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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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Another victim of careless driving was a beautiful bronze 1966 Caprice driven by another girl. The car was repaired with used body panels in different colors and was destined to be a jalopy for the rest of its life.
My best friend's Dad had a brown 1973 Impala sedan and a gold 1971 Caprice hardtop. I remember trying to buy the '71 from him but buying my 1968 Buick about a month later.
Another guy I knew had a 1972 Impala sedan which was in excellent condition. It was dark blue with a white top.
I guess that shouldn't shock me though, as there's also a website dedicated to the Buick Apollo! http://www.buickapollo.com
I just went outside to get a closer look...and this car is super CLEAN.
No, its not a hardtop (i.e no vinyl roof) just a 4 door sedan.
Brown interior, real nice, no visible tears or dashboard cracks. Original AM radio looked to be in place, too.
Kinda hard to see inside because the windows were tinted.
http://www.carhomepage.com/members/index.php?IDuser=352
I think I remember seeing them when I was in Rio ca. '75-6. Cute cars and you don't get much more obscure than a Brazilian Willys based on a Renault Alpine. No, I don't know what an A108 was.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Shifty, was that 5 speed pagoda the ZF transmission that is worth so much money now? And you sure right about them needing to be wound up...the fintail is the same way, the FI system seems to be intolerant of low speeds, esp in traffic james and border queues.
I wonder if the Willys name could be brought back...
An Alpine 106 actually won its class in the 1956 Mille Miglia.
A 280SL with the rare 5-speed brings at least a $3,500 premium to the price. I'd sure pay extra for it.
Somehow the name Willys doesn't have much cache for the 21st Century, does it? I suppose if you pronounced it "Willis", but I can't imagine telling a car valet to "get me the willies".
However, I always liked the name "Willys-Knight".
Here are some great names out of Cars for Sale in Hemmings Motor News this month:
1912 Apperson Jack Rabbit
1911 Krit
1910 Cutting
1916 Woods Mobilette
Apperson Jackrabbit...I read something about that car when I was much younger. I think it was quite a performer for the day. Someday, I would really like to have a veteran car. At a local car show last year someone had an early one cylider Cadillac, c.1905, and it was the neatest little car. I love how those things chug along...very charming. Early day supercars like a Mercedes Simplex are just as cool to me, but not as attainable.
Here's a 5 speed 230SL http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- =2454937157&category=6329
Someone please rescue this fintail! They are wrong on the year (220S production ceased in 1965) but it looks great anyhow, and is worth saving. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- =2455024888&category=6329
http://www.dearbornauto.com/showroom/1965_300se_silver/index.htm
Those converts are sweet---they ride well and have enough power to handle modern roads.
RE: 5-speed 230SL --- I thought the "fully restored" comment was amusing given the photos, and a car from Paris with no rust is another remark that stretches one's credulity. But it would be a decent car to upgrade if the price wasn't too high.
People use "restored" and "original" both very arbitrarily. You see some very amusing stuff on ebay.
I have heard stories about some of the tail end of W112 sedan production also being built with that 5 speed. I want one of those.
Reminds me of something...someone tried to sell me a Jaguar 420 the other week. Remember those?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Yep, Jaguar 420 in the boneyard, too. There are lots of pieces on that car that can fit into more desirable Jaguars.
A presentable body and interior should be worth a grand. It'd make a good project for a MB tinkerer. More fun than a Jag 420
I actually saw one of these on the road today, keeping up with traffic at about 40mph
/65 Sb, automatic, working a/c, supposed to be spotless, 2 documented owners, garaged, asking $5,000 in Los Gatos.
Saw a "pristine" fintail in Hemmings with no price from Walter Star Sales in Colorado....that's walterscars.com. It sounds pretty amazing:
"1963 - Mercedes Benz 220S Sedan Light Ivory with a mint leather interior. This is really a one-owner vehicle that was owned by a little old lady in Vail, Colorado. The car is completely original and looks as good as the day she drove it off the dealers lot. We have fantastic maintenance records for the vehicle and if you’re looking for the nicest fin tail sedan on the planet then you can stop your search because here it is."
(Saw the photos---the car looks absolutely brand new--make him an offer and you can keep it for the rest of your life. I'm sure the price is silly but money talks, you know.)
Here's one in Washington (state of), asking $3,600 (too much for a 190)
1962 MERCEDES BENZ 190C, RUNS AND DRIVES GREAT, NEW PARCHMENT INTERIOR. $7,500 INVESTED, DAILY DRIVER, RECORDS FROM NEW, 134,000 ORIGINAL MILES,BODY GREAT, MOSTLY ORIGINAL PAINT. NEW TIRES
Here's one in Santa Cruz California:
"1962 MERCEDES BENZ 220SE SEDAN, 4 DR, 285K MILES, EXC IN/OUT CONDITION, W/SNRF, $3800 OR BEST OFFER, 831-425-9095.
Probably could get that one for a bit less, too, but price is sort of market correct if it's clean.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Some of those fintails could be good deals. You are right about that 110 being too high...the quad lights and chrome of the 111 cars is what makes the price. I'd pick the SE over the others just for the FI, if everything is working. I think one can be a lot of old car for the money...perfectly usable on modern roads, yet pretty unusual and fun. And if someone knows what they are doing...they wouldn't be worse off putting a good engine in a good body. I paid $1500 for mine btw...about 10 years ago now...but I did have to do some engine work after a couple years, as it was burning oil. I don't want to that ever again.
I guess I just live in the wrong place, but I never see fintails, rarely do I even see any later (67-72, or even the 73-80s) S-class Benzes. A friend of my brother does have a pretty nice '64 SEb convertible, though. Basically, in Chicago, anytime anyone has a decent, low or no rust car over twenty years old, it's treated like the holy grail and priced accordingly. I think I'll buy a bunch of cheap old 4x4 trucks, send them to Jolie in Alaska where they sell for a mint, stop in California with the proceeds on the way back and buy a bunch of cheap, rust-free but otherwise unremarkable old cars and sell them for beaucoup back here. It's the best retirement plan I've come up with yet.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Maybe the bus I saw was a retrofit. I can't imagine driving something like that in modern traffic...so big and heavy, and it has to have manual everything. And it was right in the middle of a pack of traffic, keeping up! It was pretty cool in its own way, I like 1930s streamlined styling. The one I saw was a darker color than the one in that link, btw...maroon I am pretty sure.
I think CA, TX, CO etc are the only places where old MB survive. Even here in the northwest, old cars rust away, they just take longer to get to the point of no return. I have seen so many fintails that were beyond redemption. Newer cars tend to do better...lots of nice appearing 80s Japanese stuff still around...it will rust away in another 10 years, whereas in the rust belt the cars were vanishing 10 years ago.
I only saw it from a distance, but could see that the front-end clip was gone, and the top was reduced to rags. Still, it was a bit odd, seeing something like that in a junkyard, nowadays! I figured somebody'd snatch something like that up, even if to get a few more parts off of it! For example, it still had the taillights and doors. And with the money people seem to want for those things nowadays, I'm surprised it didn't get sold as a "project car"!
Only other thing of interest I saw was an MG. Don't know much about them, except it was white, small, had rubberized bumpers, and was smoking.
Oh yeah, on tv, I caught part of "For Your Eyes Only". Hadn't seen it in years, but I always remembered the car chase at the beginning. James and whichever Bond girl this one was were running from the bad guys in one of those Citroen Deux Chevaux thingies! Also spotted a Mercedes bus during the chase. I knew Benz made buses, but I don't think I've ever seen one. Kind of a neat looking thing.
At least somebody got a front clip from it, so that's good. As for lights and trim bits, you can buy all that stuff these days, no sweat.
Now if it were a split-window '63 Vette coupe, well then, it wouldn't be there...
The tradition continues, today's Bristol cars feature Hemi-power, Bristol being one of the largest remaining British-owned manufacturers.
http://www.bristolcars.co.uk/Blenheim3/power.htm
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Speaking of that Vette...there's a little old lady in town, must be in her late 70s at least...who on sunny summer days can be seen sporting around in her 66 Stingray. It's red, it's immaculate, and she's quite a sight...now that's an unusual one.
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" features a fintail that chases Bond (in that Cougar, if I recall) that rolls over at fairly low speed...and very shortly after bursts into flame. I would expect better crashworthiness....LOL
Camaros---nah, a car like that is hopeless. You can buy a beautiful "basic" Camaro convertible for $15-20K, and you certainly can't restore a mangled junkyard car for anything like that---more like 3 times the price of one that's already done. And then all you have is a pretty common car unless it is a big block or an RS/SS. It would be an unskillful decision. Besides, there are plenty of running but botched-up Camaros out there begging to be made right, and they could be done for a lot less money then a turkey carcass the day after Thanksgiving.
With later cars, even if they didn't have the full fender well, the fenders themselves were lower, so I'd guess the mud wouldn't sling up into that same spot.
My old fintail rotted in the exact places you mentioned. Best thing to do is throw a magnet on those places right off the bat if you are thinking of buying one that "looks good".
My neighbor has an Alfa Guilia or Guilietta under a tarp in front of his garage right now. He had one upside down under his back porch when I bought the house, some of the neighbors were annoyed with this but I had a feeling we would get along pretty good.
On the "memory lane" front I remember riding in a neighbors Mercedes fintail as a kid. In rural Minnesota back then ('60's) that was one odd car.
Far weirder was a little collection on a main street in a near by town. I always looked at those strange little cars and wondered what they were, local legend was that the guy "built 'em hisself". Years later I realized that it was a nest of little Fiats, 500s, 600s & several Multiplas! A Multipla in that setting looked like a leftover from an alien landing.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Wasn't there a Multipla based on the Cinquecento? Can you imagine driving one in the Italian Alps?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Fintails were very well made, but they forgot about rust related issues. I think andre is right about why the front ends can get rusty, those high fenders have plenty of moisture cavities. There's also a funny area just in front of the firewall that runs along the fender near the shock mount that causes water to pool...has to be a rust magnet. And that's not even close to the drainage issues that cause the trunks to go.
You can see the rust nest near the fender (also handy for leaving tools and driving away), and also see how open it is under the car. My 126 has a big plate under the engine and it is not so open.
Multiplas are pretty cool. There's one in a neighboring town here....it sounds like a lawnmower. I am sure it's a fun vehicle, and has to turn heads as much as a supercar.
And that crazy thing with a propeller (Leyat?) had a rather one box design also.
Well I guess Lee Ioccoca (actually wasn't it really Hal Sperlich?) didn't do it after all.
One of my old favorites is the Nash-Healy. Did pretty good at LeMans, and I like both the Panelcraft & Pinifarina bodies. Might make a good classic to have as a driver. What are they worth?
I'm crazy for Arnolt-Bristols, also. One of my favorite Bertone bodies, with a neat inline 6 for power and music, and they were supposed to handle well. What's not to like. If anyone thinks of me next Christmas it would make a great stocking stuffer. I think a deep blue would highlight those curves really well. ;D
The Scarab was a little more normal....really something for 1935
There is stilla Dymaxion running somewhere as well as a running Leyat (propeller car from France as you might have guessed).
And Healy must always be spelled Healey or the ghost of Donald Healey will haunt you! It was a handsome car but rather dragged down by the technically backward Nash engine and by the eventual cost of the car (they only made 500 of them total). Worse yet, it came out just as Jaguar introduced the stunning and modern XK120 for the same price. To the car's credit, it ran successfully at LeMans, winning I think a third and another year a fourth place. Pretty darn good for a car that was not particularly fast or modern. Built on an Austin Healey Silverstone frame.
Wasn't there a Leyat running at Goodwood this year?
Hey Mr. Shiftright, what's your take on these older Mazda trucks? I know they're nothing exciting, but they seem to be reliable products. My dad had one years ago and we had good luck with it, but we had major trouble with rust.