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

bhill2

Aren't those high-mounted tail lights from a '62 Imperial?

stickguy

yes, that is one of the many versions of plate colors that NY cycled through. They changed quite often for a while there.

fintail

83-86 Cougar, not many left on the road. That C-pillar irritated me when I was a kid.

toomanyfumes

My sister had that Era Cougar, I never liked the C pillar either, the T-Birds looked better. Haven't seen one in a long time, still see the T-Bird turbo coupes now and then.

berri

An old blue Ford Pinto station wagon. Had to be an earlier model because it didn't have the big bumpers. They weren't bad looking little cars actually. This one had a bit of rust, but no char marks on the rear end

xwesx

Hahah; hey! It wasn't the wagons that were a problem... it was the hatchbacks!

fintail

Saw a dark red IROC-Z, OK condition, driven in a mild mannered fashion.

When I was a little kid, my paternal grandmother had a Pinto hatch, I think it was the kind with the frameless hatch glass.

ab348

fintail said:

When I was a little kid, my paternal grandmother had a Pinto hatch, I think it was the kind with the frameless hatch glass.

I liked those, especially the ones with this front end:

berri

I preferred the looks of the Pinto's back then too, but did like the Vega Kammback.

andre1969

Was it '77 that the Pinto went to the more raked-back front end? I think it's definitely an improvement. I thought the Vega improved as well, when it went to the more raked-back front.

jpp75

I was out in the Pacific NW last week, saw a Mitsubishi Diamante, surprisingly it wasn't blowing blue smoke.

stickguy

not classic, but obscure these days. A Mazda Millenia S. So the Miller-cycle engine.

and in a driveway, a custom mid-60s Chevy PU. Must be airbagged, because it was flat on the driveway (could not have been more than an inch of clearance left). That just looks so odd.

tjc78

Late 60s Chrysler Newport. Parked not driving. 

texases

Jaguar XJS - twice, the same one, first at the airport, then at the Lowes parking lot. No way to miss that 'original' faded paint/bad clear coat.

Mr_Shiftright

Well at least it's running, so give the owner credit for that!

stickguy

It must take a special brand of machismo to keep something like that old Jag going as a DD. Or is it masochism?

Mr_Shiftright

Stockholm Syndrome perhaps

magnette

Went out in the Magnette for a drive today - just through the lanes in Essex, about a thirty mile trip, and found ourselves going down a lane to this old wooden church - oldest in Europe it said on the leaflet - where we found another Magnette parked outside - a 57 ZB Varitone, so a couple of years younger than ours, but in better condition (and cleaner).

Also saw an MG Midget mk III today, and yesterday in the suburbs a Riley Elf - the posh version of the Mini, from about 1964.

Mr_Shiftright

bhill2

Mr_Shiftright said:

Oh jeez. If my limited knowledge of British domestic cars serves me, this was a British equivalent of the Cadillac Cimarron; an attempt to turn a mainstream car (the Mini in this case) into a luxury car with styling cues and an upgraded interior. I want to say the it was sold as a Wolseley, but I'm not even close to being sure.

roadburner

Riley.

stickguy

that looks like one of those kits you threw on a VW to turn it into a old Ford or RR.

Mr_Shiftright

It's Mr. Magnette's Elf--I thought I'd post a photo to go along with his "elf-spotting" (somehow that phrase seems obscene but we'll let it go).

Mr_Shiftright

You guys like this?

http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/packard/unspecified/1666859.html

fintail

75K, I bet I can get a nice Doc Brown Super Eight Victoria for less. The problem with these rods is thay they are built to someone else's taste, and that's seldom the same as mine

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, I would never pay that, but I thought they did a nice job.

berri

Mini with a couple of shiners, or some orthodontia?

bhill2

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yeah, I would never pay that, but I thought they did a nice job.

I'll give you that's it's no uglier than the car it was based on. 

uplanderguy

My favorite body style of that model--but that ain't sayin' much.

I'm with fintail--I'd have to have 'stock' or I wouldn't buy.

What can be said about a car that has widely been called "The pregnant elephant"?

That said, I've always heard the cars were sturdy and reliable.

texases

bhill2 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yeah, I would never pay that, but I thought they did a nice job.

I'll give you that's it's no uglier than the car it was based on. 

Take a look at the engine on that Packard custom - lots of work, along with every square inch of the interior and the trunk. Not my cup of IPA, but I bet they're getting back fifty cents on the dollar spent, at most.

Mr_Shiftright

I admire good craftsmanship, even if its aberrant.

Yep the general rule of valuing a hot rod or custom is to add up your receipts and divide by 2.

fintail

What would this cost me, 50K?



I'm just not a big hot rod fan, and if I wanted a resto-mod, I want it to look stock and not like a rod built 20 years ago.

Mr_Shiftright

You might squeak in at $50K but if you wanted a really nice driver, probably more.

'48 Packard Victoria Super Eight Victoria Convertible

fintail

Nice, it even looks like Doc Brown's car. Offer 57K cash and they can take it or leave it. It's a convertible, it's pretty, and for those of a certain age, it has a positive movie association.

uplanderguy

I think dealers always "ask" thousands more than the usual market value.

My hometown Stude-Packard dealer, who was dualled even before the merger, has told me he sold a yellow '48 Packard convert new to the Greek fellow who owned the Majestic Bar and Grill in our little town--still there after almost 100 years.

Mr_Shiftright

They are sturdy cars, well-built, gobs of low end torque. You could tear a house down with one of those straight-8s. Many came with 3-speed column shift and overdrive (cable activated). You could even order AC, although I suspect it's quite rare.

Great road car. At the end of the day, you might have to scrap off a Honda or two stuck under the wheel wells, but other than that, I bet you could drive for miles and miles in comfort.

fintail

In the Directors material of the BTTF films, the Packard is mentioned as not missing a beat - it always started and drove out when needed (I guess the DeLorean wasn't as perfect).

stever

Saw a classic looking Saab the other day. Trying to find it online but I'm coming up with a Tucker of all things. Knew I should have stopped and tried to grab a pic. Anything else have a bullet nose front like a Tucker?

Oh sure, a Studebaker. Must have been one of those. Glad I didn't waste my film.

stickguy

A sonnet?

Mr_Shiftright

Probably a Studebaker, yeah. I rather doubt you saw a Tucker, although it's possible...but in Las Cruces? Don't think there's one there. Of course, if it drove down from Vegas...I think 2 or 3 Tuckers live there.

I rode in a Tucker, but didn't get to drive it. For one thing, you must never romp on the gas in first gear, or you'll break something for sure. The car had good power and road well. Very comfy.

imidazol97

fintail said:

What would this cost me, 50K?



I'm just not a big hot rod fan, and if I wanted a resto-mod, I want it to look stock and not like a rod built 20 years ago.

I like that. I love the car shows and cruise-ins but I shun the ones that have been modified. Just ain't the same.

Mr_Shiftright

Well sometimes people take rather hopeless basket cases and make works of art out of them. It's better than sending them to the junkyard.

iluvmysephia1

You could even order AC, although I suspect it's quite rare.


This rings a bell of late. Found some 510's with factory air installed. Would the '68 411 Bluebird also have factory air?

fintail

I have to imagine AC in old Datsuns is a dealer-installed thing, like in old German cars. I still think that red 411 is closer to a 5-6K car on a good day.

Regarding "art", I suppose it is in the eye of the beholder. Even at my age I have seen enough old cars with SBCs and billet steering wheels to last my lifetime.

stickguy

Honda was still doing AC as a dealer installed option into the 80s.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Honda was still doing AC as a dealer installed option into the 80s.

Try early 90's ... I leased a '93 Accord DX and I had my choice of a stereo or A/C. Silly me, I chose the stereo.

Mr_Shiftright

fintail said:

I have to imagine AC in old Datsuns is a dealer-installed thing, like in old German cars. I still think that red 411 is closer to a 5-6K car on a good day.

Regarding "art", I suppose it is in the eye of the beholder. Even at my age I have seen enough old cars with SBCs and billet steering wheels to last my lifetime.

I used "art" with a small "a"

iluvmysephia1

I have to imagine AC in old Datsuns is a dealer-installed thing, like in old German cars. I still think that red 411 is closer to a 5-6K car on a good day.


I am not an old-Asian car afficiado by any stretch, so I'm just hunting and gathering, waiting to strike like Ted Nugent on a good hunting day. Still love 'Great White Buffalo.' "They only took what they needed baby, millions of buffalo were the proof. But then came the white dog, with his thick and empty head, he couldn't get past his billfold, he wanted all the buffalo dead." Uncle Ted's politics aside the man can still play the electrified guitar very, very well, eh?

kyfdx

http://assets.amuniversal.com/ab0377f0470f01301099001dd8b71c47

stever

LOL at Dilbert.

@iluvmysephia1, guess you need to check out Wiki for buffalo jumps. "A buffalo jump is a cliff formation which Native Americans historically used in order to hunt and kill plains bison in mass quantities." Just because "every part of the animal could be used in some way" doesn't mean they did, and the bottoms of some cliffs yields lots of bones. I'm betting lots of the critters just rotted away. Lots were supposedly killed for their tongues. (link)

The correlation here is to imagine all the junked '57 Chevys that were boxed into the dead salvage yard canyons, after their hoods were scavenged.