Mystery car pix

andre1969

The Impala's definitely a '68. We had one of those when I was a little kid, although it was just a 4-door hardtop and not a convertible. I think the Barracuda might actually be a '69. That looks like a rectangular reflector to me near the back bumper. That's how the '69 was set up...rectangular reflectors on the side, no lights, and no chrome surroudns. The '68 would've had a little round side marker light, that actually lit up red at night, but no reflector.

Now the Fury hardtop looks like a '68...I can barely see a chrome circle just ahead of the bumper that would be the rear side marker light. I had a '67 Newport hardtop with that same Barracuda-ish roofline. I didn't like the way it looked on that car, but I think the Fury pulls it off much better.

andre1969

I liked that older style of Galant, too. It looked like it was inspired by the 1987-91 Camry, a style I also like, but the Galant seemed a bit sportier. Seems like a lot of cars went for that '87 Camry style. The Mazda 626 did it around 1988, as did the Corolla. The Galant seemed influenced by it too, as did some of those little Mitsubishi-base Dodge/Plymouth/Eagle models around the early 90's. I forget what they called them now. I think the Dodge/Plymouth were Colts, while the Eagle was a Summit? And the Mistu was a Mirage?

done37

Your right about the camry in 1987 making a statement for future sedans. Look at the 90 stanza, 90 accord.

andre1969

That's right, I forgot about the '90 Stanza. My Mom and stepdad had a '91 Stanza, and it did look like a slightly boxier version of that '87 Camry style. Now that I think back on it, was the '90-92 (or was it '93?) Stanza based on the '89 Maxima, or was it a reskin of the older 1985-88 Max? Seems like it was too big to be based on that old style, but I swear there was a Stanza for a couple years that was just a warmed-over previous-gen Maxima witha 4-cyl engine. Maybe 1987-89?

The '90 Accord, now that I think about it, does seem influenced a bit by the '87 Camry, just with a lower beltline, more glass area, and a BMW-ish C-pillar. Even the '89 Maxima seemed to go that route, just in a much sportier fashion than the Camry.

It's funny how everybody said that the Taurus was such a revolutionary design...a design that itself was influenced by the Audi 5000. But it seems like the '87 Camry had a lot more influence. I vaguely remember some reviewer saying the '87 Camry looked like a modern interpretation of a '68 Rambler, but I found it pleasing.

bumpy

The U11 Stanza ('87-89) borrowed a lot of the suspension parts from the '85 Maxima, which made it kinda heavy for the loafy CA20E that powered it. Hence, the U12 Stanza ('90-92) got the KA24E from the 240SX.

I don't think the '90 Accord borrowed too much from the Camry. It was still pretty much the same shape and proportions dating back to the '86, minus the flip-up headlights.

fintail

I don't know the model number (as I think several shared that body), but that was the first postwar car to go by the 'Audi' name, taking over from DKW ca. 1965. It even has Ingolstadt plates.

andre1969

When I was a little kid, there was a roller coaster at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, where the cars looked like they might have been styled to look sort of like that Audi up front. The coaster was called Der Wildkatze, or something like that (basically "The Wildcat" in German), and it was built by a German company, so I guess that would make sense.

The coaster got dismantled in the early 80's to make way for a bigger one, and got shipped around the country a few times. Oddly, it ended up as some little park less than an hour away from where I live. I heard that they gave it a makeover, and supposedly changed the cars to give them a musclecar theme. I can't imagine an Audi-esque looking coaster car morphing into a Yenko Camaro or Hemi Challenger though, no matter how many beers I guzzle down!

guss

andys120

andys120

Yugo GV Cabriolet ca.1989.

guss

Yup,a 1990 with only 26 miles on it, and the bidding is up to $10k.

hudsonthedog

1990 Yugo Cabrio

I saw this car on eBay a few days ago. I was considering it when the bidding was under $3k...but it was a more reasonable $11k yesterday (it's only $10k today, though).

The car is extremely rare (about 80 built) and VERY low mileage (26 miles, never titled).

I have been told by people who would know such things that a good Yugo Cabrio is worth $10-12k. And this one being probably the best you'll find, it should sell for $15-20k.

lemko

1963 Buick Special Deluxe or Skylark convertible.

andys120

1963 Buick Special Deluxe or Skylark convertible.

Yowza!

andys120

ateixeira

$10k is nuts. Weren't those $8-9k brand new?

It is an interesting curiosity, but the best you could do it put it in a museum of orphaned/failed cars, and never drive it. Put 100 miles on that thing and the value drops by half.

ateixeira

Renault Megane, probably about 1998 or so.

guss

Who would of thunk a Yugo would appreciate. :surprise:

I also thought for under $3k it would be something kind of cool to ride in parades and take to the beach with your buddies.

but the best you could do it put it in a museum of orphaned/failed cars. lol

I guess it would look nice to the Aztec I was considering for the museum.

ateixeira

Most of my buddies wouldn't want to be seen in that car.

texases

I also thought for under $3k it would be something kind of cool to ride in parades and take to the beach with your buddies.


Here's a cheap alternative:

kyfdx

Geo Metro..

Saw a Metro hatchback this week... they had cut down the rear to make it a quasi-pickup truck... :surprise:

texases

Yep, '91 Geo Metro, look up 'cheap' in the dictionary, there it is!

andys120

Renault Megane, probably about 1998 or so.

Yep.

andys120

michaellno

Citroen C6 ... new large sedan.

karsick

Citroen C6

Revives some of the classiness of the old DS & CX.

It's GOOD when the French don't try to be too German (altough I'd hate to deal with the poor resale of one of these when new) :P

ateixeira

Now that is scary.

I owned an 86 Chevy Sprint, basically a pre-Geo model. That thing was a tin can.

I can't imagine how it would feel if you cut off the roof! :surprise:

hudsonthedog

The problem with the Geo Metro Convertible as a parade car is the fact that the Yugo still has a back seat and the Metro is a 2-seater.

If you look at a Metro hatchback, they have a capacity of 688 pounds. When they took out the back seat and took off the roof, they reduced the capacity by the equivalent of two people...or 400lbs. Yes, that's right...the 2-seat convertible carried a weight capacity of 288 pounds! You and your buddy couldn't ride in it at the same time...let alone a driver and a dairy princess for a parade.

texases

I guess that's the equivalent of 'crush depth' for a sub - 300 lbs and it'll fold in half!

ateixeira

Isn't the standard weight for a person 180 lbs? :confuse:

I'm sure payload was very low, though. My Miata's payload is only 360 lbs.

stevedebi

"I'm sure payload was very low, though. My Miata's payload is only 360 lbs."

Payload? I thought vehicles were rated by the total weight that could be carried (sometimes one even has to subtract empty weight from GVW)?

I've only heard cargo weight for pickups and such...

ateixeira

Folks just might be doing the math themselves. That's what I've read.

andys120

lemko

My girlfriend's first new car was a blue 1986 Chevrolet Sprint fur door with the 1.0 litre 3-cylinder engine. The car was, in reality, a badge-engineered Suzuki Swift. She later traded it for a much larger new 1991 Mercury Tracer.

hudsonthedog

That's odd...I traded my 1986 Mercury (Merkur, actually) for a much smaller 1991 Suzuki Swift (GT). The GT is a great car...still have it today.

lemko

Looks like a later Pontiac Fiero. Not sure of the year. 1988?

hudsonthedog

lemko

I remember the Merkur, (pronounce mare-KOOR) but Americans mostly likely pronounced it "Merk-er." I guess your car was the wild XRTi. I remember them when they were new and thought they were so futuristic. Merkur later came out with the much more conventional Scorpio.

jescue

Looks like a Fiero GT-the V6.

andys120

Looks like a later Pontiac Fiero. Not sure of the year. 1988?

Yup, '88 Pontiac Fiero GT.

andys120

That's Frua styling which suggests a Maserati, Monteverdi or De Tomaso.

I think it's a De Tomaso Longchamps ('73-'89).

The Maserati Kyalami was nearly identical except for the Trident grille.

andys120

The only thing worse than the front of these was the back!>

tmart

A 59-60 Edsel?

lemko

That's a 1960 Edsel Ranger. The '59 had the same rear as the '58 with the taillights moved from the boomerang edges of the back end to round units above the bumper.

ateixeira

That's pretty much what I had, except mine was Gold. 4 door, also. 48 furious HP unleashed!

To go up steep hills the passengers had to get out and push, basically.

At least it was a manual. Oh, and it got 45+mpg.

The Swift GT was based on the next generation, so it started with a better base, added chassis reinforcements, and came with 100hp, more than double what my Sprint had.

andys120

Yup, it's a 1960 Ranger.

andys120

stevedebi

Interesting. From this angle the Fiero resembles the later Nissan 200SX...

texases

Porsche 356 Cabriolet, about '63?

andys120

Right on the nose, it's a 1963 Porsche 356B Cabriolet.