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

kyfdx

I took my driver's test in a '74 Coupe DeVille...

In, 1974, naturally...

davem2001

I went to the show with my Dad. He had a '74 Coupe Deville back in 76. Even he was commenting on how huge the '75 Caddy looked to him and saying how it's funny how perceptions change - back then that was sort of a "normal" size car - maybe only slightly bigger than a mainstream Chevrolet.

On the other hand, it is probably no bigger/heavier than a Suburban or Expedition that a lot of people use today as a "family car"....

mseningen

Sitting in neighbors driveway --- turns out he's a writer for an online car magazine.

Still quite a sweet looking ride, all $165K of it!

ghulet

....you might want to get to know better! Strange, 165k is a lot for a car, but it seems almost cheap for a Bentley.

Today I saw a Peugeot 405, in fairly nice condition, sitting parked on the street, but looked like it might even run.

andre1969

at least before downsizing, I don't think there was a full-sized car much under 220 inches long. I think the Caprice/Impala fell around 221", and some versions of the LTD might've been around 219-220", and the Gran Fury was also around there. As for the 230" mark, in addition to the Caddies, I believe the Electra/Ninety-Eight also came in at around 230", as did the Mark V. I think those Continental town sedans and coupes were around 233"! I'm unsure about the Chryslers of that era. My old Consumer Guide used car book lists the '77-78 NYer/Newport at around 225", but I knew a guy with one who swore it was 230". One year at a car show, my '79 NYer, which is something like 221.5" long, was parked next to a '78, and the difference looked marginal. But once you get to those sizes, what's a couple of inches!

On Father's Day, I drove my '76 LeMans to a family get together, and most of my relatives hadn't seen it before. It's 'only' 208 inches long, and on a 112" wheelbase. To me that's not big...my Intrepid's wheelbase is 113", and it's about 203" long overall. My relatives were all commenting on how massive it is, though! I guess the long hood and low, hulking stance do give it a massive look.

Back in their day, the '73-77 GM intermediates were actually the smallest of the Big Three. Back then the coupes usually rode a shorter wheelbase than sedans and wagons. For instance, at GM the split was 112"/116" (Monte Carlo/Grand Prix were on a longer 116" wb though). Intermediate Fords were 114/118", IIRC, and Mopars were 115/117.5". Some sedan versions of the LTD-II, Coronet, "small" Fury, etc were probably pushing 220" overall, and I think the LTD-II wagon was actually an inch or two LONGER than the "full-sized" LTD!

fintail

This is a good sleeper...I like the colors too. Pricey though!

kyfdx

While I find the car attractive... I would never buy that color...

davem2001

Driving to work today, I saw a Geo Metro Convertible, bright red, with a GIANT wing on the rear deck! The wing was at least 2 feet tall. I guess when you have a 1.0 liter 3-cyl cranking out 60hp, you need all the downforce you can get! LOL!

seminole_kev

You've got it all wrong, he was using that fin as a sail. Catch a good tail-wind with that thing and it might get up to 55 MPH!

kyfdx

Was the driver over 300 lbs.? I find this seems to be a requirement for Geo Metro owners.....

Mr_Shiftright

Silly money...the car is worth just about half the asking price. The reason it's "rare" is that nobody wanted it in the first place. This kind of "rarity" is not a compliment IMO

For around $12K a nice ride...any more than that, it's just a rapidly depreciating asset. I'd offer about $10,000 tops for it because it will make demands on the new owner. That's just about what it would bring at auction, too.

Mr_Shiftright

LOL! I actually know a 300 lb guy who drives a Metro right in my building where I work--very funny. His name is...well, let's call him Ernie....a few weeks ago I saw him eat an entire birthday cake for lunch.

fintail

That E500 color reminds me of my 126...but I guess it is a little more teal than light blue. I like the color of my 126 and I'd put it on a lot of other cars.

I thought they were rare because of price. They cost like 80K when new, IIRC, and for most buyers didn't deliver a lot more than a 50K E420 of the time. I haven't heard they are bad, just expensive when new.

That price on ebay though...I can get a minty C43 for that money, and I think I'd rather have that....better performance and just as uncommon.

Mr_Shiftright

Well too high a price is also a reason that 'nobody wanted one'. Ferraris are priced even higher but sell way more than that car.

But sure, sell a Geo Metro for $50,000 and it'll be very rare. :P

kyfdx

But sure, sell a Geo Metro for $50,000 and it'll be very rare.

Sorry... I'd have to gain 100 lbs..

I used to see these two ladies in a Metro... They delivered the daily paper in this small semi-rural town in KY.. I think it was a mother/daughter.. They were both at least 300 lbs.. The poor car was overloaded before they even got the newspapers in...

When they sat in the car, their arms actually overlapped..

Wow... I think I've gone beyond the pale here....

davem2001

I remember way back in HS, 25 years ago - there were 2 teachers, husband and wife, both overweight, 300lbs or so and they drove a Honda Civc - this is back in the day when a Civic was about the same size or maybe even smaller than a Geo Metro. They'd both get in the car, and it looked like it was about to collapse...

lemko

...my girlfriend who is 5'1" @ 107 lbs once rented a Mercury Grand Marquis.

True, I have noticed a lot of morbidly obese people driving these tiny cars. The other day, this big woman (easily 300+lbs.) was seen in a Scion xA. What would Fat Albert drive? A Mini?

andre1969

that mundane stuff like a Fairmont or Zephyr will show up at classic car shows these days. For awhile, some of the shows like Macungie or Hershey were somewhat immune, because they were AACA-sponsored, so your car had to at least be an antique. However, as of New Year's Day, 2005, every car made in 1980 suddenly became an antique! So stuff like the 1980 Citation, Thunderbird, Cordoba, etc is now able to show up! And next year it gets better, as K-cars, Escorts, and so forth will now be able to show!

It's been slowly happening for years, though. Grbeck and I have gone to Hershey and Macungie now for 3 years, and have seen stuff like Fairmonts, Vegas, Mustang II's, and so forth. And the Carlisle swap meets these days are starting to look like big wholesale lot or airport auction, with just about any car under the sun there. It's almost scary how many good condition late 70's/early 80's GM B/C bodies come out of the woodwork! Now personally I like 'em, so I don't mind (well, except for some of the asking prices :surprise: ). But then it's kinda weird to go to a classic car swap meet and see a 1996 Roadmaster for sale!

davem2001

Yeah, I personally like it, since those are the cars I grew up with. I don't really have the connection to the '40 Fords or the '55 Chevys that my Dad does. Every generation has it's own nostalgia. Although, it does make me feel old to see something like a Mercury Zephyr at a car show!

P.s. the event I was talking about above was more of a "car cruise" than a classic car show. There were some interesting new(er) cars there too like Vipers, SSRs, new Corvettes, Buick Grand Nationals, etc...

au94

Nice car, but I'd rather have that dude's garage!

lemko

...people are nostagic for the cars of their youth whether that was 1930s classics, 1960s muscle cars, or late '70s/early '80s GM B and C bodies.

Anyway, I spotted a 1965 Oldsmobile f-85 at lunchtime today. A girl I knew when I went to college had a 1966 model.

lemko

I was thinking the same thing! Maybe we can have a "This Old Garage" home improvement show.

andys120

Grace Metalious' home town of Gilmanton Iron Works NH and what should I see but a mid 50s Packard two dr HT, ivory over metallic grey.

Grace Metalious wrote the 1950s best seller Peyton Place.

Later on the same trip I saw a black Dodge "businessman's coupe" ca. 1949.

danf5

Come on, Lemko, the cars of the late '50s-early 60s were for the most part pretty awful by today's standards. The last car I bought from that era was an LHD '68 Reliant Scimitar SE4. Bought it around 1980 to keep the RHD I imported in '78 company.

Nice cars for their time, better propositions for me back when than a big Healey, but not for today. The Integra GS I bought new in '91 was quicker, faster, handled better, got better fuel economy, had a/c, held more groceries, and required less maintenance. The '98 GSR that replaced the GS was much more of the same.

Even the '05 Civic EX that replaced the GSR after it was stolen is a nicer car than the Scimitar GT. As fast, as quick if revved high, nicer and generally more useful and easy to live with.

I have fond memories of the '63 Avanti R1 that one of my father's friends bought new and let me borrow from time to time. But even it was pretty crude and ill-handling by today's standards. Modern cars are just plain better than 40-year old ones.

andys120

Modern cars are just plain better than 40-year old ones.

but those old ones had character and charm (charisma?). Would you rather drive and be seen in a Healey or an Integra?

andre1969

those old cars had character. And, for most of the driving I do, the only real advantage that a newer car has is that it gets better fuel economy. Sure, my Intrepid handles better than my '67 Catalina, but I don't have much of a chance to push either one to the limit on my commute to work. And the Catalina is a heckuva lot more fun to stomp on! And it's kinda hard to put the top down on an Intrepid

lancerfixer

Those are two seperate questions, Andy. I wouldn't mind being seen in a Healey, but I'd rather drive the Integra. YMMV, of course.

andys120

Oh it does Lancer, it sure does!

lancerfixer

Is that the one that recently sold at Copley Motorcars? It's the same paint...
I was somewhat taken with it as I walked past the showroom this past Super Bowl weekend, I'll admit.

Maybe it's a nostalia thing, Andy. You've gotta realize, the Integras I had were my Healey equivalents. Just, you know, reliable. :shades:

lemko

My 2002 Cadillac Seville STS most definately handles better than my 1989 Cadillac Brougham. It is also much faster and gets better fuel economy. For daily driving, I'll take the Seville any day, but there is something special about the Brougham. It is fun traveling back to the not-so-distant past as this car stands out in a sea of bland Camcords. The car is extremely smooth-riding and spacious.

Mr_Shiftright

An Austin America, covered in dirt and vines, with trash packed in the back seat.

Perfect.

stickguy

a Jensen Interceptor, convertible, with the top down. THat's a big mama. Looked very nice, but I only saw it from a distance driving by.

kyfdx

I can never tell them apart.. I think somewhere between '58-'61... Dual horizontal headlights in the front... White with red coves.... Top down... very nice..

jaserb

Parked as a decoration in front of a gourmet food market. Needed a full resto.

-Jason

lemmer

I think what I saw (by looking at the GMC truck website) was a GMC 4500 TopKick Service Truck. What made it obscure is that someone had put the shell of a Cadillac Escalade on it. It might have just been the front clip of an Escalade. Behind the cab, it was still just a service truck. The whole thing was painted copper and had big chrome wheels. It looked as well finished as a factory vehicle. The country boy driving it looked extremely proud.

explorerx4

a convertible is a totally different driving experience than a coupe. the best way i can describe it is that my '91 mustang has a radio, but i put the antenna in the trunk when i bought it, and it has never come back out.

ghulet

.....(and any other Benz afficianados) today I saw a very nice, dark blue, 'factory' looking six door stretch Mercedes 126 (86 or later, with U.S. flush headlights). It's one of the 'house' limos at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago. I checked the trunk, no badges, but I'd assume (hope) it's a 560, or at least a 420. Yesterday, I saw a very nice early '80s 300D Turbo, an increasingly rare sight here.

lancerfixer

I've driven convertibles before (several types...Mustang, Z4, Boxster to name but a few) and with the exception of the Porsche, none gave me the feeling of solid handling and rigidity I get from a hardtop of any sort. I'm just not the convertible type.

fintail

A stretch 126...very rare indeed. I don't know if they were done in house though...there was a company who made them for worldwide distribution, but I forget its name. I've never seen one in the flesh.

andre1969

but this afternoon I saw this in my back yard...
http://photobucket.com/albums/v247/jgandrew/1976%20LeMans/

I'm taking it up to the GM Nationals in Carlisle tomorrow, so I cleaned it up and made it look halfway presenatable. Ain't it a purty little thang? :shades:

I'm going to try taking plenty of pics while I'm up there, so I'll post them when I get back. Well, at least the G-rated ones! :P

chevygirl

Today, in and around Joliet, I saw the following:
Pontiac Tempest, with Ontario plaates, looking just like my old Corsica, but more rusty.
A Pontiac Fiero (1980 something)
4 Pontiac GTOs (1960- something)
2 Firebirds, one with the chicken on the hood (1960, 1980s)
Also saw alot of Chevys:
2 Camaros, one 1967, very similar to the one that brought Baby Chevy Girl home from the hospital all those years ago, and one fairly new one
2 Corvettes, one Sting Ray and one "new and improved"
2 old school Novas
1 60 something Chevelle
And some Fords:
A whole herd of mustangs of various vintage
1 1950s Galaxie
2 1950s Fairlanes
and only 2 Mopar vehicles
This was at a little car show I happened upon on my way home from the library.
Peace!
Chevy Girl

fintail

This evening I spotted a running and driving Jag XJS, a mustard Yellow c. 73 Mustang on semi-blingy wheels, and a white GMC Typhoon

wimsey1

Just got back from a trip back to MN.
Going into Milwaukee a week ago I saw an early (gray, covered headlights) E-type convert. head down the I-state. The next day, leaving Beer Town, I saw another (light blue) cruising along. Two in two days, musta been a club thing going on.

Saw a nice Ford Falcon convert. (red) in Winona MN.

Fintail, I see your running XJS and raise you an actual Maserati Biturbo convertible cruising down I-196 near Benton Harbour, MI. I am not sure I have ever seen one that was moving under it's own power.
Shifty, I think this comes under your "laws of physics being repealed" category.

andys120

it was 70s orange and going down the highway sans removable top. Probably an early one (1.7L) since it had body-colored rather than vinyl-covered C-posts.

fintail

Hmmm...a Biturbo is hard to beat. I did used to see an example of the late replacement for that car, I think called the 425, all the time where I used to live. It was a silver sedan and in very good condition.

kyfdx

I'm sorry... If you are going to claim to see a running Biturbo... you better have pictures..

Today... I saw a red Lexus IS300 Sportcross.. the wagon version..

regards,
kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright

I have speculated before that in alternative universes, where the laws of physics may be different, that it is theoretically possible to keep a Maserati bi-turbo running for as much as 30 days at a time, before its orbit deteriorates. The reason for this is that not only is the physics different, but money is free and all mechanics are Italian. Again, this has been proven mathematically but no one has ever seen this type of universe. It's like String Theory.

kyfdx

On the plus side...

They all have low miles...

Mr_Shiftright

Yes but they are Maserati Miles, not regular miles.

One Maserati mile = Three American V8 miles.

Funny but actually pretty darn accurate!

wimsey1

I understand your feeling, I nearly injured my neck double taking that one. I understand very little about alternate universes and perhaps I had hit an Italian-automobile-centric worm-hole. As I had not eaten any Italian food in the last 24 hours I simply can not see any other explanation.
Come to think of it, I think it was one a slight downgrade...

Shifty, I think your equation may be rather generous.

Cheerio,
Wimsey