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

jaserb

looked to be in perfect condition. Cream with a hardtop and 24k original miles. How do I know that? The decals that said "For Sale - 24k original miles" in the back window. It's probably about the nicest one you'll see. Someone picked the WRONG car to baby, but that's just my opinion.

-Jason

kyfdx

24K miles, and they have been driving it continuously since it was new (except for when it wouldn't run).

Mr_Shiftright

An actual running TR7! Wow! Quick bring the people in wheelchairs to be cured at the site of the miracle! Only car I can recall where the factory RECOMMENDED using three head gaskets to seal the engine! And to think, some British managerial genuises actually killed the MG marque and tore down the factory so that this...this...THING...could be built instead and marketing in the US.

Fintail 200SE --- Hmmm...looks like a great parts car. You'd have to have guts to try to slap awake that fuel injection after that Rip Van Winkle nap. I had that same type of a/c in mine. American made, so it works. (behr a/c = a very "behr" joke).

 
Bond Equipe -- I actually owned one of these, but not the 2 liter. It's true they are Triumph Herald based, which is a sobering thought in itself. Add a flimsy fiberglas body that was beaten with an ugly stick and you have created a car riddled with evil, misapplied genius. In other words, it takes as much talent to make something totally bad as totally good. Think of all the wrong decisions you have to make! I remember the doors popping open when you hit a hard bump. Not on Shiftright's Recommended List.

Lloyd Combi--- very cool! Love it! It would be perfect for my pet funeral business. Sorry, no St. Bernards!

NSU -- look at those bids....yikes! Never would have guessed it. Perhaps it's the little trailer that's helping this along? Now here's a case of foreign cars copying American. Can you see the '62 corvair in that picture? Very nice little unit.

Steyr Baby -- the opening bid requested is ridiculous. Get real---start low and bid 'em up. You want BMW 2002 money for this mangy little mutt?

A Vespa Ape? LOL! Well I guess they couldn't call it a chimp. Nasty little thing.

Hudson Super 6 -- the question we have to ask here is why someone spent over $30K to restore a car now worth $10K? Well maybe they were born in the back seat of one or something. Very unexceptional and unattractive car to restore if you ask me. They could have put the money in a '27 Hudson Custom Roadster and gotten it all back out again.

kyfdx

Navy blue.. heading the other way on the freeway with the top down.. nice.

fintail

I've seen fintails with Kuhlmeister AC units, but never the other kind. Was it made by Harrison or some other industrial sounding company?

That Steyr makes me again want a Tatra 77...not a Tatra 87, the more normal looking car that the [non-permissible content removed] had problems with, but the earlier and more daring 77.

PF_Flyer

...that's when all the antiques autos come out around here...

Talking about standing out from the crowd, spotting that 1937 Packard wasn't much of a challenge...LOL



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stormdavy

Those are great looking tail lights. Did Rambler rip them off in styling their '57 wagons, except making the lamp part an oval. The fin looks similar.

lemko

...I saw a yellow MG Midget. It was in excellent condition and was one of the later models with the rubberized front end. It's a shame that British-Leyland dumped MG in favor of the homely TR-7.

lemko

I rented a movie "The Cooler" starring William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. William H. Macy's character was driving what I believe was a light green 1967 Chrysler Newport sedan.

fintail

The fintails actually came later than the similarly styled Ramblers, the fintails being introduced at the end of 1959. They both have the boxy Farina-influenced styling that was popular from about 1957 through the early 60s, esp on middle class Euro sedans. From what I can tell by some trim pieces, that fintail wagon is likely a 63-64. The fins were passe by then, but MB is never one to quickly change a design. The lowline cars had fins through 68.

andys120

seen in the last couple of days:

-'69 Mercedes 280SL in a light brown cafe au lait color, just as straight and nice as could be (top down). I knew it was a '69 from the plate
69SL. I really like these cars even though Shifty sez they aren't all that sporty or fast.

-Ferrari 360GTB Modena, Fly Yellow looking racy and out-of-place as it cruised with suburban traffic.

-'68 Mustang coupe, a very light green with a black vinyl roof. No motor badges so likely an I6. This car would be nothing special if it weren't so and freee of scratches, flaws or even dirt.

stormdavy

That's interesting about fintails. Like that "never one to quickly change a design" comment!

A bunch of guys in town are driving around in a babied (and restored to a T)'65 (I guessed right) Caddy Sedan de Ville in metallic turquoise. Straight, bargelike, and quite a sight to see in motion.

wale_bate1

So it's not particularly obscure in a global sense, but here is another story: an S4 Avant in grey, this AM.

Thanks to Andy, I'm developing an obsession with this car. First one I've seen in the skin, and by gum, it's just hot. Sure do wish more folks would embrace the compact wagon segment. Sure am glad I live in a state where many do!

seminole_kev

I'll need fintails help on this one probably, but saw an old, faded blue Mercedes today. Looked to be from the 50's maybe. Rounded looking compared to a fintail. Couldn't read the rear markings, but looked to be a early to late 50's Mercedes sedan. I know absolutely squat about MB's from that period, any help?

ghulet

If it was kinda smallish, perhaps a 190 (not to be confused with '80s 190E, naturally), or if it was a biggun with a glassy greenhouse, a 300S?

seminole_kev

smaller, kind of reminded me of an old volvo (not that that'll help much)

fintail

Probably a ponton, the slightly Ghia inspired design used by MB for lowline and midrange sedans from model year 1954-1960/61, depending on model and month.

You basically have This car, a lower line

Or This car, a higher line

It also could have been This, or This, these are highline 300 series cars, "Adenauers"
 

stormdavy

(That 2nd shot of an Adenauer is a beaut!)...to the banal: This evening I saw parked a Pinto Pony MPG, in light green. Then a Dodge van that had a curved window right behind the front seat and the rest was a high pick-up bed. Big round headlights w/ chrome surrounds, kind of like staring eyes that follow you...

seminole_kev

very good! The first one was it. Needed a respray, but the body looked straight and it was running.

kyfdx

1982 Mercury Cougar station wagon.

I saw it on the interstate on the way to work today... I don't even remember them making these.. I had to google it, to find out what year it was.. It was a "woody", which I think was called the "villager" package.

And it had temporary tags.. someone just bought it... WHY?

regards,
kyfdx

fintail

That yellow Adenauer is pretty...needs to be photographed with all windows down, on a set of wide whites.

Those lowline pontons are fairly unappreciated, esp in lethargic diesel form, and can be had pretty cheaply.

andre1969

was only offered in 1981-82. They were twins to the Ford Granada, and were replaced in 1983 by a small LTD and Marquis for '83-86. Also in '81-82, they had two different Cougar 2-doors. One was called the XR-7, which looked like the '80-82 T-bird, except with exposed headlights. The other was a stubbier, more upright 2-door sedan that was identical to the Granada 2-door.

They weren't popular at all. In fact, during that timeframe Mercury was doing so poorly that Ford was considering dropping the nameplate. It wasn't until 1983, with the introduction of the newer, more aerodynamic Cougar coupe, the small Marquis, which sold better than the Cougar cars it replaced, and revived interest in big cars like the Grand Marquis that gave Mercury a stay of execution.

Mr_Shiftright

I think ponton prices have galloped past you while you were looking lovingly at fintails. Not a big buck car but you can get $7K-$8K for a nicely restored one that you spent $20K on. There's money to be made--LOL!

But you are right in the sense that if a ponton is shabby, it's worth very little, that is certainly true.

stormdavy

...or pontoon, to describe the fender/ wheel opening arch? Man, what beautiful, sculpted forms in that "lowline" photo. Karmann Ghias had that going on for awhile, too if I'm not mistaken.

Now we see the Colorado/ Canyon, Malibu, and Subaru WRXs w/ fairly ungraceful squared-off versions of this "swoosh" over wheel openings.

wimsey1

Checker Marathon
2 new BMW 6ers with in 10 minutes of each other, look real good in the real world, IMO.

Mr_Shiftright

I think Marathon refers to what it feels like to drive one.

What they don't ever tell you about the Greek legend of the runner who ran 26 miles to announce the Greek victory at Marathon, was that the runner dropped dead from exhaustion.

wimsey1

If I had a Marathon I think I would put a volleyball court in the back seat, there appears to be room.

jrosasmc

Collectible Automobile magazine (I think that's the one), in their August '04 issue, has an article about the rare 1980-81 Lincoln Continental/Town Car coupe. They looked exactly like the regular Town Car sedans but sold in much smaller numbers. I think you'd be interested.

andre1969

but never got the chance. I have a feeling that if I did, it would really spoil the illusion!

Shifty, I know you've answered this for me before, but I can't remember...was the Checker's front seat stationary, or could it be adjusted backwards? I don't know why, but I keep thinking those things had stationary front seats...which could really suck if you're too tall or too short!

Mr_Shiftright

I think they were adjustable. What made them so back-crushing was how they made you sit at a perfect right angle, and also how unsupportive and cheap the seats were.

But they didn't adjust WAY BACK, either. They were one of those odd and rather perverse cars that pampered the rear seat passenger and tortured the driver---other examples of that are the Austin Taxi and the Mercedes 600 short and long limousines.

Designed by very mean people no doubt~!

fintail

I think you can get that much for a sunroof 220S or 220SE especially, but for something like a 190 or 190D? I don't know.

The name for that car is indeed "ponton", which I am sure derives from "pontoon". Every now and then a MB gets a weird name like that, like "fintail" and "pagoda". All three cars are now seem as being decent design.

I saw one of those Continental coupes at an estate sale several months back...something like 50K on it, could have had it for a song I am sure, as it hadn't been on the road in a decade.

Mr_Shiftright

Definitely NOT a 190D, no. I think a really pretty 190 sedan could bring a decent price, but again never enough to justify restoring it.

Hell, for $8K I can buy a Porsche 911!

fintail

But would it be a nice 911?

There are old car bargains out there, indeed.

andre1969

if the reason that the Checker's seat doesn't adjust that far back, is because it's such an old design? I mean, didn't that car first come out in like 1954 or 1956? Grbeck and I sat in a few '55-56 Mopars that were for sale at various swap meets at Carlisle, and, as big as those cars are, the seat really doesn't go back that far, either. I remember sitting in one 1956 DeSoto, and thinking that, for me at least, it really wouldn't make a good long-distance cruiser. It's almost like getting behind the wheel of an old pickup truck (back before they started to try making them more and more car-like), where the seat was high and upright, but didn't give a whole lot of fore-aft legroom.

It's amazing, how quickly they changed back then, though. A '56 DeSoto is almost too high and upright, but then a '57 is sooo low it's hard to lean your arm out the window...but legroom's so great I can almost stretch out straight.

kyfdx

Lincoln made the Town Coupe for quite a few years.. I learned to drive on my mother's '72 Town Coupe. In '76, she and my stepfather bought matching Town Coupes, red and blue. Try taking your driver's exam in a big hog like that!!

regards,
kyfdx

lemko

...first appeared in 1956 and was then redesigned with quad lights in 1959 and persisted until the end in 1982.

andre1969

the distinction between a Lincoln Town Coupe and a Mark VI was really blurred. It wasn't like in the past, like when the Mark III/IV/V were vastly different cars from the Continental Town Coupes and Sedans. IIRC, in '80-82, the Mark VI coupe rode a short 114.3" wb, whereas the Mark VI sedan (yes, they actually had a sedan version!) rode the same 117.3" wb as the regular Town Sedan and Town Coupe.

Didn't the Mark VI, some of them at least, have exposed headlights? I remember some model that had a single round headlight built into what looked like the quad headlight cover, but being fixed. Very pimpy looking.

ghulet

I think there was a year or two when Lincoln was 'transitioning' between hidden headlights(the huge, single, round lights looked like they sat on top of the doors) and the more '80s-looking quad rectangulars. I tried to find one on Autotrader and eBay, but couldn't. Maybe it was optional or dealer installed? I don't know, but I know I've seen them around.

kyfdx

I think that headlight built into the headlamp cover was kind of a "pimp my ride" customization, designed for looks (?) and a cheap fix to inoperable headlight covers.

regards,
kyfdx

andys120

a very nice white one with wire wheel covers and hidden headlights. I think that makes it a '65, IIRC the '63-'64s had fixed headlights and the '66 was a new body style.

andre1969

of a Mark VI on google...



Odd looking thing. And the Mark VI was rare enough, that even on Google, it asked "Did you mean Lincoln Mark VII?", when I typed in "Lincoln Mark VI"!!

I think it's curious that they'd go through the bother to shrink the coupe 3", versus a regular Continental Town Coupe. Maybe they did that, to make it more "personal luxury coupe"-ish, and a bit smaller to compete better with the Eldo/Toro/Riv? Unfortunately, because it was taller than the Mark VI, and considerably shorter, the end result was just far less graceful. I think they would've been better off just leaving them on the 3" longer Town Coupe chassis, although with those cars, I don't think the coupes in general looked very good...they were just too upright and blocky and sedan-like, whereas GM seemed to distinguish their downsized big coupes much better, having them come off much sleeker than their sedan counterparts.

But then again, Ford was really running out of money around that timeframe, and was almost as bad off as Chrysler. So most likely they just didn't have the money to put more differentiation into the coupes?

fintail

That's just like the Lincoln I saw.

Now this is obscure: An Adenauer Hearse

Would make an awesome station wagon

jrosasmc

Andre- I'm just curious...how long have you had your Dodge Intrepid?

andre1969

I still remember the date...it was November 6, 1999 that I bought my Intrepid. It had 147 miles on it. It now has something like 92,000 or so, and 6 payments left on the books.

I also hear that it's a rare and obscure model because it's still on its original transmission and the engine shows no signs of sludge! ;-)

jrosasmc

Hmm...early 2nd-gen Intrepids were known for giving up transmissions? On the other hand I heard the same thing about 2001-up Sebrings...

andre1969

actually, for the most part, Mopar got most of the kinks worked out of that transmission by 1996 or 1997. They're not too bad nowadays, but probably still more prone to failure than, say, a GM tranny. GM seemed to get the 4-speed FWD automatic tranny format down pat fairly quickly.

the 2.7 V-6 engine also has developed a reputation for sludging up, similar to the Toyota 3.0 V-6. And, if you never change the oil in them, I'm sure that's exactly what happens!

kyfdx

A '50s era Plymouth.. It was two-tone. Coral (like Halle Berry's T-bird) and white. I think it said "Plaza" on the side? I didn't get a real good look, as I passed it going pretty fast (the wife let me drive her BMW to work..LOL).

I think it was a sedan.... sedan shaped, though it might have had two-doors.. My guess is '53-'55?

regards,
kyfdx

andre1969

a Plaza was the low-line Plymouth, so it was a base model. If it was 2-toned, I'd guess a '55-56. Here's a few pics though, to help ya out...

1953 Plymouth:


1954 Plymouth:


1955 Plymouth:


1956 Plymouth:

seminole_kev

ehhhh, don't really like them.

kyfdx

Definitely not a '55 or '56... It looks more like the '53, but hard to tell with the convertible.. Did it come in a two-door with the hardtop? Because even the '54 looks a little bigger...

regards,
kyfdx