Mystery car pix

ab348

BTW, the location of that pic is the corner of Mason and Pine in San Francisco, with the building going up the hill being the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Radio station KYA had its studios there from the late '50s to the late '70s. The area underneath it was part of the hotel garage until that annex was built during WWII. The garage entrance that was removed was rather impressive.

imidazol97

ab348 said:

Just imagine the door dings that cars get when parked on this street! I never park downhill from someone sideways in a parking area like that. Too easy for the door to go open against my car.

kyfdx

We stayed at the Mark Hopkins, last year. Right at the peak of Nob Hill.

Easy to walk anywhere, from there. It’s walking back that sucks..

andys120

texases said:

andys120 said:

Never seen it. Given the rear engine, is it some South American Beetle adaptation?

Not many were made (12) but that is a gen-u-wine I-talian GT car and the second mid-engine design to be sold for road use. Carlo Chiti designed the 2.5 liter V8 and Giotto Bizzarini was one of his associates in the company that built it.

Styling was by Franco Staglione, executed by Allemano. That's a lotta clues, anybody want to call it?

sda

You might find these of interest.

ab348

Return to the mid-60s at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, with comedian Jack Carter headlining. I found it unusual that in later years he had a few movie/TV roles as a comedian whose career was on the way downhill, which seemed to suit him better than actually being a headliner comic as he was here.

I suspect one member here will enjoy this pic:

stickguy

Lots of chevys. And a little rambler next to the fintail.

fintail

W111 fintail with somewhat dirty looking wheels (unusual that the hubcaps don't appear to be body color, and it isn't a two tone car, owner modification perhaps), couldn't have been too old given the other cars in the pic. Newest cars 1965?

andys120

The oldest car is right in front of the hotel, a 1953-54 Chevy Biscayne, white over green.
Ironically it's parked behind the newest, a two-door 1965 Ford with the NASCAR sloped roof

andys120

sda said:

You might find these of interest.

The place I go for excercise often has a late 70s Vega GT w faded red paint parked infront.. It's for sale, asking $7500

I used to have a small collection of 1960s engine badges.

fintail

I think the 53-54 Chevy might be a BelAir with that rear fender trim. I also see the rear of a 65 Impala peeking out at right (to the left of a 63 Impala and right of maybe a 59 Plymouth?), and I think that's a Mercury Comet 2 door HT near the Galaxie. Some other unusual ones in the right row, including a 60 Impala flat top and a 61 Galaxie 2 door (formal roof).

andys120

fintail said:

I think the 53-54 Chevy might be a BelAir with that rear fender trim. I also see the rear of a 65 Impala peeking out at right (to the left of a 63 Impala and right of maybe a 59 Plymouth?), and I think that's a Mercury Comet 2 door HT near the Galaxie. Some other unusual ones in the right row, including a 60 Impala flat top and a 61 Galaxie 2 door (formal roof).

Right right Fintail. I meant to say '53-4Bel Air. I missed the little slice of '65 Impala but you're right about that too.

andys120

It doesn't look like anyone is going to get this one>


It's a 1963 ATS 2500GT. Only 12 were ever made for public sale but
how it came about is an interesting story involving one of histories' best known car brands, Ferrari. Tensions had been rising at the famous racing team and sports car maker due to the autocratic methods of il Commendatore. and his wife Laura Ferrari an active participant in management. These tensions reached a head in 1961 when key personnel demanded Laura's ouster and Enzo's flat refusal to do so led to a walkout of key personnel including the sales manager and key engineers including Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarinni.

Chiti and Bizarzarrini decided to set up their own company Automobili Turismo e Sport and they designed ans built their own design and set up their factory in Bologna to produce the ATS 2500GT which became the first mid-engined Italian road car
and the second in the world by a few months. They also built a Formula One car which was raced by former Ferrari F1 Champion Phil Hill of Santa Monica CA.

I have never seen an ATS 2500 but I did see Hill drive the ATS F1 car at the US Grand Prix in 1963. It was his last F1 drive and the ATS F1/1.5 was never successful.

As you probably know Bizzarrini who designed the 250 GTO went on to some success building sports and racing cars bearing his name. After the failure of ATS, Carlo Chiti re-joined Alfa Romeo and managed their sports car and F1 Autodelta.race teams

andys120

Look Ma, no fins!

ab348

The grandfather of current Lexus front-end styling, and a car that looks far better in the rear view as shown above, the 1961 Plymouth Fury.

Reminiscent of that woman who you see standing across the room at a party who catches your eye, but she has her back to you, and then she turns around...

andys120

IMO it looks horrible from eithr front or back. It's as if they went out of their way to remove any vestige of fininess. Chrysler corp manged to have the best styling of the Big 3 in 1959 and the worst in 1961.

magnette

Sorry - again away from the computer for a few days.

Re Somewhere in France there were a couple of other nationalities - mostly Fiats

White Fiat 1800 with its brake lights on just ahead of the departing Renault 8.
White 500 a couple of cars ahead, and a parked 600 on the far side of this street a bit further down on the right next to the Renault 4 near the bus
Also a dark Fiat 850 coupe near the bus
And I think it may be an Opel parked in the side street facing the nose of the Peugeot 404 which is right on the corner but we can't see it properly

Most of the cars have a 33 Department code on their Licence plates which is Gironde - so that would be somewhere around Bordeaux, I think.

magnette

I'm intrigued that the Austin Cambridge - the pre farina one a few pictures back - may have been sold over there as an Austin Cambria - never heard that. Would it perhaps have been a Canadian name for it ?

Cambria would appertain to Wales. Not that any of them were built in Cambridge either, so it isn't relevant I suppose!

magnette

It is surprising to see that Ford Prefect at the Sands casino - particularly given it wouldn't have even been the oldest car in that picture. They were still making them until 1953 or possibly 54.

magnette

That Mini Countryman would be the most valuable car in that shot now unless the Mustang was a Shelby or something. They fetch serious money now here and in Japan too.
Not as much as a Mini Pick-up, but still.

ab348

Nothing too mysterious in this pic from the Dunes in 1961, but I think there are couple of @fintail 's favorite model year of Ford here that he will appreciate. The most notable thing I saw is how narrow the parking slots appear to be! Click to enlarge.

Lostwrench3

On the right a '60 Ford and a '60 Ford.

fintail

White cars are good in the desert.

Red and white 61 Ford wagon is the same color combo as my dad's 60. Both 60 Fords in the pic appear to be Sunliners, too. I see a 59 Caddy flat top in the background in front of the rightmost 60 Ford.

tmart

Next to the red and white 61 is a 58 Ford. Also a 52-53 Ford wagon appears to be behind the Valiant at left along with a 55-56 Ford Sunliner. Red 61 Ford behind the 60 Sunliner at right.

stickguy

is the white one in the center next to the Buick (always reminds me of Fast times) a Desoto?

tmart

The Buick is between a Valiant and a 58 Ford.

fintail

58 Ford "Town Victoria" 4 door HT, not a common model.

andys120

There's a white Plymouth Valiant on the left in front of the pole. Next to it is a white '60 Buick which appears to be a flattop. Look at the panramic view you'd get fron inside.

andys120

stickguy

Lotta chrome on that baby. I’ll guess 58 bel air.

omarman

"The Chevrolet Impala has proudly worn the image of the leaping African antelope for which it was named as an emblem in some form since its debut in 1958." - GM Corporate Newsroom

Lostwrench3

In the previous photo, let's not forget the 1956 Cadillac.

andys120

omarman said:

"The Chevrolet Impala has proudly worn the image of the leaping African antelope for which it was named as an emblem in some form since its debut in 1958." - GM Corporate Newsroom

Yup, 1958 was the first year for the Impala which replaced the BelAir as the top-spec Chevy.
IIRC the BelAir was only at the top 1953-57. Before '53 it was the Biscayne I think.

The Impala got demoted in '66 in favor of the Caprice.

ab348

Nice bright colors in this Kodachrome of the New Frontier in the second half of the 1950s.

fintail

Door color on the Stude doesn't appear to match the car. I will pick off what appears to be a 55 Mercury on the road at right.

tmart

Yellow 54 Ford Sunliner, white 56 Ford Country Squire, white 54 Ford, white 55 Ford, red and white 55 Ford at right.

Lostwrench3

Front and center - 1953 Studebaker.

imidazol97

1956 Oldsmobile 98 at the far left of the foreground.

andys120

stickguy

That an amphicar?

texases

Nope, but it did remind me of one.

stickguy

Looked like the bilge pump outlets on the rear valance.

texases

The Amphicar is an older looking design, with fins (probably to protect the engine cover from waves):

ab348

I believe that is a mid-60s NSU Spider, with an early (and tiny) Wankel engine.

andys120

ab348 said:

I believe that is a mid-60s NSU Spider, with an early (and tiny) Wankel engine.

That's it AB, it's a 1965 NSU Spider. There's definitely a resemblance for the sides and front to the Amphicar.
I though there might be some mechanical or design commonality with the Amphicar but no,

The NSU was styled by Georg Trippel, The NSU was styled by Bertone.

ab348

Another Kodachrome of early 1960s Vegas, this time Fremont St. It is amazing how well those colors stand up over time. Lots to see here, click to enlarge.

fintail

Looks like maybe an Opel Rekord behind the Caddy? I also spy a 60 Ford behind the 58 Chevy behind the maybe-Opel (or perhaps Vauxhall Victor).

tmart

Red Corvair, Carman Ghia and 58 Chevy BelAir at right.

stickguy

Bug 2 up from this, then 2 up a nice 2 door nova. Behind a 58 Chevy.

And a black and white rambler wagon nosing out from curb, front left

Lostwrench3

"Leading the parade" a 1954 Cadillac.