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

andre1969

That pink color might be called "Shell Pink". IIRC, in 1955, there was a cheapo version of the Firedome hardtop called the Special, while the nice one was called Sportsman. The higher-line Fireflite only had one hardtop, the Sportsman. For '56, they brought out the Seville, and again, it was a cheaper trim level for the Firedome. I might have seen one or two over the years, and seen a few online...they actually look pretty nice to me, for the stripper model.

DeSoto dusted off the Seville name again for 1959, but that time it was one of those "Spring Special" models that were common in the era. So that one might have been an upgrade to the regular hardtops. And in '59, I think they had both a Firesweep Seville, and Firedome Seville.

ab348

I think that isn’t pinkish trim but is a paint fill in that area that matches the roof, a deluxe two-tone. At $28K asking that’s not bad assuming the rest of the car is as nice as the outside.

Mr_Shiftright

uplanderguy said:

This car could make a Mopar guy out of me! Other than a Fleetwood or Eldorado, I'd prefer this car to any '66 Cadillac or Lincoln. When I was a kid, I always heard of Imperial LeBarons but never saw anything but a "Crown" in our town.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/11/07/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1966-imperial-lebaron/?fbclid=IwAR0CMBGUmsg2LhQamfulqoNQ2RL2Q9hE9laoz77FYpokv1d6039dfIdb5bc#&gid=1&pid=4

Love those. MUCH better powertrain than the Lincoln. A bulletproof 440 cid thumper with a sturdy Torqueflite 8 transmission and the legendary Chrysler differential. Asking price is drooling ga-ga insane, but if someone offers him $20K, he should run with it to the bank.

uplanderguy

The '66 was the last magnificent Imperial to my eyes. The '67 was nice, but sort-of 'meh' to me. Them adding a pillared four-door sedan with frames around the door glass I'm sure allowed them to offer an Imperial at a lower price point, but watered down the brand to me.

uplanderguy

Somewhere, some place, I remember seeing guys talking that the leather interior in a LeBaron of that vintage ('66) was expensive to make because of the large single panels of leather, as opposed to small pieces sewn together as was often the case in other cars. I don't know if that's all BS or not, but I can see what they are talking about in this particular Imperial above.

andre1969

I knew a guy back in the 90's who had a '65 Imperial 4 door hardtop. I can't remember if it was a Crown or Imperial, though. I knew him through a Mopar club, but sometime in the late 90's, he seemed to just disappear. I just looked him up online though, and he's still alive, so there's that, at least!

ab348

The '70 Dodge convertible I posted yesterday was nice, but this one might be the nicest on the planet, from both the description in the ad and some first-hand observations from people on a Mopar forum who have seen it:

https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/cto/d/1970-dodge-polara-convertible/6738952081.html

andre1969

It's a shame that Mopar didn't offer their large convertibles a few years longer. I think a '72-73 Monaco, with the hidden headlights, would have looked nice as a drop-top.

berri

It's fun seeing these mopars in different colors. I mostly remember seeing them in that green color that was very popular back then.

roadburner

I'd like a Plymouth Fury GT.

uplanderguy

I remember those--'71.

I never thought "GT" went with "Fury"--but then I guess it didn't go with "Vega" either.

ab348

The same fellow that is selling the red convertible above is also selling his ‘70 Sport Fury GT.

explorerx4

I had a very similar Sport Fury. Same paint color with a houndstooth roof and it was a 4 door hardtop.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

I had a very similar Sport Fury. Same paint color with a houndstooth roof and it was a 4 door hardtop.

Same guy has a ‘71 version of one of those too, $8500 asking.

uplanderguy

I didn't remember the GT in '70, but I'm not as knowledgeable about Mopar as others here. I remember a GT with strobe striping down the side where otherwise a body side molding might be.

explorerx4

@ab348,
That's not a Sport Fury, hood is wrong.
Body style is right.

ab348

explorerx4 said:

@ab348,
That's not a Sport Fury, hood is wrong.
Body style is right.

The fender badges would disagree with you on that. The ‘71 hood doesn’t have the two power humps that the ‘70 had. Here’s a pic of an original unrestored ‘71 hood.

explorerx4

@ab348.
Ok, I had a '70,so I will defer to you.

fintail

A couple more from Volo. One for Andre:



And celebrity car - this is the Zsa Zsa Gabor slap a cop Corniche:

explorerx4

@fintail,
For Andre. You mean the Harrier?

Mr_Shiftright

1990 ZR 1 Coupe, 6,800 original miles, still has the window sticker on it.

stickguy

seems like a lot of miles for a time capsule car. Especially with the window sticker on it.

Mr_Shiftright

Probably better for the car, though.

andre1969

explorerx4 said:

@fintail,
For Andre. You mean the Harrier?

Hell, with the way the old neighborhood was starting to go, I could've used it for self defense!

roadburner

That is the only C4 I would consider.

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Probably better for the car, though.

Pricing would have held up better, if they hadn't kept making them for four years.

IIRC, the ZR-1 option was $27K, the first year.

Mr_Shiftright

It's actually a good example of a "classic" car that is depreciating in value right now, compared to a few years ago.

fintail

Another Volo car, a 61 Bonneville. Is this an original color? It was really pretty in person, I liked the look of this car. The white interior works on it, too. Dopey wheel/tire package (redlines with wire wheels, what the heck?), but that can be fixed easy enough. Not one you see every day:

stickguy

I like the el camino and Corvette Convertible too.

imidazol97

Keep the pics coming. Really makes my day to see these.

fintail

I've got plenty more where those came from - added to the pile today at Stude and the motorhome/RV hall of fame. Saw some obscure material at both places.

ab348

That ‘61 Bonneville is lovely. Agree that the wheels need replacing. I found their ad listing it for sale, $36K. Interior has been redone nicely but is not the original style from what I can tell. Aftermarket carb and catalog air cleaner under the hood, unfortunately. Worst thing about it might be the Slim Jim automatic transmission.

Pontiac made a metallic grey paint in ‘61 but that looks more like silver, which wasn’t offered.

fintail

It was kind of silver with a hint of blue, not something I recalled seeing before. It works on the car, and with the interior color. I'd want something more correct for that money though, and still not sure what they were thinking with the wheel/tire package.

andre1969

ab348 said:

That ‘61 Bonneville is lovely. Agree that the wheels need replacing. I found their ad listing it for sale, $36K. Interior has been redone nicely but is not the original style from what I can tell. Aftermarket carb and catalog air cleaner under the hood, unfortunately. Worst thing about it might be the Slim Jim automatic transmission.

Pontiac made a metallic grey paint in ‘61 but that looks more like silver, which wasn’t offered.

Pontiac actually used the older 4-speed Hydramatic in the Bonneville and Star Chief. The Slim Jim was only used in the shorter wheelbase cars (Catalina/Ventura, Grand Prix). I never knew the rationale behind that, but just read on Wikipedia that it was rumored that Oldmobile sales volume alone was not enough to justify the development cost, so GM forced it on Pontiac, as well.

uplanderguy

I like the '61 Bonneville--and I like its round taillights better than the oblong ones used on Catalinas and Venturas--but that rear overhang just slaps me in the face every time. It bothers me less on the shorter-wheelbase models.

explorerx4

Been to the Studebaker museum but not to RV HOF, yet. There was a football game Saturday evening, so there could have been a lot of visitors around.

berri

I like 61 Pontiacs, but that year I thought the bit shorter Catalina carried the lines a little better. Still enjoyed seeing it though!

fintail

Here's a neat one from the Motorhome/RV Hall of Fame. Some displays there are restored, but some appear to be preservation pieces - this wildly striped GMC motorhome was a sight:

berri

I remember that GM and Dodge used to display their motor homes at the Chicago Auto Show years back.

Mr_Shiftright

Are those the ones with the Toronado powertrain?

uplanderguy

Yes, those had the Toronado powertrain. I saw several of them being used while I was at Hershey this year.

ab348

This is a rather astounding video showing how Aston Martin built their vehicles - mostly by hand - even in the 1990s.

https://youtu.be/GLZCPkbjbCk

I remember reading years ago how each engine was built by a single man, and when installed had a label affixed telling you his name. Now I see how that came to be. The amount of hand work, and the associated cost, must have been staggering. Not mass production in any sense.

fintail

Much more "by hand" than the engine building AMG is proud of, which is hand assembly of modular components, so the engines still come together in volume. That video brings home why Aston might have had some financial issues. I have my doubts they truly run in the black even today in this new Belle Epoque.

I guess soon after Ford installed their streamlining methods, and you'd have Astons with Ford steering wheels:



I am pretty sure that's the same basic wheel as in my mom's old 93 Taurus. I think Ford and Aston also shared bits like key fobs. But without Ford's injection of funds, the brand might not have survived.

ab348

What struck me he most was the two guys using an English Wheel to shape a panel, maybe a hood, not sure. Followed up with use of a slap hammer and sandbags. Hard to imagine doing that for every car they made.

roadburner

ab348 said:

This is a rather astounding video showing how Aston Martin built their vehicles - mostly by hand - even in the 1990s.

https://youtu.be/GLZCPkbjbCk

I remember reading years ago how each engine was built by a single man, and when installed had a label affixed telling you his name. Now I see how that came to be. The amount of hand work, and the associated cost, must have been staggering. Not mass production in any sense.

In 1968 Car and Driver tested a DBS and noted that the owners manual still called for decoking the cylinder head at a fixed mileage interval.

xwesx

fintail said:

Here's a neat one from the Motorhome/RV Hall of Fame. Some displays there are restored, but some appear to be preservation pieces - this wildly striped GMC motorhome was a sight:

This one instantly made me think of "Stripes," though not because of them....

stickguy

The ultimate motor home IMO. Must have gotten about 4 MPG though.

xwesx

stickguy said:

The ultimate motor home IMO. Must have gotten about 4 MPG though.

It is almost unbelievable how much more space efficient, comfortable, and reliable motorhomes became over the years. And, in something like this, a diesel pusher is the only way to fly: It can get out of its own way, and you don't have to measure fuel consumption in gallons-per-mile.....!

Mr_Shiftright

xwesx said:

stickguy said:

The ultimate motor home IMO. Must have gotten about 4 MPG though.

It is almost unbelievable how much more space efficient, comfortable, and reliable motorhomes became over the years. And, in something like this, a diesel pusher is the only way to fly: It can get out of its own way, and you don't have to measure fuel consumption in gallons-per-mile.....!

Pretty pricey, though.

stickguy

But no jacked up diesel pusher will ever have this kind of style.