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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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This nameplate has been in continuous production since 1935 and is the longest continuous name ever carried on a motor vehicle.
Can you tell me what it is?
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
good job, yes "suburban". I saw one of those 60s era 3-door models, which are becoming somewhat collectible now.
And the ads: "Hey, Javelin"
I wonder if the original owner had any idea the car would still be on the road in 2011. I stopped for gas and a guy in a new style GTO talked to me about it, a person walking by complimented me, and a guy in a nice white 230SL with the top down gave a friendly honk.
I always wonder that too, if the original owners of the old cars I have had any idea they'd still be on the road after all these years. I remember the guy I bought the DeSoto from writing me in a letter telling me that his wife was really glad I bought the car, that she could tell I would take good care of it and cherish it. I imagine he's passed away by now. They were pretty elderly when I bought the car back in September of 1990, and I think she passed away around October of 1991. I still remember their names...Russell and Viola Spangler. They weren't the original owners though, as they bought it used in 1959.
I bought my second '79 New Yorker, the blue one, from the son of the original owner. The owner had passed away a few years before. The son confessed to me that he always hated the car, as he was a Ford man, but he was happy to see it go to someone who cared about it.
About a week ago, I went down to the garage and was able to get all four of the old beasts to start. And oddly, that blue New Yorker, which is normally the most cranky, was the easiest to start. The battery finally died in the 5th Ave, which also has to double as an emergency/backup car. So I jump started it, and then swapped batteries with the LeMans. I figure the LeMans, and the Catalina, don't have to touch the pavement again until March or so, but that 5th Ave needs to run, in case the Buick or the Silverado go down. The DeSoto's still at the mechanic. Hopefully, with luck, it'll be roadworthy in 2011!
Cars decayed a lot faster back in the day - 40-50 years ago the average 10 year old car was usually a heap, today most are in OK condition. I have to believe the original owners of the machines we care for now (as hopefully they will be around after us) did not expect this.
I've tried tracking down the original owner of the fintail - I have lots of documents from when he owned the car, but turned up nothing. I suspect he was older when the car was new, and has been gone for a long time. The guy I bought it from didn't care, I think...I was still a teenager when I bought it, he had bought it as a gift for his wife, who hated it and she pretty much refused to drive it - he would take it out maybe once a month. Seeing it go opened up a garage space.
The modern car also shines in the snow...it's not a common sight around here, so I had to snap a couple pics...and it is a rare car too. That street is an ice rink.
Most brands haven't had much in the way of styling in the past 15 or so years that will be remembered fondly when they are 50.
A 59 Rambler Super V8 like that has to be about as rare today as a nice fintail, too.
Actually those Rambler V8s of that era were pretty quick. 327 cid and 270 HP.
I actually don't mind Ramblers of that vintage, or even later ones...relatively clean designs for the time anyway.
In 1957, the 327 was used in the Rebel, when it put out 255 hp, and in that lightweight it managed 0-60 in 7.5 seconds. Just to put that in perspective that's about what a '64 GTO would do with the standard 389-4bbl and a stick shift.
In 1958 though, the 250 became the Rebel engine, while the 327 was used only in the Ambassador.
I've seen the "Rebel" badge on a 57, that alone looked cool. Can't be many of those left.
According to this, a fintail performs like a sports car :shades:
And they survived long after every Rambler had already disintegrated into small piles of Ferrous Oxide dust.
Actually, that might not be too far from the truth. When you think about it, back then most sports cars were more about handling and braking than acceleration or top speed. Although 12 seconds 0-60 is pretty darn good for something with an engine that small. In 1957, your typical run-of-the-mill V-8 Plymouth, Ford, or Chevy did 0-60 in around 11-13 seconds, while the 6-cyl cars were more like 15-16 seconds or worse.
I remember seeing an old road test of a 1957 DeSoto Firedome convertible, with the 341-2bbl and torqueflite, and I think 0-60 came up in 9.7 seconds. I also saw a road test of a 1958 Firesweep, the Dodge-based version, and it was more like 10.5-11 seconds, despite being lighter and having a slightly larger 350 wedge with 10 more hp.
And one of the biggest embarrassments of that era, IMO, was a test that "Uncle Tom" McCahill did of a 1959 Impala with a 348 tri-power! 0-60 was something like 13.1 or 13.4 seconds. I think it was hampered by having a Turboglide though. Usually a 3-speed automatic gives better performance than a 2-speed, but I've heard that the Turboglide actually hurt performance, compared to the Powerglide.
And yeah, they need to be revved. My car with the 4 speed auto loves to upshift too soon, then the engine lugs down and sputters. I keep it in a lower gear as much as I can...probably led to the shift linkage breaking a couple years ago, I shift it myself a lot.
This year the cooling system will be gone over...I want the steering wheel restored...and the tires and brakes are getting up there in age.
And then there's next year, and the next year, and the year after that.
Wooden wheels too?
I'd think a prewar Ford V8 could be a useful get around car.