The mini is an Austin, and by this date it would be either the original Austin Seven or the Austin Mini (from about 1962) It's a deluxe, by the way. In the foreground we have a Citroen Traction Avant, probably a fairly late one judging by the indicators on the wings. The white car is a Renault Dauphine (or a Henney Kilowatt, as last week, but that would seem unlikely!), and following it is a Renault R8. The two vans are Renaults, too, I think. Less sure about the Chevrolet - 1951?
The little chrome bar above the corner of the front (and where visible rear) bumpers is a sign of a deluxe, as opposed to a standard model, but many of the early standard ones didn't have chrome surrounds to the rear windows, too.
I am hopeless with Traction Avants - the ones sold in UK were generally better equiped than the standard French model, with more chrome - but this one has a proper chrome grille too, so it may be whatever the deluxe term was for those..
As for the Chevy, I must say I thought it ws earlier, but I am no good with dates...
At first I was gonna say a 1972 Plymouth, but then I saw the faint "1973" on the license plate! Plus, it just hit me...the '72 Fury would still have one of those loop-grilles that wouldn't hold up to 5 mph bumper standards. Its whole name is probably something like Fury III Gran Coupe.
Not sure where that background is, but I don't think it's Mount Vernon. Kind of a pretty picture, though. It actually makes me think slightly of the University of Maryland, where I went to college, but it's not that, either.
Yup, it's a '73 Fury, I was hoping that indistinct plate would fool some, it looks like "1979" in my monitors. This was the cover illustration for the entire 1973 Plymouth Fury line so it doesn't say exactly which Fury it is. It lists the following "Fury Gran Coupe/ Fury Gran Sedan/FuryIII/Fury II/ Fury I".
What possible reason could there be to offer so many variations on the same car? :sick:
Actually it looks alot like "1979" on my monitor, too!
As for offering all those variations, I guess back then it made sense, to them, in order to keep up with Chevy. That Fury I/Fury II/Fury III/Gran Coupe/Sedan would've roughly equated to Biscayne/Bel Air/Impala/Caprice.
The VIP's last year was 1969, I believe. For 1970, the Gran Coupe made its debut, but it was sort of an odd thing. It was based on the low-line fixed-pillar coupe, rather than a hardtop, yet it had a spruced up interior, and the sportier front-end with the hidden headlights. It also had air conditioning standard, which must have been a rarity on a car in that price class in those days. The ads compared the Gran Coupe to the LTD and Caprice.
For 1971, the Gran Coupe was offered as a hardtop coupe or hardtop sedan, and oddly, even the 4-door was called "Gran Coupe" :confuse: For 1972 they called the 4-door "Gran Sedan", though.
They abandoned this in 1975 though, when all the big cars were called "Gran Fury", with the nicer Caprice/LTD type models called "Gran Fury Brougham".
What possible reason could there be to offer so many variations on the same car?
I see it differently.
Prior to about 1960, each brand had one basic car sold in a number of model lines. Even up through the early 1980s, some publications referred to a "Ford" or "Chevrolet" when they talked about full-sized model. Today, "Bel Air" or "Impala" or "Biscayne" would be considered a trim level but in years past it was considered to be a model line.
When the first sports cars were introduced, you had the choice between a Chevrolet (or Ford) and a Corvette (or Thunderbird). Even when the first "compacts" were introduced, Falcon, Corvair, and Valiant were promoted as if they were entirely new brands and not just model lines under their respective brands.
Even up through the early 1980s, some publications referred to a "Ford" or "Chevrolet" when they talked about full-sized model. Today, "Bel Air" or "Impala" or "Biscayne" would be considered a trim level but in years past it was considered to be a model line.
I've always wondered if the reason they started doing that was because of Plymouth. Plymouth shot themselves in the foot with oddly styled 1960-61 models that had a lot of pressure put on them by similar, much more attractive Dodge models only costing a few dollars more. Then in '62-64 they downsized, accidentally creating intermediates. Good, sturdy, lightweight performance cars when equipped with the right engine, but nobody who still wanted a big'un took them seriously. Then for 1965, they re-entered the full-sized market, in a major way. However, instead of giving the trim levels totally different names, they just called them all Fury. Fury I, Fury II, Fury III, Fury VIP, Sport Fury.
I think it was around that time, or soon thereafter, that most publications just started lumping all the big Fords together under "Ford", and similarly with the Chevies.
Further up the ranks, the other divisions never did that. For instance, they never lumped the Catalina, Executive, Bonneville, and full-sized Grand Prix together under "Pontiac". And I think Dodge always separated the Polara and Monaco. Mercury kept their models separate as well, although eventually in the 70's, they did consolidate. Mercury went with Marquis, with the uplevel model being a Grand Marquis. Dodge went with Monaco/Royal Monaco/Royal Monaco Brougham for 1974, I believe.
At first I thought it might be a Renault Floride, but the Floride is a lot more cluttered-looking than this car. Perhaps it's a Fiat Vignale 600 or 750 coupe?
Vignale did one very similar, though the turn signals are differently located. I wonder if Vignale and Frua were sifting through each other's trash cans. I know Frua did the Floride/Caravelle.
That's a good guess too, I think Frua did some Morettis.
I don't think anybody is going to get this one, only a handful were made. It's a 1963-4 Gianini 850 Coupe, based on Fiat 600D mechanicals
. Per carsfromitaly.com:
At the end of 1963 Giannini released this little coupé. Based on the mechanicals of the Fiat 600D, with the engine modified by Giannini to a capacity of 850cc, generating 42bhp @ 5,800rpm giving a maximum speed of around 135kph. The body was designed by Frua and constructed by Viotti at Turin. .
The green one's not a Vega--but you're close. And the yellow one used a different name in the US in 1978-80. Correct on the RX3 and the Chevette Woody.
The Mazda is somehow cool...the Fiat is interesting too, just because one knows it has craptacular quality. There was one of those 131 wagons in the smallish town where I grew up...even when I was a kid I knew it was odd. It too was yellow, and an automatic :sick:
A woody Chevette...who can argue with that? The golden age of the American auto industry!
We have a winner. . . The Pontiac Astre, a badge-engineered Vega, ran and hid from the Vega's reputation for engine meltdown by replacing the liner-less aluminum block "Dura Built" engine with the retro-tech Iron Duke, lifted from the early '60s Chevy II with a host of minor revisions.
Anybody for the yellow "luxury" version of the Fiat 131 produced in the late 1970s for the US market?
I remember when I was a young teen, my dad found a very nice Pinto Cruisin Wagon, and he wanted to buy it, thinking it would be a collectible. My mother swiftly put her foot down...some of his other old beasts were OK, but no Pinto would live at her house.
Are you hinting at the Mirafiori name? Nope. I believe "Mirafiori" was appended to all US market 131s in the first couple of years. The car in question is a Fiat Super Brava.
On a summer night in 1969 I was approaching Paris driving one of them (a second hand one) and her gearbox caught fire. By the time the Gendarmerie and the Firemen came, only a smoking carcass was left. A hot night party. :sick:
Comments
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
The mini is an Austin, and by this date it would be either the original Austin Seven or the Austin Mini (from about 1962) It's a deluxe, by the way.
In the foreground we have a Citroen Traction Avant, probably a fairly late one judging by the indicators on the wings.
The white car is a Renault Dauphine (or a Henney Kilowatt, as last week, but that would seem unlikely!), and following it is a Renault R8.
The two vans are Renaults, too, I think.
Less sure about the Chevrolet - 1951?
The mini is labelled at imcbd as a '62 Austin Seven, how can you tell it's a Deluxe?
Nomenclature for late TAs is confusing to me, I think it could be an 11Normale, a Light 15 and probably a couple of others.:confuse:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I am hopeless with Traction Avants - the ones sold in UK were generally better equiped than the standard French model, with more chrome - but this one has a proper chrome grille too, so it may be whatever the deluxe term was for those..
As for the Chevy, I must say I thought it ws earlier, but I am no good with dates...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Is that Mount Vernon back there?>
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Not sure where that background is, but I don't think it's Mount Vernon. Kind of a pretty picture, though. It actually makes me think slightly of the University of Maryland, where I went to college, but it's not that, either.
What possible reason could there be to offer so many variations on the same car? :sick:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Biscayne, Bel Air, Impala, Caprice.
As for offering all those variations, I guess back then it made sense, to them, in order to keep up with Chevy. That Fury I/Fury II/Fury III/Gran Coupe/Sedan would've roughly equated to Biscayne/Bel Air/Impala/Caprice.
See also Custom/Custom 500/Galaxie 500/LTD.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
For 1971, the Gran Coupe was offered as a hardtop coupe or hardtop sedan, and oddly, even the 4-door was called "Gran Coupe" :confuse: For 1972 they called the 4-door "Gran Sedan", though.
They abandoned this in 1975 though, when all the big cars were called "Gran Fury", with the nicer Caprice/LTD type models called "Gran Fury Brougham".
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Nope, sorry.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I see it differently.
Prior to about 1960, each brand had one basic car sold in a number of model lines. Even up through the early 1980s, some publications referred to a "Ford" or "Chevrolet" when they talked about full-sized model. Today, "Bel Air" or "Impala" or "Biscayne" would be considered a trim level but in years past it was considered to be a model line.
When the first sports cars were introduced, you had the choice between a Chevrolet (or Ford) and a Corvette (or Thunderbird). Even when the first "compacts" were introduced, Falcon, Corvair, and Valiant were promoted as if they were entirely new brands and not just model lines under their respective brands.
Yep, to be exact it's a 1969 Nissan KL60 Patrol. .
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I've always wondered if the reason they started doing that was because of Plymouth. Plymouth shot themselves in the foot with oddly styled 1960-61 models that had a lot of pressure put on them by similar, much more attractive Dodge models only costing a few dollars more. Then in '62-64 they downsized, accidentally creating intermediates. Good, sturdy, lightweight performance cars when equipped with the right engine, but nobody who still wanted a big'un took them seriously. Then for 1965, they re-entered the full-sized market, in a major way. However, instead of giving the trim levels totally different names, they just called them all Fury. Fury I, Fury II, Fury III, Fury VIP, Sport Fury.
I think it was around that time, or soon thereafter, that most publications just started lumping all the big Fords together under "Ford", and similarly with the Chevies.
Further up the ranks, the other divisions never did that. For instance, they never lumped the Catalina, Executive, Bonneville, and full-sized Grand Prix together under "Pontiac". And I think Dodge always separated the Polara and Monaco. Mercury kept their models separate as well, although eventually in the 70's, they did consolidate. Mercury went with Marquis, with the uplevel model being a Grand Marquis. Dodge went with Monaco/Royal Monaco/Royal Monaco Brougham for 1974, I believe.
Plymouth had the VIP
AMC had the Ambassador 990 DPL
DPL? Does that stand for "Diplomat?"
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Vignale 600 Coupe
I don't think anybody is going to get this one, only a handful were made. It's a 1963-4 Gianini 850 Coupe, based on Fiat 600D mechanicals
. Per carsfromitaly.com:
At the end of 1963 Giannini released this little coupé. Based on the mechanicals of the Fiat 600D, with the engine modified by Giannini to a capacity of 850cc, generating 42bhp @ 5,800rpm giving a maximum speed of around 135kph. The body was designed by Frua and constructed by Viotti at Turin. .
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
They never came in a convertible format or with an Alfa Romeo badge either.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
None of them particularly challenging for an American growing up in the '70s--unless you had to depend on one for transportation. . .
Second is a Mazda RX3.
Next is a Chevy Chevette
The yellow is a Fiat 131 Estate. We had those too, but not too many.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
A woody Chevette...who can argue with that? The golden age of the American auto industry!
At least they never did this to the Chevette:
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*ding*
We have a winner. . . The Pontiac Astre, a badge-engineered Vega, ran and hid from the Vega's reputation for engine meltdown by replacing the liner-less aluminum block "Dura Built" engine with the retro-tech Iron Duke, lifted from the early '60s Chevy II with a host of minor revisions.
Anybody for the yellow "luxury" version of the Fiat 131 produced in the late 1970s for the US market?
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Nope. I believe "Mirafiori" was appended to all US market 131s in the first couple of years. The car in question is a Fiat Super Brava.
Tres bizarre, Pug 403 is correct, it stayed in production for over a decade (1955-66).
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Regards,
Jose