Mystery car pix

stickguy

cardboard does burn easily.

hmm, wonder if this will nest?

andys120

imidazol97

With that grill profile it must be a Dodge Ram .

stephen987

Ford-France Comete.

andys120

Actually it was badged as a (1953) Facel Comete. Facel built the bodies and installed them on the Ford chassis.

andys120

stickguy

first generation (1988?) M3, and a new M1 coupe.

andys120

Yup, the Black M30 is one of the first gen M3s based on the E30 platform that were produced from 1986-1992.

The orange car is the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe. BMW doesn't want to call it an M1 to avoid confusion with the mid-engine exotic they made 456 of in the late 70s jointly with Lamborghini so I guess we're stuck with "One Series M" which will no doubt be abbreviated unofficially to "One Em".

kyfdx

Plus, to be fair... the 1-series M coupe doesn't really have an M engine, either..

It's using the same 3.0 litre turbo from the new 335is...

I had a 128i coupe for a service loaner this week... Nice car!

andys120

stickguy

I know I spelled that wrong.

this the one coming over soon as a dodge?

stephen987

Looks like that one's already here for testing--unless someone in Italy is driving that Grand Marquis in the background!

andys120

Looks like that one's already here for testing--unless someone in Italy is driving that Grand Marquis in the background!

The photo of the Alfa-Romeo Giulietta was taken in Ann Arbor MI.

andys120

ateixeira

$43 grand and it's the twin-turbo...I would have preferred to see a naturally aspirated engine from the M division.

berri

I'll take a few guesses:

53 Buick, 57/58 Dodge, 54 Mercury, 60 Chevy and 49/50 Pl;ymouth?

andys120

I think you got them all. I'm not sure about the '54 Merc but that's a good guess. I suppose the car behind the Buick could be another one of the MoPar brands (Chrysler/Plymouth/DeSoto?) can anyone tell for sure?

For an eight year old car parked on a city street in what was then a run-down neighborhood, Park Slope, that Buick h/t is in remarkable shape, It's probably someone visiting from suburbia or Brooklyn Hghts where some have garages.

andys120

It's the 50th anniversary of the mid-air collision that sent one plane down over densely populated Park Slope near Prospect Park in Brooklyn (the other crashedin Staten
Island killing all aboard but no one on the ground.

Here's Park Slope a year later>

berri

The ones I canmake out - 58 Pontiac, 57 Chevy, 53 Chevy, Renault Dauphine and 55 Ford Wagon.

That crash was the first involving a commercial jet airliner in the US. The United DC8 had essentially the same navigation as the TWA Constellation despite over twice the speed. Those early jetliners before fanjets came out really put out the smoke on takeoff. There was quite a learning curve in those days adjusting from propliners to jets. The initial 727 also had a steep learning curve transitioning from other planes, although once learned it was an amazing aircraft really.

andys120

Behind the '57 Chevy four-poster I can make out what appears to be a MoPar ca. '53-'54 and behind that is a Volkswagen 1200 (Bug/Beetle) which is the tallest car in the row (except the car in front of it).

That crash created quite a tizzy in the New York area (154 dead in all) but you're right, the 727 was a fantastic plane. Taking off in one was like being in a fighter jet.

andys120

jwilliams2

1964 Chrysler Imperial Lebaron Coupe.....

berri

That crash created quite a tizzy in the New York area (154 dead in all) but you're right, the 727 was a fantastic plane. Taking off in one was like being in a fighter jet.

Yet a proficient pilot could keep it from stalling at only 100-125 knots. When you consider the stall speed of a small private propeller plane and the order of magnitude difference that is just unbelievable. The pilot transition on the 727 was mostly the incredibly quick descent capability. Well, back to cars...

wgrafer

The 3rd car on left is a '55 Plymouth (not a '54 Merc). And the MoPar infront of it does lok like a '58 Dodge to me. Great pics. Love to have that '53 Buick today.....

andys120

jwilliams2

Looks like a Dual Ghia, late 50's....

andys120

Yep, it's a '58.

berri

The 3rd car on left is a '55 Plymouth (not a '54 Merc)

I was going by the headlight area since I couldn't make the grille out. I can see how the rear end could be a Plymouth. The 2 dr sedan rooflines are similar between these two. If I was betting I'd probably go with the odds and take your choice because you've got a pretty good batting average on this board!

andys120

Actually, a '55ish Plymouth was my first guess but wasn't sure if that car had big enough fins. :confuse:

andys120

michaellno

That would be the new interior of the refreshed 2011 Chrysler 300.

The picture looks nice, but you wonder about the quality of the materials used.

andys120

2011 Chrysler 300 is correct. It sure looks nice inside than the first gen did.

andys120

lemko

From front to back: Triumph TR-3, 1962 Chevrolet Corvette, and a Porsche 356. I don't know what the others behind them are.

wgrafer

Lemko got the first 3 (well, maybe a TR3A ). Right of the white Porsche 356 looks like a Triumph Spitfire, leaving some other kind of Porsche 356 with a weird roof???

andys120

Yep, Lemko got the first three but Wgrafer is right about the TR-3A. You can tell by the wider grille, the original TR-3 had a narrower grille>



Incidentally the TR-3A wears a Raydot racing-style mirror on the left fender, those were one of the most popular aftermarket accessories of the day.

The car peaking up between the Corvette and the white 356 is not a Spitfire. You can make out the hood bump to clear the carbs which was characteristic of the Triumph TR-4. You can see it very nicely in this shot>



The Porsche with the odd roofline is a 1961 or '62 356B variant known as the "Karmann hardtop", essentially a Cabrio with the optional removable h/t welded in place.

The white Spider on the right with just the tailights showing is most likely an Alfa Giulietta, oddly it's the only Italian car in this still from a 1963 Italian movie.

That leaves the car behind the 356B Karmann with the poorly fitting top. It could be an early Spitfire but those did not have side curtains so I think it might be the little known Elva Courier >

magnette

I think that is an Elva Courier, too

andys120

colin_l

Looks like an Opel GT. Original version, not the rebadged Saturn Skye.

andys120

Yup, it's the Gen I (1969) Opel GT.

andys120

ateixeira

Deloreans should never be painted, booo!

texases

Something I hadn't thought of before - apparently a common cause for painting Deloreans is body damage, hard to repair in stainless, I guess.

andys120

Yup, it's a DeLorean DMC12 with a paint job,possibly to cover up damage repair but IMO a refreshing change from the stainless finish that makes all of them look alike.

andys120

stickguy

ALong with the GT (and one of the ChiPs officers behind it!) there is a late 60's LTD (country squire?) at the curb, and behind it what appears to be an Opel Kadette.

stickguy

1970ish Grand Prix and a bug in front.

pointing at the ocean, a VW bus, Chevy PU, a Duster, and a couple of GM barges (oldsmobile or Buick) that I have no interest in!

ateixeira

I'd substitue "alike" in that sentence with "recognizable".

Without the finish it's a pretty generic sporty car. Could be a Scirocco or a Starion.

andys120

Mr_Shiftright

That's a Jugular XK150 FHC, probably around 1960 more or less.