Mystery car pix

omarman

Yes '69 Impala Custom Coupe. My older brother had one of these with a 327 / powerglide back in the 70's. They also came as hardtop sport coupe and 4-door sport sedan models.



edit: Ha! I just saw that ab348 posted before I did. Chevrolet was definitely getting weird in some option and powertrain offerings.

ab348

Here's a rare model from this manufacturer:

fintail

Lamborghini Jarama, very 70s.

Regarding the Impalas, I recall when I was a student ~20 years ago, I am pretty sure a professor had a SS custom coupe just like the one shown, 396 I believe. But it may have been a sport coupe, memory getting hazy, unusual car no less, it was immaculate and stood out even then.

andys120

ab348 said:

That would be a '69.

Surprised that it is on a Custom Coupe bodystyle and not the Sport Coupe, but GM was weird back then.

That's correct, and I agree it's odd to see a formal roofline on such a fast car . Power comes from a 390hp Chevy 427. OTOH, back then it wasn't that unusual to see sleepers looking like bread-and-butter DDs with only big exhaust pipes and a small engine badge giving a clue to the hidden power.

magnette

Re the picture outside Newburys store apart from the Renault Dauphine on the right of the entrance, I think the smallish white car about three further along the same row facing the shop right under the words Open Sunday is a British Ford Consul or Zephyr mark 1

magnette

Re the earlier exchange about split windscreens I recall when the Morris Minor went from a split screen to a single one, which was it about 1956 or 57, they didn't change the wiper sweep pattern so the two blades were still sweeping from opposite sides of the vestigial divide... That was for a couple of years I think....

kyfdx

Pontiacs had opposing wiper sweeps for years. Even our '67 Bonneville was that way.

ab348

kyfdx said:

Pontiacs had opposing wiper sweeps for years. Even our '67 Bonneville was that way.

That was the "clap hands" style with the vertical position of the wipers being at the outside windshield A-pillars. Some makes still use that today. But I have seen some older cars that have the reverse pattern, with the vertical position being at the windshield divider bar in the center, which I have never understood. I don't know if the Morris Minor did that or not but on an undivided windscreen it would not have made much sense.

magnette

The Morris had them meeting at the middle - the screen would of course have been much smaller than a Pontiac anyway I guess
All later cars had them set up to sweep in parallel from the right although I only have experience of the Morris in RHD and maybe they reversed it for export.

fintail

I think the reverse way was a prewar holdover (like much British or continental design).

The fintail has "clap hands" wipers that overlap. If one messes with the system, the blades can collide.

andys120

tjc78

The Caddy that zigs.... 99 ish Catera.

andys120

tjc78 said:

The Caddy that zigs.... 99 ish Catera.

It's a MY 2000 Catera. I had completely forgotten about them. I don't think I've seen one in a decade and I live in an area w lots of retirees so it's not unusual to see an Allante, Intrigue, Alero or even a Cimmaron.

andys120

WTF?>

tmart

That’s the Tesla pickup with non shattered windows.

fintail

Cybertruck, for all intents and purposes a render that the cult is already touting as the next big thing.

Catera, I wonder if the survival rate is above 1%. "Old GM" thinking at its worst.

andys120

I can't figure out how the stylists that did the beautiful Tesla Model S could strike out so badly but then they've gone downhill since...

Model S*****
Model X**
Model 3 ***
Cybertruck-Neg**

andys120

tjc78

The Tesla pickup seriously looks like it was built out of Legos. That had to be the inspiration

The Toronado looks like a 66 to me. Great color.

fintail

Just like the one that slumbers beside the fintail (but it is a dark red):

Lostwrench3

The only time I've ever seen a crowd of people standing on a sidewalk and looking through the display window of a car dealership when it was closed was back when a 1966 Toronado was displayed.

tjc78

Look how much wider the Toro is than your car!

andys120

tjc78 said:

The Tesla pickup seriously looks like it was built out of Legos. That had to be the inspiration

The Toronado looks like a 66 to me. Great color.

Yup, it's a 1966 (first yr) Oldsmobile Tornado. Don't know what they called that color but it's great for that car.

andys120

fintail

Not to mention the length.

The car has been stored there for several years now, from what I can tell, it moves once or twice a year. That's more than can be said for most of the cars stored there, which never move and eventually get flat tires.

laurasdada

andys120 said:

The Caddy that zigs...mostly to the mechanic...
My dad had one, loved the drive, when he could. Which wasn't often.

fintail

White car is a Fiat 126, not sure what the rear quarter badge is. I don't think it is a 126p, although it might not be possible to tell from this angle. Signage in background appears to be in French.

andys120

Yup, it's a Fiat 126, produced in Italy and under license in half a dozen countries including Poland and Yugoslavia during the 70s and 80s.

andys120

stickguy

yeah, that spare tire well isn't going to rust is it?

texases

‘60s Bristol? Maybe a 409?

Michaell

Not really a mystery, but the provenance is second to none:

fintail

Must be Steve McQueen's 6.3

Michaell

fintail said:

Must be Steve McQueen's 6.3

Yours for the low, low price of $369,995!

fintail

Pricey provenance, as without that, it is probably a 40K car on a good day.

Michaell said:

Yours for the low, low price of $369,995!

Michaell

fintail said:

Pricey provenance, as without that, it is probably a 40K car on a good day.

Michaell said:

Yours for the low, low price of $369,995!

Hemmings showed a number of them for sale, between $35-65k

fintail

A risky proposition at any price due to their maintenance needs, but if you've got it, flaunt it. I suspect many have high asking prices due to the "investment" of a prior owner.

They are pretty amazing performers for a 1960s luxury sedan (special rear tires/wheels, no doubt):

https://youtu.be/L8eBaRYUQpw

Michaell said:

Hemmings showed a number of them for sale, between $35-65k

andys120

texases said:

‘60s Bristol? Maybe a 409?

It's labelled a Bristol 406 but every model from the 404 to the 410 had the spare in the wing.

Michaell

fintail said:

A risky proposition at any price due to their maintenance needs, but if you've got it, flaunt it. I suspect many have high asking prices due to the "investment" of a prior owner.

They are pretty amazing performers for a 1960s luxury sedan (special rear tires/wheels, no doubt):

https://youtu.be/L8eBaRYUQpw

Michaell said:

Hemmings showed a number of them for sale, between $35-65k

There's were a couple of regular 300's for sale at what I've got to believe is a much more reasonable price.

A friend of mine isn't sending me a book on MB - every model between 1949 and, I think, 2005. Specs, production numbers, the works. The friend he got it from had made notations in the book about which models and engines to buy, and which to skip. His family have owned MB exclusively since forever. I think he has three at the moment.

stickguy

definitely special rear wheels and tires for the drag. and still put up a number that a V6 Camry can likely better completely stock!

fintail

A 300SEL 4.5 will be hard pressed to fetch half as much, the 6.3 is something of a legend and commands the price based on the badge/engine.

I suspect most of the "avoid at all costs" cars will be within 10 years of that 2005 cut-off date.

Michaell said:

There's were a couple of regular 300's for sale at what I've got to believe is a much more reasonable price.

A friend of mine isn't sending me a book on MB - every model between 1949 and, I think, 2005. Specs, production numbers, the works. The friend he got it from had made notations in the book about which models and engines to buy, and which to skip. His family have owned MB exclusively since forever. I think he has three at the moment.

fintail

On the same note, I think my phone has more computing power than the machines that helped put men on the moon , half a century (or more, with the car) is a long time.

stickguy said:

definitely special rear wheels and tires for the drag. and still put up a number that a V6 Camry can likely better completely stock!

ab348

Grand opening of a new Market Basket store somewhere, from around 1961. Lots to see here, click to enlarge.

stickguy

not a lot of attractive cars in that lot. Or clean ones!

omarman

I see a '60 Corvair next to a little furrin car next to a '59 Chevy wagon and then a '58 Chevy with surfboards on a roof rack? Never saw that at Kroger.

bhill2

Boy, that was the era of the wagon, wasn't it.

Lostwrench3

A '58 Buick next to a '53 Cadillac next to a '50 Ford.

fintail

I kind of like that era, in between 50s gingerbread and 60s interpretations of modern. When a fintail was still a modern design. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. By the trees and the dirty cars maybe driven in the rain, could this be in the PNW?

I think the furrin car next to the 59 Chevy wagon is a Fiat 1100. A couple cars to the right of that wagon is a Stude Hawk. I see another furrin car, closer to the camera, in front of the shoebox Ford, looks like a Simca.

In the row to the right of the Fiat I see something now kind of rare and one of the newest cars in the pic, what looks like a 62 Dodge 2 door post. No big 60 Fords, although I see a 61 sedan and maybe a 62 Squire.

tmart

Don’t see the Country Squire. Couple of 59 Ford wagons, a Tbird, 58-60, a 60 Tbird convertible . 49-50 Ford. 60? Falcon. 57 Ford wagon.

fintail

If you look straight up from the 59 Chevy wagon, it looks like a 62 Squire parked in front of the building.