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

Mr_Shiftright

You should be able to pick up a nice one under $20K.

hpmctorque said:

A 443 hp XLR-V would be a neat car to own, although I've never seen one. Very few must have been made.

hpmctorque said:

A 443 hp XLR-V would be a neat car to own, although I've never seen one. Very few must have been made.

fintail

XLR had a funny strategy. IIRC, the V just marginally outperformed a normal SL (a cruiser built for aging successful dentists in Malibu and Boca). Normal XLR lagged. Similar tuned model SL55 AMG was 30K more expensive than a V, but blew away the V.

robr2

On for fintail that might make him a little excited - doing some errands tonight and the local Honda store had a used 2003 MB CL500 on the used line. 70K miles and only $12K. It looks very nice but you gotta pay to play in that arena. I figure having to budget another $12K over 2 years if you were to daily it.

fintail

Maybe a fair price if it passes a PPI. Nice cars, but yeah, it's like maintaining an old house. If I wanted a C215, I'd go all-in and find an AMG.

robr2 said:

On for fintail that might make him a little excited - doing some errands tonight and the local Honda store had a used 2003 MB CL500 on the used line. 70K miles and only $12K. It looks very nice but you gotta pay to play in that arena. I figure having to budget another $12K over 2 years if you were to daily it.

fintail

Today: ~62 Skylark convertible, 67-68 Mustang fastback, parked MB W114, 70s Camaro, E30 convertible.

stever

One of my neighbors has a Mach 1 fastback. I never seem to have my camera the few times it's out of the garage.

ab348

A vintage one? Any idea of the year?

stever

I knew someone was going to ask me that.

Looking at net images, I'd guess a '71. Can't recall offhand if it had a rear wing, but it's definitely got the Mach 1 graphic back there. He's closer to the collector street than me so I don't see him drive by, and I've only seen it a few times lately because they are repainting their garage interior and it's been parked in the driveway as I head out.

andre1969

I was out in Edgewater, Maryland today, and spotted a nice looking black '71 Corvette. Only way I could tell it was a '71 was that the license plate read "71 VET". Otherwise, I can't tell the '68-72 apart. I also spotted, at a repair shop, a '48-50 style Ford tow truck. Looked a bit rough and worn, and the front-end was up on blocks, in what looked like an effort to level it on a sloping parking lot. I searched the area using Google's street view, and here's what it looked like, back in 2013...

fintail

That tow truck looks like it would be at home in "Cars".

Today spotted a TR6, parked the wrong way in a no parking zone on a busy street. Equal chances of an entitled jerky owner, or it just broke down there.

jimthompkins

I see two DeLoreans everyday on my way to work. Today I saw an Avanti. Haven't seen one of those in a while.

berri

TR6 50/50??? It's British. Was it also damp outside?

uplanderguy

On the way home from a friend's memorial service yesterday, in tiny Sheakleyville, PA, I spotted a weathered dark blue '50 Ford 'fordor'. I still like those shoebox Fords; I'm sure they seemed very modern in their day. It was in someone's front yard and looked like a driver.

imidazol97

uplanderguy said:

On the way home from a friend's memorial service yesterday, in tiny Sheakleyville, PA, I spotted a weathered dark blue '50 Ford 'fordor'. I still like those shoebox Fords; I'm sure they seemed very modern in their day. It was in someone's front yard and looked like a driver.

I like those too. I first drove a car when my older brother put me in his white '50 Ford, had me put the trans in 3rd, and let the clutch out slowly while revving the engine slightly. Those flatheads would pull away from a stop in 3rd gear with their high torque lugging ability. I had already driven lots of farm tractors but this was my first attempt in a car.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, no more running boards or pontoon fenders. The shoebox Fords were among the first modern postwar cars, at least in styling. Old Man Ford had died, so the company could breathe a little.

imidazol97

Spotted a CTS-V wagon. No idea of the year. It was riding lower than I remembered.
Wheels must have thin black spokes because as car moved it was like there were no spokes; all the disk and orange red calipers were very visible. Neat.
License plate advertised that it was one fast wagon.

fintail

Saw a nice sounding unrestored looking Karmann-Ghia, and middle years R107 (probably 450SL or 380SL).

hpmctorque

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yes, no more running boards or pontoon fenders. The shoebox Fords were among the first modern postwar cars, at least in styling. Old Man Ford had died, so the company could breathe a little.

The all new 1949 Chevys and Plymouths were similarly different and more modern looking than their 1946-1948 predecessors, which still used 1930s platforms. In my opinion the 1949 Fords were the most exciting and fastest of the "low-priced three," but Plymouths were best in terms of reliability, comfort and quality.

fintail

Saw a big bumper eggshell with brown vinyl top RR Shadow today, also the same MB 300CD and the same ~66 Mustang GT I see now and then.

Mr_Shiftright

We still see pontoon fender vestiges in the '49 Plymouths and Chevys (especially the rear fenders on the Chevy) whereas the Ford took the entire leap forward and went slab-sided.
49 Chevy coupes are nice looking though. Chrysler products back then always remind me of old peoples' cars.

hpmctorque said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yes, no more running boards or pontoon fenders. The shoebox Fords were among the first modern postwar cars, at least in styling. Old Man Ford had died, so the company could breathe a little.

The all new 1949 Chevys and Plymouths were similarly different and more modern looking than their 1946-1948 predecessors, which still used 1930s platforms. In my opinion the 1949 Fords were the most exciting and fastest of the "low-priced three," but Plymouths were best in terms of reliability, comfort and quality.

andre1969

If forced to choose between the three, I think I'd take a '49 Chevy. I think they're attractive and well-proportioned, even if they do still have the old fashioned bolt-on rear fenders. The Plymouth is more upright and stuffy looking, and the grille treatment looks too heavy-handed to me. That upright look did give the car a pretty roomy interior, though. As for the Ford, while it's definitely more modern looking than a Chevy or Plymouth, I'm just not crazy about the look. To me it comes off as a bit fat, stubby, and diminutive looking. Although that's probably just a trick of the eye...I'm sure that size-wise, a '49 Ford is still in range with a Chevy or Plymouth.

I kinda like the '51-52 Plymouth, where they cleaned up the grille and made it seem much less bulky...almost like a '49 Chevy

ab348

I would save a bit more money and get a '49 Merc, or Olds 88 with the Rocket engine.

omarman

Spotted a clean looking '55 Nomad headed east toward Westerville during afternoon drive time.

berri

Whenever I see a Nomad, I immediately start thinking about driving into those old diners as a young guy. Both were laden with chrome inside. Although personally I think I preferred the Pontiac Safari's of that vintage. But then I also preferred the 58 Bonneville over the Impala. Now thinking about greaser talk from back in those days, I wouldn't kick one of those Chevy's out of bed

uplanderguy

I love a '55 Nomad, with the big rear wheel openings and denuded rear quarters. Speaking of '55's, at our local Stude club's large regional Stude-Packard-Independents show nearby last Sat. (103 Studes and Packards alone), a spectator came in a lovely, bone-stock turquoise and white '55 Bel Air Sport Coupe. Just beautiful.

My paternal grandparents, who lived in the same small town we did, had a '49 Chevy four-door fastback ("Fleetline"). I've seen pics of it. My Dad said he had bought the big sunvisor on the car for my grandfather for Father's Day. It was followed by a new '54 Bel Air sedan (which Grandpa said used a quart of oil every 100 miles when new and had to be torn down by the dealer), a '58 Brookwood wagon (which I can remember), a '63 Bel Air wagon, a '67 Impala Sport Coupe....and as their retirement car, the very first Vega our dealer got in, a dark green "sedan" (notchback), 3-speed, and only options white-stripe tires and AM radio. It was dark green with a pumpkin-like vinyl interior, even the floor covering.

fintail

55 Nomad makes me think of the Mayor Red Thomas campaign vehicle in Back to the Future:

uplanderguy

Very nice; I don't remember that car in the movie.

berri

I think that's a Hudson by the Texaco station, and yes - I do remember record stores

fintail

The Nomad is seen shortly after Marty arrives in 1955, while walking in the town square. The car at left is indeed a Hudson, car at right is Biff's 46 Ford, the bike is probably George McFly's. I am a moderate BTTF geek

andre1969

berri said:

I think that's a Hudson by the Texaco station, and yes - I do remember record stores

I remember record stores as well. But, by my time, I remember them having an endearing tackiness about them.

berri

Too funny. At first I wondered if it was going to be an ad for one of those hyped east coast electronic places like the Wiz mocked on Seinfeld, then I thought maybe it's related to the disco record smashing debacle at the Chicago White Sox old Comiskey Park ... but I do remember Hall & Oates and actually like them

ab348

A rather bizarre sighting today here in Nova Scotia. A near-mint or nicely restored '62 (I am pretty sure) Cadillac Fleetwood limo with Pennsylvania vanity plates, rolling along on the expressway. Hard to imagine someone drove that all the way up here on vacation. Lots of room if nothing else! Looked a lot like this one:

andre1969

ab348 said:

A rather bizarre sighting today here in Nova Scotia. A near-mint or nicely restored '62 (I am pretty sure) Cadillac Fleetwood limo with Pennsylvania vanity plates, rolling along on the expressway. Hard to imagine someone drove that all the way up here on vacation. Lots of room if nothing else! Looked a lot like this one:

Holy CRAP I'm in lust! The '61-62 is one of my favorite Caddys of all time! In a twisted sort of way, I think an old hearse or ambulance would be way cool. But I could definitely get a kick out of one of those Fleetwood 75 limos!

And yeah, that's a '62. While they're both attractive IMO, I think they cleaned up a few details that made the '62 look a bit nicer than the '61. Mainly, the '62 had a grille with a stronger horizontal bar bisecting it, and the parking lights were round on '61, versus rectangular on '62. Quibbly little stuff, but sometimes the devil is in the details.

ab348

andre1969 said:

Holy CRAP I'm in lust! The '61-62 is one of my favorite Caddys of all time! In a twisted sort of way, I think an old hearse or ambulance would be way cool. But I could definitely get a kick out of one of those Fleetwood 75 limos!

And yeah, that's a '62. While they're both attractive IMO, I think they cleaned up a few details that made the '62 look a bit nicer than the '61. Mainly, the '62 had a grille with a stronger horizontal bar bisecting it, and the parking lights were round on '61, versus rectangular on '62. Quibbly little stuff, but sometimes the devil is in the details.

The '62 Caddy is my favorite of the '60s models. Not necessarily in the Fleetwood limo style, but give me one in a 2-door hardtop version, maybe turquoise metallic, and now we're talking...

fintail

That Caddy has 4 tailfins, unique.

Spotted a MB W108 or 109 in the parking lot of the local Red Lion early this morning.

andre1969

Yeah, the hardtop coupe version was pretty sweet in '62. Not so much '61, as it seemed a bit, to put it nicely, "transitional". IMO, this car begs for a formal roofline, but the '61 coupe roof was too rakish, and seemed to be in a fight between angular and rounded. I like this year so much that I'd even be happy with the 4W or 6W hardtop...for '62 at least. In '61, the 4W hardtop had that wraparound rear window that, like the coupe, seemed a bit at odds with the rest of the design.

bhill2

andre1969 said:

Yeah, the hardtop coupe version was pretty sweet in '62. Not so much '61, as it seemed a bit, to put it nicely, "transitional". IMO, this car begs for a formal roofline, but the '61 coupe roof was too rakish, and seemed to be in a fight between angular and rounded. I like this year so much that I'd even be happy with the 4W or 6W hardtop...for '62 at least. In '61, the 4W hardtop had that wraparound rear window that, like the coupe, seemed a bit at odds with the rest of the design.

I am really drawn to the 4W hardtop, the 6W somewhat less. However, I also really like the Fleetwood, which I believe is a 6W.

berri

I've always thought that the 62 Cadillac was a very clean looking design. I think the 4W was called something like a Fleetwood 60 Special, but I could be wrong. I still remember going to the Chicago auto show as a kid and seeing the limousines. I always kind of leaned toward the Cadillac, particularly this roofline. But the Ghia Imperial limo's were also very neat. Lincoln had one of those town car limo's on display several times where the driver was under a convertible top, but the passenger compartment was enclosed. But I think Lincoln farmed their limo's out somewhere.

berri

Today I pulled up behind what I thought was an old blue Pinto wagon. Don't see many today, but they seemed pretty popular in the 70's. As I got behind it, turned out it was actually a Mercury Bobcat. Now I don't recall seeing many of those even back in the seventies, particularly in wagon form.

andre1969

My old car book refers to the '62 60 Special as a 6W. However, in looking at pics online, it looks like the 60 Special has the more formal C-pillar, but also has a quarter window built into the trailing edge of the back door, which gives it kind of an odd look with the door opened. Sort of like the '80-80 Seville, or the '79-81 New Yorker. The regular Series 62 and DeVille have a 6W, where there's a quarter window in the C-pillar, or a 4W, where the C-pillar is thick and formal, but there's no quarter window in the back door.

robr2

Yesterday on the Mass Pike east, I spotted a Volare/Aspen wagon with NY plates. I couldn't tell which it was as it had no badges nor hubcaps. I think it was gray at one time. Whatever was left of the paint was streaky and dull. It looked like it was being driven by the original owner and his spouse. And it was tooling along between 75 and 80 mph.

andre1969

Those Aspen/Volare wagons were a pretty big deal at the time, as they were the first small-ish wagons offered by the Big Three since the 1960's. The Dart/Valiant wagons were dropped after '66 and the Chevy II wagon after '67. While Ford did continue to offer a Falcon wagon, it was actually the same size as the Fairlane wagon, just with a Falcon front clip, so it may have been considered midsized. But, just to show how the cars bloated up, an Aspen/Volare was probably about the same size as a late 60's Falcon wagon!

My grandmother's cousin bought a '79 Volare wagon new, and it was pretty sharp looking...two tone black over silver with a red vinyl interior. I remember my Mom liking it alot, and briefly considering getting one. Probably best that she didn't though, as it would have most likely been handed down to me when I got my license, and driving a station wagon had a stigma about it back then!

uplanderguy

That's a very nice Caddy. I always liked the '62 Fleetwood Sixty Special, so darn elegant.

The '65 has long been my favorite Caddy, although I think it didn't take them long to figure out that the wraparound parking lights would start to sag in a while!

I remember thinking that the Aspen and Volare wagons were nice-looking cars. I liked the coupes too. I started not liking them as much whatever year they started using the rectangular taillights with what seemed like several different lines/shapes/pieces inside of them.

A friend's father, retired college professor, has told me he ordered a new '76 Volare six-cylinder four-door, with only options being radio, floor-mounted manual trans w/overdrive (?), and wire wheel covers.

berri

I remember that when the Volare and Aspen first came out, I think around '76, they were pretty good sellers. Probably were what the original K cars should have been. But then mechanical reliability issues and rust really killed them. I think they put that car out before it was really ready. Of course, Chrysler was in some financial trouble when they developed them. It was too bad, because I think these cars had the potential to be cash cows like the old Dart's had they had that kind of reliability.

andre1969

From what I've heard, the '76-77 Aspens and Volares were the most troublesome, mainly with rusting front fenders and torsion bar issues. The '78-80 models weren't bad, probably about average for the most part, although carburetors could be finicky and the Lean Burn could be a toss of the dice. The '80 models saw a fairly big cut in power, and a loss of the 360.

While the Aspen/Volare went away after 1980, the basic platform did become a cash cow for Chrysler. The upscale Diplomat/LeBaron debuted for 1977, on the same platform but with ritzier interiors, more upscale sheetmetal, and 15" tires that gave them a more nicely balanced look. These cars were popular for a couple of years, although like everything else, took a big hit for 1980. For 1982-89, these cars took over as token full-sized cars, with the Diplomat/Gran Fury versions going mostly to police and taxi fleets, while the New Yorker/5th Ave became popular among retail buyers who wanted a traditional RWD V-8 car, but wanted something smaller than Caprice/Crown Vic sized.

lemko

berri said:

I've always thought that the 62 Cadillac was a very clean looking design. I think the 4W was called something like a Fleetwood 60 Special, but I could be wrong. I still remember going to the Chicago auto show as a kid and seeing the limousines. I always kind of leaned toward the Cadillac, particularly this roofline. But the Ghia Imperial limo's were also very neat. Lincoln had one of those town car limo's on display several times where the driver was under a convertible top, but the passenger compartment was enclosed. But I think Lincoln farmed their limo's out somewhere.

I believe Lehman-Petersen built most of the Lincoln limos in the 1960s.

robr2

Yesterday I saw a beautiful original looking 1973 Buick Centurion Convertible. It was a dark root beer color with a brown interior. What a presence!! I presume it had the 455 as this one was equipped with dual exhaust.

It had the top down and was being driven by a mid 40's man with a blue tooth ear piece.

berri

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Buick's were very desirable with collectors until some time in the latter 70's. Then it seemed to become all about Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Of course, that may have reflected the growth in new Olds and Pontiac sales in the latter half of the 60's and the 70's, or maybe they were just less expensive to get into. But about maybe a decade ago that started to change at the old car shows I went to. Personally, I'm glad Buick's are back to being appreciated. They were generally well built cars with good drivetrains, and some surprising muscle models.

explorerx4

While on a wedding reception venue tour today, one of the hotels had a Mopar show starting to gather some cars. Took a few quick pictures.

texases

Hemi time! Nice!