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

boomchek

We had a low mileage Eurovan traded it, and it sat on our lot for a few weeks.
You will get a smile on your face driving it as it doesn't feel like any other van. The steering wheel angle is such that this thing feels like a bus. Makes you want to charge bus fare on each test drive. :P

The 5 cylinder engine feels gutless as it only had 115hp in the early generations.

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, okay....municipal bus fantasy...I knew they were in it for SOMETHING!

:P

andre1969

I had a tree-hugger economics professor (thinking back, he was just a teaching assistant, most likely) and he was FANATICAL about those Euro Vans! But, when you figure the timeframe, I guess that made more sense. This was in the early 90's, and back then you either got an Astro/Aerostar, which more more miniature vans than "minivans", or you got a Chrysler product, arguably the easiest of the breed to put up with on a daily basis, or you got some Japanese oddball or GM Dustbuster.

explorerx4

bought it new just about exactly 14 years ago. white gt 'vert w/blk top and interior.
broke the 30k barrier this year. it just passed emissions testing, although it has never had a tuneup. did have to fork up the cash for a new battery this year(3rd one).
i used to have a goal of putting the top down in the spring and leaving it down until i take the car off the road in the fall. never could do it, though. this might be the year! :shades:

jrosasmc

30k miles? Wow, that's a sure-fire collector's item!

explorerx4

a collector's item would be nice, but at this point it's more like the family pet.

derrado1

What's worse is that over here, IIRC they called the glorified delivery van a "Caravelle" and charged a ridiculous amount for it.... Talking, top-of-the-range Tarago/Previa territory here, and the Caravelle didn't stand a chance against that.

Over here, in the 90's, it was pretty much Tarago (Previa to you in the US) or nothing. And they just got steadily more expensive as the competition got better and better, and now we've got this unsightly, narrow, ghastly van that costs more than a decent, car-like Odyssey, and still people are shelling out lots for the thing! A 2.4 litre 4 cylinder in a big box like that is just a recipe for disaster. Thank god the Odyssey's starting to outsell it (we get the sleek Japanese market Odyssey by the way, and it looks damn good! especially in black... they're the most common new minivan over here now, and they still catch my eye)

ghulet

.....strangely, in the same exterior color, though nowhere near this one from San Diego (mine was in Oak Brook, IL):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1973-TRIUMPH-STAGG-ALUMINUM-OHC-V8_W0QQitemZ4567719571QQcat- egoryZ6469QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I don't imagine, as a '70s Triumph, that there's much to recommend about these, though they are pretty, in a big-Spitfire sort of way.

andre1969

as a convertible? That car looks good except for the roof. It looks like it's begging to be a convertible, like the roof was just stuck on as an afterthought.

Mr_Shiftright

If you read the Q&A at the bottom of the ebay ad, the car sounds like a money pit waiting to happen. Whoever bid already paid too much. Car's a sink-hole and a waste of time IMO.

jrosasmc

As I was trying to say- the Stag was basically garbage even when it was new, I presume?

mazda6iguy

When I returned a Chevy Cobalt in to the Enterprise Rentacar office, as I was leaving, i spotted a Chevrolet HHR with an Enterprise sticker on the back, so apparently they are renting those out. This one was a wine color.

ghulet

...removable hardtops, IIRC, with a roll bar, kinda like a mid-80s Jag XJS 'cabrio'. I'm sure they're no fun to fix, but I'd imagine with a V8 and stick shift, they're at least fun to drive, no?

Mr_Shiftright

I've never had any fun in one, but somebody might.

andre1969

back seat too small? :shades: Now that I look closer at the eBay Stag, I can see that the roof is removeable. Guess I just didn't look that closely at it at first. Still, a cool looking little toy, even if I don't know diddly squat about them!

debaser853

In a dark greenish black color, almost orangey intererior. Really pretty car.

Mr_Shiftright

Well if you don't mind torquing your cylinder heads every oil change and replacing timing chains every 25K miles, and if you can find someone to work on one for you, you might get by okay. If it overheats, even a little, you're a dead man..well, your head is dead, as in cylinder head.

jrosasmc

Just this afternoon I saw something pretty obscure on the highway- a '78 Saab 99 Turbo. It looked pretty ragged out but amazingly still ran. The first turbocharged car to be sold on a regular basis in America, IIRC. Tough little cars, from what I hear, but somewhat fragile.

Mr_Shiftright

First turbo mass-production sedan in the WORLD I think. Anyway, first one made in any kind of serious numbers. Unfortunately, used an engine designed by Triumph, with problems similar to our Stag (posted above). The later 16-valve motor was SOOOO much better in every way.

bumpy

"First turbo mass-production sedan in the WORLD I think."

I think you're right. The first turbo Skylines didn't show up until 1980.

shipo

Hmmm, I always thought that the first turbocharged car sold (at least in the U.S.A.), was the Corvair Turbo Monza.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6167&item=4568660802
http://www.thatmetalbox.com/corvair/
http://www.vv.corvair.org/Scrapbook/ridesBinnieDave01.htm
http://www.corvaircorsa.com/spyder2.html
http://www.vicspdi.com/vics/corvair/corvair.html

Way back in the early 1970s, back when I was learning to turn a wrench, one of my mentors was an old time mechanic who had a Turbo Monza, and in it's day, it was pretty quick.

Best Regards,
Shipo

ghulet

....in their early '60s Skylark. Speaking of Buicks (LEMKO!):

http://chicago.craigslist.org/car/91748243.html

Nothing 'special' (I couldn't resist), but unusual nonetheless, not to be confused with 'desirable' (at least not to me). The six cylinder would kill it for me, but to each their own.

andre1969

also started offering a turbo version of the 231 V-6 in 1978 or 1979. But I guess the key here is "mass produced". The turbo was offered in certain coupe models of the Century and Regal, and in the LeSabre Sport Coupe. As I recall, they only built like 5,000 or so LeSabre sport coupes per year from '78-80. I dunno what production figures were for the Century/Regal. The Century was a poor seller in those years, so I doubt it sold many. The Regal might have posted some decent numbers, though. The engine was also offered in the Monte Carlo for 1980, and I'm sure it found its way into a handful of other models. And, of course, it went on to become one of the most awesome turbo cars ever...the Grand National and GNX.

In addition to the Buick Special of 1962, there was also the Olds F-88/Cutlass. But again here, I wonder how many of the turbocharged models were sold? A lot of them just had those normally-aspirated 215 V-8's that put out around 155 hp, and really weren't much quicker than a Valiant or Lancer/Dart with a 225 slant six.

andre1969

that poor old Special looks like it's ready to be retired...even for $900! I could almost deal with the 6-cyl, but when you factor in all the rust, the cracked windshield (which, disturbingly, looks like it cracked because the A-pillar had some stress put on it!), the smashed up front bumper, and lack of a grille...heck, the thing looks worse than my Dart! :surprise:

kyfdx

1) Dodge Omni O24.. The fastback model... missing the rear glass from the hatch..

2) A very nice Porsche 944... in black..

3) A black Prius, with a dark gray Jetta TDI following him up the interstate.. The Prius moved over, and the Jetta went flying by at about 85 MPH.. Nice juxtaposition of two different ways to save fuel... I'd take the Jetta TDI, every time.

andre1969

how much fuel is really being saved if the Jetta is flying along at 85 mph?

kyfdx

It is all relative... If I drive my CR-V at 60 mph, then I get around 25-26 mpg.. If I drive 85, I get closer to 20 mpg...

So, if he only gets 35 mpg, instead of 45 mpg, he is still doing much better than I am!!

Both of our cars get 23-26 mpg, so I'm not griping about mileage or thinking of trading for more fuel efficiency... but, when it comes time to trade, I'll be watching it closely... I drive 15K/yr, and my wife does about 17K/yr, and that isn't likely to change, so if we could have one vehicle that gets 35-45 mpg, then it would be a significant savings, at today's fuel prices...

Anyway... No hybrids for me, when I can get 90% of the fuel efficiency with a traditional powerplant...

regards,
kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright

Okay, I'll modify my statement:

"first mass-produced turbo sedan that actually WORKED!"

That should eliminate the Corvair :P

Corvair turbo was really cobbled up primitive stuff, with a blow-through carburetor and turbo boost that kicked in at some useless RPM. It was as good as not really being there.

Mr_Shiftright

Diesel economy went out the window when diesel fuel costs went way up. Diesel fuel in California is now about 30% higher than regular gas. But I'd still drive a TDI rather than a Prius anyday. The price of boredom is too high.

kyfdx

Here where they actually sell new diesels... diesel fuel is only $0.10 more than regular...

So, the dollar savings is huge...

No hybrid at any price or savings for me.. I like to drive..

andre1969

were some of those old supercharged cars, like the Graham-Paiges and such? IIRC, wasn't there a supercharged Studebaker engine, as well, in the 50's?

andre1969

I think Diesel is more than 87 octane, but still usually a bit less than hi-test. So it's not too out-of-whack, I guess.

shipo

With my current 100 mile per day commute (90 of which is north of 75 mph) I'm burning through nearly 5 gallons of gas per day working out to a little over $12.00 of gas at our local prices. Were it that was driving a Jetta TDI instead I'd be burning a little under $6.00, so figuring a 22 day work month, I'd be saving over $132.00 per month. Granted the extra cost of the new car vs. the current mount which has long since been paid off will buy a lot of gas, but still...

Best Regards,
Shipo

kyfdx

Yup.. that is a big difference.. Not enough to justify trading, but if you are looking for a new car... you have to consider it..

Even with my 42 mile commute, I could easily save $40/mo. on fuel with a Jetta TDI.... That isn't small potatoes.. and, if fuel goes up another 20%-40% in price...

regards,
kyfdx

lemko

My 1968 Buick Special Deluxe was the 6-passenger wagon. Mine was teal blue mist with a white top. I also had the 350 V-8 w 2bbl carb, white stripe tires, and full disc wheel covers. The black car in the pictures is truly the definition of "plain jane." I remember those little dog dish wheelcovers from other Buick Specials I've seen. They are similar to those on my grandmother's 1964 Chevrolet Biscayne, only they substitute the Chevy bowtie with the Buick tri-shield.

Mr_Shiftright

Well old engine technology wasn't all that great to begin with, and overhauls were common at mileages we wouldn't tolerate today....so add a SC to the mix and you'll get fairly short-lived engines by our standards but not too bad by their standards in 1930s or 1950s. At least by the 1950s they had a good octane fuel. I do know that the supercharger units themselves failed a lot....they were really meant for short bursts of power rather than continuous use and they blew through carburetors...it was kinda primitive all in all.

But even 50s and 60s engines without supercharging were pretty tired by 80,000-100,000. I'm sure SC'ing shortened their lives.

andys120

may have been the '62 Olds F85 equipped with the Jetfire 215 V8,
at least according to
this.

It was dropped in '64 due to poor reliability but at least it shows that there once existed in GM a willingness to produce daring, advanced designs. Using customers for product testing appears to be a long-standing tradition at the General. :P

In other news, I saw a pretty restored pre-war Packard two-door coupe on the highway yesterday and shortly afterward was passed by an apparently restored AMC Gremlin doing 80+ :confuse: :surprise: . It was a two-tone yellow over white.

lemko

That poor Buick needs to be put out of its misery. I bought my Special Deluxe for $650 and it was in far better condition than that one. Heck, when I gave the car to my brother for FREE it was in exponentially better shape than that one. If it weren't for the rust and the totally destroyed front end, (frontal collision most likely cracked the windshield) I'd have placed a bid just for nostalgia. The first things I would've done is replaced the tires with proper period narrow white stripe units and got a set of the correct full wheel discs.

kyfdx

The Gremlin most likely had one of the two straight-six engines... If it was in running condition, over 80 would be no problem...

The later Gremlins and AMC Spirits came with a seriously doggy four-banger...

pilot130

Anyone ever seen a Citroen 2CV "Charleston" ?? (More often referred to as a "Deux Cheveux")
Or a Citroen CX "Prestige"?

andys120

I have seen a 2CV Charleston, which IIRC was nothing more than a standard 2CV with a two-tone paint job meant to suggest '20s Art Deco styling.

I don't think I've ever actually seen a CX of any kind Citroens are rare in the USA.

explorerx4

my explorer v8, towing package gets 18-19 mpg at 75-80 mph, even with 4-5 passengers and cargo carrier on the roof rack. that IS as good as it gets though.

explorerx4

must have been a 'gremlin-x'

toomanyfumes

Came with the 304 V-8, too. And I think the AMC 360 or 401 V-8 is a direct swap.

andre1969

I don't think AMC ever got into the "bigblock versus smallblock" thing. They just had one basic block design that could accommodate a wide number of displacements. Now sometimes they'd have to raise the deck on some of the engines that had a longer stroke, so the larger-displacement engine might not fit too easily under the hood of a Gremlin. An AMC 360 should fit, though. You could get that in a high-output version of the Hornet, and the Gremlin basically IS a Hornet ahead of the B-pillar...all the length was taken out in back.

pilot130

You're absolutely correct in describing the 2CV "Charleston".
No matter what they colored or called them, those 2CVs were bulletproof basic transportation. Two cylinder, horizontally opposed, air cooled engines; seats which were little more than lawn chairs; shift on the dash; 60MPH tops; and impossible to roll over! Too bad they stopped making them. Now they're a cult classic in Europe!
The CX Prestige model was the top of the line for years--up to about 1995. VERY luxurious, glove leather interior, mega room inside, plus a Maserati engine which really rocked!! Even had a built in dictating machine in the instrument panel!!
I had one (a company car) for about a year while working in France, and to this day, I've never driven a factory sedan wihich was more comfortable, quiet, roomy, and as fast. These cars are capable of phenomenal speeds and track like a freight train--I had one up to 250 kph (about 150 mph) once on a deserted autoroute (toll xway), and it still had room to go faster.

mazda6iguy

The 2CV's - like the ones in the movies "Gotcha" and "For Your Eyes Only"?

fintail

Well, I saw a lot of a certain obscure car today...that being my very own C43. I spent some time detailing it as the dealer did an expectedly shoddy job. Here are some pics. Only about 500 of these sold per year between 98-00, so they are indeed obscure.

I was sad to see the 126 go to a new home last night...but I feel better today

All it has is a tiny scratch that a sane person wouldn't notice, and a couple small chips

Not a ding or a dent anywhere

I was thinking about getting clear headlight lenses...but the stock ones actually look good

Important badges and the neat AMG exhaust

Im warming up to the loud interior

Other view

Back seat

Gauges

The heart of the beast

I love the sound this car makes...I've barely even used the stereo. And it's as fast as anyone would imagine.

kyfdx

fin.. great looking car...

Really, I love that two-tone interior, with the exception of the steering wheel.... But, I wouldn't change even that...

Congratulations...
kyfdx

bumpy

...that brings out the Galaxies. Saw one of these today.