Mystery car pix

fintail

This is a highline 60 Plymouth, looks like something from outer space. Pretty wild (note the under dash record player):



I recall the BL wheels were called "quartic". Some period Chryslers/Imperials also ran with that theme.

magnette

That dash looks like something from Thunderbirds.

I think the idea of the Quartic wheel - I'd forgotten that was what they called it - was that it was easier when cruising on motorways - a new thing in much of Britain at the time as large parts of the country didn't get really fast roads until the mid seventies when the network started to join up
It made sense probably in countries like the US where you can drive for miles without a bend but not so much in our country lanes, let alone towns and villages.
They only had those wheels for certain models but it didn't catch on and they faded away after about two years - the car I drove was a fairly early 1100 version so the lowest spec.

imidazol97

If I remember correctly driving a Mopar of that era, the power steering was fast: very little turning of the wheel was needed to navigate curves and corners. So the rectangular steering wheel wasn't a problem.

ab348

In the days before tilt/tele columns became popular, the square-bottom wheels gave a bit more thigh/belly room for those of the portly persuasion.

ab348

Welcome to Montreal Dorval Airport! Jet age design on display. Right-click for an expanded view.

fintail

At left, blue and white car appears to be a 1955 Meteor Rideau.

andys120

Dead center with only roof and gunsight tailamp visible, a 1955 or '56 Chrysler Imperal!

stickguy

off to center right, rambler station wagon with the backwards A pillar.

and center center, a white Nash?

magnette

I'm looking at the grey car in the centre just beyond the turquoise & black Mopar (Plymouth?)
is it a Vauxhall Victor as it does look quite a short car? - or rather the Canadian equivalent which was the Envoy?
Black & white Chevrolet is that a 1960 Impala?

magnette

Also the second car in the left hand aisle is a dumpy looking greyish Mopar one - is this a Plymouth Cranbrook or similar?

bhill2

I'm out of my era of expertise, but I think that's an early '50s Dodge.

magnette

Those early 50's Mopars look the same to me, and I think they were "engineered by accountants" because they are not particularly flashy - it was fine after the war - same here with our domestic cars mainstream cars being 'grey porridge' which is why the early Hillman Minx Austin Cambridge or Morris Oxford were easily forgettable.

Didn't stop them selling in great numbers though

andys120

ab348

magnette said:

Those early 50's Mopars look the same to me, and I think they were "engineered by accountants" because they are not particularly flashy - it was fine after the war - same here with our domestic cars mainstream cars being 'grey porridge' which is why the early Hillman Minx Austin Cambridge or Morris Oxford were easily forgettable.

Didn't stop them selling in great numbers though

Actually not accountants (for a change) but the wishes of the boss. From Hemmings:

Following the disappointing sales of the aerodynamically styled 1934 Airflow, the Chrysler Corporation shifted toward more conservative designs. While Walter P. Chrysler became chairman, he turned the presidency over to K.T. Keller in 1935, who emphasized sound engineering and practicality over style. Keller later said there should be enough headroom to enable men and women to wear their hats while riding in cars. And he felt that the interior should provide the roominess that the vehicle's outer girth implied, hence the move toward bigger inside/smaller outside designs.

Employing that philosophy for 1949 meant Chrysler's first major redesign of the postwar era would result in models with visually higher rooflines and somewhat more compact outer dimensions than much of the competition, when the buying public was instead eagerly awaiting more modern, lower, longer and sleeker styling.

Sales would flourish through 1951 and again in 1953, thanks to some design updates, but the styling disparity when compared with the more contemporary shapes of Chevrolet and Ford would finally catch up with Chrysler by 1954.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/imperial-independence-1955-1963-chrysler-imperial

Chrysler President KT Keller on car headroom: "A car shouldn't knock a man's eyes out or his hat off."

stickguy

first model Lincoln Continental. Not sure of the year though.

magnette

Thanks for that - really interesting
I thought it was just our car companies Chairmen tended to drive the company off a cliff.

texases

Those early Continentals just look odd to my eyes.

stickguy

must have been quite the style statement for that time period though.

andys120

stickguy said:

must have been quite the style statement for that time period though.

Yes, it also proclaimed the owners worth as they were quite expensive, The car show is 1948 but it's essentially the same as the originals built in 1941. Power from a Ford-built flathead V12. The Contintals were the last American cars to come with V-12s

fintail

Those ~50 Mopars may be stodgy, but from what I understand, they were amazingly durable.

Palm Springs, 1969 - looks like there was a club get-together:

stickguy

palm springs image not loading for me.

fintail

Reupload in case there's some kind of link block:



Click and zoom works too.

ab348

That's an interesting pic, Fin, and perhaps a meeting of a Corvette club is nearby as you mentioned, though I find it odd that everyday cars are parked right next to them. The silver C2 with the triple taillights and aftermarket (Hailibrand?) wheels looks sharp. Just left of it is a maroon C1 that appears to have had some rear-end damage. I believe there is a 1st-gen T-Bird just right of the Vettes.

omarman

Gold '67 Chevelle Malibu wagon parked next to a white '66. That would be a car club meet in 2020.

magnette

rear row, a 64 Blue Ford Country Sedan to right of white Cadillac
black Imperial Southampton - I'm guessing 1961 - next to the hardtop corvette
64 red Chevrolet Impala or BelAir wagon to left front row

andys120

Only a couple of "imports" visible, both wagons. On the left, a tan VW "Squareback. and farthest row up a blue Datsun 410 of mid 60s vintage.

tmart

There appears to be a 60 Ford at far right!! Bunched of Vettes. The Tbird is probably a 56, definitely not a 57.

fintail

Car at far right has similar beltline trim to a 60 Ford, but I think it might be a 65-66 Chrysler. A 60 Ford doesn't often escape my gaze

Far right top row to the right of a 65 Ford looks like a Volvo wagon.

imidazol97

The 65 66 Chryslers have the door handle on the beltline trim. The Ford has the handle below the beltline trim piece.

This looks like the handle is below the trim piece.

I tried comparing the angle of the windshield and vent wings but can't reach any conclusion based on those...

fintail

I notice the car in the 1969 pic has a door lock keyhole below the door handle. The Chrysler has one, the Ford doesn't (IIRC the Ford keyhole is in the door button). The wing/vent window relationship to the A-pillar/windshield apex is what originally make me think Chrysler rather than Ford.

stickguy

definitely a black volvo wagon top right. a couple cars down a dark '68 Firebird.

stickguy

man there were a lot of nice Vettes there.

magnette

sorry - Firefox not opening pictures today so can't post one here
I already can't use Safari

magnette

still no pix - sorry

tjc78

Guess Ford’s wheel lug pattern has been the same for a long time. The one above is wearing 92-02 Crown Vic/Grand Marquis HPP wheels.

fintail

Interesting about the lug pattern. MB did the same thing for a long time, 1980s and I think even some 1990s wheels will fit on fintails.

1964, apparently:

stickguy

roof of a 4 door falcon right in the center. and a Falcon wagon parked in front.

and man, that women in the picture (hair/dress/glasses) just screams mid-60s.

texases

Now you can get quite a workout there:
https://www.visitcos.com/things-to-do/outdoors/manitou-incline-near-colorado-springs-colorado/

ab348

Amazing, a 1960 Ford (convertible no less!). You almost never see those in old pictures.

fintail

Not just the rarity of a 60 Ford and a convertible all in one, but on the other side of the Falcon sedan appears to be the roofline of a 60 Fairlane 2 door post.

texases

That wagon on the far left - side windows say 'early '60s Rambler', but not the tail light. ??

ab348

texases said:

That wagon on the far left - side windows say 'early '60s Rambler', but not the tail light. ??

I wonder if the angle of the pic masks the rear fin on that Rambler wagon. The light itself looks like it could be a '58/'59 wagon taillight.

texases

I think you're right, I shouldn't have stopped at 1960!

andys120

Oldest car is the '53-'54 Chrysler to the right of the Falcon wagon, newest are the '63s. A blue Impala coupe to the wagon's left and a light yellow Galaxie on the old Chrysler's right.

magnette

Belgrave Square - Central London December 1965
Quite a range of cars - hopefully this should open out if clicked

andys120

I only recognize a few: TR-3 at bottom left, BMC Maxi a little higher up pointing at another with only rear showing , white BMC Minor facing away parked at curb...er...kerb.. in front of bldg in middle right. Not to mention the BMC Mini low left.

I'm no good at Id-ing the various Brit Fords and Vauxhalls.

texases

Coincidence - we're watching 'Belgravia', set in that neighborhood in the first half of the 1800s.

fintail

Leftmost row, far up parked perpendicular to a Beetle, a Bedford van with windows.

Second row from left (cars parked facing away from camera) second car in is a fintail, either a W110 or W111 220.

sonno

I actually have no idea what car this is and would love to know, so maybe someone here can guess?

Lostwrench3

1961 Chevrolet.