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

texases

I agree, tic78 - about 10% of folks are (in any given situation), so when I read about something like this, that's my first reaction, just found that 10% guy.

ab348

It's because you were in a '76 model. Not part of the club that only extends to '72 for A-bodies.

Mr_Shiftright

It's because you weren't one of the other ten million or so collectors of the rare '70 Chevelle. :P

fintail

I suspect it is the styling that does it, the car doesn't stick out. Those end of the run Studes were pretty clean and unadorned.

I often get a little attention from old domestic car drivers when I am in the fintail, which at first surprised me as I imagined anti-foreign car feelings...but I think the car helps. The chrome, fins, wraparound windows, period color - some people remember the cars from back in the old days maybe. I do seem to notice more attention from other foreign car drivers though, esp German cars - will often get a wave from someone in an old VW or Porsche, and seldom fail to get one from anyone in a MB from W123 (up to 1985) or older.

fintail

You didn't spend as much as the Chevelle driver (probably with a HELOC, knowing 2005) for your toy?

au1994

If you or anyone you know has ever had a Jeep (CJ or Wrangler), then you should know of the "Jeep wave". When I had my Wrangler it was a little less that 50/50 if my wave was returned. Soccer moms in their 4 door Wranglers were the least likely while someone in any Jeep heavily modified and "enjoyed' was the most likely.

Then of course there was the sub culture of CJ drivers that wouldn't wave to us Wrangler drivers as Jeeps stopped being Jeeps after the CJ.

andre1969

You didn't spend as much (probably with a HELOC, knowing 2005) for your toy?

LOL, hadn't even thought of that angle! If this dude did raid some home equity to buy his toy, I wonder what kind of financial condition he's in now? I'll confess, that I've raided some home equity myself. But fortunately, the bank never qualified me for anything remotely close to the value of the house, so I couldn't have gotten into too much trouble, even if I wanted to.

I did max it out back in late 2008 when the market tanked. Almost had to, because interest rates were so low. Plus, back then there was the fear that they'd freeze your HELOC, so you couldn't get any more out, even if you were well below your limit. Paid it down somewhat, but when my Intrepid got totaled, I maxed it out again to do a partial payment on my Park Ave. But, I made sure to pay it back down fast, so I wasn't paying for that car for the next thirty years!

fintail

With low rates and a chance of upcoming inflation, it could be a wise move. But not to buy 40 year old toy cars and other recreational items, as so many simps did for years. I wonder how many popular model muscle cars were bought with mirage equity over the past decade.

explorerx4

Your 'pre teen' is looking really good.
Many of those I see here in the northeast have fogged headlights.
Do you do anything special to keep them clear?
Great color for a Panzer.

jljac

Click here to see a 101 year old Lady (who is old enough to have been a passenger on the Titanic) who owns, drives and still maintains her 81 year old Packard. See two classics at once. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHwwwJ83oWo

imidazol97

The lady does live in Plymouth right behind the apartments in which the mother of friends of ours lives. They moved to Canton, adjacent to Plymouth, 3 years ago. The mother has seen this lady and her car at a street celebration or fair held in Plymouth.

Henry Ford used to stop by monthly and have breakfast with her was one thing I read about her.

fintail

Thanks. Car is always garaged, and the weather here isn't harsh. I've also used plastic cleaner on the lenses, but not for some time. The color is pretty rare, over the sale period of the W210 E55 in the US certainly less than 100 units sold.

fintail

Funny old Motorhome is the leading car on the parked-in-Portland blog...I think Andre likes things like this.

bhill2

About half-way down in those pictures is a set featuring a '66 Studebaker, including a picture of the auto trans quadrant. Did they really use the PNDLR configuration all the way to the end on all of their automatics?

uplanderguy

In '63, Studebaker introduced for their Avanti, and available in Larks and Hawks, an automatic that could be shifted manually through three forward gears--PRND21--which I believe (although not certain) was the first of that type offered in America. They also offered the three-speed Borg-Warner trans with the quadrant "PNDLR", which was used in '65 and '66 Studes as well when the Avanti transmission was discontinued.

I've been somewhat surprised to see top-of-the-line Buicks (Riviera and Electras) which used that same "PNDLR" quadrant in '63 and maybe even '64 although I'm not sure about the latter.

au1994

Jeez...I had almost forgotten about that square headlight gen Civic. Guess most have returned to mother earth.

ab348

That '79 Caprice looks nice.

lemko

White 1976 Cadillac Coupe DeVille with maroon vinyl half-roof on Rising Sun Avenue near Glenview and a nice beige 1982-83 Chevrolet Caprice Classic on Knorr near Bingham in NE Philly.

andre1969

spotted on the website of a local dealership. Thar she blows. Actually, it looks like a pretty nice car. I've had more than my fair share of beige/creme/yellow cars though, so I'm kinda tired of that color.

If I actually needed a car though, I'd consider it. My uncle might be in the market for a car soon, as his ~225,000 mile '03 Corolla just went in the shop for a good going over. And if the shop finds too much wrong with it, it may be time to retire it. However, he currently drives about 70 miles round trip, 3x per day for work, and that may go up considerably, because there's talk of him getting relocated to Richmond, VA for awhile. That would bump it up to 200+ miles per day, 3x per week. For something like that he needs something economical and reliable. I don't think a 25 year old car with a 302 V-8 would really fit that bill. Plus, my uncle hates Fords! :P

tjc78

Not a bad example there, however, a bit optimistic on price. There is one on my street identical to that, but certainly doesn't look as good.

I like the vent windows.

imidazol97

A Lemko Cadillac if there ever is one! It is "like new." I followed the owner driving it in to the cruise.

garv214

Looks like Big and Little Enos Burdette are alive and well....
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michaellno

Triumph TR-7 convertible, top down, here in Colorado.

berri

That's a nice looking convertible, except when you look at the dash it reminds you sadly of how Roger Smith really allowed Cadillac to cheapen up helping strengthen MB and BMW sales here.

Is that a 61 Pontiac behind it to the left of the screen in the second pix?

berri

A TR-7 and it was running - just kidiing!

michaellno

A TR-7 and it was running - just kidiing!

Hey, I was as surprised as anyone. I really liked those cars when they came out. What did I know of British reliability?

fintail

Saw a few oddities on a little road trip today: Toyota Starlet moving at highway speeds, amateurishly renovated ~71 GTO, weird custom two door ~56 Buick wagon on a car carrier, wild custom 37 Ford cabrio that was probably not a real body, Ford Tempo coupe.

tjc78

Ford Tempo coupe

I saw an almost dead Mercury Topaz on the way home yesterday. It looked like it should have been in a junkyard, but moving along just fine.

andre1969

don't see too many of these anymore...

isellhondas

A First Baptist Church van in front of an adult bookstore?

Were you driving some members of your church on their rounds, Andre? :confuse:

andre1969

I remember on "The Waltons", Mary Ellen had to memorize something like 10 Bible verses when her mother caught her smoking, and she threatened to double it when Mary Ellen tried to sass her. Wonder how many Bible verses it's gonna take to wipe the slate clean on this one? :shades:

uplanderguy

That's a nice looking convertible, except when you look at the dash it reminds you sadly of how Roger Smith really allowed Cadillac to cheapen up helping strengthen MB and BMW sales here.

Roger Smith wasn't running things at GM yet, but I sorta know what you mean. That is the same panel as used in all other standard-size Cadillacs that year, and the layout was made I think, somehow, to help that one could get airbags in the cars then. For some reason, the big Buick, Olds, and Caddy instrument panels of that era are all straight-across like that. Although...they didn't have a passenger airbag so I could be wrong on that. When they did have an airbag, the center of the steering wheel was enormous.

One thing I noticed about Caddys of that era is that the interior nameplates were all cheapie plastic and looked like it. That said, while I'm not crazy about those last Eldorados (tired of the hype), I do like that era "standard" Cadillacs, and I love the Sevilles.

lemko

Shoot, they might have to memorize the whole Bible and throw in a few chapters from the Koran to boot!

lemko

I had a 1975 Cadillac Sedan DeVille with that same dashboard.

uplanderguy

Wonder how many Bible verses "Mary Ellen" had to read when she posed in Playboy? I tried to find that issue back then, but the next issue had Madonna's pictures in it (ick) and its sale date was pushed up early; thus "Mary Ellen's" shelf time was reduced. Don't ask me how I know that!

uplanderguy

I think the '75 and '76 'standard' Caddys looked real nice with the square headlights. I wasn't crazy about the '73 and '74 front-ends.

I know it's the Caddy nobody wanted, but I kind-of like those last-years' Calais models with the bright plaid-and-white cloth trim inside! I can see why some people did buy Calais models...if you wanted the look of a Cadillac, and the Cadillac-exclusive engine, it was a good 'entry level' way to do that. I did miss the rocker trim though.

A bail bondsman in my small hometown had a new '74 Fleetwood Talisman, remember those? His was dark blue with a white top and dark blue inside.

Our Caddy dealer got in a new, black on black, '72 Calais Hardtop Sedan, blackwalls, no air, no radio, but (standard) PW and wheel covers (of course). It had absolutely no optional equipment. I can remember as plain as day that the bottom of the window sticker was $6,480, including destination charge. It disappeared from the lot in a day or two and I never, ever saw it around town after that.

andre1969

I think the '75 and '76 'standard' Caddys looked real nice with the square headlights. I wasn't crazy about the '73 and '74 front-ends.

I always thought that, too. I feel the same way about the Eldorado, preferring the '75-78 models to the '71-74. However, another reason I don't like the '71-74 is that they look fat with the fender skirts they were usually stuck with, and something about the rear-end just looked too stubby. Somehow, the '75-78 seem to have a longer rear deck with more overhang, which I think makes the car look better proportioned. However, I doubt that the later models were actually any longer, so it must just be an optical illusion.

If I was going for a big GM convertible from the 70's, I think I'd be happiest with a fully-loaded '75 LeSabre, in that pale blue that seemed a '75-only hue, with a white interior, and the Buick Mag wheels.

andre1969

Ahh yes, August 1985...such simple, innocent times back then. :shades: Maybe those Baptists can get you a back issue...

lemko

Their opinion, not mine! I profoundly disagree with several of their choices!

Top Ten Tacky Auto Features of the 1970s

tjc78

Wow, Lincoln, Caddy, and Chrysler took a beating on that list. The only one I can really agree on is the woodgrain.

andre1969

Wow, Lincoln, Caddy, and Chrysler took a beating on that list. The only one I can really agree on is the woodgrain.

Yeah, of course they have to put an R-body New Yorker as an example of their #1...Chrome plated plastic! :mad:

Actually, I don't really have a problem with any of those design fetishes, if used properly. Well, the chrome plated plastic was a sign of cost cutting, so that's not really a good thing.

I much prefer a roll-down window to a fixed opera window (and they goofed using a first-gen Monte Carlo as an example). But, when they first came out, opera windows were mainly in luxury cars, and luxury cars were the most likely to have air conditioning, so a roll-down rear window became a bit redundant.

bhill2

I much prefer a roll-down window to a fixed opera window (and they goofed using a first-gen Monte Carlo as an example).

Well, they can just substitute the Cordoba that's used to illustrate opera lamps (#5). It also has opera windows.

isellhondas

I think I've seen maybe three Calais models in my entire life. They weren't popular and simply didn't sell. A neighbor down the street from my parents bought one and he wold brag about "My Caddy".

I remember it didn't have A/C or anything else. As a kid, I thought it was a wannabee Cadillac and that fro the same money he probably could have bought a well equipped Buick.

andre1969

Or, at least, my Chrysler is. At least two different people (other than me) have taken pics of it and posted it on Flickr. Here, and here.

fintail

Saw this parked on the street today, decent looking survivor (windows not tinted, just illusion)



Also speaking of the square headlight early 80s Civic, I saw a wagon version today in remarkably good condition. Also a trio of old ladies in a pristine nearly new looking Acura Vigor. Going to a small town means the automotive fleet seems a good 10 years behind.

uplanderguy

All pretty predictable, but sheesh, with only ten photos, you'd think they could get ten correct photos. Dot the "i"'s and cross the "t"'s, writers!

I'll take chrome plastic over the total lack of chrome that was seen for decades! Thankfully, brightwork seems to be returning.

stickguy

c'mon Andre. 1 mismatched tire? and a white wall with 3 raised letter? have some pride man!

uplanderguy

The writer also mentions 'fender gills' on Buick Electra 225's 'in addition to ventiports'. I'm trying hard to remember these on a 225.

Note to writer: Know your subject before writing!

ab348

I don't mind any of those "tacky" features from that era. In fact the picture of the pillow top seats looks almost exactly like the ones that were in my '79 Electra Park Avenue, which also had opera lamps and a chromed plastic grille (that last one seems an odd thing to criticize, as most cars today that have a chromed grille have it made out of plastic). The seats in the Park Avenue were the most comfortable I have ever experienced.

What do I find tacky? Unfinished roof seams. Grey plastic and mouse-fur upholstery that is your only choice. Grey plastic hubcaps. A buzzy, underpowered 4-banger engine. Shiny black plastic dashboards. Minimal sound insulation. In short, virtually any import econobox from the '80s.

andys120

Their opinion, not mine! I profoundly disagree with several of their choices!


Oh I agree with all of 'em but there were a lot more than ten tacky features that were on 1970s cars. For example they left out matte black hoods, phony knock-off wires, landau irons and half-vinyl roofs.

The '70s were a nightmare for the visually abled.