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

ab348

berri said:

That guy looks like the ag guy on Green Acres

I was going to say he looks like Jim Rockford's father, Rocky, on The Rockford Files.

explorerx4

In that crash picture, I blame the dog.

stickguy

not a classic, but I parked next to an earlish Tempo GL today. Sad looking. robin's egg blue, and appeared to have moss growing up the sides (like you see on the shady side of houses when it is soggy out). My Elantra dwarfed it. Might not have been longer, but seemed much taller.

berri

re:Thom McAn. Don't know about them in particular, but years back many of the different department or discount stores actually leased their shoe departments out.

berri

Speaking of shoes, I always thought the 2dr Tempo looked kind of like a squished high back gym shoe

fintail

Tempo sedan has better proportions IMO. The Lada 110 also somewhat resembles a weird parallel universe Tempo.

kyfdx

berri said:

re:Thom McAn. Don't know about them in particular, but years back many of the different department or discount stores actually leased their shoe departments out.

Thom McAn was a freestanding shoe store.

andre1969

When I was a kid, my Mom usually bought my sneakers at Tom McAn, or Kinney Shoes. They were just cheap shoes for the most part, as I recall, but still a step above stuff you'd get at Kmart, Woolco, etc. I remember, around these parts at least, the kids called those ultra-cheap shoes "maypops".

Then, when I went into high school, that's when it seemed like the kids started getting more fashion conscious and brand-snobby. I went to school in a pair of those Kinney NBAs, which looked sort of like an Adidas but with four stripes, or maybe it was a pair of Tom McAn's, but that didn't last long. I gave into peer pressure, and ended up buying a pair of $50 leather Converse "Star Tech" high-tops. On the plus side, it was actually a bit of an investment. Mom usually ended up buying me 2-3 pairs of those Kinneys or Tom McAns per year, for around $20-25 a pop. They'd simply wear out and fall apart. But, those Converse not only lasted all of 9th grade, but still had enough life in them that they served as a backup/work/grass-cutting shoe for years after.

In fact, I still had them six years later when I got the DeSoto. I remember we were building an addition onto the garage to store it, and while pouring the concrete slab and spreading it out, I accidentally put my foot in it. The sole was already coming loose from the shoe at that point, and when I stepped in the concrete, it oozed inside the shoe, and when I pulled my foot out, I left the shoe behind. I did fish the shoe out, but decided at that point, it was time to retire these suckers!

Mr_Shiftright

berri said:

That guy looks like the ag guy on Green Acres

A little like Ernest Borgnine.

fintail

On the road this morning saw a JDM late 80s style 2 door Pajero, a very clean 2 door Rabbit - probably the one I have seen now and then, driven by a young woman, the car has kind of dog dish style caps on black wheels, and is probably just odd enough to be hip and cool in some crowds. Also saw a very clean early Geo Metro.

A few more pics from Gilmore. One car on display pleased me to no end:





A 2 door first series Lincoln Zephyr - not the 3 window coupe that everyone seems to love (but I think looks a little odd from some angles), but the 2 door sedan. I saw one of these in a book when I was a kid, and thought it was strangely attractive. I had never seen one in person, and this one was perfect, this was a cool surprise. Zephyr 4 door sedans don't seem to be insanely rare, but I think a 2 door is quite rare indeed.

Cool detail, the trunk handle:



It was alongside a later 4 door convertible, also a rare car, but the 2 door sedan is what got me going:





Another one at Gilmore I liked was this 57 Chevy convertible. I thought it was presented very honestly - no skirts or continental kit or spotlight or tissue dispenser or stoplight viewer or any of the other geegaws that always seem to be on these cars now, that likely few had when new. I like to think it was like this when new. The not trendy color just adds to it, and a nice color, too. One may notice the fender badge to make it kind of special:

benjaminh

Great photos of that Lincoln! Nice detail pic....

xwesx

Yes; wow. All beautiful quality on the photos and the cars!

imidazol97

The lighting must be good in that museum. Your camera takes very good pictures.

fintail

Thanks guys. It's just the camera on my Note 9, amazing what phones can do.

I have hundreds of pics from that trip, I'll drop some in here and there.

benjaminh

Yes, hope you'll post some more pix of that trip!++

fintail

I'll rotate between museums - as I visited Volo, Stude, Motorhome/RV, ACD, NATMUS, Henry Ford, and Gilmore.

Here are some additional Volo sights:

The product of ghost peppers and bath salts?:



The product of 80s ostentation - and maybe a hard one to name, this is obscure even in the neoclassic world:







And another movie car at Volo, everyone should know this (hard one to get in a full pic due to the volume of cars in the garage and the size of this car). Per the sign this is one used in the film:

jpp75

Great pictures @fintail, I need to do a trip like that one day. I especially love that Zephyr, a true classic.

tjc78

The white thing looks to be made from a Camaro or Firebird.  No clue what it is. 

berri

Maybe an Excalibur? Interesting to see a 58 Bel Air coupe next to it instead of the ubiquitous Impala.

Mr_Shiftright

Clenet? Tiffany? How do I know these names? Over time, I get to see all these...ahem...."neo-classics".

explorerx4

How about Zimmer? I think there was something like that.

fintail

Nope, none of those. An Excalibur is a real classic compared to this, I think.

It's a "Johnson Phantom" - from Florida, I am so shocked. This one brought stupid money at that bidding contest for over-monied drunken old men:

https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/1986-JOHNSON-PHANTOM-CUSTOM-2-DOOR-COUPE-130619

I think Volo wanted somewhere in the 20s for theirs.

tjc78

I was half right .. I knew what it is was based on :@

Mr_Shiftright

Zimmers actually can bring more than what that car brought. Yep, the buyer profile is old men. Most of the neo-classics I see are either trashed or utterly pristine---no middle ground. Part of that might be because the materials used to build them are generally pretty cheesy.

fintail

The Zimmer I see most is the Golden Spirit, with the Fox roots showing quite clearly:



The oddball is the Quicksilver, I think these are Fiero based:

kyfdx

Episode of The Goldbergs, this week. The father buys a Bitter. Not a kit car, but really rare, and mostly worthless (to anyone with sense). So, sort of like a kit/conversion.

Funny thing is it really happened. The writer/creator has actual home movies from the 80s.

fintail

Bitter was Opel-based, IIRC, not completely unattractive, but not particularly valuable today. I think there was a sedan, but most sold here were coupes.

berri

Speaking of Opel, I always liked the looks of the Opel GT and Mantra. Saw more than a few on the road growing up in the Chicago area. May have been because they were sold out of Buick dealers and Chicago was a big GM town despite having a Ford assembly plant.

kyfdx

fintail said:

Bitter was Opel-based, IIRC, not completely unattractive, but not particularly valuable today. I think there was a sedan, but most sold here were coupes.

Yeah, it was the Ferrari-look '80s coupe. Good looking for the time period

Mr_Shiftright

My Bitter Price Guide is not too optimistic. Action media values are about $8,500 to $10,000.

andre1969

For some reason, I always found those Fiero-based Zimmers to be pretty sharp looking cars. They make me think a bit of a Riviera. One of my relatives used to have a Tiffany, but I never saw it. He was a real estate appraiser, and always had sort of a slick, shady, underhanded persona about him. So, I guess the car fit him perfectly!

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, you wouldn't call these neo-classics "subtle" by any stretch.

fintail

Car trip pics for today, these from Stude. First, a Studebaker Tesla:



I had read of early Studebaker electrics, never seen one before.

And a general atmospheric shot. This museum does a commendable job for what must be a labor of love, presenting a major exhibition of a brand that has been gone for 50+ years:

Mr_Shiftright

Many auto museums are struggling right now. I think eventually they are all going to have to come up with new ways to amuse people.

berri

Real estate values driving taxes and insurance I suppose. Best shot probably something like Volo outside of Chicago that shows and sells or an incredibly wealthy family or trust backing the place.

texases

Bigger issue is the “utes” aren’t very interested in car museums.  Attendance is ‘dying’ off. 

Mr_Shiftright

Too much competition for entertainment, much of it far more dazzling and seductive than a car museum.

tjc78

Mr_Shiftright said:

Too much competition for entertainment, much of it far more dazzling and seductive than a car museum.

Like what? 

berri

cell phone, what else? Heck, you see people out together with their eyes focused on their phone, not the other people.

mrgrtt123

I just saw this photo on Reddit, Tesla invasion in the future be like.

fintail

Next stop, Motorhome/RV Hall of Fame. I have no desire to actually own a camper or motorhome, but I have always found them interesting.

Here's a nice early model "trapezoidal" (as I call them) Winnebago, iconic design in motorhomeland:



And a view of one of the lanes, fun stuff in its own way:



Also gotta include this for laughs, which I happened upon today:

Mr_Shiftright

tjc78 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Too much competition for entertainment, much of it far more dazzling and seductive than a car museum.

Like what? 

Oh, amusement parks, theme parks, family cruises, music concerts, Train Town, sports arenas, farmers' markets, light shows, festivals, film festivals.

tjc78

Mr_Shiftright said:

tjc78 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Too much competition for entertainment, much of it far more dazzling and seductive than a car museum.

Like what? 

Oh, amusement parks, theme parks, family cruises, music concerts, Train Town, sports arenas, farmers' markets, light shows, festivals, film festivals.

Lol, that and more ... but Cars! That’s where the action is

tjc78

“If you’re thinking about taking the tribe cross country..... this your automobile “

fintail

Metallic Pea?! No, Antarctic Blue!

ab348

berri said:

cell phone, what else? Heck, you see people out together with their eyes focused on their phone, not the other people.

Last night I was playing with my new TV and got onto watching YouTube videos of New York City. One of them was really sort of interesting to me - it was a video of someone walking along a street from the lower part of Manhattan up I believe 6th Avenue towards midtown. I don't know how they shot it because the camera was high-quality and steady, not jiggling around. In any event, it was a nice summer day and the street was full of both locals and tourists. I cannot tell you how many times the walker encountered people about to run into him/her because their head was done, buried in their phone. It amazed me how these people avoided being run over by a vehicle or someone else.

texases

ab348 said:

berri said:

cell phone, what else? Heck, you see people out together with their eyes focused on their phone, not the other people.

Last night I was playing with my new TV and got onto watching YouTube videos of New York City. One of them was really sort of interesting to me - it was a video of someone walking along a street from the lower part of Manhattan up I believe 6th Avenue towards midtown. I don't know how they shot it because the camera was high-quality and steady, not jiggling around. In any event, it was a nice summer day and the street was full of both locals and tourists. I cannot tell you how many times the walker encountered people about to run into him/her because their head was done, buried in their phone. It amazed me how these people avoided being run over by a vehicle or someone else.

There are some inexpensive camera rigs out now that minimize shake, makes it look very professional.

fintail

I jog on city sidewalks 4-5x per week. The things I see...

ab348 said:

Last night I was playing with my new TV and got onto watching YouTube videos of New York City. One of them was really sort of interesting to me - it was a video of someone walking along a street from the lower part of Manhattan up I believe 6th Avenue towards midtown. I don't know how they shot it because the camera was high-quality and steady, not jiggling around. In any event, it was a nice summer day and the street was full of both locals and tourists. I cannot tell you how many times the walker encountered people about to run into him/her because their head was done, buried in their phone. It amazed me how these people avoided being run over by a vehicle or someone else.

Mr_Shiftright

NYC made a concerted effort to reduce pedestrian deaths, but none of it was directed against pedestrian behavior--it was all about speed limits, re-adjusting traffic lights, things like that. Used to be 200 people a year or so got run down. Now it's about 100. However, bicycle deaths are up.

ab348

One thing I noticed in that video was that there were a lot of pedestrians who largely ignored traffic signals when crossing the street, and many crossed mid-block, dodging moving vehicles. The other thing I saw that I do not see much locally was a number of people on little foot-powered scooters traveling in the street.