Mystery car pix

kyfdx

Cherry picker!

fintail

Oh, there are some easy pickins left...I was just being nice to let others play...really, I swear! :shades:

uplanderguy

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

Hey Andy, the original LeMans was a '61

I know what you mean, though.

I always thought GM did a great job on the downsized full-size cars for '77. I also liked the '78 downsized intermediates, like the LeMans, although they were even more of a shrink-job than the full-size cars and there begat some dumb ideas like fixed rear-side glass in sedans and compact spares. But they did a nice job of making a livable back seat in a two-door car of that exterior size. Does anybody remember that Pontiac also brought out a revised Grand Am on that body? You almost never see them now.

fezo

First grill visible in the middle is a 61(?) Valiant. To it's left is that a 57 Buick? I always forget which is which in teh mid-50s Buicks...

lemko

Well, in addition to the 1960 Pontiac, I see a 1956 Buick, a 1961 Plymouth Valiant, a 1960 Ford Falcon, can barely make out what might be a Citroen 2CV and a 1957 Ford behind the 1960 Pontiac. I see a 1962 Oldsmobile and a 1949 Plmouth and a 1955-56 Ford travelling in the opposite direction and what might be a 1951 Ford a few cars behind the VW.

andys120

Lemko I can spot several VW Beetles in that photo but I don't see anything resembling a 2CV.

The Beetle seen between the Pontiac and the Falcon is a mid '50s model ((narrow windshield).

berri

I think there is a 60 Rambler American next to the Valiant and maybe a squarebird convertible in the very front.

andys120

Good eye Berri, that looks like a Squarebird to me too and I think you may be right about the Rambler American just ahead of the Valiant.

fezo

What do you think is right behind the 50s VW? Might be a 56 Ford.

berri

Can't make it out all that well, but I was thinking maybe a 52-54 Ford?

andys120

What do you think is right behind the 50s VW? Might be a 56 Ford.

There's the right side of a tall car peeking out from behind that old VW, it could be Lemko's 2CV (a cabriolet?). A little further back and to the right of the Volks is what looks to me like a '53-'54 Chevy or Pontiac but I guess it could be a Ford of that vintage.

andys120

magnette

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stickguy

well, I know it is a Ford.

from the shape of the fenders and leaned back rad, is it a Cobra of some sort?

So I will guess that, and it is a 427. Side oiler? Don't know how to tell from the picture. Though it doesn't look big enough. So if not, a hopped up 302.

Mr_Shiftright

Probably a Windsor 351 cid crate engine, but I don't know what it is powering.

jwilliams2

Looks like a 351 Windsor, with a Edelbrock intake, etc. In some kind of sports car, can't tell what it is....

andys120

You're on the right track it's a 351 Windsor and here's a Cockpit shot of the car>

fintail

Wow, must be the show in Essen. I need to go! That stuff is right up my alley.

Tons of MB - many 108/111 coupes and cabrios, a W111 fintail (next to a ca. 66 Mustang), W124, what appears to be a 16V/Cosworth W201, 190SL, W107, ponton cabrio, W100 grosser, early 220 cabrio, what looks like a couple of 170-ish cars, maybe a 170 pickup, MB microbus, and then others - Citroen DS, Ferrari 308, ISOs, Alfas, Volvo Amazons, a couple of ca. 68-69 Chevies...nice.

andre1969

Funny he'd make mention to the '64 though. Car and Driver, or maybe it was Motortrend, made a similar comment when they tested a '78 LeMans coupe. They mentioned that if you squint your eyes, it'll remind you just a bit of a '64 GTO.

I didn't care so much for the front-end of the '78-80 LeMans, but think it looks great in profile and from the rear. I like the way they made the quarter window kick up a bit on the coupe, compared to the Malibu.

I thought the '81 LeMans was a really good looking car, with the revised slicked-back front-end with the quad headlights. It looked similar to a '77-78 Trans Am. Unfortunately that same year, they cut engine offerings, to the point that the only way you could get a 301 was to order the wagon. Sedans and coupes were stuck with the Pontiac 265 or Buick 252 as top engine.

I've heard rumors that the Pontiac 301 that year managed to get to 170 hp, even though I believe most sources down-rate it to 145-150. Supposedly, Pontiac was really able to use the new computer controls of that year to their advantage, at least relative to the Chevy 305 and Olds 307. But whether it was truth or just fantasy from some Pontiac die-hards, I guess we'll never know. Every V-8 '81 Bonneville or Catalina I've ever seen had either a 265 or Olds 307 under the hood, and I'd imagine the 301 was rarely ordered on the LeMans. I guess there might be a few Firebirds and Trans Ams running around with 'em, although most of those survivors that I see have the turbocharged 301, which put out something like 210-220 hp.

andys120

Looks like you guys need a little help with what's wrapped around the Mystery Motor>

Mr_Shiftright

I squinted my little heart out but mostly I saw the gradual destruction of a great name plate:

mac24

I squinted my little heart out but mostly I saw the gradual destruction of a great name plate

The first one looks like a '64 (with the wrong rims).

Yes, it's sad when the marketing dept decides to reserect a classic name.

mac24

I'll pick a Citroeon 2CV and DS, and a Triumph TR4a or 5 (and about 50 MBs!).

andys120

I wish that pic was a little bigger; there's a lot of interesting cars in it. I'm having trouble with the yellow car next to the black 328 GTB in the foreground.
It looks like a Pantera but the long glass in the back says no.

Anybody got an idea?

andre1969

That final Daewoo thingy isn't worthy of resurrecting the T1000 or Astre nameplate for, let alone LeMans!

fezo

Hey! That's not a REAL Chevette!"

ateixeira

A buddy had a Chevette in high school, and insisted everyone call it the 'vette.

mac24

I wish that pic was a little bigger; there's a lot of interesting cars in it. I'm having trouble with the yellow car next to the black 328 GTB in the foreground.

Does this help at all?"



Click here for a larger pic of the whole thing: Larger pic

magnette

Sorry - I posted the picture last night and went to bed, and have only just looked at the site since, having come home from work. Thanks for increasing the size of the picture.

fintail

I think it's a Renault/Alpine A310

magnette

Yes - I didn't realise the car looked so different when I took the picture - it was just a quick snapshot - but the chap standing alongside obscures the side window to the rear of the door, and that is what makes it look odd.

grahampeters

G'day

I met a guy in the mid 1990'swho was a passionate Alpine fan (he was actually a Renault dealer) and had run through several different models including the A310. When I knew him, he was running two, a GTA and a later A610 - very pretty, very fast and very French. They also broke down a lot. Anyone who has ever owned a French car will understand.

I don't think the angle on this shot shows it at its best.

Cheers

Graham

magnette

Andy, I think your red roadster is an Intermeccanica Italia.

andys120

Yeah it's an A310.

I wonder why they decided to expose such an ugly motor. :confuse:

It's odd there aren't any W113 Pagodas in that photo, there are plenty of survivors.

fintail

I think I see one, second row from left (same row as 600 and microbus) by what looks like a red R129, the 113 is white with blue cloth top, near a bunch of 108s. But yeah, they all seem to have survived.

andys120

berri

At the gas station a 61 Chevy, a 60 or 61 Dodge and a 58 Ford by the garage. On the street a 64 or 65 Thunderbird and a mid 50's GM, maybe a 57 Olds wagon - can't tell because the picture is a bit blurry on my monitor. There is too much reflection for me to make out the rest of them.

andys120

Good job Berri, I think you're right about the Olds on the left and most of the others. The Chevy and Dodge are low end models, the Chevy is a '61 Biscayne and the Dodge is a '61 Dart.

IMCDB says the car on the extreme right is a '58 Pontiac, not a Ford but it's really hard to say given the bluriness of the photo.

fintail

The car parked at right looks like a 58 Ford 2-door post to me, too.

andys120

tmart

Toyota Supra mid 80's?

andre1969

Yeah, that black car looks like it has too much of a raised tailfin to be a '58 Pontiac.

andys120

Toyota Supra mid 80's?

Yup, an '86.

lostwrench1

It would be amusing to see the Sunoco gasoline prices.
My in town Sunoco broke through the $4.00 a gallon price today at $4.019.

mac24

I suspect this will be a no brainer for 'grahampeters', but for the non- antipodeans, which manufacturer made all these disparate vehicles (and there are more)?

grahampeters

G'day

Okay, I'll keep my mouth shut for the moment, except note that, as a small child poking around a neighbours shed with the owner's son, we found a very dusty and slightly moth-eaten example of the pretty little open car at the bottom of the photos. It looked tiny, even to a five year old!

I'll be fascinated to see if anyone can recognize it.

Cheers

Graham

stickguy

wartburg or gogomobile?

grahampeters

G'day

Now for the really, really tricky question.

What is the connection between these and the Spirit of Ecstasy?

Cheers

Graham

andys120

I think the car with the Cali plate is a Nissan, one of those odd little cartoon cars they kick out from time to time like the Figaro. Can't recall the name though.

jwilliams2

Definately Goggomobil's by Glas. I saw a lot of these while stationed in Bavaria in the early 60's. The early TS had suicide doors. The last one is a Dart model, built by Buckle Motors Pty Ltd in Sydney, Australia.

Don't know about a connection, except that Rolls made a turboprop engine named the Dart...