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

uplanderguy

I think we've mentioned this here before, but one small odd thing about the Toronado of the '79-85 era was that it said "Oldsmobile" on the front fender, instead of "Toronado". By then, it was very unusual for the manufacturer's name to be displayed on the side of the car, instead of the model name.

sda

kyfdx said:

ab348 said:

That Eldo in the pic is beautiful, and I note the white interior - oh how I wish SOMEONE would produce one of those again! The cool thing about Caddys from the late '70s and early '80s was that some of the interior colors were unique - you could get white, yellow or silver leather IIRC along with the typical blue, red, green and tan.

My aunt's '78 DeVille had yellow plaid interior.

I remember those and was surprised that Cadillac would offer that interior. Looked very downscale for a Caddy. My mother loved that canary yellow color with the matching leather interior and she was 37 at the time! Now that she is 75, I wonder if she would still like that combo.

sda

andre1969 said:

I think my favorite among those 1979-85 E-bodies was the Toronado, followed by the Riv, and finally the Eldorado. I thought the Toronado nailed the styling just about perfect for 1980. The 1979 had a grille that seemed a bit cheap, while the '81-85 seemed a bit more fussy. The Riviera was nice, too...with its curves it had a nice, "neoclassic" look to it...sort of what they call "retro" today. The Eldorado, I thought looked okay on the outside, but was a bit pimpy on the inside.

One little detail I liked about the Toronado is that it was the only model to have a temperature gauge standard, although the Eldorado and Riv might have offered a digital one in one of their option packages. Also, the Eldorado loses points with me because of the engines. It was fine when it had the Olds 350, and even with the Caddy 368 it was okay, for 1980. But then it had the V-8-6-4 for '81, and finished out with the little aluminum 4.1. I think they might've thrown a Buick 252 in there for a year or two as well...an engine that oddly, was a better choice than the Caddy 249 V-8, because while they had the same hp (125), the Buick mill out-torqued it a bit...205 ft-lb to 195.

Once the 350 engines went away, the Toro and Riv relied mainly on Olds 307's, although the 252 V-6 was nominally the standard engine, from '81-84 at least. Oh, and the Riv did have the turbocharged 231 a few years, which was kinda cool.

I found it odd that after '81 the Eldo had the weakest engines of the trio, and yet it was a Cadillac, and weren't they supposed to be the 'best'? That 4.1, though smooth, was a slug. It was troublesome as well.

uplanderguy

Re.: the plaid interior--I admit to liking those on the '75-76 Calais models, hardly-ever seen then or now. So very 'seventies'. White shoes and belt required apparel for driver, LOL!

Other Cadillac tidbits: I like how the '71 and '72 Fleetwood Brougham had a visible separation down the side, between the front and rear doors. Very retro at the time.

I also got to really like the tapered "B" pillar on '77-79 Fleetwood Broughams, although at the time didn't like it.

Anybody ever see a '77-79 Coupe deVille without a vinyl top? While in college wasting time and looking at cars at the local Caddy dealership (Ron Seidle, Clarion, PA), I remember what I think was a new '78--kind of a light-to-medium icy blue--car without the vinyl top. It had a funky fiberglas (I'm guessing) surround to the quarter window. I also remember that car having a very visible file mark at the top of the "B" pillar. Even as a young dude, I thought that was bad for a Cadillac.

ab348

Likely the last cruise-in of the season this evening and some interesting stuff came out. I followed this fellow to the lot:










It sounded and looked great.

I would like this a lot more if it was a different color, had a different exhaust, different wheels, and didn't have the painted-on crappy "accents". But I still like it:





This '66 C10 appealed to me. It had nicely integrated A/C and look closely at the gauges:






In the best @fintail fashion, here is the required gratuitous shot of my car




Up next: some old cars more commonly found in Canada than in the USA.

ab348

There were a few Canadian-market or British imports probably not usually seen in the USA there tonight.

This '49 Meteor was kind of neat:




This '57 Meteor was there too:



My older brother had one of these Vauxhalls in the early '60s. It rusted so badly that the lift in the garage he was working at punched right through the underside:





This was very nicely preserved/restored - a Singer Gazelle. There was also a Sunbeam Rapier convertible with it that I missed getting a pic of:

imidazol97

ab348 said:

In the best @fintail fashion, here is the required gratuitous shot of my car

I still like those bodies on the Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles. The wheels are great for the car and the era.

explorerx4

@ab348,
That blue GTO looks great, but really needs the signature Pontiac splitter exhaust finishers.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
That blue GTO looks great, but really needs the signature Pontiac splitter exhaust finishers.

The color wasn't original I suspect. In person it appeared to be slightly mauve/purplish. I agree with you on the exhaust. The interior looked odd to me only in that I assumed it would be parchment, but it looked almost like a very pale beige.

berri

ab - thanks for those nice pix. Very enjoyable

fintail

I like the busy grille on those 57 Meteors. The Victor and Gazelle are cool too - as was said, those came south of the border in almost no numbers. The Rootes Group car I see most of that era is Hillman. Your car is cool too, ab348

Spotted in the workplace parking garage today - a MB W114/115, big bumpers, so likely 1974-76. It looked clean and decent, but had patina, and a grille badge likely denoting mileage. I was in a hurry and didn't look closer, hopefully will see it again.

uplanderguy

I'm typically not a Sting Ray fan, but that is a great color IMHO, great engine (obviously), and the optional leather upholstery is not often seen, to me, anyway.

ab348

Here is a real time capsule. Just up the road a piece from @fintail and sort of his car's North American cousin.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/5767039107.html

Amazing find.

fintail

Nice colors. I wish people wouldn't take pics of wet cars - something like this would need to be examined closely cosmetically, as the condition of original paint and chrome is a significant part of value. 25K loonies = 19K greenbacks, still a lot for a 4 door post like that, but if you love that make and year, and want a new one, might be hard to find another.

I remember soon after I bought the fintail, maybe 1995-96, I met a guy one town over who had a 58 Olds 4 door HT. It was an air suspension car, those have to be pretty rare. It was a very nice original, he wanted something like 10K for it.

And funny about the cousin thought. Several years ago my mother found an old advertising picture for a local restaurant, with a little thermometer in it, and a picture of a sky blue car on a scenic road. She got it for me, thinking it was a car like the fintail. The car is a 58 Olds. The color must have caught her eye. I can't seem to find a pic of it on my remotely hosted pics, I'll have to take a new one.

ab348 said:

Here is a real time capsule. Just up the road a piece from @fintail and sort of his car's North American cousin.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/5767039107.html

Amazing find.

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

Here is a real time capsule. Just up the road a piece from @fintail and sort of his car's North American cousin.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/5767039107.html

Amazing find.

Is that a 4D sedan? Is this in American money?

bhill2

ab348 said:

Here is a real time capsule. Just up the road a piece from @fintail and sort of his car's North American cousin.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/5767039107.html

Amazing find.

Nice car, but it's the base trim level. On '50s cars those are always so drab and plain.

hpmctorque

"I think they might've thrown a Buick 252 in there for a year or two as well...an engine that oddly, was a better choice than the Caddy 249 V-8, because while they had the same hp (125), the Buick mill out-torqued it a bit...205 ft-lb to 195."



I've read from more than one source that the enlarged Buick V6, derived from the 3.8, was a problematic engine. According to wiki "Its only weakness was the intake valve seals. This was the first naturally aspirated GM V-6 to feature a 4-barrel carburetor." Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the 3.8 had the intake valve seal problem. So, it may have been small consolation to the buyer of the 252 V6 that it was less troublesome than the 249 V8, even if true.

Mr_Shiftright

bhill2 said:

ab348 said:

Here is a real time capsule. Just up the road a piece from @fintail and sort of his car's North American cousin.

http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/cto/5767039107.html

Amazing find.

Nice car, but it's the base trim level. On '50s cars those are always so drab and plain.

Seems overpriced by a fair sum but I guess if you want those low miles, you don't have too many choices.

uplanderguy

Looking at that pic of the '66 Corvette again, with factory side pipes, I wonder how many legs got burnt getting in and out of the car. Doesn't look like that would've been that hard to do.

uplanderguy

Spied yesterday afternoon pulling into the nearby BP station--a sort-of washed-out maroon (probably Honduras Maroon) 1961 Corvette convertible with white coves and decent-looking aftermarket wheels. I love the '62--cleaned up from the '61--but the '61 is close and a '61 will also turn my head because I just have rarely seen either of those years in my entire life.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

Looking at that pic of the '66 Corvette again, with factory side pipes, I wonder how many legs got burnt getting in and out of the car. Doesn't look like that would've been that hard to do.

Are the heat shields attached to the body of the car or to the pipes themselves? If the latter, I guess they could get hot, but if there is no connection to the pipes I think they would not get hot enough to burn.

uplanderguy

Good point. While I've seen a bunch of them in my life, I can't say I've heard anyone say they got burnt on them.

stickguy

waiting on line to get into parking for a local festival, a beige Kennedy Lincoln (no clue what year). Looked to be in very clean shape. Looked odd, just sitting there waiting to get into a crowded (and free for all!) gravel parking lot.

and a robins egg blue rubber bumper MG-B out driving around. Looked a bit tired. terrible color for one of them.

uplanderguy

I call them "Kennedy era" Lincolns too. Really a simple, elegant design...and I grew up in a GM family.

fintail

Beautiful day here today, but maybe because of the big game, not much on the road of interest. I did see a couple of oddities - old kit cars. One was a 300SLR replica, I think those were big in the late 80s. Another was probably from the 70s, I think a "Sterling". Also saw a pretty clean 5 door Ford Aspire.

uplanderguy

"Aspire"--I used to wisecrack when I'd see one in the lot at work, "What do they aspire to? Move up to an Escort next time?".

Michaell

A buddy of mine sent me some pictures he took today at the Montecito Auto Show. Enjoy!

Michaell

And one that you couldn't legally buy in the States:

Michaell

Previous owner - Shah of Iran:

ab348

That M=B coupe is gorgeous. I have never seen one before.

Is the ex-Shah car a Bugatti?

fintail

That's quote a show indeed. You know you are in ritzy company when a Ponton coupe is by far the least expensive car pictured. Not sure about those black wheels on the 959.

That Bugatti might have been seen at the annual local concours here, too, swear I have seen it before. That would be a Type 57C.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh that Bugatti is from the Petersen museum...it's a special coachbuilt car, from Vanvooren. France gave it to the future Shah (he was just a prince then, I guess) as a wedding present in 1939.

Michaell

A couple more for your viewing pleasure:

magnette

I like all three of those - but the Lusso is the most stunning and the most brittle I would imagine..... 356s are great and much more practical but the Facel Vega must be a bit of a contrast - on the one hand mechanically it is bullet proof but trim,panels etc are effectively bespoke...

Mr_Shiftright

Facels are rattle traps for that reason. There's something to be said for the precision of robots.

fintail

Berlinetta Lusso is my favorite Ferrari of that era, perfect design.

explorerx4

Is the prowler behind the 959 running it's plate?

Mr_Shiftright

Not sure, but I see a guy studying his cell phone who is about to drop into an open manhole.

stever

Check this one out from longtime Edmunds member @markinnaples_. Great backstory too.

omarman

stever said:

Check this one out from longtime Edmunds member @markinnaples_. Great backstory too.

Also check out the same story as told by the OP on Yenko.net over a year ago:
Mid-Life Crisis '68 Camaro
"I've been on this site for a long time and my purchase of this particular Camaro has been a long time coming..."

That thread has more details and pics which appear to have been taken right after the OP purchased the car. Wonder if there are any updates since the original post in 2015?

PF_Flyer

I musta driven into a time tunnel this morning

Found myself next to a mid-90's Mercury Tracer wagon in teal

stickguy

Now that car, has great visibility.

stever

Yeah, I can see the handbag sitting in the back seat.

Looks a lot like an Outback of similar age.

sda

PF_Flyer said:

I musta driven into a time tunnel this morning

Found myself next to a mid-90's Mercury Tracer wagon in teal

I had a '93 Tracer LTS sedan in the same color with medium gray interior. It was their top of the line sport model with the DOHC engine (Mazda sourced). It was a fun car. Not sure why pictures posted at the top, I will learn some day..

uplanderguy

I think those are the first cars I was aware of, anyway, that were sold here but built in Mexico.

fintail

Today saw an 80s 911 Cabrio, factory looking CHMSL so 1986+, and a 964.

roadburner

My wife and I tried to buy an LTS back when they were new. I wanted a stick and the idiot sales guy tells me, "We don't have any, but the automatic is fast enough that you don't need a stick."
We walked.

sda

I would have preferred a different color and was not a fan of the too large rear spoiler. It was the only LTS in the area with a manual transmission. It did have PW, PL, CC, AC and moonroof. The LTS was trouble free for the 18 mo. and 30k that I owned it. The '95 VW GLX that I traded it for, though a nicer car overall and the VR6 was sweet, required several early visits to the dealer for warranty work.

kyfdx

sda said:

I would have preferred a different color and was not a fan of the too large rear spoiler. It was the only LTS in the area with a manual transmission. It did have PW, PL, CC, AC and moonroof. The LTS was trouble free for the 18 mo. and 30k that I owned it. The '95 VW GLX that I traded it for, though a nicer car overall and the VR6 was sweet, required several early visits to the dealer for warranty work.

I drove a '95 GLX with a stick. A used one.. around 1997 or so. I loved that car.

uplanderguy

Not a "classic" by any stretch, but saw an older (rusty in places) Toyota Tundra down the road from me with obviously a broken ball joint--LF tire separated from the car, ugh.