Mystery car pix

imidazol97

I remember that happening. Seems like long time back. Still interesting to
see the pictures.

I recall the haze over midwest from the powder in the air.

omarman

Can't see a lot but for 1969 the GT trim gets the hood pins, inop hood scoop available with either a 2bbl or 4bbl 351. Other options were the 390 and either the ram air 428 or non RA 428. Last time a Mustang carried GT badge until 1982 I think.

fintail

In 1980, the WSP hadn't downsized much yet:



I remember when I was a kid, I was a little irked that I was too young to remember this, I would have been thrilled to experience it, and would have wanted to be close. Today, I cringe at the thought of my car being covered in grime for months.

stickguy

see, everyone wearing a mask, not a new thing!

andys120

What's with the WATER bucket out front?

fintail

I know the ash clogged the air intake systems of cars, maybe it was some kind of water-based filtration/system?

Masks everywhere:

stickguy

Ford Fiesta. I loved those back then. A friend's parents had an orange 5 speed one as a 2nd car.

too bad I missed this one. I am sure the wife would have been cool with it!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1980-ford-fiesta-2/

Michaell

I was 7 when the Sylmar earthquake struck.

I don't remember the event, but I do remember my dad taking us down to Los Angeles and showing us the buildings that were impacted - especially the VA Hospital close to UCLA.

omarman

Definitely looks like air filtration device but not necessarily water-based...or Mt Dew!

Caption for this pic: A Washington State Patrol Chevrolet Impala is equipped with an auxiliary air filter following the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Volcanic ash from the eruption could destroy the vehicle's engine. Obviously somebody has a sense of humor.

Lostwrench3

My much loved 1980 diesel VW Rabbit was only a few months old when Mt. St. Helens erupted. Its first long trip during vacation a few months later was to go to see what was left of that volcano, visit my old stomping grounds at Fort Lewis, and swim in the Great Salt Lake where my 4th grade teacher in R.I. told us one could not sink. She was right. I collected Mt. St. Helens ash and brought it back to Connecticut to give to teachers, schools, and friends. I got 289,000 miles out of that Rabbit. It was a sad day when it could not run anymore.

stickguy

WSP certainly kept cars in service a long time back then.

andys120

stickguy

Citroen. Is that the SM?

magnette

I remember the Mt St Helens volcano eruption - I was just out of college and in my first job then

magnette

Lostwrench3 said:

I got 289,000 miles out of that Rabbit. It was a sad day when it could not run anymore.

When I first visited the US with my girlfriend - in 2000 - we went to Northern California and up the coast to Oregon. She had an Aunt who was retired but lived fairly near San Francisco and who we visited. The Uncle (they were retired but had only recently married) had a couple of cars in the yard of their property including a smallish truck which had severe damage to it's passenger side wing.

I asked the uncle what had happened and he said "I hit a rabbit". I though no more about it - he was quite laconic - but the aunt said a minute or so later "Volkswagen Rabbit"

In my defence we only knew the Rabbit as a Golf here....

magnette

Looks very futuristic even now really. Citroen SM with the oily bits supplied by their then partners, Maserati. Introduced in 1970 and I think went off sale in about 75. We didn't get so many of those in Britain as it was not available in RHD, as I recall.

andys120

magnette said:

Looks very futuristic even now really. Citroen SM with the oily bits supplied by their then partners, Maserati. Introduced in 1970 and I think went off sale in about 75. We didn't get so many of those in Britain as it was not available in RHD, as I recall.

i don't think they sold many SMs anywhere. I have never seen one in the USA.

texases

Wasn't it some Bond movie where he was driving an SM and referred to it as a 'Maserati'?

stickguy

Did it do 185?

omarman

The original Longest Yard movie with Burt Reynolds opens with a chase scene between cops and Reynolds driving his girlfriend's "Maserati."

texases

That must be it!

fintail

There were even (a few) federalized SMs - one can be spotted, in all places (and with a Burt Reynolds tie-in), in a background scene of "Smokey and the Bandit" - quite exotic for 1976 Redan, GA:

ab348

If I remember that Burt Reynolds movie correctly, the girlfriend was played by the sultry Anitra Ford, former prize presenter on early The Price is Right episodes with Bob Barker, and Burt ended up driving the SM into a canal or river.

imidazol97

omarman said:

Definitely looks like air filtration device but not necessarily water-based...or Mt Dew!

Caption for this pic: A Washington State Patrol Chevrolet Impala is equipped with an auxiliary air filter following the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Volcanic ash from the eruption could destroy the vehicle's engine. Obviously somebody has a sense of humor.

I'd like to see what filters they did have inside. That would be a good inside automotive story.

fintail

Reddit claims some kind of semi truck filter

Interesting discussion at HMN as well

I have no memory of my parents doing anything special nor discussing this, and we lived in an area that had some significant ashfall. I think many just drove less for several weeks, and then normal life returned.

fintail

Seattle, must be around 1957:




Roughly the same spot today, a little more "built up"

magnette

Black51 Ford entering the junction followed by a 55 Plymouth - although whether Plaza or Savoy I know not...
There is a red early Thunderbird i the car park towards the top of the telegraph pole next to a green 40's Chevrolet? And pulling away towards us from that is a Maroon and white Pontiac - I'd say that is a 55 too

tmart

55 Ford wagon, tu-tone 54 Ford white top salmon body, 56 red and white Ford wagon. The Tbird is a 55/56.

Lostwrench3

Ok, automotive detectives, what clue does this building show that the photo was taken prior to 1963?

andys120

WAG:The name Mobilgas was retired in '63?

ab348

andys120 said:

WAG:The name Mobilgas was retired in '63?

Possibly. I do know that Mobil adopted their "modern" logo in 1964, so that may also have happened at that time.

tjc78

Yeah, but even if they got a new logo that doesn’t mean all existing stations were retrofitted.

With my last employer (a retail store chain) we updated our logo but many of our stores still had the old sign on the building. No reason to change our a perfectly good sign.

If it needed repair or the LL was doing work to the facade we would upgrade it

Lostwrench3

ab348 said:

andys120 said:

WAG:The name Mobilgas was retired in '63?

Possibly. I do know that Mobil adopted their "modern" logo in 1964, so that may also have happened at that time.

".........modern logo in 1964............"
Correct. The o in Mobil became red.

fintail

Good spotting, magnette, you've been studying old American iron I think I see a 56 Chevy behind the Plymouth on the corner, one of the newest cars in the pic.

fintail

Seattle 1977 (wish it was clearer, but there are some distinctive shapes anyway):

stickguy

Pug 504 on the right (it’s own little platform). And below that, far right looks like a Jag XJS next to a 67 camaro.

magnette

fintail said:

Good spotting, magnette, you've been studying old American iron I think I see a 56 Chevy behind the Plymouth on the corner, one of the newest cars in the pic.

It's this lockdown - I've been reading Standard catalog and also Tad Burness' Spotters guide (which I've had since about 1975)

magnette

I think that's another Rambler American to left of the ramp
The big car to the left at the other end of that row is an Imperial - one of the late ones I think

fintail

Fun stuff, I remember getting both those from the library when I was a kid. I picked up a copy of the Standard catalog at a bookstore sale for a few bucks years ago, still sitting on my shelf.

Good spot on the Imperial (maybe a 67-68) and Rambler - those Ramblers must have either sold here well, were durable, or both.

To the right of the Imperial looks like a 69 Fairlane sedan.

magnette said:

It's this lockdown - I've been reading Standard catalog and also Tad Burness' Spotters guide (which I've had since about 1975)

magnette

Yes - I got the Tad Burness book by mail order from a bookshop in London, when I still lived in Wales.
I wasn't familiar with the Standard Catalog until I was in London years later and went into the same bookshop I had got mail order books from years before, and I got the 1945-74 volume. Subsequently picked up the earlier one for pre WW2 (and the Burness one for the prewar era too), and then in the early 2000's I got the Catalog for 1976-99.

I can recognise cars fairly well from the front as most books I have ever read will show the front quarter view, but the rear corners are more difficult.

If I see a picture of a car park from say 1965 in Britain I will somehow know which car is which as I have seen those from all angles and I suspect its the same for you with American ones as you will know cars you saw in the street or when following them on the road.
We didn't get so many standard American sedans here - nor the Wagons - so it is easier to spot the oddities than the routine ones - unless Dinky / Matchbox etc had a model of them

I also have more difficulty with now extinct cars here - small hatchbacks from the early 80's from Japan that we had in droves but which disappeared years ago (together with much of our car industry).

magnette

I think the Rambler American may have survived partly because it was basic and tough and also because it sold to the type of people who didn't want the latest car, just a solid one that worked and was not part of the chase to get the latest of everything.
Same people who bought Morris Minors or Oxfords here, VWs everywhere and probably the 2CV or Renault 4 in France.
Also Volvos

stickguy

The rambler was roughly the automotive equivalent to a farm tractor. Simple and durable.

magnette

The late fifties American even looks a bit like the Volvo 120 series

fintail

A lot of my car spotting ability is from toy cars, too. That along with reading period magazines. Maybe one good thing about being a kid in the 80s and 90s is that the oddball Japanese cars were still around, and several remained in my memory, I guess I liked them more than I would have admitted at the time.

magnette said:

Y
We didn't get so many standard American sedans here - nor the Wagons - so it is easier to spot the oddities than the routine ones - unless Dinky / Matchbox etc had a model of them

I also have more difficulty with now extinct cars here - small hatchbacks from the early 80's from Japan that we had in droves but which disappeared years ago (together with much of our car industry).

fintail

Northgate, Seattle, must be around 1960 (can't see any 60 Fords):

stickguy

A fast times cruising machine Buick nose in against the median. 2 door. Other side of grass pointing toward camera, a rambler wagon next to a compact Pontiac (F85?)

tmart

55 Ford wagon, 55/56 Ford Tudor, 56 Ford Customline, 57 Ford, 59 Ford.

magnette

That woodie type wagon 4th left from the tree is I think a Chevrolet Fleetline or similar - circa 1950-52
I think the car at far left of the row before the trees is a Packard - perhaps a Patrician? circa 1953/4
Between them the first car right of the Packard is a 59 Buick - Le Sabre / Electra

imidazol97

I'll bid a 1956 Chrysler going along the building away from the camera. Looks like a 4-door sedan post.

imidazol97

magnette said:

That woodie type wagon 4th left from the tree is I think a Chevrolet Fleetline or similar - circa 1950-52
I think the car at far left of the row before the trees is a Packard - perhaps a Patrician? circa 1953/4
Between them the first car right of the Packard is a 59 Buick - Le Sabre / Electra

I think that's a 52 Patrician Packard. I was curious so I ran it down. A rare car now IMHO.