Mystery car pix

wgrafer

Actually, DeSoto's last year was 1961. If I could ever figure out how to post a photo I would :confuse:

andys120

Actually, DeSoto's last year was 1961. If I could ever figure out how to post a photo I would

Here ya go>

'61 DeSoto>

Perhaps I should've said 1960 should have been DeSoto's last year.

lostwrench

Biante is taken from the English word Ambient and its definition.

karsick

Man, that hideous van makes both the graceful Mazda5 & the MPV look like works of art.

Talk about angry kitchen appliance! :P

guss

I have never seen a Mazda that I did not like the looks of it...until now. Hopefully that will not be coming to the US.

andys120

magnette

This appears to be a Fiat 124 Spider

andys120

Fiat 124 Spider

Yeah, a US Spec (Square sidelight on fender) '72 or '73model based on hood bulges.

andys120

andre1969

Perhaps I should've said 1960 should have been DeSoto's last year.

I always theorized that they made the 1961 DeSoto look extra ugly on purpose, to get more people into Chryslers, and so that nobody would whine once the brand went away.

However, looking at the disjointed, swollen, incoherent front-ends that many modern cars are sporting (Honda CR-V, anyone?) it makes me see what a trendsetter the 1961 DeSoto really was. :surprise:

If it wasn't for that front-end, it wouldn't be a bad looking car IMO. It's actually pretty sleek and attractive from just about any other angle, although fins were becoming a bit passe by 1961. And if they'd lower the hood and get rid of that bulge with the meshy oval where it says "DESOTO", it would've done a world of good for the front-end. That would've made it look a bit more like a 1960 Lincoln, which is no beauty queen itself, but still looks a bit cleaner up front IMO than the DeSotos' double-grille effect.

imidazol97

I wonder how much that oval with the Desoto inside was influenced by the Edsel grill and other extravangances of the time. If it's considered within its era, I don't think it was as exuberantly out-of-place as we perceive it now.

steelydanfan

This new Mazda van should be in the new Speed Racer movie as a support vehicle . No question about the country of origin here........ I guess my eyes aren't slanted enough to appreciate this......and I read where the new movie clocks in at a staggering 2hrs, 15mins. No wonder it flopped last weekend. :lemon:

fintail

One of the early Datsuns, ca. 1957...I don't know the name but I think it was numeric

bumpy

Okay, the engine's not much of a mystery but the car might be.

stickguy

2000? The late 60's convertible.

andys120

2000? The late 60's convertible.

Probably not, they were still Datsuns then and the Datsun 2000 roadster was a SOHC, that looks like a Twin-cammer.

andys120

One of the early Datsuns, ca. 1957

It's the very first Datsun exported to North America, the 1958 Datsun 1000.

texases

That took some digging: is it a late 70s Nissan Skyline?

Here's another one

kyfdx

6-cylinder w/3 carbs? Nice!

andre1969

Ooh, a Tripower Hemi-6. :P

bumpy

Plus, the Datsun 2000 was a 4-banger anyway. :P Y'all are dancing around the answer, and texases is off by a decade.

texases

OK...how about a 1969 Skyline GT-R?

bumpy

Nope, not a Skyline, but the engine is the Nissan (Prince) S20 that went in the GT-Rs. I figured someone would have recognized the strut towers by now.

texases

OK....how about a Fairlady Z432?

bumpy

We have a winner! Nissan took the S20 from the GT-R and dropped it into the brand-new Fairlady Z to produce a high-power version that stayed within the 2-liter tax bracket.

texases

And you can see/hear it here

Z432YouTube

andys120

fintail

Some kind of Fiat 500 based thing with the late 60s, with an Italian name like Giardina or something (I don't know Italian)

andys120

You're getting warm, it is Fiat 500-based but not a Giardiniera, which was an Estate car (basically a stretched 500 w a horizontal engine).

BTW it is not a Siata Spring either although it resembles one and was made in the same era.

magnette

Vignale Gamine - late 60's/early 70's - and it is Fiat 500 based. They are commonly known as "Noddy cars". I've seen a few, but I think there has also been a replica, more recently, based on the 126...

andys120

You're exactly right. I can see whay they'd be called "Noddy cars".

andys120

karsick

Nissan Micra (mid-80's)?

These were very common in Denmark when I lived there 20yrs ago.

andys120

Yep, Nissan Micra is correct, JDM name is Nissan March.

andys120

kyfdx

It's an Alfa...

andys120

I'm looking for a more specific answer, Kfdyx.

ateixeira

Alfa Romeo.

kyfdx

Yeah... what he said...

steelydanfan

Alfa Romeo Spyder. The instrument array cowl has a 1980's look, but the instruments themselves look older. I remember earlier Spyders had a "two hooded" instrument array cowl . I always liked those Spyders, if only the Italians knew how to use a torque wrench properly..................

andys120

Not even close Dan, looks like youse need another clue>

karsick

A Giulietta Spider, my favorite roofless Alfalfa Rome-Eo.

I'm not too fond of the yellow paint on this one, though. Appears to be an AutoX special.

andys120

That's it. It's a 1961 Giulietta Spider 1300, it's my favorite topless Alfa as well.
The yellow paint, tach bolted to the steering column, roll-over bar and several other items on this car are not factory stock.

andys120

ateixeira

I'm thinking Volvo. 122 or something, I'll guess.

magnette

Volvo 142 - circa 1972...It is presumably a US spec car, as apart from the van in the background it seems to have different indicators on the front wings from Euro spec versions - although I'm not sure about that...

andys120

Close, it's a 1970 Volvo 142S the indicator is the USDOT-mandated side marker light.

andys120

wgrafer

1963 Chevy II...and a 1961 Cadillac next to it.

andys120

Yep,took a long time to solve that one. :sick: