Mystery car pix

stephen987

I really enjoy the "slice" pix, and the gradual reveals.

andys120

Thanks Stephen987. Let's try this one starting with the most beautiful dash I have ever seen>



Nobody makes dashboards like this any more and more's the pity.

stephen987

Um, Jaguar of some sort, maybe an XK140 DHC?

fintail

I think it's an Aston DB2

andys120

Close, it's the later DB2/4 (1953-59). This one's a 3 litre Mk.I from 1955.

andys120

tmart

My WAG, a Mercury, Corvair, and four Chevys.

boomchek

Red is Corvair, the blue behind it is a 62 Chevy Impala

andys120

The Corvair has the side emblem indicating it's a Monza, probably a ''61 or '62. Ahead of it is the tail of a blue '62 Mercury. Across from it is a '58 or '59 Dodge or Desoto taxi.

The Chevy behind is probably a '62 Biscayne. IIRC the Impala had a wider chrome strip and would likely have been equipped w whitewalls and full wheel covers.
Behind the blue Chevy is a GM bubbletop from '61 or '62, it's very difficult to make out details of the front but I think I can see the fender projections from a '61 Buick.

The second white car is obscured by the tree but behind it appears to be another '62 Chevy.

wgrafer

The blue tail-end in front is a 1962 Mercury Meteor! And as already id'd, the Chevy Corvair and 4 Impalas are all 1962. All in all, it's a 1962 postcard!

karsick

Yummy.... the Corvair is a first-gen (swing axle) model.
Nader's favorite version. :P

andys120

lostwrench1

And, Oakland Airport's Terminal #1 opened in 1962. That may be Terminal #1 in the background.

stephen987

BMW Z2?

fintail

I bet those period Chevys are rentals...

Back when the cars were appealing enough that dumping some into fleets didn't kill their image.

kyfdx

Is that the new 2010 Z4 (or whatever number they give it)?

lemko

Love those '60s full-size Chevies! I grew up with a whole bunch of 'em! My Dad had a 1961Biscayne, a neighbor across the street had a 1963 Bel Air, my Grandmom had a 1964 Biscayne, a friend of my Dad had a 1964 Impala, my uncle had a 1965 Impala, my Grandpop had a 1967 Bel Air, another neighbor had a 1966 Impala, my Great Grandpop had a 1967 Biscayne, a co-worker of my mother's had a 1967 Caprice, and the grocer next door had a full-size 1968 Chevrolet wagon.

andys120

Yep, that's the new 2009 BMW Z4/3.5i (not 2010). It's all new (E89 in BMW-speak)and features a folding hardtop>

fintail

Those cars were able to pull duty in every variant from strippo fleet special to loaded Caprice - and people still wanted them all. It can be done.

lemko

And don't forget - it could even be a pickup truck in the guise of the 1959-60 El Camino!

andre1969

Ahead of it is the tail of a blue '62 Mercury. Across from it is a '58 or '59 Dodge or Desoto taxi.

Wow, I didn't even notice the taxi in the background at first. Definitely a Forward Look Mopar...from what little I can see of the fin, I think it might be a '59 Plymouth.

andys120

...Definitely a Forward Look Mopar...from what little I can see of the fin, I think it might be a '59 Plymouth.

It certainly could be a Plymouth but IIRC most of the Mopar cabs back then were Dodges or Desotos.

andys120

Caution: cars in sales brochure may appear longer, lower and wider than they actually are:

<img src="http://www.oldcarmanualproject.com/pix/DeSoto/images/57DeSoto02-or_jpg.jpg

tmart

Plate says 57, tailgate DeSoto, rear fender FireFlite.

wgrafer

1957 DeSoto Fireflite wagon (the plate helped!). Do I spy the word "Explorer" on the side??? Ah yes, the first year of "the Forward Look"...

andre1969

Yep, it's an Explorer. That was the name they gave model with third row of seats. The 2-seat model was called the Shopper.

kyfdx

I don't think there is going to be a 2009 model... It comes out in the spring as a 2010 model..

..last I heard..

andys120

I don't think there is going to be a 2009 model... It comes out in the spring as a 2010 model..

..last I heard..

There seems to be some confusion about that. Some Blogs are calling it an '09 (bmwblog.com), some agree w you (autoblog.com) and one is doing both (bmwfile.com). BMW Web-TV simply calls it "The new Z4".

It's a late intro for an '09 and May is early for a 2010, you figure it out. :sick: :sick: :confuse:

karsick

Regardless of the model year, the official pics in BMW's press release have the car painted in gold and equipped with an automatic transmission

Say no more :sick:

fezo

If you take the green portion of that DeSoto and make it red you have exactly the wagon I was trying to talk my dad into when he bought the 57 Plymouth Custom Suburban.

It certainly has a lot in common with the Plymouth - including those tow vertical rubber bumpers on the tail gate. Cooler lights on the tail fins.

andys120

fintail

Honda Beat, early 90s.

I have a Tomica toy car of one.

boomchek

I've seen a couple of the Beats here around town, grey imports from Japan.

andys120

Yep, 1990 Honda Beat, what a cool little car. Engine's in the middle unlike most Hondas. :shades:

andys120

From Crime Story:

fintail

I wish we had grey market stuff down here, not just for the cool cars, but for the oddballs and the dodgy heaps. The more diverse an automotive scene, the better.

fintail

Looks like a ca. 61 Corvair Lakewood wagon being chased by a 59 Ford

andys120

Right on both counts Fin.

andys120

bhill2

Looks like an early '50s small Hudson (Wasp?). I will guess a '54.

fintail

Close, it is a Hudson Jet from that same period, badge on the side seems to read "Super Jet".

Apparently the people illustrated are no more than 4'6" or so, as this was a small car for a domestic of the period.

andys120

1954 Hudson Super Jet is correct. MSRP was (curiously enough) $1954.00

andre1969

MSRP was (curiously enough) $1954.00

Y'know, that's not exactly cheap for a compact car back then, considering that even in 1957, a standard-sized Chevy, Ford, or Plymouth started at about that. I wonder if the Jet was considered some sort of upscale compact? Or perhaps, since Hudson didn't have the resources, they just couldn't afford to build it any cheaper than that? I remember reading that GM tried to come out with a compact car in those days that would have been called the Chevy Cadette. They scrapped it, once they realized they couldn't build it cheaply enough to sell it for any less than a regular standard Chevy.

texases

The cost killed them, you're right, more about these failed compacts (and their kin) here.

andys120

andre1969

1951 Honda Fit? :P

stephen987

1950 Nash Rambler?

boomchek

1951 Honda Fit?

LOL

The one that started it all. It featured a crude VTec motor, front and side pillows instead of airbags, and had an independent right front suspension.

bumpy

stever

Wow, you stole the schematics of the new Cube eh?



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