Mystery car pix

Mr_Shiftright

Hey, you treat an Alfa right, it treats you right.

Alfa engines are not the problem...the Alfa bottom ends are pretty indestructible.

ateixeira

Beautiful yes, but listening to those 3 makes me realize how spoiled we are today with the refinement of modern engines.

If any one of my cars rattled like those I'd be going to a mechanic.

50 years of progress, I suppose.

fintail

Sounds like a British-Italian hybrid...engines stick around but the electrics and bodies decompose.

wgrafer

<img src="http://www.carspace.com/wgrafer/Albums/wgrafer's Album/thumbnails/1942_p2_l[1].jpg!v=

imidazol97

That picture came through really small? Does the original link to a bigger version of that picture?

Here's a larger version:

wgrafer

Thanks! I still have a hard time posting any pics.

jwilliams2

Is the Chrysler convertible a '49?

andys120

lostwrench1

1949 Chrysler New Yorker?

wgrafer

Yes - it's a '49 Chrysler Windsor convertible. 1949 seems to have been a watershed year with re-designed models from most manufacturers. Chrysler was indeed one of the new designs.

wgrafer

The shape indicates a '53-'54, and the tail lights give it away: 1954 Plymouth wagon

andys120

Good call Grafer! Specifically it's a 1954 Plymouth Plaza Suburban.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh I would soooo love to have that car! I love early 50s all-tin wagons.

andys120

jwilliams2

Looks like a '52-'54 Fiat 8V (V8) Ghia Supersonic Coupe...

Mr_Shiftright

stever

William Randolf's hearse?

wgrafer

If this was parked at the Hearse Mansion it would still be looking like it was based on a '57 Cadillac................

magnette

If they always park on hills like that I would imagine any you do see would be at the bottom by now...

Mr_Shiftright

Yep '57 Cadillac Hearse. Pretty rare but the only hearse I ever really liked.

andys120

'52-'54 Fiat 8V (V8) Ghia Supersonic Coupe...

Yup, about two dozen were made.

omarman

Popular Mechanics mag tested a small fleet of "leading imports" which really amounted to 1 very popular and 1 distant runner up while the rest were pretty obscure contenders back in the day.

It's a grainy pic but can you ID the model year for this test fleet and name them all? Not really a bad car in the group although parts/dealer service available in the U.S. back then may have colored that perception a bit.

stephen987

Top row: Renault 10, Toyota Corona, Datsun 410/411.
Bottom row: VW Beetle, Fiat 124?, Opel Kadett

I'm thinking 1966 or 67.

omarman

1967 it was! From an article by the late Tony Hogg, you pegged them all including the Fiat 124 + Datsun 411. Nice work. Fast too.

I don't remember the exact quote but I believe Tony once said, "If you line up all the cars in the world end to end, some guy in a Volkswagen will pull out to pass..."

andys120

"If you line up all the cars in the world end to end, some guy in a Volkswagen will pull out to pass..."

That's because the worst thing you can do in a Beetle is lose momentum. Once you've managed to coax a decent speed out of it it you're reluctant to slow down because it'll take you forever to get back to that speed (0-60 in 29 sec. for the 40HP Beetle, earlier versions had only 36 HP).

My buddy used to say VWs are the slowest cars out there but they're not driven that way. Damn right-flat out is the only way to drive one.

fintail

Seen today in Berlin

stephen987

Barkas B1000

fintail

Gee that was tough

stephen987

A few years ago one of the UK classic mags (Practical Classics?) had a Barkas as a project vehicle. It's pretty esoteric--they were also looking for an old Volga to play with, and wound up in some pretty dodgy circumstances in Latvia, IIRC.

andys120

stephen987

My first guess was the Matra Bagheera, but this car seems a bit more rounded. No clue here.

jwilliams2

Looks like a Bitter CD to me, late 70's?

andys120

Looks like a Bitter CD to me, late 70's?

Yep, 1978 model. One of the last of a generation of Euro-American GTs.

andys120

jwilliams2

Looks like a '67-8 Plymouth Barracuda and a Mini...

gsemike

But what is the red car on the left?

fintail

Blue car looks like a 2 door MG 1100...

wgrafer

Definitely a '67 'Cuda per the stainless steel strip rather than painted between the tail lights.

But I would say the blue one is an Austin America (rather than a mini).

randydriver

cool car!!!

andys120

Imcdb.com sez the blue car is an Austin America, I suspect that they are right but to be fair it could be the nearly identical MG 1100.

'67 Plymouth 'Cuda is correct as well.

andys120

kyfdx

Is that a Beretta? Don't remember that as the pace car for Indy...

andys120

Yup, Wikipedia sez that a one-off Beretta convertible served as Pace car at the 1990 Indy 500 but the article is illustrated with the same coupe as I show. The Beretta of course is an example of GM NOT keeping pace with consumer desires.

andys120

lemko

That appears to be a Hudson Hornet from the early 1950s. Not sure what year, perhaps 1953?

jwilliams2

1954 Hudson Hornet Special....

ateixeira

My high school girlfriend has a first-year Beretta GT in black.

It was actually quick off the line, but it had that jack-rabbit throttle, very non-linear, to make it feel even quicker than it was.

I hated the engine sound - it was like a weasel gargling with something carbonated.

I liked the exterior's design, but not the interior, especially the seats.

I think GM cancelled the X-car lineup entirely, right?

andys120

1954 Hudson Hornet Special....

Precisely!

andys120

I think GM cancelled the X-car lineup entirely, right?

Yeah, IIRC the Beretta was the last gobble of those turkeys.

fintail

A friend of my mother's had a last year Beretta - 1996, in that teal that was such a GM hallmark of the time. It was crap, within 5 years it was pretty much shot.