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

ab348

But it's RED!! I've also seen those cushions in a blue stripe.

explorerx4

Fuel tank under the driver's seat? Is that a safety feature to make the driver verrry careful?

Mr_Shiftright

I wasn't sure if it was the fuel tank. I remember the tank in the rear but it wouldn't be the first car, certainly, to put it under the driver.

fintail

On the road today saw a ~70 Corvette on a flatbed, and an X-Car Skylark coupe braving I-5 traffic - something like that out in the cold and dirty weather is something seldom seen.

kyfdx

Wagon day..

Two (2) Acura TSX wagons
Volvo 740 GLE wagon (guessing about 1992)

uplanderguy

The Citroen reminds me--we saw "Darkest Hour" today, with Gary Oldman as Churchill. Two big thumbs up. Funny in places too--which it needed to be.

fintail

Saw a pristine first gen 4Runner in a downtown Bellevue parking garage today, obviously someone's baby.

fintail

It'll be interesting to see what kind of bids are conjured up by this - 12MM? More? Not the most pleasant connotation with something like this, but still fascinating, and must be like driving a locomotive. The "documents" link is quite interesting, too.

Mr_Shiftright

Hard to even guess what the "Hitler Effect" might do here--it could jack the price or it could lower it (bad vibes?). I bet a museum will try to snag it, but if a 540K special roadster can bring $8-$10 million, where does this tourer fit in? Interesting that they show no estimate--are they being coy or have they no clue? I sure don't.

Documents seem to verify the claims.

fintail

It's a tough one, and probably impossible to create an educated guess, as these don't hit the block every day. There's definitely the possibility of bad juju with such a car (although the cursed stories behind the Archduke Ferdinand car appears to be all talk and no action), but at the same time, it's not the car's fault, and the car is extremely interesting on technical merit alone. Not that it matters, a bit rich for my blood

Mr_Shiftright

The auction company is already apologizing. Personally I wouldn't want to be within 100 feet of that car. Didn't they tear down the house he was born in? There is, after all, no "Hitler Museum" that I'm aware of. A car like this on display might even get vandalized.

fintail

To be fair, these are ultra-sensitive times (often to the point of defying logic), and dodging anything that can even loosely be made into bad PR is imperative. I don't know about the museum, but tourism related to the era is a thing in Germany, even if stated very tacitly. The house is still there, too (but not a museum, just a house with an anti-fascism sign in front).

It would definitely be dangerous putting the car on public display - if not for vandals, for the types who would make it a shrine. You'd need to put it behind glass or have it guarded when in the open. I suspect it'll end up in a secretive private collection, where it has been for a long time, maybe coming out of the woodwork once every other blue moon.

omarman

Hitler’s Toilet is in a New Jersey Auto-Repair Shop.

kyfdx

You can't even watch a Kevin Spacey movie... but, you can buy Hitler's car?

fintail

It could be useful if someone wanted to make a high-budget remake of the somewhat underrated 2001 comedy "Rat Race", which has a classic scene featuring a replica of a similar car.

explorerx4

I wish I could find the picture of my dad with his Mercedes that looked a lot like that when he was serving in Germany in the early 50's.

PF_Flyer

Not a sighting really, but I did see it online

iluvmysephia1

Nice Oldsmobile _____________. Please fill in the blank and tell us the model name of this beautiful classic car!

stickguy

I always loved that vintage Olds 442, but man, those wheels and tires just look wrong on it.

stickguy

iluvmysephia1 said:

Nice Oldsmobile _____________. Please fill in the blank and tell us the model name of this beautiful classic car!

it is a 442 (Cutlass based)

iluvmysephia1

I love that Cutlass. And what's wrong with the tires and wheels?

fintail

Mildly garish anachronistic wheels are something of a trend these days.

iluvmysephia1

I like 'em. But then again, I like the garish front end of the Toyota Yaris iA, too, eh? The Cutlass' wheels are inward-ish Cragar mag-ish looking and I think they compliment the beautiful body style of the Oldsmobile Cutlass 442.

ab348

Yeah, it's a '68 4-4-2. I'm biased towards '68s of course but in all truth the '68 and '69 4-4-2s weren't the greatest. For reasons that escape me Olds changed the 400 cubic inch engine from the brute they had in '66 and '67 to a stroker that didn't like to rev for '68 and '69. You'd be better off with a 1970 model with a 455 or a '66/'67 with the good 400.

The oversized wheels are becoming more and more common. Part of the problem is that it's hard to get good-looking tires to fit the OE 14" wheels, and part of it is simply being trendy.

Mr_Shiftright

iluvmysephia1 said:

I love that Cutlass. And what's wrong with the tires and wheels?

Too fat for the wheel wells. Makes the car look overstuffed and clumsy. Fullback rather than tight end.

iluvmysephia1

I may need ta open up Edmunds on my desktop ta get a larger Cutlass 442 garish tire and wheel package look.

Mr_Shiftright

In my brain, this is what I see:

iluvmysephia1

Those are too big and too large. Those get the Mr. Yukko sticker!  Isn't that reaching from the original setup picture, though?

stickguy

I just don't like the look. Clashes. Maybe because that is not what they were supposed to have? But sometimes they are too wide also, but that you can hide a bit easier. So knock a couple inches off the rims, and add it to the sidewalls. Instead of 235/40 19, go with 235/55-17 or some such.

iluvmysephia1

Now we're startin' to cook with some legitimate Crisco!

fintail

I'm into originality - if I can find wide whitewall radials for the fintail, someone can get correct tires for the Olds. They might have to be shipped in, and won't be $50 apiece, but they are out there.

iluvmysephia1

Oh, they're out there. What I think is the centerpiece here is that gorgeous '68 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442. What a beautiful body style. I actually love the '68 Datsun 411 Bluebird a tad bit more than the Cutlass 442. Small is more.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, I posted an even worse example of wheel overkill. And yes, I know the classic car mantra "It's mine and I can do what I want with it".

fintail

And your Datsun will be 1/4 the price for a nice one.

I saw a 70s Datsun King Cab pickup today.

Mr_Shiftright

You know what small pickups you never see anymore---Chevy Luv. Remember those? They were kinda nice looking for the type.

iluvmysephia1

Chevy Luv's are cool. Kind of! A buddy of mine in Alamogordo, NM, has a small body Ford Ranger pickup (maybe a '95) that runs likes a champ. Kind of a medium metallic green color. Decent rig.

fintail

A good friend of mine's dad bought a new Luv in 1974 or 75, and use it as a daily driver until 2003-4! He finally retired it when he said it just couldn't keep up with modern 70mph traffic. He replaced it with a bare bones Ranger, kind of the modern equivalent. The old truck was given away to some co-workers, in kind of a "first one who gets to the truck can have it, the keys are in it" - it was claimed quickly.

iluvmysephia1

Whoa! I'd Uber me a ride ta go get that pup!

stickguy

ever since when I was a kid and made a model kit of one, I wanted a LUV with a small block V8 shoved in it. Still do.

iluvmysephia1

That would be great. Wouldn't be able ta haul much, but probably could haul more than we'd think.

Mr_Shiftright

Here's one in its early "pure" form: There was even one year you could buy one with a diesel engine here in the States. I think it was just a clone of the Isuzu Pup at that point.

jwm40517

The 68 442 reminded me of one in my hometown. The guy bought new at the dealer located on 25th st and started home with his new 442 and made it to 13th st and was totaled in a t-bone wreck.

stickguy

Wheeler Dealers did a LUV a few years ago. Kept it stock pretty much. Was cute.

iluvmysephia1

I like that sample picture of the LUV. Looks good in the light blue. Pristine sample.

tjc78

Wow, I love this one.

https://www.supersportmotors.com/copy-of-gauge-to-copy-1

fintail

The light blue Luv looks good because that's no doubt an old stock photo from when it was new. I suspect those trucks didn't age well in harsh climates - but many soldiered on just fine on the west coast, and are still out there today.

That Eldo is pretty cool, I had no idea about that option being around then. One for the collector of unusual cars, would fit in next to a mid 70s airbag car.

ab348

I am strangely drawn to this 1977 Ford LTD II wagon advertised on Hemmings for reasons I cannot explain.

I remember test-driving one with the parents in the fall of '77, but I think my attraction goes beyond that. It is is remarkable condition for a '70s Ford, and shows off their awful crash bumper design quite well. Price seems realistic too.

kyfdx

My friend started work at the Ford transmission plant in Cincinnati in 1978. Two weeks later, he bought a '77 T-Bird (town landau?), that had the stainless steel looking targa bar across the roof.
Looked a lot like that wagon, from the front.

Said he wasn't a big fan of driving a Ford, but it meant that he got to park in the lot closest to the employee entrance. Six months later, he showed up with a '77 Datsun 280Z. Said he was too young to drive a Ford, and that a little extra walking wouldn't hurt.

texases

tjc78 said:

Wow, I love this one.

https://www.supersportmotors.com/copy-of-gauge-to-copy-1

That is a beautiful Eldo. My favorite style. Any idea what the thing is on the driver's side, under the hood, with all the hoses not connected?

fintail

That old wagon is a decent special interest kind of car for the money, and the now-old-timey bug deflector is a fun accessory, but I'd rather have a big Squire than a LTD II. Something about the beltline on those bugs me, the upward line on the rear door. The stacked rectangle lights and battering ram bumpers are great examples of peak malaise.

For some reason though, the 77-79 T-Birds are almost a guilty pleasure for me, especially a t-tops model.