Mystery car pix

andys120

That's a 1956 Cadillac Series 62 coupe

Yes, it is.

andys120

stephen987

1986-88 Yugo GV, made in Yugoslavia by Zastava. Based on the Fiat 128.

michaellno

Based on the logo on the steering wheel, it looks to be a Yugo, late 80's vintage.

"A New Car for $3995!"

Yep - you get what you pay for.

andys120

Yep, exactly.

andys120

fintail

Looks like a 924 Turbo by the trim and wheels, I guess those are from around 1980

andys120

You didn't waste anytime on that one Fin, it's an '81.

andys120

...as seen in Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958)>

fintail

Car directly in front, driving, looks like a Jag Mk VIII. Parked closest looks like a 48-49 Buick, in front of that maybe a 49-50 Chevy 4 door fastback, in front of that maybe a 1952 Chevy.

imidazol97

What kind of car is the camera in? That hood ornament looks familiar....

andys120

Pretty good, Fintail. Of course either of the Chevies in front of the Buick could be
Pontiacs or even Oldsmobiles.

andys120

You'd have to watch the movie to know which car the hood ornament belonged to, or at least I would.

andys120

andre1969

1956 DeSoto Firedome 2-door hardtop. White with no two-toning.

hudsonthedog

"A New Car for $3995!"

It was worse than that...it was $3,990!

steelydanfan

andys, the hood ornament is blacked out, but it looks like the Renault diamond to me, i'm guessing a current/soon to be introduced Renault Megane Coupe.

bhill2

For some reason I am suddenly morbidly curious. Could you get A/C in a Yugo? It would seem weird if you could, but I know that you could get it in a VW Beetle if you tried hard enough (although I don't know if it was a dealer-installed option or strictly aftermarket).

stephen987

I believe it was originally a dealer=installed option on the Yugo GV. By 1989 or thereabouts they also had GVL and GVX models, and there might have been a factory A/C option by then.

andre1969

I did a Google search for "Yugo air conditioning" and a lot of hits came up, so yeah, it probably was offered at some point.

I wonder if power windows were ever an option?

andys120

Yowza, that is indeed a CAD version of the 2010 Megane Coupe.

boomchek

I actually stillhave some Yugo brochures (well their brochuires were aone page flyer with all the specs and a picture on the other side), and I don't believe there were any options. Usually anything you wanted added on was a dealer exclusive accessory.

andys120

fintail

Some sport-trimmed non-Evo Mitsu Lancer that we don't get on this continent

oregonboy

Clearly it's a Mitsu that has been drinking Audi kool-aide!

magnette

Mitsubishi Evo X - looks like the one that passed me in traffic yesterday (are they all white, or are the white ones the only ones you see?)

andys120

Some sport-trimmed non-Evo Mitsu Lancer that we don't get on this continent

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Hatchback on sale in North America starting in 2009.

andys120

jlbl

Fiat 127. The grill looks a bit strange to me however. I do not know the production year (it could be calculated from the plates, but I am not an expert in Italian registers).

Regards,
Jose

stephen987

Was there a SEAT version of the 127?

magnette

Front end looks just like the Evo, but the rear is different, now I look again - the one Isaw yesterday was definitely an Evo X as I was behind it and could read the badges, but that had a hefty wing...

magnette

This is a Fiat 127 -that grille was on versions sold here in the mid-seventies, I think - not sure about the year though...

andys120

Yep, it's a Fiat 127, dunno the year. Pic was taken in Sicily.

jlbl

Was there a SEAT version of the 127?

Yes indeed. It was very popular as a street/housekeeper car.

Regards,
Jose

steelydanfan

it looks like this EVO X is a 5 door hatchback, which never seem to do well in the US. As and example , I noticed the new mazda 6 no longer comes in a 5 door.

qbrozen

Interesting, though, that Subaru has chosen to offer the new STi only in hatchback form.

andys120

I predict an increase in the popularity of 5-doors as folks give up their gas guzzling SUVs.

stephen987

I agree. I would also hope to see a return to the availability of minimalist small SUV's like the original CR-V and RAV4, both of which were available with engines under 2 litres, two-wheel drive, and manual transmissions.

In that spirit, I offer the following:

fintail

Top is a Citroen Mehari, red x in the middle, and a Renault R3 at bottom - the odd stripper version of the already agricultural R4. I see those and I think of Danny DeVito :P

I've never been able to "get" 2WD SUVs...seems kind of silly, then it's just a station wagon trying to look macho.

jlbl

R4, one of the best economic cars I have driven. Tough, easy to repair, durable. A bit rocking nevertheless, but not as much as the 2CV.

Regards,
Jose

michaellno

I've never been able to "get" 2WD SUVs...seems kind of silly, then it's just a station wagon trying to look macho.

I guess that depends upon where you live.

In places where there is really no "bad" weather, 2WD makes sense for those folks who still like the visibility and cargo capacity available with a small SUV, but without the weight or mileage penalties of 4WD / AWD.

Here in Colorado, I simply don't understand why folks who buy these kinds of vehicles don't get 4WD / AWD. A co-worker and close friend of my wife is in that position. Her and her husband bought not one, but two, Hyundai Santa Fe's with FWD. The new one (an '06, or whenever they did the refresh) has 18" wheels and tires and they had some serious traction and stability problems this past winter. My wife's VUE has AWD and has navigated the same roads with little or no drama.

Like you, I think we'll see the resurgence of smaller utility vehicles with manual transmissions.

Remember the Colt Vista from the 80's? A vehicle about 20 years too early. Very Mazda 5 like, but since gas was probably around a buck a gallon, it didn't make sense for many people.

fintail

And you can drive them in the water, too :P

fintail

I guess it's personal preference for me...I don't care about visibility, and I would seek out a more efficient 5 door or wagon car if I needed space.

A co-worker of mine has a 2WD Xterra. Guzzles gas like a 4WD but doesn't do any better in bad weather.

I remember my dad wanted a Colt Vista back in the day. My mom vetoed that. He also like the AMC Eagle, also a quick veto. He ended up buying a S10 Blazer for his 4WD vehicle (this was in 1985), which embodied everything wrong with GM.

michaellno

I guess it's personal preference for me...I don't care about visibility, and I would seek out a more efficient 5 door or wagon car if I needed space.

Horses for courses, or something like that. Most of the 'cute utes' around here are driven by women, who, like my wife, like the visibility they offer. Of course, there are also a lot of full size SUV's on the roads here as well - Expeditions, Tahoes, Armadas.

I do agree with you regarding the 2WD Xterra - seems like a waste of a perfectly good SUV to afflict it with only 2 drive wheels.

Back in the 80's, there just weren't many choices for SUV's. I remember looking for one back in 1988 or so. At the time, the only 4-door choices were the Jeep Cherokee or the Isuzu Trooper - everything else was 2 doors (S-10, Bronco II, Pathfinder, 4 Runner).

We ended up getting an '88 Trooper LS demo with 6-8K miles for $17K. The Cherokee and Pathfinder were over $20K, IIRC.

stephen987

Fintail is correct. The first vehicle was a US-spec Citroen Mehari (1969 I believe), with the oversized sealed-beam headlights mandated Over Here. The car at the bottom is in fact an R3--the R4 had a side quarter window and an extra horse or two under the hood.

Here's the "red x" in the middle--hope it's visible now.

stephen987

Guess not. It was visible when I posted it, but it "poofed." Oh well.

Let's try this one instead:

fintail

Your first x works for me, along with the new heap.

Both look like something from Asia or India, before they jumped into the 80s and made better copies of western designs.

stephen987

Actually, fintail, it's my understanding that the first "red x" was on sale in its home market until 2006.

fintail

Part of my dislike of soft-roaders does come from the demographic who embraces them, I will admit. Not the best people to share the road with.

The S10 Blazer my dad bought stickered at something like $15XXX, back in 1985. It was moderately equipped, but pretty much a hunk of junk - just sloppily assembled of subpar materials. The Tempo and Ciera that were also in the family at the time were like Lexus in comparison.

fintail

Sounds right, the auto industries in China and India especially are pretty much just in the 80s now. Maybe early 90s in Malaysia.