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

a_l_hubcaps

orangelebaron-

Was it a Yugo GV? Or a Chevy Sprint? If it was really boxy, it probably wasn't pre-1975.

-Andrew L

orangelebaron

No way Andrew! Believe me...I've been a car nut since I was a kid in the 70's and I know what those things look like.
This was from the late 60's/early 70's and it was almost bizarre looking! I know I've seen it before.
BTW...I could tell a 76 Cordoba from a 77... but when it comes to Japanese cars...even I sometimes get confused. Everytime I see a new Corolla from the back I think it's a new Mazda 6. I think it's funny when I look at a Mazda 6 board and they think it's so different looking!

andys120

I think you saw a Honda 600 Hatchback...I had a friend who owned one. The little roller skate was powered by a Honda motorcycle engi8ne and had a very odd rear window that did make it look like a washing machine or a TV set from behind.

There was also a 600 sedan that was more normal looking. Both cars made original Minis seem large. They were sold here ca. 1969-72 IIRC.
Blue and orange were favored colors (it was the 70s).
http://www.jezzball.com/600/

Mr_Shiftright

orangelebaron---go to Google, click on "images" then type in Citroen Ami 6 and see what you think.

orangelebaron

That's IT!
That's IT!
A Honda 600! I knew it was a Honda that I saw in a picture somewhere...but I guess I shouldn't have kept doing a search on Civic! I looked at many car picture websites last night till 4AM!
What year was that 600 made?
And thanks, Mr. Shiftright, for the Google info...I wish I had known that earlier...because I am always looking for pictures!
That Citroen is like a 1965 Mercury Park Lane back window to an extreme.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/marketplace/autocenter/classics/ima- ges/100801_mercury.jpg

Mr_Shiftright

Here's another funny car you might like. Type in Fiat 500L and see what you get.

I owned a Honda 600. It used a 600cc motorcycle engine with chain drive to the transmission. Noisy and tiny but you know, it could move right along if you had the guts to drive at freeway speeds. I remember once sitting in it and reading the tire size on a semi truck parked next to me. I was looking UP!

Toyota also made a 600. I lost a bar bet on that once.

You wanna see small and homely, type in "Subaru 360".

Small and pretty? "Abarth Double Bubble".

Small and truly hideous? "Daimler SP250"

Small and cute enough to kiss? "Fiat Jolly".

andys120

Besides the Sedan and hatch there was the S600
a 2-seat roadster patterned on the Sprite but smaller and said to be quite a nice little sports car.

You've got to love Google:
http://www.hondas600.com/

This was the first Honda Automobile imported to the US.

a_l_hubcaps

orangelebaron-

Oh man, I thought of the Honda 600 but my memory was that it was a lower, rounder car that would not meet the "TV screen rear window" criteria. Now that I look at the pics, I guess I see what you mean.

I don't think I've ever seen one of those on the road!

-Andrew L

checkme

I saw that same "Chevy" the other day. I was right behind it; there was a "Saturno" sticker opposite the "Chevy" sticker on the trunk lid; so maybe the model is the Saturno, unless Saturno refers to the dealership.

It has a little chevrolet bowtie inside of a circle, right? The bowtie-in-circle looks sort of like the Nissan logo?

And I too have seen the VW Pointer, the next step down from the Golf, with Mexican plates. I was very impressed. I've never seen such outstanding fit and finish on an entry-level economy car. Even the huge black plastic bumper that such cars favor (becuase it's cheaper than producing different types of colored bumper to match the paint) looked nice somehow. Wow.

lemko

...a 1970 AMC Rebel Machine the other day. It was rather weather-beaten and parked outside a garage. It looked as if it was awaiting a restoration.

Mr_Shiftright

It's going to wait a long time because they aren't worth that much. Probably not a survivor in the future. The one you want is the '69 SS/AMX.

argent

Shifty-- an AMX is probably the more natural collectible choice, but what about an AMC-Hurst SC/Rambler? Last-of-the-line Rambler with the 390, four-speed, etc., I think about 1500 built, either white or with obnoxious red-white-and-blue paint (see http://amcrc.com/photos/14full.jpg>

Mr_Shiftright

Well the very words AMC and "collectible" rather clang together harshly, but an S/C Scrambler is really no more valuable than a Rebel Machine, maybe less so. I guess an AMX with the 390 and the Go Package would be second choice after the SS. The rest are going to be also-rans, a case of rarity not equaling value. (rare because nobody wanted them in the first place, not because they were limited production by factory choice. I call them "rare by virtue of consumer boycott").

jeber

we were in Puerta Vallerta/Jalisco area a month ago...there are lots of those little cars labeled "Chevy" They also have some other subcompacts that I haven't seen in U.S. We also rode in a taxi that was a Nissan "Urvan," its a full-size van, and seemed to me to be pretty decent, 4 cyl/4 speed manual, 9 passenger. Kind of boxy, like a VW Vanogen (?) from the 80's

More On Topic: saw a bright canary yellow ferrari testerossa (sp) tooling around the other day(late 70's/early 80's is my guess? -- I have limited knowledge of things ferrari)...probably a dime/dozen in southern CA etc. but not something you see much in these parts!

magnetophone

I see VW Pointers all the time, since we're only 200 miles from Mexico. I've seen them with and without body-colored bumpers. They are finished nicely, and they're actually based on the VW Gol/Seat Cordoba, not the Polo as I used to think.

Mr_Shiftright

Testarossa--these were made 1985-91. One of the few Ferraris whose value is still sinking like a stone--dated styling, very high maintenance costs, etc.

PF_Flyer

We took Mom out for breakfast... not only did we have a waitress who only charged us for half what she should have, we also came out of the restaurant to find a cream colored 1958 Rambler parked next to us!

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Mr_Shiftright

They always were bad luck. Did you back into it at least?

andys120

I know some guys who told me they got lucky in those Ramblers with the fold-down seats.

Mr_Shiftright

Great place to sleep waiting for the tow truck?

jaserb

A nicely restored (late 40s?) Pontiac Silver Streak 4-door. Didn't get a really good look, as we were going down a twisty canyon road - him slowly, me not so slowly.

The abomination I'm less sure of - maybe an Excalibur from the '80s? If anyone's interested I'll try to force myself to look at it again. It's for sale, too - only $16,000!

-Jason

Mr_Shiftright

Actually very early Excaliburs were fairly credible cars---way too fast for the chassis and brakes, but fun to drive. They can bring pretty good money today, the first ones I mean.

You may have seen a Clenet or a Zimmer. That usually inspires the reaction you were feeling. Styling a hodge-podge of different decades, done in bad proportion with off the shelf modern car hardware or parts from the Home Depot plumbing department. Body is wrong, wheels are wrong, steering wheel is wrong, whole car is wrong.

idletask

has a Corvette C2 (as in 2nd generation) LT1. V8, 8.0l engine, more than 400hp, 4 speed manual. I saw the photos, didn't see the car yet. It's indeed a Stingray, only with a bulge on the hood. It's black. Superb.

According to him there are only two of them in France. He's afraid of driving it The drivetrain doesn't really follow the engine...

He also has a C4 ZR1.

Mr_Shiftright

Well at $4 a gallon for gas, I'm not sure I'd drive it much either! Theoretically, that's about .40 cents a mile to drive someplace.

idletask

Oh no, it's not about gas... He says the problem with it is the tendency of the rear to just slide wherever it wants... I didn't ask about the mileage, but this car is not out very often

Mr_Shiftright

I would think it would be far from the ideal car to own in Europe.

magnetophone

Well despite rampant socialism, some people in France do have more money than they know what to do with and need hobbies.

Mr_Shiftright

Well it finally happened. I saw a car yesterday that I simply cannot identify. I feel embarrassed beyond words. I may try to take a photo and post it. It's possible it is someone's creation but there is also something vaguely familiar about it. One of those svoopy-doopy coupes from the 70s.

bhill2

Sock it to us. If you can get a picture, I would love to have an opportunity to identify it or at least see it and have someone else identify it for both of us.

jaserb

I saw an early-mid '90s Chrysler Minivan, stretched into some sort of a tour van type thing. Given that the regular van ate transmissions every 60k miles I can't imagine that platform being the best basis for customization.

-Jason

andys120

the car that Shifty couldn't ID. I hope you get a picture ShiftMan.

tboner

I was visiting a local AFB today and saw not one, but two of these for sale on the "lemon lot"





I didn't check if both were owned by the same person, but since you don't typically see one, the odds of seeing two for sale seemed remote.

TB
Didn't buy a lottery ticket yet.

Mr_Shiftright

What is that, a Reatta or something?

The Mystery Car----has disappeared!! It's not there. Only a bare spot with brown grass underneath.

I was going to guess it was a beat-up Apollo GT that some barbarian ruined by grafting a hood scoop onto it, but now I may never know.

I'll keep a sharp eye and a digital camera in the glovebox.

andre1969

could you tell if it was GM, Ford, or Chrysler? An Apollo coupe looks just like a Ventura, Nova, or Omega coupe, if that's any help.

The other day I spotted something I couldn't identify. It had kind of a stylized, stretched-out "W" on the grille, so I think it was a Willys. Looked to be about early 50's, sitting under a carport. It's not far from my grandmother's, so I'll have to run by and check it out again, maybe take a digital camera to snap a pic.

antoinettev3

Neighbor's buddy showed up with one. SWEET!!! Candy apple red convertible. Makes me want to watch Get Smart again.:))

PF_Flyer

Pulled into the parking lot at Lowes and there was a WWII surplus Jeep, looking every bit of 60+ years old! Guy is using it as his everyday driver. I only know this because I noticed that he left his keys in the ignition and I stood and waited for him to come out. (My good deed for the day)

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lemko

...that was based on the Nova platform in the early '70s. The Apollo in question must be a sports car I recall from the 1960s. Very few were made.

kw_carman

I saw a Chrysler TC (convertible w/ a hardtop) and was wondering the story behind them, so...would anyone care to please explain? I've seen a few on eBay before and I know that they were made by Maserati, but that's it.

Mr_Shiftright

No keys in WW II Jeeps. Must be an add-on or a civilian model.

Obviously, you don't want to be looking for car keys during a battle.

Oh, c'mon Andre, an Apollo GT is much nicer looking than those mutts from GM!

Here:

andre1969

that gives a pretty good detail of the TC:

http://www.geocities.com/chryslertcnut/photos.html

Work on the TC began in 1984, and it was supposed to be launched in '87. Well, there were problems, so it got pushed back to '89. In the meantime, Chrysler restyled their LeBaron into what has to be about the sexiest K-car ever built, but it looked too much like the TC. So when the TC came out, it ended up looking too much like the LeBaron, which cost about half as much.

Base engine was a Mitsubishi 3.0 V-6 that put out around 140 hp. Most of them came this way, but a few of them had a Chrysler 2.2 turbo with a Maserati head, good for 200 hp. It came only with a 5-speed manual.

They only made about 7300 total, from '89-91. The turbo was only offered in '89-90, and only accounted for about 500 sales.

Even though the car looks a lot like a LeBaron convertible, they share no sheetmetal. I don't know though, if deep down inside, it's still based on the K-car. I have a feeling it was, though.

andre1969

I had a gut feeling that a Buick Apollo wouldn't have stumped you!

lemko

...it was quickly renamed "Skylark." Maybe they were mutts, but they're long-lived mutts. I still see a lot of them.

Mr_Shiftright

Actually a Buick Apollo WOULD have stumped me. That car is so NOT on my radar screen. I'm surprised to hear there are any left on the road. Not exactly the Golden Age of American cars.

andre1969

http://www.buickapollo.com. Yup, there's actually a website devoted to the thing! I'd forgotten that they were made in '75 as well; I thought the Skylark had completely taken over when they adopted the "Euro" look. Turns out for '75 though, the 4-doors were called Apollo and the 2-door (coupe and hatchback) models were called Skylark.

Another trivia tidbit...the Apollos in '75 had a Chevy 250 inline 6 standard, while the Skylarks used a Buick 231 V-6.

Mr_Shiftright

That site was a tribute to optimism.

tboner

I saw what I think was a first (or at least older) Ford Bronco. I think late 60's or early 70's vintage.

Let's see if I can find pix on the web

The one I saw was in much better shape that this one, bodywise, but I doubt it could rock climb, etc.



TB

PF_Flyer

Walking through the parking lot at the grocery store as a brand new looking Chevy Citation II pulls slowly into a parking spot. Even the tires looked almost new. And you could just tell that this sweet old lady loved her car and probably has driven it the half mile to the store once a day ever since she had it. Not sure if this one counts as obscure, but it sure had been a while since I've seen one!

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andre1969

in the fact that it's still in pristine condition! By 1983 (that's when they rebadged them "Citation II", I think), they were actually a semi-reliable car, with the 4-cyl, at least, but the damage had been done. At the time, these things were known as the most recalled car in history.

I remember around 1987, hearing some big news story about yet another problem with the first, 1980 models. At that time, they estimated that 50% of the '80's were still on the road. I wonder if that's good or bad, compared to the percentages of other cars still on the road after 7 years?

Mr_Shiftright

It's interesting...I always tell people this and they never believe me (well, almost never) but it's TRUE.

Common cars expire faster than uncommon cars. You are less likely to see a Pinto than a '71 Lamborghini.

porknbeans

I would be willing to agree with that statement, but the reasons and type of people that buy a 71 Pinto are not the same reasons or type of people that buy a 71 Lambo. Nor are they usually cared for and maintained in the same way.

PF I'm surprised that the Citation held up even with the few miles she probably drives it. I would have thought that the road salt alone would have turned that thing into the rust bucket that most of them became.