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

hpmctorque

stever said:

You might be seeing more of that.

"Ferrari Chairman Sergio Marchionne wants to expand production, arguing a surge in emerging-market wealth justifies higher output. Mr. Marchionne has hinted that yearly production could go to 10,000 vehicles without denting the $250,000 average sale price for Ferrari cars or the company’s bottom line.

“Let’s not fool ourselves here. We are in business to supply cars to people,” he said.

Will Ferrari Keep Its Scarcity Premium? (WSJ - may be a registration link)

Mr. Marchionne has proven he understands the auto business. For the upper 0.1%, $250,000 is chump change.

uplanderguy

Wow...I've seen cars stripped down so far that they don't have armrests in back...both 2 and 4-door models. But deleting the front seat armrests? I think that's taking it a little *too* far!

I've not seen cars without front armrests, but I remember when I had the '73 Chevrolet Showroom Album, the taxi package on the Nova included 'rear door hold-open detents'. I believe those were part of a low-price package of some sort, including a cigarette lighter and maybe a day-night mirror IIRC, for the base Nova sedan. Man, that's cheap.

andre1969

I know it's sort of a rose-tinted-glasses thing, but this reminiscing about old cars...even the cheap, the nasty, the undesireable, kind of makes me miss those days. At least, the variety that they offered. Shopping for a new car must have been so much more exciting back then, like more of an adventure.

I've only bought two brand-new vehicles, and by that time, it seemed like the magic was lost. I bought my 2000 Intrepid sort of spur of the moment, and didn't do much cross-shopping, except with the Impala, Malibu, and a Stratus that was on the lot (this dealer sold Chevy/Dodge/Isuzu). And, with my 2012 Ram, I just went online, already with an idea of what I wanted in mind, found one, and ended up buying it.

There was still a bit of "new car" excitement, once I brought them home. But still, the overall experience didn't seem as much fun. Even with used cars, where you get more variety, it seems like the excitement is lost. I remember back in the 80's and early 90's, occasionally perusing a used car lot, and it was an enjoyable experience. But, I was at the car lot just the other day, when my friend dropped his Xterra off for some work. While he was filling out the paperwork, I looked around the used car lot a bit. Yawn. Sort of made me dread thinking about the next time I need to buy a car...

uplanderguy

Agree totally, andre. I would say that the fun of buying (especially ordering or having a dealer-locate happen) was most-fun for me with my first new car, an '81 Monte Carlo, then probably when I ordered my '85 Celebrity Eurosport. I am Chevy-loyal for a number of reasons, and I like the new Impala and also find the '15 Malibu LT attractive (I like how last year's 2LT wheels got moved down to the cheaper 1LT this year!), but really, looking around a new-car lot doesn't do nearly for me what it did probably up until the mid-'80's. In fact, it does almost zero for me. New-car night when I was a kid--absolutely magical. I mean, they hid the cars. Free cider and donuts, seeing people you knew from town, and gathering up all the brochures was wonderful.

imidazol97

I haven't seen one of these in the wild for a long time. Car appeared to have no rust

Photo taken with an older slide phone. Color shifted when I improved the photo in PaintshopPro
The color is a greenish yellow and the roof was a darker green. A combination I remember
from the days of the originals. Almost a putrid look today.

The car is a special model? Anyone know?

or flaws.http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/Photo-0250_zpsc570dcec.jpg

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/Photo-0248_zpse2bc07b7.jpg

uplanderguy

That's a loaded one too, with vinyl top.

imidazol97

uplanderguy said:

That's a loaded one too, with vinyl top.

I just reuploaded the photobucket versions after brightening them up. The day was gloomy and the camera phone was not good.

Check the full size pics again, for the new version.

Is this the original color?

imidazol97

In 1974, the color was "medium lime yellow."

uplanderguy

I'd sort-of guess "Maize Yellow". That green car is an older model. The color reminds me of 1972 Chevy "Driftwood", called "Chamois" in '73. Although now that I look again, you're probably right. The old eyes aren't what they used to be.

I know Pintos lasted longer, but I so-preferred the looks of Vegas, especially in '74. Not sure about dimensions at all, but they sure looked longer.

ab348

Funny thing about that 1974 Ford paint chart. Our '74 Maverick LDO was white - Polar White to be exact. That isn't on the chart. I never forgot that name because I was always buying touch-up paint for it when battling the rust. It was a sort of dirty white but I don't think it was Wimbledon White, which is also not a very pure white. Seems to me I bought Wimbledon White once early on and it didn't match.

imidazol97

The green-yellow paint came out a yellow after my photo program adjusted the picture for brightness, etc.. The sky was grey and blue because of the overcast and gloom. So the adjustment changed the paint color. The yellow-green paint against the darker green vinyl roof almost gives me a barf reaction. I don't like the two together and the paint alone bothers me. I think the paint had faded some on that vehicle.

robr2

imidazol97 said:

In 1974, the color was "medium lime yellow."

Wow - look at the colors. Barely a silver in sight!!

imidazol97

robr2 said:

Wow - look at the colors. Barely a silver in sight!!

Good catch. I hadn't noticed. Now so many brands are seen mostly in
silver. Is the silver paint cheaper?

fintail

Nice wheelie bars. I wonder what's under the hood.

The only Pinto special edition I recall is the "Stallion", I don't think that's one of them. Yellow and green two tone, ah the 70s. They must have been out of brown and orange that day.

Silver is German, and being German wasn't as trendy then as now.

imidazol97 said:

ab348

There was a Maverick LDO like ours in town at the time that was Silver Blue Poly with a dark blue vinyl roof & side moldings, and a lightish blue interior that I thought looked awesome.

uplanderguy

That silvery-blue was the color of the cheerleader's Maverick LDO. I can't remember if hers was a '73 or '74, but it was a 302.

andre1969

Silver didn't seem to start getting popular, IMO, until the 1980's. And, coincidentally, that's when German cars really started becoming all the rage, so Fintail nailed it!

In the old days, when cars had a lot more chrome and other brightwork, I don't think the silver worked as well...it tended to clash. Also, I'm guessing that for silver to work, it has to be metallic, doesn't it? Otherwise, it just ends up being light gray? Metallic paints weren't as common back in the old days either, and may have been more expensive to make. But these days, metallics are much more common. Back in 1993 I looked at a 1960 Olds Ninety-Eight hardtop coupe that was for sale, and it was silver. IMO, it just didn't look right. It needed to be a more colorful hue.

These days, I think the auto makers tend to push silvers and grays because they're conservative, inoffensive colors that don't rock the boat, and don't look dated after a few years.

uplanderguy

I can remember when silver paint didn't seem to hold up over the years as well as other colors--I'm talking about in the '70's. Not sure why.

I always hated when silver cars had blue interiors and/or blue vinyl tops. Of course, since no one has offered a blue interior in almost thirty years, that's not a problem anymore (sigh).

imidazol97

fintail said:

The only Pinto special edition I recall is the "Stallion",

The model was "Runabout." It was on the back right of the trunk lid. I can remember Runabouts and I verified it was a model offered in 74 or so. I thought a Runabout was a stripped model. But this one didn't appear to be a base model with that vinyl roof.

fintail

Yeah, silver and chrome is boring. I think old silver paint can get dull or look pigmented over time, too. Today, with little chrome, silver is bright, but seen as less boring than white, I guess - as you say, a safe choice. It's still boring though. My most recent car is silver, not my first color choice - but it is a light and bright silver, which helps.

andre1969 said:

Silver didn't seem to start getting popular, IMO, until the 1980's. And, coincidentally, that's when German cars really started becoming all the rage, so Fintail nailed it!

ab348

uplanderguy said:

That silvery-blue was the color of the cheerleader's Maverick LDO. I can't remember if hers was a '73 or '74, but it was a 302.

That memory just gets more and more intriguing. My first exposure to cheerleaders was in high school when I was shooting photos for the yearbook. I got assigned to do a series of pics of the cheerleaders. Since i didn't go to many games all year I was unfamiliar with most of them but had an image of them being a bunch of goody-goodys. Turned out nothing could have been further from the truth. On the day of the shoot they showed up and immediately started acting unruly, not listening, yelling profanities, running off to smoke cigarettes, etc. I later realized that was often typical of cheerleader squads.

uplanderguy

I think the "Runabout" was just what they called their hatchback. Came out mid-way through the '71 model year. When the Pinto was introduced, it was only in a two-door sedan, compared to four bodystyles for the Vega. The Runabout came out a few months later, and the wagon in '72. Although I have always liked the looks of the Vega Kammback wagon, fact is the Pinto wagon had greater carrying capacity as well as rear-quarter windows that popped out, two real sales points I think.

fintail

My mother had a 93 Taurus with a blue interior. The car was white, and I called it the "government fleet special", although it wasn't stripped. That might be the last blue interior car I recall - although I can imagine MB and BMW having blue interiors into the 90s, the latter maybe even later, somehow.

Something that really vanished is the white interior - although I saw a BMW 6er Gran Coupe with one, it's a possible option.

uplanderguy said:

I can remember when silver paint didn't seem to hold up over the years as well as other colors--I'm talking about in the '70's. Not sure why.

I always hated when silver cars had blue interiors and/or blue vinyl tops. Of course, since no one has offered a blue interior in almost thirty years, that's not a problem anymore (sigh).

uplanderguy

I gotta say, I was a fan of the white interior with contrasting dash, carpet, and seat belts. What always comes to mind for me is that awful lime green on a '76 Monte Carlo, with white Landau top and white vinyl interior with lime green dash, carpet, and seat belts. The interior, anyway, was striking.

uplanderguy

Ab348, the gal I mentioned was a redhead, but almost 'strawberry blonde'. Unlike most redheads, she tanned. Shoulder-length hair. Glasses even. But 'curvy'. I better stop now. LOL

fintail

My mother had a gigantic era Thunderbird in white, with a white top and white interior. The memory is fuzzy as I was a little kid, but I want to say the dash and belt contrast was dark grey.

imidazol97

Someone wants to know what this car is--posted in another forum here.



http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/31492/general/x/can-you-help-identify-this-car

ab348

That looks like a '71 or '72 Plymouth Satellite Sebring.

uplanderguy

1972 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Plus. I believe that side trim makes it a '72, but andre is probably the go-to guy here.

ab348

I thought the Sebring Plus had bucket seats standard? That looks like a bench.

uplanderguy

I think you are right. I thought the nameplates read "Sebring Plus" but it might read "Satellite Sebring".

berri

I had a 71 very similar to that, including the color, when I was a young lieutenant. It wasn't a very good car. Funny, it got hit and run in the passenger door and I had the body shop put on a 72 door they got from the junkyard. It was noticeably lighter in weight. I still like the looks of it today, but I think the more squared off 73/74 was more popular with most buyers. I liked the follow up downsized 75 Fury based on it as well, and much more than the 73/74. But I don't think I'm mainstream on all of this

uplanderguy

I liked the '73-74 style a bit better...I always thought the front wheel openings were too small on the '71-72. I liked "the Small Fury" and Coronet coupes of '75 too, although I can't tell you the last time I saw one. Nice proportions I think.

berri

...and ironically, I think those proportions were based off of the ill timed 62's, just like the very successful Dodge Coronet sedan run from the mid 60's well into the 70's. So maybe the 62 Dodge and Plymouth weren't quite the disaster as first thought?

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

I gotta say, I was a fan of the white interior with contrasting dash, carpet, and seat belts. What always comes to mind for me is that awful lime green on a '76 Monte Carlo, with white Landau top and white vinyl interior with lime green dash, carpet, and seat belts. The interior, anyway, was striking.

I have a friend whose grandmother said she had a '76 LeMans coupe in that same color. I think Pontiac called it "Limefire metallic" His mother says she doesn't remember the car, but the grandmother, upon seeing mine said that yep, it looked just like mine.

It's a loud color, to be sure, but I'll confess that with a white top and interior, I could deal with it. Bonus points if it has the color keyed rally wheels!

berri

I thought the Sebring Plus had bucket seats standard

They did, along with a different instrument panel that had round gauges instead of the horizontal speedometer.

andre1969

Honestly, I can't tell what that car is, beyond being a '71-72 Plymouth Satellite. I also liked the '73-74 style better, but they were a mixed bag, sales wise. I think the '73 models did sell better. '73 was a record year though (model year wise, at least), and I believe it was the last year Plymouth claimed the #3 sales spot. But in the '74 oil embargo/recession, the only Plymouths that sold really well were the Valiants and Dusters.

The '75-78 models seemed like they were all over the place, but I think that's because they were popular as police cars and taxis. Plus, you saw them used constantly as police cars on tv and in the movies. Plus, the "New Small" Fury and Coronet/Monaco looked virtually identical to each other, so at a quick glance, that probably made them seem more common.

berri

The main way I can tell the difference between a 71 or 72 Sebring coupe (besides the lighter doors) is the tail lamps. The 71 has kind of a vertical look, while the 72 is more horizontal within the same rectangles.

hpmctorque

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:

The only Pinto special edition I recall is the "Stallion",

The model was "Runabout." It was on the back right of the trunk lid. I can remember Runabouts and I verified it was a model offered in 74 or so. I thought a Runabout was a stripped model. But this one didn't appear to be a base model with that vinyl roof.

Wasn't the Pinto hatchtback called Runabout?

ab348

uplanderguy said:

I gotta say, I was a fan of the white interior with contrasting dash, carpet, and seat belts. What always comes to mind for me is that awful lime green on a '76 Monte Carlo, with white Landau top and white vinyl interior with lime green dash, carpet, and seat belts. The interior, anyway, was striking.

My '77 LeMans coupe was light blue metallic with a white painted top, and it had a white interior. Seats, door panels/armrests and headliner were white, while the dash, kick panels, carpet and package shelf were blue. A very good-looking interior.

roadburner

hpmctorque said:

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:

The only Pinto special edition I recall is the "Stallion",

The model was "Runabout." It was on the back right of the trunk lid. I can remember Runabouts and I verified it was a model offered in 74 or so. I thought a Runabout was a stripped model. But this one didn't appear to be a base model with that vinyl roof.

Wasn't the Pinto hatchtback called Runabout?

I think the first Pinto Runabout just had some weird trim on the trunk lid- the hatch came soon after.

ab348

imidazol97 said:

The model was "Runabout." It was on the back right of the trunk lid. I can remember Runabouts and I verified it was a model offered in 74 or so. I thought a Runabout was a stripped model. But this one didn't appear to be a base model with that vinyl roof.

I thought the Runabout badges were on the C-pillars? I seem to remember that.

andre1969

ab348 said:

My '77 LeMans coupe was light blue metallic with a white painted top, and it had a white interior. Seats, door panels/armrests and headliner were white, while the dash, kick panels, carpet and package shelf were blue. A very good-looking interior.

I thought the regular LeMans dashboard was really handsome looking. The Grand Prix dash, which the Grand Am, '75-77 Grand LeMans, and Can Am use, looks higher-quality (more fake wood, more padding, and less plastic) but the regular LeMans dash has a clean, slim, tasteful look to it, IMO.

uplanderguy

I don't think there is a better '70's instrument panel than that used in the '73-77 Grand Prix, Grand Am, and Can Am. I like the '69-72 Grand Prix exterior styling better, but that '73 instrument panel reminds me of the magnificent '65 Grand Prix panel.

roadburner

IIRC, the 1973-1976 Grand Am/Grand Prix instrument panels actually used real wood. They were undeniably good looking.

uplanderguy

I had a bet with a car guy at work about that, roadburner!...probably twenty years ago. He doubted me. I finally found something, somewhere that said 'veneer' and he wouldn't budge that that didn't mean 'real wood'! I'm pretty sure the '73 Grand Prix brochure said, basically, real wood but too lazy to go and check now!

roadburner

I would love to have a pristine 1973 Grand Am sedan- I liked the ""Norelco" front end!

robr2

uplanderguy said:

I had a bet with a car guy at work about that, roadburner!...probably twenty years ago. He doubted me. I finally found something, somewhere that said 'veneer' and he wouldn't budge that that didn't mean 'real wood'! I'm pretty sure the '73 Grand Prix brochure said, basically, real wood but too lazy to go and check now!

Well a veneer when referring to wood means a thin layer of real wood attached to a substrate.

andre1969

I couldn't find a '73 Grand Prix brochure...closest I could find was a '74 Grand Am. It mentions "Mahogany trim" but doesn't say if it's real or not.

My '76 Grand LeMans uses the same dash, and I'm positive that stuff is not real wood. However, a Grand Am, and especially a Grand Prix, were a much more expensive car, so it's possible they used real wood. Also, I could tell from the pic that it was a different grain from what's in my Grand LeMans, so it could have been real.

As for pricing, in '73 a Grand Am coupe base priced at $4264, while a Grand Prix was $4583. In contrast, the LeMans coupe was only $2920. The Luxury LeMans coupe, which is what the Grand LeMans replaced, was only $3274. The Luxury LeMans didn't use the Grand Prix dashboard, however.

By '76, the cars were priced a bit closer together. The base LeMans coupe started at $3768, $4330 for the Grand LeMans, and the Grand Prix started at $4798. I imagine that, if the Grand Prix had started with a real wood dash, it was probably cost-cutted out by '76.

ab348

There's some conflicting info on the web about the woodgrain on those Pontiacs. I have read that it was real wood in 1973 only on Grand Prix and Grand Am, with a move to simulated wood in later years. According to Wiki, "Inside, the genuine African crossfire mahogany trim on the instrument panel was replaced by a simulated material due to delamination problems on the 1973 models but the real wood was continued on the center console, optional console clock, and radio bezel."