Mystery car pix

mac24

Looks like the Porsche factory at Zuffenhausen, and I think that view looks like this now:

mac24

..........the cars, location, and decade.

stickguy

WAG on the location, but Hong Kong? Maybe Hawaii?

Later 70's, since that is a bumper MG (Midget) coming at you. and older triumph stag (the blue convert you only see part of, a british Ford (Cortina?) ahead of that, and some mid 70s japanese car ahead of that. Looks like a Toyota behind the MG. maybe a crown?

Mr_Shiftright

Hong Kong? Mid 1970s. There's an MG Midget, 1975 or so maybe an MGB GT on the left there.

mac24

Pretty good, it's HK. However, I think the Stag is an MGB-GT and the car in front while a Ford, is a four door Escort, and I think one of the Toyotas is a Corrola.

Now, how about the double decker bus in the background?

magnette

Probably a Leyland Atlantean - although they did have a longer wheelbase for HK than we had here...

stever

spoiler

ateixeira

2011 Beetle, the New is gone from the name, thankfully.

Below is a Porsche 356C.

stever

Right and right, except it's a 2012 VW in pre-production mode. Guess you'll have to go to the link to see they mystery white car (got cut off in my paste).

Wonder if VW will call it the VW Super Beetle.

Spy Photos: 2012 Volkswagen New Beetle

fintail

I think the 356 is earlier than a C, hard to tell but the wheels look early, maybe an A

andys120

Below is a Porsche 356C.

Nope, wrong hubcaps for a C, that is a 356A, probably ca.'55-'57.

Here's a 356C w the standard wheel covers, note they are flatter and show slotted edges in the wheels.>



356Bs had the most distinctive hub centers, note the raised section (chromed wheels were optional extra)>

grahampeters

G'day

Actually you have only about 33% chance that any individual car is a 911 as the majority made by Porsche in the early years were 912 models with a four cylinder engine. Many purists thought these a more appealing car.

Cheers

Graham

andys120

Graham you have made a good point, some if not most of those cars could be four cylinder 912s rather than 911s, it depends on when the pic was taken.

The 912 was introduced in 1965, a year after the 901s and 911s. The lower priced 912s appealed to a different customer and were more commonly seen sans alloy wheels like the cars in the photo although alloys were optional on both models.

It's true that many purists favored the lighter, better balanced 912. It's easy to forget that the 911 was controversial when it was introduced and a lot of 356 owners didn't like being made obsolete. They reacted the way 911 owners did when the Boxster/Cayman was introduced.

andys120

Big version, more cars!

I can't quite place this photo, it could be where the Queens-Midtown Tunnel comes out onto the GFrand Central Parkway as it enters Queens. :confuse:

lemko

Parked cars on upper left. Doge taxi with open trunk. What might be a black or dark blue 1972 Pontiac Catalina, white 1973 VW Beetle, what could be a white 1971-72 Cadillac with black vinyl roof, 1972-73 Plymouth Satellite. Maroon car with black top looks like it might be a late 1960s Buick Wildcat or LeSabre.

Rightmost Lane - black 1964 Chevrolet Bel-Air, orange 1971 or 1972 Buick Skylark, white Audi, 1973 or 1974 Mercury Montego, GM bus. Black car behind the Mercury might be a 1967 full-size Buick.

Middle Lane - 1972 VW Beetle, yellow 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle, yellow Datsun B210, orange 1971-72 Chevrolet Nova, blue 1971 Cadillac, (looks like parking lights are in the bumper whereas the 1972 had them between the headlamps), brown Volvo, black VW Beetle, International box truck. Looks like a 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado behind it.

Leftmost Lane - 1970 Pontiac Firebird, 1972 Mercury Comet, late 1960s Dodge van, blue AMC Gremlin, two 1971 Dodge Coronet taxis, what might be a Ford Econoline van, looks like a brown Plymouth Duster or Dodge Demon parked near the wall.

andys120

Very impressive Lemko. How do you know the blue Beetle is a '72? And how about the off-white car coming up behind it? Toyota Corona?

The white Audi is a 100LS and the Volvo looks like the 6 cylinder 164.

Anybody else got a fix on where this might have been taken?

lemko

Just a guess on the Beetle as it looks just like an ex-girlfriend's car which was a 1972 model.

Mr_Shiftright

The 912 was marketed as "economical and easy to maintain" vs. the 911, which turned out to be a bit of a joke, but ...ah, well....

The 911 quickly dominated the few "purist" holdouts and the 912 fell into obscurity for many years, and is only now enjoying a bit of a revival.

Problem with the 912 is the same problem the 356 had---it's very difficult and very expensive to get them to go faster than a 10-year-old Toyota minivan.

andys120

The 912 concept resurfaced in 1976 after the demise of the
Porsche 914 when Porsche introduced the 912E (US Market only) which employed a 2.0 liter VW four.

It wasn't successful. The purists wouldn't accept it for the same reason they wouldn't accept the 914/4, a motor of VW rather than Porsche origin.

The 987s fill that spot in today's Porsche lineup and arguably offer better bang for the buck than the 911/997. Rumors abound of a four-banger "Baby Boxster" using a turbo four based on the current VW 2.0T and a chassis based on the VW BlueSport concept. They might call it a 356 or 912.

lostwrench1

As to the location, I'm stumped.
My guess is that the cars are exiting a bridge.
One of the middle lanes being reversible is an interesting clue.

Anyone going to the NY Auto Show in a few weeks?

explorerx4

I think the sign on the left reads 'Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority'.

stickguy

It does. that narrows it down to NYC. The TBTA covers the triborough bridge (now renamed after someone like RFK or MLK, but I will always call it the triborough), the whitestone and throgs neck bridges, and the queens-midtown tunnel. So if this is a tunnel, that is where it is from, unless it is the ramps up from Governer's island to the TB bridge.

I don't think they cover any other tunnels. The Port authority covers the holland and lincoln.

andys120

lostwrench1

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority covered 2 tunnels and 7 bridges.

andys120

The Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority covered 2 tunnels and 7 bridges.

One of the tunnels is the QMT, as I suspected the picture is of. I couldn't find a photo of the Queens side of it. I was mistaken tho, the Queens end of the tunnel is the terminus of I-495, known to NYers as the Long Island Distressway.

The other tunnel TB&TA runs is the Brooklyn Battery (lower Manhattan to Brooklyn).

jwilliams2

Looks like a 1960 Porsche 356B/1600GS Carrera GTL...

andys120

On the nose Jwilliams, they were sometimes referred to as Abarth-Porsches because they were bodied/modified by the Italo-Austrian tuner Carlo (nee Karl) Abarth.

They were built as racing cars but IIRC one or two were used as street cars.

lemko

I've heard the 914 described as "VW Performance at Porsche Prices." I recall seeing 914s given away as prizes on a game show in the 1970s. I didn't help that 914s often came in tacky 1970s colors.

stever

I worked with a woman in the early 70s who had a silver 914. Always liked the looks and back then I was coming off a string of great Bugs and trusted VW. Always like the Karman Ghia too. The convertible I wound up with was a CJ-5.

andys120

I've heard the 914 described as "VW Performance at Porsche Prices."

That's not entirely a fair statement In those days (prior to the 930 Turbo) Porsches were not noted for being powerful. Almost any Corvette could outrun almost any street model Porsche but on a twisty course the mid-engined 914 could give the 'vette a good run for it's money. Even with the VW 1.7 motor the 914 provided a considerably more satisfying motoring experience than any contemporary VW.

I think Porsches wore those '70s colors as well as any cars. I'll take my 911 in Signal Green and my 914 in Lemon Yellow. I certainly like those better than the ubiquitous silver/black/white/grey we mainly see nowadays.

andys120

texases

It's the new HonChevToySubFord!

That has bits and pieces of lots of cars...not a clue

colin_l

Haha, you got it with the "Sub" part.

It's the new 2012 Subaru Impreza. Unfortunately, from this first teaser picture, it doesn't look as good as the concept car they had on the autoshow circuit last year.

ateixeira

Far more conservative looking, but still handsome IMHO. Reminds me of the 05-07 Legacy sedans.

They toned down the fender flares a LOT, but they could be saving those for the STI only. Or even the WRX, like they have now (widebody style).

The roofline is more practical, for better rear headroom. The concept was far more coupe-like. Of course that will *not* change for the STI.

36mpg claimed, best for a Subie ever, I think.

fintail

And it's not like the current Impreza is/was a beauty anyway

ateixeira

The outgoing model was hugely controversial when it came out (MY2008), though that was in part because the internet became so widespread, so forums were all abuzz about it.

I think the 2002 model (bug eye) was actually even more love/hate.

This is conservative, and perhaps we should not be surprised. Subaru looked at reactions from the last 2 launches and decided not to take too many risks.

The concept was gorgeous, though. I actually drove up to Philly to see it in person.

Mr_Shiftright

The latter, 2.0L Porsche 914 is the one you want. They do handle great but straight-line performance is not particularly good. And just because it is a VW engine doesn't mean it is "cheap" to rebuild---quite the contrary. People probably got a rude shock when they had to pay for repairs on these cars.

You can get good money for a restored one, but you should avoid a shabby one like the plague--your woes will never end.

fintail

I see the weird 2006-ish bullnose Saab model as the weirdest. That one really irked some people.

The Legacy got Honda-fied, now the Impreza has too...makes sense to me.

Mr_Shiftright

Hint: Don't let the name confuse you--I'm not a Studebaker

You have to get the year AND the name right to win!

slorenzen

"You can get good money for a restored one, but you should avoid a shabby one like the plague--your woes will never end. "

914's liked to rust out in a few locations...

also, people would pull out the VW engine and drop in a chevy 350, or more recently, a Subaru motor, which fits in the "hell hole" just perfectly!

You could even get the radiator in there without major mods, and it would run cool.

andys120

You have to get the year AND the name right to win!
That seems a little unfair, this car was manufactured for 20 years on and off in at least two different countries with minimal styling changes.

The Willys Aero was produced in the USA from 1952-55. If I had to guess I'd say it was a late one ca. 1955. If it's a Brazilian-made car it could be anything from '60 to '71

ateixeira

I don't agree in regards to the Legacy - it was the 05 model that was criticized for being too conservative and resembling the Camry of that era.

The new one (debuted MY2010) did take risks - note the overdone fender flares and Infiniti-style stacked lights. It came off as being heavy-handed, too big.

Sales succeeded but I don't think it was because of the styling.

Mr_Shiftright

Okay, I'll help you---it's a '55, but you still don't have the complete name.

andys120

Okay, now I understand your reference to Studebaker, is it a '55 Wilys Aero Lark, which I think was the four cylinder version?

andys120

stickguy

from the tail lights, would that be a Pontiac Lemans? Somewhere around 79-81

andys120

Yes, that's an'81 Pontiac LeMans, a handsome car that captures the appeal of the 1964 original without slavish copying it IMHO.

andys120

stever

Must have been a calm day if they let that 60's Bug drive over the bridge.

Amazing to see at least three cars that have more than one occupant.

fintail

I'll just take one, the 60 Pontiac near the middle