Mystery car pix

andre1969

It's a '73 Buick, but I can't tell if it's a LeSabre or a Centurion. As for the movie, I have no idea, although I'm thinking of a movie that took place at a used car lot, and at the end of the movie, so they didn't get busted for false advertising, they had to get "a mile of cars" crammed onto the lot. But I can't recall the name of that movie, and I could be totally off-base there.

stickguy

I think the one you described is called "Used Cars", with Kurt Russell??

black_tulip

It is actually Ford Endeavour 2.5 4x2.

andys120

It's a '73 Buick Centurion from Used Cars [1980] which did indeed star Kurt Russell.

andys120

lemko

That's it - "Used Cars!" If you recall the beginning of the movie, Kurt Russell rolls back the odometer on the Buick.

lemko

Is that some vehicle built by the makers of the Myers Manx - the classic dune buggy?

andys120

Indeed, it is the Meyers Manx SR, the "street" version of the Manx Dune buggy. Like the Manx it was a VW-based kit car.

bumpy

Some kind of Fiero-based kit car?

I had to look up the Endeavour. Turns out it's based on the everywhere-but-here Ford Ranger.

andys120

imidazol97

andys120

Sweeet! 1970 Olds 4-4-2?

stickguy

mid-90's 525it BMW?

magnette

That Toyota ED Carina - they never marketed the ED over here but I've seen a couple as grey imports - never noticed the decal "exciting version" though. The only ones I can recall were various shades of metallic grey...

magnette

The BMW Touring is an E34 model, but I'm not sure what versions you got in the US. Here, the bigger sixes were replaced with V8's from 1992, and those generally had a wider grille than that shown on this car, but there were so many models..

imidazol97

You're right on. 1970.

But I can't remember that it said 442 on it anywhere. It had another designation... ?

andre1969

It wasn't a "W-30" or something like that, was it?

imidazol97

That's it. W-30 or W-31. It has a 350 and idles like a 1970 409 Ford with quarter cam in it.

The W-31 was in the side ornament behind the front wheel. You can see it in the picture but can't make it out.

I'm not sure the car said 442. I thought it just said Cutlass then when I looked up W31 I found a great site that explained each of 68-70 model years and how rare they were. Enough that some people fake them to increase value of their similar-looking Cutlass.

This car was perfect other than a little rust under the lower lip of the trunk lid where the water didn't drain out well unless you flushed it with a hose (like I did in my cars of that era).

imidazol97

Yes. It's pearlescent white and a purplish blue--my Sony didn't capture the color.

andys120

Yup, it's an E34, the wagon we got here was the 525iT, a '92 is shown. BMW Touring models have never achieved the popularity they deserve in the USA.

andys120

There were various W-something 442s, the most popular was the W-30 ('69-'70?). The W versions (W-29/30/31) were hotter than the standard cars in the same way that a RamAir Judge was hotter than a regular Goat and an LS6 was the most powerful Malibu SS.

IIRC all of the W-somethings were also 442s.

imidazol97

This was W31 IIRC. The guy who had pulled up in it had it clean as a whistle under the hood.

1970 W31 Option
Same special 350 engine as 1968-69. OAI hood as the 1970 442 W30 (W25 option). Number 6 on cylinder head. Manual brakes only. Letter M in VIN for Lansing. Standard or Automatic transmission. Diecast W31 Emblems. Same body stripping as W30. High speed heavy duty harmonic balancer as 1968, 1969. W350 raised letters on aluminum manifold. 442 dual exhaust bumper not standard on W31.

3277 F85 Club Coupe 207
3677 Cutlass Sport Coupe 116
3687 Cutlass Hardtop 1029 Total 1,352

This is from
http://www.fusick.com/w31.htm
I'm not clear that it was a 442. When I visit I'll ask the neighbors about the car.

andre1969

It's a Buick Special Riviera 4-door hardtop, but I can't tell if it's a '55 or '56. Odds are in favor of it being a '56, as only a relative handful of '55 4-door hardtops were built. Buick and Olds were the only makers to offer a 4-door hardtop in 1955, and I think it was a mid-year introduction.

imidazol97

You got it. It is a 1956 because the 1955 had the backup light in the "v" of the taillight. I love that thin roof support at the back on the 4-door hardtops. I assume they painted the bumper purple because it needs rechroming.

imidazol97

I don't know the year and model of these. I grabbed the photo because it's interesting. About 15-20 cars sit at this location. It's like a trip to the past everytime I go by. I don't think the pickup is a classic.

andre1969

Lessee...

The first one on the left looks like a Nash to me, but I don't recognize that roofline. Most Nashes that I remember had a reverse-slant to the C-pillar, kinda like the '58 Chevy. The front-end clip looks kinda like a 1955 Rambler, which I believe was the first to have an open front wheel well. But it's that roofline that's throwing me off.

The yellow one is a Studebaker, probably something like a 1955 President Speedster coupe.

the truck is a 1992-96 F-150 most likely, although the F-250/350 carried that style over into 1997.

And the green one is a Hudson. I'd guess a 1949 Wasp?

andys120

Andre, I think the "Nash" is a first gen Rambler American ca. 58-'60, the compact of the AMC family. AMC beat the Big 3 into the compact field by a couple of years.

andys120

andre1969

Y'know, it does look like one of those '58-80 Americans up front, but I didn't think they offered those as a 4-door sedan. I thought they only came as a coupe or a stubby little wagon. IIRC, these Americans rode a short 100" wheelbase, whereas the regular Ramblers of that time were on a 108" wheelbase.

fintail

Talbot Matra Rancho (I only know because I had a toy one as a kid)

fintail

I am not familiar with that car as a 4 door either. It has a weird look to it, like it was an export model or was built elsewhere. These things were sold in South America too I think.

andre1969

I just dug around some online, and according to Wikipedia, at least, they actually DID have a 4-door American in 1960! I never knew that.

Looks like they only offered a 2-door sedan for 1958, which was actually an abbreviated year for them, but then they added the wagon for 1959 and then the 4-door for 1960. Then the whole lineup was redesigned for 1961, offering a convertible, hardtop coupe, 2- and 4-door sedans, and a 4-door wagon.

And sure enough, here's a pic of a 19660 American sedan!

boomchek

I had a small Matra Rancho toy as well. Orange in color, made by Matchbox.

seminole_kev

You know, call me weird, but I like the looks of that 4-door American. Nice clean lines.

andys120

You know, call me weird, but I like the looks of that 4-door American. Nice clean lines.

OK, you're weird! :P It really wasn't a bad looking car but the late '50s and early 60s were the nadir of Detroit styling so it mostly looked good by comparison. Like many AMC products the Rambler American bore a resemblance to an upside down bathtub.

seminole_kev

but honestly, compared to at least the GM and Chrysler designs of that same time frame, I prefer the look of the American. About say, '63 or so is when I think GM and Ford really started hitting their stride with that era of styling. Chrysler was much more hit and miss through the mid 60's in my opinion.

Granted I can see how that American would have looked "old" at the time, but still, I think it is a good looking sedan. I stand by my weirdness!

imidazol97

The green one is a Hudson and it's a 52 by what I can find searching.

You zapped the Studebaker. I can remember how sporting those were when new with the unusual, striking yellow color. The ornaments on the fenders helps mark it as a Speedster.

The Nash??? I suspect the red one posted is it. Maybe I'll stop and talk to the guy some day. I would not be surprised if the barn has cars stored in it too. I could see the rear of one but couldn't recognize the taillight pattern.

fintail

Yep, that was mine as well.

I think Majorette had one too.

About the Rambler...it has a relatively clean silhouette or greenhouse, but the bathtubness never has appealed to me.

andre1969

is simply that its styling is dated. It does have a clean, simple, unadorned look to it that's not bad on the eye, but once the Falcon, Corvair, and Valiant came out for 1960, it looked like it was from a whole different era. I'm not saying that the Valiant, Corvair, and Falcon were the most beautiful cars ever built, but they did have a much more modern look to them.

The American also looks very tipsy when you look at it from head-on, because the skinny tires are tucked up underneath it so far. To be fair, MOST domestic cars were like this back then, but on the American, it just seemed much more exaggerated.

I don't know if the 4-door model exhibits this, but on the two-door model, the front and rear side windows are at slightly different planes to each other, making it look a bit like two different cars welded together. Or as if the B-pillar sticks out too far in relation to the A- and the C-. It doesn't really show up in those pics above, but I remember seeing them in person at car shows, and thinking it was kind of odd.

Still, they're kind of a neat little throwback. They're probably slower than molasses in January and are probably almost as maneuverable as cars twice their size, but they do have a sort of charm to them.

andys120

fintail

That cool little miniature rocketship in the background gives it away...it's a Tatra 613 coupe.

andys120

...it's a Tatra 613 coupe

Indeed! It wears pretty conventional styling for a Tatra, the 613 was one of Vignale's last designs.

andys120

andre1969

I can't tell from the picture quality whether it has side marker lights or not, but it's either a '67 or '68 Imperial.

I never really cared for these things. This was the generation where they started sharing the same unitized platform as the Chryslers, although it was longer and most of the sheetmetal and trim was actually unique to the car. I guess I just prefer either the massive, tank-like '64-66 Imperials that could be traced back to the 1957 design, or the sleek '69-73 model, that had hidden headlights and sleek, low-slung look. But these dowdy '67-68's are just kinda invisible to me.

andys120

It's a '68 Andre.

andys120

kyfdx

I don't know... I just can't figure this one out..

tmart

Jag XKE. Don't know the year. Beautiful car.

andys120

Jag XKE. Don't know the year.

It's a '65, just like it says on the Brit style plate on the hood :P :shades:

BTW some sports car types think it's improper to refer to these as XKEs, that they should be called "E-Types", just as it says on the trunk lid but I did some checking around and found that Jaguar often used "XKE" in their advertising both here and in the UK.

andys120

Different era>