Mystery car pix

fintail

Looks like a 59 Impala 2 door HT at far left.

andys120 said:

Lots of Plymouths!

sda

South Carolina hasn’t had safety or emission testing for years. Neighboring North Carolina does. The running joke is if you have a car in NC that has a check engine light on or won’t pass inspection in general, sell it to someone in SC. A lot of questionable vehicles run the streets here.

ab348

fintail said:

Could someone in London just register their car elsewhere? That's a trick sometimes seen here, especially back in the day. I recall a cousin registered their car at my mom's small town address to avoid the more expensive Puget Sound metro registration fees.

I'm not sure but I think London has some sort of vehicle/plate recognition technology so that they can track all vehicles entering the city. I recall a segment of Top Gear where the 3 lads were racing across London via boat, bike and vehicle (with the Stig using public transport). May got a call on his mobile phone from a lady in some govt office confirming his presence and then to pay the congestion charge.

magnette

Hi Fin

Cars are registered in a central database nowadays so all are in the UK - possibly its a bit different in Northern Ireland but basically all the cars on our roads anywhere are on the computer - in Swansea, Wales is the HQ for our Driver & Vehicle system

No, instead they will impose a charge on any car that is picked up on the cameras - we already have a control system in place for the lorries etc which uses the North and South Circular roads as the barrier and anything inside those will be charged every day - I think 24/7 if it is used in the zone.

If you live in Kent and just drive in you'll be picked up and charged although there will be a way to pay rather than being penalised. Also there are a few roads straight through and it excludes the bits of Motorway that are in the zone too.

If you live in the zone then I guess if you don't use your car you won't be picked up on a camera and of course if its garaged then you are ok.

Residents within the zone - London has about 8.9 million population and about 3 million households but some areas will be outside the new zone - goes out a long way in the suburbs - and of course many people in London don't use their cars to commute - rail Tube and bus really into the centre - but I live just inside the North Circular and we are in sight of a bit of forest on the outskirts, while people drive in to this locality and catch the tube further in too - and of course there are a lot of jobs in the suburbs too

They are using the same legislation as the congestion zone - the plan originally was to keep smoggy cars and vans out of the central London zone which has a couple of hundred thousand residents in it - that was scheduled for about March 2021 - but the need to fund the drop in public transport revenue during the (still very ongoing) lockdown means they are rushing this through - no one in the inner boroughs by now would not have been aware of this as it was planned for that area as a clean air stimulus but instead they are doing this with people who won't have any preparation for this and in addition there are a lot of people here as everywhere who aren't going to be financially in a position to to get a newer car or van currently after being off work perhaps for ages or on short hours etc.

This will also apply to cars from outside the UK too - there are a lot of cars in London which are registered in EU countries and they have to pay congestion charges currently in that inner zone and would be picked up by this although the mechanism for enforcing it is likely to be pretty unreliable.

Its hard enough getting parking tickets paid with foreign cars I would imagine



Did you move far from where you were before?

magnette

I walked to a local shop yesterday at the other end of my street - about ten cars or vans parked there older than the emissions zone limit I think and two from EU countries (Germany and Luxembourg actually

andys120

fintail said:

Looks like a 59 Impala 2 door HT at far lef.

Yep, it's facing a 1963 Plymouth.

fintail

Are there any age-related exemptions? Or is this more of a plan to make London more of a home for sketchy offshore monied types who have bottomless bank accounts? At least there's some transit to compensate for it, which probably wouldn't happen here if there was a real plan to (regressively) tax private cars off the roads. No doubt enforcement cost exceeds the congestion charges and probably benefits, both.

I'm around 300 miles from my prior residence, other side of the state.

magnette said:

Hi Fin

Cars are registered in a central database nowadays so all are in the UK - possibly its a bit different in Northern Ireland but basically all the cars on our roads anywhere are on the computer - in Swansea, Wales is the HQ for our Driver & Vehicle system


This will also apply to cars from outside the UK too - there are a lot of cars in London which are registered in EU countries and they have to pay congestion charges currently in that inner zone and would be picked up by this although the mechanism for enforcing it is likely to be pretty unreliable.

Its hard enough getting parking tickets paid with foreign cars I would imagine



Did you move far from where you were before?

fintail

WA had very basic emissions tests for maybe 25-30 years. No safety inspections. Fortunately, the climate here doesn't create real rot, but transplanted vehicles are not uncommon, and I've seen some sketchy material on the road here too.

sda said:

South Carolina hasn’t had safety or emission testing for years. Neighboring North Carolina does. The running joke is if you have a car in NC that has a check engine light on or won’t pass inspection in general, sell it to someone in SC. A lot of questionable vehicles run the streets here.

fintail

Ah, I recall that one, May was in a GL. I feel like I'm living in the future when I pay for parking with an app (Spokane embraces pay parking - rates are cheap, but I used to live in a town built on free parking).

ab348 said:

I'm not sure but I think London has some sort of vehicle/plate recognition technology so that they can track all vehicles entering the city. I recall a segment of Top Gear where the 3 lads were racing across London via boat, bike and vehicle (with the Stig using public transport). May got a call on his mobile phone from a lady in some govt office confirming his presence and then to pay the congestion charge.

magnette

300 miles is a long way here

All cars motorcycles and even old buses lorries or whatever which are registered before 1976 or so are historic and are exempt the Road Tax - though there is a special requirement that buses if still used as such - ie not preserved but still picking up passengers- must be taxed at some rate or other but I don't know the details

Cars registered more than forty years ago were exempt also from annual MOT safety test but there are specific tests for heavy vehicles and steam wagons etc due to the risk of explosion / brake failure etc I suppose.

In practice this is quite a large pool of vehicles - about half a million I think - although some of those may be laid up or whatever so not all in the streets.

No car that old can pass our emissions requirements anyway but it includes stuff like VW beetles Morris Minors and MGBs so not just rare antiques

Of course we have to have valid insurance on any car used on the road and my insurers for the Magnette prefer that an MOT test has been undertaken - I do as well as if I was to drive into someone without having bothered to get the brakes checked I would be a bit vulnerable to a claim or something

What actually happens is the MOT test is simulated by a qualified garage and then they give a summary of faults if anything is wrong. They wouldn't check emissions nor things like hazard lights which were never fitted but if the car is outright dangerous then it is still an offence to drive it - if my brakes were lethal I would risk prosecution .


The emissions legislation is part of general clean air legislation instigated by the EU - and we are keeping those requirements even if and when they ever sort out flipping Brexit ( I'm not a fan) as London does suffer from fumes and it was terrible years ago - there is a reason why old films were always showing foggy alleys.

London already is a home for offshore monied types - the west end has arabic numbered Lamborghinis and more Russian plates than downtown Moscow But that is the centre.

The majority of the people who live here are not that rich (partly because its so expensive to live here - particularly properties) and it is actually one of the most socialist voting parts of the UK and also has some of the most deprived boroughs in England - its bit of a mix really

fintail

It was a long drive in the fintail!

I think there's a 30 year rule for collector car registration here, but one must apply for it, it isn't an automatic status. There's apparently rules behind it, like you can't use the car as a daily commuter etc, but I suspect it isn't enforced. I've seen numerous relatively ordinary 80s cars with collector plates. One can also get 'year of manufacture' plates, re-registering the car with plates (actual vintage plates, not reproductions) from the model year of the car. I have these on the fintail, and they exempt the car from annual registration fees. Insurance is completely detached from registration here. I have a Hagerty policy on the old car, which is inexpensive.

No MOT or anything else here, if you can get it on the road, you're good - but I suspect if something really sketchy was deemed at fault in a crash, there'd be some action. To be fair, this part of the country doesn't see much rot, but cars can have issues not related to rust.

London sounds like Seattle/Bellevue in some ways - a lot of questionably obtained foreign wealth (purchased residency), techdork money, some locals who were lucky enough to buy in before the insanity, and a new generation who can seldom buy in without family help - also much less affluent areas on the periphery, where locals have the same issues of inflating housing costs as people spread out from the larger cities looking for something cheaper. With interest rates almost guaranteed to remain low for the foreseeable future, this issue isn't going away. At least we don't have Brexit stupidity, although we have similarly opinioned people causing havoc.

If one wants to see the value of pollution controls, look at LA in the 60s and 70s compared to now. That wasn't fog rolling in off the ocean.

magnette said:

300 miles is a long way here

All cars motorcycles and even old buses lorries or whatever which are registered before 1976 or so are historic and are exempt the Road Tax - though there is a special requirement that buses if still used as such - ie not preserved but still picking up passengers- must be taxed at some rate or other but I don't know the details

Cars registered more than forty years ago were exempt also from annual MOT safety test but there are specific tests for heavy vehicles and steam wagons etc due to the risk of explosion / brake failure etc I suppose.

In practice this is quite a large pool of vehicles - about half a million I think - although some of those may be laid up or whatever so not all in the streets.

No car that old can pass our emissions requirements anyway but it includes stuff like VW beetles Morris Minors and MGBs so not just rare antiques

Of course we have to have valid insurance on any car used on the road and my insurers for the Magnette prefer that an MOT test has been undertaken - I do as well as if I was to drive into someone without having bothered to get the brakes checked I would be a bit vulnerable to a claim or something

What actually happens is the MOT test is simulated by a qualified garage and then they give a summary of faults if anything is wrong. They wouldn't check emissions nor things like hazard lights which were never fitted but if the car is outright dangerous then it is still an offence to drive it - if my brakes were lethal I would risk prosecution .


The emissions legislation is part of general clean air legislation instigated by the EU - and we are keeping those requirements even if and when they ever sort out flipping Brexit ( I'm not a fan) as London does suffer from fumes and it was terrible years ago - there is a reason why old films were always showing foggy alleys.

London already is a home for offshore monied types - the west end has arabic numbered Lamborghinis and more Russian plates than downtown Moscow But that is the centre.

The majority of the people who live here are not that rich (partly because its so expensive to live here - particularly properties) and it is actually one of the most socialist voting parts of the UK and also has some of the most deprived boroughs in England - its bit of a mix really

ab348

I don't think this was in any movie although it was perhaps an inspiration for a Rush song sometime after this picture was taken. Scarborough, Ont., 1964, via Americar on FB. Expands greatly.

magnette

Any road that wide in London would have a Palace at the end of it - or a Boeing

magnette

59 Chevrolet wagon I think its a four door

The one beyond the Spridget looks like a 62/3 Rambler - one of the bigger ones

Just beyond that the car on the road facing us - is that a Meteor Rideau ?

Beyond I see a dark Corvair 4-door

magnette

I'm intrigued by the really large finned car beyond the "Rambler"

fintail

Is the 59 Chevy in the foreground a sedan delivery with windows added? Never seen one like that before.

I see a 55 Meteor parked on the street at left, center.

andys120

Dark colored "Spridget" in driveway next to Plymouth, a minnow amongst those whales.

imidazol97

magnette said:

I'm intrigued by the really large finned car beyond the "Rambler"

magnette said:

I'm intrigued by the really large finned car beyond the "Rambler"

How about a 1957 or 1958 Chrysler Imperial



On second thought the side spear trim matches this Fury better

fintail

Another suburban lineup (and from a movie! but it has cars too )

andys120

The blue '65-6 Mustang appears to be a notchback coupe w whte vinyl H/T rather than a convertible

omarman

"Now these tapes, I am going to have to present them you know."

But please, not on "60 Minutes".

Or "That's Incredible!"

Funny lines back then but today it would all get uploaded before that talk ever happened. I like the wheels on the Grand Am.

fintail

Good call, omarman. I watched this one for the first time in ages a few days ago - quite a few unusual cars in it, not exacting car-casting like in a John Hughes film, rather, cars on the street that became rare with age.

I thought someone would be all over the middle car, another hen's tooth in 2020.

A few more relative rarities spotted here, apparently the same neighborhood (zooms OK):



"Besides, we've done it before"

"When?"

"In '76, right down there"

stickguy

Red Dodge van in the road. Can't tell if it is rocking.

stickguy

Civic wagon and Ford Fiesta parked in the cul de sac. 2 tone VW Vanagon poking into the top garage.

magnette

Re the Scarborough picture I thought of the Imperial for those fins but didn't connect it with the hard top so the Plymouth makes more sense - the size of each fin as nearly that of the whole flank of that Spridget!

ab348

Revisiting the Ruscha pictures from the Getty Museum, here's one from 1966 of a day at the beach. I guess Ed hit the end of the road.

fintail

Surprised by the lack of foreign cars. Basic looking 65 Ford Custom 2 door 2nd (and a half) from right - the kind of car that would either have a 6 or a 427.

tmart

58/60 Thunderbird convertible.

imidazol97

magnette said:

Re the Scarborough picture I thought of the Imperial for those fins but didn't connect it with the hard top so the Plymouth makes more sense - the size of each fin as nearly that of the whole flank of that Spridget!

The profile of the spear on the side of the car past the Rambler matches a Belvedere Plymouth and the roof matches the Sport model hardtop. BUT the profile of the rear fins is not the same as the Plymouth that's 4 cars closer to the camera. That's why I keep coming up with an Imperial model.

Since it's Canadian, did Imperial sell there using different side trim than the US models? I tried to find Canadian brochures for Imperial 57 or 58.

@ab348 any knowledge of Canadian models that might explain this?

ab348

No, I did some review when @magnette asked yesterday and could not pin it down either.

andys120

ab348 said:

Revisiting the Ruscha pictures from the Getty Museum, here's one from 1966 of a day at the beach. I guess Ed hit the end of the road.

i think the oldest car is the white Caddy going out of frame, a '55-'56 I think. I think there's a gen 2 Corvair parked seaside in center, it's probably the newest ('65-'69)

fintail

Falcon coupe appears to be a 66, Chrysler behind it is a 65 or 66.

magnette

To the right is a Valiant and the white car in the distance beyond its hood is a 58 Chevrolet

ab348

Glad to see the picture posting problem has finally been fixed. It must have been a real bear of a problem.

Lostwrench3

1963 Buick Wildcat.

tmart

Mustang notchback and Falcon wagon. Lunch at far right.

fintail

That Falcon looks like my cousin's car (they apparently got it running not long ago):

andys120

Lostwrench3

Wow, 1959 Oldsmobile 98 Holiday Scenicoupe.
I'll take it. Where do I sign?

tmart

59 Ford taxi. I kinda like the color.

andys120

tmart said:

59 Ford taxi. I kinda like the color.

I'm showing my age cuz I remember when there were lots of Ford cabs in NYC. Most were yellow and I suspect the color register is off on that photo.

The Olds is interesting because it has only two doors on such an enormous car, common prectice back then.

imidazol97

andys120 said:

tmart said:

59 Ford taxi. I kinda like the color.

I'm showing my age cuz I remember when there were lots of Ford cabs in NYC. Most were yellow and I suspect the color register is off on that photo.

I think it's one of the colorized black and white photos. The orange color seems to be the same in various things throughout the picture. No green.

andys120

imidazol97

Nash Healey 63?

First US built sportscar post war:
http://www.danjedlicka.com/classic_cars/1951-54_Nash_Healey.html

Superman drove one

andys120

Yup, it's a Nash-Healey w body by Pininfarina.

fintail

A few slivers of cars to ID here - I can pick out at least 4. I found this amusing, as that black wagon is a pretty stylish thing, maybe more so than the pants:

Michaell

The wagon is a Mopar?

fintail

I think the original poster might have said it was a 67 Town and Country.

magnette

@ab348

That red Mustang a few pictures back must have been the first Ford to be provided with a Sat Nav system from new

"Bear Right"

magnette

Britannic Motors in Boston MA has an appropriate vehicle in the window - they must have chosen it to fill the entire display