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

explorerx4

i was thinking the same thing, although the last 4 numbers are 0086.
you would think there would have been another uncovered by now.

texases

"So basically he's claiming that he has the only "4" stamped Mustang in the world, that anyone anywhere has ever seen. "

Isn't that a much more reasonable explanation than "Joe-Bob got out his number stamps and made himself a '64!"

kyfdx

It's parked up the street, right now...

Not too hard to see why these didn't do well.... :sick:

kyfdx

Not sure of the year... I'm going to guess early '60s. What was the first year of the "modern" bodystyle? I'd guess this one is close... Completely restored down to the wheels and hubcaps.. In that blue/green and white two-tone paint..

It's weird to think how skinny tires used to be.... If I had to guess, the tires on this one looked like 165/85-14s...

andre1969

Not sure of the year... I'm going to guess early '60s. What was the first year of the "modern" bodystyle? I'd guess this one is close...

Ford came out with a new body in 1957 that was very modern looking for the time. It had a hood that was totally flat across, whereas Chevy/GMC and Dodge still had the raised hood/lower fender look. However, I don't think the '57 Ford trucks were regarded as very attractive.

I think another all-new body came out for 1961, one that did away with the wraparound windshield. It was pretty modern looking, and fairly attractive. That style lasted through 1966, and for '67 a style came out with a lattice grille and front-end that canted forward, a style that seemed to be everywhere when I was a kid.

kyfdx

It had the same paint scheme as this '64.. Definitely in the '61-64 range..

kyfdx

That's the first picture I've ever posted... lol..

andre1969

This morning as I went outside to let the dog do his business, I saw one of these go by...


I always thought these were good looking trucks, but prefer the style with the more recessed round headlights, like this:


I think those recessed headlights, with the blackout trim, gives the truck a bit of a menacing, evil look. Not that I'm into worshipping evil, or anything like that. And I swear I didn't ASK for a license plate with a 666 on it! :shades:

boomchek

I stumbled upon this dealer site based in Seattle that specializes in used BMWs. They have an M1 for sale for $150k. Here are the details I don't think I've even seen one in person ever.

Mr_Shiftright

Pretty pricey for an M1

texases

Did some M1s actually come from the factory with those flares/spoilers/etc? I don't remember that.

fintail

Hmmm...I know that car. I think it's been for sale in different regions for some time. I don't think the bodykit is correct.

The people at NCOCP aren't won over either.

boomchek

Looks like an aftermarket kit intalled in Germany back in the day.

kyfdx

My local dealer has an M1.. Sometimes it's in for service, and I'll spot it... Red.

Mr_Shiftright

M1 is a funny duck. It was originally built to compete with the Porsche 911 on the serious race track, and well....THAT didn't happen. They got smacked around pretty good, so then they raced in their own special class races.

The M1 is an exotic you can drive everyday, so that's a plus. Some people compare it to an Acura NSX, and that's a minus....it strikes the real exotica freaks as a somewhat bland car---hence all the wingies and dingies to tart it up perhaps?

Back in the day (1980) or so, it might have been fast, but now...a new Corvette would probably mangle it.

Also, it is a totally illegal car in the USA, so without a stack of EPA and DOT certificates, a wise buyer wouldn't touch this car.

I'm thinkin' about $125K is all the money right now, August 2009 market. That's if you want this particular street walker of an M1. They only made...what...about 460 or them give or take?

It's a narrow market, but if someone wants something that looks like a Ferrari without all the headaches, maybe this is your baby.

texases

"Back in the day (1980) or so, it might have been fast, but now...a new Corvette would probably mangle it. "

Hmm...3.5 l, 277hp, 3174 lbs...time to trot out the old "a new Camry or Accord" line, of course the weight and handling are worlds apart, but it is just 277 hp. A new Corvette has, what, 400 hp in that weight body? Mangle, for sure!

Mr_Shiftright

Corvette is a lot of bang for the buck---true, a Corvette's interior ages in dog years, but after 4-5 years of too much fun at bargain prices, who cares? The Corvette and the M1 are two different animals anyway, one a mass produced car and the other an exotic oddity--so they will behave very differently in the marketplace of the future.

I guess you could say that for $125K you can be the star at most local BMW meets.

andre1969

I've always been a bit confused with some of these "illegal" foreign cars. I understand them being banned from the United States as new cars, because they might not meet US emissions regs, fuel economy regs, safety, etc. But what about once they become antique cars?

I mean, I doubt a Trabant would meet US safety or emissions regs, but I see them on the street from time to time. So I guess there's a way around it?

Or is there some special hoop that a BMW M1 would have to jump through that you wouldn't have to worry about with a Trabant, Aussie Charger or Falcon, etc?

fintail

I'd like that car more if it wasn't loaded with the look-at-me colors and knicknacks. I assume it isn't an original tuned/modified car, just a normal M1 made to look like a period creation. From my MB experience, cars usually covered in geegaws late in life have had rough lives.

Interesting cars, especially relative to the timeframe, the height of malaise. But with those specs, yeah, a lot of normal looking cars could take it on today...no doubt a Corvette would destroy it...even my sedate looking E55 would probably leave it in the dust.

fintail

I am not 100% certain, but can't a car over 25 years old be privately imported without modification?

Back in the day an M1 would have had to be "federalized", but now I think you could just ship one over, if you had the money.

Mr_Shiftright

It's all pretty complex. You may be seeing cars that fall under "exceptions", which might be things like a) owned by a museum b) driven by a foreign national working legally in the USA for a period of time or c) used solely in racing venues.

Also, cars 25 years an older should be exempt....BUT...this depends on when and how it first came into the country. For instance, if the M1 was brought in years ago under a museum application, I'm not so sure it would fall under the 25 year rule---whereas if it shipped right from Germany in 2009, probably it would fall under the 25 year rule.

Point is, don't buy anything until you've cleared it up with the rules people.

kyfdx

M1s are gray market cars? Really? I thought they were sold in the USA by BMW dealers... :surprise:

Mr_Shiftright

Not legally. I don't think so. Maybe they did the conversion work and sold them afterwards, I don't know.

Or were you kidding about the new M1 series?

kyfdx

No... I really thought M1s were sold in BMW dealers as US models..

maybe, I'm wrong.. :surprise:

This might cause me to reexamine my entire existence... quit drinking.. do more charity work!

NAH...

ghulet

.....at the opposite end of the spectrum, I saw one of these today. Except not as nice. And it was brown:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Fg6I_cn4SXk/SATtzGlK6yI/AAAAAAAAAbg/TVbjOxghxGo/s400/8- 1%2Bimark%2Brear.jpg

that's exciting as my day became.

fintail

That's a pretty obscure sighting, especially in a rust-prone area.

I saw nothing worth remembering today.

Regarding the M1, yeah I think all of the ones shipped to NA back then were grey market.

andre1969

this morning I spotted a 1954 Pontiac wagon with a for sale sign, in the front yard of the people who own the local wrecking company and have a small junkyard out back. It looked pretty solid, paint was a faded Brookmere Green Poly (and no that wasn't from memory :P )

They also had two Delta 88's under their carport. One looked like a 1985, with a bold,chromey eggcrate grille that I think they lifted off of the previous year's Ninety-Eight. I couldn't see the front of the other. There was also a 1991-96 Park Ave parked outside the carport.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh man I love those "tin woodies" 53-54. I'd love to have one. They have utility, and not being woodies, they can be reasonably priced and easily maintained. I think I'd like a Chevy over a Pontiac (easier to find parts), and definitely a 235 stove-bolt rather than a 216 stove bolt engine. Three on the tree, natch. No PowerSlush for this boy!

andre1969

For some reason, I do find the 1954 Pontiac particularly attractive. I think it's the grille...I like that oval piece in the center, which I think looks nice, and gives the car a bit of a modern look. It looks newer, somehow, than the 1953 model.

How much horsepower did Pontiac's straight-eight have in 1954? I'm guessing it would most likely be mated to the 4-speed Hydramatic? Would that have been a good combination?

Also, could you get a fake woodgrain on them in 1954? This one was all green, no 2-toning or woodgrain. Kinda weird seeing something like this pop up less than 2 miles from my house...I wonder where it came from originally. This wrecker sometimes gets some neat stuff in from time to time, though.

Mr_Shiftright

54 Pontiac Wagon with "wood" trim

Here's one way to do it---but I notice there's no power steering---bummer.

These cars are slow, heavy, gas-slurping tanks. At least a stick shift might make it more fun to drive.

I think Chevys are easier to mod--disk brakes, p/s, vintage air, that sort of thing.

andre1969

I think Chevys are easier to mod--disk brakes, p/s, vintage air, that sort of thing.

They were both on the A-body platform back then, but were the Chevy/Pontiac different enough that if an aftermarket disc brake setup was offered for the Chevy, it wouldn't fit the Pontiac?

I guess I'm just used to the Mopar way of doing things, where the ball joint on a 1957 DeSoto is the same as on a 1968 Dart is the same as on a 1979 New Yorker. But I could see GM doing something obnoxious like that. I remember when my '67 Catalina needed new ball joints, it was a part that was used only in 1967-68 (nevermind the fact that it was the same basic car from 1965-70) and ONLY on Pontiac (While still B-bodies, it was a different part from a Chevy, Olds, or Buick).

With GM doing stuff like that, it's amazing they stayed profitable as long as they did. But I guess there's also lots of money to be made in replacement parts.

fintail

I drove a few hours south today, saw some oddities. A 56 Ford Victoria 2 door HT - not a Crown, just a hardtop with the longer back window. A 59 Ford convertible, top down - probably a retractable. A ca. 66 Olds Cutlass or 442. A Subaru Justy 4WD sedan, white of course.

And the oddest of oddities, a RR Silver Shadow. Early model, chrome bumpers, and wearing vintage plates - but I couldn't read the year. It looked restored or a pristine original, it was spotless cruising down I5 at about the speed limit, And here's the best part - it was an estate conversion, like this:



I would have got a pic, but traffic was tight and the road wasn't straight, so I didn't want to risk it. Never seen one of those before!

boomchek

Now that's definetely an oddity!!!

Mr_Shiftright

Actually the *perfect* Rolls to chop up, since the SS isn't worth anything as a sedan. Now it's unique and undoubtedly would bring a better price than stock. In my book, good move. It must not have been cheap to do, though. Well, when it breaks down you can sleep in it!

fintail

Oh yeah, and it was RHD...and driven by an older Asian couple. The whole sight was like from another dimension...these little old people in a RHD freakshow station wagon in the middle lane of I5 on a warm summer afternoon.

fintail

I am pretty sure it was an period conversion, from the UK. Worth more than a normal SS no doubt...which isn't saying much.

In the small town I am in now there is a pristine SS too - it's a late series car, and it's kind of a brown/burgundy and gold two tone. Classy!

Mr_Shiftright

One would be very fortunate to get $10,000 for a clean SS these days.

lemko

...medium green 1979 Oldsmobile Delta 88 sedan with light green top and a blue 1974 Chevrolet Nova two-door sedan with a black top.

lemko

Whoever thought this was a good thing to do to a 1978 Chevrolet Caprice?

fintail

Just don't turn...or go straight...and you'll be fine.

$3000 car with $10000 worth of mods...aint that America.

On the obscure car note, someone unearthed a ca. 66 Continental sedan a few blocks from my mom's house. Burgundy, looks very straight and clean. Also spotted a ca. 65 Chevy II wagon with a for sale sign in the window on a residential side street.

boomchek

I'd have trouble getting in that thing. I'd need one of those multi ladders or a power retractable escalator to get in.

fintail

Obscure period paint job:



(my brother's $750 pickup....I went for a ride in it, it really does run like a Swiss watch, amazing).

It still has sealed beam headlights!

ghulet

....new-wave paint job and all. That truck would have rusted into oblivion here, unfortunately. Eeek.

toomanyfumes

Yeah I had a 1980 Toyota 4X4 pickup and by 1990 the frame had rusted completely through and the truck was literally bending in half, the front of the bed was pressing against the rear of the cab.

fintail

This truck my brother bought has some surface rust in the bed and a few spots on the paint - but nothing deep, no holes, and the floors are spotless. It has original rubber mats inside. One of the door panels is falling apart, there's a crack in the dash, but the glass is good and everything works. The original owner lived about 50 miles away, and the truck also has the owners manual and warranty book, which is surprising. I assume it has never been hit before, with the ancient headlights and intact stripes.

I am nagging him to sand out the bed, treat the rust, primer or POR-15 the bed, and polish and wax the rest - but he is pretty lazy, and won't commit to it yet.

The 'new wave' stripes are pretty unique, I don't recall seeing that exact pattern before.

andys120

IIRC correctly some of those Silver Clouds and Silver Shadows were converted to Shooting Brakes by Radford and/or Tickford who did the Aston-Martin DB4/5/6 Brakes.

Mr_Shiftright

I've seen photos of a Radford Cloud, I believe it was. Sort of a woody design. I can't imagine spending all the money on a Shadow.

explorerx4

before a couple of hours ago, i would swear i haven't seen one of those in years.
my soon to be high school senior daughter got a ride to the blink182 concert by the soon to be high school senior class president (she is vp).
i'll be darned if he doesn't show up in a 'taliban special*' version of that exact truck!
*credit to Terry from RWTIV.
i didn't take a good look at it, but i didn't see any rust on it.

fintail

I called my brother's truck a "Taliban special"....I don't think he got it :sick:

I do have to wonder how many 2003 Toyota pickups will be around in 2029.

I found a parts truck on CL that supposedly has a good interior, dash pad, and many extra trim pieces. I might nag my brother to check it out, if he is going to be serious about fixing up the little thing.

andre1969

spotted yesterday while I was running errands. It was white with a white landau roof. However, the vinyl covered over the rear quarter windows, and there was a stainless steel-looking band going up just aft of the door window, up and over, sort of like those "basket handles" of the old Crown Victorias.