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

lemko

One for fintail.

imidazol97

fintail said:

Yep, a little body roll isn't a bad thing:



A friend of mine, used to modern cars, claims I get a wheel off the ground when taking ramps at speed.

And then when searching for an image, I go down a rabbit hole and find this cool wagon conversion (from France), never seen it before:

What's the second car behind the MB? It looks like it's rolling even more than the MB.

The station wagon conversion is nicely done. I don't care for the texture on the fin, but that would have been easily fixed or removed?

I remember seeing a Cadillac wagon from the 60s IIRC done by H & E (http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/h/hess_eisenhardt/hess_eisenhardt.htm) of Cincinnati. It wasn't nearly as fitting to the eye. Somewhere I may still have pictures of it from an all BM show in Lebanon (home of the Golden Lamb Inn of historical fame).

berri

A school fiend of mine drove a Valiant wagon. Lots of pieces of glass like the big 59/60 Chevy wagon. We had a lot of adventures in that car and the slant six and floor mounted 3 speed were kind of fun to drive. No donuts in winter like the VW Beetle though. It was interesting how GM really went out of their normal design lanes with the Corvair and Chrysler went clean sheet styling and slant 6 on the Valiant, while the Ford Falcon was a traditional little sibling. It was also interesting how Studebaker (Lark) and Rambler (American) took the gamble earlier than D3. Of course Rambler already had a platform they could employ, but Studebaker hadn't marketed a compact before the Lark as I recall. Another interesting compact development was how Fomoco brought out an enlarged Comet for 60, while GM BOP came out in 61 with theirs, as well as the Dodge Lancer. I think GM BOP was wise to spend the extra year. I'm guessing the Comet was on the drawing board earlier than the other D3 because Edsel was supposed to be a full line brand. Fun times with auto's back then.

explorerx4

That Triumph makes me think of the Top Gear episode where they tried to convert cars into something that could sail across the English Channel.
James May chose a Triumph Herald, not too successful.

berri

I remember years ago looking at an MG Midget and my head stuck out over the windshield like a giraffe. I'd probably have to recline the seat gang banger style to fit in that Herald.

omarman

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:

Yep, a little body roll isn't a bad thing:



A friend of mine, used to modern cars, claims I get a wheel off the ground when taking ramps at speed.

And then when searching for an image, I go down a rabbit hole and find this cool wagon conversion (from France), never seen it before:

What's the second car behind the MB? It looks like it's rolling even more than the MB.

The station wagon conversion is nicely done. I don't care for the texture on the fin, but that would have been easily fixed or removed?

I remember seeing a Cadillac wagon from the 60s IIRC done by H & E (http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/h/hess_eisenhardt/hess_eisenhardt.htm) of Cincinnati. It wasn't nearly as fitting to the eye. Somewhere I may still have pictures of it from an all BM show in Lebanon (home of the Golden Lamb Inn of historical fame).

What's the second car behind the MB? It looks like it's rolling even more than the MB.

1962ish Lancia Flavia 1500

ab348

Not Lancia's finest moment design-wise. It looks like something British Leyland might have built in the late '60s.

explorerx4

@omarman,
Wow, nice find!

uplanderguy

Spotted tonight about 2-3 miles from our house, at a bike trail that was once the Erie-Lackawanna railway mainline, between Kent and Tallmadge, OH (mainline went from NYC to Chicago). Just when I think I know where all of them are, another will pop up. This is a '49-53 Studebaker 2R pickup. At the time they were considered advanced for their hidden cab step (inside the door), double-wall box and lack of rolled edge in the box.

fintail

Nice to see you again.
I will guess 280SE ~1970.

lemko said:

One for fintail.

fintail

The texture appears to be simulated wood. I am sure it is painted or is a decal.

I have seen a number of Caddy wagon conversions over the years, most of them are pretty cool. The mid 50s ones mentioned in that link are really something, like the Hess & Eisenhardt View Master:



Or the Broadmoor Skyview:

imidazol97 said:

What's the second car behind the MB? It looks like it's rolling even more than the MB.

The station wagon conversion is nicely done. I don't care for the texture on the fin, but that would have been easily fixed or removed?

I remember seeing a Cadillac wagon from the 60s IIRC done by H & E (http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/h/hess_eisenhardt/hess_eisenhardt.htm) of Cincinnati. It wasn't nearly as fitting to the eye. Somewhere I may still have pictures of it from an all BM show in Lebanon (home of the Golden Lamb Inn of historical fame).

uplanderguy

I didn't 'spot' this one, but it's being discussed on Facebook this morning. I think we've discussed the colors before. I absolutely remember one like it in my hometown back then, but without the swivel bucket seats.

I have a love/hate thing going on with the colors, LOL.

I sure wish there were more color choices today.

Did Pontiac, Buick, and Olds have this lime green color, in or out in '76? I honestly don't remember seeing any.




I know stacked headlights are a bone of contention, but for me, the '76 is the best-looking of the '73-77 Monte Carlos due to them, full-height taillights, and no hood ornament (which looks silly on the swoopy body IMHO). And this is either a plus or a minus, but the Monte and Grand Prix were the only ones with a longer wheelbase than the regular midsize coupes.

tjc78

My dad had a Grand Prix in the same or similar color when I was born. If I can dig up a picture I’ll post it later.

PF_Flyer

lemko said:

One for fintail.

Hey there lemko! Getting to be a long time since we met up at the Philly Auto show

PF_Flyer

lemko said:

My Grandmom had a white 1961 Valiant with a red interior way back in the day. My Grandpop took my Mom out once to teach her how to drive then gave up. Mom went to driving school after that.

My Grandama never got a license. Grandpa was going to teach her. They got in the huge 40's sedan, he told her to go. She let the clutch out and stalled it, and Grandpa said, "That's IT" and got out

sda

uplanderguy said:

I didn't 'spot' this one, but it's being discussed on Facebook this morning. I think we've discussed the colors before. I absolutely remember one like it in my hometown back then, but without the swivel bucket seats.

I have a love/hate thing going on with the colors, LOL.

I sure wish there were more color choices today.

Did Pontiac, Buick, and Olds have this lime green color, in or out in '76? I honestly don't remember seeing any.




I know stacked headlights are a bone of contention, but for me, the '76 is the best-looking of the '73-77 Monte Carlos due to them, full-height taillights, and no hood ornament (which looks silly on the swoopy body IMHO). And this is either a plus or a minus, but the Monte and Grand Prix were the only ones with a longer wheelbase than the regular midsize coupes.

Not my favorite color, but nice to see in such great condition. I like the crisp two tone white interior. The green and red colored carpet tended to fade to a dingy shade, this looks new. Very well optioned car.

kyfdx

I don't remember that interior, but I liked that color (at the time).

I don't recall it on anything but Chevys, though. Malibus, mostly.

uplanderguy

I remember it even on full-size '76 Chevys...really too much for an otherwise big, conservatively-styled car IMHO!

ab348

I remember seeing that color (Pontiac called it "Lime Poly", code 40) on a '76 Firebird Esprit on a dealer lot, and I lusted after that car. White interior with green dash, carpets & console also. This one had the color-coordinated over-the-roof stripe from the front fenders up behind the doors and across the roof, Pontiac Rally wheels and whitewalls IIRC. Just a stunning car to me as a university student.

I actually saw one exactly the same for sale a year or two ago online, either on Hemmings or BaT, and was sorely tempted to pursue it.

fintail

Does the emblem on the door panel, above the door pull, say something, or is it just 70s ostentation? I can't make out "Monte Carlo", and I am not sure if there was a trim level.

Great color combo, I can't even imagine modern cars in something like that, their boring designs might not work with it.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

I didn't 'spot' this one, but it's being discussed on Facebook this morning. I think we've discussed the colors before. I absolutely remember one like it in my hometown back then, but without the swivel bucket seats.

I have a love/hate thing going on with the colors, LOL.

I sure wish there were more color choices today.

Did Pontiac, Buick, and Olds have this lime green color, in or out in '76? I honestly don't remember seeing any.

Yep. In fact, as I was scrolling through, as soon as my eye caught that Monte, my first thought was "1976". Pontiac called that color "Limefire" or something like that. Without looking it up, I'm guessing it was a 1976-only color. At least, every time I've seen it, it's always been a 1976 car.

I'm sort of on the fence about that color. I think it just depends on the car. And, even the way the light happens to hit it at the time. On that Monte it really doesn't do it for me in the pics, but it looks like it was an overcast day. If the sun was hitting it, it might show better.

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

I remember it even on full-size '76 Chevys...really too much for an otherwise big, conservatively-styled car IMHO!

Yeah... on a Caprice, as well.

kyfdx

fintail said:

Does the emblem on the door panel, above the door pull, say something, or is it just 70s ostentation? I can't make out "Monte Carlo", and I am not sure if there was a trim level.

Great color combo, I can't even imagine modern cars in something like that, their boring designs might not work with it.

I can't make it out, either

texases

The green paint, OK (I had a green Duster). But that green interior? Not doing it for me.

thebean

fintail said:

Does the emblem on the door panel, above the door pull, say something, or is it just 70s ostentation? I can't make out "Monte Carlo", and I am not sure if there was a trim level.

Great color combo, I can't even imagine modern cars in something like that, their boring designs might not work with it.

I believe it just says GM, but I might be mistaken. My first new car was a ‘76 Monte, but nowhere near as cool as this one. Mine was boring medium blue with blue cloth interior and bench seat. But, to me it was a chariot, coming from my old beat up ‘67 El Camino.

andre1969

I tried zooming in on that emblem in the Monte's door, but it gets too blurry. However, I don't think it actually says anything. I think it's just some kind of ostentatious design. Whatever it is, it also appears to be symmetric.

As for that color, I could actually see it on something like a Civic, Camaro, Mustang, or Challenger, or a pickup truck. Of course, they'd mate it to a gray interior. Or black if they wanted to be "edgy".

For some reason I could really picture it on a Camaro...especially, if it had some blackout racing stripes, trying to emulate a '69, perhaps. I don't think it works that well with more formal cars, or more everyday, type cars.

omarman

Green Monte door panel emblem looks like "landau" referring to the roof trim.

And yes that is 70s ostentation, metal lime green paint, landau roof and all! Good times.

omarman

thebean said:

fintail said:

Does the emblem on the door panel, above the door pull, say something, or is it just 70s ostentation? I can't make out "Monte Carlo", and I am not sure if there was a trim level.

Great color combo, I can't even imagine modern cars in something like that, their boring designs might not work with it.

I believe it just says GM, but I might be mistaken. My first new car was a ‘76 Monte, but nowhere near as cool as this one. Mine was boring medium blue with blue cloth interior and bench seat. But, to me it was a chariot, coming from my old beat up ‘67 El Camino.

'67 El Camino! Ooh. When you say "old beat up" does that mean rusted-thru-beat up? If not that was still a very cool ride back then.

fintail

Yeah, on retro cars like a Challenger/Charger/Mustang/Camaro, that color combo would work. Also maybe on exotics where flamboyance is key.

I think I see the "LANDAU" on the door emblem now. Show it off! I wonder how that car aged, I have to imagine by the time it was 5 years old, it was very dated in those colors.

andre1969

fintail said:

I think I see the "LANDAU" on the door emblem now. Show it off! I wonder how that car aged, I have to imagine by the time it was 5 years old, it was very dated in those colors.

I'd guess it was considered pretty tacky by the early 80's. My Mom's '75 LeMans was sort of a pinkish red that was called either "Persimmon" or "Bronze" (the Pontiac paint chart lists both colors as options, and they look similar to me. And I don't have any old pics of that LeMans handy). Anyway, I can remember even as a kid, that car stood out in the parking lot. We never lost track of it. But, when my Mom traded it on her light blue 1980 Malibu coupe, that car, even when it was brand-new, was easy to lose in the parking lot, if you didn't pay attention to where you left it.

fintail

I bet the depreciation curve was pretty harsh too once the downsized cars hit the market, and once the fresh 81 model hit the road, boom, gone. Makes me think of my mom's Thunderbird, which by 1985 and ~10 years old wasn't worth fixing, a gigantic white on white beast that also became a relic in no time. I wonder who saved that 76, and why - must be a story behind it.

andre1969 said:

I'd guess it was considered pretty tacky by the early 80's. My Mom's '75 LeMans was sort of a pinkish red that was called either "Persimmon" or "Bronze" (the Pontiac paint chart lists both colors as options, and they look similar to me. And I don't have any old pics of that LeMans handy). Anyway, I can remember even as a kid, that car stood out in the parking lot. We never lost track of it. But, when my Mom traded it on her light blue 1980 Malibu coupe, that car, even when it was brand-new, was easy to lose in the parking lot, if you didn't pay attention to where you left it.

stickguy

Oh, I would love to have a 67 El Camino. Yummy.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

I remember it even on full-size '76 Chevys...really too much for an otherwise big, conservatively-styled car IMHO!

Our next-door neighbors in the late '70s/early '80s had an Impala Custom Coupe in that color, with a white vinyl half-roof. I think theirs was green inside though. They traded a '68 Impala 4-door in Butternut Yellow for it.

They were a family of 8 (6 daughters!) so it must have been fun packing them all into either of those cars. Never understood why he didn't buy a 3-seat station wagon.

Car looked exactly like this, which I think was a fairly popular color choice that year:

ab348

omarman said:

Green Monte door panel emblem looks like "landau" referring to the roof trim.

And yes that is 70s ostentation, metal lime green paint, landau roof and all! Good times.

"Landau" it is. Here is a shot from a different car.

uplanderguy

That emblem says "LANDAU". The little square emblem on the instrument panel just left of the right-most A/C vent would also say "LANDAU", instead of being just the regular 'knights head' Monte Carlo badge there.

In Chevy-land, my brain is just full of stupid minutiae like that. As a kid, I paid zero attention to school sports (other than cheerleaders, LOL), and I absorbed the brochures and about lived at our local Chevy-Cadillac dealer.

From '73-77, the Monte Carlo Landau got you only the Landau half-vinyl top, body side pinstriping at the top of the sides, the urethane Turbine I wheels, body-colored Sport Mirrors on both sides, and the "Landau" emblems on the C-pillars and on interior door panels and instrument panel.

In '73, when those Turbine I wheels came out, Chevy was really touting them since they were urethane, but they never did that much for me. In the pothole-y world I lived in the trim rings were usually gone in a couple or three years. A high-school friend of mine's parents bought a new '74 Monte Carlo Landau in that light spring-y metallic green and it had the five-slot Rally Wheels, which to me looked better. I remember as plain as day that they were a $68 credit on their window sticker. I've never seen a single other Landau with Rally Wheels. I have to believe there was a supply issue of some sort on the Turbine I wheels then, at least in the Oshawa plant where their car was assembled.

uplanderguy

That '67 El Camino reminds me of my Dad's first new car, a '67 Chevelle. Gas-station attendants always had trouble finding the hood release--which was under the top lip of the bumper, in the center.

berri

My 76 Cutlass Supreme was a conservative white, but it did have the bordello red crushed velour interior

uplanderguy

I know it's weird, but truth be told, I'd rather have a clean, original/authentic downsized GM midsize than the '73-77's. I know they were full of untested new technology, some of it suspect, but I like the taut sizes. Plus, almost nobody has a stock one anymore. I'd still love a '78 Malibu Classic coupe with the round instruments and 50/50 front seat with dual center armrests, and F41 suspension. Not an ounce of fake woodgrain inside (although that came a few years later). Alas, I don't know if any are left, LOL.

When the '81 Monte Carlo came out, I thought the taillights were a nod to the '73-77 and I thought the rest of the exterior was waayyyy better-looking than the '78-80 Monte, so I bought one as my first new car. Light jade metallic roof and hood over dark jade metallic everything else. I didn't want a six, so bought the 267 V8--better than nothing, LOL. It was jade cloth interior. Drove it for 35K miles; it was stolen and never recovered.

Speaking of weird--I'd still love a '76 Vega GT Kammback with the optional side striping, bone-stock--just to show people it can be done.

sda

I think GM used those same door pulls/straps on the 76 Cutlass we had as seen on the blue door panel of the Monte Carlo. I remember several times a year gently prying the trim cover off both ends to tighten the Philip screws that held the strap to the driver's door.

roadburner

kyfdx said:

Body roll does not necessarily equate to bad handling. Without some body roll, most tires couldn't maintain traction.

See my Club Sport for proof...

roadburner

uplanderguy said:

I didn't 'spot' this one, but it's being discussed on Facebook this morning. I think we've discussed the colors before. I absolutely remember one like it in my hometown back then, but without the swivel bucket seats.

I have a love/hate thing going on with the colors, LOL.

I sure wish there were more color choices today.

Did Pontiac, Buick, and Olds have this lime green color, in or out in '76? I honestly don't remember seeing any.




I know stacked headlights are a bone of contention, but for me, the '76 is the best-looking of the '73-77 Monte Carlos due to them, full-height taillights, and no hood ornament (which looks silly on the swoopy body IMHO). And this is either a plus or a minus, but the Monte and Grand Prix were the only ones with a longer wheelbase than the regular midsize coupes.

I loved my '74- at least after I tweaked the engine, put a shift kit in the TH-350, and installed decent shocks.

roadburner

sda said:

I think GM used those same door pulls/straps on the 76 Cutlass we had as seen on the blue door panel of the Monte Carlo. I remember several times a year gently prying the trim cover off both ends to tighten the Philip screws that held the strap to the driver's door.

Me too...

tjc78

I can’t seem to find a picture of Dad’s Grand Prix.  This is going to drive me nuts lol 

uplanderguy

Those straps seemed pretty flimsy for how long and heavy those doors were. I seem to remember it not being unusual to see them hanging on by one screw at one end, on cars not all that old.

The '73 Grand Prix was introduced with what to my eyes was a gorgeous instrument panel and door panels, both with real wood (or at least veneer). In later years (maybe '75-77) Pontiac added that flimsy pull strap right in the middle of its stylish door panel. Yuck!

sda

As nice as the real wood veneer looked when new, it was paper thin and had the tendency to bubble and peel off. That's what it did on the 73 Grand Am my sisters drove. It shared the same dash as the GP.

imidazol97

Is the green on this Impala the same as the green on the Monte?
I'm not sure it is. Looking at paint color cards for 76 GMs, there were
3 greens in that light green tone range.

I'll post the link if I can find it again.
\
I don't think the Impala's green was as vibrant as this Monte Carlo.

I did see a green Regal, likely similar to the Impala at an all GM show
and it had a green interior but there was white inside as well.







https://www.ebay.com/i/362569074029?chn=ps

uplanderguy

That Impala is the same color as the Monte, although color reproduction in print makes it look different.

I can tell you that Chevy would not have made two colors so close in the same model year, in the bread-and-butter lines like full-sizes and Monte Carlos. I know the R-N paint chart suggests otherwise, but that is not my memory in the slightest.

Other than colors like white and yellows and beiges and blacks, I remember no non-metallic Chevy colors then. The R-N chart makes it look like the one 'lime' color is non-metallic.

uplanderguy

I bet that non-metallic "Lime" was used on Chevettes. I remember that color on those cars now that I think about it.

imidazol97

sda said:

I think GM used those same door pulls/straps on the 76 Cutlass we had as seen on the blue door panel of the Monte Carlo. I remember several times a year gently prying the trim cover off both ends to tighten the Philip screws that held the strap to the driver's door.

IIRC on my 77 Cutlass, I went to a screw slightly larger in size to get a tighter grip in the sheet metal it went through. No more problems.

thebean

omarman said:

thebean said:

fintail said:

Does the emblem on the door panel, above the door pull, say something, or is it just 70s ostentation? I can't make out "Monte Carlo", and I am not sure if there was a trim level.

Great color combo, I can't even imagine modern cars in something like that, their boring designs might not work with it.

I believe it just says GM, but I might be mistaken. My first new car was a ‘76 Monte, but nowhere near as cool as this one. Mine was boring medium blue with blue cloth interior and bench seat. But, to me it was a chariot, coming from my old beat up ‘67 El Camino.

'67 El Camino! Ooh. When you say "old beat up" does that mean rusted-thru-beat up? If not that was still a very cool ride back then.

Wow, that’s the exact same color of mine. It was beat up due to me having several (5) fender benders in it, not all my fault. The back window framework rusted out resulting in a couple of my college textbooks getting soaked. We tried to address this with silicone sealant, but it wasn’t 100% successful. It also had the GM 283 engine issue with failing motor mounts. Any medium to hard acceleration resulted in the fan hitting the shroud or something. Later on after we sold it, I found out that Chevy was doing some gratis repairs using a chain, as I recall. But, we never got that memo. My dad bought it for me to drive because his gas powered golf cart would fit in the back with the tailgate closed. So, he used it on golf days and I got his Caprice wagon (total chick magnet ).