Mystery car pix

stephen987

and in the same spirit of plain Janeism:

andre1969

Rambler American, maybe around 1961?

stephen987

Exactly, right down to the year.

andre1969

Damn...and I just took a wild guess on the year! :shades:

wgrafer

Close, but I think it's a 1959 or 1960 as 1961 had a fancier Falcon insignia on the side. I guess we can agree it could be a 1960!

andys120

The caption sez it's a 1962 Falcon.

No doubt a Falcon expert could tell the MY by the grillework>
.

andys120

stephen987

Pontiac full-size wagon. I'd guess 1967. Not sure of the nomenclature--Catalina Safari?

stephen987

I'm pretty sure the waterfall grille was introduced in '62. Here's a '60 for comparison:


and here's a '61:

andre1969

1965 Pontiac Safari wagon. At first I was gonna say a Catalina Safari because it looks like it's on a shorter wheelbase, but back in those days, I think the Bonneville Safari was on the same 121" wb. The other Bonneville models were on a 124" wb, all of it added in a somewhat useless area behind the back seat, yet ahead of the axle. They'd use the same roofline, doors, glass, etc as a Catalina, but would stretch the rear quarters. I guess that would've been harder to do with a wagon, since you'd have to stretch the roof as well, plus the rear side windows.

stever

Here's another tank. My mom doesn't remember the model year. That's one of my sister's high school friends, and they still talk on the phone all the time. Just like high school.

andre1969

That's a 1960 Buick wagon, but I'm not sure of the model. That year Buick had a LeSabre/Invicta/Electra lineup, but I don't think they offered wagons in all of them. My guess is a LeSabre.

stever

Could be a '60 - I would have been 8 when she got it.

Did you notice how the lower chrome trim on the side is missing from the passenger door back? The rear door almost looks like a replacement - my sister had at least ten wrecks in high school so I wouldn't be surprised if it had some body work.

My brother managed to kill the transmission in this one too, but it was always one of Mom's favorite cars. It was gone before I got my license.

kyfdx

Enough about the wagon! Tell us about her friend!! LOL..

stephen987

magnette

Well, it looks like an AC 428, but without a front bumper.

hudsonthedog

Nobody's going to notice the Torino-based Ranchero?

stephen987

Yes, it's listed as a '71 AC 428.

boomchek

I think this sort of Mitsuoka is a Galue, although it looks longer than a Galue III, so perhaps this one is the even better looking Galue IV ? The Galue III was based on the Nissan Fuga.
Only MItsuokas I've seen in UK have been Viewts, although there is at leas one Orochi coupe registered in Britain, because I've seen pictures of it...

If it wasn't for the "Nissan" and the "coupe" words in your paragraph, I'd have no clue what you were talking about. :confuse: The whole paragraph sounds funny.

magnette

The cars are even funnier...

magnette

wgrafer

1954 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country wagon - an original hemi!!

wgrafer

Steve - Don't be so fast to blame your brother for killing the transmission on your 1960 Buick wagon - IIRC, these boats had what was called a 'Turbine Transmission' - kind of like a modern CVT, but it somehow used oil pressure instead of gears! A friend of mine had a 1961, and I remember the Turbine Transmission 'winding out' as you floored it - a weird feeling with no gear changes, just loud whining!!

magnette

Exactly right... and unusual here, as most old American cars are coupes or convertibles - wagons from this era are much rarer...

stever

Well, he blamed himself for destroying a tranny in the beast when I emailed the photo to him to see if he remembered the year. But now I can blame him for failing to check the oil.

andys120

That's a beauty, I've always liked '54 Chryslers, they had a very clean European look IMO.

andre1969

That's a beauty, I've always liked '54 Chryslers, they had a very clean European look IMO.

You sure you don't mean the '55-56 Chryslers, AndyS? I always thought Mopar's '54 models were kinda stodgy looking.

texases

"Monument Valley is listed as one of the filming locations in "National Lampoon's Vacation", so that could very well have been the spot where lark went airborne with the Truckster! "

Yes, I Tivo'd it and watched it last night - definitely Monument Valley!

fintail

I think that "European" look might be kind of a Ghia-influenced look, which wasn't as period stylish as the 55-56 cars.

andys120

I prefer the '54s to the finnier '55s. The do look a bit stodgy in certain body styles but with the right body and trim they look quite nice, especially compared to other '54s.

Chrysler's were the best looking MoPars that year.

urnews

Cjhrysler's were the best looking MoPars that year.

Agreed.

andys120

boomchek

Citroen XM Break, (aka Station Wagon) early 90s?

andys120

That's right Boomchek.

Try another?>

magnette

1965 Buick LeSabre

stephen987

It's always hard for me to tell with the '65 Buicks. The full-size and mid-size cars look so much alike that the scale is difficult to judge without some external reference.

boomchek

With an 88 or 89 GMC Sierra behind it.

andys120

Nope, not a LeSabre.

stephen987

Looks pretty bare-bones to me. Is it a '65 Buick Special?

wgrafer

I'll go with 1965 Buick Skylark.

andre1969

It's definitely an intermediate '65 Buick. I'm gonna go with Skylark, because of the standup hood ornament.

While GM's '64-67 intermediates all rode the same ~115" wheelbase, the B-O-P models were stretched out about 10-11 inches more than the Chevelle, giving them a much more substantial look. The Chevelle was around 194-195", whereas the BOP cars were more like 205-206". Olds and Buick really did a good job making the intermediates look like the full-sizers in 1965. At a quick glance it's often hard to tell them apart, unless you actually see them side by side, or see another car nearby to use as a reference for size. IMO, Pontiac's 1965Tempest/LeMans didn't ape the big cars nearly as closely in style, so, it always stood out as more distinctive to me. Somehow it also looks smaller to me, although it's the same size as an F85/Cutlass or Special/Skylark

andys120

Looks pretty bare-bones to me. Is it a '65 Buick Special? \

Right!

andys120

kyfdx

Olds Cutlass Ciera.. I'll guess about '89?

andre1969

I'm gonna guess it's an '86 Cutlass Ciera. IIRC, they went to composite headlights for 1987-88, and then got a new C-pillar for 1989, which was a bit more rounded and eliminated that rear quarter window.

I know those FWD A-bodies are nothing to get excited over, but I've always kinda liked the Cutlass Ciera. I didn't care for the Century too much because it tried too hard to be pretentious, while the 6000's attempt at being a sport sedan was pretty lame, and the Celebrity just seemed cheap. In contrast, I thought the Ciera balanced it all out pretty well. While it was rendered obsolete almost immediately by the 1986 Taurus, I imagine if you wanted a cheap-to-fix, durable car that would last awhile, the Ciera would've been a better bet.

kyfdx

The wheels were pushing me to guess older, as they are similar to the mid '70s Cutlass Supreme... but, the nicely integrated bumper was telling me it was newer... You are probably right..

My girlfriend (no, not the current one..lol) had an '87 Celebrity.. or, as we affectionately called it, the POS. But, her company car was a spiffy '90 Century, so it was hard to choose between them... :sick:

andys120

Dunno, the year but yes, that is your father's Olds Cutlass Ciera. It's still a common ride for the geriatic set, Yes Andre, they've proven to be much better in the long run than the glichy, rust-prone Taurus/Sable

Unfortunately their very popularity saddled Oldsmobile with the Old Fart image it could never shake.

fintail

Yeah, it's an 85 or an 86, I can't see if it has the high mount rear light, to be sure. That front clip was only used in 85-86 I am pretty sure.

My family had a Ciera when I was a kid, it seemed like a decent car...it really felt like a step up from a Celebrity, especially inside. It was replaced by, what else, a Taurus.

boomchek

I'm gonna guess it's an '86 Cutlass Ciera. IIRC, they went to composite headlights for 1987-88, and then got a new C-pillar for 1989, which was a bit more rounded and eliminated that rear quarter window.

Nice analysis Andre, I was thinking of the exact same thing. It got me thinking.....good thing we can discuss these matters here (composite headlights, changed C pillars) without fear of ridicule from wives, family, and non-car-buff friends. :P I conditioned my wife to these things BEFORE we got married, so if I talk about stuff like that she's not surprised anymore. And on a side note, BEFORE the wedding I told her ALL of my car stuff (brochures, die-casts, magazines) comes with me as one package, no exceptions.

Myself, I had an 86 Celebrity in 96, which I truly enjoyed driving. It was so comfy, with a plush bench seat in the front, and overboosted steering that you could turn with your pinky.

I didn't care for it much so I left it unlocked with open windows wherever I parked it. Surprisingly nobody tried to steal it. :lemon:

As for these cars, I think Buick built their's for the longest time, up unitl 92 or 93 iirc. And yes, you'd mostly see retired folk in them.

.

andre1969

As for these cars, I think Buick built their's for the longest time, up unitl 92 or 93 iirc. And yes, you'd mostly see retired folk in them.

Believe it or not, both the Century and the Ciera were offered up through the 1996 model year! IIRC, they were both still the top selling cars of their respective nameplates (although with Buick it might have actually been the LeSabre), and were only discontinued because of stricter side-impact standards that were supposed to be enacted for 1997.

I could be wrong, but I think the Celebrity and 6000 were dropped after 1990?
It got me thinking.....good thing we can discuss these matters here (composite headlights, changed C pillars) without fear of ridicule from wives, family, and non-car-buff friends.

Heck, sometimes I disturb myself when I think of all the useless trivia that gets stuck endlessly in my mind.