I-84.
Leaving 6am on a Sunday is a good time to avoid traffic.
During the week, not as good.

uplanderguy

That's it, Waterbury.

xwesx

ab348 said:

Today everything he did would be instantly ripped out. 1982 was a long, long time ago in the home design and renovation world.

Ah, yes. The modern Dark Ages.

Sandman6472

Thanks all for the great pics of those '60's auto's. Brought back lots of memories as all we had in the 1960's were GM products with a couple Lincoln Continental's thrown in the mix. Started with a 1960 Cadillac 4-door, then a '62 Sedan de Ville. Then a '64 Sedan de Ville. A '66 Lincoln Continental came next followed by a '68 Eldorado. A '70 Cadillac convertible followed by a '72 Lincoln Continental coupe. Those were all followed by a few Pontiac's and then a few Mercury Grand Marquis's. These were all my mom's vehicles.
My dad had a '58 Corvette, a '63 Riviera, a '67 Toronado, a '69 Toronado and finally a '72 Ford gran Torino Sport. By then, they had moved to a golf course and sold the Ford to my older brother, replaced with a golf cart.
Do remember September always being my favorite month as the new cars came out that month and then, they changed the styling every year. But must say, I loved those 1960's Cadillac's we had the most. They were large beasts and we could fit the whole family of 6 in them with no problems. And we had almost every color so it would always be exciting to see what color my dad would bring home for my mom every couple of years.

xwesx

Wow; they sure rolled through the model years! That would be pretty exciting as a kid. I imagine that this recollection will be somewhat akin to @breld 's children 40 years from now.... (replacing every couple years with every couple months).

andre1969

That's one thing I miss, is the excitement of new car introductions. Although, by the time I was around, I think much of the prevailing attitude was "Uh-oh, how much is the new model going to suck compared to the one it replaces?"

These days though, my attitude is more along the lines of "Geeze I hope the old one holds up, because there's nothing out there that really excites me."

imidazol97

Thanks for posting the pictures. I really like going through them.

What is this pretty girl? I can't read the writing on the hood trim on the side? Can anyone
else read it?




The early 50s Cadillacs with the axe head taillights always get my pick.



There are a lot of great cars there. And a Catalina convertible in a light cream that fits right in.

andre1969

I think that pale yellow convertible was a 1938 Buick Special? I need to get better about making a note of some of the older/rarer cars I take pics of!

imidazol97

This is the logo that I'm trying to figure out. I see Special and Limited on the sides of 38 Buicks int he Brochure. I see the engine called Dynaflash.

ab348

I believe that script says "Special" and is just stretched out some to make it look like it is a longer word. Buick seemed to only make 2 convertibles in '38, a Special and a Century.

andre1969

I zoomed in on the original picture, which is higher-resolution, and to me it looks like it actually says "Specials". I know there's no "s" on the end of that, but it could just be a trick of the light/shadow. Or sort of like that old debate of "is this dress yellow or blue" or whatever.

Here's the furthest I can zoom in on the original pic, on my screen...

ab348

andre1969 said:

That's one thing I miss, is the excitement of new car introductions. Although, by the time I was around, I think much of the prevailing attitude was "Uh-oh, how much is the new model going to suck compared to the one it replaces?"

Yes, I miss those days as well. Around here, one Wednesday in late September or early October, the local newspaper would have full-page or double-page ad spreads from all of the domestic brands showing off their new models for the upcoming year, with a section usually at the bottom inviting you to visit one or more local dealers over the next couple of days for the festivities, with not only a chance to look at the new cars, but snacks, drinks, prizes and goodies being given away. It was quite the event and I could usually convince the parents to go, even if they weren't in the market. They knew I was car crazy and humored me, something I didn't appreciate enough at the time.

I remember a few of those nights even now, perhaps the one in the fall of 1969 most clearly. The Ford dealer did the best job, clearing out their service department and decorating it to make it like an extension of their showroom. I remember them showing off a Ford pickup with the Goldline camper that Ford was pushing in those days, which you may remember was a sort of molded plastic or fiberglass design that looked better than most pickup campers did prior to that. I also remember us looking at a 1970 Thunderbird with the Bunkie Beak and not liking it much, although today I do like that. Then there was a Boss Mustang plus the Grande that mom liked better, the Torino GT fastback, and of course Mavericks and LTDs. I liked the LTD a lot better than the '69 Impala we had at the time, but mom sat in the passenger seat, took one look at that blank swept-away dash in front of her and said "not a chance".

At the Chevy-Olds dealer next door I still remember a dark green metallic Cutlass convertible with a tan interior and tan top that was just gorgeous. The big attraction there, though, were the Malibus and Camaros. One neat thing that only this dealer did was to have a rack next to the one with all the glossy brochures I was collecting which had Gestetner copies of 1-page summaries they typed up of prices and options for each model, which no other dealer bothered to do here, and which I suspect helped them sell some cars. Next to them was a Chrysler-Dodge dealer and they had the new Challenger on display, along with the Charger, which I thought I could convince dad to consider, since it was almost the same size as the Impala, but no dice. They did like the fuselage Chrysler and Dodge full-sizers though, and we ended up with a new Monaco the next year. The other thing I remember there was that they had a Simca 1204 also in the showroom which I sat in because one of the magazines had praised the seats. The seats were probably the best thing about it.

uplanderguy

New-car introduction night was one of my best childhood memories, year-in, year-out. I only remember ever going to the introduction to the Maverick in April '69, for Ford, as my Dad was totally turned off of Ford by that time. I remember going to Pontiac for the '73's, and ogling the beautiful instrument panel and interior of the Grand Prix SJ they had.

But every year, we went to the Chevy-Cadillac dealer, where my Dad and grandfather bought, and I have wonderful memories of that.

I plainly remember the first '67 Chevy I saw--light green Bel Air wagon. I remember the first '68 Chevelles I saw, as I told Dad, "Those look smaller than our '67" (and they were). I remember the first '70 Caprice and Monte Carlo I saw, both light blue metallic with the body-colored wheelcovers. I remember the first '71 and '72 Impalas our dealer got in, specifically, and I remember the first '70 Cadillac. I also remember the very first Vega--my grandparents bought it.

Our dealer's first '77 Caprice Classic--eagerly anticipated by me--was a two-tone silver and gray coupe with the red velour Custom Interior option. Ironically, that was the first one the dealer 15 miles away got too. Both were fully-optioned. I wondered if Chevy ran a bunch of them like that at the front end.

I was looking forward to the new Chevelles in '73 too. First one our dealer got was a maroon Malibu coupe with black vinyl top and the black and white herringbone cloth seating.

I'd seen all of the above new models prior to introduction date, either way out back on the lot, in the make-ready building, or stuck in a corner of the Service Department.

There was no irony whatsoever in my older cousin's husband saying to my brother-in-law, and me in earshot, "Want to drive out back at Dart's and look at the '72's?". Car love was more mainstream then than now IMHO.

On introduction night--which my Dad would receive an invitation for--you'd pile up on donuts and cider, grab all the brochures (Chevy always did a separate brochure for each model line), sign up for door prizes, and see a lot of people you knew in town.

ab348

The Cutlass was finally picked up today and has departed Greg's garage for the last time. Only a little bittersweet, as once it got up on the flatbed and I had a good look at it elevated, it sure looked great. But it is all for the best, is one less thing to worry about, and hopefully it has found a good home.

sda

ab348 said:

The Cutlass was finally picked up today and has departed Greg's garage for the last time. Only a little bittersweet, as once it got up on the flatbed and I had a good look at it elevated, it sure looked great. But it is all for the best, is one less thing to worry about, and hopefully it has found a good home.

That is such a sharp Cutlass. I really like the OE enhancements you made to it. Good memories of my grandmother's Cutlass S, though I thought it deserved better than just the standard full wheel covers.

sda

A faded picture taken around 1976. My grandmother special ordered the Cutlass and traded her 62 Olds Dynamic 88 for it.

Michaell

@ab348 - parting is such sweet sorrow. It is a sharp looking car, and from what you've said, it seems like it's going to a good home where it will be cherished, which I know is what you wanted all along.

uplanderguy

Never rule out your getting another, Greg.

I sold three overseas, and bought a fourth.

RE.: Full wheelcovers on the other car, above--my friend's '68 442 has those full wheelcovers and a vinyl top. I checked the numbers once for her and it is a real 442.

The Cutlass was the best-looking of the four GM midsize coupes that year I think.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

I plainly remember the first '67 Chevy I saw--light green Bel Air wagon. I remember the first '68 Chevelles I saw, as I told Dad, "Those look smaller than our '67" (and they were). I remember the first '70 Caprice and Monte Carlo I saw, both light blue metallic with the body-colored wheelcovers. I remember the first '71 and '72 Impalas our dealer got in, specifically, and I remember the first '70 Cadillac. I also remember the very first Vega--my grandparents bought it.

Our dealer's first '77 Caprice Classic--eagerly anticipated by me--was a two-tone silver and gray coupe with the red velour Custom Interior option. Ironically, that was the first one the dealer 15 miles away got too. Both were fully-optioned. I wondered if Chevy ran a bunch of them like that at the front end.

I was looking forward to the new Chevelles in '73 too. First one our dealer got was a maroon Malibu coupe with black vinyl top and the black and white herringbone cloth seating.

Your memories sparked some others in mine. In that same fall '69 visit to the Chevy dealer I now recall a Monte Carlo they had on display. I could tell it was based off the A-body but it sure looked posh with those body color accent wheelcovers. Later on, they brought in a SS454 Monte on spec and someone who I did not know at the time but who is now a buddy almost bought it. He still sings the blues about not getting it. The other thing I remembered about that intro day was seeing the '70 full-size Chevy with the delicate-looking Cadillac-like grille/bumper treatment, and featuring Peggy Lipton in the brochure. At the time I liked our '69 and its loop bumper better, but over time the '70 version has grown on me.

I don't remember my reaction to seeing my first '73 Chevelle, but if I had to guess, I would think I might have been disappointed.

stickguy

I had a much different childhood. I remember going to the Volvo dealer and sitting in a P1800ES while waiting for the family 144 to get fixed.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I had a much different childhood. I remember going to the Volvo dealer and sitting in a P1800ES while waiting for the family 144 to get fixed.

Not sure I’d ever seen a Volvo, prior to ‘72

sda

I remember the excitement of going with dad when I was 12 in 71 one evening to go look at the 71 Pontiacs. We went into New Orleans which meant crossing the Mississippi River bridge as we lived on the west bank. We got to the dealership too late so we could only look at the cars in the showroom through the big plate windows. About a week later dad brought home his 71 Catalina coupe which was his company car. It was the first new car that I'd experienced. I remember asking dad what the smell was when he parked the new car in the driveway. It was the paint on the new engine burning in. And the new car smell of the interior was intoxicating!

It looked similar to this one as it had the Rallye wheels, though with narrow double white wall stripes. His was dark metallic brown and a darker, almost black vinyl roof.

uplanderguy

I was way-impressed at the time with the huge windshield on the new '71 GM big cars, and those thin pillars that were completely covered with bright metal.

kyfdx

@sda I wish I had the pictures of our cars, like you do. We are about the same age, and had some of the same cars. My mother had a '71 Grand Ville

uplanderguy

My old hometown is down to two new-car dealers--a Ford dealer actually in the town, on Main St., and a Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealer a couple miles east of town. The Studebaker dealer sold M-B, Simca, and Sunbeam into the mid-sixties or so, but I honestly don't remember seeing that, or at least much. The Pontiac dealer added Subaru in the early '70's. I remember being way-underwhelmed sitting in a new one there. They dropped Subaru, or they got dropped by Subaru, probably by about '75 or '76.

My hometown never did ever get a VW, Toyota, Datsun, or any other import new-car dealer. I guess the Dodge dealer did sell the Dodge-badged Mitsu products.

andre1969

I would've been too young to really be cognizant of the Colonades when they came out for '73. But I do, vaguely, remember Mom bringing home her '75 LeMans coupe. I was not a fan. I would've only been 4-5, depending on when in the model year she bought it, but even then, I had a preference for cars with 4 headlights rather than 2, and was learning to associate 2 headlights with older cars or cheap ones. I also had a preference for blues and greens, and remember I was not a fan of its color. Mom called it "Bronze" and Dad called it "Persimmon", but to this day I don't know which it was, because Pontiac offered both colors, and they both look similar enough to make me question my memory.

Mom had traded a '68 Impala 4-door hardtop on it, which in my memory was a bluish green, but it turns out, was actually that light "Grecian Green". I do remember liking the Impala, a lot, so the LeMans, in comparison was a disappointment.

I do remember as a kid, liking the '73-75 Chevelles when I saw them on the street. Despite only having two headlights, I thought they were good looking cars, nicer than Mom's LeMans.

uplanderguy

We had a '67 Chevelle and I knew Dad was angling for a new car. He talked about a car for six months before he'd buy one. He always liked the size of the Chevelle, so I had high hopes for the '73. I did like the Malibu, other than the enormous front bumper, made worse-looking by the flat silver paint on all exterior colors, between the bumper and the grille (changed mid-year; made body color there which helped). I liked the simple grille and round taillights. I like the Laguna front end but didn't like the body-colored rear bumper. I always, and still do, liked the large triangular quarter windows which gave great visibility and opened up the back seat area some.

My Dad was immediately turned off by the front bumper, and that the rear windows of the coupe didn't roll down. He bought a new Nova instead.

benjaminh