Mystery car pix

andys120

Good job, I'm not sure of the year of the split window Plymouth or the Lark but you've nailed the others.

andys120

fintail

Pontiac Firefly, a rebadged Metro as the Pontiac name still means a little something in Canada.

I once saw one of these with Yukon plates in WA state.

andys120

Yep, the Firefly was also sold as the Chevrolet Sprint as well the Geo Metro.

:confuse:

andys120

karsick

Gotta be a Saab 93, one car I REALLY wanted when I was in college (and still do :P )

How better to do Stig Blomquist impersonations :confuse:

karsick

BTW- on the Saab, don't ya love the airplane-inspired steering wheel?

The hub is the fuselage
The spokes are the wings
The rim is the spinning prop tips.

If Saab could bring an entry-level 92/93/95/96 inspired car to market (using the Astra chassis :confuse: ) for $23k, I think they could give the MINI a run for its 60's vintage rally-esque money.

andys120

You must be (Kar) Sick if you still want a Saab 93. :P

andys120

bumpy

1962 Buick Special?

andys120

1962 Buick Special

I dunno what was so "special" about them but that's what they called 'em.

andys120

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

fintail

Looks like a 275 GTB spyder...nearly new in 1968...pretty valuable today

andys120

Yep, very rare and valuable, only ten were turned out in 1967. They were known as "N.A.R.T Spiders" because Luigi Chinetti Sr. who owned Ferrari's North American import rights commissioned then and raced a couple of them under the banner of his North American Racing Team, Denise McCluggage and Pinky Rollo scored a class win at Sebring in '67 with the NART Spider when I was there.

A number of 275 GTB coupes were converted to Spiders but they are not considered true NART Spiders. The PF 275 GTS was a different car as discussed a few posts back.

andys120

karsick

Jensen Interceptor, but with some BMW-Baur-like roof replacing the big boattail-Riv-like roof of the Jensen I'm familiar with.

Is that an aftermarket chop job?

lostwrench

They were "Special" because they were considered a separate "compact" line of Buick. Instead of the usual 123" and 126" wheelbases, the Special had wheelbases of 112" and 115".

andys120

Nope not an aftermarket job, apparently the notchback roof was added to a small number of Interceptor convertibles before they were sold. I don't know by whom but if Magnette comes by he might know.

stickguy

the purple one behind the red Ferrari? Looks like a '67ish Barracuda.

wgrafer

And behind the 1967 Barracuda?? Looks like a '61 or '62 Oldsmobile Holiday Sports Sedan to me (Got to see a little more to pin it down exactly).

andre1969

I dunno what was so "special" about them but that's what they called 'em.

Probably just a recycle of a previous name. That's what Buick called their entry level model up through 1958. For 1959, Buick threw out all of its traditional names, and what had been the Special was renamed LeSabre.

Looking back, it seems like a silly name, but in the real old days, they didn't always put that much thought into model names. They'd just call them stuff like Special, Super, DeLuxe, Custom, etc. I guess doing that probably put more emphasis on the identity of the brand as a whole, rather than individual model or series.

lemko

My first car was a 1968 Buick Special Deluxe station wagon. The Special Deluxe was once the middle tier of the Buick senior compact lineup that went Special-Special Deluxe-Skylark.

In 1964, the Buick Special became an "intermediate-sized" car.

By 1968, the Special Deluxe was the base car. Two-door Special Deluxes were on a 112" wheelbase whereas wagons and sedans were on a 116" wheelbase. The glass-domed Sportwagon was on a 121" wheelbase.

andys120

I didn't know I was going to get such a big reaction to my throwaway line about the
Buick Special.

I think the those are a '67 ish 'Cuda and a '62-ish Olds, Pontiac or Buick 4-door h/t
behind the 275/NART.

andys120

stickguy

but is the front one an Abarth?

Other than that, an Alfa spyder next to it, one across from it (but probably earlier), a Ferrari (Mondial?), and a Volvo P1800

fintail

The weird Abarth has its name on the front fender :P Next to it looks like an Alfa, with a soft top that somehow looks bulkier than normal..

Across as mentioned is an Alfa, a Ferrari (308 GT4 ca. 1975) and the Volvo.

qbrozen

ok. throwing a red flag. It is Spider, not spyder, when referring to an Alfa. :b

andys120

You got 'em all Fintail.

Sorry Stickguy but Gbrozen is also correct about S-P-Y-D-E-R vs. S-P-I-D-E-R.

Alfa, Ferrari and Fiat use the same spelling as the eight-legged Arachnid. Spyder with a Y is used by Maserati and Lamborghini (and Porsche on their current "RS Spyder" LMP-2 race car.)

andys120

imidazol97

Studebaker?
Early '60s?

andys120

Studebaker what? Model name please.

hudsonthedog

Studebaker Champ

andys120

Yep, it's a 1960 Studebaker Champ.

andys120

ateixeira

I'm going to guess Mini Cooper.

andys120

Which Mini Cooper, BMC or BMW?

ateixeira

On 10 inch wheels with England stamped on them? The old one, naturally. :shades:

andys120

Thank you very much. The 10" Minilite Magnesium Alloy Wheel was the wheel that really began the whole alloy wheel trend and the reason alloys are sometimes called "mag wheels". Cooper owners in search of better performance and or looks flocked to them in huge numbers and generated a number of imitators including some blatant copies.

Genuine Minilites are still made for new and old Minis as well as a lot of other cars.

andys120

ateixeira

A set of those would look great on my Miata.

I'm sure they were 10" for weight purposes.

I recall the original 14" BBS wheels on the Miata were under 10 lbs. Incredible, really.

Can't imagine what a set of DUBS weighs nowadays.

hudsonthedog

1949 or 1950 Healey Silverstone...with accessory lights (one mis-aimed)

andys120

1949 or 1950 Healey Silverstone...with accessory lights (one mis-aimed)

Yep.

andys120

magnette

I'm rubbish at identifying engines, but I'm going to guess this is a Rootes group motor of some sort, say a Hillman Minx or something similar ?

magnette

Been away a few days, but as far as I'm aware, the notchback Jensen Interceptor was a regular offering, for the last year or so that the car was available. I'll look it up when I get a chance, at home.

andys120

You're slipping Mag, that motor has no connection whatever w Rootes Group. I'm surprised no one has gotten it yet, it's a well known and highly regarded unit.

bumpy

WAG: Toyota R-series?

magnette

I'm not at all surprised - I'm useless at engines....

magnette

Well, I've looked up the Interceptor, and the notchback was a short-lived offering in 1975/6, by the factory, following on from the convertible, which had only gone on offer in 74. They went bust in 76, so not many notchbacks were actually made.

magnette