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

fintail

I was at the Vancouver Auto Show yesterday...see pages 3 and 4 of this album for a 190SL with an unusual powertrain. Some other oldies were there too.

Not many places in North America do you get behind this and it isn't a huge deal

texases

That Zust - was that the actual car in the 'Great Race', New York to Paris?

fintail

Yep, It has some unusual history, too

bumpy

In Vancouver this morning I saw a Nissan President (!)

The Q45 style or the older square body?

fintail

It was like an old Q45 with a pimpy grille

fintail

A long hooded neoclassic with side pipes just drove by...it wasn't an Excalibur...I think it was a Clenet.

bumpy

I actually like the President nose better than anything the Q45 ever got.

texases

2-door hardtop, like this except black/white

fintail

It's much more dignified anyway.

I wished I could have seen one of the old 60s looking models that were made for so long...I know there are some in Van.

lemko

Saw a yellow Plymouth Prowler heading south on the Roosevelt Blvd. in Philly.

imidazol97

I spotted a pristine Sunbird convertible with markings GT Turbo on the side. It had the foldover cover on the headlights so it was after 1985. It was black with sporty silver accents.

Mr_Shiftright

What was Chrysler thinking when they came out with a 6 cylinder automatic hotrod?

texases

"What was Chrysler thinking when they came out with a 6 cylinder automatic hotrod? "

Reminds me of my high school friend who made a 'chopper' out of his Honda 350 - I'm sure he impressed the Harley guys :sick:

merckx

Saw one this morning....i wondered if the guy thought he was in a collector car/truck...it was very clean...

Mr_Shiftright

I always call them Dodge RoadRage.

fintail

My sister had one of those in the late 90s, my dad bought it for her from an estate. It was relatively reliable, save for intermittent carb problems. Hers was also very clean, with a color matched canopy. She actually got like 1500 for it in trade when she bought a Ford Contour, which ended up being less reliable than the Rampage.

stickguy

to be fair, most of the street rods built now are for show/cruise, and come with automatics. THe engine is pretty much just for show anyway.

fintail

Today at almost rush hour I saw a 57 Ford Skyliner in traffic...pink and black two tone

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah but at least it's attached to a ballsy V-8 that makes lotsa noise.

fintail

Pretty and pricey

Big and blue

Bustleback monstrosity

Could be the nicest of these left

A little more discofied

Maybe an Andre-mobile

Or perhaps this...nice upholstery pattern

Mr_Shiftright

'55 Roadmonster Coupe--it had better be one helluva car for that money. Obviously nobody thought so. It should be so clean that you could lick the engine and get a peppermint taste in your mouth.

1959 Cadillac -- CADZILLA in the flesh, but with no AC? Big minus factor there. Those jumbled odometer numbers are a bit scary. NEVER painted? color me skeptical. Bids are okay, should stop soon. Deduct 20% for no AC IMHO.

1983 Toro -- hope they stop at about $5,500 or they're buried for life.

1973 Bonny -- one always wonders about cars with Alabama titles. Notorious title-washing state. Depends how long it's been registered in AL. If it's 3 months, watch out!

andre1969

1955 Roadmaster...neat color combination. Kind of makes me think of mint chocolate chip icecream. I love the wide variety of color choices they gave you back then. Some of them were no doubt extremely clashy, but I think the black/green go well together.

I actually like both of those Toronados. If forced to choose between the two, I'd be hard-pressed. I like the 455 and true hardtop styling of the '73, but I prefer the rectangular headlights, groovier seats, and warmer brown hues in the '77. And normally I don't like brown cars, but somehow these both appeal to me.

Similarly, on the '73 Bonnevilles I'd be hard-pressed to choose. The hardtop coupe has a nice, sleek roofline and looks good in black, but I always like the hardtop sedan style of these cars too. And I've always been a sucker for green...as long as it's not too hideous of a shade! For being Bonnevilles, both of these cars look a bit downscale, but I guess Pontiac did that since they had the Grand Ville at the top of their lineup in those years. And by this time they were putting Bonnevilles and Catalinas on the same wheelbase, whereas previously the Bonneville's wb was usually 2-3 inches longer. Not that it would be all that noticeable on a car that long!

For as outlandish as the '59 Cadillac was, it's interesting how that blue color tends to sedate it. One thing I noticed about the transmission shift quadrant...even though these cars had a 4-speed Hydramatic, the range just goes from P-N-D-L-R. So even though it had 4 forward gears, I guess they'd only let you manually select two positions?

imidazol97

--A grand auto parked in a chic area that looked a little like this. As I went by I saw a "B" in the hood ornament when viewed from the side. I assume that's a Bentley. I can't find a picture that shows the side view of older Bentleys to verify that's what it was. Anyone know for sure?

Larger Picture


link title

andys120

The picture is of a Bentley R-Type, 1952-55. Here's a side view of one with the Standard factory coachwork>



Many Rs had bespoke bodies like this one which looks like it has a James Young body>

imidazol97

It was color somewhat like the cream on the R-Type. But do they have an R in their hood ornament that's just the chrome outline and then behind it flying wings or something like that. I only got a quick glance at the hood ornament. I couldn't see anything on the car givings its brand.

Edit: Found it while searching hood ornaments.

fintail

That's the old style hood ornament, maybe you saw a prewar car? I think the wings went to the back by the 50s.

imidazol97

The wings went toward the back.

fintail

Yeah, you likely saw an R-type. I don't think 'Bentley' is spelled out anywhere on the car either.

fintail

There couldn't have been many of these made in sedan form...can't say I've ever seen one

andre1969

Off the top of my head, I think Grand Am production from 73-75 was roughly 85% coupe/15% sedan, and 1973 was the only year it was very popular. I think they ran off about 45K that year, but only like 10K by '75.

I saw one of the sedans at the Hershey PA car show a few years ago. I think it was brown.

texases

I've never seen the 4-door. I do like the tail lights/trunk on the '73, after that they bumped up the trunk lid for more room, IIRC.

andre1969

Yeah, the '73 LeMans/Can Am has a very rakish rear deck. In profile, the rear of the car would almost end in a point, were it not for the big bumper hung off the back.

Those 73's must have had really small trunks though. My '76 Grand LeMans, which I believe has the same decklid as the '74-75, still has a pretty small, shallow trunk. I have a cooler that I take with me when I take the LeMans up to the GM show at Carlisle, PA, and I have to position it just right, or the trunk won't close. And even then, I still put a towel on top of the cooler, to keep it from scuffing up the decklid.

Now that I think about it, ages ago, like in the early 90's, I saw a burgundy Grand Am sedan at a small local car show in Laurel, Maryland. I guess that's a pretty good indication of how rare they are though, if somehow I've made a mental note of the two times in my life I can recall seeing one!

As for production in those years, my old car book lists as follows...

1973: 8691 4d / 34445 2d
1974: 3122 4d / 13961 2d
1975: 1893 4d / 8786 2d

fintail

80s Euro-lux today...first saw a white series III XJ6, average condition (still running and driving, which probably puts it above average)... then on the same street a minute later, a pristine 560SEL, white and grey two tone with factory chrome wheels, shiny and new looking.

texases

"series III XJ6, average condition "

Mr_Shiftright

Actually 1986 is the best of the worst of them. If you just HAVE to have one, as opposed say to sticking red hot knitting needles in your eyes, 1986 would be the year to buy. Still a headache of course.

Pretty cars though, for large sedans you have to admit. Much more attractive than Benz, Audi BMW or Cadillac in 1986 at any rate IMO. I don' t think I've ever sat in one though that didn't stink of gasoline or mildew. How sad.

SMOOTH ride, too. Very silky and a very good handling large sedan.

I wouldn't mind having one for FREE with a garage full of parts and a devoted slave to work on it for me.

fintail

I'll still take a W126 :P

imidazol97

The discussion on reputation of Jags made me think about past coworker's comment a week ago when I was visiting and fixed her computer. I commented about her having bought a 2nd one that's almost new; her first one might be a 96. She said, "I bought Jaguars because I never see one sitting along the side of the road," meaning that other cars have mechanical problems while the Jags don't.

andre1969

And I'd still take an '86 Caddy over an XJ6. Well, the RWD Brougham at least. Those Jags are pretty cars, but the first time I had a chance to sit inside one I was really disappointed. Way too cramped inside for my tastes. It was like a subcompact interior with a midsized body and full-sized weight!

Sure, it may be an awesome handler, but that's useless to me if I'm not comfortable behind the wheel.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes the XJ6 is cramped, that's very true.

Reliability? Well the Ford Jaguars were really a lot better, although not good enough to stay alive in the real world.

Worst part of buying Jaguars is the brutal depreciation rate. If you can find a very low miles cream puff (not an X type, oh god no, please) from the late 90s, early 2000s, that has already undergone its massive devaluation, then sure, why not. It's a nice ride and you can always bail as long as you don't get bitten on a transmission or the notorious timing chain issues.

kyfdx

One day on the way to work this week.... No idea what year... Looked all original.. really nice condition.. Doing about 65 mph...

Mr_Shiftright

Red and white Studebaker coupe, circa 1950. Looks kinda funny now but I guess back in the day people thought they were quite futuristic. Reminds me of a 1950s Science Fiction comic book space ship. It seemed to run well although I had to close my fresh air vent because of the hydro carbon display.

imidazol97

Like this? 1950 Studebaker.

lemko

My girlfriend's father had a black 1950 Studebaker coupe back in the day. His first car was a 1937 Studebaker.

I saw a cool picture of a fleet of South Bend, Indiana 1951 Studebaker police cars. They put the red pulsating light in the nose!

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, that's about the right year.

imidazol97

This is similar. Very space age. I would like to see a picture of a police car with the red light in the "nose." I love these cars.

lemko

....very nice light blue 1968 Chevrolet pickup truck. Forget what they called them. C-10?

andys120

I saw one like it Lemko. Light blue and white, ca. late 60's-early 70s, not sure of exact yr. but it was in beautiful shape.

Arizona is full of old trucks in every condition imagineable, except rusted out.

bhill2

Ah, yes. I think that's a '51 (you can tell because the nose piece in the '50 is shiny, and in the '51 it's matte). My parents had one of those when I was young. V8 / automatic. May have been the first year for both. Anyway, it was lemon yellow, and had this wonderful basket weave plastic upholstery. If someone's heart stopped you could jump start it by sliding them across the seat and putting them against something metal.

fintail

Somewhat stylish orphan, very European looking

The forgotten supercar...time has not been kind

Project car

Just about as exciting as a new one...maybe even more

Oh what a feeling

Don't click here if you have just had something to eat

Last of the attempt

Like a new car...but much, much bigger

This is pretty cool in its own way

Black box

I could see Andre in this

Or this

Or this

Or this

How many times has this nut listed this?

imidazol97

The 1976 Olds for Andre is a beauty.