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

hpmctorque

That 5-door is an Encore. Same platform and drivetrain as the Alliance.

lemko

Spotted a 1976 Pontiac LeMans in Firethorn, sans the vinyl roof, at work. It was sporting wheelcovers that looked like they came off a Olds Cutlass from around that time.

fintail

That Alliance is something, can't remember the last time I saw a 5 door in any condition. I had a toy one of those when I was a kid. Always makes me think of James Bond:

lemko

I remember these when they were new:



I even had the yellow Matchbox version of this car. I think it's still around somewhere.

toomanyfumes

My dad bought an Alliance new in '84. Probably the slowest car I ever drove, by the time it was a year old the brakes were shot, the trans was slipping, and other issues I can't remember.

He tried every dealer in town to trade it, no one wanted it, finally the Plymouth dealer took it and he bought a Turismo.

Mr_Shiftright

Is the woman in the sunroof waving for help?

uplanderguy

When I travelled with work back then, it was not unusual to get an Alliance or Encore as a rental. Sloooowwwwww, is what I mostly remember about them, especially trying to drive around Newark, NJ.

Once I had an Encore. It wasn't more than a year old. The one hatch strut just was lying in its channel. The hatch was being held up by one strut.

Le Car--George Costanza's first car. He said people in school called him "Le George".

fintail

I had one in silver...it was an old toy car at the time, but useful for my European street scenes in Lego.

Who actually bought those things new?

ab348

I sort of knew a guy back in the 80s - said that way because he worked in the same building as me, we were about the same age, saw each other out at the bars many nights and had sort of a nodding acquaintance. He was very much the ladies man, good-looking guy, sharp dresser, smoked a pipe sometimes. Very cultivated image. The pretty girls seemed to think he was attractive.

Then one day I saw him driving down the street in a Le Car! I couldn't help but laugh, blew his entire image out of the water.

Of course, maybe the girls thought it was cute...

andys120

This AM I saw '64 Galaxie 500XL four door parked at a Fitness center, it was in like new shape with perfect chrome, glossy paint and period correct wheel covers w skinny whitewalls. It wore the black Thunderbird "390" engine badge.

It looked like this but had four doors and a full length chrome spear.>



Every time I see a full-sizer from the 60s I'm just amazed at the sheer bulk of the thing. It overflowed the skinny modern sized parking slot.
.

kyfdx

My grandfather bought a '62 Galaxie, new.... Black with red interior..

At the time, it was for my grandmother to learn to drive on... as he had a '49 Ford for his daily driver.. Well, Grandma never learned to drive and the car just sat... In 1968, they moved to the city, and he sold the '49 and started driving the Galaxie.. He died fairly young in 1971, and the car had around 40K miles...

I begged the family to keep the car for me, but it was three years before I'd turn 16, and they sold it for $500...

fintail

An XL 4 door hardtop would be the "fastback" variety I assume, like this. Kind of odd cars:



I remember right after I got out of high school, mid 90s, an odd used car lot in town had a white on blue one like this, they wanted 3495 for it i think, it was pretty immaculate and worth the money for sure.

jljac

Franco-American Motors was even worse than AMC. I am glad Studebaker died proud sellling Avantis and Hawks instead of Gremlins, Pacers and LeFrog cars.

andys120

Yep, it had the same roofline and trim as your photo.

berri

An XL 4 door hardtop would be the "fastback" variety I assume, like this. Kind of odd cars

I always kind of liked the unique C pillar treatment on that car and its Mercury counterpart. I also liked that era Mercury Marauder. Then again, I also like the flat top 59/60 GM 4dr HT's. although they didn't seem to carry off as well on the longer wheelbase Caddy and Electra...and yeah, I'll even admit to not minding the 58 Edsel! These are the kind of somewhat unique styling that made for the Populuxe era in American history and design.

uplanderguy

Was there a regular Galaxie 500 4-door hardtop and did it have the same or different roofline/rear door and window treatment than the XL?

berri

I'm pretty sure that was the only roofline. Actually, the 4dr sedan has a bit of the same C pillar treatment. The Ford I really liked from that era the best was the 63.5 Galaxie 500XL with buckets in either convertible or fastback coupe (and I don't exactly know why), followed by the 66 2dr HT (yep, C-Pillar treatment again!). As for GM, I know the 63/64 Impala was very popular, but I think I actually like the 61 and 62 Impala better, and I'm a big fan of the coke bottle bodied 65 and 67 as well (didin't like the rear end on the 66 as much).

fintail

Yep, I think the 64 sedan had a more forward leaning C-pillar than the formal 63.

I don't mind Fords of that era either, can be handsome cars. My first car was a 66 Galaxie 2 door HT, dark blue on blue, relatively sharp car.

Odd car sighting today - original style Mini.

berri

Odd car sighting today - original style Mini.

A dad of a friend of mine in college actually drove one of those and it wasn't really that bad of a little car. IIRC, wasn't that one of the early users of McPherson strut suspension?

lemko

...spotted an Isuzu Ascender this morning on the way to work and thought of an even rarer Isuzu - the VehiCross. I believe only 4100 of them were imported here.

ab348

No MacPherson struts on old Minis. The first versions used a rubber-ball style "spring" at each corner, then went to BMC's Hydrolastic. I believe the later versions dropped the Hydrolastic and went back to the rubber ball springs, but I'm unsure of that.

berri

Thanks. I knew they were early adapters of FWD and I belive a transverse engine. Wasn't sure on the suspension.

Mr_Shiftright

The early MINI was radically brilliant. We're talking "out of the box" thinking for the times.

fintail

Barrett-Jackson fever continues

Beautiful day here, I have the old beast out, but haven't seen many unusual cars. A Merkur, a couple of W210 E55s (I think half of them were sold in the PNW), and a late 80s Corvette convertible...thats it.

andre1969

Just got around to posting the pics I took this past weekend on my trip to the GM Nationals in Carlisle, PA. In some of the early pics, that's my '67 Catalina and Lemko's '89 Brougham.

fintail

Nice pics, I like the view down the hood on the highway. And a Chevette, the star of the show I am sure :shades:

Saw a few oddities here this afternoon - big Healey, middle aged woman driving a pristine stock red and white 56 Bel Air 2 door HT, huge mid 70s Ford wagon, and at the local high end special interest dealer, a 300SL gullwing and roadster side by side in the showroom.

Mr_Shiftright

Gee I wonder what it costs to restore a VW bus to that extreme level, and...more to the point...what do you do with it NOW? do you dare let anyone near it for that kind of money?

stickguy

on the same stretch of road, so possible there was some sort of car show nearby.

first, a Dodge dart GT. about a 70 I would guess. Heavily modified 9suspension, tires, and a serious growl from the engine). I would bet it was upsized to a 383 or a 440 from the sound.

Then stuck at a light a cobra of some sort. Likely a kit car, but only saw the nose so could not tell how good of an imitation it was!

Oh, and outside of a diner with a new sports bar add-on in Bellmawr, a Ford fairlane, probably late 50s. Red and white. Display car, up on the front walk.

and rarest of rare, a circa 1976 Ford LTD. looked original (as in tired). What a big beast that was.

tjc78

Oh, and outside of a diner with a new sports bar add-on in Bellmawr, a Ford fairlane, probably late 50s. Red and white. Display car, up on the front walk.

Down my neck of the woods today I see! That car has been part of that diner for years. It used to be inside in the foyer, and after the addition of the sports bar (grabbed lunch there yesterday) they moved it outside.

Andre, thanks for sharing the pics. Your Pontiac and Lemko's Caddy are looking good.

stickguy

yup. took your advice and stopped at belmawr plumbing to shop bathroom stuff. will probably be going down again one night this week to look at tubs.

man, i forgot how crappy the BHP traffic is from the turnpike exit up to evesham road there by the toyota dealer. What a mess.

tjc78

Cool, hope it works out.

As for the traffic, yes it is a pain. The BHP is always a zoo and I get to deal with it everyday!

ab348

Man, GM styling really was good back in their heyday.

That Rampside Corvair is really cool.

andre1969

One car that was in the car corrall, a midnight blue 1980 Electra Limited, actually had me tempted. The seller is a regular there, and has a habit of finding lovingly maintained, low-mileage 80's cars that most people wouldn't want, other than maybe me and Lemko. Usually they're way overpriced, but this Electra actually seemed a bit reasonable. 29,000 miles. Leather interior. Buick 350 engine, which surprised me. Most of these just had the Olds 307, which I always thought was standard that year, but this one had a window sticker that listed the Buick 252 V-6 as standard. Maybe that one came along late in the model year? I knew the 350 was still an option on the 98 and Electra that year, but I thought they had all gone to Olds 350's that year.

Anyway, this sucker was gorgeous. Seller wanted $8995 for it. High, I know, for something like that, no matter how nice, but I've seen them advertised for worse. I was thinking that, if I had an extra $6-7K burning a hole in my pocket, I would've been tempted to make him an offer.

FWIW, the 1980 Electra and 98 is the last of that generation that I really have a yearning for, provided it has the 350. I prefer the 1980-84 styling to the 1977-79, but the earlier models had better engines, with a 350 standard and 403 optional. For 1980, the 350 was the biggest engine you could get, and then for 1981-84 it was the Olds 307...good engine, but I'd rather have a 350!

fintail

I noticed that car in your pics, and thought that Lemko might have bought it. For 6K or something, might not be bad if it all checks out. Sounds fairly loaded with leather and wheels, and a decent engine.

andre1969

Lemko definitely noticed it, and thought it was nice. He said he'd prefer something like that to his Grand Marquis. Only problem is, this '80 Electra was almost TOO nice, the type of car you really need to keep garaged.

Personally, I'd be willing to kick my '79 5th Ave out of the garage to make room for this one!

fintail

Yeah, something that has survived for 30 years so well preserved can't be left to rot outside now. It would have to be cared for and driven as a fun toy, not a commuter or work car.

Would the 5th Ave get jealous and start acting up if you kicked it out? :shades:

andre1969

Would the 5th Ave get jealous and start acting up if you kicked it out?

Ya never know, it might decide to go all Christine on me or something! Actually, I have a feeling that car would go downhill fast if it had to live outside. It has a bit of rust in the trunk lid at the bottom of the lip, and just ahead of both rear wheel openings. The landau top is also starting to shred. Keeping it garaged has kept that stuff at bay, but I have a feeling if it sat out, it would start to accelerate.

fintail

I am pretty sure a few seasons outside even this mild climate would probably push my fintail towards the brink - it's not water tight, and they can rust fiercely. I know if I was somehow unable to keep it covered, I would just sell it rather than see it decompose.

If you bought something like that Buick, you'd need to build a carport or something, or just sell a car.

omarman

That Buick at Carlisle may have been more than a fleeting impulse to add to your collection...let's think this one out.

If you were to buy the Buick and keep just 2 of the collectible cars you own now, which 2 would you keep? The Desoto will soon return in all its 50s hemi hero glory. The Catalina has already been polished and sorted out for cruising too. And the "new" Electra Limited looks like a time capsule with no resto needs.

Selling off the other cars would help finance the Buick purchase and resolve the need for more garage space. And you'd be the caretaker of 3 well-kept survivors of Detroit's glory days. Maybe the whispering in your ear was all about simplifying.

fintail

That sounds good to me, too, but I am to the point where one old car is more than enough - I feel guilty if I don't drive it every few weeks and it has so many little needs that would be impossible to take care of. I'd buy a motorcycle before another old car, unless it was some kind of real steal.

andre1969

That sounds good to me, too, but I am to the point where one old car is more than enough - I feel guilty if I don't drive it every few weeks and it has so many little needs that would be impossible to take care of.

I do find that, the older I get, the less desire I have for more and more cars. Every once in awhile I'll see something that I like, but then I ask myself what would I be willing to give up to get it. Like Omarman said, the DeSoto and Catalina would be the keepers in my fleet. I'll get a little bored with either one sometimes, but still wouldn't part with either unless it was an offer I couldn't refuse. I also have no desire to give up my '76 LeMans. One reason I used to like the Mopar R-bodies is that they were rare, so it's not something you'd see all the time. But, by this time, it's not like '80 Electras are an everyday sight.

I do like the fact though, that my '79 5th Ave serves well as a spare/emergency car. If I had to drive it in bad weather on occasion, I wouldn't be too upset about it. And if it gets a scratch here and there or parking lot ding, I'm not going to feel too slighted. But something that looks almost-new, like that '80 Electra, I think I'd be afraid to drive it too much!

fintail

You have a nice newer garage and lots of room, you can excuse yourself into a few extra cars You can have a modern car that is OK with being outside, the DeSoto, 2 Pontiacs, and I guess the rest get to be lucky and sleep inside now and then. Oh, and your old truck too, but if anything doesn't need to be babied, it's that. Your tastes are pretty reasonable, although I bet the DeSoto will be able to break the bank.

tjc78

Its probably such a good thing I don't have a garage or room for something like Andre has. It would so easy to acquire a collection of land yachts. The ones I like are fairly reasonable too. A few Town Cars and Marks would fill the space nicely.

fintail

There's not a lot that I want enough to buy, unless the price was crazy low. I like a lot of cars, but when it comes to opening my wallet, I stop. I do like the idea of having a LWB 300SE fintail, preferably with sunroof, but that is a rare beast - probably no really roadworthy examples on the market on this continent right now. A fintail Universal (wagon) would be cool too, but nice ones tend to be too rich for my blood. Car money might be better spent slowly renovating the old car I already have - although I don't know if I want to do too much. It's nice having a fun decent looking old car that you can drive, sometimes drive hard, and not worry about a little stone chip or normal wear.

tjc78

It's nice having a fun decent looking old car that you can drive, sometimes drive hard, and not worry about a little stone chip or normal wear.

Absolutely! When the time comes to get an older ride again that is what I want. I see some "time warp" cars and to drive them would just kill the value.

fintail

I've seen many old land yachts that don't have extremely low miles, but have been maintained, maybe even repainted or reupholstered, and look pretty mint. That's what I would choose. Much cheaper, and even if a very low mileage car has been mechanically maintained, putting it on the road for more than a short drive every long while will destroy the value.

andre1969

You can have a modern car that is OK with being outside, the DeSoto, 2 Pontiacs, and I guess the rest get to be lucky and sleep inside now and then

It also helps that the Buick is a sandstone color that can go months without being washed. I know I shouldn't admit to that. Right now the two Pontiacs and 5th Ave are in the garage, with the base New Yorker sitting outside When the DeSoto comes back from the mechanic, it's going to kick the 5th Ave out. I do have a breathable car cover, which would probably help protect it some, until I can get a carport or something built.

lemko

Lack of space and Philly's psychotic insurance premiums keeps my collection small.

fintail

Lack of space does it for me. If I had Andre's spread, my problem wouldn't be which cars to keep inside, but where to hide the heaps - I'd have to put up a tall hedgerow on the road frontage or something...as I would be accumulating sub-$500 heaps that I didn't want to see scrapped.

fintail

Just build another garage and get it over with :P