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

fintail

I noticed that Newport has those odd period split seats where the lower part looks like a normal bench, but the upper part is kind of a bucket look. It does look like a comfortable car.

When I was very little I remember some relative had one of those, I remember the seat material as it had 'buttons' like some pimped out cars, but the buttons were rectangular.

Mr_Shiftright

It would be interesting to examine his built sheets.

fintail

Saw a few oddities out on the road today...A beautiful silver 240Z, a very dirty black Phaeton, a BMW 840, and the same very unrestored looking Standard 10 I saw several months ago.

grbeck

The only V-8 available in a Pacer was the 304. The last year for the 401 V-8 in AMC passenger cars was 1974; after that, the 360 V-8 was the largest available V-8, and it was limited to the Matador line.

As for how the Pacer performed with a V-8 - by the time it was available (1978), no one cared how Pacers in general performed, let alone one with a V-8. I can't even remember a road test of a V-8 Pacer.

fintail

Spotted an interesting (to me) lineup today, in traffic first was a very nice looking dark blue ca. early 80s W126 300SD, followed by a less than awesome looking because of the color - tobacco brown - ca. 1979 W116 300SD, and a couple cars after that was a beige ca. 1980 W123 240D.

fintail

Later today I spotted a very well kept looking 70s Granada coupe, and something much worse. It was a ca. 1990 Mercury Sable with a cabriolet roof. The car was gold with cheesy period gold lacy wheels. The roof was done so there was an opera window...it was hideous.

explorerx4

i went out to ebay and a couple of other sites, all the 'judges' has chrome rear bumpers. memories get vague after 30+ years. sometimes sooner.

Mr_Shiftright

When car nuts start debating the authenticity of bolt head shapes and whether you could get pink sun visors with an automatic transmission, my eyes glaze over. Ironically,the less important the car, the more this kind of stuff seems to emerge. You should hear Model A Ford people go on about this.

I'm like you....if I really care enough about a car's detail, I'll go look it up, otherwise, this is not something I need to keep on the hard disk between my ears.

andre1969

I think all those minute details are kinda cool from a trivia standpoint, but I don't obsess over them or get bent out of shape. For instance, I've discovered by hanging out on an A-body site that my '76 Grand LeMans is missing a stand-up sunburst hood ornament, a red arrowhead between the grille openings, a rubber strip on the front bumper, and "Grand LeMans" badging on the front fenders.

But, considering that I bought a '76 Grand LeMans with a '77 Grand LeMans grille, I guess that's an indication right there that I'm not overly concerned about authenticity. Now if I were paying big bucks on some highly desireable collectible, I might feel differently. But then I'm the type of guy that would rather just have a '68 Belevedere hardtop with a non-stock big block, than a correct, numbers-matching GTX with a Hemi or 440-6pack. Guess I'm just cheap like that. Now, if someone were to GIVE me one of those cars, I might go for the Hemi or the 6-pack :shades:

au94

spotted a ~73 Delta 88 drop top yesterday. Obvious repaint in maroon and custom (but tasteful) wheels a dual exhaust, but not bad looking.

ghulet

This morning while waiting for the bus, I saw an off-white '64 Chevy Bel Air four-door sedan, definitely a six, automatic, in so-so condition (straight but worn, as if it was a daily driver from about thirty years ago), being driven by a kid talking on a cell phone. Kinda strange.

Yesterday I saw the cleanest 240D I've seen in a decade--glistening metallic silver/blue paint, clean alloys, looked, sounded and smelled right. Kind of amazing, really. I see nice 300Ds fairly often (especially the turbos), but 240s not so much.

Last, while not obscure per se, I saw a recent Volvo S60 2.5T, but with cloth seats and no sunroof. Again, maybe not so strange, but this wasn't a 'base' model (the non-turbo).

kyfdx

Driving past an independent mechanic shop.. A Galaxie coupe.. I think from around '62-'63... and a Javelin with a nasty vinyl top... in great shape, though.. maybe a '70..

explorerx4

in a 4runner sandwich, 2 freelanders. 1 from ct, 1 from mass.

british_rover

Ack what part of CT did that happen in I might have sold either one of those freelanders.

explorerx4

i just figured out where you work. if you were at the ghada auto show, i may even have met you. small world.

british_rover

hehe Yeah I was we had a White Range Rover, an Artic Frost Supercharged Range Rover Sport and...

Can you tell me the color of the LR3 we had there?

explorerx4

i just asked one of my kids about the color of the LR3(the other one is in ireland this week).
Red? when i was trying to get them to remember the color;
Me: Do you remember what color the LR3 was? Kid: "Range Rover was White". Me: "No, not that one. It had a 3rd row seat.". Kid: "I think it was red, why do you want to know?" Me: "I'm trying to figure if we met this guy Brandon there." Kid: "He was was the sales guy!".
This spring, one of the times you drive by Applegate Farm on a test drive, you might see one of my kids taking a horseback riding lesson.

fintail

I am surprised this has so much activity given its needs

I'd just go this way

Something you don't see every day...or ever

I don't know why its here, but it should go home

Nice elegant old Packard with good history

Neat little Fiat

Maybe worth saving, if you have time, energy, and money

Earlist DS I have seen on ebay...cool

Back when "Buick" really meant something

See above

See above. Somehow, I like this one.

Really cool well preserved wagon

Pretty Chrysler

Overpriced with little real upside, but I like it

And of course this

And for the finale, a dealer maybe 10-15 miles up the road from me has a C43. Very nice pics, and I do like the blue two tone interior

Mr_Shiftright

300SL -- I wonder how many gallons of leather dye they used---ugh!

british_rover

Yeah it was Red with tan interior.

That is very cool to run into someone that you met at an auto show on the net.

Shoot me an email sometime or just drop by the dealershi. If you have never taken a LR3 off road you just have to try it out very cool to see what they can do. I can take you and the kids on a drive over our test track.

british_rover

Hmhh I like the C43 too. The C-class has been the only mercedes I have liked for years except for the Mclaren.

I didnt' even know they made an AMG C-Class.

fintail

Yeah, I like that C43 too. Of course, I posted it because I have one. And I still really like the car, it is a fun thing...that engine can snarly wildly one minute and then be a refined city cruiser the next. The ride is harsh, but the seats are excellent and the materials are good.

The first AMG C-class was the C36, sold in NA in 96-97. These seem to have attracted more boy racer tuner types than the rest, and many I have seen have been well used. The C43 was made in 98-00, sales of about 450 units per year. In 2002 we got the C32, and now have the C55. I am not won over by the styling of the current (W203) C class, and my mechanic tells me they have not held up as well as the previous cars (like mine - W202).

bumpy

The C43 reminds me... the local Chevy dealer has a CLK430 sitting in their lot. The specs seem decent enough although it's a porker for a compact. Thoughts?

fintail

It all depends on condition and maintenance. That's not an AMG car, just a midsize coupe with a V8, so it isn't totally performance minded. Not bad cars if maintained.

And yeah, they aren't light. The C43 weighs like 3400-3500 lbs - that's a few hundred more than my fintail, and the fintail sure looks, drives, and parks like a much bigger car.

explorerx4

you wouldn't let me drive?

prosa

The 55 Chrysler is located just a few miles from where I live. In fact, I recognize the background of the picture. I should mosey around there and see if the car is visible.

gsemike

I have no idea what it's worth, but that's a really sharp car at the current price. I'm a little farther away than prosa but near enough. It's good to see a local car.

gsemike

It's not particularly rare, but was kind of weird to see three Lincoln Mark VIIIs parked in a row when I went to the gym yesterday. One was three inches off the ground so either it was ridiculously lowered or had some sort of air suspension that was blown out. I know that was a problem with the VIIs but I don't think that they sold enough VIIIs for there to be a trend.

One had what I assumed was a carriage top, but the back window looked yellowed. Could there be some convertibles running around? With last week's snow, every car around here is filthy so it was probably just dirty.

Those cars were weird. The VIIs were much nicer, but now, the VIIIs kind of look like really big versions on the new Civic coupe.

fintail

Those Mk VIIIs did seem very modern when they were new. They were also an early American adapter of HID lights too, IIRC.

They did do convertible conversions too yeah, I know I remember them.

british_rover

I always wanted to get one of those Mark VIII's or a thunderbird of the same year and swap in a Cobra drivetrain with the 6 Speed tranny and SC motor.

I think that would be a great Open Road Racecar with the proper ground effects.

lemko

...white 1970 Pontiac Firebird.

andre1969

it's funny, but the way it's jacked up in the back, and with the skirted rear wheels, it somehow makes the car look smaller than it really is! Looking at it, I had to do a double-take, to make sure it wasn't some Canadian/export variant that was actually a Dodge or Plymouth with Chrysler trim and sheetmetal.

Odd how something as simple as skirts and a jacked rear can throw the perspective off. Pretty car though. First thing I'd do though is lose the skirts. Chryslers in '55-56 had modern, open rear wheel wells that really looked good on the cars.

explorerx4

headed south within 1 minute of each other. 2 light blue/black top new gen vw convertibles.
also, a self propelled howitzer parked about 2 feet off the road. :surprise:

british_rover

Blue defender looked like a 1994 but so hard to tell with a white soft top.

Not a defender I have seen before since we know most of the long time owners so might be new to the area.

lemko

...a really nice red 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu hardtop. If only the current Malibu looked half as nice.

andre1969

I spotted a Mustang II notchback coupe, in kind of an orangish-copper color. Looked to be in decent shape, just dirty.

ghulet

someone mentioned a Lincoln Mark VIII, none were made in convertible form, at least from the factory, for the record. Always thought they looked kinda cool when new, now look bloated and dated, though admittedly some of their styling cues (particularly the dash) were ahead of their time.

andre1969

but at some point later in their life, they gave them a facelift that just didn't look good, IMO. The earlier ones with the smaller headlights had a sleek, purposeful look to them though. For some reason, I really like the Mark VII.

lemko

...the only really good looking Mark was the Mark III of 1968-1971. That car was just about perfectly styled. When I was a kid, this guy's spoiled trophy wife had one in a sort of bronze color with a dark brown top and beige leather interior.

andre1969

I think style-wise, I like the Mark V the best. I just love that long, low-slung, crisply taylored body. However, performance with them was dog-slow with the 400, and marginal even with the 460. I don't know if this is true or not, but my buddy with the matching set of '78 Diamond Jubilees said that my '79 NYer, which only has a 150 hp 360, felt like it would blow his 460's away. I guess that old saying about light weight being its own reward even applies to big battlecruisers, although that's usually not the context in which it's spoken!

I like the '72-76 Mark IV as well, though. In some ways, they just seem tougher and better-built. And even little details, like the rear quarter windows that opened, versus the Mark V where they were stationary. Although on the Mark IV, I don't think they opened all the way...IIRC they actually retracted into the C-pillar about half-way. The '72-76 Marks also had more aggressive gearing, and I think the 460's in them were a bit more powerful.

For some reason, the Mark III just never really did it for me. Not a bad car, and probably better overall than the IV and the V. But just doesn't appeal to me as much.

andys120

I dunno about you guys :confuse:

IMHO there was only one Lincoln Mark that wasn't fat and ugly>>



The handling was probably as piggy as the others but at least it looked good, it's one
:P of my favorite 50s Yank Tanks.

andre1969

I caught "The Time Machine" on tv. Not the newer one, but the old 1960 George Pal version. They actually had one of those Mark II's in the movie! You could see it briefly in the composite special effects shot just before London got nuked in 1966.

However, since this was supposed to be "the future", they took existing cars and added more chrome and wild paintjobs to them, and I guess that's what George Pal thought a futuristic car would look like, from his 1960 perspective.

I thought it was a bit odd, because a Mark II already has kind of a futuristic look to it, IMO. I remember the first time I saw a picture of one, in an old encyclopedia when I was a kid, I couldn't believe that it was a 50's car! It's just so clean and understated, and does a good job at coming off as squared and angular, while still retaining plenty of curves.

I think one reason I overlook the Mark II though, is that they're so rare I almost put them up on a pedestal, kinda like a museum piece. I'd probably never be able to afford one. But I could get myself into a Mark III, IV, or the later ones without too much financial strain. Well, at least as long as I'm not paying through the nose for 11,000 mile Diamond Jubilees like my buddy did!

Mr_Shiftright

Actually a Mark II is not that valuable...you can find very decent ones for $20,000. And the prices are quite stagnant compared to other 50s or 60s cars.

imidazol97

Did the Mark II share platform with the Thunderbird?

andre1969

The close-coupled proportioning makes it look smaller in pictures, but the Mark II was a big beast of a car, with a 126" wheelbase and 218" overall length. It's about the size of a Chrysler or DeSoto from that era. Heavy sucker too, around 4500 lb.

In comparison, the '55-57 T-birds were actually tiny little things, 102" wheelbase, 175" long overall. About the size of a Focus, believe it or not!

Mr_Shiftright

It's kind of amazing how badly the early T-Birds handle given their relatively small size. I doubt they are any better than the giant Continental.

andre1969

Those T-birds are horribly cramped, too. A couple years ago, one of the local shops had a '57 in that they were working on. I had taken my truck there to get some work done, and I saw one of the mechanics, who's about my height, 6'3", try to squeeze behind the wheel of the T-bird. I remembered remarking about it being a cool car, but he said that it handled poorly (actually he used a different word I won't repeat here) and that it was a torture chamber to fit inside (again, I'm paraphrasing).

Shame though; I've always liked the style of the first T-birds, especially the '57. But after seeing that dude trying to squeeze into it like a Poseidon-Adventure-era Shelley Winters trying to squeeze into a size two dress, I just thought no thanks...I'll stick to my DeSotos, Chryslers, Buicks, and 70's loveboats and such! :P

How would a '58-60 T-bird fit a taller driver? I always liked them, too.

andys120

I think you'd fit in there as well as you do in your DeSot but basically they were even boatier than the '55-'57s (bigger & heavier).

My favorite Bird was the '55 with no dopey "Continental" spare junking up the back,
I imagine I'd fit in one fine.

ubbermotor

Oh no Lincoln marks, as Coninental was a seperate division in the late-50's, as the article states.

imidazol97

From Wikipedia:
"The behemoth Lincoln Continental Mark V was sold for only 3 model years, 1977 to 1979. It replaced the Mark IV's more rounded styling with a more sharp-edged look that was then fashionable. Once again, its size increased both in length and width. It no longer shared its platform with the Ford Thunderbird (which was downsized by shifting its nameplate to the smaller Mercury Cougar/Ford LTD II platform.)"

When did the Thunderbird and Lincoln Continental Mark share platforms?