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

kyfdx

We both lived in the same complex, at the same time... back in 1980...

I don't live there now....

fintail

That reminds me - I saw "Casino" a few days ago. Quite a few good car scenes in that - the part where Sharon Stone rams DeNiro's Eldo with a 450SL is classic.

lemko

Yeesh! That scene made me cringe! DeNiro's character handled it well! I'd have been frantic! That Eldo did save DeNiro's character's life in the end.

fintail

I think I read the blown up car was an 8-6-4 too. Did they really have a metal plate under the driver's seat?

To be fair, the SL struck the Eldo kind of unfairly, bumper heights weren't equal. Shows the usefulness of ghastly US style bumpers though :shades:

andys120

I spotted a silver '65 or '66 Stingray convertible on the highway and later saw a white '63 or '64 Stingray coupe parked.

When I was tooling down the highway at 65 or 70 I got blitzed by a Porsche 928S passing me at 80 or more. I thought of those a German Corvettes.

fintail

Saw 2x W210 E55 AMG, one of them being a twin to my car (very rare). Also a ~72 Corvette roadster, looked nice but seemed to be smoking a lot.

lemko

Spotted a white first-generation Oldsmobile Aurora with a tan landau top! Vomitrocious!

lemko

Yes, they did put a steel plate under the driver's seat of the Eldorado. A problem with the 1981 model year was an unexplained balancing problem that affected the vehicle's overall handling. GM corrected this issue by installing a large, heavy steel plate under the driver's seat, a fact made popular by 1995's film "Casino." The film's leading man Robert De Niro survives a bomb explosion, where the explosive had been attached to his 1981 Eldorado's undercarriage, on the driver's side, with that steel plate effectively shielding his driver seat from the blast beneath; the steel plate is credited with saving his life. The film, including the Eldorado explosion incident, is based upon Frank Rosenthal's life story.

tjc78

Spotted a white first-generation Oldsmobile Aurora with a tan landau top! Vomitrocious

Coincidence for sure, as I saw a first gen Aurora painted in a hideous Coral/Pink color.

I wanted to snap a picture, but couldn't get in a good position.

ab348

Saw a nice, obviously restored TR6 running around with the top down. Finished in a nice metallic blue paint; an odd shade that looked like it might have had a touch of purple or gray in it.

Also saw a burgundy '66 Nova 2-door HT, might have been rodded a bit.

explorerx4

BBC America has been running all the Top Gear episodes from year 2 on.
Here is James May's take on the TR6

fintail

Interesting. If I ever get involved with the mafia, I'll keep that car on my list :shades:

imidazol97

>My *favorite* Rambler color!

almost looks like factory.

ab348

From a Javelin web site:

"Richard A. Teague, chief designer of AMC's Javelin, recently commented that, "I remember my first visit to American Motors, I arrived with an English designer, both of us considering whether we wanted to work there. The first thing they showed us was the clay model for the forthcoming 1961 Rambler American. 'My God, Dick,' said my English colleague 'it looks like a ruddy ordnance vehicle.' " - especially in that color.

ab348

Video has been removed.

Mr_Shiftright

Found it!

James May and the TR6--The Blokiest Bloke's Car EVER

He's quite right--I owned a TR250 (a TR6 with a TR4 body) --it was a total "man's car"---hard, tight steering, heavy gearshift, zero ergonomics, a ride like a dog cart---and, oh, what great fun.

RAMBLER -- I remember when the new American came out--I was in high school working summers at a Rambler dealership. We all marveled at how incredibly cheap the car was. The instruments were labeled with DECALS. The mats were rubber (no carpeting) and the front hood slammed with the authority of an Italian TV dinner tray. Underneath, a gutless flathead 6 engine that vaguely resembled a woodstove. I remember my first drive---the transmission whined like an old truck.

lemko

Had this one posted at "Mystery Car Pics." It's a 1981 Cadillac Eldorado Evolution I that I spotted at a Coastal station at Rhawn and Verree in NE Philly:

fintail

Today I saw a nice looking survivor 1st gen Celica hardtop, beige. Older ponytailed woman driving it, strong original owner vibes there.

stickguy

someone around the corner from me seems to have gotten a "classic". I have been seeing it for a few weeks. Looks to be about a 1970, with a few new body panels, not yet painted, and some patchwork. A bit jacked up in the back. Have not had the pleasure of hearing it run yet, but it does get around (and I saw it in its natural habitat yesterday, up at the gas pumps at a station!)

I actually liked the style on these for a couple of years around then.

omarman

Walked past a dark blue Avanti in a handicapped parking spot at the Kroger store today. My sister was pushing a cart and I warned her to "look out for that Studebaker!" She swiveled her head left and right before saying, "I don't know what a Studebaker looks like." Looking closer, I noticed that it had square headlights so I guess it wasn't really a Studebaker. But it seemed well kept and looked good wearing a dark color.

explorerx4

It was in good shape, but boy it was small!
Just remembered, a black 90's(?) Lotus.
I guess it was Old English day.

fintail

Interesting site - German Cars For Sale Blog some nice finds now and then

fintail

There's an art gallery on my jogging route - the kind that sells mostly ugly junk to bored trophy wives and overpaid exec "leadership" types, no doubt. In the showroom right now are two Messerschmidts - a red one and a blue one. Perfect for living out that Luftwaffe fighter pilot fantasy :shades:

Last night I saw a later model Century wagon - it had an airbag, so I am guessing maybe 1993 onward. It looked absolutely new. I got up close to it, didn't find a scratch. It had those chrome hubcaps that did a reasonable impression of looking like wheels. I also saw a Ciera wagon this morning, has to be the same one I see now and then, a woody.

berri

While that customized vehicle appears 80's Riv/Eldo based, I find myself seeing some Dodge Mirada (?) in it's styling, especially in the front and rear.

lemko

I've seen a lot of that "art" that's sold to "discerning noveau robber barons" and their vapid trophy wives. I've got to give the "artist" a lot of credit for the chutzpah to a sell a bunch of randomly welded-together scrap metal to these idiots who think it's art! :P

fintail

I'm not an art connoisseur, but a lot of what I see in their window looks like scrap to me. I assume the microcars are there just to get attention for being cute - some idle money speculates in cars, but I doubt weirdos like that are on the list.

Mr_Shiftright

They aren't selling Art---they are selling "an art product".

fintail

You mean the conglomeration of junk metal shaped like a sad iron sitting in the front window isn't real art? :shades:

Saw an early style 280Z this morning, followed by a W126 - flash back 25 years. Also a red SSR with the top down - another GM answer to a question nobody asked.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you just keep that SSR in a garage for another 40 years and you'll cash in :P

uplanderguy

omarman, the last 809 Studebaker Avantis had the square headlight enclosures. They're considered the '64 models. I like the round lights better but I've seen some '64's over the years that make me drool!

texases

How did they sell them with square openings? I thought those only came in with the square headlights in the 70s.

EDIT - nevermind, I just pulled one up, round headlights in the square frame.

omarman

The one I saw looked good in dark blue. Same goes for most cars with coke bottle curves and dark colors. Especially the black Charger in the movie Bullitt.

Although I want to like them, I can't really warm up to the odd proportions of the new "retro" Camaro and Challenger models in any color. But when I see an old school example still out on the street it still looks right to me.

lemko

...really nice olive green 1968 Pontiac LeMans convertible with the top down travelling south on Verree Road near Shelmire in NE Philly.

uplanderguy

That "Verduro Green" was very popular on '68 Pontiacs. That's one color that wasn't shared with Chevy that year I'm almost certain. Most other colors were.

lemko

Here's a car similar to the one I saw yesterday in that "Verduro Green." Thanks for the info! I've always wondered what that color was called and I've only seen it on Pontiacs:

ab348

According to the Pontiac paint chart, that is a 1967 "spring" color that was carried over to 1968. In '67 it was used on Firebirds only.

I cannot find any other GM division using this color. Interesting.

uplanderguy

Per the 'net, the actual spelling is "Verdoro", not "Verduro" as I remembered it. One of the first sites that came up on Google claims it was Pontiac's best-selling color in '68, and that it was introduced in mid'67 on the new Firebird. Supposedly it was a color that DeLorean's wife loved on an ashtray she saw, and DeLorean made sure Pontiac had that color. Personally, not a fan, as I always remember an otherwise clean, attractive '68 Grand Prix in our town in that color, and IMHO it didn't translate to luxury models well.

fintail

This Youtube user/car dealer always has some interesting stuff for sale - sometimes the prices are high and his presentation kind of goofy, but he doesn't hide anything about the cars. He also has a definite fetish for MB W126/140 along with old American boats.

fintail

That makes sense..."verdoro" could loosely translate as "green gold".

imidazol97

Had a buddy with a GTO in that color, maybe a 68 from what you're saying. I recall it got stolen while he was visiting in Cleveland.

ab348

I've seen his listings on ebay. This one is for Andre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI5RT0lDRts&feature=plcp

andre1969

When I was a kid, the neighbors who lived behind my grandparents had a 1970 Pontiac Executive that I believe was that Verdoro green. At least, I remember it being a dark metallic green that was nowhere near as attractive as the Sequoia green that Grandmom and Granddad's '72 Impala was sporting.

andre1969

Woah! I think I just innoculated! (sorry, bad Beavis and Butthead reference)

fintail

Saw two different versions of open air motoring today - bugeye Sprite and a ~73 Cougar convertible.

lemko

...black 1959 Chevrolet Impala four-door hardtop sedan sitting on four flat tires outside a repair shop near Rhawn and Elberon in NE Philly.

fintail

Three more odd convertibles today - Green VW Thing, green MG midget (virtually identical shade of green), and a green military style Jeep with a folded down windshield.

toomanyfumes

Saw a beautiful restored BMW 2002, don't see many around here.

kyfdx

'68 Shelby Mustang GT 350

'66 Mustang

Three mid-60s convertibles at a local restaurant.. Polara, Catalina and Chevelle..

fintail

Took the fintail out after hours spent cleaning it - had a time warp moment. On a deserted residential street in a late 50s era housing development, no other cars driving or parked, I met an oncoming car - a 62 Impala 2 door HT, very light blue, looked nice but not over-restored - just like it would have looked in maybe 1964. Also saw a 65 Falcon HT, a modified 63-67 Stingray convertible, and a 78-80 Regal coupe.

omarman

Having seen this pickup cruising around on weekends this summer, I happened to spot it at a Marathon today. I briefly spoke to an older lady sitting alone in the cab who explained that her husband has owned the truck since new and just had it restored. To me it looked at least as good as new with gleaming trim and a professional paint job in original Sequoia Brown. I remember going new car shopping with my dad in '72 and '73. Showroom floor vehicles didn't look this clean and straight back then. Very nice truck.