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. Yes, in 1986 the only Merkur was the XR4Ti. I loved the car (great styling, roomy interior, good handling), in general, but I had a few problems with it (bad turbo, bad gas mileage, automatic). And I looked into moving up to the Scorpio, but it was tough to find a stick.
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. I really like the Monteverdi, deTomaso, and Maserati coupes, but this car isn't any of them.
If it's a 328, then it's a 328GTS (S=Spyder, B=Barchetta.. that's a targa, hence Spyder)
However since Andy said "Not what you think" it COULD be a 208GTB.. but I thought those died after 1985.. although I suppose a VERY late 208 could have the new front end of a 328.
the DeSoto in Vertigo was actually a '56 Firedome, not a Fireflite. You can't see it in that pic, but the biggest tipoff is that the Firedome had chrome surrounds for the headlights, while the Fireflite had body-colored surrounds that jutted out a bit ahead of the headlight at the top, giving it a more sleek and agressive, and less bug-eyed look.
I can't read the script on the fin ahead of the fuel filler door, but I wonder if this particular car was one of those stripper Firedome Seville models? In 1956, DeSoto used the Seville nameplate as a sub-series of the Firedome. Basically stripped down a bit with a more spartan interior, and I think a base price maybe $100 less. I'm guessing that script either says "Seville" or "Sportsman", which is a name DeSoto tacked onto their hardtop models, kinda like how Buick did with "Riviera" or Olds with "Holiday"
I always thought that Vertigo DeSoto was really classy looking, in all white with no 2-toning.
-An unidentifiable p'up at the top w a sedan parked behind.
-Below it is a Chevy or GMC Crew Cab prolly early 70s, then there's a black '69-'70 Chevy/GMC facing the camera.
-I can't make out the black over white 4-door parked next to the black pickup. It is facing a '70 or '71 Malibu (not neccessarily an SS, stripes were optional on any Malibu)).
-To the Malibu's left is a red '67 or '68 Mustang convertible.
-The Mustang is facing a couple of Chevy or GMC p'ups the blue one is a mid-late 70's design. The White over turquoise is a mid-late 50s and they are parked next to a '58 or '59 Ford, prolly a Galaxie.
--Behind 'em are two MoPars from the "Forward Look" era. The white one looks like a '58 or '59 Plymouth but it could be a Chrysler. The White over Red looks like a '59 Plymouth and behind that might be a white VW Bug.
The two Forward Look Mopars in the back are a '57 Plymouth Fury (the "real" Fury before the name was watered down) and a '59 Plymouth Fury (the watered down type) 4-door. Here's a pic of them from another angle...
Actually, the red/white '59 might not be a Fury, but a cheaper model like a Savoy/Belevedere. I thought the nicer models had the "toilet seat" spare tire hump in the trunklid...unless that was just the Sport Fury?
Well, its got Pontiac Black Mesh rims, the car on the other side of the street is a Fiero. Problem, its nothing like a Fiero from the back, but it has a rear engine lay out that would negate firebird. Hmm???
maybe both are Fire-o's (sorry, Fiero's :P ), just the red one is some custom job? I too thought the black rims on the red one looked like Pontiac wheels, mostly remembered from the turbo Trans Am
Ok, that white one in back has to be an '84 Fiero pace car.
That red thing certainly looks Pontiac-like with the side light markers and most certainly the black wheels. I'm farily certain those are the same wheels used on the turbo Trans Am, I use to see a bunch of those race at Great Lakes Dragstrip when I worked there.
So, is it some sort of Pontiac concept or heavily modded Pontiac 2 door (which would either be a Fiero or TransAm/Firebird)? It's gotta be a Pontiac of some sort, just looks like one from the side.
Look at how close the production NSX was to the prototype Fiero though. I mean if GM had gone through with it with the NSX out around the same time but the Fiero at less then half the price can you imagine what would have happened?
I doubt they could have kept production up with demand.
for a short time. It's relatively easy to remove the body panels and substitute others so there was a small cottrage industry making modification pieces. There was one setup that transformed your Fiero into a 308 GTS look-alike (well sorta).
It seems to me when Pontiac made the body design cleaner and more ferrariesque you could say in 1988, I thought sales started to climb. The overheating problems and bugs were basically fixed. How could GM give up then. It was a shame.
Comments
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Yup.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Yes, in 1986 the only Merkur was the XR4Ti. I loved the car (great styling, roomy interior, good handling), in general, but I had a few problems with it (bad turbo, bad gas mileage, automatic). And I looked into moving up to the Scorpio, but it was tough to find a stick.
I think it's a De Tomaso Longchamps ('73-'89).
The Maserati Kyalami was nearly identical except for the Trident grille.
I really like the Monteverdi, deTomaso, and Maserati coupes, but this car isn't any of them.
However since Andy said "Not what you think" it COULD be a 208GTB.. but I thought those died after 1985.. although I suppose a VERY late 208 could have the new front end of a 328.
BTW, I'm pretty sure the B in GTB stands for "Berlinetta", literally little sedan, or coupe. A "Barchetta", literally little canoe, is an open car.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Looks like about a '68 Chevy pickup in the traffic lane..
BTW, I knew everything on the Jimmy Stewart picture, except the car... lol.
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OK... off to the left, mid-70s GM Pickup.
Crusing through the lot to the left is a 71-2 or so Chevy Pickup.
Farthest to the back is a VW Beetle, then in front of the beetle we have what looks like 2 57 Plymouths.
Next row looks like a Dodge Dart, then a 59 Ford, then a 76 or so Chevy Pickup, then about a 57 Chevy pickup.
In the front we have a 72 Chevelle SS and a 67-68 Mustang.
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I can't read the script on the fin ahead of the fuel filler door, but I wonder if this particular car was one of those stripper Firedome Seville models? In 1956, DeSoto used the Seville nameplate as a sub-series of the Firedome. Basically stripped down a bit with a more spartan interior, and I think a base price maybe $100 less. I'm guessing that script either says "Seville" or "Sportsman", which is a name DeSoto tacked onto their hardtop models, kinda like how Buick did with "Riviera" or Olds with "Holiday"
I always thought that Vertigo DeSoto was really classy looking, in all white with no 2-toning.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
-An unidentifiable p'up at the top w a sedan parked behind.
-Below it is a Chevy or GMC Crew Cab prolly early 70s, then there's a black '69-'70 Chevy/GMC facing the camera.
-I can't make out the black over white 4-door parked next to the black pickup. It is facing a '70 or '71 Malibu (not neccessarily an SS, stripes were optional on any Malibu)).
-To the Malibu's left is a red '67 or '68 Mustang convertible.
-The Mustang is facing a couple of Chevy or GMC p'ups the blue one is a mid-late 70's design. The White over turquoise is a mid-late 50s and they are parked next to a '58 or '59 Ford, prolly a Galaxie.
--Behind 'em are two MoPars from the "Forward Look" era. The white one looks like a '58 or '59 Plymouth but it could be a Chrysler. The White over Red looks like a '59
Plymouth and behind that might be a white VW Bug.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Actually, the red/white '59 might not be a Fury, but a cheaper model like a Savoy/Belevedere. I thought the nicer models had the "toilet seat" spare tire hump in the trunklid...unless that was just the Sport Fury?
Looks like one of those funky '62 Plymouths to me. The "Plucked Chicken", I think Exner called it?
-Brian
-Brian
Though I don't know why anyone would do that to it.
That red thing certainly looks Pontiac-like with the side light markers and most certainly the black wheels. I'm farily certain those are the same wheels used on the turbo Trans Am, I use to see a bunch of those race at Great Lakes Dragstrip when I worked there.
So, is it some sort of Pontiac concept or heavily modded Pontiac 2 door (which would either be a Fiero or TransAm/Firebird)? It's gotta be a Pontiac of some sort, just looks like one from the side.
-Brian
Can you say half priced NSX?
Typical GM as soon as they get the car just right they kill it.
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I doubt they could have kept production up with demand.
(well sorta).
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93