Mystery car pix

andys120

Mr_Shiftright

That IS a mystery andy...I can't see it.

Did my photo ever come up a few posts back, entitled weird car?

andys120

:confuse: I see it fine Shifty but I couldn't see your " weird car".

Anybody else having trouble w mine?

kyfdx

I see yours fine... never did see shifty's

fintail

Shifty's doesn't show up...no broken image or anything, just a blank....andy's does work...and unless I am missing something, it's too easy for me, so I will let someone else have it.

Mr_Shiftright

Hmmm....I'm using Mozilla, let me switch to MEI.

rsholland

Nash Rambler.

Bob

andys120

Close Bob, but your nomenclature is a little off, it's not a "Nash".

rsholland

Rambler American or American Rambler or AMC Rambler; one of those three.

Bob

andre1969

the version of the Rambler American that was sold through Hudson dealers?

Mr_Shiftright

Isn't that the Pinanfarina design? I think they actually make that car twice, but years apart!

andre1969

on the short 100" wheelbase (regular Ramblers had a 108" wheelbase back then) I think it originally got dropped after 1956, but was reinstated for 1959. Around 1960 or '61 it got a facelift that made it look more modern. I think the later ones were called "Rambler American"? And yeah, IIRC it was designed by Pinin Farina. IIRC they actually had a hand in all the 'bathtub" Nashes (and the "Hashes" !)

rsholland

I thought that Hudson might have also sold it too, but I couldn't remember for sure.

Bob

andys120

Rambler American or American Rambler or AMC Rambler; one of those three.

It's a 1959 Rambler American, by that time IIRC the nomenclature at AMC had gotten pretty confused and though there were still Nash models the American was simply a Rambler.

It's hard to believe that an upside-down bathtub like the RA could have been sketched by Pininfarina but I think that's the case. It was a pretty decent compact for it's day offering an astonishing amount of room in a small package.

The interior was so spartan it made a VW Bug's look luxurious.....

Mr_Shiftright

They were old flatheads and as I recall you started them by pulling up on the gearshift lever. Typical 50s car, slow and ponderous with 1925 chassis technology, but at least it got pretty decent gas mileage and wasn't too large. Sort of pre-cursor to the American "compact". I kinda like 'em.

andys120

What do these have in common?-

This ship=>

This man=>

And this car=>

rsholland

Don't know but the car is a Kaiser Henry J. Is the man Henry J. Kaiser? I have no idea about the aircraft carrier, unless it was named after Kaiser.

Bob

andys120

You've ID'd the car correctly and yes, the guy is Henry J Kaiser himself. The flattop is the U.S.S. Casablanca , the lead ship of a class of escort carriers that was built by Kaiser Industries and credited with playing a large part in winning the Battle of the Atlantic. They served in the Royal Navy as well as the USN. Navy buffs refer to them as "Kaiser jeep carriers".

andys120

rsholland

The new "Benz-inspired" Ford Mondeo.

http://www.americancarfans.com/news.cfm/newsid/2050413.002

Bob

Mr_Shiftright

boring...to look at anyway...looks like a 5 year old Mitsubishi Galant

fintail

Or a 5 year old Mondeo, which it more or less is

It's funny how the rest of the world mainstream Ford is so much nicer than our Taurus. Of course, NA always gets the leftovers and the dumbed down products.

andys120

boring...to look at anyway...looks like a 5 year old Mitsubishi Galant

Here's a better angle, doesn't this look sportier than a 500?

Mr_Shiftright

that's a little better but an Audi A4 is a car you are far more likely to at least notice going down the street, IMHO.



Not saying it is totally beautiful but notice how the skin of the car looks like it is stretched tight over the body. The front "pulls" down and the sides sweep down as well. So too the roofline plunges forward.

The Ford looks like corporate blah next to it IMO.

lancerfixer

Aren't you guys forgetting about the Mazda6-based Fusion? I'm not saying it's an A4, but I think complaining about getting 500s instead of Mondeos might be a bit much. I saw a Fusion at the Chicago auto show, and I must say it was a tidy little package...hopefully enough so that the public forgets about the last time Ford brought the Mondeo here as the Contour.

andre1969

is that overdone front-end. The car itself ain't bad, but the grille, lower air dams, etc are just too clunky, and too all-over-the-place, style wise. Put that massize trapezoid of a grille back on the '61 Chrysler it came off of, and try something a bit more tasteful that flows with the rest of the car. I do like the headlights, though.

As for stretching the skin tight over the body, that's not always a guarantee of a tasteful design. For evidence of this, look no further than Michael Jackson. Or maybe tune in "Chasing Farrah", on TVLand. She ain't no Angel anymore! :P

kyfdx

It gets worse.. the front end is designed for that Euro license plate in the picture, and I don't think it looks too bad..

But, take the plate off, or add a US spec plate, and it really looks goofy..

andre1969

some cars had a "double grille" effect, where you either had a tall grille that had a bumper that went in front of it, bisecting it into an upper and lower section (like a '65 Impala), or they had sub-grilles built into the bumper itself that matched the main grille. This second method was much more common in the 70's, when bumper standards mandated those bulky 5-mph bumpers. Some cars that used this design were the downsized '77-79 big Chevies and Pontiacs, among other cars.

For the most part, I think they got away with it okay, but the double-grille effect on that Audi just doesn't work. In fact, I think this is one example where the car is actually begging for a complete "true" bumper to go across the front of it, just to complete the look!

Mr_Shiftright

It's better than the new Jetta!

Actually the A4 looks a lot better in real life, but I agree the grille looks better on a Euro car.

rsholland

I don't mind the new Jetta, but it does look very Japanese. That could be a problem in that it seems to have lost its Euro-look, and possibly appeal too. I just hope it's bolted together better than recent VWs. To me that's VW's biggest issue—get the cars trouble-free, like the Japanese!

Bob

Mr_Shiftright

2005 Jetta got outstanding crash test results and lots of free PR for it, too.

It's a great driving car but it has become homely IMO.

Okay back to PIX! (no peeking at URL!!)

andys120

What the heck izzat?

Here's something a little less odd=>

michaellno

Audi A2

andys120

The A2 is an amazing little car diesel versions like the 1.2TD above get like 50-60 mpg.

Shifty is that three wheeler a Reliant or a Bond?

Meanwhile here's an interesting little number I turned up=>


Nice huh, it looks like a Bertone Alfa GTV with the nose of a Fiat 124 Spider, it is neither.

Mr_Shiftright

whatever it is....

Nope, not a Bond or a Reliant but it is a 3-wheeler. Actually made in some quantity, and interesting fact you could seat (so they claimed) 4 abreast!

andys120

Three wheelers sold in Britain after WWII. I've read they were aimed at affording mobility to disabled war vets. The one you posted is notable for not having headlights (pop-ups?) as well as four abreast seating. I don't think I'd care to sit in the outboard seats. :sick:

I'll hold off on ID-ing the red coupe for now.

Mr_Shiftright

Well I kinda stretched the truth there....they only made 17 of these cars....so definitely not a "one-off".

The car had disk brakes, was made from 1946-49, is American, had push-button doors and allegedly went 116 mph. Oh, the metal roof is detachable!

rsholland

Davis 3-wheeler.

http://www.3wheelers.com/davis.html

http://www.suarezweb.com/davis/dfotos.htm

Bob

fintail

The red car reminds me of an Alpine, but I bet it isn't. Lotsa French cars in the background...I bet it is French.

andys120

Yer gettin warm Fin, it's French.

andys120

but it's a Simca 1200S, like most Simcas of the day it was rear engined. Bodywork was by Bertone, hence the resemblance to contemporary Alfa Giulias. As you can see it's not as attractive from behind as from the front=>



And here's one to keep you busy today=>

fintail

Those have all the flair of something from the eastern bloc

andre1969

I think that little Simca thingie actually looks NICE from the rear! It's the front I don't like...looks like an odd combination of Alfa, Fiat, and '74-78 Matador coupe! All that, plus enough overhang that makes a 70's Eldorado look like it's set back... :P

stickguy

Hey, I like that, and would even be interested in the diesel fro cruising around town.,

Too practical for the US I guess, but it would work for me!

dglozman

Its UAZ 31512. Russian SUV that was mass produced up until now. They just changed their lineup recently. http://www.uaz.ru/models/oldmodels/

They have new line of SUVs called Patriot, Hunter and Simbir
http://www.uaz.ru/eng/

andys120

Right, earlier versions were known as GAZ **s and they were as common in the Eastern bloc militaries as Jeeps were in the West.

Here's a little charmer for you to ponder about=>

fintail

That UAZ site is entertaining. Look at those ancient vans.

I dunno about the red car, but the houses look decidedly British

andys120

59 of these were built, I'm surprised it's that many.

fintail

Too easy for me....Mercedes 600 landaulet...choice of 3rd world dictators everywhere

kyfdx

Gee... even I knew that was a Mercedes..