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

Mr_Shiftright

Can't believe anyone, even a rich, dumb, blind fool with solid gold bathroom fixtures, would pay 4X retail.

stickguy

Lot of premium for provenance.

Mr_Shiftright

But....but....what provenance? They don't even list any. Just sitting in a museum has never qualified as provenance in any auction sale I've ever seen.

Now, the Paul Newman Porsche 935 to be sold this August at Pebble Beach-----that's provenance! Glorious race history (2nd at Lemans, 1st 24 hours Daytona, 1st 12 hours Sebring, Best in Class 2007 at Amelia Island and Paul Newman owned it.

That's the kind of stuff people pay for I think. Unless Mercedes Stuttgart dust is worth more than regular dust? Maybe...a little....

fintail

To MB collectors, coming from and we assume being brought to good health by tghe MB Museum will be worth something. Not 3x the real world price, of course, more like 10%, but it is something. I suspect a really late run W100 is also rare and also commands a slight premium, still not enough to justify the price.

During the as-seen-on-TV auctions, rich drunken old men who got rich heaven knows how, like to pay way over market for some cars, maybe they are hoping for the same market. The place has high prices on everything, and numerous sold cars, so someone is buying.

fintail

A few oddities on the road this afternoon. First, a white 280SL. A R107 280SL, which was Europe-only. I could hear it coming, and knew it wasn't a V8, those 6s have a light clatter and rasp to them. Kind of cool car for not a ton of money.

Next up, a white XK120 FHC, obviously restored, keeping up with traffic (which isn't hard here, as it might hit 30 mph max).

Then something that made me smile, a pristine Dodge Lil Red Express. Can't recall when I last saw one on the road.

Also saw a BMW E30 converted into a pickup, and an E36 "Compact" manx cat with a fabric sunroof and M3 wheels, manual, looked very clean but missing a piece of side impact trim - no doubt because doofy greenie Germans affixed it with biodegradable glue.

ab348

Was followed by or was following a Maserati Gran Turismo coupe today. Had a Herb Chambers license plate frame which means Boston area, but it was sporting a blue license plate that I could not quite make out but which had a design that looked like Montana plates from what I could see online, which makes no sense. Impressive-looking car in red, but some poor soul was in the back seat which could not have been fun. Quite the exhaust note!

Mr_Shiftright

nice looking cars.

An R107/280SL must be pretty sedate on acceleration. Never drove one. The V8s were slow enough in the early models.

Michaell

Forgot to mention this, but last week I spotted a gen 1 M5 in reasonably good condition.

Boy, the visibility in those things is awesome! Pillars about as thin as the "l" on this keyboard. Of course, no airbags or electronic nannies to muck up the driving experience.

jpp75

Saw a mid-90's Cutlass Supreme convertible yesterday, one of the last models with the really small inset square headlights. It was raining so the top was up but it looked to be in good condition.

Mr_Shiftright

Interesting. I just saw that same era M5 a few days ago. They are fun to drive but man oh man, are they ever rust buckets. Must have something to do with the way they are constructed. I mean the E28s.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

Interesting. I just saw that same era M5 a few days ago. They are fun to drive but man oh man, are they ever rust buckets. Must have something to do with the way they are constructed. I mean the E28s.

As you know, we're blessed with relatively dry weather here in CO; the one I saw last week didn't have any rust that I could see. The rubber around the bumper covers was warped, but I imagine that age would have a lot to do with that.

Mr_Shiftright

True, but I think all E28s were Euro cars. I've never seen an unrestored one that wasn't rusted--mostly rockers and wheel wells. The one I saw recently had some suspicious areas but generally was pretty nice. They are fun cars to drive.

fintail

I am pretty certain E28 M5 was officially imported here for MY 1987-88. There was a class action because BMW claimed a low volume for the cars, which was exceeded, which supposedly diminished value. They are really rare, but don't seem to be horribly expensive compared to M3s.

I see one around here too, usually in the summer. I really liked those cars when I was a kid. When I was about 11-12, I got this poster:

kyfdx

Yep.. 1988 model only in the USA.

And, all black, as far as I know.

Mr_Shiftright

kyfdx said:

Yep.. 1988 model only in the USA.

And, all black, as far as I know.

That's true. I see they brought in about 600 of them. They were down on HP from Euro models, though. Still if you can find one that's "right" (not easy), you can get pretty serious money, considering it's a 4 door and all.

omarman

Somebody with garage space should buy this now. Or at least make an offer and see what happens.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

kyfdx said:

Yep.. 1988 model only in the USA.

And, all black, as far as I know.

That's true. I see they brought in about 600 of them. They were down on HP from Euro models, though. Still if you can find one that's "right" (not easy), you can get pretty serious money, considering it's a 4 door and all.

More than 600; BMW NA got slapped with a class action for claiming less than 600 M5s would be imported when in fact the number was over 1200. Owners ended up getting a $4000 transferable voucher for a new BMW as a settlement. Also, a Dinan or Conforti chip boosted hp above the Euro versions.

fintail

Swoon...it's beautiful. Same color combo as my old W126 300SE. I'd love to have that, but would feel guilty turning it into a DD - it should be a sunny Sunday driver, and I am already more than occupied with a blue MB that fits that role. If I had piles of cash and storage space, I might offer 10K. It's only getting more difficult to find genuinely nice 140s.

omarman said:

Somebody with garage space should buy this now. Or at least make an offer and see what happens.

fintail

On the road today - dark blue S1 E-Type roadster, sure looked small in modern traffic, and had the wonderful smell of unburned hydrocarbons. Also a lowered ~1970 Suburban that my uncle claimed was "ruined" due to the ride height, and an R32 Skyline.

ab348

fintail said:

Swoon...it's beautiful. Same color combo as my old W126 300SE. I'd love to have that, but would feel guilty turning it into a DD - it should be a sunny Sunday driver, and I am already more than occupied with a blue MB that fits that role. If I had piles of cash and storage space, I might offer 10K. It's only getting more difficult to find genuinely nice 140s.

omarman said:

Somebody with garage space should buy this now. Or at least make an offer and see what happens.

It really is very nice. What are those like to drive with just a 6-cylinder? They are built like tanks from what I understand. Just a lovely example.

ab348

The neighbor up the street who was selling the 1970 C10 pickup reached out to me yesterday. Offered me the truck for $7500, which probably means I could have gotten it with an offer of $7K, maybe even less. I think he was not getting much interest from his ad, which surprises me. In any event I had to turn him down. In thinking about it, the parking/winter storage of it would be a huge pain for me, and I just wasn't in love with it. I favor GM products generally, especially vintage ones like that, but I know nothing about Chevy or trucks, and I just wasn't in love with it. The long box in particular was a turn-off, and it seemed to be suffering from a lot of neglect even though cosmetically it looked fine. I know from experience that having more than one collector vehicle is a huge burden as there is always something that needs doing and soon it no longer becomes fun.

It was still parked out in front of his house when I woke up this morning but is gone now, so I don't know if he took a lower offer from someone or just moved it from where he has had it on display all week.

fintail

Performance is leisurely, but not as bad as an old diesel or anything. I'd estimate 0-60 9.5-10 seconds or so, and these have a 5-speed automatic that helps driveability, Those cars really are tanks, once unloved with most falling into neglect, but among MB circles they've developed a little cult now, esp for the nicest ones.

Here's my old car in the same color:

ab348 said:

It really is very nice. What are those like to drive with just a 6-cylinder? They are built like tanks from what I understand. Just a lovely example.

explorerx4

A light blue 85 SL380 with the top down in the parking lot at Home Depot. The plate was SL85

stickguy

not that old, but rare. A MB R class "minivan", but at least this one was a 63 AMG.

sda

fintail said:

Performance is leisurely, but not as bad as an old diesel or anything. I'd estimate 0-60 9.5-10 seconds or so, and these have a 5-speed automatic that helps driveability, Those cars really are tanks, once unloved with most falling into neglect, but among MB circles they've developed a little cult now, esp for the nicest ones.

Here's my old car in the same color:

ab348 said:

It really is very nice. What are those like to drive with just a 6-cylinder? They are built like tanks from what I understand. Just a lovely example.

Fintail, very nice. How many and what Mercedes have you had?

fintail

R63 is a good sighting, very rare. Model year 07 only, I think, I believe under 100 units brought over.

Out on the road today saw a Sunbeam Alpine (I think) race car on a trailer, Model A hot rod, very restored looking ~70 Challenger, ,70s Datsun pickup with collector plates, kind of 70s style 57 Bel Air 2 door HT (mag wheels, lowered a little).

fintail

I've had the fintail, that W126, C43 AMG, E55 AMG, E350 Bluetec, E350 gas, now E250 Bluetec.

sda said:

Fintail, very nice. How many and what Mercedes have you had?

stickguy

oh yeah, at a local garage, a 1972ish purple challenger.

Mr_Shiftright

roadburner said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

kyfdx said:

Yep.. 1988 model only in the USA.

And, all black, as far as I know.

That's true. I see they brought in about 600 of them. They were down on HP from Euro models, though. Still if you can find one that's "right" (not easy), you can get pretty serious money, considering it's a 4 door and all.

More than 600; BMW NA got slapped with a class action for claiming less than 600 M5s would be imported when in fact the number was over 1200. Owners ended up getting a $4000 transferable voucher for a new BMW as a settlement. Also, a Dinan or Conforti chip boosted hp above the Euro versions.

I think total production of the E28 was something around 2,200 give or take? I was just doing some research on that "scandal" and maybe even more than 1200 were produced for the North American market.

Still no matter how you define "exclusivity" that's a pretty small number for a rather special car.

I wonder if that engine was as prone to early wear as the original M3 engines? I'd imagine rebuilding the M5 engine of that era (either the Euro or NA one) wouldn't be cheap today.

sda

A pearl white Nissan Murano convertible. The roofline on it really looks awkward.

Mr_Shiftright

Not the prettiest puppy in the litter, no.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

I think total production of the E28 was something around 2,200 give or take? I was just doing some research on that "scandal" and maybe even more than 1200 were produced for the North American market.

Still no matter how you define "exclusivity" that's a pretty small number for a rather special car.

I wonder if that engine was as prone to early wear as the original M3 engines? I'd imagine rebuilding the M5 engine of that era (either the Euro or NA one) wouldn't be cheap today.

No real issues on the S38 I6; replacing the timing chain at 100k miles is the one thing you really need to do. And the 60k-70k mile water pump R&R, but that's relatively cheap.

stickguy

parked in a spot along the road, so actually in use. A 70s vintage Rolls Royce silver shadow. Looked just like this one, even the same color.

Mr_Shiftright

If anyone is ever tempted to buy one of these, call me---even in the middle of the night, and I'll talk you down.

tjc78

Are those the models with like $8000 brake jobs?

fintail

The suspension and brakes are on the same hydraulic system. Complete rebuild is 5 figures.

Got behind a white Corrado on the way home today.

Mr_Shiftright

tjc78 said:

Are those the models with like $8000 brake jobs?

I remember an odd thing about this era Rolls. I was helping a friend add hydraulic fluid and somehow he lost the tiny, itsy-bitsy little machine screws that held down the master cylinder lid. We went to Rolls to order some and they were $4 EACH. I think a hub cap was like $300-$400 bucks.

sda

A teenager driving a '70 Impala sedan. Medium blue, clean, 350, whitewalls, full wheel covers. Sounded like it still had the standard single exhaust as it was quiet. He wasn't hot dogging it either, driving responsibly.

fintail

Spotted a nice looking later Saab 900, 2x "new edge" Mercury Cougars

sda

1987 Olds 88 Royale. Silver, ratty, but appeared to be running well and was dripping a/c condensation, a 95 degree day, windows were closed. What really got my attention is my '13 Accord is almost the same size as that Olds. Both are about 72" wide and 192-196" in length.

fintail

Spotted an 80s Montero in traffic this afternoon, even around here most of those were used up 15 years ago.

There's an estate sale locally this weekend with a 60K mile 91 LeSabre.

uplanderguy

OK. To my eyes, these cars say "Eastern Bloc!". That said, it is in remarkable condition. I am hard-pressed to think of an old car so low-mile, so authentic and original, other than the 28-mile '64 Daytona Hardtop in the Studebaker National Museum. This '62 Rambler Classic is at a dealer maybe 25 miles south of me:

http://www.motorcarportfolio.com/product.php?id=12183

My guess is that both outside mirrors were added at some point, but still!

The speedometer numerals in single digits always cracked me up as a kid.

fintail

Wow, that's a stripper. I like the radio blanking plate that looks like a radio, and how much of the ground you can see around the engine.

stickguy

reminds me of my 67 Camaro 6 cyl. You could stand in the engine bay, on either side I think. And could wrap your arms around the engine, if they were long enough.

bhill2

I know some people like these strippers better than the higher trim levels, but they always struck me as a little sad. Think Studebaker Scotsman.

hpmctorque

That '62 Rambler Classic was a very rational choice for a practical, thrifty, space efficient family hauler. A more upscale trim level with a few more factory accessories, such as A/C, would have made it more appealing, in my opinion. However, if this is all you could afford, it's hard to see how you could have gone wrong.

This is essentially what Chevy, Ford and Plymouth offered from 1949-1954, their first all-new post-WWII platforms. You could stretch that period to include the '55-'57 model years for Chevy, and '55 and '56 for Ford and Plymouth.

bhill2

I can see living without upscale stuff like A/C or power windows but hey, pop for the trim level that has armrests on the rear doors.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

OK. To my eyes, these cars say "Eastern Bloc!". That said, it is in remarkable condition. I am hard-pressed to think of an old car so low-mile, so authentic and original, other than the 28-mile '64 Daytona Hardtop in the Studebaker National Museum. This '62 Rambler Classic is at a dealer maybe 25 miles south of me:

http://www.motorcarportfolio.com/product.php?id=12183

My guess is that both outside mirrors were added at some point, but still!

The speedometer numerals in single digits always cracked me up as a kid.

Coincidentally, Hemmings Blog today posted this about essentially the same car, just older:

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/07/13/make-the-switch-1956-amc-rambler-flyer/?refer=news

uplanderguy

Different topic, but my little hometown of Greenville, PA (5,900 residents in the borough) had their annual "Heritage Days" Car Show with 571 cars registered on the shady, small-town Main St. Estimates put car count at around 700, as not everyone walks down to the registration desk to register. What a wonderful show and weather was perfect. I walked up behind a maroon '65 Plymouth Satellite convertible, as I always liked those cars, and thinking "That looks just like my sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Miller's car I used to admire in the middle-school parking lot." I walked around the car and the sheet on the windshield said "Owner: Nancy Miller". She still owns it! I had her in the '69-70 school year and to my knowledge, have never seen her around town since I had her as a teacher (I moved in 1980 but still get back a couple times a year). Even in a small town, I think that's small-world stuff.

stever

>She still owns it!

Teachers never get raises....