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

british_rover

Saw a Lancia Scorpio this afternoon.

fintail

I saw a red 1964 Lotus Elan today. I know it was a 64 as it had year of manufacture plates, just like my fintail. I was in the fintail when I saw it, too. A tiny little thing, the fintail could have driven right over it.

Not as cool as a Scorpion, for sure. I also saw one of those 25th anniversary Vettes, and a W124 500E.

lemko

...spotted a red 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible with a white top next to the Coastal station on Rhawn and Verree in NE Philly.

andys120

Seen today:

Mercedes 190SL ca. mid '50s, top down, ivory exterior, very nice shape being driven top down.

Mazda RX-7, Gen II (the only RX-7 factory roadster) ca. mid '80s, parked w top up, also very nice shape.

magnette

In the last week I've seen one of these in my street about three times, just running around the shops, and it looks quite good, but not restored.

Also seen this week, a Ford Capri - not the well-known one from late 60s/70s, but the earlier one which was the coupe version of the early 60's Consul Classic.

I also saw two M-Benz 220se 's in one street, together with an Alvis TE21.

Rarest car this week, in my opinion ? Well I saw a Chevrolet Cavalier Convertible last Saturday in West London - British registered, and about 1999 by the plates. May not be rare to you guys, but I don't think I've ever seen one in Britain before, and it is obviously a personal import.

fintail

I hope the Cav was some kind of military orphan and not something someone actually worked to bring over.

One of those Capris has been on a local classified site for some time

british_rover

garages on my way home has what looks like a Ford Torino Cobra. I have to stop on the way home to work monday and get a better look at it.

andre1969

of "Leave it to Beaver" where Beave, Whitey, and Larry Mondello went in together and bought a jackass?

Well, check out this little gem that Grbeck, Lemko, and I stumbled across. Ain't she a beaut? Or maybe we would've been better off with a jackass? :sick:

Seriously though, Grbeck and I first saw this car for sale at a car show back in 2002. It showed up again in '03, '04, '05, and was absent in '06, so we figured someone got suckered finally bought it. But then, this past weekend, it was baaa-ack!

It's actually in pretty good shape, although it's obvious the seller's asking way too much if he's been trying to sell it since 2002! I think the '07 price is lower than the '05 price, though. Still, no matter how nice it is, I could just never live down that color! :surprise:

toomanyfumes

There's a guy about a mile from me who's been selling a white Caddy for about 3 years now. Started at $6500 and I think he's down to $4500 or $3500 now, I forget which.

This one's a little older, maybe a '68, and it's white. Looks nice from the road, but I haven't seen it close up.

I've always liked those old Caddy's, but that's a big car to store. Lot of gas to cruise around, too.

andre1969

There's a guy about a mile from me who's been selling a white Caddy for about 3 years now. Started at $6500 and I think he's down to $4500 or $3500 now, I forget which.


At least that guy seems to be moving his price in the right direction, though! Grbeck has a better memory than me on stuff like this, but I think the first time we saw this goldish Caddy in '02, it was priced around $5K-ish, but gradually worked its way up to around $7K.

The for sale sign on this one said something along the lines of "Hershey-bound if it doesn't sell". So I'm guessing we'll see it at Hershey. And Macungie '08. And Hershey '09...

I think Cadillacs were a lot more tasteful in the 60's on up through 1970. I like the overblown '71-76 models, but more because they're, well, overblown. By '71-76 though, I prefer the 98 or Electra. They just seemed much more smooth, tasteful, and classy, I guess.

I also wonder if this gold Caddy we saw would be one rare case where it might look BETTER with a vinyl roof? At least, if it was a black vinyl roof, it might help tone down that gold somewhat.

toomanyfumes

As much as I dislike vinyl roofs, the 70's land yachts are the ones that can pull it off.

My Grandpa bought a new 98 every 2 years through the late 60's to mid 70's. It was an event when he picked up a new one; we'd sit in the big soft seats and play with the buttons and switches till he yelled "KNOCK IT OFF!"

andys120

My 150 mile tour of central NH resulted in spotting a bumper crop of the Bow Tie brand:

-1963 Sting Ray convertible, a red beauty out driving top down.

-1965+ Corvair Coupe, a little rough looking but under it's own power.

-1958 Impala Coupe in wrecked condition sitting in a front yard, possibly undergoing restoration. There was a late 70s Malibu wagon in the same yard.

-1961 Impala 4dr H/T, in an unusual color scheme, brown vinyl roof over beige, decent shape. Car was FOR SALE.

-1966 OR '67 Sting Ray 'Vert, yellow, top down in beautiful shape.

My last cache of oldies today were Fords, 3 Model As traveling together doing about 60. A tan coupe on a beautiful tobacco brown, led by another coupe in dark brown
and a forest green Touring car, top up. All in show condition.

seminole_kev

Saw a mid 60's Corvette last night on the drive back from Disney that had some god awful fender flares on it. Didn't get a really good look at is as I blew past it and it was dark out, but not sure why someone would do something to such a pretty car.

magnette

Only a couple of interesting cars this weekend, as I wasn't out and about very much

Austin 8, immediate post-war model, it was in good condition but on a trailer, looked like it might be going to a show.

Two WW2 Jeeps, together, obviously going somewhere like a show - I met them on a bend in Essex, the drivers were in some sort of fake type uniform - or I was in a time warp...

Finally, in the same lane, I found myself following a Rover P5 3-litre coupe, 1965, in good condition.

seminole_kev

I like those Rover P5's....but I'm admittedly drawn to an odd collection of cars.

stickguy

at least in person.

Outside the local tire shop that I stopped at today was a Lamborghini Espada. THought it was a Maserati at first until I read the badges.

A little ratty, but certainly looked like it was driveable. Mostly some minor rust bubbling up, little bit trashed interior (cracked dash, etc.).

Didn't ask the tire guy about it, so no idea how it runs. But, probably nothing wrong with it that 50K couldn't take care of.

Real weird design, and screamed early 1970's to me.

Mr_Shiftright

An old Lamborghini never ever runs right, so no need to ask.

mazda6iguy

Not sure what year they were, but I saw not one but two Honda Acty. What's an Acty, you ask? It's a small van and a pick up truck slightly bigger than a Cushman car. Japanese home market trucks, but not sure how or why they were here in Ohio...

kyfdx

What part of Ohio?

mazda6iguy

Just 30 miles southwest of Canton, OH. Upon some research, the Acty's appeared to be early to mid 90's models and one was in camouflage paint. The other was white and it looked like it was used as a fairgrounds vehicle. Both right hand drive.

fintail

In Vegas, I visited the Imperial Palace Museum. Some good sights there...the Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow is what sticks in my mind most. I didn't take any photos as I am sure they have a website...but it was fun, and free. Most of the cars there are for sale as well, at amusingly optimistic prices.

Mr_Shiftright

I actually drove in that Silver Arrow (indoors, about 100 feet) during a car show/exhibition, when they were moving the cars in and out. Quite the automobile I must say.

Pierce Arrow was one of the famous "3 Ps", which were at one time considered to be the best 3 American cars, and the most prestigious.....Peerless, Packard and Pierce Arrow. Certainly they all enjoyed a worldwide reputation for excellence and could be parked next to a Rolls without the least bit of apology. This was late 20s early 30s.

All gone away and we shall not see their likes again....

fintail

Amazing looking thing, and perfectly restored...not really overdone, but still beautiful. They wanted like 4.5M for it. It must have looked like a spaceship when it was new, Buck Rogers detailing in many ways.

Those independent highlines are gone forever indeed, a part of the old world, really more connected to 1900 even rather than 1930.

british_rover

saw a cream colored E-Type jag Roadster this afternoon flying down the side of the mountain. It had to be doing 70 plus and sounded great.

texases

1933 Silver Arrow

Compared to 1933 Cadillac "Aerodynamic Concept":

andys120

Seen today:

-Land Rover SWB Pickup, For Sale, looked like a Series 2 (early-mid 60s?), it appeared to be in decent shape, blue-gray in color...er..colour.

-MGB-GT, small bumpers and side marker lights ('68-'73?)with wire wheels, nice shape but could use a repaint or at least a good wax job. Mettalic red, not a flattering col..colour for this car.

bumpy

633CS on the way home today. A bit ratty looking, like someone had bought it new 25 years ago and never had quite enough money to keep it in good shape.

Mr_Shiftright

Now THAT'S a familiar story for an 80s 6 series....but now and then you see a really sharp 635CSi (which is a better car than the 633 and easier to find parts for).

I saw a Chrysler 4-door...not sure what year...the 50s....the one with the little chromey tail fin. Looked to be in good shape, just rollin' along. Hardly ever see them anymore. I always liked that whistling sound those cars made when they idle or run at low speed...what IS that? The transmission front pump?

andre1969

I saw a Chrysler 4-door...not sure what year...the 50s....the one with the little chromey tail fin. Looked to be in good shape, just rollin' along. Hardly ever see them anymore. I always liked that whistling sound those cars made when they idle or run at low speed...what IS that? The transmission front pump?

Sounds like it might be a '55. Did it look like this? '55 Chryslers and DeSotos had an upper rear fender that kind of swooped down, but Chrysler stuck that little chrome piece on top to make it look different. For 1956 they both had a proper tailfin.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah that looks like it, but it was a 4-door, so kinda frumpy.

stickguy

a pair of MGBs yesterday. First a red chrome bumper that looked like it just came off the assembly line (actually, probably better!) Saw it on the road, and later in a parking lot.

Then, a semi-decent looking rubber bumper model driving down the road. White.

No contest which one looked better!

fintail

A real beast

Oddity

If this is a "4 out of 5", my fintail is a 50 out of 5

Not many of these left like this

Can't be many of these left

Early air

Very nice fintail

And another

kyfdx

Those kinds of cars really come out of the woodwork this time of year.... I've seen three different 635CSi in the paper in the last couple of weeks...

Not really expensive, either... $4000-$6000 range..

Mr_Shiftright

MUNTZ JET -- This would definitely be a car to save. Yes, the seller is correct, they did build the Muntz with the Lincoln V-8 instead of the Cadillac. Oddly, enough, even though the Lincoln engine was a flathead, and even though the body used more steel than the aluminum bodies of the Cadillac-engined car, the Lincoln powered version was faster.

These cars are actually very VERY well made. I have no idea of value but the car is worth something. There were, as I recall, only something like around 400 made.

Interesting bit of history there.

fiatlux1969

Is this (the Muntz Jet) indeed a Lincoln-powered car, or does it have a proprietary engine made by a company called Continental, which made aircraft engines? I have always believed that to be the case, but it is certainly more than possible that I have been laboring under a misapprehension. It has happened before...In any case, Lincoln Continental production shut down after 1948 (those having V12 engines) and did not resume until the mid-fifties with the OHV V8-powered Continental MkII. No Lincoln Continental had a flat-head V8. Since the Muntz in question is a '51, well...

texases

From what I've read, the first 38 had Cadillac engines, the remaining 330 or so had Lincoln flat head V-8s.

fiatlux1969

Perhaps I was confused by the seller's reference to a "Lincoln Continental" engine, which, again, was never a flat-head V8. The V12 was an L- or flat-head, but I don't believe anyone is saying that the Muntz was equipped with that engine. I do know that some low-volume manufacturers used engines by Continental (the aircraft engine company) to power their wares, but am not certain that Muntz was one of them.

texases

You're correct. This is another example of seller 'puffery' - it may be a Lincoln engine, but it's not a 'Lincoln Continental' engine.

Mr_Shiftright

He probably confused it with Lincoln Cosmopolitan. Lucky it wasn't the V-12 engine...that was kind of a turkey, really.

lemko

...the Muntz Jet started out as the Kurtis sports car until "Mad Man" Muntz bought the company.

Mr_Shiftright

True. The first 28 Muntz were very close replicas of the Kurtis Sports....then "Mad Man" Muntz added about a foot (more or less) of wheelbase, and ditched the Cadillac engine and aluminum panels for the Lincoln and more of a steel body.

oregonboy

For the 7-series enthusiast (IS there such a thing??)

this is pretty cool, but I, like the rest of the world, would prefer a 3 or even a 5-series

james

fintail

Cool Euro features, but yeah, old 7-series enthusiasts are probably even less common than W126 enthusiasts.

kyfdx

So.. a guy that owns his own repair shop drops $11K into a car that nobody wants, then asks $7K for it?

Either he is an idiot... or he is a liar.. or, both..

texases

Had it been a 6, he might find someone, but a 7??

Mr_Shiftright

Seems like a pointless restoration. Who wants to row a stickshift on a barge like this anyway? These cars were highway cruisers and he's gutted the two things a 7 series really needs...an automatic transmission and the AC.

And a Euro car besides....ai, ai, aieee....

Time for the Homer Simpson slap on the forehead.

im_brentwood

Also...

Why would he do all that and not fix the climate control setup? The HVAC setup on those cars is a huge job to put right.

And why bother rebuilding an M30? It costs a fortune and there's tons of those virtually indestructible engine available with low miles for way under a grand. Heck, I'd have used a 3.5 from the E32...

texases

Hmm, let's rip out that old engine and fix it up...Fred, get me the hacksaw, these a/c hoses are getting in the way, it doesn't work anyway....toss that old compressor, just gets in the way...don't show any pictures of the engine, those hose ends don't look so good...

You'd think engine photos would be the first thing to show, give what he says he did to it...an engine block doesn't count...now you have to trust his ability to put one together correctly...

mazda6iguy

At an intersection while I was stopped, not sure of the year, but it was a perfect looking AMC Gremlin. Almost like it had been sealed in a vacuum since it was new. And there were no nearby car shows in the area that I knew of.

andre1969

at one rest stop, one of those final-edition 1976 Eldorado convertibles was parked next to us. I'm guessing it was either for sale, or had been in the Woodward Dream Cruise. It had written on it "1 of 200 produced". Looked like it was in good shape. It was getting drenched too, in the downpour we were getting. I thought it was kinda cool to see something like that actually driven, as opposed to being put away all the time, as if the owner thinks it's worth a fortune. Just out of curiosity, is there any value premium on that commemorative edition '76 Eldo, versus a "regular" Eldo?

At another rest stop, in PA, we saw a '68 Catalina convertible, in kind of a deep burgundy color. Looked to be in pretty good shape.