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

Mr_Shiftright

1912 Cadillac -- indeed a milestone, and the death of the steam car and the electric car in America. However, the story in the ad is merely apocryphal and has no basis in fact.

1922 Detroit Electric -- the funny thing about that car is that is has about the same range as most of the electric cars being marketed today. Not too much progress in 85 years.

58 Edsel -- nasty-looking thing.

International Woodie --- OH YEAH! Sign me up! Somebody did a beautiful job. You could CRUSH a modern SUV with that thing.

65 Benz 220 -- looks pretty good, and even has the "chiropracter" automatic transmission. HUMMMMM.....SNAP! I had a 63. Drove that car for years without any trouble. It was a stickshift with AC and a sunroof. I'd run it flat out on the NY Thruway.

Saab 99 Turbo -- now there's a car you want to AVOID at any cost! Bad, bad car. Really bad car. Maserati- Bi-Turbo bad car. TR7 bad car. Show Dracula the Cross before it's too late bad car. Who would bid on this thing? unbelievable. There's an A__ for every seat.

imidazol97

The Suburban glass part of tailgate doesn't close. They didn't take a closeup picture from outside or in to show that more clearly. :confuse:

The Sedambulance is an odd one. I've never seen one of those.

The blue Fintail looks like your kind of car, Finfail. It would make a good addition to your fleet!

fintail

That fintail is the same color as mine, but appears maybe a minor grade nicer. It should be worth a fair 5K on the market - and there's a good chance it will end up back in Germany, as it would be worth twice as much there (where a fintail is the bizarro-world equivalent to a 57 Chevy), and the dollar is still weak and not getting any stronger with the idiotic bailout. That exact car, with the flat horn ring and "automatic" badge, is from the last few months of 220 series production.

fintail

The non-torque-convertor fintail automatics are clunky, but from all accounts I know, are as durable as their American counterparts. I have only seen one dead one, and who knows what kind of neglect it saw in 40 years. Mine shifts harsh sometimes, but that seems to be how it is made. I drove my car through my college years, and had it before and even a little after as a daily driver. Those cars were a good 25 years ahead in many ways compared to normal cars, the FI models anyway.

I could see some nut wanting that Saab. People collect Yugos.

Mr_Shiftright

The fintails do have many advanced features which appealed to technically minded Germans and some Americans; however they were very spartan inside, and the plain interiors, hard seats and positive automatic shifting did not appeal to too many soft-butt Americans. A '62 Cadillac's interior is like a chromed bejeweled palace compared to these cars. True you couldn't stop or steer in a Cadillac, but Americans didn't seem to mind. Just point and shoot. Plenty of room, cheap gas.

That poor poor Saab buyer. Just shoot him now.

boomchek

The wood carved dashboard and those wheels look horrible in that Fintail.

Why would anyone commission the carving of a dashboard out of wood, in the shape of a dashboard of a totally different period car for that matter. If it really is out of solid wood, it's gotta ad some hefty weight to that car. :sick:

It's one of the most silliest things I have ever seen. And he wants $20k for his troubles too.

andys120

DKW/Auto Union 1000 SP-Man, that's a lot of rust for a car that's lived in Arizona for 30 years. The guy must be an idiot to turn down a grand for that wreck, does he think there's a lot of people who need parts for that oddball? :sick:

fintail

I can certainly see the appeal of the period Caddy...but indeed, there must have been some different thinkers then to pay nearly Caddy money for the oddball foreigner.

When I was a kid, I didn't like fintails - I thought they were awkward with contrived styling, especially the W110 models with their big alien headlights and lack of brightwork. I also thought the W110s were the older models, and the W111s the newer cars, because the stacked lights were used on the W108/109 cars which I knew were a generation newer. But the finnies became less harsh to my eyes as I grew up, and I couldn't resist my car when I saw it for sale...I didn't learn about the technical details of the cars until then. When I talk to fans of period Detroit iron about my car, they are amazed something so old has FI, disc brakes, 4 speed auto, crumple zones, dual zone hvac, etc.

fintail

A normal fintail only weighs about 3000 lbs, so yeah, that chunk of wood can't be anything positive. 20 grand for a fintail is reserved for pristine show-worthy cars on the European market.

In obscure car news today, I saw a Rolls SCII driving in the rain on I90, easily keeping pace with traffic.

andre1969

When I was a kid, I didn't like fintails - I thought they were awkward with contrived styling, especially the W110 models with their big alien headlights and lack of brightwork.

When I was a little kid, I used to think they were Ramblers! :surprise: And from the side and rear, I do see a vague, passing resemblance to something like a '58 vintage Rambler

And I could see the single-headlight models appearing older than the stacked quad models, since the 1958 switch to quad headlights was one styling cue that ingrained in our minds that 4 headlights was newer than 2.

I started liking the style better as I got older, though. And in retrospect the fintail is SOOOO much more tasteful than a '58 Rambler! :P I just wish they would have put the fins on the hardtop and convertible style, too. I think that would look cool, whereas they look a bit plain without them.

fintail

I can see the Rambler resemblance too, especially in the greenhouse. If you reversed the Rambler C-pillar there would really be a resemblance. I suspect back in the day the fintails were mocked for that, too.

The fintail sedans hit the road in '59, when fins were still acceptable. The coupes and convertibles didn't come around until '61, when fins were quickly becoming passe, and everyone knew it. I think that's why those cars didn't get fins. Those coupes and converts became one of the most timeless designs of the period, and remained in production with almost no outward changes for a full decade. I suppose grafting fins on to one of those wouldn't be too difficult. I have seen photos of a protoype for a highline fintail replacement around 1963 which lacked fins, and had a greenhouse that wasn't so angular - but it never made it past one or two examples.

fintail

Here's that prototype:



Here's a bigger pic which doesn't work right here thanks to hilariously out of date Edmunds page formatting...come on guys, it's 2008!

andys120

Seen yesterday while having a pleasant outdoor lunch at Woodstock Station Brewpub in No Woodstock NH>

Two Morgans, one on a flatbed, the other under it's own power, both were early 50s
Plus 4 models with the flat radiator, like this, and both were a medium/dark blue.

I also spotted a dark blue '64 Stingray, parked with a it's top down, just the thing for a nice ride on a late summer Friday afternoon.

All three of these sports cars we in fabulous shape.

andre1969

there was a little cruise-in at a local bar. Here are a few pics I took. There were a few interesting obscurities there. I took my '76 LeMans up there, and had it parked next to that '73 Catalina. It was kinda interesting to see them both, side-by-side like that. Considering one's a midsize and one's a full-size, they didn't look that far apart, size-wise. So either that Catalina is good at hiding its bulk, or my LeMans just lets it hang out a bit too freely! :shades:

There was a white '61 Imperial 4-door hardtop, and an early 60's Rambler American convertible there too, but they left before I was able to take pics of them.

btesanovic

Never heard of that brand , first I thought it was morris mini , than I searched the web and found classic cars site that is selling those morris minor cars , anybody here heard of it or has some info on it ?

fintail

Ah a W112 (300SE) coupe, aka money pit, as it has air suspension. By the flat horn ring, I will guess it is a 64-65. It has Euro lights, but US-spec blinkers, so it's likely not a Euro model. Interesting that it lacks a radio but it has period aftermarket ac.

fintail

The Morris Minor was a wildly successful British car made for over 20 years - even today they are very common there

explorerx4

my friend/neighbor to a combo fly-in/auto show at a small local airport in his gt3.
we took in the planes first, they were all single props. there were some older planes, like wasp engine biplanes and new turboprops. we enjoyed watching them take off.
plenty of american classic cars, plus a few austin-healeys and an unusual land rover. it was kind of a big orange flatebd. maybe a support truck. it had roll bars over the top of the whole truck plus jacks attached to each corner, temporary bridging in the bed, etc...

Mr_Shiftright

Often called I think the "librarian's car" in the UK. A simple, cheap economical car that was kind of cute. Conventional in design, low HP. It had its problems, such as weak transmissions, but generally was a reliable little car by British standards of the day.

Good mpg, too.

andre1969

Just out of curiosity, what would be a reasonable price for a car like that Benz coupe? I'm starting to like 'em more and more, the more I look at them. Although I think they still would've looked better with the sedan's fins grafted on!

I think one feature that might attract me to them is the roofline. It looks a bit like a more squared-off version of a '57-59 DeSoto or Chrysler roof.

fintail

A genuinely nice one with no glaring needs will be about 15K or so. Deduct fast if it has problems, and never buy one to fix yourself - it is always a losing proposition to do so, so find one that someone else has sorted out. Also, if you were ever to get one, a 300SE like that would be one to avoid - the air suspension and very complex engine would make the odds of problems higher. A 220SE would be reliable and cheaper, a 280SE a fraction more expensive, but still reliable. The V8 models are thirsty but still ok, and do carry a price premium.

lemko

Remember the lady at Hershey whose father bought a car when he was drinking and thought he bought a 1957 Chevrolet and instead ended up with a 1959 Rambler?

Mr_Shiftright

I don't get it. Which one was better? :P

fintail

Today I saw a W210 E55 AMG, I could tell it was a 1999 model. What made it odd is that it had parktronic, a rare option for that year. There were ca. 500 units sold in the US that year, I can't imagine more than 50 of them having the parking aid.

I also saw a BMW Z8.

andys120

I saw a '57 or '58 Eldo convertible, beautiful dark metallic blue paint. A real looker!

fintail

"Rich & Famous"...hmmm...

Has to be worth this just for parts...this is unobtanium

Some early tin cans are getting respectable bids

Decent Supra

Rare and probably ruined

Somewhat cute little thing

Early traction

This is the provenance some like

Not for the queasy

Fuelie

Almost new kind of

I could see lemko in this

Aeroback

The Buicks were better looking

This nutjob is back, I knew he would be

cguiles

I worked in a Ford Dealership in 1969 in Louisiana and did undercoating among other things. I was told
by my boss to only undercoat the areas the customer could see. I considered
that to be an unbelievable ripoff and ignored the order and undercoated everything I could and rubbed it in with a rag in difficult to get at areas. Our
customers got the best rustproofing I could give them in spite of the penny pinching boss..

Mr_Shiftright

Fiat 1100-B. That's a great little car, I'd love to have one. Reserve not met at $3,000. What is the seller NUTS?!! :mad: Get real man.

Simca Aronde Wagon --- well I guess, if you have to have one. Ugly little mutt.

Traction Avant is nice but price is whacko. Go read a price guide and re-list it.

69 Corolla -- sure they get good bids. This is a car that will probably outlast your new car. Use it every day with confidence. Great little cars if a tad tinny.

boomchek

The carpets in that Stutz look super plush. Their color wouldn't be very practical for north west weather.

The Fiat Ritmo looks beat up.

Mr_Shiftright

REALLY beat up.

andre1969

That Stutz Bearcat monstrosity actually looked disturbingly familiar. I couldn't figure it out at first until I tried to do a VIN decode. It's actually registered as a 1977 Pontiac, with a 403 V-8! The VIN breaks down something like this:
2 - Pontiac
K57 - Grand Prix (I think...my LeMans is G37)
K - Olds 403
7 - 1977 model year
P - the assembly plant (not sure which one, but my LeMans came from the same plant...YUCK, they're cousins!)
390199 - sequence number

I don't think I'll ever be able to look at my LeMans in the same light again, knowing that it has this thing for a cousin! :sick:

boomchek

The doors, and the interior resembles something GM. After all I think all of these and the Excaliburs were based off big domestic coupes.

texases

...rust to rust. I saw a TR-7 convertible decaying in the front of a farm I passed today. No wheels, interior, top, hood, or engine, weeds growing up everywhere. Kind of like what happens to one of those abandoned adobe houses.... :P

lemmer

I saw a Buick Reatta over the weekend. That styling hasn't aged well to me.
I also saw a guy dropping off his kid at our elementary school in a Ferrari 308.

kyfdx

Actually being driven... long time, no see...

lemko

...1975 Pontiac Grand Ville convertible in sort of a saffron orange metallic with a tan top and the Pontiac factory wheels

bhill2

I'm waiting at a light here in Santa Rosa CA at the rural end of the Bay area, and here it comes up the main drag. Soft silver color. Looked like it had been restored, but I didn't get a good enough look to tell how well. I practically lost it. I never thought I would see one of those in the metal; especially not here.

fintail

Today I saw an obviously restored late series (nickel radiator etc) Model T Tudor, on a trailer. One can probably pick something like that up for not a lot these days.

Mr_Shiftright

A coupe would be worth more than a 2D sedan but $10,000 should get you an awfully nice 2D sedan and maybe $6,000 for a clean driver.

fintail

Sounds right, and that 10K Tudor would be a show-worthy example no doubt.

This cheapy Model A roadster is offered for sale on local CL....even if it is a little ratty it would have brought that much 25-30 years ago.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes that's true and if you buy an A you have to make sure a) that it's all steel and b) that it's not a mix of 3-4 different cars bolted together to run.

Actually my favorite A is the 4-door town sedan. It's comfy and you can take your friends around in it no problem. AND there's more room for the driver in that version.

fintail

Those cars look a lot bigger in photos than they are up close, indeed. I am surprised how non-roomy they really are. But, a Model A was not meant to be a large luxurious car I guess.

A town sedan can be relatively handsome with sidemounts, and the formal sedan or whatever the one is without rear quarter windows can have some presence too.

Mr_Shiftright

People were smaller then, too.

If Americans keep growing in height and width, I bet you'll actually see old car values adjust according to whether collectors can squeeze into them anymore.

andre1969

People were smaller then, too.

I'm always amused when I watch "The Waltons", and see them slide three people across in John-Boy's old Model A coupe, or the truck, which I'm guessing was based on Model A architecture, too. They just look snug when they do it on tv, but I'm sure it would be cramped in real life!

I was kinda shocked one day when I sat behind the wheel of a 1949 or so Buick sedan. That sucker was really cramped. No legroom, plus the steering wheel right in your gut. Maybe you could wear a hat while driving it, but if you have long legs or are chunky, forget about being comfy!

fintail

There seems to be an issue in cars of that area with the steering wheel being too close to the driver. You'd have to be small and pretty skinny to be at a safe difference, it seems.

Maybe by the late 50s it changed...I don't remember feeling bad behind the wheel of my dad's 60 full sized Ford, nor my 66 Galaxie, and the fintail is comfortable with plenty of room too...and I am not short nor skinny.

andre1969

Maybe by the late 50s it changed...I don't remember feeling bad behind the wheel of my dad's 60 full sized Ford, nor my 66 Galaxie, and the fintail is comfortable with plenty of room too...and I am not short nor skinny.

It definitely improved in the late 50's. I remember sitting in a '56 Chrysler or DeSoto at one of the Carlisle swap meets, and the difference between it and my '57 was like night and day. The '57's seat is much lower, and I think they actually got a lot of complaints about that, but it also goes back much further than the '56 did, so legroom feels better to me. And the steering wheel is at a better angle, with the column being more vertical, so in a head on collision I guess it impales your chest instead of your face! The '56 felt more like an old pickup truck seating position.

They made further strides in the late 60's. I remember the steering wheel of my '69 Bonneville being about as big as that of a modern car, rather than those bus/truck sized steering wheels older cars had. And it seemed to be positioned a bit further away from my chest than, say, my '67 Catalina. Or my '68 and '69 Darts.

The most recent car I could think of that had a badly placed steering wheel was my '89 Gran Fury. Legroom in that car was excellent, but the steering wheel just seemed a little too close. Scary thought too, considering it had an airbag in it! I imagine it would've been pretty dangerous for some little old lady who had to sit right up against the steering wheel!

I've always heard that the '76 Volare/Aspen still had a little Dart/Valiant DNA in them, as opposed to being a truly new from the ground up car. Maybe there's a bit of truth to that, as the seating position felt almost the same, with regards to legroom and the steering column position. Shoulder room was about the same, too. The engine sat further back in the Aspen/Volare and all their offshoots though, so that in turn pushed the transmission further back, making for a bigger hump.

I remember reading an old Popular Mechanics review of a 1972 Impala, and one of the testers was complaining about the steering wheel location. So maybe with some cars by that time, it was still an issue. It's been so long since I've been in that era of GM big car though, that I can't remember if it was for me.

Mr_Shiftright

Not all cars though. 50s Corvettes are real tight. Most of the "big boys" can't even sit in the cars they own anymore--LOL!

fintail

I hate sitting too close to the wheel...probably what really keeps me out of an ancient car. The fintail has a huge old timey wheel, but it is at a proper angle and you can get back away from it.

fintail

This is cool for its prewar design...but it shouldn't be here

"Free Spirit"...never heard of it

This Titanic survived pretty well

Andre-mobile

Lemko-mobile

X-car ragtop

Nice old Poncho

And a Poncho that's uncommon anymore

andre1969

NIce bunch in there. I really like that '61 Bonneville. That '80 New Yorker is really nice, too. I've heard that Chrysler really improved the build quality of the 1980-81 R-bodies compared to 1979, but so few were built that it seems like it's mainly the '79's that pop up. I think they built 54K '79 NYers, 13K '80 NYers, and only 3-5K 1981's. I hope they didn't botch it up when they converted it from Lean Burn, though. Looks like it also has the upgraded stereo, with a digital tuner and LCD display. I guess that must've been pretty rare for 1980.

I like that '78 Catalina, too. Normally those wouldn't be my two favorite colors, but I think they go well on that car.