Good pics, lots of oddball stuff there, which is much more interesting to look at than the usual car show fodder. What's with the grille on that 60 Ford convertible, it is Canadian or something? Also interesting to see all the 70s metal there,...I feel old already, as those were all just clunky used cars when I was a kid. The W111 coupe is a Euro model, and I've never seen an old 7-series at a mainstream show before. I like the ca. 1904 Cadillac too. You won't see a show that has an early Accord, a 62 Chrysler convertible, a Volvo Duett, and one of those angular electric cars all in one place.
And I have to agree, the $500 car looks impressive...maybe one of the nicest out there for that money. The side sans hubcap isn't quite as photogenic...get that fixed! :P
And these are the mpg from this side of the pond, I guess that would be around 30 imperial mpg. From what I have read, the W211 (supercharged) cars lose about 5mpg on the highway....of course, they do have 100 more hp. But I am fine with mine, and the 400 lb/ft of torque makes things just as nice for normal driving.
lol that'd be funny. I messaged you on your car domain page (c ouldn't find an email for you on edmunds) with address etc.... I'll be working today and tomorrow 9-6 so pop by if you're in the area.
Thanks...yeah, I guess I should learn to start labelling the things, but I'm too lazy to! Most of the cars are usually identifiable, but a lot of the older ones, like from the 40's and earlier, sort of blend together for me, and I have trouble telling them apart. And sometimes if I take too long to post the pics, I forget what they were of, too!
As for that thing above on the trailer, it was a 1950 DeSoto convertible. I can't remember if DeSoto offered convertibles in both the DeLuxe and Custom lines, or just the Custom.
I'm dunno if there's a website out there that shows logo emblems or not. Probably is, somewhere!
Yeah, that's one thing I always like about that particular show is that it always has a wide variety of stuff. And since it's run by the AACA, they at least have SOME standards, such as 25 years or older, no street rods, etc. I think they relax the rules for the car corral though, which is where that 7-series BMW was...I forget what year it was, but it may have been newer than 1983.
I felt a bit weird at first, bringing that '79 New Yorker to that show, but heck, that car IS almost 30 years old now! And I definitely felt better about it once the two K-cars, the '80 Accord, and the '81 Bonneville showed up.
It rained on and off all day during that show, so I think that might have kept some of the older stuff away. There's usually a bit more mid-50's stuff there.
Oh, and I have been checking eBay periodically to see if a hubcap comes up! I see LeBaron/Diplomat hubcaps all the time, and they're actually a similar pattern. They usually pop up for like 10 bucks or two for 15 or so. I want to hold out for one of the "proper" ones, though. I did have an extra hubcap in my garage that fit...even came off of a Chrysler, but I think it was an early 70's. Better than the exposed wheel I guess, but it still bugs me that I lost that hubcap!
There needs to be an AACA show out here. If only people in this region weren't so anti-social. The car show scene overall is very dead here, there are occasional make and model specific shows, but not a lot else. I also like that street rods aren't there. No offense to those who like them, but 99.9% of them really aren't my cup of tea.
I remember once one of the hubcaps on the 66 Ford I had for a short time went missing. I retraced my steps and found it - I knew a rough set of railroad tracks probably did it, and it was not far from there.
I see a few classic cars being transported along I70 on carriers. Is there a site that shows logo emblems and grills to try to identify some.
This site is helpful for emblems but it's not nearly as comprehensive as I'd like. Make sure you click on the tab for Type I've got a pretty good book called Car Badges of the World but I'm sure it's been out-of-print for years.
For grilles fenders and general appearance go here.
The waterfall grille in you pic says 1950 DeSoto(wouldn't have known if I hadn't looked it up.)>
...down the road from me, a circa 1985 Mercury Capri 5.0 Hatchback, no paint, primer only, missing lower valence under front bumper but apparently otherwise in tact and free of major rust or dents. Same dual exhausts as 5.0 Mustangs.
These were fast cars for their day but 215 hp (1985) doesn't float many boats in '08.
andre, what is that fuselage body convertible with the two tone paint(#50)? a 300? also, i swear i saw that metalic pea(green) cutlass convertible(#291) last weekend. how many of those can there be?
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
That big Chrysler convertible is a 1970 300. It's painted up to look like a 300-Hurst, which was a 1970 only model, I believe, but I think the Hurst was only available as a hardtop.
That metallic pea (why do I have a sudden urge to gather the clan, strap Aunt Edna to the roof, and head off to Walley World? :P ) caught my eye too...sort of a wild color that stands out. It was for sale, and the same seller had a few other cars there. You're in Connecticut, right? Guess that's close enough to Allentown PA that it's possible it could be the same car?
Funky late '80s Toyota Crown. Mechanically, it's essentially the same as the final-gen Cressida under the formalized bodywork. I wonder what numbskull added that silly "the" badge.
I was out today visiting Boomchek, forgot my camera, and promptly saw a diesel Smart, a hilarious green Nissan S-cargo, a ca. 1966 Chevy Beaumont convertible, and a Euro model MB G-wagen.
A W220 S600 also pulled into his dealership as I was leaving... I hope the guy wasn't trading it in, talk about a resale hit.
Oh yeah that was the S600, it came in as I was pulling out. It had the distinctive wheels only used on 12cyl cars. They are worth very little on the market now, and I suspect a ton of them sold new in the Van area.
Regarding obscure cars from some previous mentions, on my drive home this morning (after a hellish 90 minute border wait) I spotted a lowline 49-51 Chevy 2-door sedan - little chrome, small hubcaps, blackwalls - but it was restored to what looked like a high standard, flawless looking black paint, and was putting along at about 60mph. A stripper from another time.
Nice looking car - rare to have both mirrors, and I have never seen a fintail with those top window vent things. Can't say I like those. It also has period correct style tires, which one of these days I will get for my car, as they are being remanufactured now.
Why does it wear a "J" registration - is that some kind of SG plate that looks British, or could it be from when the car was sent to the UK? I think MB had a factory in Australia back then and maybe one in the old Malayan area too, I wonder if it was built there.
And now to find a part for an obscure car...I go to clean up the E55 after the little trip, and I notice one of the wire mesh things on the front spoiler near the drivers foglight is crooked. I try to adjust it, and it falls off the car. It appears something hit it, probably road debris, and broke the metal around the bolts. I can't wait to see what this little part costs.
When I returned to my car from a hardware store today there was a well preserved baby blue '70s or '80s period Rolls sedan (I can't tell the age of RRs) parked next to my car, with a bumper sticker that read "my other car is a Yugo."
You know, say what you will about Rolls Royces (they're old technology, they're not worth nearly what they cost, their cost-to-own is outrageously high, or whatever), but they're mighty impressive. From the grille to the interior, they convey luxury and elegance in a way that no other car matches. I would love to own the one I saw today, if only the maintenance and repair costs weren't so prohibitive.
It was apparently either first registered here in 1970/71, or possibly had a number transferred off it, (ie if it had an attractive one). You wouldn't be able to do that now - it would have to have a new number allocated which was appropriate to the car's original date of first registration, wherever that was, but the rules were simpler back in the 60's, and early 70's. At the same show was a Morris 1000 Traveller which was apparently registered in 1974/5 (N-reg), but the original owner was the Ministry of Defence, as it was used to train Army drivers (they had hundreds of them), so it would originally have had military plates. Given that it was originally registered in Singapore, I wonder whether this M-B was brought back by someone in the forces - 1970 is a bit late though, I would have thought, as we gave up naval bases out there before that, I think. Could have been a diplomat, maybe... I wonder if the little top vent things were for use in the tropics - lots of humid wet days when it would have been neccessary to open the window, perhaos during torrential rain. Also it would stop horrible insects and spiders dropping in out of the jungle....
I think when you buy a 70s or 80s Rolls what you are really buying is the interior. It would be wiser to buy it and just sit in it, but never drive it. They are kind of mushy, soft cars, slow and ponderous. If you like that sort of thing, well fine. Of course there are things like the Bentley Turbos and that's a different kettle of fish entirely.
But frankly, spending $20,000 for a 70s Rolls only to spend $8,000 for a brake job seems kind of crazy to me. Especially since you are getting 60s technology for all your troubles.
Yeah, the tropical use makes sense for the window visors. They are a very rare accessory either way, probably only sold in such markets.
I've always found the tight restrictions on plates there to be interesting, as in NA you can pretty much pick what you want if it fits in the spaces and passes the thought police (and pay your fee). I see special sequences there selling for small fortunes, kind of an odd status symbol. But, if I had cars there, I might want some kind of unique registration too.
We do have lots of vanity registrations but they have to conform to the same rules - both as to the number of letters and numbers, and also with regards to age related reg's where applicable. You can have J 1 MMY, or L4RRY but not P4UL, as we have never had a sequence of one letter, one number, two letters. You can't have totally numeric or totally lettered reg's either.
Hi, My boyfriend and I just bought a "71 Volov P1800 E. We intend to fully restore and make the car a convertible. I know this is a custom job, but I don't know how to find a shop that has done it before. There were only 47,000 of these cars ever manufactured, and only a small percentage of those were made convertibles after market... Iv been looking online, but cant seem to find a place that has actually done the work.. Anyone out there own a P1800 that could recommend a shop that has done it before?
Jensen Cars Ltd of the UK built the 1800 Series bodies for Volvo, if there still around, which I doubt, they have plenty of experience with convertibles (they built the Big Healeys for BMC/British-Leyland)
If you could find someone to do a proper job of "convertiblizing" an 1800E (IIRC they dropped the P by '71) it would cost a young fortune, more than the finished product would be worth.. The top alone would cost an easy five-ten grand including the top frame.
An outfit called ASC (American Sunroof Corp.) has built a lot of convertibles and conversions, I think they're in MI. Another company named Straman built Ferrari Daytona Spider conversions. IIRC Straman was in Florida.
There's probably several dozen custom body guys in SoCal that'd build you anything you wanted....for enough money. :surprise:
There are now three separate sets of regulations which overlap Firstly, the majority of registrations are age related and although you can display an older registration on a newer car, ie ABC123 on a new one, you can't show ABC123C on a car made before 1965 ( except if it was actually issued way back, as I said, the rules were tightened up in the 70's) Secondly, there are rules about automatic plate reading technology - road pricing / congestion charge / speed cameras etc have to see distinct numbers And finally the whole system has evolved using up loads of the old numbers along the way, and although sometimes these were re-issued, that is less likely now - if you find A 1234 on a car in a barn from 1905, or something, then providing you can find some record to prove the thing was issued with that plate then they will eventually restore it.
But why we can't have the all letter or all number reg, I don't really know, except every registration ever issued in Britain has stuck to the same systems (one current until 2001 and a different one since).
At first from 1903 all registrations were issued by local authorities - counties, cities, boroughs etc. The format was initially A 1234 or AB 1234, with each code letter or letters allocated to an issuing authority. (A was the first one issued to London, and as they used that up they got LA, LB, LC, etc...) From about 1932 they started to run out of unique two letter codes, having issued all of them and the single letters. So they started putting a serial letter in ahead of the local code, ie ALB 123 They reversed all this in the 50's, ( 1234 A, 1234 AB, 123 ABC) and introduced a year letter in the 60's, ABC 123 A - reversing again in the 80's (A 123 ABC) From 2001 we've had AB 51 ABC,etc with the first two letters sort-of regional, the numbers age-related and the three letters serial. They will reverse the sequence in 2051 . ( What a boring answer)
Yeah, when it came down to it I would never buy an old Rolls, even though the purchase price is affordable, because of the cost of repairs and maintenance. The $8,000 brake job is a perfect example. On the other hand, the mushy ride and driving dynamics, and old technology wouldn't deter me from considering a Rolls. Why? Because these characteristics come with the territory with a Rolls; I'd accept them as part of the package. They're part of what make a Rolls a Rolls. The same could be said of, say, the yellow '47 (?) Buick Roadmaster convertible in the movie Rain Man. That too is a beautiful car, in my view, that I'd love to own, despite the ride and handling.
My reasoning probably sounds hypocritical, but maybe I can explain it this way. If I were buying a BMW I wouldn't accept anything less than a suburb balance of ride and handling. That's because these are key attributes of BMWs. It's what defines the brand. If you have more than one car, though, it's not unreasonable to want different attributes and characteristics in a second, third, or fourth vehicle. I think the saying, "variety if the spice of life" applies to cars as well as to other things.
I wouldn't even dream of choosing a '70s Rolls or a '40s Buick convertible as my only car, but I might have one of each in the 20 car garage of my dreams. They would reside there together with my new Ferrari and Porsche, and other diverse vehicles. It's consistent with having different clothes, eating a variety of foods, enjoying multiple kinds of music, etc., etc., depending on the occasion or one's mood.
What a mess. It's so much simpler here. Registrations aren't tied to age unless one can determine the sequence and relate it to a period in time. Personal plates can have pretty much anything so long as it isn't already taken, it doesn't make the easily offended cry, and it obeys the allowed characters for normal plates.
Many/most states also have a "year of manufacture" system for old cars, so if you get a set of vintage plates from the year your car was made, you can re-register them onto the old car. I have these on my fintail.
I was told Ohio allows vintage plates to be used on cars. But the current license plates have to be in the car. The person telling me didn't say that the vintage plates are registered to the auto in any way.
Interesting. Nothing is neater than seeing a 1957 car with 1957 plates on it!
I think I am a purist when it comes to car numbers - I like the fact that my MG has a plate issued by Gloucestershire County Council in Cheltenham in January 1955, and that providing I keep telling the present government licencing system where the car is - or where I am really - then that number stays valid, and with the car. Although the system looks a mess, it is actually quite logical, it is only because many numbers have been transferred and cars re-registered that it is messy.
I parked at in a field next to a motor racing event back in the 1980's next to a car ( it was a Standard Ten) issued with a plate only 10 numbers from my MG, 25 years or so earlier, and if that car is still out there one day I might see it again - chances are only a dozen or so cars from the batch of 999 numbers including my car still exist 53 years later, (although some of those numbers may be on re-registered cars, I suppose).
Yes, everything you say is true, but do you actually want a BAD car in your garage, or can you forgive even that? I guess if you can tolerate multiple and repetitious breakdowns, then okay, you have the right attitude to own an old 70s Rolls. Just speaking for myself, the love affair would be over pretty quick. :mad:
I think a 60s or a 90s Rolls would be a much better choice, since you're out shopping :shades:
I think a few more beers are in order to reconsider this project, if you don't mind me saying. I know, I know, "follow your bliss" and all that, but this project is going to be VERY expensive ( and is scary expensive) and a big money-loser. Not only that, you may end up with a car much less enjoyable than you thought.
How 'bout a compromise and install a full-roof Wabasto sunroof? (canvas pull type).
Otherwise, I'd plan on spending at least $40,000 -- $50,000 on this project for a car worth $10,000 when you are done with it.
There's plenty of talent in Los Angeles among the custom car builders, but the labor rates are very high for this level of not only restoration skill, but expert pattern-cutting, fabrication and computer-engineering.
I second Mr. Shiftrightg's comments. A big problem (besides the huge $$) is that making a car into a convertible greatly reduces the body strength, making it handle poorly. Car makers spend millions figuring how to compensate for cutting off a big chunk of the car. An alternative - put those $$ into a fun roadster (MGB, Fiat, Alfa), get two great classics for the price of one problem...
Hi - this is Natasha's boyfriend, Jeremy, responding.
Wow - you really think 40-50K? I'm sending a letter to a fellow in California that had his P1800 "convertible-ized" in 2001, asking him for information on the shop that handled it. If he responds, I'll be able to ask him how much he paid, etc. and I'll share with the forum whatever I find out. The P1800 as a cabriolet is such a looker.
I've also read that the VW Karmann-Ghia soft top can be converted to fit the P1800. There was one Volvo dealership in NY in the 60s (Volvoville, USA) that actually perfected the cabriolet process - they still exist but they surely don't do this anymore.
Anyway - can you guys recommend some of the better shops in SoCal that we can contact just to get a direct quote on such a proejct? If anyone reading knows anyone that has made a volvo 1800 into a convertible, I'd love to hear from you.
Sure easy $40K because you also said a "restoration".
Keep in mind this is a unit body chassis, which makes the task doubly difficult. (no actual frame to strengthen).
But you're right, shops have done this in the past, using brackets under the rocker panels and then designing a kind of custom top. I've seen photos of these cars, and I have to say in my opinion the ones I've seen look rather homely as a convertible, at least the way it was cut by these shops. The tops look home-made, sagging, etc. and the cut doesn't flatter the car's lines.
Also, I have no idea how rigid the car feels after it is chopped but my suspicion is that if you hit some railroad tracks, your doors will fly open, things like that. I'd certainly drive one before I cut my own car, that's for sure.
I guess you could do this job "on the cheap" for $5,000 bucks without a restoration (Just the chopping and new top) but I have no idea what you'd end up with.
I suspect it would look better with no soft top whatsoever on it and the car cut as a kind of roadster with a fiberglass cover ala Thunderbird 62-63 Sport Roadster.
As for re-inforcement, I'd strip the car down to bare metal and weld in cross beam across the entire structure behind the seats and along the firewall.
That's a shame. Just last night I saw a 65 Impala convertible with 65 plates. We also have historic/horseless carriage plates, but those are less common now that cars can be re-registered. I do think an old car looks better with period plates, too. I found the set my fintail wears at a yard sale, for 25 cents!
I just find it funny how one can't have certain amounts of letters/numbers after the numbers that come before. Most states in the US have simple 6 digit combos of three letters and three numbers - somethimes the order is reversed when combinations run out. Smaller states may use less digits, large ones will use seven.
That is an amazing coincidence to find an old car with a similar number. I have never seen another similar to the old plates on my fintail - the prefix is from a smaller county, and I doubt many plates from there survive at all.
ct is getting the end of their 3 number/3 letter plates. many years ago i wrote the program that showed at all the 3 letter combos for the motor vehicle department. i remember the mangers said they thought the series would last about 30 years. looks like they were pretty much right on the money! originally, i figured they wanted the list to figure out which combinations to not issue, but considering some that I have seen, SXY and TT+last letter of the alphabet, maybe that wasn't the reason. :surprise: personalized plate(called vanity plates in ct), are limited to 6 letters/numbers. if our state goes to seven, i have my plate picked out for my fusion "el.henry".
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
I may not have expressed myself clearly, but I'm a fantasy shopper for a Rolls, not a serious shopper, because the upkeep is a deal breaker. Another deterent to actually purchasing a Rolls is that, while these cars appeal to me in a certain way, I wouldn't want to be a posseur.
Regarding the '60s and '90s models being better choices than the '70s, I readily defer to your expertise on this, since my interest comes from being impressed by the styling, luxury and opulence of these cars. It's an emotional reaction. However, I know little about them, beyond the fact that they depreciate horrendously. I guess that in itself should be a strong caution signal, and supports your comments on their mechanical mediocrity.
I am a bit surprised about the "multiple and repetitious breakdowns", though. For the price of a new one, one would expect that they'd at least be well made. Maybe that was true of the pre-'70s, and especially the pre-WWII models. Didn't those enjoy a reputation of being durable and reliable cars in their day? Or were Rolls Royces always over-rated?
Comments
And I have to agree, the $500 car looks impressive...maybe one of the nicest out there for that money. The side sans hubcap isn't quite as photogenic...get that fixed! :P
This pic reminded me.
.
I see a few classic cars being transported along I70 on carriers. Is there a site that shows logo emblems and grills to try to identify some.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
As for that thing above on the trailer, it was a 1950 DeSoto convertible. I can't remember if DeSoto offered convertibles in both the DeLuxe and Custom lines, or just the Custom.
I'm dunno if there's a website out there that shows logo emblems or not. Probably is, somewhere!
I felt a bit weird at first, bringing that '79 New Yorker to that show, but heck, that car IS almost 30 years old now! And I definitely felt better about it once the two K-cars, the '80 Accord, and the '81 Bonneville showed up.
It rained on and off all day during that show, so I think that might have kept some of the older stuff away. There's usually a bit more mid-50's stuff there.
Oh, and I have been checking eBay periodically to see if a hubcap comes up! I see LeBaron/Diplomat hubcaps all the time, and they're actually a similar pattern. They usually pop up for like 10 bucks or two for 15 or so. I want to hold out for one of the "proper" ones, though. I did have an extra hubcap in my garage that fit...even came off of a Chrysler, but I think it was an early 70's. Better than the exposed wheel I guess, but it still bugs me that I lost that hubcap!
I remember once one of the hubcaps on the 66 Ford I had for a short time went missing. I retraced my steps and found it - I knew a rough set of railroad tracks probably did it, and it was not far from there.
Gastown is the old part of downtown, right by the waterfront. Might be some interesting cars there.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
This site is helpful for emblems but it's not nearly as comprehensive as I'd like. Make sure you click on the tab for Type I've got a pretty good book called Car Badges of the World but I'm sure it's been out-of-print for years.
For grilles fenders and general appearance go here.
The waterfall grille in you pic says 1950 DeSoto(wouldn't have known if I hadn't looked it up.)>
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
These were fast cars for their day but 215 hp (1985) doesn't float many boats in '08.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
those darn germans could at least round it up for you.
what is that fuselage body convertible with the two tone paint(#50)? a 300?
also, i swear i saw that metalic pea(green) cutlass convertible(#291) last weekend.
how many of those can there be?
Click here - image is larger than the small spaces allowed here
I love the typeface on the badge, straight off a malaise-era domestic barge.
That metallic pea (why do I have a sudden urge to gather the clan, strap Aunt Edna to the roof, and head off to Walley World? :P ) caught my eye too...sort of a wild color that stands out. It was for sale, and the same seller had a few other cars there. You're in Connecticut, right? Guess that's close enough to Allentown PA that it's possible it could be the same car?
Studebaker
Safari Pontiac
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2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
A W220 S600 also pulled into his dealership as I was leaving... I hope the guy wasn't trading it in, talk about a resale hit.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
also sorry it looks so dark - it was actually a bright sunny day !
Regarding obscure cars from some previous mentions, on my drive home this morning (after a hellish 90 minute border wait) I spotted a lowline 49-51 Chevy 2-door sedan - little chrome, small hubcaps, blackwalls - but it was restored to what looked like a high standard, flawless looking black paint, and was putting along at about 60mph. A stripper from another time.
Why does it wear a "J" registration - is that some kind of SG plate that looks British, or could it be from when the car was sent to the UK? I think MB had a factory in Australia back then and maybe one in the old Malayan area too, I wonder if it was built there.
You know, say what you will about Rolls Royces (they're old technology, they're not worth nearly what they cost, their cost-to-own is outrageously high, or whatever), but they're mighty impressive. From the grille to the interior, they convey luxury and elegance in a way that no other car matches. I would love to own the one I saw today, if only the maintenance and repair costs weren't so prohibitive.
Given that it was originally registered in Singapore, I wonder whether this M-B was brought back by someone in the forces - 1970 is a bit late though, I would have thought, as we gave up naval bases out there before that, I think. Could have been a diplomat, maybe...
I wonder if the little top vent things were for use in the tropics - lots of humid wet days when it would have been neccessary to open the window, perhaos during torrential rain. Also it would stop horrible insects and spiders dropping in out of the jungle....
But frankly, spending $20,000 for a 70s Rolls only to spend $8,000 for a brake job seems kind of crazy to me. Especially since you are getting 60s technology for all your troubles.
I've always found the tight restrictions on plates there to be interesting, as in NA you can pretty much pick what you want if it fits in the spaces and passes the thought police (and pay your fee). I see special sequences there selling for small fortunes, kind of an odd status symbol. But, if I had cars there, I might want some kind of unique registration too.
My boyfriend and I just bought a "71 Volov P1800 E. We intend to fully restore and make the car a convertible. I know this is a custom job, but I don't know how to find a shop that has done it before.
There were only 47,000 of these cars ever manufactured, and only a small percentage of those were made convertibles after market...
Iv been looking online, but cant seem to find a place that has actually done the work..
Anyone out there own a P1800 that could recommend a shop that has done it before?
Thanks so much.
Any info would help!!
Natasha
If you could find someone to do a proper job of "convertiblizing" an 1800E (IIRC they dropped the P by '71) it would cost a young fortune, more than the finished product would be worth.. The top alone would cost an easy five-ten grand including the top frame.
An outfit called ASC (American Sunroof Corp.) has built a lot of convertibles and conversions, I think they're in MI. Another company named Straman built Ferrari Daytona Spider conversions. IIRC Straman was in Florida.
There's probably several dozen custom body guys in SoCal that'd build you anything you wanted....for enough money. :surprise:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Firstly, the majority of registrations are age related and although you can display an older registration on a newer car, ie ABC123 on a new one, you can't show ABC123C on a car made before 1965 ( except if it was actually issued way back, as I said, the rules were tightened up in the 70's)
Secondly, there are rules about automatic plate reading technology - road pricing / congestion charge / speed cameras etc have to see distinct numbers
And finally the whole system has evolved using up loads of the old numbers along the way, and although sometimes these were re-issued, that is less likely now - if you find A 1234 on a car in a barn from 1905, or something, then providing you can find some record to prove the thing was issued with that plate then they will eventually restore it.
But why we can't have the all letter or all number reg, I don't really know, except every registration ever issued in Britain has stuck to the same systems (one current until 2001 and a different one since).
At first from 1903 all registrations were issued by local authorities - counties, cities, boroughs etc. The format was initially A 1234 or AB 1234, with each code letter or letters allocated to an issuing authority. (A was the first one issued to London, and as they used that up they got LA, LB, LC, etc...) From about 1932 they started to run out of unique two letter codes, having issued all of them and the single letters. So they started putting a serial letter in ahead of the local code, ie ALB 123 They reversed all this in the 50's, ( 1234 A, 1234 AB, 123 ABC) and introduced a year letter in the 60's, ABC 123 A - reversing again in the 80's (A 123 ABC) From 2001 we've had AB 51 ABC,etc with the first two letters sort-of regional, the numbers age-related and the three letters serial. They will reverse the sequence in 2051 .
( What a boring answer)
My reasoning probably sounds hypocritical, but maybe I can explain it this way. If I were buying a BMW I wouldn't accept anything less than a suburb balance of ride and handling. That's because these are key attributes of BMWs. It's what defines the brand. If you have more than one car, though, it's not unreasonable to want different attributes and characteristics in a second, third, or fourth vehicle. I think the saying, "variety if the spice of life" applies to cars as well as to other things.
I wouldn't even dream of choosing a '70s Rolls or a '40s Buick convertible as my only car, but I might have one of each in the 20 car garage of my dreams. They would reside there together with my new Ferrari and Porsche, and other diverse vehicles. It's consistent with having different clothes, eating a variety of foods, enjoying multiple kinds of music, etc., etc., depending on the occasion or one's mood.
Many/most states also have a "year of manufacture" system for old cars, so if you get a set of vintage plates from the year your car was made, you can re-register them onto the old car. I have these on my fintail.
Interesting. Nothing is neater than seeing a 1957 car with 1957 plates on it!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Although the system looks a mess, it is actually quite logical, it is only because many numbers have been transferred and cars re-registered that it is messy.
I parked at in a field next to a motor racing event back in the 1980's next to a car ( it was a Standard Ten) issued with a plate only 10 numbers from my MG, 25 years or so earlier, and if that car is still out there one day I might see it again - chances are only a dozen or so cars from the batch of 999 numbers including my car still exist 53 years later, (although some of those numbers may be on re-registered cars, I suppose).
I think a 60s or a 90s Rolls would be a much better choice, since you're out shopping :shades:
How 'bout a compromise and install a full-roof Wabasto sunroof? (canvas pull type).
Otherwise, I'd plan on spending at least $40,000 -- $50,000 on this project for a car worth $10,000 when you are done with it.
There's plenty of talent in Los Angeles among the custom car builders, but the labor rates are very high for this level of not only restoration skill, but expert pattern-cutting, fabrication and computer-engineering.
Wow - you really think 40-50K? I'm sending a letter to a fellow in California that had his P1800 "convertible-ized" in 2001, asking him for information on the shop that handled it. If he responds, I'll be able to ask him how much he paid, etc. and I'll share with the forum whatever I find out. The P1800 as a cabriolet is such a looker.
I've also read that the VW Karmann-Ghia soft top can be converted to fit the P1800. There was one Volvo dealership in NY in the 60s (Volvoville, USA) that actually perfected the cabriolet process - they still exist but they surely don't do this anymore.
Anyway - can you guys recommend some of the better shops in SoCal that we can contact just to get a direct quote on such a proejct? If anyone reading knows anyone that has made a volvo 1800 into a convertible, I'd love to hear from you.
Jeremy
Keep in mind this is a unit body chassis, which makes the task doubly difficult. (no actual frame to strengthen).
But you're right, shops have done this in the past, using brackets under the rocker panels and then designing a kind of custom top. I've seen photos of these cars, and I have to say in my opinion the ones I've seen look rather homely as a convertible, at least the way it was cut by these shops. The tops look home-made, sagging, etc. and the cut doesn't flatter the car's lines.
Also, I have no idea how rigid the car feels after it is chopped but my suspicion is that if you hit some railroad tracks, your doors will fly open, things like that. I'd certainly drive one before I cut my own car, that's for sure.
I guess you could do this job "on the cheap" for $5,000 bucks without a restoration (Just the chopping and new top) but I have no idea what you'd end up with.
I suspect it would look better with no soft top whatsoever on it and the car cut as a kind of roadster with a fiberglass cover ala Thunderbird 62-63 Sport Roadster.
As for re-inforcement, I'd strip the car down to bare metal and weld in cross beam across the entire structure behind the seats and along the firewall.
That is an amazing coincidence to find an old car with a similar number. I have never seen another similar to the old plates on my fintail - the prefix is from a smaller county, and I doubt many plates from there survive at all.
many years ago i wrote the program that showed at all the 3 letter combos for the motor vehicle department. i remember the mangers said they thought the series would last about 30 years. looks like they were pretty much right on the money!
originally, i figured they wanted the list to figure out which combinations to not issue, but considering some that I have seen, SXY and TT+last letter of the alphabet, maybe that wasn't the reason. :surprise:
personalized plate(called vanity plates in ct), are limited to 6 letters/numbers.
if our state goes to seven, i have my plate picked out for my fusion "el.henry".
Regarding the '60s and '90s models being better choices than the '70s, I readily defer to your expertise on this, since my interest comes from being impressed by the styling, luxury and opulence of these cars. It's an emotional reaction. However, I know little about them, beyond the fact that they depreciate horrendously. I guess that in itself should be a strong caution signal, and supports your comments on their mechanical mediocrity.
I am a bit surprised about the "multiple and repetitious breakdowns", though. For the price of a new one, one would expect that they'd at least be well made. Maybe that was true of the pre-'70s, and especially the pre-WWII models. Didn't those enjoy a reputation of being durable and reliable cars in their day? Or were Rolls Royces always over-rated?