Mystery car pix

xwesx

ab348 said:

I think that is a 350 badge, which Chevy decided to attach to Malibu models with that engine in ‘71 and ‘72.

I did not realize that participation badges were a "thing" even back in the '70s!

andys120

Badges indicating displacement were popular beginning in the early 60s IIRC. They were first seen on the big full-size sedans like the Chevy 409 and Ford 406. By the mid-60s they were seen on almost any car with more engine than the base motor (and even on 6cy Chevys).

Since there were many cars that looked like their smaller engined counterparts you learned to look for the discreet little fender flashes. I have a small collection of them.

Euro cars came with many different engines and so often had indicators of how many CCs they displaced going back to the 50s.

omarman

1980 participation badge contender.

Sadly missing engine displacement emblem.

xwesx

Maybe not so common on pickups? Neither of my old trucks have them, and "base" engine on them was an inline 6 back in those days. My plow truck even came with a 390.

fintail

I recall the 390 badge on our 66 Galaxie, the 289 68 Fairlane did not have an engine badge.

MBs have an engine badge (rear) on most models, but for the past few decades the number doesn't always correspond to engine size, but does denote a place in the hierarchy.

stickguy

racking my brain, trying to think of any cars I had with a displacement badge on it. I know the family Volvo and Omni didn't have one!

My Gremlin might be the only one (4.2l I think it was, or maybe 3.8l)

xwesx

I don't think I've owned a vehicle with one. I suppose some of the Subarus denote engine size in the model descriptor, such as "2.5i," but it isn't badged with that.

My Econoline has a badge that says, "SuperVan" on the rear of it, though. That should count for at least a couple engine displacement badges!

tjc78

My Solara had a V6 badge and my Volvos say “T6” which is meaningless really.

Never owned anything with displacement.

ab348

In the early 2000s when I got my Intrigue I saw something online where a fellow who also owned one had installed a "3.5" badge from a 2nd-gen Aurora on the left side of the trunk lid. You might recall that those Auroras came in 2 versions, the same 3.5 V6 as the Intrigue, or the 4.0 Northstar V8 variant, and GM indicated that via badges. So I went to my dealer and ordered the 3.5 badge, which was conveniently in the identical font to what GM used for the "Intrigue" lettering on the rear of the car. $10 later and it was applied. I thought it looked good. The only pic of it I can find isn't the greatest.

andys120

The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">

ab348

Here's a brochure pic (from '71, '72 is similar) showing the "350" badge. If you ordered the base 6-cyl or the lowly 307, Chevy didn't shame you by announcing that on the car.

sda

My 01 Aurora had a 4.0 badge on the trunk lid. That’s a car I regret selling as soon as I did. It had essentially every option and was a wonderful car to drive. The 4.0 was silky smooth and had a great sound to it. I was getting a little scared of the potential head bolt issue, the car then had 82k. Dad had just given me his 95 Cutlass Ciera with 60 k. I really didn’t need 3 cars and was driving the Ciera as my daily commuter, with the Aurora getting little use.

kyfdx

Starting in the '80s, it seemed they had to put some sort of badge on the rear. I can remember small GM cars with "ABS" badges.

fintail

That's a spiffy (great color) 64 Impala

andys120 said:

The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">

fintail

I remember that around 1990-91 or so. Also in the mid 80s, GM proudly put fuel injection-related badges on several cars.

kyfdx said:

Starting in the '80s, it seemed they had to put some sort of badge on the rear. I can remember small GM cars with "ABS" badges.

imidazol97

andys120 said:

The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">

I think that's a 1964 Chevy. I don't recall that 6-cylinder engines got a badge, but I'm likely wrong.
I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I
haven't been able to verify that.

kyfdx

My '82 Accord hatch had a "5-Speed" badge.

andys120

imidazol97 said:

andys120 said:

The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">

I think that's a 1964 Chevy. I don't recall that 6-cylinder engines got a badge, but I'm likely wrong.
I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I
haven't been able to verify that.

Oops, bad call on the MY of the blue 'vert. In my defense the '62 and '64 Impalas were similar.



327, 409 and 454 motors all got their numbers shown above a pair of crossed flags. I'm not sue thats the case w the 283 which IIRC got just the flags. As we've seen the 350s got just numbers, if they got anything at all.

magnette

Not every Italian car is a Fiat

kyfdx

@magnette
Lamborghini Miura?

andys120

The most beautiful mid-engine car ever made for road use IMO. Sadly I have never seen one.

ab348

Can't imagine that Miura held up to the rigors of road salt very well.

andys120

Nice variety of iron @ church>

andys120

64-ish Olds Cutlass convertible front left.

fintail

64-66 T-Bird in the background along with a similar years Ford pickup.

magnette said:

Not every Italian car is a Fiat

fintail

Oldie in the background is a 41-48 Ford Fordor, likely a postwar car.

andys120 said:

Nice variety of iron @ church>

magnette

Not typical in sixties London traffic...



I have to admit this one doesn't conform to the description "production car" so isn't really for this site.

omarman

If only that were video! Gas turbine Rover BRM cruising the street around 1963? Love the slapped on license plate.

bhill2

andys120 said:

imidazol97 said:

andys120 said:

The badge on the side indicates that this dude's spiffy '62 Impala convertible has the base engine, a "Stovebolt 6">

I think that's a 1964 Chevy. I don't recall that 6-cylinder engines got a badge, but I'm likely wrong.
I think that the 283 and 327 engines did get flag badges. I thought they were different badges, but again I
haven't been able to verify that.

Oops, bad call on the MY of the blue 'vert. In my defense the '62 and '64 Impalas were similar.



327, 409 and 454 motors all got their numbers shown above a pair of crossed flags. I'm not sue thats the case w the 283 which IIRC got just the flags. As we've seen the 350s got just numbers, if they got anything at all.

Yes, in '64 the 283 got the crossed flags with no callout (one of these is on the blue 'vert). I know that the 409 had a displacement callout. I can't for the life of me remember whether the 327 had a displacement callout in '64.

Lostwrench3

Near the church, a 1961 Ford Futura.

andys120

ab348

Lots of carbon being released there.

Lostwrench3

1949 or 1950 Chevy.
1950 Ford.

sda

Is that dual exhaust pipes under what s/b a 6 cylinder Chevy? Any idea where that picture was take?

omarman

Found a description stating, "People watching the Hancock Oil Refinery Fire at Signal Hill (now Long Beach) California. May 22, 1958. It was one of the largest fires in California history, and burned for three days."

fintail

Notice the dual pipe Chevy has a car club plaque at rear left. Could be something under the hood, or just a showy exhaust.

sda said:

Is that dual exhaust pipes under what s/b a 6 cylinder Chevy? Any idea where that picture was take?

magnette

@omarman

Yes that was the Rover BRM which took part at LeMans - I think in 1966 - and was run as an experimental car so carried the number 00 - it went for about twenty hours with a few stops so wouldn't have won but still it was a viable entrant...

The plate on the back is a Trade plate - much like a Dealer plate but allocated to Rover as Manufacturer - and they leant it to Motor magazine for a week to use it in traffic.

Funnily enough the car ahead of it is an Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire - and was named that by AS because their Armstrong Whitworth and Hawker Siddeley divisions had developed the Sapphire jet engine in the closing years of WW2- so its sort of related- purely by coincidence.

The rest of the cars are all pure British stodgy ones - so the Rover BRM was like landing a 707 in the street...

andys120

sda said:

Is that dual exhaust pipes under what s/b a 6 cylinder Chevy? Any idea where that picture was take?

I think it's an Olds (Rocket 88)V8.

bhill2

A Rocket V8 in a Chevy. That would quite the sleeper.

andys120

omarman said:

Found a description stating, "People watching the Hancock Oil Refinery Fire at Signal Hill (now Long Beach) California. May 22, 1958. It was one of the largest fires in California history, and burned for three days."

Kind of odd to have so many cars from the early 50s in a 1958 photo. The Corvette is a '53 or '54.

ab348

andys120 said:

omarman said:

Found a description stating, "People watching the Hancock Oil Refinery Fire at Signal Hill (now Long Beach) California. May 22, 1958. It was one of the largest fires in California history, and burned for three days."

Kind of odd to have so many cars from the early 50s in a 1958 photo. The Corvette is a '53 or '54.

It's not white, so it isn't a '53. It could be a '54 or even a '55 I suppose

andys120

I forgot that they continued the original tail shape for '55. I'm not sure all '55s were originally white. There's a lot of black, blue and red ones that come up when you Google 1953 Corvette but most come up as replicas.

ab348

1953s were all white with red interior from the factory. Only a few were actually built, either 300 or 315 depending upon the source. Colors were introduced for '54.

ab348

Let's return to Newhart-land, circa 1965, Stowe, VT. Expands well.

andys120

Blue Jeep on left is a CJ-5, the Beetle behind it is probably an early 1960s MY, judging by big back
window

andys120

Blue Jeep is a CJ-5, behind it an early 60s VW Beetle, based on color, turn signals and
Post'58 back window.

stickguy

Brown 4 door rambler behind the bug. And a Chevy II at the shell station.

Lostwrench3

Parked at the corner, a 1964 Oldsmobile.
As to the Newhart television show, was not the last minute of the last episode tremendous?
I hope the writer(s) of that ending received a bonus.

andys120

fintail

In Stowe, gold 64 Chevy 5th car back at left. At right under an umbrella, a Valiant hardtop.