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

roadburner

uplanderguy said:

Don't know what made me think of this, but I see it on FB constantly--when people abbreviate a year by writing 65', for example, it bugs me.

"Wow! You've got a 65-foot Impala?!"

That, and using 'breaks' for brakes.

How about "peddle" for pedal? Or "bumber" for bumper?

roadburner

Michaell said:

I didn't have much of a car history growing up. I didn't know my paternal grandparents all that well (we were in CA, they lived in upstate NY), and neither of them drove, so far as I knew.

My maternal grandmother only had two cars that I remember - and early '60's Comet, then replaced with a '67 Monterey coupe. I was lucky to be old enough to drive the Monterey on a number of occasions.

I really wanted that car when she passed, but my mom and uncle decided to sell it, instead.

My father had a 1964.5 Mustang (one of the first in Kentucky), a 1967 Mustang, a 1970 Mustang Grande and a 1970 Torino GT 351C with the shaker hood. After that was a line of dull four doors, but he redeemed himself with a 1986 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. My uncle was an accountant at the Fern Valley Road Ford plant in Louisville; he bought cars on A Plan every six moths or so (and always bought me a Ford promo- I still have most of them). He had lots of nice cars. In particular I remember a 1965 Thunderbird convertible and a Vintage Burgundy 1966 Mustang GT notchback with the K-code 289 and the four speed manual.

fintail

My car history seems to include parents more than grandparents. I was closer to my maternals than paternals - by geography alone most of the time, but none of the cars were too exciting to me I guess - the more interesting stuff when I was a kid being what they had before I was born. When I was a little kid my paternal grandmother had a Pinto, into the mid 80s and beyond she had multiple Cavaliers, and paternal grandfather usually had Ford trucks, although I remember he also had a dustbuster Lumina. Maternal grandfather who was into Chryslers in the 60s and 70s worked into his 70s and had a company or company funded economy car (I recall a Beetle when I was really little, Corolla, Chevette, NUMMI Nova), and grandma would drive the Chrysler and into the 80s a Ciera that she loved, and later a couple Taurus. None had anything vintage as a hobby car or spare vehicle.

stickguy

I also have little family car history growing up. Small family on both sides and none lived nearby. And my family had 1 car (Volvo) they got when I was 6 or 7 and kept until I was a senior in high school. One grandfather had a mid 60s big ford until he passed when I was maybe 8. The other side were from Vermont and had a couple of VWs when I could remember (a 411 sedan and 412 wagon).

That was about it for cars growing up. I remember more about my friends family cars!

ab348

My family car memories go back to the ‘50s when I was very young. I have a vague memory of a yellow and black ‘56 Ford Crown Victoria that my dad had when I was 2 or 3, don’t know if it was the glass roof or not. Dad went thru cars like socks for a few years, with a ‘59 Ford, a ‘61 Meteor, a ‘62 English Ford Consul Capri, a ‘63, ‘65, and ‘67 Pontiac with a ‘66 Olds 88 mixed in there, a ‘69 Impala coupe, a ‘71 Monaco, then a ‘73 Volvo, a ‘74 Impala, a ‘75 Hornet Sportabout, a ‘78 LeMans wagon, and a ‘79 Impala.

fintail

ab348 said:

My family car memories go back to the ‘50s when I was very young. I have a vague memory of a yellow and black ‘56 Ford Crown Victoria that my dad had when I was 2 or 3, don’t know if it was the glass roof or not. Dad went thru cars like socks for a few years, with a ‘59 Ford, a ‘61 Meteor, a ‘62 English Ford Consul Capri, a ‘63, ‘65, and ‘67 Pontiac with a ‘66 Olds 88 mixed in there, a ‘69 Impala coupe, a ‘71 Monaco, then a ‘73 Volvo, a ‘74 Impala, a ‘75 Hornet Sportabout, a ‘78 LeMans wagon, and a ‘79 Impala.

Consul Capri, pretty car - like a 2:3 scale 60 Starliner, and incredibly rare on this side of the pond.

laurasdada

My oldest car memory is of my dad's red Borgward Isabella.

stickguy

I do have one memory of the Chevy wagon that came before the Volvo. Seems weird to not have more but my brain pretty much turned to silly putty a while ago.

tjc78

My oldest car memories are from the early 80s.

Dad had a nasty old Dart (after he totaled his Grand Prix) replaced by a new Horizon.

Mom had Axel Foley’s Nova and that was replaced with an Escort then an 85 Charger

Grandpop had an 81 Mark VI Givenchy replaced with an 85 Town Car

Other Grandparents had a Granada and a bronze colored boat tail Riviera. A few different 80s Rivieras followed.

ab348

fintail said:

Consul Capri, pretty car - like a 2:3 scale 60 Starliner, and incredibly rare on this side of the pond.

Ours wasn't quite as dolled-up as this, but the same color:

kyfdx

First memory for me is my mother's '62 Pontiac Star Chief.

Grandfather had a '49 Ford as a daily driver, and had bought my grandmother a new '62 Galaxie 500, but she never learned to drive. He didn't give up the '49 Ford until they moved to the city in 1968. That was when he started driving the Galaxie.

andre1969

With regards to typing, sometimes I've actually typed "bumber" instead of "bumper". I have no idea why, since the "B" and "P" aren't exactly next to each other on the keyboard. I also have a habit of typing "Chrylser," but only because, for whatever reason, the finger that's on the right key reacts a split second before the finger that's on the left key.

I can actually justify that one, since it's just a transposition error. Plus, the same finger, just on different hands. But I have no idea why I occasionally misspell "bumper." I almost always catch it, like my mind realizes I typed it wrong, the moment it happened.

Consul Capri: That is a nice looking little car. For some reason, the front makes me think of a combination of '58-60 T-bird and Rambler. And the front fenders are giving me a '61-62 Cadillac vibe. And from that angle, the roofline actually makes me think of a Marlin, just a bit. But despite that mix & match, I think it all comes together nicely. Good color, too!

uplanderguy

We had pretty pedestrian Chevys while I grew up, for the most part. One of my grandparents' cars I remember most fondly is their '67 Impala Sport Coupe, in Madeira Maroon with the brocade interior about the same color. I love the '67 instrument panel, and the seating and door-trim were pretty plush. Had the chrome speaker in the center of the rear seat with the Impala emblem. Pretty sure '67 was the last year for that. It was a 283, Powerglide, like most. As per my grandfather's custom, he had the dealer turn the whitewalls inside out before delivery.

gsemike

Took my car to the shop and walked home. Saw a couple of unusual sightings

Pontiac T1000. Looks like someone loves it. Had a cue ball shifter on the 5 sp and aftermarket rims

Acura RL was on a lot. Could be a good local car for someone. Claimed one owner. Screams estate sale.

texases

The nicest Chevette I've ever seen!

ab348

What model year would that Acura be? It does look new like the scrawling on the windshield says.

andre1969

I looked it up on Wikipedia, and if I got it right, it's a 1999-04 model.
Mmkay, I feel old now!

sda

Sadly 3 of 4 grandparents had passed before I was born, so I only remember my maternal grandmother's cars. A 56 Buick Special, which was her husband's before he passed. My grandmother didn't know how to drive, and mom taught her after his passing. She later traded it for a used 62 Olds Dynamic 88 and later she special ordered a new 68 Olds Cutlass S. My grandmother, after her husband's passing did not have much in resources and became a realtor! My parents had a 55 Chevy 210, 59 Pontiac Catalina, 63 Olds Dynamic 88 Holiday coupe, 65 Ford Custom (company car), 66 Galaxie (company car), 70 Olds 98 LS, 70 Ford Custom (company car), 71 Pontiac Catalina coupe (company car),72 Cutlass Supreme, 73 Catalina (company car), 72 Ford Cortina GXL, 74 Cortina E (both company cars) when we were in England, 75 Renault 16 and 76 Renault 30 company cars while in France, 71 Audi 100 LS for mom in France. Upon return to the US: 76 Olds Cutlass Supreme wagon, 76 GMC Sierra 15 all-wheel drive, 71 Datsun 510 wagon, 72 Toyota Corona Mark II, 73 Pontiac GrandAm, 77 Mercury Grand Marquis, 78 Cadillac DeVille D'Elegance, 78 Olds 98 LS, 78 Olds 98 Regency (both had the 403),79 Eldorado diesel, 85 Grand Marquis LS, 87 Taurus LX, 95 Cutlass Cierra SL, 98 Aurora w/autobahn, 10 Honda CR-V.
Several of the 77-78s were short timers for various reasons.

texases

"Sadly 3 of 4 grandparents had passed before I was born, so I only remember my maternal grandmother's cars."

My situation, exactly! Hers was memorable, for odd reasons: a 1960 Rambler, maybe an Ambassador, with those gothic-arch tail lights. But what really sticks in my memory were the reclining seats and electric windows, I'd play with them constantly.

andre1969

I guess I was pretty lucky, in the grandparent department. I even remember a few of my great-grandparents. On my paternal Grandmom's side, both of her parents were still alive. The stubborn German side of the family, I guess! Great Granddad died in 1977...that was the first funeral I can remember. And sadly, my only memories of Great Grandmom were either her in the nursing home, or when Granddad would go get her sometime and bring her out to the house for a visit.

Great Granddad had a '71 Ford Torino 4-door sedan. Sort of a sage green with a 302. When he died, my Dad got the car. I can remember him backing into a pole with it, and putting a dent in the bumper. I also have a memory of him leaving me in the car with the windshield wipers on, as it was raining, while he ran into the store. It stopped raining, and I remember asking a stranger who was getting into the car next to me, how to turn them off!

I imagine something like that would get a call from child protective services nowadays! This was after my parents had divorced, and not long after, Dad moved down to Florida, and took that car. I think it threw a rod not long after he got down there, and he just left it for dead alongside the road.

fintail

Very cool, I wonder what became of it, I suspect they dissolved pretty well in harsh climates.

More of the 60 Ford influence, to my eyes anyway:

ab348 said:

fintail said:

Consul Capri, pretty car - like a 2:3 scale 60 Starliner, and incredibly rare on this side of the pond.

Ours wasn't quite as dolled-up as this, but the same color:

uplanderguy

I guess I was pretty lucky, in the grandparent department. I even remember a few of my great-grandparents

I remember my paternal great-grandfather (my paternal grandmother's father). He was born May 18, 1884 and died in August 1964 and had lived with my grandparents in our town of Greenville, PA. He was widowed in 1931. I don't believe he ever drove or owned a car. He had an infant die in a fire in 1916 and at the time bought eight plots at the local cemetery for a total of $40 (I've seen the deed). There's one space left and I talked my wife into our ashes going there when the time comes. Why spend even a penny on a lot otherwise, LOL.

There've been times I'd have liked to retire there, which is about an hour-and-a-half drive away, but the town has gotten poor. Heavy industry left thirty or more years ago and it's a small town not on an interstate, which I think keeps businesses from coming in. The last remaining heavy industry moved to Mexico after 80 years in town--within a couple years of NAFTA. Covid hasn't helped. It was halfways between NYC and Chicago on the Erie railroad which I think brought industry in back in the day. Funny for me to think that until 1965, you could buy a new M-B in town.

I've mentioned that GM Stying VP Bill Mitchell grew up there, as did the guy who engineered Space Mountain for Disney. In the '70's the parents and siblings of Watergate figure John Dean, and also those of David Soul, lived there, amazingly.

Population of town-proper is somewhere around 5K now, not counting the rural townships around it.

I volunteer at the historical society there.

uplanderguy

Came up in my FB memories, that five years ago today I went to the sneak peak of the C8 Corvette at the dealer in Randolph, OH. Supposedly they sold more Silverados than any other dealer in OH, so not sure if that got them the clout to have a pre-introduction showing of the C8. Here's a couple pics. I didn't figure that four years later I'd own one. Coming up on a year of ownership and 3,300 miles so far, all good and fact is, we drive it more than we did any of our Studebakers.

fintail

I was fortunate to have a maternal great-grandmother around until I was in my early 20s, she made it to 100. I don't think she drove much as an adult though - I know she drove a Model T around 1920, but once settled down with a kid, great grandpa (who passed when I was 4 or 5) drove, and I think for many years, especially after my grandpa became an adult and they moved into their empty nest house around 1950, they didn't own a car, as their house (now worth a tidy sum) was in a walkable neighborhood not too far from DT Seattle. I believe they'd rent a car or have my grandpa drive them if they went on a trip. Other great-grandparents were gone before I was born.

uplanderguy

Pretty sure I've mentioned, my daughter (visiting us now) lives in the Ravenna section of Seattle. Ironically, that's also the name of the county seat where we live in OH.

andre1969

I looked up the specs on that Consul Capri...99" wheelbase and only about 170" long overall. Wow, were they really that small? While obviously smaller than your typical domestic car of the time, the styling makes it look longer to me, I guess.

I think it was Bill Mitchell who once said that trying to style a small car is like trying to tailor a dwarf. But, I think that Consul Capri shows that it can be done, with some effort.

xwesx

uplanderguy said:

Pretty sure I've mentioned, my daughter (visiting us now) lives in the Ravenna section of Seattle. Ironically, that's also the name of the county seat where we live in OH.

I swear, Ohio has a town of every name ever conceived. I can drive all across the globe with one day trip around Ohio! LOL

roadburner

Back in the early 1970s my dad often talked about picking up a W113 250SL or 280SL Pagoda, but he never got around to it. I vowed that I would never make the same mistake- and that philosophy has worked out well so far...

imidazol97

Nashville. Knoxville. Even can travel to Palestine.

kyfdx

KY: Paris, London, Knoxville, Versailles, Florence, etc, etc..

imidazol97

I've been to Versailles (Florence too, of course).
I bought an art print (Ruthven) there decades ago. 1979 or 1980?

andre1969

On the subject of automotive typos, here's one that's always bugged me...

Bonus point for the "recorded player" too, although that could either be an auto correct issue, or the seller might have gotten distracted while typing it out.

One other oddity I noticed: apparently Facebook marketplace doesn't auto-correct when someone puts two spaces after a period. A lot of software and platforms, including what Edmund's uses, corrects for that these days, but back when I took a typing class in 9th grade, they drilled two spaces after a period into our brains, so I still do it out of habit.

explorerx4

That's what happens when you cross a DeSoto with a Dakota.
Would have been better if the pickup in the background was a Dakota.

uplanderguy

It's funny, I've heard people over the years call it a "DeSota", LOL.

People spell "Studabaker" in ads, too....someone told me once that he looks under the correct spelling AND "Studabaker" when he's looking to buy.

fintail

I wonder if that DeSota has good breaks.

Funny about the double space thing - that resulted in a surprisingly lively discussion at work (I too learned to double space it, and if the app doesn't correct it to someone's arbitrary liking, not my issue).

uplanderguy

I took two years of typing in school--razzed a little for it, but along with Algebra, the most useful class I had. In fact, I'd put it ahead of Algebra for being useful.

Miss Chestley (her name for real; reminds me of the secretary in 'Beetle Bailey'!) always taught two spaces after a period and I still do that.

She thought there was no other typewriter worth its salt, other than an IBM Selectric.

uplanderguy

Speaking of earlier posts about town names, my mother was from Brooklyn, NY. My Dad was from Greenville, PA.

After they got married (1950), my mom's best childhood friend from NYC, "Grace", and her husband decided to visit. They made it to East Greenville, PA, which is hours and hours east of 'Greenville'. She called and when my Mom told her they weren't in the right place, Grace's husband refused to drive any farther and they turned around and went home. My mom never saw her again.

laurasdada

At a seaside vantage point, a silver Cadillac ELR. The '00s Cimarron. Well done, again, GM.

I agree about typing class, one of the best courses I took in HS, saved me a bunch of $ in college!

kyfdx

We had typing class my Junior year... but, no electrics. That must have been a fancy school.

laurasdada

Ours were manual typewriters, too. Being a mature young man, I took pleasure in mashing all my buddy's keys down just as the typing speed tests were to begin. That got me an "F" for the day once.

xwesx

fintail said:

I wonder if that DeSota has good breaks.

Funny about the double space thing - that resulted in a surprisingly lively discussion at work (I too learned to double space it, and if the app doesn't correct it to someone's arbitrary liking, not my issue).

I hate, hate, HATE the lazy single space and lack of proper commas these days. I refuse to conform. It annoys my supervisor to no end. LOL

xwesx

uplanderguy said:

Speaking of earlier posts about town names, my mother was from Brooklyn, NY. My Dad was from Greenville, PA.

After they got married (1950), my mom's best childhood friend from NYC, "Grace", and her husband decided to visit. They made it to East Greenville, PA, which is hours and hours east of 'Greenville'. She called and when my Mom told her they weren't in the right place, Grace's husband refused to drive any farther and they turned around and went home. My mom never saw her again.

I laughed, but that's also very sad. I'm sure her friend was heartbroken and probably didn't have a particularly enjoyable life if this was the sort of thing she had to endure.

Also, I'm not sure what type of writer they were, but we had IBMs in my typing class, too. Most likely far newer than this vaulted "Selectric." I really liked the feel of the keys on the IBMs; it just isn't something that computer keyboards have really been able to reproduce. Even the keyboard I am using right now, which has modern "clicky" keys, isn't as crisp and satisfying as those old IBM typewriters.

explorerx4

A fintail @about 3:30 in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOf0O9H_XMs

fintail

explorerx4 said:

A fintail @about 3:30 in.

W110 230, the base model MB 6 cyl car after the 220 badged cars were replaced after the 1965 model year. I don't see sidemarkers, so probably a 66-67 model year car.

On the topic of fintails in movies, the fintail in Slaughterhouse Five gets clobbered, and that Caddy sure takes a licking and keeps on ticking:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu8fILNHU2A

andre1969

Eh, maybe they just banged out the dents in that Benz and re-used it for "Marathon Man"

BTW Fintail, I had never heard of "Marathon Man" until you had posted that video of the road rage scene with the '70 Chevy. I ended up watching it, because that scene aroused my interest. So, thanks for that...good movie!

"Slaughterhouse Five" was one of those movies that tended to come on local tv stations in the afternoon on Saturday and Sundays back when I was a kid. I definitely remember the name, but never did watch it.

Apparently, the Benz fared much better in the book. I found this excerpt on the IMCDB: "She applied her power brakes, and a Mercedes slammed into her from behind. Nobody was hurt, thank God, because both drivers were wearing seat belts. Thank God, thank God. The Mercedes lost only a headlight. But the rear end of the Cadillac was a body-and-fender man's wet dream. The trunk and fenders were collapsed. The gaping trunk looked like the mouth of a village idiot who 'was explaining that he didn't know anything about anything. The fenders shrugged. The bumper was at a high port arms. 'Reagan for President!' a sticker on the bumper said. The back window was veined with cracks. The exhaust system rested on the pavement."

explorerx4

I still cringe at "Is it safe?".

explorerx4

Was at the self checkout at the grocery store this morning and there was an older looking guy with one of those motorized carts next to me. He asked me if anyone won the lottery yesterday(?).
I told him I didn't know but I hope somebody won.
He said he hoped they didn't, because then it would over a billion dollars.
Then he said, "I'd get me a Super Bee. One of my friends in high school had one set up for the drag strip and it was fast".
I said "If it's a billion dollars, you could easily get a couple of them".
He said, "Ya, I have to go but a ticket, haven't done it".
I told him, "Well, I hope you win if you buy a ticket".
Then he left the checkout area. About 30 seeconds later he comes by me headed for Customer Service and says to me, "I'm buying a ticket right now!".

stickguy

he should just do this instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFeW4UxhMcY

fintail

andre1969 said:

Eh, maybe they just banged out the dents in that Benz and re-used it for "Marathon Man"

BTW Fintail, I had never heard of "Marathon Man" until you had posted that video of the road rage scene with the '70 Chevy. I ended up watching it, because that scene aroused my interest. So, thanks for that...good movie!

"Slaughterhouse Five" was one of those movies that tended to come on local tv stations in the afternoon on Saturday and Sundays back when I was a kid. I definitely remember the name, but never did watch it.

Apparently, the Benz fared much better in the book. I found this excerpt on the IMCDB: "She applied her power brakes, and a Mercedes slammed into her from behind. Nobody was hurt, thank God, because both drivers were wearing seat belts. Thank God, thank God. The Mercedes lost only a headlight. But the rear end of the Cadillac was a body-and-fender man's wet dream. The trunk and fenders were collapsed. The gaping trunk looked like the mouth of a village idiot who 'was explaining that he didn't know anything about anything. The fenders shrugged. The bumper was at a high port arms. 'Reagan for President!' a sticker on the bumper said. The back window was veined with cracks. The exhaust system rested on the pavement."

Interesting (or maybe not) coincidence, the fintail used in Slaughterhouse Five is a 220, the lowline 6 cyl model in the same spot in the range as the Dirty Harry car. I've never read the book, interesting they at least used the same cars, although surprising he had the Caddy being so damaged by what wasn't an insane collision. It also resembles the Marathon Man car, I think a similar color - the Marathon Man car having the simple bumper of a 220 but the fancier rear lights of a higher trim model suggesting something was repaired. And yeah, good movie, the insults thrown by the drivers of the Chevy and fintail are something.

sda

I saw this MB 380 SL at CarMax today. It didn’t look bad, an obvious respray and decent seat covers. I did see rust bubbles over the left headlight. Could not see the mileage.