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

stickguy

forgot to post it, but I have seen one around my house lately. Lives a couple of streets over as best I can tell. Looks to be in nice shape, and from the pipes and hearing it run once (I think it was the car I was hearing), it has been upgraded to a V*. A good swap, IMO, if doen right!

toomanyfumes

headlights are really cloudy, too. I guess you can sand them with fine sandpaper to bring them back. I found the fix on a T-Bird club web site but haven't tried it yet. As for the car of the year awards, I still remember my dad had the Motor Trend in 1984 when the Renault Alliance was the car of the year. He bought one. Within a year, two sets of brakes, various pieces of trim came loose, some electrical problems, and finally the transmission gave out at 14000 miles. Even with everything fixed, he had a hard time finding a dealer to take it in trade. The Plymouth dealer took it, though, and the '86 Turismo he traded it for seemed like a BMW in comparison.

andre1969

that's kinda disturbing...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6424&item=4551212034
Not the car, necessarily, but look at the "Buy it Now" price!! This basically looks like my Mom's old '75 LeMans, except she just had hubcaps, and hers was a bit more of a burgundy/bronze combination. I think Mom paid like $5,000 for hers, brand-new. Mom's didn't have the 358 hp V-8, though. :P

Also makes that '76 LeMans GT I posted look like a screaming bargain in comparison!

kyfdx

I'm thinking there are extra zeroes in there...

$1500 in upgrades... not $15,000

And.. $3150, not $31,500....

Don't you think??

fintail

Yeah must be a typo. That car wouldn't be worth nearly so much if it had 2 miles on it.

Last night I watched 'The French Connection'. Lots of interesting old iron in that, and at the time most of it was just dirty old used cars.

lemmer

That seller has about the lowest feedback rating I have seen from anyone that has more than a couple transactions.

shipo

Yup, that was my Mom's old car, except that she too had the 350 2-BBL and hub caps, all done up in black with the tan vinyl interior and a bench front seat. Ahhh the memories... Back in the pre-mandatory seat belt days, when many cars had a bench front seat, you could take a hard "SOB" turn to the right, and you were seemingly set for life. ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

P.S.
For the younger crowd here: SOB = "Slide Over Baby" ;-)

andre1969

on a website devoted to the '73-77 LeMans, and they were saying the same thing, that there's just one too many zeroes in that pricetag! I know, hard to believe that there's enough of a crowd to make a website like that feasible, isn't it? Although there's also a Buick Apollo website, so I guess that ain't saying much. Anyway, here it is: http://www.abodysite.com/ if anybody's interested. Lots of pics of '73-77 LeManses and other period A-bodies. It's a Canadian website, and a lot of the people who posted pics are Canadian as well, so I wonder if the LeMans was more popular in Canada at that time than it was here in the US?

Here in the States, the LeMans of that vintage only had one good year: 1973. About 250,000 were sold. In 1974 the fuel crisis knocked that down to around 150,000. Then around 100,000 for '75. That was also the year that the Grand Prix really took off, IIRC. And in '76-77 the Grand Prix was a real hot commodity. I think it hit near 300,000 units each year, while the LeMans only mustered around 96K in '76 and 80K for '77. Down here, everybody wanted a Cutlass Supreme or Grand Prix, it seemed, but maybe the LeMans was a bit more-loved in Canada?

davem2001

Your post reminded me - occasionally I will see a late 80's, early 90s Pontiac Tempest (the rebadged Corsica)...it must be owned by someone who lives in my area, because I've seen it 3 or 4 times in the last year...Seems to be still used as a "daily driver", but it's in pretty ratty condition.

kyfdx

Wow... I have no memory of a Pontiac "Corsica"... Weird..

Which reminds me.. There is a Corsica for sale near me... Saw it on the street near my son's school.. pretty ratty, also..

regards,
kyfdx

davem2001

It was a Canada only model - the weird part is, I live in Western PA....whoever has this Tempest brought in down from Canada - they probably aren't all that obscure if you live in Canada

andre1969

there would have been no need for a Pontiac version of the Corsica, because Pontiac had the Grand Am to fill that role. In Canada though, Pontiac tended to be a clone of Chevrolet, rather than a step up. However, often they'd have rebadged Chevies but then occasionally import a "real" Pontiac with a "real" Pontiac engine from the States. And, I wonder if Pontiac was offering the Grand Am and the "Tempest" at the same time in Canada?

Pontiac's also offering a version of the Cobalt in Canada, called the Pursuit. They also had the Firefly, which was a Sprint/Metro clone. And the name "Acadian" popped up from time to time. Back in the 60's/early 70's it was a Chevy II, but in the later 70's and 80's it was a rebadged Chevette. In the 60's, they also had the Beaumont, which was a rebadged Chevelle. I don't think it carried over into the 70's, though. I've found a few Canadian Pontiac brochures online, but they've only covered the big cars, and never listed the midsize, compacts, etc.

kyfdx

Ahh... okay... that makes sense...

jlawrence01

In Canada, the Oldsmobile Alero was marketed as the Chevrolet Alero, FWIW. That is not uncommon.

michaellno

Spotted one of these on my way to work. Short wheelbase, 2-door, hardtop --- looked an awful lot like a Land Rover. Sort of a brown or bronze color, looked to be in better than average shape. I only thought the place in New Mexico imported the 4 door version?

Also spotted an Omni/Horizon as well .. bouncing up and down on what I suspect were very worn springs.

lemko

...in 1982, I saw a car that was known as the 1979 Chevrolet Impala in the US badged as a 1979 Chevrolet Bel Air.

jfavour

a Lancia from the '80s, it was a red coupe driving in to work. It was a bit ugly. I had never seen one before and didn't know what it was. I pulled up behind it and saw the name, which is the only way I could tell what it was. At first glance I thought it might be a '80's Fiat or Maserati.

It looked exactly like this, except it was red:
http://www.alfauto.com.au/lancia/lancia-BETA(s).jpg

Anyone know what model and year that is?

wimsey1

Someone, quick help Shifty off the floor! I think the shock nearly did him in.

kyfdx

I believe that is a Lancia Zagato.. The Beta is a hatchback..

The Zagato is kind of a Targa, with a removable roof panel and rear window..

Pretty sure....

regards,
kyfdx

seminole_kev

On the way back from lunch, I stopped off at a tiny classic car dealer. Had 3 cars out front. A Triumph TR4A, a MGA roadster and a late 60's/early 70's Corvette convertible. Didn't look over the 'vette as that style and on just does absolutely nothing for me, but the Triumph really struck my fancy. Never really paid much attention to triumphs before the "6", but it looked very sharp, very Italian looking (which I guess it was designed by an Italian?). Much better than the image stuck in my mind (or my tastes are changing).

MGA was ok, but for some reason I just prefer the looks of the MGB much, much more.

Wonder if I could talk the wife into getting the TR4 for herself........

andys120

Lancia Betas came here as Targas (Zagato), Hatchback/Wagons (HPE) and hjust plain coupes.

andys120

You guessed right Kev. The TR-4s were designed by Michelotti, my '66 TR-4A looked very Italian in Bright Red.

The one you really want is the TR-250 (TR-5 in Europe) which combined the Italian styling with the torquey 2.5 straight six. The TR-6 was German styled (Karmann).

kyfdx

Gotcha.. never saw the Beta name on a Zagato, though..

Drove a late '70s Beta hatchback once.. That would have been around '87.. I didn't think it was any better or worse than your typical Rabbit or Civic...

seminole_kev

How did your TR4 handle/ride with the IRS that the "A" model had?

Wonder what parts support is like for Triumph's these days? Probably not as nice a selection/price as an MG, but any ideas?

andys120

IRS was optional on the 4A, mine didn't have it so the car rode like a typical Brit sports
car, which is to say as if it had no springs at all. My Bro had a TR-250 w IRS (standard on those) and it rode much better though it had an annoying tendency to excessive squat under acceleration.

IRS TRs were also said to be a little squirrely in wet conditions as well. I think both cars were on a par in cornering grip, steering and braking. They'd be nothing remarkable today if it weren't for the superior feel of quick unboosted rack and pinion steering
which is unmatched AFAIK by any modern systems.

fintail

Saw a couple nice oddities today, all GM. First was a 58 Bel Air 4 door hardtop, two tone yellow and white, in very good condition - either a light resto or a very good original. A few minutes later I saw a clean blue c.76 GMC version of the ElCamino (Caballero?) in blue with a white interior, driven by a very old man. Then I saw a light yellow with white vinyl roof c.71 Monte Carlo, also in very nice condition.

andys120

While driving around yesterday I happened to pass a couple of Golden Oldies...

-A Ford F-150 Stepside in an olive green that looked as if it had just driven out of the showroom in 1955. The paint had just the right amount of gloss to it.

-A 1968 or '69 Pontiac GTO convertible in a nice shade of light metallic blue, it looked just great parked with the top down.

fintail

Spent a couple hundred miles on I5 today, and saw a few oddballs. A lovely silver-blue MGBGT followed by a green MGB. A sad looking BMW 2002 still chugging along. A c.50 Plymouth 2 door sedan. A total of three very nice looking W123 sedans within a few minutes of each other - each of them silver-grey. Some kind of early 70s Mopar musclecar on a trailer...I don't know the model (perhaps a Charger of the generation that followed the Dukes one) in yellow with a hockey stick stripe. And the final strange one I saw isn't rare, but it is unusual in good condition. It was a late 80s Accord, the pop up lights one, driven by an old lady. It was MINT. It was in the condition of a 6 month old car. The paint appeared perfect, the lights/plastic lenses had the sheen of new material, and even the hubcaps were free of scratches.

I'm actually moving to Bellevue WA through a job transfer, and went there to sign the papers on a new place. In the parking garage of the complex I noticed what appeared to be a late 80s MB AMG 'hammer', the hot rod E class. I didn't examine it too closely, but it had blackout trim, old style AMG wheels, and a bodykit. I will have to find the owner and ask what it is all about.

fintail

Ebay time...

Oh, and no ebay freakshow next week, as I get to enjoy the pleasure of moving. Bully for me...

Seldom seen old name, interesting story

Really nice Newport

'Supercar'?Surely you jest

Better than average fake

I guess if you have money to blow

Nice "family" car

Shiftymobile

A good old name almost never seen

I'll be called crazy, but I like this. I prefer prewar ones though

Too bad it is so far gone...it must have rarity anyway

This could be a Shiftymobile

Lovely looking Honda 600

Oh you're pretty

Gorgeous

Am I missing something

DeSoto hardtops tended to be easy on the eyes

Shame this is so far gone

Too bad about the engine, but a good freakshow no less

Sad fintail even worse as it is in my color

I think these were made by a company called 'Crayford'. Not pretty, but something for the die-hard MB nut or wagon collector.

lemko

...this past Sunday going north on the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the Pocono exit - the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile!

danf5

About Goggos, um, the suspension front and rear was by swing axles. If one end doesn't come loose the other will. Diabolical machines.

About Isetta 600s, the later more conventional-looking BMW 700 used the same chassis. Really strange front suspension, DuBonnet type. The suspension proper -- a pair of, IIRC, leading arms and the spring/shock unit -- mounted on the outboard side of the kingpin. The bushings on the leading arms wore rapidly, giving unintended negative camber. Still and all, the 700 was the car that saved BMW.

Mr_Shiftright

I wouldn't mind driving a Fiat Brava that was in nice shape, with a s/r and a/c and p/s. They are fun to drive. But price-wise, I think more like $75 would be about right.

A running Lancia Beta? Omigod...can the world's end be far behind? These are ominous signs that nature has gone perverse.

Saw the new Lancia sedans at the Rome airport....REALLY nice looking car. I think it would be a big hit in America, at least until the warranty runs out.

This I think is the Alfa version of it. Not sure what the Lancia version is called...maybe "Musa"?

wimsey1

Ferrari 360 Modena.
3 NSX's musta been a club in town.
a decent red chrome bumper MGB.
at the other end of the scale a running, no-rust (hold me up boys!) Chevy Citation.

stickguy

ou know, if you squint right, that Alfa looks a lot like a Scion tC.

Anyone want to post a picture to compare?

Mr_Shiftright

not really....it looks very Japanese and the Alfa looks very Italian. The Scion is clunky---look at all the rectangles just stacked on top of each other---Italians don't do that--they break up the rectangles with curves and also cut the grille right through them. Much more visually intersting. The Japanese haven't made a truly beautiful car in ages. But sure, some of the upsweep and stuff....yeah....a computer can only draw an egg so many ways and design teams are often international.

Scion isn't bad for the price class, not bad at all...but all I'm sayin' is that I wouldn't mistake it for an Italian car (which are not always beautiful by the way!)

seminole_kev

Forgot to mention it, but when I picked up my engine block from the machine shop, there was an somewhat recent Alfa parked out front. Was one of these guys which I just didn't care for the styling of in photos. Turns out........doesn't do anything for me in the flesh either. Sorry, just too angular for me and I hate where that body crease is.



Had to admit that it was weird seeing it stateside.

andre1969

I can definitely see the similarity, at least from that angle. Similar proportions with a high beltline, long, low passenger cabin, and short hood and rear deck. I think the Scion's nicer looking though. The Alfa is kind of a combination of Olds Aurora meets Edsel meets George Barris! Looks like something the Legion of Doom might have driven around in, in those old "Superfriends" cartoons in the 70's!

Mr_Shiftright

Starting to look like a dune buggy! An odd duck.

The Lancia looks really good in real life but maybe not so in photos. The one I saw was silver. Sounded great, too.

Saw quite a few Smart cars, too. Nasty little things.

fintail

Saw a yellow VehiCross today. Probably the worst color for one.

ghulet

...and I saw a yellow first-generation Audi A4 the other day, also not flattering. I don't understand yellow cars. I mean, you can't miss it in the parking lot, but I can't think of another reason to own one. I haven't seen one I've liked made after about 1971 (Super Bees and Buick GSXs are perfectly acceptable in yellow) that I've liked!

jlawrence01

As I am up in BC this week, I have seen a lot of cars that are unusual

- Two Smart Cars in the Victoria Day parade - I have already been informed that "you are *NOT* going to buy one of those.

- Chevrolet Acadian circa 1982

- a variety of old 50's Chevy station wagons.

Must not use much salt or sand on the roads as there are many 20+ year old cars up here ... and teh economy does not hurt.

fintail

I don't like yellow either, it works on barely any cars of the past 30 years...and even when it's OK, there is always a better choice. I wonder if that Audi was a stock color or if it is a poserfied boy-racer repaint.

More or less no use of salt or sand at all in the coastal NW, as it just doesn't get that icy. Native cars often don't get too rusty until they get very old, barring design flaws of course

andys120

Imola Yellow was a regular, if not especially popular color on Audi A4s (B5 '96-'01).
Personally I think it's a good color for 'em but then I used to own a Positano (Mustard) Yellow Fiat 124 Spider. I called it "Mellow Yellow".

au94

This weekend I had the pleasure of moving from Fort Worth to Atlanta. The drive was all interstate (I-20) so it made pinning down exact years difficult if the subjects were heading in the opposite direction, but here goes:

--What I believe was a Studie Lark, would need to find a pic to be sure.

--late 60's Caddy, light metallic blue in perfect condition absolutely floating down the interstate at 80.

--mid-late 80's Lotus Esprit

--several old muscle cars and hot rods on their way to a show or meet I would guess, but the highlights were a 67 Camaro hardtop and a 50's Ford panel van, Cherry Red and mildly hot rodded and a trailer queen Plymouth Super Bee.

This morning on my new route to work I saw an original Toyo Landcruiser FJ40 in need of help. Did not see any rust but it was listing to one side. Looked to be the original khaki color. Sitting next to it was a Mercury Lynx that looked like it had been sitting for a LONG time.

au94

Also spotted a Pontiac T1000, the Chevette clone. This is what my school used for drivers ed cars. The one I learned on was light beige with brown interior and automatic. It had A/C but 3 teenagers and an instructor crammed in there during a hot Alabama summer put it to the test!!

kyfdx

I spotted a car very similar to this on the freeway yesterday.. Appeared to be in show condition... I'm not sure it was a limo like this one, though.. I had never seen one before, and assumed that it was a good 10-15 years older than this.

1959 Mercedes

I'm not positive this was the exact car, but can't find any other pictures of similar models..

lemko

...the other day. It was an SUV-like vehicle with the numbers X40 on the back. It looked kind of like an Isuzu VehiCross but more like a two-door sport coupe on steroids than a regular SUV. Can anybody identify this vehicle?

seminole_kev

I've got no idea. Maybe a Suzuki X90?

Was it bigger than that? Tougher looking?

lemko

This one looked even stranger as it was bright red-orange with a white top.

andre1969

that's the one I was thinking, but I had a senior moment, and couldn't remember its name! What were those X90's based on? Something about the proportioning makes me think of my buddy's '98 Tracker, just with a more car-like, rounded body. And it has 5-lug wheels, which would make me think it's truck-based. I'm sure all the Suzuki cars at that time only had 4-lug wheels.