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

uplanderguy

kyfdx, thanks for posting your experiences. You were one lucky kid! I'm glad to hear you left Akron with positive memories (other than James Drury--I'll have to google him; the name's not ringing a bell!).

EDIT: Ahhhh! "The Virginian"!

Whenever I watch a video like this, particularly in color, the "what the hell happened to my country?" thoughts pop into my head....LOL.

Although not identified as such, I think that legendary Ed Cole of GM is seen at around 8:40 on, congratulating that year's Derby winner, Terry Townsend of Anderson, IN. Cole, I believe, is the guy with dark hair and dark suit.

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

kyfdx, thanks for posting your experiences. You were one lucky kid! I'm glad to hear you left Akron with positive memories (other than James Drury--I'll have to google him; the name's not ringing a bell!).

EDIT: Ahhhh! "The Virginian"!

Whenever I watch a video like this, particularly in color, the "what the hell happened to my country?" thoughts pop into my head....LOL.

Although not identified as such, I think that legendary Ed Cole of GM is seen at around 8:40 on, congratulating that year's Derby winner, Terry Townsend of Anderson, IN. Cole, I believe, is the guy with dark hair and dark suit.

I was lucky! But, worked pretty hard on that car, too... and I had to win my local event (Lexington, KY) to get there. I thought the James Drury thing was funny (I was 12), but my Mom wasn't real happy about it..

That was a great time to grow up. Well, other than Vietnam and the ROTC building getting firebombed... lol

robr2

imidazol97 said:

Nice. Thanks for posting. Celebrities certainly weren't standoffish. Just nice people.

All those guys would be pretty standoffish today if they were followed by camera toting paparazzi selling magazines to those infatuated with "celebrities."

fintail

I saw another Reatta last night, might have been the same one.

Now that I am running a dashcam, I can just post videos of odd things I see. From today (select HD for best quality - I don't know how to make it default to that):

3 oddities here - well kept hipster (as opposed to hippie) driven 70s Winnebago, G8, Javelin

Passing a nice 66 Mustang with year of manufacture plates

And at the end of this clip is something really obscure - oncoming/left side, I wonder if anyone can spot it

bhill2

Holy cow, Fin, those clips are great. What dashcam are you using and where did you get it?

fintail

I have one of these - had it for about a week now. It had some weird quirks last week, but seems to be fine now. I need to get a new coax cable for the rear cam though, as it seems to be broken.

I forgot another obscure car, I passed an ELR today.

bhill2 said:

Holy cow, Fin, those clips are great. What dashcam are you using and where did you get it?

bhill2

Thanks, Fin. I am going to look into this. It could provide valuable corroboration in the case of an accident or other such incident. It may even have helped Bruce Jenner (or not).

stickguy

At BJs, (in a handicap spot, go figure) was a very clean looking, dark green, eldorado ETC. I assume a 2002. Not super old, but you can go a long time without seeing one in the wild.

stickguy

I watched it twice. No clue what the obscure thing at the end was. So you might need to spill.

fintail

I should probably say it, as it is very hard to see - at far left starting at about 0:55, there's a white Nissan S-Cargo.

ab348

Fin, are the Interstate Hwy videos of the one that leads to/from SeaTac? Looks familiar.

uplanderguy

That was a great time to grow up. Well, other than Vietnam and the ROTC building getting firebombed... lol

kyfdx, did an ROTC building near you get firebombed too? Of course, it did where I live now ("Four Dead in O-hi-o").

I agree; for a mainstream guy at the time, it couldn't have been a better time to grow up, IMHO.

I do wish I was old enough to have actually stepped into a Studebaker dealership, though. I guess I am old enough, but my Dad never got near one.

andre1969

When I went out for lunch today, I saw what I think was a '72 Chevelle wagon, in a parking lot. It was a '71-72, for sure...didn't the '72 have two chrome strips cutting the grille into three segments, while the '71 had one strip that cut the grille in half?

Roads are pretty nasty around here, with all the muck and brine and such. But, from the shape of this car, I'm sure it's seen worse. It wasn't a total rat, from the quick glimpse I caught, but it had been around the block a few times.

uplanderguy

Yep, you have the grilles correctly identified. Another way to tell is that the corner parking lights on a '71 are two separate pieces; the '72 is one large lens on each side.

The '73 was originally supposed to be the '72, but for a strike that happened. When I first saw the '72 Chevelle out back of our dealer's, I couldn't believe that the grille and parking lights were the ONLY changes from '71, visibly. But they were. Even interiors and wheelcovers were unchanged.

andre1969

I never knew that, that the '73 midsized cars were originally slated for '72. I wonder how well they would have sold, if they came out a year earlier? Good thing they didn't come out a year later though, in '74, or they may have suffered the same fate as Chrysler's new big cars. '74 was not a good year to introduce a new model that was even bigger than the previous year's...although I've heard that some of the '74 Mopars were actually a bit shorter than the '73 models. Still, they had a massive, hulking, fuel-guzzling look about them.

uplanderguy

I liked the looks of the '74 big Dodges when they came out, and I liked the center glovebox. I seem to remember them advertising that they surveyed people about what (small) features they wished a car would have, and incorporated them. I always thought those Dodges resembled '71 and later big Chevys--the curved windshield with narrow pillars completely covered in bright metal; the peaked front fenders, and the cut of the rear door/windows.

andre1969

I thought the quad headlight versions of the '74-75 Fury and Dodge Monaco had a clean, handsome look about them. The sedans, both pillared and hardtop, do resemble a GM B-body...the '71-74, at least. I thought the hardtop coupes had a roofline reminiscent of the '71-74 GM C-body.

I think the one GM car those '74 Monacos resemble the most is the '71-72 LeSabre. The front is similar, with a low grille flanked by quad headlights, albeit a bulkier bumper. And the Monaco even had a Buick-like swoop cut into lower body line.

There was a '77 Gran Fury hardtop coupe for sale at Carlisle PA one fall...2013 I think. The seller wanted too much for it, something like $4995. I liked it, simply for the rarity factor. I think Plymouth only sold about 58,000 Gran Furys that year. By that time, I believe the Gran Fury was down to just a coupe (more on that in a moment), pillared sedan, and wagon. The hardtop sedans were dropped after '75. As for the coupe, it came, nominally, as a hardtop, but personal luxury coupes were all the rage in those days, so to compensate, they offered a landau roof treatment with stationary windows in back. I don't think it had a "real" B-pillar though...they just took a hardtop coupe and filled it in.

These things were sold mainly as police cars and taxis by '77, so most of them were 4-doors. And most of the coupes, I believe, got the landau roof treatment.

This thing was hardly a high-dollar collectible, but I still liked it. It was pretty comfortable inside, too, I thought. Going just by feel, it had more legroom up front than GM's '71-76 full-sized cars, or the downsized '77's. However, the GM cars, both pre- and post-downsized, seemed to have more headroom. Not necessarily more room over your head, but a taller passenger cabin that allowed for a seat that was higher off the ground.

andre1969

I remember reading some historian's opinion stating that Chrysler should have seen the writing on the wall, and downsized their '74 big cars. But, considering that throughout most of automotive history, customers demanded bigger and bigger cars, how could they have seen that coming?

Plus, design on the '74 cars probably started around 1971. And while smaller cars were making inroads, it was plain that bigger cars were still where the action was. And the 1973 model year was a record for car sales. It wasn't until the oil embargo hit in late 1973 that the market turned, almost overnight.

fintail

Kind of, good eye. The "mystery car" is on 405 north, about 5 miles from Seatac. The Mustang video is on the same road about 10 miles from the airport.

ab348 said:

Fin, are the Interstate Hwy videos of the one that leads to/from SeaTac? Looks familiar.

berri

Fin, was that dash cam on your rented Charger? Police package baby. Seriously, you should send that 66 Mustang video to Detroit and Japan reminding designers that clean looking cars still appeal! Too many new car designs look like it's 1958 at GM all over again, or worse.

berri

Andre, I think what really got Chrysler in trouble back in those days was their compunction to focus on lowest production cost. So they'd keep the line running even though much of the output was going to be ahead of demand. That meant they ended up with unsold cars in rented fields near many of their plants when the economy tanked or buyer preferences changed. It did occasionally give buyers some really good fire sale prices though!

fintail

Nope, my normal car. I was thinking if anyone thought that low spec Charger was an undercover cop car, that silver grey color could give it that look.

I think Toyolex thinks it is 1958, with a little Exner 1961 spindle grille thrown in.

berri said:

Fin, was that dash cam on your rented Charger? Police package baby. Seriously, you should send that 66 Mustang video to Detroit and Japan reminding designers that clean looking cars still appeal! Too many new car designs look like it's 1958 at GM all over again, or worse.

berri

What always cracks me up about unmarked cars is that often they still have those dead giveaway hubcaps or really stripped looking wheel covers on them.

boomchek

Or painted black steel wheels.

lemko

andre1969 said:

I remember reading some historian's opinion stating that Chrysler should have seen the writing on the wall, and downsized their '74 big cars. But, considering that throughout most of automotive history, customers demanded bigger and bigger cars, how could they have seen that coming?

Plus, design on the '74 cars probably started around 1971. And while smaller cars were making inroads, it was plain that bigger cars were still where the action was. And the 1973 model year was a record for car sales. It wasn't until the oil embargo hit in late 1973 that the market turned, almost overnight.

That, plus Chrysler kind of got burned when they last downsized their cars in 1962.

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

That was a great time to grow up. Well, other than Vietnam and the ROTC building getting firebombed... lol

kyfdx, did an ROTC building near you get firebombed too? Of course, it did where I live now ("Four Dead in O-hi-o").

I agree; for a mainstream guy at the time, it couldn't have been a better time to grow up, IMHO.

I do wish I was old enough to have actually stepped into a Studebaker dealership, though. I guess I am old enough, but my Dad never got near one.

University of Kentucky in 1970. I don't think we had a Studebaker dealership in Lexington

stickguy

I discovered when my son was in HS that the father of a friend of his (that we knew somewhat) went to Kent State, and was in the cafeteria right nearby when the shooting happened, and they could hear the noise from that.

stever

Fun dealer webpage from Courtesy Chevy out in Phoenix. If you can't see the cars on the sidebars, turn your ad blocking off.

Michaell

stever said:

Fun dealer webpage from Courtesy Chevy out in Phoenix. If you can't see the cars on the sidebars, turn your ad blocking off.

I lived just a few miles from that dealership when I was in college.

uplanderguy

kyfdx, I'd be pretty sure Lexington had a Studebaker dealer, but like most people in the sixties, it probably wasn't on your family's radar.

stickguy, interesting story. That happened one mile from my house. I didn't live here then, but I'm old enough to remember it being a 'current events' item in my school. I find it all pretty interesting, and sad. The Architecture Building at Kent State, seen in most of the pics that day, still stands and looks the same, and a funky metal sculpture that was there at the time still has a bullet hole in it. Where the students fell is a parking lot, but they have the spots where the students died, roped off and lit at night.

My wife and I joke that we are about the only two conservative folks we know here....we joke that there are more 65-year old hippies walking around here than anyplace else we can think of.

explorerx4

On a flatbed, but still wow! A Koenigsegg. Badging was CCXR S. Possibly 1 of 2?

fintail

I still have yet to see a Koenigseggeggegg in the wild. I did see a Noble on the road twice last week, same car I am sure.

laurasdada

Today I saw a Lincoln Town Car, beige (or is that cream?) with a beige (cream) vinyl roof. But, what really tied it all together was the ovular badge on the C pillar that read, "Le Panache." Gotta get me one for the Jag...

fintail

Was this in Queens, Joisey, or Del Boca Vista, FL?

Spotted a ~1990 Coupe de Ville that looked fairly immaculate, save for a failed vinyl top that had then puffed up at speed and made it look like the roof of a car used in Harry and the Hendersons.

boomchek

Regarding old Caddies I think the only survivors nowadays are the immaculate babied ones. All the other beaters are/were crushed already.

explorerx4

Not really old, but on Saturday, I saw 2 Altima coupes. Yesterday, 4 gen 2 Avalons, all sliver.

fintail

Saw a 560 SEL and a Fiero today, 80s day. Also what looked like a nice 62 Chevy sedan, from a distance.

fintail

Saw a Bronco II, 2x MB W123, BMW E23 320i, and a BMW E30 325is I think, or ix, can't recall.

fintail

Saw the rear half of a car in the back of a big dump truck - I think it was a 2nd gen MR2. Kind of sad. Also saw the little old lady I see now and then in a pristine white 560 SEC, she sits so close to the wheel, airbag deployment would be pretty rough. Original owner I bet.

texases

Bentley drove by this afternoon, '65ish kind of like this, RHD:

fintail

So much classier than a new Bentley, at a fraction of the price.

stever

Forgot my camera, and forgot my old flipfone has a camera. Anyway, a 1954 Plymouth Savoy, one of the two door versions. Looked a lot like this one but more of a medium blue color.

fintail

Sunny day here, had the fintail out - saw almost no old cars at all. Oddest thing I saw was a NSX, also a W124 300D, E30 cabrio, and I rode in a Subaru Tribeca.

stickguy

On the garden state parkway, a mid 90s Nissan 300zx convertible. Nice dark green. Looked real clean,

boomchek

Saw this 190SL on the highway yesterday evening. Looked to be in nice condition although looked a bit saggy in the rear.

uplanderguy

I have a pic of a creamy-yellow 190 in front of my little hometown Studebaker-Benz dealer 'back in the day'.

fintail

Nice sighting, maybe the same tires I am running on my car. Ride height looks correct.

boomchek said:

Saw this 190SL on the highway yesterday evening. Looked to be in nice condition although looked a bit saggy in the rear.

boomchek

Maybe it just seemed off in real life because the camber on front and rear wheels looks different.

fintail

Trunk might be carrying a load or something. Driver shows how small the car really is, too, dainty compared to a 300SL. 190SLs have shot up in value over the past decade.

andre1969

boomchek said:

Maybe it just seemed off in real life because the camber on front and rear wheels looks different.

I didn't notice the camber on the wheels until you mentioned it. But now that I look at the pic again, the tires in back look fine to me, while the front tires look like they're tucked in too far at the bottom.

I know that cambers are different for various cars, and some cars are designed to sit like that, so it could be perfectly normal. Still, I've wondered...how do they keep the tire from wearing unevenly? Just from looking at that pic, I'd think the outer edge of the tire would get worn down prematurely.