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

ab348

Spotted a '72 Cutlass 2-dr HT, very shiny and fresh-looking in red paint, just down the street from my place. I've never seen this one before around here.

stickguy

right outside my neighborhood, passed a very pretty dark red 1969 Camaro. Saw the RS badge on the grill but did not notice any other badging or get a real good look as it drove by.

sda

Not sure it would be considered a classic, but somewhat rare, a silver VW Phaeton headed north on I-85 near Gaffney. License plate frame (dealer name/location) showed Hilton Head Island. Visited my inlaws in Simpsonville, spotted the VW while headed home. Traffic was awful and required getting off I-85 and taking the backroads. A typical 2 hr drive morphed to 3 hrs.

xwesx

I see a brat and a thing every morning, and that's before I even leave the house!

stickguy

I saw brats twice this weekend, and almost positive it was different ones. On had a cap on too.

fintail

Spotted on foot yesterday, the big Pontiac I posted a while back, and it's driveway mate, a 3rd gen Accord hatch (seen here in a recent street view):



Accord might be on Civic hybrid wheels? Spokane sometimes has a bit of a time warp feel, both in vehicles and some residential streetscapes.

kyfdx

fintail said:

Spotted on foot yesterday, the big Pontiac I posted a while back, and it's driveway mate, a 3rd gen Accord hatch (seen here in a recent street view):



Accord might be on Civic hybrid wheels? Spokane sometimes has a bit of a time warp feel, both in vehicles and some residential streetscapes.

Yeah.. '87-'89?

Mine was the same color

uplanderguy

I know the Pontiac's eight-lug wheels mean drum brakes, but they sure are pretty. The Brougham option is a nice piece too, not real-often-seen.

That car has the optional cornering lights, too.

fintail

Here's another image of it - it seems to be living outside (or someone takes it out of the garage daily), but someone is clearly taking care of it:

fintail

kyfdx said:

fintail said:

Spotted on foot yesterday, the big Pontiac I posted a while back, and it's driveway mate, a 3rd gen Accord hatch (seen here in a recent street view):



Accord might be on Civic hybrid wheels? Spokane sometimes has a bit of a time warp feel, both in vehicles and some residential streetscapes.

Yeah.. '87-'89?

Mine was the same color

Debuted for MY 86 . I think that color was popular.

explorerx4

Parked on Detroit Ave in Rocky River.
Immaculate condition and a bit of whimsy, too.
Also, rare newer car in the picture, too.

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

Parked on Detroit Ave in Rocky River.
Immaculate condition and a bit of whimsy, too.
Also, rare newer car in the picture, too.

VW Arteon in the background.

tjc78

@explorerx4 said:
Parked on Detroit Ave in Rocky River.
Immaculate condition and a bit of whimsy, too.
Also, rare newer car in the picture, too.

Lol car is like a 92 or so and it has that old bumper sticker. Must have really loved Reagan

explorerx4

My parents had some K Cars over the years but I wasn't sure what year that one was.
I was looking around for the Time Machine. It looked totally 'right out of the box'.
Was walking 2 dogs so I didn't want to get too close.

uplanderguy

Although generally I hate bumper stickers, I'm a sucker for an era-appropriate political sticker (window better than bumper). I have seen '64 Studebakers with "Goldwater" stickers--sometimes "AuH20".

I also like on old station wagons, the stickers in the rearmost side quarter windows with destinations noted.

tjc78

But that’s my point the sticker isn’t time appropriate.

He should have a Bush/Quayle ‘92 or Dole/Kemp ‘96

This is NOT a political message lol

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

But that’s my point the sticker isn’t time appropriate.

He should have a Bush/Quayle ‘92 or Dole/Kemp ‘96

This is NOT a political message lol

Maybe, they just transferred it over from their old '84 Sedan De Ville?

texases

Finally! Proof of time travelers!!

tjc78

@kyfdx said:
Maybe, they just transferred it over from their old '84 Sedan De Ville?

Touché

sda

I saw this on my drive home parked in front of a Meineke shop. I couldn't see the rear to see what model it is.

fintail

Probably a 230SL from what I see, slight chance of a 250SL, may or may not actually be a Euro car. If a 280SL it is a Euro, if it is a USDM car it is before 1968.

sda said:

I saw this on my drive home parked in front of a Meineke shop. I couldn't see the rear to see what model it is.

roadburner

A friend on another forum is selling his dad’s Fury. Only 75k miles and it looks pretty clean.

sda

roadburner said:

A friend on another forum is selling his dad’s Fury. Only 75k miles and it looks pretty clean.

I like. Great color. Sport Fury?

stickguy

a boat, but a very nice looking one.

great color.

roadburner

@sda said:
I like. Great color. Sport Fury?

Yes.

explorerx4

I had a 70 Sport Fury 4 door hardtop, 383, Copper color with Houndstooth vinyl roof.

roadburner

This one is a 383; I told my friend that I would buy it if I had the garage space and the disposable income.

andre1969

I'm really liking that Sport Fury...and I'm not even a huge fan of the fuselage era! One thing I've noticed...in the past I used to not like the fuselage cars, because they looked kind of fat. But now when I look at them, they just don't seem as chunky as they used to.

It looks really nice in that shade of blue, with the white top.

ab348

Yes, the '70/'71 are the best years for those Fury models. and that one is in the right colors, especially if it has the blue 2-tone interior. A few years ago I was sorely tempted by a convertible in similar colors locally, but dodged that bullet. Unlike Chevys and Mustangs, they require lots of searching for any parts needs they may develop. Some things are essentially unobtainable, and their original quality was not the best.

stickguy

Nice pacer wagon next to it!

andre1969

I was going through some old pics. Might have posted this one before, but figured y'all might get a kick out of it. Anyway, you asked for it, you got it! Affordable housing finally comes to Washington DC!

fintail

When I was a kid, I thought the fuselage cars looked too big and heavy as well - but by then they were unloved used cars of the type that depreciated to nothing by the 80s due to the oil crises. Today I can appreciate them a little more, they have a sleekness. I am sure I have mentioned it before, my grandpa traded his 65 Chrysler on a 71 (green on green, as so many were), as he was a fan of the design. Unfortunately, the newer car was less reliable than the older one, as the 65 was apparently a very solid car. The fuselage Imperial that Adam has showed off a bit is a real wild kind of Gothic design, too.

I also didn't care for the Pacer either - I recall when I was little, a friend of my mom had a wagon, I rode in it once, it seemed really weird and not in a cool way. I recall it had the upholstery design that was kind of a southwest or horse blanket theme.

fintail

Spotted in a real estate ad - not sure if this is an anniversary or pace car model, or just a custom (as the wheels don't appear to be original):

stickguy

A couple from the 60s today. Facelift corvair convertible. And a 66ish big Buick convert. .

Michaell

I belong to a FB group that looks back on the history of my home town in CA. One of the more active members posted a couple of car advertisements from back in the day, that I've grabbed and shared here:

explorerx4

I think I's save the 2K and buy the Buick over the demo Lincoln.

texases

I'd get a kick seeing a '69 Opel parked up next to one of those Buicks on the showroom floor. I vaguely remember going to a Buick/Opel dealer in '68 when we were looking for a new car for my mom. Ended up with Valiant that saw decades of service, to her, then my brother, then his daughter.

Michaell

There was a third ad posted, for the local Fiat dealer, but I can't seem to find it. Also dated '68-'69.

fintail

I bet that LeSabre was pretty base, no air or power amenities. All the listed stuff was pretty standard right? Still seems cheap, maybe a rental or demo etc?

In the used cars, the late model Colony Park might be ok, still looked relevant with its boxy front end and it appears to be equipped. Most cars sure depreciated fast then, and these would see it especially bad after the first oil crisis, being reduced to the value of a nice dinner.

roadburner

I'll take the Cougar.

roadburner

Saw a Mini Moke on a trailer- likely the new EV version.

ab348

In traffic today not far from my house, a very fine-looking Jaguar XK-E Series 2 coupe, in a lovely metallic teal-gray paint color that was very fresh and shiny. Never saw it around here previously.

fintail

Something spotted not long ago - a MB C43 AMG. Not the roadburner special, but the OG model, a W202. It looked great but was in a garage, however, many of those were rode hard and put away wet, so it is probably owned by an enthusiast. I will have to keep an eye out to see if anything else shows up at that house.

andre1969

Wasn't that "Super Turbine 300", a 2-speed automatic? On that LeSabre, a 350 would have been standard, but the automatic, and most likely power steering/brakes were still optional. I'd like to think an AM radio was at least standard, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was not.

That's still a lot of car for the money, though. According to my old car book, a '69 LeSabre 4-door hardtop started at $3,356. I had a '69 Dart GT hardtop coupe that, as equipped, MSRPed for around $3600. It just had a 225 slant six. But, it had a/c and a vinyl roof, and 3-speed wipers. At this point Chrysler was still making you pay extra for the 225, as the tiny 170 was standard. And for awhile, 13" rims were actually standard and they made you pay extra for 14", although 14" might have been standard by '69.

I seem to recall Pontiac did some cost-cutting for 1970. In 1969, if you bought a Catalina with an automatic, you got a 400-2bbl with a THM400 3-speed automatic. But for '69, they offered a 350-2bbl and 2-speed automatic...probably whatever Pontiac called their version of that "Super Turbine 300?"

ab348

Back in 1970 there still wasn't much standard on the B-bodies. I remember we looked at an new Olds Delta 88 4-door HT in early 1970 that was on the dealer lot for what seemed like a very good price. It had the usual basic equipment, all of it optional: PS, PB, automatic transmission, WW tires, and an AM radio. That was it. Full wheel discs were the only standard item. At least by 1970 Olds had abandoned the 2-speed Jetaway transmission in favor of the TH350 or 400 depending upon the model.

andre1969

I was just thinking...that '69 LeSabre is a good example of how the auto makers were able to keep prices stable for awhile. I know I've mentioned it before, but in 1957, my grandparents bought a new Ford Fairlane 500 Victoria 4-door hardtop, and as equipped it was around $3500. I remember Granddad saying that was about what it cost, and thought it was pretty astounding, as the base price of that car was around $2415 or so. So, enough options to bring the price up around 40-50% above the base price, yet no a/c, power windows, or anything like that. And, I actually found the paperwork on it the other week...now I'm curious to go back through it and see how the actual pricing broke down. Sometimes, being a pack rat has its advantages, I guess!

Yet, 12 years later, this '69 LeSabre, is advertised for around the same, $3500. Yet, I'd say it's a bit more car for the money than that Ford was. Although the Ford did have 2-tone paint, 3-speed automatic, and the optional 312 V8. So with that hotter V8 and 3-speed automatic, it might have been a better performer than the heavier Buick, which had a larger 350, but just a 2-bbl, and toned down a bit in an early attempt to get a handle on emissions.

andre1969

Was it 1971, that the B-bodies gave you an automatic, power steering, and power brakes standard if you got a V8?

As far as a/c goes, I think even as late as 1979, in something like an Electra, Ninety-Eight, or New Yorker, a/c was technically optional. Even if you got the $1535 extra 5th Avenue Edition, air conditioning was still an option. I don't think I've ever seen a C-body of that generation, or an R-body, without a/c installed, but I have seen the occasional window sticker that would list it as an option. I'm pretty sure it was standard on Cadillacs and Lincolns by then. And maybe something like a Toronado or Riviera would have had it standard?

I'd imagine the Electra/Ninety-Eight got a/c standard at some point in the early 80's, though? At least, I couldn't imagine something like an '84 Electra not having a/c! In 1985, when they went FWD a/c was standard on them, but still an option on the B-bodies, even most of the high trim level ones. I think the only one that had a/c standard was the Delta 88 Royale Brougham LS sedan, which pretty much came fully-equipped. Although maybe wagons had it standard? For some reason, I seem to recall the big wagons getting a/c standard earlier on than sedans/coupes, and then a second, rear a/c was an option?

Didn't Ford make a/c standard in the Panthers at some point in the early 80's?

texases

Here's what the '69 Buick brochure shows as standard equipment on the LeSabre. Not much:

ab348

According to the brochures site, Olds made A/C standard in the 98 in 1980.

andre1969

Maybe I need to set my luxury aspirations a bit higher, but I'm actually impressed the LeSabre had a glovebox light standard!