Mystery car pix

magnette

@stickguy

Apparently the Mini Wild Goose was mostly fibreglass and basically weighed little more than a basic Mini van so only about ten percent slower than a standard Mini - and it had similar cornering as the van too.

I drove a Mini van quite a few times when at college and they were pretty much as nimble on corners as the saloon so quite good in traffic for the day - not so great on motorways though.

I'm 6ft 3 and could sleep (sort of) in the back of a Mini van - it wasn't great but I was young - I'd never get into one now... Mind you, I wasn't always sleeping

magnette

This one is obviously London - the buses give it away although they are actually the predecessors of the Routemaster and are instead the AEC RT which was made until 1954 and still used in some parts until the late seventies.

fintail

Big Chrysler appears to have framework on the side, suggesting it is indeed a T&C, a car I associate with a brief scene in the first Superman movie.

fintail

I think I see a Hillman Minx reverse C-pillar at left, behind maybe an Anglia 100E.

magnette said:

This one is obviously London - the buses give it away although they are actually the predecessors of the Routemaster and are instead the AEC RT which was made until 1954 and still used in some parts until the late seventies.

stickguy

A red Isetta variant in front of the busses.

magnette

@fintail - yes that is a Hillman relative, it's a Singer Gazelle (side trim distinguishes it) - and I think you are also right on the 100E

@stickboy - yes its an Isetta -sold here as a BMW Isetta mostly

sda

White Ford Cortina

ab348

Lots of English Fords there, though I have difficulty telling a Prefect from a Thames from an Anglia when we are looking at 1950s models. A '60s reverse-angle rear window Anglia further back along with what I think is an early-60s Consul.

andys120

It's not often that I see a Brit sportster that I don't recognize but the red roadster stumped me, could it be a Berkeley Sports ?

texases

I was about to ask if anyone recognized it. Your top Berkeley example looks like someone grafted a garage heater onto the the nose of an otherwise good looking car.

magnette

@andys120
That Berkeley was built by a leading caravan manufacturer and the white car in your second picture is the Berkeley Bandit but they only made about ten of those.

. I knew someone who had a Berkeley - but a three wheeled one - it looked similar to the red car in your first picture but with one rear wheel....

The sports car in my picture was actually a Fairthorpe Electron Minor

This had a Standard Ten engine initially - to about 1962 - then the Triumph engine from the Herald and eventually the Spitfire engine. This one was registered in February 1960 so its one of the earliest models - Fairthorpe made this up to a Mk 8 I think so there are lots of subsequent ones - and it had a pretty good chassis for its day with independent front suspension and from about 1965disc brakes too.

I've just noticed this particular one was registered in Glamorgan - my home county in Wales.

The Electron Minor was and still is a club racer too and I've seen them at hillclimbs although they are not now in ordinary road use - unlike in this shot ...

made in fairly large numbers - at least 700 from 1957 to about 1970 - and although some were kits it was also sold as a complete car

@ sda
- the white car is indeed one of the first Ford Cortinas - they were initially known as the Ford Consul Cortina from 1962- 64 and this is one of those, before they changed the front grille and - later ones had amber indicators and side lights incorporated in the edge of the grille.

@ ab 348

Yes the green and white car pulling out in front of the buses is a Mk 2 Ford Consul also about 1962

andys120

A Fairthorpe huh! I've been interested in Brit sportsters since I got Dinky Toys MGs and Sumbeams but I've missed that one. The number of different cars turned out by UK makers post-WWII was really staggering. Most of 'em were unreliable and antiquated but interesting.

stickguy

I gotta say, back in those days the British made some crappy cars, but they did have fantastic names.

ab348

Up on Cripple Creek, Colorado, 1977. Expands nicely.

andys120

First car on right is a Toyota Land Cruiser, possibly my fav, the FJ40. Nothing else of interest to me.

Michaell

ab348 said:

Up on Cripple Creek, Colorado, 1977. Expands nicely.

Looks nothing like that, now.

Cripple Creek is one of three towns in Colorado where casinos are allowed, to revitalize the economy.

Not nearly as popular as Black Hawk or Central City, both of which are closer to Denver. Cripple Creek is on the back side of Pikes Peak.

stickguy

there is another land cruiser on the other side of the street, just below the Texaco station. And down the hill, in front of a dark blue square body Chevy, is an IH Scout.

I think the dark green Mopar top left is a Demon.

ab348

andys120 said:

First car on right is a Toyota Land Cruiser, possibly my fav, the FJ40. Nothing else of interest to me.

Not even the critter wandering down the street (next to the excavator)? That's not something you see every day around here.

fintail

Parked at left near the cross street, I see a first gen Bronco, and on the cross street approaching from left, turning left, a blue Datsun B210 fastback.

magnette

@ andys120 Yes, the Fairthorpe was actually a good enthusiasts car I think - they made hundreds in Buckinghamshire at an old airfield - the company was founded by an Air Vice Marshall - but they were never mainstream really.

The first ones were little bug like things, more like crude micro cars, but they soon went over to little sports cars and after the Standard / Triumph motor they also made faster ones with fairly large Excelsior motorcycle engines which were really quite fast - another model was the Zeta which I think had a Ford six cylinder 2.5 litre engine and that had up to SIX carbs with a BRM modified cylinder head & manifold - in a car not much bigger than the one in my picture...

I don't think anyone ever made a model of a Fairthorpe but they were always in the Observers Book of Automobiles which I tried to get every year for Xmas or birthday -

@ stickguy - yes the names were sometimes better than the cars, then later the Allegro and Marina proved that even the naming luck ran out...

xwesx

Michaell said:

Not nearly as popular as Black Hawk or Central City, both of which are closer to Denver. Cripple Creek is on the back side of Pikes Peak.

Revoke my "car guy" card. I find the buildings far more interesting in the photo than the cars.

xwesx

fintail said:

Parked at left near the cross street, I see a first gen Bronco, and on the cross street approaching from left, turning left, a blue Datsun B210 fastback.

I like the blue on the Chevy squarebody pickup just finishing his left turn onto the main drag, and the pale yellow two-tone full size Dodge van in the far distance, left side of the street. Looks like maybe some sort of lite camper conversion.

sda

Neat looking town. The 73 Olds 98 coupe, red, white top, really stands out. Three Dodge Darts 2dr in view.

sda

Pikes Peak is really cool. Dad took us there on vacation in 71. The high altitude wasn’t agreeing dad’s 69 Olds 98. It chugged and had black smoke coming out of the exhaust. Dad kept it floored going up some hills, still he was passing other cars that were struggling worse. Fuel injection would have made all the difference. Good old 4bbl carb on the Rocket 455. Seems like yesterday.

fintail

I see it, maybe something like this:



Same idea as Uncle Rico's van:

xwesx said:

I like the blue on the Chevy squarebody pickup just finishing his left turn onto the main drag, and the pale yellow two-tone full size Dodge van in the far distance, left side of the street. Looks like maybe some sort of lite camper conversion.

andys120

ab348 said:

andys120 said:

First car on right is a Toyota Land Cruiser, possibly my fav, the FJ40. Nothing else of interest to me.

Not even the critter wandering down the street (next to the excavator)? That's not something you see every day around here.

I don't see anything that could be called an "excavator"

andys120

stickguy

Mini Moke?

Michaell

sda said:

Pikes Peak is really cool. Dad took us there on vacation in 71. The high altitude wasn’t agreeing dad’s 69 Olds 98. It chugged and had black smoke coming out of the exhaust. Dad kept it floored going up some hills, still he was passing other cars that were struggling worse. Fuel injection would have made all the difference. Good old 4bbl carb on the Rocket 455. Seems like yesterday.

I’ve lived in Colorado for 25+ years, and only been to the top of Pikes Peak once. And I didn’t drive - took the cog railway up.

At the moment, it’s closed. When it reopens, I should consider making the drive up.

xwesx

Michaell said:

sda said:

Pikes Peak is really cool. Dad took us there on vacation in 71. The high altitude wasn’t agreeing dad’s 69 Olds 98. It chugged and had black smoke coming out of the exhaust. Dad kept it floored going up some hills, still he was passing other cars that were struggling worse. Fuel injection would have made all the difference. Good old 4bbl carb on the Rocket 455. Seems like yesterday.

I’ve lived in Colorado for 25+ years, and only been to the top of Pikes Peak once. And I didn’t drive - took the cog railway up.

At the moment, it’s closed. When it reopens, I should consider making the drive up.

Maybe you could catch a ride with Ken Block in the Hoonicorn.

ab348

andys120 said:

ab348 said:

andys120 said:

First car on right is a Toyota Land Cruiser, possibly my fav, the FJ40. Nothing else of interest to me.

Not even the critter wandering down the street (next to the excavator)? That's not something you see every day around here.

I don't see anything that could be called an "excavator"

ab348

I took a look at modern-day Cripple Creek thanks to Streetview. A lot of the old buildings have been saved and restored, and it looks very touristy and somewhat polished now. Lots of new blacktop, concrete curb/gutter/sidewalk in the downtown though the outskirts still looks quite rustic.

ab348

sda said:

Neat looking town. The 73 Olds 98 coupe, red, white top, really stands out.

Right behind the 98 is a blue fuselage (so '69-'73) C-body Mopar station wagon, I'm guessing a Dodge.

sda

fintail said:

I see it, maybe something like this:



Same idea as Uncle Rico's van:

xwesx said:

I like the blue on the Chevy squarebody pickup just finishing his left turn onto the main drag, and the pale yellow two-tone full size Dodge van in the far distance, left side of the street. Looks like maybe some sort of lite camper conversion.

Can you imagine the drag resistance of that Tradesman on the bottom picture? Talk about pushing some air!

omarman

ab348 said:

andys120 said:

ab348 said:

andys120 said:

First car on right is a Toyota Land Cruiser, possibly my fav, the FJ40. Nothing else of interest to me.

Not even the critter wandering down the street (next to the excavator)? That's not something you see every day around here.

I don't see anything that could be called an "excavator"

I like that 3rd gen Econoline just past the Divide and Conquer sign.

fintail

Crosswinds would probably be terrifying, too. But the driver can handle it, he could throw a football over them mountains

sda said:

Can you imagine the drag resistance of that Tradesman on the bottom picture? Talk about pushing some air!

fintail

WA ferry line, 1974 - zoom and maybe some hidden cars appear:

stickguy

Dodge passenger van toward the back.

magnette

Is that a mule in the expanded picture of Cripple Creek ?

magnette

On ferry line

White early Econoline van on far side, and a series 3 Land Rover 88 circa 1971 onwards

andys120

I can't read the script on the trunk lid of the Porsche, it's either a 911 or a 91-late 60s or early 70s.

andys120

Little guys. Yep some sportscars wore whitewalls once.

ab348

Nice door fit on the Bugeye Sprite.

ab348

Early 1970s, road to Grandfather Mountain, NC, heavy traffic with everyone going up, not many coming down:

kyfdx

ab348 said:

Nice door fit on the Bugeye Sprite.

Straight from the factory

stickguy

I’ll take the 69 camaro and the 69 El Camino passing it. The red Nova down from them looks like it might be jacked up in the rear. Could be a fun clutch to deal with stuck in uphill traffic.

sda

I like the light blue 59 Cadillac parked uphill in the driveway on the left.

magnette

Is the blue sedan in the background behind the Frogeye Sprite a 53 Willys Aero ?

stickguy

Big flattop caddy in the driveway behind that one

fintail

Yep



Yes, Willys Aero parked on the street, and in the background in a driveway, a big ~50 Mopar coupe. And look at all of the non-pretentious reasonably sized affordable middle class housing, weird idea.

andys120 said:

Little guys. Yep some sportscars wore whitewalls once.