Mystery car pix

jescue

cutlass ciera.

andre1969

Yeah, pretty similar style. I think that 5-hole pattern that the Corvette is sporting was usually a bigger, heavy-duty performance wheel. Usually 15x7. Pretty much went away when performance cars went away, although I've seen cars like the Laguna S-3 sporting them. It may have been available in a 14" diameter, but I dunno if I've ever seen one.

The 6-hole pattern that the Malibu is sporting, I believe, was only available in a 14" diameter. Probably only 6" wide, too. I think it was more of a look-good type of wheel, meant to dress up an otherwise mundane car like that Malibu. Turns out it was offered as an option on the Nova, and my auto encyclopedia is showing a factory photo of a 1974 Camaro LT with those rims. I think that style went away around 1982 or so, and was replaced by a 5-hole pattern with pentagon-shaped cutouts. A FWD version was also offered for cars like the Celebrity Eurosport.

andys120

cutlass ciera.

Yep.

andys120

Mr_Shiftright

Let's see.....UGLY + BRITISH.....hmmm.......must be a Jowett?

urnews

Whatever it is it sure is pretty looking, very distinctive, a combination of old and new.

andys120

Nope, not a Jowett.

Mr_Shiftright

Okay I figured it out. I was going through my mind trying to remember all the less-than-lovely British open cars that came out after the war, like from Riley, Singer, Triumph 1800, MG Y Tourer and Hillman Minx, but nothing fit.

Then I figured maybe it was just a bad picture of a not too bad car, and then I came up with Lea Francis.

That's an odd photo. It's not a terribly beautiful car but it does look better than in that photo. It's not as blunt and stubby in real life and the back end isn't too bad. It's just got that blumpy styling that prevents it from looking like a Jaguar 120, even though the two are contemporary.

Is it a 14 or an 18?

andys120

Nice going Shifty, it's a Lea Francis 2.5 Litre Sports, only 77 were made 1949-1953. It was contemporaneous with the XK-120 but it was more of a 4-seat tourer than a performance Sports Car.

andys120

imidazol97

andys120

The red car is an Oldsmobile HT coupe ca. '52 or '53. The hood has been stripped of the jet plane ornament. My Grandpa had a '53.

The blue car next to it is a 1970 Chevy Malibu, probably an SS, my favorite Muscle Car.

imidazol97

Can you tell more about the 53 Olds?

You'd love some of the weekly cruiseins here because lots of the Malibu, muscle car types, show up some weeks. I can't keep all those cars straight with names and years.

andys120

Can you tell more about the 53 Olds?

Not much, I was 10 in 1953, I can't even remember if it was an 88 or a 98. Grandpa's wasn't anything special, just a two-tone blue 4-door B-post sedan.

imidazol97

It is a 98 instead of the usual 88. It's difficult to tell and most people don't think of the 98 as possibility.

andre1969

I'm gonna guess a 1975 Corolla SR-5 liftback?

andys120

I'm gonna guess a 1975 Corolla SR-5 liftback?

Yep, goes back to the days when 'Yoda made cheap cars that were cool.

andys120

from the original The Fast and The Furious (1954), a Roger Corman B-movie (one of his first) chock full of old Sports/racing cars>

lemko

Looks like an Allard. They were powered by a Cadillac engine.

andys120

Yep, it's an Allard J2, Dorothy Malone is behind the wheel. Not all Allard J2s and J2Xs used Cadillac power. Just about any V8 that would fit was stuffed under their hoods, Chrysler Hemis were quite popular and some even used souped up Ford Flatheads with Offy heads.

andys120

andys120

Ididn't think anyone would get #14805. Here's some clues, it's a Fiberglass body on top of Aussie Ford mechanicals, made in NZ.

andys120

The green Roadster is an Almac Sabre. Almac is mainly a maker of Cobra replicas. It's unclear to me whether the Sabre is sold as a turn key car or just as a kit.

andys120

From Casino:

jescue

Eldorado Biarritz. 84ish.

andre1969

1979-85 Eldorado in the foreground, but I can't tell beyond that. And like Jescue said, it looks like a Biarritz.

I think the brown/copper car behind it is a 1980 or so Cutlass Supreme sedan or maybe a Century.

In the back, looks like a '70-72 Chevelle, '77-79 Mark V. White car is throwing me off, though. First thing that popped into my mind was a 1970-72 Cutlass Supreme, but I have a feeling that's not it.

jescue

I was so mesmerized with the Cadillac I didnt see the other cars. I LOVE those Eldorados.

andys120

Close enough, it's an '81.

ateixeira

My brother-in-law has owned a couple of those.

Funny thing is he told me he would drive around and people would shout out cash offers to buy it right there, on the spot.

He sold both for a profit, too.

I think they have a Gangster-cool appeal to them.

andre1969

I was so mesmerized with the Cadillac I didnt see the other cars. I LOVE those Eldorados.

Yeah, I always thought they were good looking cars too. Downright tiny compared to the cars they replaced, but they still had an aura about them. Unfortunately, most of them were plagued by troublesome engines. The '79 had an Olds 350 and was pretty good, and I think the '80 had a choice of Caddy 368 or Olds 350, and again was decent, as long as you didn't get the Diesel. But then for '81 they went to the V-8-6-4 and then the tiny 249 aluminum meltdown engine for '82-85.

For some reason the Toronado from that era has always appealed to me.

jescue

I have always heard that about the engines, but my favorite are the last ones that had the awful 8-6-4. I think if they had a better reputation I would own one now. I like the Toronado very well, much better looking than the Riviera IMO. But Olds is a favorite of mine, I still want a late 80s Cutlass Supreme.

andys120

Note, that is not the stock steering wheel for this car.

fintail

I like those Eldos too, the angular lines work very well - but only with the good engine, and NO vinyl top, and preferrably with something other than wire wheel hubcaps.

When I was a kid a friend of the family had one, blue on blue, I remember riding in it a few times. It had the automatic closing trunk.

andre1969

That's not a Chevy Corsica interior, is it?

ateixeira

I don't think so, my girlfriend in high school had a Beretta and it didn't look much like that.

texases

The seats would be worth the cost of the Corsica!

kyfdx

E30 M3?

andre1969

Okay, now I realize that's NOT a Corsica interior! Still, with those cheap looking window cranks, the clunky dash with the gauge display sort of plopped on, and the awkward way that they try to wrap the dash design into the doors, and the too-low, flat seats (although I'll give them bonus points for the side bolstering), it was an honest mistake!

I pulled up a Corsica interior though, and while I thought that interior above was no great shakes, suddenly it looks almost BMW-like! :P

kyfdx

I could be wrong.... that was a flat-out guess.. It just looks familiar, that's all..

jescue

Looks japanese to me..like an isuzu.

andys120

You guys are thinking the right decade but otherwise you're way off. Here's a little help>



Note-stock tailights on this car were not round.

bumpy

It almost looks like a Mitsubishi Starion, but those were hatchbacks.

fintail

Lancia Montecarlo aka Scorpion

andys120

That's right, Fintail.

andys120

toomanyfumes

Wild guess, 1961?

Mr_Shiftright

How come all muscle car owners have pot bellies but Corvette owners are slimmer? Is it because you could not possibly get into a vintage Corvette with a pot belly?

karsick

I'm not a Corvette guy, but I'm gonna say MY '58-'60 on that one.

I believe in 1961 they got the "Route 66 look" with the twin circular taillights.

Regarding the potbellied comment, I usually spot (modern) Vette owners by their facial hair, the perfectly coiffed 'do, the satin jacket, the tan, the neck chain and the overly made-up, bleach-blonde, middle-aged ladyfriend. :P

andys120

I'm not a Corvette guy, but I'm gonna say MY '58-'60 on that one.

I believe in 1961 they got the "Route 66 look" with the twin circular taillights.

That's correct Karsick, the duck tails came in for '61. The car shown is a 1960 Fuelie 'Vette, the same guy has owned it since 1964. I was told by the owner of a '59 that it's nearly impossible to tell a '60 from a '59. You have to know which color combos were available in which year. '58s are similar but have prominent chrome strips on the trunk.

I spent a lot of time in a '58 that belonged to a college buddy and I can tell you there's not much room to get behind that wheel, I doubt I could do it anymore.

andys120