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

fintail

I saw a good looking midsize GM product today. Of course, it wasn't a new car, it was a red 65 Malibu SS.

I also saw a really nice (condition anyway) looking AMC Hornet coupe today. It was yellow and had sporty-esque striping. Someone has saved it. Painfully ugly design.

61 Starliner, decent looking car.

A couple gems from a few minutes of classified browsing

Fun bus. Good candidate for greasel conversion maybe

Clean 126 with impossibly rare 4-place seating. I've never seen a car in person with this feature, and I wasn't aware any even made it to NA. I've heard of a handful of Euro cars like this. I like it a lot

Puts any new Buick to shame

And thanks, kyfdx. I don't think I'll change anything on it either. There are a lot of aftermarket products for this car - especially unusual for a MB. But the car just seems "right" as is.

Mr_Shiftright

Nice Buick but the dealer wants an opening bid of $19.5K Pebble Beach money for a car with burn marks and chipped paint. And that's not even his reserve I don't think so. Try $15,000. Buy that car a birthday cake once a year I think.

ghulet

....is interesting. I didn't realize the four-place seating meant you basically got an SEC interior, including the front seats; the stitching is horizontal instead of vertical, the seatbacks are different, it's just 'sportier'. I have a U.S. price list somewhere for 1987 that lists the four-place seating as an option, I think it was somewhere around $2500. It's a shame that particular car has the stupid wheelwell chrome trim (I'll never figure that out) and the '86 wheels in crummy condition. I actually like the bundt wheels quite a bit, though a car that big deserves larger than 14s!

stickguy

took a trip to upstate NY, and saw a few things, most of which (of course) I have forgotten.

DO remember a 65ish COrvair convertible. Looked clean, and was painted up like the american flag. Not something you see everyday.

Also a couple of 50s vintage pickups, a GM and a Ford.

a Gen 1 RX-7, only slightly rusty.

fintail

Yeah, the 4 place seating is a real oddball. I think it looks cool though. The upholstery went horizontal for 89, which looks much more modern.

Bundts work well on 123s and even 116s. They are too small for the 126. MB had a long time of offering one-size-too-small wheels...going back to the 13" ones on fintails.. The flat face 86+ wheels were probably the first correct ones for a large car. I guess MB could get away with it then though, the 126 was light years ahead of just about every large car at the time...even in 85 when the design was 5 years old. Just an excellent car all around.

And I know that Buick is overpriced, but it's surely more appealing than the newer cars to wear the name.

jaserb

Saturday I saw an absolutely pristine yellow Honda 600 driving around. Maybe with $3/gal gas the next wave of restorations will be anything that gets really good gas mileage - Honda 600s, Geo Metros, Toyota Tercels...Nah.

IIRC, wasn't the 600 basically a motorcycle drivetrain, chain drive and all?

-Jason

Mr_Shiftright

Honda 600 -- yep, 600 cc motorcycle engine with chain drive to the transmission. which was progressive, not selective, as I recall.

Hey, you might be right about old gas-misers being restored suddenly. Cars go through "natural selection" just like plants and animals, and if the conditions change, the choices for selection change, too. For say every $1 gas prices jump, you add $1,000 to the book value of an old Tercel.

RE: '57 Buick --- I love 54-57 Buicks. I'd like to take one and modernize it to handle better and brake better--I think it would be a great ride once modified.

stickguy

I think it was this vintage Buick that Jay Leno did that to (stock look, modern drivetrain with lots of HP).

explorerx4

andre... thought of you this weekend when i saw a line of up to a couple of dozen 50's-60's chyslers someone's property. nothing spectacular, but interesting, all in need of restoration. there wasn't a lot of time to gawk.
in pa, route 15 heading north out of lewisburg toward I-80. maybe 15 minutes to I-80.
I went through there either to see bucknell university or the us penitentary.

andys120

I spotted an RS/SS 327 'vert, yellow with a black nose stripe. Good # 3 shape.

I forgot Camaros could be both RSs and SSs back then. :confuse:

boomchek

I saw a Honda S600 on the weekend as well, but it was a dark blue one. Neat little car. Hard ti identify at first cause it looks like many roadsters of that era.

andre1969

I drive up 15 occasionally to go to Carlisle, but unfortunately my travels never take me that far north. :-( Looks like I might have to find an excuse to get up that way, though! I wonder if the owner of that fleet would be interested in parting/selling anything off? Not that I NEED anything else, though, but it's always nice to look! :shades:

kyfdx

Actually... I remember quite a few that were SS/RS.. A co-worker of mine in the late '70s had a '69 like that..

A nice look..

andys120

In the space of about 20 minutes I saw one of those fake MG bodies they put on VW Bug platforms, you can always tell 'em because they're usually two-tones and use snap-on wire wheel covers. A few miles further down the road I saw a very nice mid-'50s MG-TF, monochrome black w chrome wires.

What're the odds?

lemko

I went down a small street at lunchtime and saw several obscure cars at once:

Strange customized 1957 Ford Ranchero with toothy Buick-like grille and Edsel station wagon taillights.

1954 Packard Clipper sedan

1961-63 Ford Thunderbird

1965-66 AMC Marlin

andys120

spotted at the same local used car dealer which often features special interest cars:

-1970 Olds 442 Coupe/black w white stripes, pretty clean looking.

-1965 or '66 Cutlass convertible, pale yellow, brown top, possibly a #2 car.

mazda6iguy

Saw a nice 1969 Pontiac Beaumont! It looked like Pontiac's version of a Chevrolet Malibu.

andre1969

I actually see those fairly often, considering they're Canadian cars and I'm in Maryland. Seems like the most common is 1968-69, although I think I have seen an occasional '66-67 style.

Did Pontiac of Canada ever phase out the Beaumont and replace it with the LeMans? I know they did something like that with their big cars. They started off with a lineup of Canadian names like Laurentian, Parisienne, etc, but then started adding Catalinas and Bonnevilles, and running them concurrently, which must've made for a confusing lineup.

lemmer

I saw a early '70s convertible Cutlass on the road today. Blue, white top, possibly a #4 car.

Mr_Shiftright

Well technically to be a #4, a car has to be running. Generally such cars are what we call "beaters".

lemmer

When I said "on the road" I meant that I was driving down the road, and it was also. I think I got it right. It was a running beater.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, I know you got it right...that's what I meant, to re-affirm your #4 rating.

lemmer

How nice does it have to be to move up to a #3?

Mr_Shiftright

It's a pretty big leap. Most people who point to "restored" cars are really looking at #3s, like if they go to local parking lot car shows, etc.

A #2 is a mighty sharp car and really only nitpickers will notice that it hasn't REALLY been restored top to bottom (especially bottom). Nice clean "front clip restos" without restored undercarriages might ....MIGHT make a number #2 if the chassis is at least cleaned up underneath, de-rusted, maybe just spray painted. You need engine-out, no real obvious defects, to make #2.

#1 cars are rarely seen and NEVER driven anywhere but from trailer to grass to judging stand to trailer. They are really the "over-restored" cars that are much better than Detroit ever made them.

If it's on the road everyday, and has a couple scratches or chips or a little bit of wear and tear inside, or is dirty underneath, it's probably a #3.

#5 is real rough, not running BUT not a rust-bucket or severely weathered. Mostly complete, too, no big chunks missing.

A stripped, rusted car is considered a #6 and only a "parts car" not worth restoring. Polite word for "junk".

andre1969

so if I can get my '68 Dart to move under its own power again, it'll be a #4? :P

ghulet

Today, in my travels downtown and on the bus, I saw:

2 Porsche 911 Targas
-one Guards Red, super shiny, with whale tail, pre-86 (no third taillight and it had the seats with the horizontal stitching, so maybe even an '83 or so?)
-the other was that silvery blue metallic, very nice, no whale tail

2 8-series BMWs
-one was charcoal gray, an 840ci; kinda strikes me now as a German Mustang GT at three times the price
-the other was bright red and had a convertible top, which struck me as strange, since I'm pretty sure there were no factory convertible 8-series; so maybe a conversion, which would be bad enough, or a fake cabrio top, which would be blasphemous

2 Jeep Grand Wagoneers (when were these last produced, anyway?)
-one burgandy in nice condition but appeared to have the woodgrain peeled off
-one charcoal gray, immaculate

These are becoming increasingly rare, despite their ruggedness. I suspect that they'll be even more rare soon, what with $3 a gallon gas.

jrosasmc

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer was last produced in 1991. They only made about 1100 that year, and for some odd reason the last three years are highly sought after by collectors. Personally, I think they are crudely built and get horrible mileage.

kyfdx

911:

The '84 and newer all have "Carrera" on the engine cover... '83 and earlier have "911 SC".

Assuming you have it narrowed down closely to that era...

jrosasmc

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer was last produced in 1991. They only made about 1100 in that final year, and for some odd reason the last three years of the big Jeep are highly sought after by collectors. Personally, I think they are crudely built and get horrible mileage.

explorerx4

now that you mention it, my neighbor across the street is selling his '97 intrepid. black with silver mags. used to leak something, but it's fixed. asking 3200.

jrosasmc

What do you make of the old Audi 4000s from the '80s? I saw one today for the first time in a very long time- an '87 4000 CS Quattro. It was like having the Ur Quattro package, but without the turbo engine. Unfortunately most 4000s were not babied.

kyfdx

I liked them a lot back then..... almost all of them are gone, though..

I came close to buying an '86 with low miles back in early '88... One of those really good deals, because it had bounced off of a deer, and then been put back together... Glad I passed it up, in retrospect..

And.... all of the Quattro models were manual-shift, then... you have to like that.. Also, I'm thinking the Quattro models had the five-cylinder vs. the 4-cyl that was the base motor in the FWD version..

Really, they had a terrible reputation for reliability...well-deserved, I think.

regards,
kyfdx

ghulet

....all 4000Qs had the five cylinder. You gotta take the bad with the good, in other words. I'd rather have a FWD with the four-cylinder; I would at least know what to expect, given that it's basically the same engine that went in Golfs and Jettas of that era, isn't it? 4000s are getting quite rare now. Heck, I hardly ever see their replacement (the 80/90), though I did see an 80 Quattro a couple weeks ago, trumpeting along.

Kyfdx, that red Targa didn't say 'SC', I don't think. I know to look for that and didn't see it. So we have it narrowed down to either an '84 or '85, I think; anyone know when those were sold with the seats with the horizontal stitching all the way up? I suppose it could have been older (pre-SC), but I kinda doubt it.

kyfdx

I hate to admit this.... But, I owned an '84 Targa, and just saw one the other day at a old car show... And, I couldn't tell you anything about the stitching..

kyfdx

I saw the same Dodge Omni O24 with the missing hatchback glass again today on the way to work...

The guy may own a $50 car, but at least he goes to work every day in it... I was wondering what happens when it rains? Or, gets cold...

grbeck

Parked across the street at a local garage was a pale yellow 1968 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible. It looked as though it was in very good condition.

ghulet

....if the stuff on eBay is any indication, that Targa I saw must also have been an '84; appears the '85s had some minor interior changes, including more modern seats--no horizontal stitching all the way up, they went to the stitching on the insides of the bolsters only, and the steering wheel went from the three spoke with the round center to the parallel horizontal thing (also seen on 928s and 944s of that era); kinda makes sense, as mid-year '85 944s got an interior upgrade as well, consisting of the seats, steering wheel and all new dashboard.

ghulet

...I almost forgot, I saw a decent looking mid-to-late '70s Plymouth Fury (the Coronet-clone, stacked quad headlight variety) sedan, in the standard cop white with tan vinyl. Didn't look like a cop car otherwise, though. It was for sale, but the sign was falling down into the door (nice panel gaps there, apparently!) so I couldn't read the price or anything; don't imagine you're much interested in something like that, after your last Fury, eh?

whitecloud1

I saw a Sparrow today. Don't know what year. To those who don't know, a Sparrow is basically a 3 wheel covered motorcycle with room for two. One big wheel in back. Two smaller in front. The owner drives it often and claims it is one of only two registered in Maryland. More than capable of highway speeds and has AM-FM cassette. Great gas mileage.

michaellno

Saw an immaculate Guards Red 968 and a black BMW 8-series this morning.

Speaking of convertibles, I saw what must have been the most interesting "home grown" convertible while I was in California on vacation recently.

I was on PCH, just coming into Santa Monica, when I spotted a mid 80's Volvo station wagon with the roof cut off. Four surfer type dudes (late teens, early 20's) were soaking up the rays. Absolutely no provision for any sort of top that I could see.

While in CA, I also spotted a fintail ... 200D, I believe. Black, looked to be in better than decent condition.

fintail

This seems like a lot of machine for the money. Hint to seller: it's called "lapis" blue

Put Euro lights and maybe later series wheels on it, and it's excellent looking

chuck1959

Please excuse my ignorence. But what is a fintail?

fintail

Mercedes sedan from about 1960-68, the only Mercedes with fins

gsemike

on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens during rush hour today and it had Maine license plates on it!! I don't know if it was real, but it definately had the sound. I know this becuase we didn't see over 10 miles an hour for 30 minutes so he was right next to me for an extended period. What a beauty.

What an original 427 car worth?

Mr_Shiftright

About $225,000 for a nice one--to ---$300,000 for a really top notch car. Probably a kit car you saw but you never know. You can usually tell by looking underneath and if it has square frame rails rather than tubular it's a fake worth $35,000 on a good day with a drunken sailor buying it. There are a few fake ones with tubular chassis but those are pretty expensive as well.

andre1969

Yeah, my last Fury really wasn't so "Gran", after all! Although in retrospect, the biggest irritant I had with that car was the starter. I've lost count now, but I think it went through about 5 or 6 of them! And nothing makes me weary of a car faster than having to make the same repair over and over again...when I get something fixed I want it to STAY fixed, dangit! :mad:

Lessee, it also went through two power window motors (both left side doors), a distributor, fuel pump, needed a new freeze plug and radiator at one point (evidently the Richmond VA police ran straight water in the cooling system for awhile), valve cover gaskets, front seal, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting right now.

In contrast, one of those 70's Furys (I think only the '77-78 had the stacked quad headlights; I think the '75-76 were round single) would sound tempting! The '79-81 Newport/St. Regis/NYer is just a heavy, more modern looking rework of that platform, so mechanically there's not much difference. I think the '77-78 Fury/Monaco were put together better though...Chrysler really got sloppy with the R-bodies in '79, rushing them into production.

Kinda sad too, how once upon a time, something like a late 70's Fury would be seen all over the place, but today if you really wanted one (and I doubt that many people do ) you'd actually have to spend some effort to hunt one down!

lemko

...you probably don't see too many late '70s Furies is that they were all smashed-up on the Dukes of Hazzard, CHiPs, and countless other TV shows and movies.

I remember the TV commercial jingle for the midsize 1975 Fury:

"Small Fury - the car a lot of people have been waiting for!"

andre1969

the police car market back then, so a lot of those "small" (they were still around 218" long and 4000+ lb) Furys and Coronet/Monacos were sold as police cars anyway. When they were auctioned off, lots of them were probably snatched up for use in movies and tv shows. And they were also popular as taxis.

There was a '78 Monaco coupe up for auction at Carlisle this year. I sat in it. I dunno what it sold for. It wasn't a bad car, actually. It had the fake hardtop styling, with no B-pillar, but the back window was stationary. And it had a pretty basic interior. Kinda comfy inside, although the seat was really low...my LeMans almost seems chair-high in comparison! Back seat seemed bigger than my LeMans, too. As for build quality/fit and finish, I'd say my LeMans looked better assembled, but this Monaco had a much more high quality sound to it when I slammed the door!

By this time in general though, I just preferred the style of GM's '73-77 intermediates over the Mopar '71-79 midsizers.

kyfdx

Didn't they basically kill off all of the old Plymouth police cruisers in "The Blues Brothers" movie?

andre1969

I'm guessing the "Blues Brothers" killed off all the big mastodon '74-77 C-body Monacos and Furys, while the tv shows killed off all the midsizers! Those '74-77 C-bodies were very poor sellers. Unfortunately, Chrysler picked the height of the fuel crunch to restyle their big cars, and they came off looking bigger and more massive than they really were. IIRC, they were actually a bit lighter and smaller than the '69-73's, which were pretty popular. Only the Chrysler versions of this platform...the New Yorker and the Newport, sold halfway respectably, and actually made it through 1978, a year longer than the Gran Fury and Royal Monaco, which were canned after 1977.

I guess when you think about it, they could've almost pulled the plug on Plymouth after 1978, and nobody would've really cared. In 1979, their domestic lineup consisted of the Horizon/TC-3 and the Volare. A few Dodge trucks were rebadged and Plymouth got a version of the pickup, Ram Charger, and van. And a few captive imports, such as the Colt, Saporro, and Arrow helped give the illusion of a fully fleshed-out lineup. But in 1979 Plymouth had no midsize or full-sized car, or personal luxury coupe, all of which were hot markets in the late 70's.