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

chuck1959

Speaking of Cadillac. I saw what looked like a 1964. It was a couple with NO skirts. Looks to be original no skirts b/c of the chrome moulding around the wheel well.
What was is?

andre1969

that it was one of the cheaper Caddy models? In the later 60's and early 70's they had an entry level model called the Calais...prior to that I think it was called the Series 62?

lemko

The car could've been an Eldorado. I believe they had a different rear wheel well that didn't use skirts.

bhill2

I keep forgetting to mention this one. It lives a couple of streets up from me. I see it driving around in the neighborhood fairly often, and sometimes see it parked in the driveway of its home. Its a 4 door (should I say fordoor? I think Ford did.) Middle trim line (Customline?) Looks like it probably did in about '57; very well kept but not restored. I like it.

lemko

...Fordor and Tudor. Cute.

explorerx4

no body rust. WOW!

lemmer

I saw a orange mid '70s Datsun station wagon driving down the road. It sure was in great condition, but it sure was ugly.

bhill2

Going the opposite direction on the freeway. Mildly customized (custom wheels anyway). Looked to be in great shape.

steven922

I spotted a very nice AMC marlin. It was white and aqua and looked to be in pretty good shape. Is there a big market for these cars? What are they worth? Ive always liked that style.

andre1969

but I think most people regard them as ugly, so there's probably not much demand for them. Personally, I don't think they're any worse than a '66-67 Charger or the '64-66 Barracuda. White and aqua sounds like a really nice color combo on one of them.

michaellno

As I was on my own for dinner, I decided to grab some Outback on my way home. As I was waiting for my "take away tucker" in the parking lot, a burgundy Bentley pulled up next to me, got his food, and drove off.

So, I was thinking to myself one of two things:

1) were they slumming last night?

or

2) perhaps the meal was a treat for them, as the payments and maintenance on a Bentley cannot be cheap

lemko

Is Outback as good as I've heard? I've always tried to get in there, but the lines are always so long I give up and go somewhere else. If Outback is that good, it doesn't matter whether youy came in a Bentley or a Kia.

andre1969

it's been a few years since I've been to Outback, but their food is great. Just forget about going there on special occasions like Valentines Day, or during the peak dinner rush! Sometimes if the line is long enough, the hosts will bring out some Bloomin' Onion appetizers and pass around to keep the herds from stampeding.

kyfdx

It's been awhile, but you used to be able to call ahead, and put your name on the wait list... don't know if they are still doing that..

lemko

...on the History Channel called Automaniac. This episode showed FDR's modified 1938 Ford convertible sedan. It showed how the hand controls worked so he could drive despite the fact he was paralyzed. The accelerator used a lever similar to a column-mounted shift with notches to graually move up in speed. The clutch and brake were operated by another lever on the floor to the left.

Other cars were General Eisenhower's 1942 Cadillac Fleetwood, Hermann Goering's 1936 Mercedes Roadster, Hitler's Mercedes limousine, Field Marshall Montgomery's Rolls-Royce with an unusual forward slanting windshield, and General Patton's Willys Jeep.

lemmer

They will still do that. Aren't hosts supposed to keep us on topic, or at least not help us drift further?

I saw a '74 Corvette convertible in traffic yesterday - just a driver. I was trying to figure out if they all sit up really high, or if this guy went nuts with air shocks or something.

lemko

You can tell a 1974 Corvette from a 1975 model because the "endura" rear bumper is a two-piece assembly with a very visible seam versus a one-piece assembly on the later cars.

kyfdx

Ouch!! Busted... lol

regards,
kyfdx
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imidazol97

Send a copy of the offending post to a Host.

Kids used to get taken Out Back for a spanking when they misbehaved. Maybe the modern times you go to Outback when you're bad... Bad pun...

chuck1959

To keep this message "on topic" I go to Outback and I have a 2005 BMW 750IL. Now that I won't get in trouble!;) In Houston (at the one by my house) they don't do that anymore. Reason could be from what happened to me and maybe many others. I call in to put my name on the list. Just as I walk in the door my name was called and we breeze right through! Nearly caused a riot!! LOL

imidazol97

The parking lot at the restaurant mentioned has a real mix of automobiles in it. Full scale of people putting money into a car or not spending on a car. Broader range there than at any other steakhouse or speciality restaurant in this part of Midwest.

gsemike

is OK. It's good for what it is but it doesn't compare to a real steakhouse like a Peter Luger's or Smith & Wollensky. Of course I'm talking about places that cost three times as much.

uumm... somebody that works at my local one has a 74 Camaro. It's a decent throwback high school hotrod... jacked up with Center Lines and some bad bondo on the quarters and furry seat covers. 74's aren't really the best year though. I just threw that in to stay on topic.

jrosasmc

Speaking of '74s there is a gentleman in my town who uses a '74 AMC Ambassador as his daily driver. How anyone can drive any '70s AMC on a daily basis is beyond me, but I applaud them nevertheless.

andre1969

I don't think the bigger cars like the Ambassador and Matador were really that bad. Just dated. Driving a 1974 Ambassador was probably about the same experience as driving a typical mid-60's intermediate, just with more crash padding and less power. Now the Hornets and Gremlins were pretty nasty, but people endured them. I sat in a Hornet that was for sale at the fall Carlisle, and it was a wretched little thing. Real torture chamber for me, but a shorter driver might not find it so bad.

lemko

...I thought the 1969-73 Ambassadors were quite attractive. I hated that ugly "Jimmy Durante" schnoz they put on the 1974 Ambassador and 1974-78 Matador sedans. What was AMC thinking?

chuck1959

BIG AMC fan here. I used to have a 1978 Matador. Your right it felt just like driving a 60's car. I didn't really mind the "Jimmy Durante" schnoz, as it gained me a lot of attention. I can't tell you how many times someone would walk up to me and ask "what kind of car is that?" It also was a very good car.

Now the Hornets and Gremlin were pretty nasty, but people endured them.

They were not ALL that nasty, just basic and plain. I also had a 1972 Hornet X (which I traded for the '78 Matador) and a 1973 Gremlin X with the "Levi's" package. The Levi jeans material made for very durable seat covers. The only problem was that they had the metal button from the jeans in the middle of the seat. If you sat down on a hot summer day that buttom was scorching hot and burn you like you know what! LOL The orange stitching and red "Levi tag" was very cool.

My Hornet X had the 360 V-8 and the Gremlin X the 304 V-8.
Talk about fast cars! I used the Hornet to pull my boat never a problem going up the boat ramps! AMC had some grreat cars...to bad they got overlooked, and were so misunderstood cars.

andre1969

Sorry Chuck, I guess I should've clarified that "nasty" part a bit better. I sat behind the wheel of a 1970 Hornet at the fall Carlisle show. Here's a picture of it. And it had to have been one of the most uncomfortable cars I've ever sat in. The steering wheel felt huge and was at a bad angle for me. The seat didn't go back all that far, and there wasn't much space between the bottom of the steering wheel and the seat.

The gas pedal and brake pedal were too far away from each other (not the side-by-side measurement, but how much closer the brake is to you than the gas pedal). If I were driving this car, every time I'd have to hit the brake I'd have to bend my leg at a really awkward angle, actually moving my knee to the right as I moved my foot to the left, because I couldn't fit my leg under the steering wheel!

I wonder if they improved this awful seating position in later years, though? A friend of mine had a '76 or so Hornet wagon that I'd driven several times, and I don't remember it having this trait. That was a long time ago, though, as I helped them take this car to the junkyard almost 12 years ago. Maybe my brain has blocked out certain memories? :P

As for the Matador, I don't really mind the later style that had the coffin nose/beak. In some ways, it makes me think of a '75-76 Dodge Dart, just with a swollen nose. I liked the older models with the quad headlights better, though. Oh, and those '74-78 coupes...I hated that frog/bug-eyed look!

chuck1959

I understand your point. In my case I didn't expirence the seating problems you did. I guess it's just the way I am built. You are so right about the Matador Coupe, that's why I bought the sedan.

fintail

I saw something odd this morning. I was driving in the fintail on an overpass over 405 in Bellevue, and I looked down at the traffic below as I usually do. Cruising along at a respectable speed was some kind of big British coupe, c.1930. It wasn't a Bentley, I want to say a Lagonda or Invicta or something like that. It was old enough so the windshield was at a 90 degree angle from the hood. It was the type of big coupe with landau bars and a long hood and small passenger compartment. It seemed very tall, long, and narrow compared to the moderns on the road. I am certain it was a legit car and not some cheesy replica. If only I could have snapped a pic.

I also saw a very nice 86 XJ6 (per the license plate) - must be a fun car to maintain. The driver of that car complimented and examined my fintail.

fintail

Over-renovated Checker

One for my dad...nice bamboo trim

Hard to tell what it's like, but if those miles are real...

It's so French

I wonder how or why this is here. Probably needs to go back home

Excellent survivor

These have an old movie star elegance to them...the last of the old school

They all end up on ebay

I admire the originality of this

Not my first choice in colors

Get a car and a vacation

Better than average lowline W111 fintail - but please do euro blinkers with euro lights

Healthy bidding on the Universal

Very nice survivor, reminiscent of my dad's Country Sedan. I'd really like to find a decent 60 Country Sedan for him, as he liked that car and regrets selling it. But he also seems strangely happy with his Datsun

imidazol97

I look forward to these weekly ebay picks. They're great. The DeSotos and the 1960 Ford are great. The 48 Packard looks huge.

fintail

Yeah that red and white DeSoto is impressive. I'd take it.

My dad had a 60 Ford Country Sedan, red and white. Bought it as a non-running 30K mile car around 1991 or so. It simply needed an ignition coil and some minor ignition work, and it fired right up. He ended up putting 20 or 30K miles on it, he loved driving it. As well, most of the teaching he did when I was about to get my license was in that huge old thing. A few years later he had too many cars and was pressured to thin the herd, so it had to go - and it sold the first day it was on offer. He still talks about it.

imidazol97

Dad bought a 60 Fairlane 6 cyl manual in the aqua color. Awful color. But it was a fun car.

jrosasmc

Look what I found-

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Renault-NO-RESERVE-1983-Renault-Alliance-L-with-NO-RESERVE_- W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6385QQitemZ4589492535QQrdZ1

What a horrible piece of French trash.

chuck1959

Please correct me if I am wrong. Weren't the Alliances manufactured in the Kenosha WI AMC plant?

andys120

What a horrible piece of French trash.

Indeed, so it's all the more remarkable that it looks so good after 22 years. I'm sure your right about them being made in Kenosha, Chuck.

andre1969

that '57 DeSoto Fireflite. Nice color combo, and the wire wheels look really sharp. I could deal with the color scheme of the '58 Firedome if only they didn't carry that pink over onto the wheels and the interior. And those black seats just look too clashy. I wonder what those buckets came out of? The front-end also looks incomplete, not having the "D E S O T O" spelled out on the hood, and no trim pieces on the tops of the fenders. And I have no idea what those hubcaps came off of...a Dodge, maybe?

Oh, on the subject, here's a nice trip down memory lane. Be sure to check out the back cover page!

imidazol97

Very nice back cover. Nice tailpipes.

When you think of the 58 Buick and all the jukebox glamour that was part of it along with the Oldsmobile, the DeSoto and some of the parts look more in place than they do now just looking at the DeSoto. It was a really nice car for glitz; the Chryslers had a little more taste to the razmataz. I adored both when I was a kid... I recall the custodian for our local school had a 57-58 DeSoto and his son stole the money from the class play and years later robbed the local small town bank and was caught. Wonder whatever happened to him...

lemko

...nice silver 1967 Corvette Sting Ray convertible.

mazda6iguy

An Isuzu I-280 and I-350 on a car transporter. They are the same as a Chevrolet Colorado or GMC Canyon, except with an Isuzu grille.

gsemike

I-280... now that's a catchy name. I've actually seen a couple Ascenders lately. It's about as decent looking as a TrailBlazer and probably could be had for less.

lemko

...nice beige-colored 1967 Ford LTD two-door hardtop with a black vinyl roof.

ghulet

Last night when I got off the bus (my most frequent form of transport these days, ha!), I saw a SWB 126 mislabled '500SEL' (I guess a twenty year-old LWB V8 Mercedes still trumps a twenty year-old SWB 6-cylinder Mercedes?); anyway, it was gray market, small bumpers but DOT non-flush headlights, cloth interior, manual seats, no sunroof, automatic transmission and electric windows front and rear. I'm guessing maybe a 280SE? In any case, it was in really nice shape, the interior wasn't the usual in-shreds cloth, and it had NO visible rust or dents on the outside. Best of all, the bundt wheels, unchromed and no stupid chrome fender trim. Dark blue outside, gray inside. A decent beater, at the right price.

Also, today I saw a charcoal gray with burgandy interior 190D 2.5 Turbo, with headlight wipers. That model was offered in 87-88 only, right (it was definitely pre-89, as it had no lower body skirting).

chuck1959

I actually for the first time saw a black VW Phaeton! Which I understand just got the AX! Again I HAVE another manufacter WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????? A 100 grand VW?

lemmer

I saw a Checker today. It was poo poo brown with a vinyl top, landau windows, and old Pontiac wire wheel covers.

lemko

...the V-12 Phaeton really is $100,000+. Get 'em while they last!

fintail

Yeah, that was probably a 280SE, that seems to be the most common grey market car. I've seen quite a few, really I can only think of one grey market 126 sedan that I have seen that wasn't a 280SE - it was an oddball 380SEL with velour, an airbag and ABS, early 1981 production. Unfortunately it was pretty beat. Surprising the car you saw wasn't rusty...126s can rust pretty well, especially in your area I am sure. I think a nice old 126 is a good car if you can get it at a decent price. They are just so well built. I still miss mine.

And you're right on that 190D too...those are pretty unusual.

fintail

I spotted an older London Taxi in city traffic today

Mr_Shiftright

world's most uncomfortable car. No wonder London cabbies were cranky for a while there. They gave all the room to the passengers. British class system I'd wager :P

andys120

I must've driven into a time warp this PM for I spotted an odd pair of old cars, a mid-late 70s Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV 2.5 and a Yugo GV parked and possibly not in running order. Oddly the Yugo appeared to be in better shape. A short distance away I saw a nice looking Lotus Seven
under power, top-down, no windshield, just a pair of Brooklands screens and of course the obligatory Minilite/Panasport style wheels.
Made me smile .