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

kyfdx

No garage or carport... and the driveway was gravel, once you crossed the city sidewalk..

kyfdx

Mid-late '80s era Escort wagon.. In light blue.

Mr_Shiftright

A VW Thing in nice shape, painted French Blue, with a white hardtop! AND....pulling a vintage midget racer on a small hitch. Cuuuutttteeeeee.......

That's one weird person behind the wheel, I can tell you that.... :P

lemko

Airlite is the style of the house. They're very common in NE Philly as most of the housing stock was built around the same time. Prior to the 1950s, most of NE Philly was still farmland. I bought my house off the original owner.

Here is a picture of an older Airlite home:

lemko

I believe the original owner of my house paid something like $14,950 for it new in 1955. At the peak of the market, I could've got a quarter of a million for it!!! Fortunately, I bought it long before the market went totally psychotic.

fintail

Where does the name come from? Is it semi-detached?

I wonder what the original owner of that place drove...I can see a 54 Chevy parked by it.

fintail

In the globalized new world order, this will be like a Lexus...this dealer, known for selling $27K+ Smart cars back in the day, is just a few blocks from me

A little depreciation

Odd survivor, insane price

I hope this wasn't made by an ice cream magnate

Can't be many left like this

When a limo meant something

Lemko's next car

Charming veteran

Andre-ish color?

texases

Maybach - let's see, that's $10/mile depreciation! What an 'investment'...I guess they haven't hit the collector's market yet :P

Baskin - Fin, if we take up a collection, will you stop posting these 'neo-classics'?

Corona - For some reason, the front end styling on these made a big impression on me. Distinctive.

Mr_Shiftright

2005 Maybach -- hey, that's only $50,000 a year in depreciation. Not bad, not bad. :sick:

70 Sunbeam Rapier -- seller says this is a "no reserve" auction and he starts the bidding at $15,600 dollars. Unclear on the concept? Good luck. $5000 would be a home run. Send it to the UK...oh wait, it's LHD...forget that....

1992 Baskin -- yes, when his partner Robbins died from eating mushrooms (a bit suspicious, that), then Baskin was left in full control of this kit car empire. The crate motor and rusted manifolds are a nice touch. I really like the tiny wheels, too.

69 Yota -- look at those bids will ya? Over $4k already. These were very good little cars.

1938 Cadillac Limo -- you know what discourages bidders on these beautiful old cars? No place to store them---they are generally too big for most garages.

1904 Olds Pie Wagon -- I would think $75,000 would be more MORE than enough for this.

Low Miles 73 Olds 4-door: Well now you know what the best one in the world is worth. About $2300 bucks.

xrunner2

RE Hardwood floor. Our first house was a ranch style (built 1956) with hardwood exposed in bedrooms, carpet over hardwood in LR. It had an open and connected floor plan with LR flowing into DR then kitchen. Previous (idiot) owner ran linoleum continuous from kitchen into DR. When we went to remodel, had great difficulty in getting the black goo mastic off of the DR floor. Tried many things and then somehow discovered that boiling hot water softens up, releases it from hardwood with gentle scraping of putty knife. Boiling water used for brief time did not damage the oak floor.

Closest thing to obscure today was observing newspaper being delivered at street box by paper packer in late 80's (?) Taurus.

imidazol97

>black goo mastic off of the DR floor.

Was that the black goo with asbestos in it?

wevk

Our brick house was built in the 30s. Built on a 2x12 pier & beam foundation, the walls and ceiling are shiplaped with 3/4" boards. (The practice then was to cover the wood walls with wallpaper) From the outside-in, brick, 3/4" shiplap, 2x4 (that actually measure 2x4) 3/4" shiplap, and added later, 1/2" plasterboard. A lot of lumber!

xrunner2

Don't know about asbestos. Linoleum was old, so maybe it was original dating back to 1956. Did they use asbestos in linoleum black mastic goo at any time? Using boiling hot water, rather than trying some other method maybe(?) held the asbestos particles within the goo.

Mr_Shiftright

Old houses are interesting but we really need to get back on course here. Thanks Shifty.

texases

How about if we spot a classic house on the road? :P

fintail

I did see an early Excalibur on ebay but it wasn't hideous enough to make it here :P

andre1969

Low Miles 73 Olds 4-door: Well now you know what the best one in the world is worth. About $2300 bucks.

I like that Olds alot, and if I had $2300 burning a hole in my pocket, and some free time to go get it, I'd be tempted. But I guess, even I have learned how to be picky. If I had an extra $2300, well, I also have a '79 New Yorker with a leaking power steering pump, a '79 5th Ave that needs new rear tires, a '76 LeMans that won't start because of no spark, a '67 Catalina that just got a split in the front seat (and I'm sure that once it starts, it'll spread fast :sick: ) and a '57 DeSoto that I really want to get roadworthy before my 40th birthday (4/2/10). So if I had an extra $2300 just itching to be spent, I have better things to spend it on!

Actually, cars like that Delta make me wish I was filthy rich, so I could buy as much stuff like that as I wanted....stuff that I like, but isn't necessarily valuable, and definitely ain't gonna turn a fat profit!

andys120

I saw one like it at an auto auction and was struck by how charming and cute it was, considering that back in the day I thought of them as really dull (which they were compared to say a Datsun 510).

The Corona was as important to Toyota as the Model T was to Ford Motor, their empire was primarily built on that car.

Mr_Shiftright

It was light years ahead of a Pinto or Vega in quality, although not equal to the Datsun 510, which was a cammer engine, but the Corolla was even more ahead of the long in the tooth VW. About the only compact in those days to equal the 510 was the Alfa Berlina and the BMW 2002, at considerably more expense. British cars were primitive hulks of a shattered Empire, Fiats were troublesome and grief-prone and Volvos were in transition from a great car (the old 122) to a very good car (the 240) but in 1969 stuck in the rather dreadful 140 series.

The Japanese got very lucky. They had the right cars at the right moment in time and they never looked back after that.

I agree, the Corona is a milestone car in automotive history.

fintail

A random fintail spotted in traffic is now worthy of a short video

andre1969

How popular were those old Coronas back in the day? I really don't remember them in these parts. The only Corona I can really remember was the generation just before the Camry, which was around 1979-82? Somewhat dull, conservative cars that seemed to come in any color you wanted as long as it was brown, but I've heard they were one of the most rock-solid cars Toyota ever built.

Did the Datsun 510 go on hiatus for awhile? I don't remember the older, boxy, "poor man's BMW" styles being very common around here. Or if they were, they were all rusted away by the time I was old enough to take notice. And I remember the late 70's model, the one with the square headlights and slight forward thrust, being pretty common. But I just can't picture anything in between.

Back in the late 70's and early 80's, the most common Toyotas I remember were Corollas and Celicas. Seemed like Datsun had more popularity across the entire lineup, as I can recall the B210 and later 210 being popular, as well as the 200SX, 280Z, 510, and the pickup truck.

imidazol97

Is this Fintail doing the narration?

Mr_Shiftright

Toyota # 1,000,000 was sold in 1972, and in 1975 Toyota became the #1 import in America.

So yeah, even by 1970 they were going strong in the small car market. The British were collapsing en masse, the Americans had nothing, the Italians were....well, the Italians, and VW was fading fast due to obsolescence.

The gates were held open for them, you might say. And in the "sports sedan" and "mid size import sedan" they were held open for BMW and Volvo.

Japan also jumped into the mini-truck market and Honda virtually annihilated the British motorcycle industry in about 3 years, 1970-73.

An awesome juggernaut, to say the least.

fintail

Nah, Fintail would have pointed out the model, the approximate year, and maybe some other arcane information

fintail

Today's sightings - Ford Fairmont, Camry 5-door, Daihatsu Rocky, flush headlight early Escort, and the same 63 Impala 2 door HT that has quietly been oxidizing away in a driveway a few houses away from my grandmother ever since I can remember.

Mr_Shiftright

re: Chevy Impala:

"Sell it? Hell no, I'm gonna restore this baby someday!"

xrunner2

Spotted the last generation Ford Thunderbird in an Biglots parking lot over the weekend. What a dopey looking car. What was Ford thinking?

lemko

Don't know where the name came from. I believe the designer or developer's name was Hyman Korman. Airlites can be single, duplex, or rowhomes. My house has three floors, a stone front, brick sides and back, and a garage integrated into the rear of the building with the basement.

Here's a great picture of typical NE Philly Airlite rowhomes with a 1960 Cadillac:

andre1969

a '67 Catalina convertible was spotted on the way to work...mine. :shades: Probably not the best day to drive it, as it was 28 degrees this morning, but it's supposed to get up to around 55-60 this afternoon.

The guards at the main gate at work were telling me I needed to get some blingy wheels (guess the 15" Rally 2's are still too small for their tastes) and some hydraulics, so I could make the car bounce as I'm coming up to the gate. I just said that I'm too old for that kind of crap! :P

lemko

My 1988 Buick Park Avenue is similar to the '88 Electra Limited, except my car has the much more useful dashboard with full instrumentation. The car in the pictures is in much nicer condition than my car, but that instrument panel is lame.

lemko

Spotted a beautiful maroon 1987-90 Buick Park Avenue on Sunday driven by an elderly couple.

fintail

That very well could be it. The car looks to be extremely straight, and is even wearing all of its hubcaps. But, it hasn't moved in eons, it's been parked in the same spot for maybe 25 years - at least since I was a little kid. Not a rare car, but still a waste.

fintail

Is that you in younger days?

Those houses have a nice prewar look that always goes good with old cars.

xrunner2

Isn't beautiful Buick, except mid 60's Rivs, an oxymoron? :P

lokki

Shhhhh.... Lemko might hear you!

fintail

Last night about 10pm on I-5 I saw something kind of sad...an otherwise nice looking 71-73 ish Ford LTD 4 door HT had tangled with an Acura TL and was off on the shoulder. The Acura had moderate looking damage, the front of the Ford wasn't bad, but the rear end was hit hard on a corner, I suspect it was either rear ended or tapped and then spun and hit the concrete barrier going backwards. One more old car lost its life.

Mr_Shiftright

Saw an immaculate Triumph TR8--showroom car, BRG, expensive chrome wheels. Also saw what looked to be a late 70s Triumph Spitfire with a "for sale" sign on it, faded paint, and a rope dangling from the front suspension.

On the freeway, saw an MB fintail, model 200, the "rustica" edition. :P

Lots of W123 diesels in my town, vast majority of them beat up like hell.

berri

Isn't beautiful Buick, except mid 60's Rivs, an oxymoron?

The Wildcat's were sharp looking cars then, particularly the 65/66 models. The Skylarks were nice too. I always liked the 61-62 Buick's as well.

I think 65/66 was a good period in general for all the domestic designers, but there were a lot of decent looking cars throughout the 60's really. The sixties gave us great looking cars and great music - hard to beat!

berri

Its a shame to see any old car ruined. The early Ford's were decent, but I think they started having a lot of reliability problems around the 73 models. I worked for a large corporation that actually stoopped buying Ford's for awhile in the mid 70's due to too many problems and expensive repairs, things like dropped trannies or rear ends, as well as engine problems on the 351's. Funny, march forward a decade or so and Ford may have had better reliability than Chevy. I guess its a cyclical thing or something.

andre1969

I think 65/66 was a good period in general for all the domestic designers, but there were a lot of decent looking cars throughout the 60's really. The sixties gave us great looking cars and great music - hard to beat!

I agree...I think just about everybody's cars looked good in '65-66, except maybe Mercury. I just don't care for the front-end of the big models...too flat-fronted. Smaller cars were a bit more hit or miss, though, IMO. The Dart/Valiant were kinda goofy, in a charming sort of way. The Falcon was just looking cheap by that time, but the Mustang and Chevy II were good looking. And GM's intermediates were gorgeous. Ford and Mercury, not so much, in my eye. And the midsize Dodges and Plymouths had a look about them that wasn't really beautiful, but more appliance like and tough...sorta like a refrigerator that could beat you up if you messed with it!

I think in '67, when the big cars started getting curvier, it messed up the styling a bit. I might be a bit hypocritical here, considering I have a '67 Catalina convertible! But I do think the '65-66 models are a bit less porky looking. I also didn't care for those really exaggerated fastback rooflines they started putting on big 2-doors in '67.

I don't think Buick ever made anything in the 1960's that I'd really consider ugly, though. Even in the 70's, I think Buick made some of the most attractive big cars around.

Mr_Shiftright

This is why you see the rather strange dichotomy of fewer and fewer old 4 door cars, even though they made more of them than 2D hardtops or convertibles. Nobody fixes old 4 doors when they get banged up unless it's something like a Jaguar MkII.

If that car were a Mustang convertible it would probably be repaired.

I'm glad to see old cars on the road. That's the risk you take. If you think about it, a '73 LTD sitting behind velvet ropes is absurd anyway.

berri

Yeah, Pontiac seemed to do a lot of experimenting with different looks in the later 60's with mixed results. However, the 69 Grand Prix was quite a looker. I never really cared much for the reverse slant C pillar on the 67 Dodge and Chrysler full size coupes. I think Ford's big contribution to the mid sixties may have been the sucessful upgrading of the full size 65 LTD to a more luxurious model at a fatter profit margin, although I kind of liked the look of the 64-66 T Birds. Chevy quickly stepped in the next year with the Caprice. The Fury VIP wasn't as sucessful in that market segment, but the basic Fury was a good car with great drivetrains. Even the 318 and Torqueflite was hard to beat.

Interesting that the late 60 and early 70's Skylarks are starting to get a lot of car auction interest. The Cutlass and Malibu seemed to own that market for a long time, except for muscle car Mopars.

fintail

One less survivor, although not a rare, valuable, or significant car, I guess I just see some shame in something which has survived for almost 40 years meeting its end with an Acura on a rainy night. At least the powertrains on those are very interchangeable, so its heart may live on in another old car. I think a lot of those had 429s with C6/9" rear end, and some people still like those.

I guess the style of the LTD is 71-72, It was one like this (photo taken from the charming "Avocado Memories" site).

I guess 73 was the year the big Fords changed, and as you say and I have heard before, not for the better.

fintail

Did the Caprice sedan debut in 65 or 66?

In 65 my grandpa bought a new Chrysler Newport, red, with a 383. It was his favorite car of all he owned.

Chevy was ahead of Ford styling wise at that time no doubt, but I find the 66-67 Fords to be pleasant enough looking to my eyes. The 65s seem too angular somehow. That must have been an amazing time to be car enthusiast, so many good looking products to choose from.

fintail

If anything, a crashed 4 door might keep a rarer car on the road, or resurrect it.

Now had it been a 4 door car like a fintail, it really would have been a tragedy

andre1969

Did the Caprice sedan debut in 65 or 66?

The Caprice came out in 1965, but it was a mid-year introduction. The Fury VIP also came out in mid-year 1965. While both were responses to the LTD, it still amazes me that they were able to react that quickly back in those days.

I agree, 1965 must have been a really exciting year. All the big cars, except for Imperial and Lincoln, were new. I guess the last time there was so much, so new, all at once, was 1957, when everybody except Pontiac, Chevy, and the independents were all-new.

These days, I'd imagine the market is just too segmented to be able to pull off a stunt like that. Plus, with all the emissions and safety testing cars have to go through, it would probably be a logisitical nightmare to pull off such an "all-new" year anymore.

I had a '67 Newport for a few months back in 1999. It was a 2-door hardtop, with that reverse-slant, Barracuda-ish roofline. I really didn't care for it, but it was a free car, so I can't complain!

Mr_Shiftright

Those LTDs are so huge, clumbersome and gas hungry, I doubt 99% of Americans would even WANT to drive one anymore. Where would you park it unless you lived in North Dakota?

Nobody cares about cars like that, let's face it. You wouldn't even get 2 glances at a car show.

boomchek

I saw today a early 90s european market Ford Escort RS, or whatever the sports model was. It was silver, bulging fenders, factory body kit, and spoiler, tagged with local BC plates.

I think it's another euro import that meets the 15 year old or older requirement that someone brought in. Pretty cool to have I think.

berri

The 383 was a great engine lost in the wake of hemi's and max wedges. I'm pretty sure the Caprice came out as a 66. The big thing they pushed in their ads was a formal squared off coupe roofline wrapped in vinyl. Personally, I thought the 66 (regardless of model) was a less attractive car than the 65 Impala, maybe because it was more conservative and less in your face, but the 65 really seemed to enhance the Coca Cola bottle side profile. I agree that Ford improved its looks in 66. The slightly revised front and rear ends helped a lot. I also liked the roofline on that year coupe. The wagon was actually a good looker that year as were the Mopar wagons. I think the 67 Ford has been underrated and agree its a decent looking car.

Mr_Shiftright

Those LTDs are so huge, clumbersome and gas hungry, I doubt 99% of Americans would even WANT to drive one anymore. Where would you park it unless you lived in North Dakota?

Nobody cares about cars like that, let's face it. You wouldn't even get 2 glances at a car show.