Mystery car pix

magnette · January 22

I'm not sure how much you all follow the sort of cars we are now getting in the European market -although for reasons of Brexit and other problems in the UK we don't tend to see affordable ones these days... It is electric

Anyway, I saw one of these this morning in my street, - I didn't get time to photograph it myself so found this example - same colour and everything - in Autocar magazine
The one I saw had a plate issued in 2023

stickguy · January 22

It sure what it is but I like it! Looks like a macabre nose rip off

ab348 · January 22

Ah, the elusive Ora One Good Cat, which could only be from Great Wall Motors of China.

Michaell · January 22

ab348 said:
Ah, the elusive Ora One Good Cat, which could only be from Great Wall Motors of China.

If you squint, you can see hints of the Gen 1 Leaf.

explorerx4 · January 22

Likes to lift the inside rear wheel like the old GTI's.

andys120 · January 22

stickguy · January 22

it's an Alfa Romeo.

Will leave the easy part for someone else!

fintail · January 22

Blue Alpine A110 in the background.

roadburner · January 22

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce coupé

andys120 · January 23

roadburner said:
Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce coupé

Yup, ca. 1957.

fintail · January 23

Detmold Germany, by some details maybe around 1980, zooms fine:

(roughly the same spot today):

Michaell · January 23

fintail said:
Detmold Germany, by some details maybe around 1980, zooms fine:

(roughly the same spot today):

The Triumph Spitfire seems to be the anomaly.

ab348 · January 23

Michaell said:

fintail said:
Detmold Germany, by some details maybe around 1980, zooms fine:

(roughly the same spot today):

The Triumph Spitfire seems to be the anomaly.

That, and the Citroen just down from it.

stickguy · January 23

There is also a blue 2CV 4 back on the left side.

explorerx4 · January 23

3 Golf's on the right.

fintail · January 23

MB in the foreground is a W108/109, possibly a V8 model with the stacked lights (all USDM spec models had stacked lights, Euros had composite on 6cyl and stacked on V8).

I also see 2 or 3 MB W123s in the mix. That car was immensely popular with waiting lists when new.

I think the 2CV might be a Dyane.

roadburner · January 23

Citroen Dyna and a Monteverdi.

fintail · January 23

Car behind the big MB might be an Opel Manta. Monteverdi would be a heck of a spot though, don't think I have ever seen one in an old street scene.

magnette · January 24

@ab348

The car I posted shows that the new new surge of cars from China are not quite named for the local market.

This one is sold here as the the Funky Cat Ora.

it is a rival to the electric Fiat 500 and Vauxhall Corsa and they are cheaper than most of the other Ev's so they will sell but it reminds me of the slightly odd names the Japanese gave us in the early days - Cedric, Gloria etc..

I also saw a BYD car last week and I think that sells in US as well but they have the full name written across the rear hatch " Build Your Own Dream"

It;'s going to be interesting how all this will fare with tariffs on the horizon - great time for the UK to have ditched the EU as well! (not)

Michaell · January 24

@magnette - there are no Chinese branded vehicles sold here in the US. There are a couple of domestic brands that have some models built in China - Volvo and Lincoln are two that I know of.

With the current tariffs in place - and more on the horizon - I doubt that we'll see any Chinese EVs anytime soon.

sda · January 24

@Michaell said:
@magnette - there are no Chinese branded vehicles sold here in the US. There are a couple of domestic brands that have some models built in China - Volvo and Lincoln are two that I know of.

With the current tariffs in place - and more on the horizon - I doubt that we'll see any Chinese EVs anytime soon.

Buick, too

andys120 · January 24

tmart · January 24

59 Ford Country Squire. Nice green.

Michaell · January 24

I assume that is real wood?

ab348 · January 24

Michaell said:
I assume that is real wood?

On the '59 Ford wagon? No. The light-color stuff is fiberglass, and the dark stuff is a di-noc decal.

tmart · January 24

Nope, was fake wood grain and decal.. You know what they say about “assume”.

Michaell · January 24

tmart said:
Nope, was fake wood grain and decal.. You know what they say about “assume”.

So, when did manufacturers stop using real wood on "woodies"?

tmart · January 24

Ford stopped in the early 50s like around 52 I believe. Don’t know about GM and Chrysler but I’d guess around the same time.

Michaell · January 24

tmart said:
Ford stopped in the early 50s like around 52 I believe. Don’t know about GM and Chrysler but I’d guess around the same time.

And what caused that? Material cost? Labor?

texases · January 24

Probably both labor and materials costs, plus the need to get rid of the last vestige of the wood-framed car and the carpenters required to build it. Complete guess on my part, of course.

tmart · January 24

I’m sure fake wood and a decal was probably cheaper the real wood.

fintail · January 24

51 would be the last year for Ford/Mercury Woodys. I think lower/intermediate GM last year was 48 with Buick maybe going a few years later, maybe around 1950 for Mopar.

I suspect a trifecta of materials, labor, and durability did them in.

bhill2 · January 24

The (real) wood took a LOT of maintenance. I suspect that fewer and fewer people were willing to put the time in.

sda · January 25

In addition to the maintenance I suspect the woodies were not as solid as all steel and prone to rattles and squeaks and other annoying noises.

stickguy · January 25

And termites.

fintail · January 25

Not sure if this has been posted yet, not sure where or when but maybe 1967-68 or so, zooms well, with a favorite easily visible:

ab348 · January 25

Ooooh, 1960 Ford wagon, a two-tone no less!!

ab348 · January 25

bhill2 said:
The (real) wood took a LOT of maintenance. I suspect that fewer and fewer people were willing to put the time in.

Yes, I remember reading that back in the day, it was supposed to be a routine to strip the varnish off the exterior wood every year or two, sand and repair any soft areas, then re-coat with several layers of marine varnish. What fun.

It you've ever seen one up close, the wooden components were held together and to the metal parts of the body with slot-head screws in most cases. I can imagine that vibration from driving would loosen those up nicely.

stickguy · January 25

is the wagon with the canoe a studebaker?

explorerx4 · January 25

A yellow with black top 67 Caprice next to the maroon/white Pontiac convertible.

sda · January 25

@fintail , is that two tone red/white like your dad’s?

fintail · January 25

sda said:
@fintail , is that two tone red/white like your dad’s?

It looks like it might be - appears to have reverse lights which my dad's did not have. As with many at the time no doubt, a uniquely optioned car - 352, auto, PS but no PB IIRC, radio, no reverse lights, dog dish caps but thick trim rings that covered the wheel.

I think the canoe wagon may be a later Lark.

bhill2 · January 25

explorerx4 said:
A yellow with black top 67 Caprice next to the maroon/white Pontiac convertible.

The tan job on the other side of the Caprice from the Pontiac is what, from the front end, looks like a 63 Rambler wagon. But the roof looks too long. Any other insights?

fintail · January 26

bhill2 said:

explorerx4 said:
A yellow with black top 67 Caprice next to the maroon/white Pontiac convertible.
The tan job on the other side of the Caprice from the Pontiac is what, from the front end, looks like a 63 Rambler wagon. But the roof looks too long. Any other insights?

Front end definitely looks like a Rambler to me.

I also notice an apparent lack of foreign cars.

fintail · January 26

Park Royal, West Vancouver BC, 1958. I kind of like this image for its ordinary-ness - what a real street scene was like, where every car was not a wide-whitewalled new convertible with a continental kit. Zooms well, a few less common sights:

ab348 · January 26

Left-center is a miniature ’57 Buick, a British Vauxhall Victor.

Interesting that slightly closer to the camera is a ‘58 Ford with a dealer sign on its roof advertising it could be yours for just $195/month (or is it $195 down?)

fintail · January 26

ab348 said:
Left-center is a miniature ’57 Buick, a British Vauxhall Victor.

Interesting that slightly closer to the camera is a ‘58 Ford with a dealer sign on its roof advertising it could be yours for just $195/month (or is it $195 down?)

I've looked at that Victor as a 3/4 scale mid 50s Pontiac. That one looks just like the Matchbox car, which was a similar color.

The Ford sign must be for a down payment, for a base car $200/month would pay it off in a year with nothing down - and that was a huge car payment then, I can't imagine something one would advertise. I also notice the dealer might sell Edsel too.

bhill2 · January 26

A couple of Chevy Fleetlines (gray one between the Kaiser and the 57 Ford, and a blue-gray one at the curb outside the store). Looks to me like they are both 52s.

tmart · January 26

Two 57 Fords left and right.

andys120 · January 27

The brown car is either a Kaiser or Frazer much like the 1947 Frazer that was my family's first car. These looked the same from '47 thru '50. They were made at the huge Willow Run factory in Ypsilanti MI that was originally built by Ford during WWII to mass-produce B-24 bombers.
Good chance it is the oldest car in the pic.

Mystery car pix

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