Mystery car pix

andys120

There hasn't been a four-dr sedan (or convertible) in decades for obvious reasons. Back in the day we had two in a row ('59 Monterey and '64 Catalina). My pop had to be talked into it
because he was afraid they'd rattle. Surprisingly they didn't but I found one big problem with them: in a car without power windows it could be a real chore to lower all the side glass and achieve the real hardtop look and when you did you couldn't go much over 40 because of the wind.

The 1960s Continental was the last four-door convertible. Anyone know who did the last production hardtop sedan?

fintail

I know Nissan had a few well into themid-late 80s:

Bluebird:





Skyline:





Gloria (bonus for wraparound rear window):





Laurel:

texases

Not in the US, though, right?

ab348

andys120 said:

Anyone know who did the last production hardtop sedan?

Well, GM did the last of theirs in '76 with the full-sizers. Ford in the mid-70s went to frameless door glass with a skinny B-pillar, so that wouldn't qualify. I think the last one made domestically were the fullsize Chrysler "formals" which ran through the 1978 model year.

fintail

Nobody limited it to the US

I think ab348 is right with the big 78 Chryslers being the last.

berri

I wonder how they did in a rollover.
I suspect those MB's didn't fare any worse than the 59/60 GM Vista Roof Flattops.

I think ab348 is right with the big 78 Chryslers being the last.
Having many brushes with financial viability, I suspect Chrysler got longer waiver periods on many auto regs, so that makes sense to me. Also, vinyl tops drew some attention away from the greenhouse, so maybe a sedan vs hardtop wasn't that big of a deal by then anyway.

andys120

berri

AMC Marlin, but I can't really determine the exact year

ab348

That Marlin is either a '65 or '66. I'd guess the latter.

andys120

berri said:

AMC Marlin, but I can't really determine the exact year

ab348 said:

That Marlin is either a '65 or '66. I'd guess the latter.

It's a 1966 AMC Marlin.

andys120

stickguy

is it a 66 Corvair? I like it! Dual pipes are interesting. Maybe a Monza?

imidazol97

Rally I wheels? Are those standard on any Corvair?

ab348

A '65 Corvair Corsa with later incorrect Chevy wheels.

andys120

Yup, that's a 1966 Chevy Corvair Monza. The satin silver rear panel is the tell for a Monza but i don't know how you tell one MY from another on a Gen II Corvair.

Those wheels aren't stock but they seemed to be a popular conversion. Most 'Vairs came with white walls and wheel covers, the fake wires were popular, others looked like these>



It being 1966 there were no alloy wheel options. I s'pect the Rally wheels were originally the option for a Nova.

magnette

Hardtop saloons with no B post also had vulnerable security - my parents had a 1960 or so Sunbeam Rapier and in rural north Wales on holiday our car was broken into outside a hotel and the only other car also opened was an old Hillman Minx Californian which was also pillarless.

kyfdx

magnette said:

Hardtop saloons with no B post also had vulnerable security - my parents had a 1960 or so Sunbeam Rapier and in rural north Wales on holiday our car was broken into outside a hotel and the only other car also opened was an old Hillman Minx Californian which was also pillarless.

My mother had a '72 Lincoln Coupe. I could open it faster with a coat hanger, than I could with a key.

andys120

omarman

'69 Ford Capri Mk I 1600GT

Mr_Shiftright

Those cars were kinda fun with a 4-speed and the "Cologne" V-6.

andys120

omarman said:

'69 Ford Capri Mk I 1600GT

You're off just a little, it is a 1970 Ford Capri Mk.I, a (Cologne) German made 1700.
The four cylinder version sold in the US was made in Kent, UK and powered by the 1600cc 4 used in the contemporary Escort.

The 2.6L V6 versions we got were German sourced. Both versions were sold thru Lincoln Mercury dealers here and used US spec four headlight setups.

texases

The type 1 also came with the 2.0 l Pinto engine at some point. My college roommate had one. Rounded cams and worn followers, quite a dog. 

andys120

My bro owned a '70 Capri 1600. Bog slow but a decent little car.

stickguy

they weren't that slow compared to what passed for economy cars back in the day.

omarman

I found an online Car and Driver road test for 1970 U.S. version of the Capri 1600 which pointed out its biggest weakness: "The immoral, uncivilized and anti-social, standing quarter-mile takes 20.3 seconds to complete with a terminal speed of 66 mph—roughly equivalent, as we have said, to a stick-shift Beetle." Ouch! I remember that women in particular seemed to like the first gen "Cap-ri." Sort of like the Camry now.

stickguy

OK, that is on the slow end of the spectrum. even in 1970. But somehow, a lot of us drove little economy cars (including beetles), and somehow survived!

Mr_Shiftright

The Cologne V-6 had a long life, even going into Ford Rangers, Bronco IIs, Explorers, etc. but with bigger bore and other modifications.

andys120

I've driven both 1200cc VWs and 1600cc Capris and I can assure you that slow as the Euro Stang was, it was a rocket compared to the Beetle. C&D's numbers were kind of suspect in those days. IIRC they once claimed the 1964 Pontiac GTO could out accelerate a Ferrari 250GTO (they didn't mention the Poncho was a ringer with a 421 under the hood).

bhill2

andys120 said:

I've driven both 1200cc VWs and 1600cc Capris and I can assure you that slow as the Euro Stang was, it was a rocket compared to the Beetle. C&D's numbers were kind of suspect in those days. IIRC they once claimed the 1964 Pontiac GTO could out accelerate a Ferrari 250GTO (they didn't mention the Poncho was a ringer with a 421 under the hood).

IIRC C&D didn't know that the Pontiac had a 421 in it. They got scammed by the manufacturer.

omarman

Before I found that Car and Driver article I first looked at all the 70s iron listed on the zeroto60times.com site. I couldn't find a Capri 1600 listed but I did find quarter mile ETs for a '71 Pinto 1600 and a '71 Super Beetle within 1/10th second of each other.

"The immoral, uncivilized and anti-social, standing quarter-mile takes 20.3 seconds to complete with a terminal speed of 66 mph—roughly equivalent, as we have said, to a stick-shift Beetle." - Car and Driver

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"Surely not everybody was Kung Fu fighting." - Omar

Mr_Shiftright

Mercury Capri 0-60 times.

Not sure of the source or accuracy, but it kinda makes sense given my memory of these cars.

andys120

kyfdx

andys120 said:

Ah.. another Capri?

I'll go with '82?

omarman

The Capri V6 models in your link are stronger and faster than the 4 cyl Capri 1600 which Car and Driver road tested in 1970. No surprise there.

And as pointed out, the accuracy is spotty with that link. The entry for "1975 Mercury Capri II 2.8 V6" has to be an error (or not a US vehicle) since the Capri II was rolled out here as a 1976 model with no 1975 m/y Capri in the U.S.

In high school a friend had the only 1976 model-year-any-car-brand in the parking lot, and she loved to let people know it! It was her first new car but her 2nd Capri. Good times.

"The immoral, uncivilized and anti-social, standing quarter-mile takes 20.3 seconds to complete with a terminal speed of 66 mph—roughly equivalent, as we have said, to a stick-shift Beetle." - Car and Driver

"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - attributed to Daniel Patrick Moynihan

"Surely not everybody was Kung Fu fighting." - Omar

andys120

kyfdx said:

andys120 said:

Ah.. another Capri?

I'll go with '82?

1985 Mercury Capri/5.0 liters

andys120

Michaell

andys120 said:

G'day, mate!

Aussie Capri, early 90's vintage?

andys120

G'day, mate!

Aussie Capri, early 90's vintage?


yup, sold here as a Mercury Capri 1990-94.

andys120

ab348

I won't give this one away, but our family had the 4-door version of that car in the early 1960s.

fintail

Ford Consul Capri, the first Capri, kind of looks like a smaller Britainified 60 Starliner. 1961.

andys120

I didn't know there was a 4-door version but I found this pic>



The 4-door had a different sub-model name. The US Ford that the design borrowed also had different names for two and four door models.

tmart

That is one good looking Starliner!

andys120

fintail said:

Ford Consul Capri, the first Capri, kind of looks like a smaller Britainified 60 Starliner. 1961.

Yup it's a 1961 Ford Consul Capri, a shrunken RHD British made version of the 1960 Ford Galaxie Starliner. The four door version AB348 had was a Ford Consul Classic. I don't think either was ever sold in the USA.

The Galaxie Starliner like the Capri only came as a 2-dr. Four door versions carried a variety
of sub-names including Classic, Town Sedan and Victoria. Convertibles were either Sunliners or Skyliners. There was also two-door Sport Sedan.

Mr_Shiftright

General Patton would have loved that grille.

fintail

That Starliner is quite fetching (I always saw these as influenced by forward look Mopars), but the skirts need to go.

tmart

We’ll agree to disagree on the skirts. In this case, I find them attractive.

andys120

andys120

tmart said:

We’ll agree to disagree on the skirts. In this case, I find them attractive.

I'm not a fan of '60 Fords but IMO the skirts help.

fintail

mystery car, a 55 Lincoln Capri? Kind of like the one that filled in for the Mercury in the hill scenes on "The Long Long Trailer.

For the 60 Ford, I find the stock wheelarch to be low enough, skirts make it look a little heavy and droopy, just MHO. It also doesn't match well with the rear rocker trim.