Mystery car pix

fintail

I think at that time, a 6.3 was maybe 15K.

Did you see this 600 recently sold on BaT?

Extremely strong bids, but probably well-bought in comparison to restoring a basket case. This is probably the prettiest 600 I've ever seen.

bhill2 said:

Oh yeah. Back in the day, if I could have afforded either one, I would have had trouble choosing between a 300SEL 6.3 and a 600. The former would be more maneuverable, but that 600 was SO purty. Unfortunately, I would have had to inherit the money from a rich relative and I was distinctly short on rich relatives.

transamsd73

I think the blue convertible on page 1186 is a Studebaker Hawk, don't know if they made a Daytona convertible, but it could be a Daytona?

tmart

I spy a 58 Ford going away.

ab348

Another pic from a damp Vancouver that appears to be mid-'70s vintage, which expands greatly once again. There is a very rare vehicle for North America I see here.

andys120

transamsd73 said:

I think the blue convertible on page 1186 is a Studebaker Hawk, don't know if they made a Daytona convertible, but it could be a Daytona?

Not a Hawk, it's a 1964 Studebaker Lark Daytona.

stickguy

I assume the brown wagon? No clue what that is.

A mini behind the orange ford PU. And next to it, a red gen 1 civic.

On cross street, white 75ish Chevelle enduro bumper. Maybe a Laguna?

magnette

That Mini looks a bit younger than the one we had recently as the limited view of the chrome would suggest Mk2 but it may be another Estate if the shadow in the rear window is where the two doors would meet

As for the Ford wagon it could be either one of ours or one of theirs - I don't know if you had the Cortina Mk 4 Estate or the equivalent (and from this view identical) Ford Taunus at that time.

The Mark 4 Cortina was so ubiquitous that it would be rare to find a picture from that era that did not contain at least one - much like the ADO16 I suppose - but survival rates for the Cortina are inverse to the rarity of the original model.

Most car shows might have a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina (genuine or otherwise) and perhaps a couple of Gt's but any Mk 4 preserved would be the larger engine - perhaps a 2.3 Litre GL or Ghia. I can't remember seeing a Cortina 4 Estate for a long time anywhere

tmart

I spy a 60 Ford, I think.

fintail

I am pretty sure that Cortina wagon wasn't sold in the US, another one for Canada. I don't think I've ever seen one.

Coming down the hill, I see a Z car with what appears to be a 66 Ford, maybe an LTD with the two tone, behind it, and a Beetle and older VW Microbus/van behind that (and of course a Beetle going up the hill).

omarman

I can't spot a '60 Ford in Damp Vancouver but that might be for the best.

If I were driving a '60 Ford on that hilly street, I don't know what would trouble me more. Trying to make it up the hill after stopping for a red light? Or trying to brake to a stop light at the bottom? Wet and slippery conditions would make it more interesting.

ab348

The Cortina wagon was the car I referenced in my post. While Mark 2 Cortinas were rather popular here, the Mark 3 (which is what this is) was introduced in Canada for the 1971 model year and only was sold here until 1973 I believe, at which time English Fords exited this market. They did not seem to sell nearly as well as their predecessor, probably because of the introduction of the Pinto at the same time. My best buddy when I was in university had one, I believe a '71, which was problematic and was traded for a '73 Comet. I thought the styling on these was rather nicely done inside and out. But I do not recall ever seeing a wagon version as shown here.

sda

When we lived near London in 74-75, dad got the hand me downs from his boss. Briefly he had a brown 72 Cortina GXL (?) 2.0 in that same brown as the wagon, with a dark brown or black vinyl top. My memory is starting to fade on details. Then he had a 74 Cortina E automatic 2.0. The interior had been upgraded with a cleaner instrument panel and sported real wood. It was a nicely done interior.

magnette

ab348 said:

The Cortina wagon was the car I referenced in my post. While Mark 2 Cortinas were rather popular here, the Mark 3 (which is what this is) was introduced in Canada for the 1971 model year and only was sold here until 1973 I believe, at which time English Fords exited this market. They did not seem to sell nearly as well as their predecessor, probably because of the introduction of the Pinto at the same time. My best buddy when I was in university had one, I believe a '71, which was problematic and was traded for a '73 Comet. I thought the styling on these was rather nicely done inside and out. But I do not recall ever seeing a wagon version as shown here.

Yes - sorry - it may have been ubiquitous but I still managed to call it a Cortina Mk 4 when the coke bottle shape was the 3 !

The Ford Cortina was a very successful Estate car in the UK and I think in Europe our market was by far the largest for all estate cars so it made a big impact. I think it was all those Labradors or something...

However we don't have such a large estate market now as that has largely been usurped by the small SUV or crossover - things like the Nissan Qashqai


EDIT I have only just noticed the Cortina in this picture is fitted with whitewalls tyres. That would have been unusual here especially for an estate.

magnette

sda said:

When we lived near London in 74-75, dad got the hand me downs from his boss. Briefly he had a brown 72 Cortina GXL (?) 2.0 in that same brown as the wagon, with a dark brown or black vinyl top. My memory is starting to fade on details. Then he had a 74 Cortina E automatic 2.0. The interior had been upgraded with a cleaner instrument panel and sported real wood. It was a nicely done interior.

A lot of the Cortina market was company cars and the GXL and E lines were towards the top. I drove a Cortina 2.3 GL for work for a few weeks in about 1983 and that was an estate - Didn't generally have a company car at that job but was on a project travelling up north every week or so for a while so I got one short term. I liked that car from what I can remember - it was blue and had plenty of power on the motorway and as an automatic it was easy in traffic.

I have never owned an automatic myself although growing up, my parents had automatics - British Leyland though - when I was still at home so I got used to them then.

bhill2

fintail said:

I think at that time, a 6.3 was maybe 15K.

Did you see this 600 recently sold on BaT?

Extremely strong bids, but probably well-bought in comparison to restoring a basket case. This is probably the prettiest 600 I've ever seen.

bhill2 said:

Oh yeah. Back in the day, if I could have afforded either one, I would have had trouble choosing between a 300SEL 6.3 and a 600. The former would be more maneuverable, but that 600 was SO purty. Unfortunately, I would have had to inherit the money from a rich relative and I was distinctly short on rich relatives.

Wow! Fifty years and an entire career later, I still can't afford one. Still think it's a gorgeous car, though.

fintail

Oh, they can be much less expensive. I bet you could afford one, but I wouldn't advise it

bhill2 said:

Wow! Fifty years and an entire career later, I still can't afford one. Still think it's a gorgeous car, though.

bhill2

fintail said:

Oh, they can be much less expensive. I bet you could afford one, but I wouldn't advise it

bhill2 said:

Wow! Fifty years and an entire career later, I still can't afford one. Still think it's a gorgeous car, though.

Yes, that's the conundrum. You have the choice of going broke buying it or going broke fixing it. But it is still a gorgeous car.

fintail

Seriously the best color combo I've seen on a 600. "Well bought and well sold" is a bit of a cliche now, but it applies there. Seller got good money, buyer got an unrepeatable car.

Speaking of colors, this W111 coupe is one color away from mine on the factory color chart, pretty car, too (but I might want a blue or light colored interior)

bhill2 said:

Yes, that's the conundrum. You have the choice of going broke buying it or going broke fixing it. But it is still a gorgeous car.

ab348

Running out of Vancouver pics now, this one seems late 1967 or early '68. I bet the kid in the back seat of the Valiant had no clue he would be immortalized here 50+ years later. Mostly Detroit iron here but at least one fairly uncommon import. Pic expands to a very large size.

magnette

The left hand of the photo you have a Chevrolet Sport Van based on the contemporary panel van and the car immediately in the front of it as they turn is a Ford Consul Mk II. It has a 58 Mercury following it - perhaps a Turnpike Cruiser (great name)

Behind the nearest approaching bus there is a dark car and whilst not sure it reminds me of a Jag Mk X

magnette

Following the VW van there is a 58 Chevrolet and after a gap there is a 55 or 56 Plymouth -I can't tell which from the front.

Waiting to join that lane is a 59 Dodge

tjc78

fintail said:

Seriously the best color combo I've seen on a 600. "Well bought and well sold" is a bit of a cliche now, but it applies there. Seller got good money, buyer got an unrepeatable car.

Speaking of colors, this W111 coupe is one color away from mine on the factory color chart, pretty car, too (but I might want a blue or light colored interior)

bhill2 said:

Yes, that's the conundrum. You have the choice of going broke buying it or going broke fixing it. But it is still a gorgeous car.

That 600 is a seriously nice car. Anyone notice how many of these cars we talk about are fitted with Hankook Optimo tires? They must be the only maker still producing a whitewall tire at a reasonable cost.

magnette

Newbury Berkshire - circa 1965

I had to post this due to the familiar visitor.....

fintail

I've actually never noticed that. I wonder how those compare in price to something like tires from Coker etc.

The fintail has BF Goodrich Silvertown tires, which I think were just under $200 apiece.

tjc78 said:

That 600 is a seriously nice car. Anyone notice how many of these cars we talk about are fitted with Hankook Optimo tires? They must be the only maker still producing a whitewall tire at a reasonable cost.

fintail

Oooh, a 60 Ford (possibly a Canadian-built Galaxie 4 door post) behind a Citroen DS/ID and a Hillman Minx behind it.

magnette said:

Newbury Berkshire - circa 1965

I had to post this due to the familiar visitor.....

fintail

In traffic moving away, far right lane, above the van, looks like a 68 Chevelle 2 door.

ab348 said:

Running out of Vancouver pics now, this one seems late 1967 or early '68. I bet the kid in the back seat of the Valiant had no clue he would be immortalized here 50+ years later. Mostly Detroit iron here but at least one fairly uncommon import. Pic expands to a very large size.

magnette

fintail said:

Oooh, a 60 Ford (possibly a Canadian-built Galaxie 4 door post) behind a Citroen DS/ID and a Hillman Minx behind it.


.I tend to try to post when I can as it is sometimes a long wait. This picture seems to include several of our recent regulars but the ford is particularly distinctive.

The Austin in front of that DS Citroen is an oddity. The factory did offer an Austin A70 Hereford Countryman but this isn't one of those. Instead its a 'coachbuilt' estate on an A70 Pick up or ute as the Australians would have it. The pick up was sold here not just in Oz and I can remember them in Wales but what you could also do is buy a truck new without paying the significant amount of car tax due then, and get the body built by some local body shop - it is obviously fairly basic, but would have been cheaper.

The Citroen may well not be a DS as you noted. Citroen built cars under licence in Slough - only about 40 miles from Newbury - which reduced import duty, and they tended to sell more ID19s (they had less powerful engines and initially no power assisted brakes or steering and were cheaper) than the DS here at first.

There was also an ID Super which was fitted with the cheap engine but the power bits, and a DW 19 which was unique to Slough cars and was a full DS except with the ID manual gearbox.

magnette

We were discussing plexiglass tops the other day and I found this car It is more of a one off and not British but the roof even in Europe must have been a problem in summer

ab348

magnette said:

The Austin in front of that DS Citroen is an oddity. The factory did offer an Austin A70 Hereford Countryman but this isn't one of those. Instead its a 'coachbuilt' estate on an A70 Pick up or ute as the Australians would have it. The pick up was sold here not just in Oz and I can remember them in Wales but what you could also do is buy a truck new without paying the significant amount of car tax due then, and get the body built by some local body shop - it is obviously fairly basic, but would have been cheaper.

The Citroen may well not be a DS as you noted. Citroen built cars under licence in Slough - only about 40 miles from Newbury - which reduced import duty, and they tended to sell more ID19s (they had less powerful engines and initially no power assisted brakes or steering and were cheaper) than the DS here at first.

There was also an ID Super which was fitted with the cheap engine but the power bits, and a DW 19 which was unique to Slough cars and was a full DS except with the ID manual gearbox.

I was going to ask you about that estate car and your explanation is even more interesting than I would have ever expected.

On the stripper Citroen ID - how did they manage with no hydraulic power assists? Did they have to fit a conventional brake pedal? I assume so given I doubt the rubber button on the floor could be made to work. Did it still have the hydraulic suspension?

ab348

tjc78 said:

That 600 is a seriously nice car. Anyone notice how many of these cars we talk about are fitted with Hankook Optimo tires? They must be the only maker still producing a whitewall tire at a reasonable cost.

Yes, I have seen that being discussed on certain make-specific vintage car forums. The Hankooks don't come in a huge range of sizes but are whitewall at least. I believe if you want something else you are relegated to looking for whitewalls at places like Coker and the others offering vintage car tires. The last time I bought tires for a big Detroit car was around 2002 and you could still get white sidewalls from Uniroyal and others then, but no more it seems.

magnette

@ ab348 I was going to ask you about that estate car and your explanation is even more interesting than I would have ever expected.

On the stripper Citroen ID - how did they manage with no hydraulic power assists? Did they have to fit a conventional brake pedal? I assume so given I doubt the rubber button on the floor could be made to work. Did it still have the hydraulic suspension?


.....................
I believe the ID had a mechanical unassisted clutch and a conventional gearbox - perhaps a relative of the Traction Avant model which they had only just stopped and the ID did have the hydraulic suspension. In France it was sold as a cheap successor to the Traction Avant as the DS was a lot more expensive but in Britain with local assembly in what was otherwise a foreign car it was probably to overcome the reluctance of a largely conservative public to new fangled foreign cars.

With the Austin estate there were a lot of cars sold in the UK after WW2 which were basically van versions or pickup utilities with cheap shed type construction - the Morris Traveller was of course mass produced but Alvis, Humber and others they did the same thing - in some cases they were rebodied later to a more suitable standard presumably without what was a pretty hefty tax.

I think the basic tax was about 40% of the nett price under a certain ceiling but double tax after that so for an expensive car it could literally save them half the cost.

Tax was steep here after the war as we were broke paying for the war and rebuilding although we had help as did other countries but there was still rationing on a wide range of things until the late forties

magnette

There is a website on postwar British woody bodies showing a few of these

http://www.simoncars.co.uk/coachwork/woody.html

fintail

Just a couple to ID here - Seattle, 1962:

bhill2

magnette said:

The left hand of the photo you have a Chevrolet Sport Van based on the contemporary panel van and the car immediately in the front of it as they turn is a Ford Consul Mk II. It has a 58 Mercury following it - perhaps a Turnpike Cruiser (great name)

Behind the nearest approaching bus there is a dark car and whilst not sure it reminds me of a Jag Mk X

Oddly enough, the Mercury is a 57; one of the few makes that offered dual headlights (where they were legal) in that year. I think it's a Montclair, but the front end of the Turnpike Cruiser looks just like it.

ab348

I believe one of the things that distinguished the Turnpike Cruiser from lesser Mercuries in ‘57 were the twin air vents/radio antennae on the forward corners of the roof.




Bizarre times at Ford styling back then.

bhill2

ab348 said:

I believe one of the things that distinguished the Turnpike Cruiser from lesser Mercuries in ‘57 were the twin air vents/radio antennae on the forward corners of the roof.




Bizarre times at Ford styling back then.

I remember those air vents. I couldn't remember whether they were on all TCs (the one in the picture was a 2-door). In any case, my best guess is that it is a Montclair. You could actually get quad headlights on the Monterey, but I don't think many did.

stickguy

I'll take the US mail truck!

is that a Ranchero of some vintage in the middle? Really looks like an open bed but could be a camera angle.

bhill2

stickguy said:

I'll take the US mail truck!

is that a Ranchero of some vintage in the middle? Really looks like an open bed but could be a camera angle.

Yes, it's a Falcon Ranchero. A '60 I think, but possibly a '61.

ab348

I am stumped by the yellow car in Fin's latest Seattle pic.

ab348

Detroit, 1966, courtesy This is Americar on FB.

andys120

There's a white 1960 Ford coming up the left lane towards camera, behind it is a match for the tank I learned to drive on, a 1959 Mercury.

stickguy

is the black beetle the only foreign car?

far right, a white econoline with a blue batwing Chevy behind it ('59?). What is that in the middle lane next to the Chevy? Really early Suburban?

and left lane going away, I think the red with white top car is a Rambler.

tmart

Thunderbird going away followed by a Fairlane (?)

imidazol97

I think the black Ford is a 1963 Galaxie 500. They changed names on us.

omarman

Sometimes my dad would come across a good deal on a used car to flip it for profit or give it to a friend or relative who needed a good car.

One of his favorites was a black '63 Galaxie with red interior like that mystery car. Loud pipes and Supermag wheels appealed to him but not my mom. He had offers to buy it but didn't really want to sell. I didn't see anything wrong with dad having a hobby car but mom saw nothing right about it either. Same reason why we couldn't have a pool or a boat.

So dad gave the Galaxie away to a relative who needed a car - and lived far enough away that he wouldn't have to see it again very often.

Edit: I'm going to ask my oldest brother if he remembers how many Ford Galaxies dad bought in the 60's. I recall 1 new and 2 used but there may have been more. My oldest brother had at least 2 and the middle brother had 1 that I recall. Before dad bought her a new Corvair, mom drove a '59 Galaxie which was an epic ruster.

texases

What's following the Rambler?

imidazol97

Where is the Rambler? I've having trouble here, LOL.

omarman

Starting at lower right side there's a Galaxie behind the Thunderbird, then a '67ish Mercury Breezeway, dark mystery car next? and then the red Rambler with white top.

texases

Red car with the white top going away, was the guess.

ab348

texases said:

What's following the Rambler?

Not sure. My first guess would be a '62 Plymouth or maybe even a Dodge of the same year but what I can see of the taillights matches neither of those.