Mystery car pix

andys120

michaellno

Wow .. malaise era Detroit iron.

Early 90's Ford Tempo is parked behind an X-body Pontiac Phoenix 5 door.

kyfdx

In 1988, a friend of mine was looking at a 944S.... which was the drivetrain from a 944, but the suspension/handling setup from a 944 turbo... IIRC, it was slightly used... maybe an '87 model....

Great handling car.... but, seriously lacking in acceleration.... even for 1988..

kyfdx

Jimmy Smits and Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue...

ateixeira

They were about to arrest the Tempo for criminal depreciation rates.

lemmer

944S was a 16V version of the 944. It lacked in low end torque but revved pretty well. The S2 that replaced it was torquey and revvy.

michaellno

The S2 that replaced it was torquey and revvy.

Wasn't the S2 the 3.0L 4 banger?

texases

"I thought the 924S had the lace type alloy wheels. "

That's the 924 Turbo:

michaellno

Right car, wrong model.

Thanks for the picture.

texases

I think nobody's better than Porsche as far as getting dozens of different versions out of one basic chassis...

lemmer

Yeah, that extra half liter did wonders.

andys120

uplanderguy

Either a '53 or '54 Studebaker Champion Starliner.

If taste were accountable, to me these cars would bring more than any other '53 domestic with a back seat. Too bad this one isn't a Commander with the OHV V8. If I owned one and went to car shows with it, I would go out of my way to park it next to other domestic '53's with a back seat! It's so totally different from everything else on the market then.

andys120

Yup, it's a '53 Starliner, one of the most advanced designs of that year. I think, given the choice, I'd take a '53 Skylark over it but that's about the only one.

andys120

boomchek

Early 90s Geo Storm. This one is a slightly rare wagon version as opposed to the sportier hatch that were usually seen.

kyfdx

Did they call that one a "SportBack"?

Mr_Shiftright

These are pretty cars. Underneath though, it's pretty much 1940s stuff. American cars weren't *quite* ready to go thoroughly modern--with 12 V systems, short-stroke V8s, that sort of thing---but look at that Studie, with the shallow 'cove", the slab-side fenders, the long hood and short deck---this is 60s design in the 50s--quite advanced.

andys120

fintail

1992-94 I think, appears to have the updated front end.

fintail

Front - Jowett Jupiter. Rear is a TR-6 I guess.

andys120

Took you all of 3 minutes to get those!

stever

fintail

Whatever it is, I bet it can't do 160 :shades:

stever

That was one of the criticisms. 120 was suggested as a better top end number, both for truth in advertising and for better symmetry on the gauge.

texases

That would be IL's 2011 VW Jetta TDI...hunting a little too close to home, Steve?

ateixeira

I was gonna guess diesel also, with a 5k redline...

stever

Yep, get to generate traffic here and plug Inside Line at the same time. :P

Another view:



Funny, I don't any comments by the editors about diesel fuel. Maybe they're still on the first tank.

Mr_Shiftright

the Jetta is really cheaping out here.

stever

Cheap sells.

"Volkswagen continues an almost unbelievable run of sales success, reporting that its November tally was up 40.7% from a year earlier." USA Today

The Jetta is their top seller here.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh I don't doubt that cheap sells. Wal-Mart proved that.

andys120

wgrafer

The newest model year I see is the white '62 Valiant Signet coming at us. There's a black & white '55 Plymouth near it, and a '60 Dodge Dart coming in the passing lane. Behind the Valiant is a Ford Econoline van as well as a couple of VW Beatles. Going back to Marin County I spy a '53-'55 Studebaker next to a '62 Ford. The wagon up front looks like a '61 Rambler American.

andys120

Good call on that wagon, I couldn't place it but I think it is a Rambler American.

The rearmost Beetle is an old one from anywhere from '52-'55 or '56. The other VW is newer, probably a '59 or '60. To the right of the older VW looks
like a '57 Chevy.

The white Buick past the wagon is hard to pin down, I think it's a '46 or '47.

stickguy

not gonna prevent many head on collisions with those Jersey barriers!

fintail

And the speed limits were probably higher then, too.

andys120

wgrafer

Well, I was going to guess an Austin, BUT then I spied the sticker on the windshield (windscreen?): 1954 Standard 10. If I guessed 1954 Standard 10, would that be considered cheating???

andys120

You have very sharp eyes (and a good monitor) my friend. Back in the day Stirling Moss owned a Standard Ten.

They put tail fins and two-tones on the Ten and gave it a different name (American styling themes were very influential in late 50s Europe)>

Who knows what they called this one?>

wgrafer

Maybe a Standard 20??? Sorry. Sadly, I've never heard of or seen any 'Standards' -- did they make it to the USA? The first import I remember from way back in the early '50s was indeed a black Austin Sedan a neighbor had - he must have been ahead of his time because he also had a '53 Studebaker (like we saw yesterday) that I remember riding in and thinking it was Very Cool.

Mr_Shiftright

Standard is a venerable make in British automotive history, going way back to 1904. They packed it up in 1963. Their engines powered Jaguar up to 1948, also some Morgan Plus Fours, and after the demise of the company one of their engines still putted along in the Triumph Herald for a while.

The car in the photo may be a Standard Pennant.

robr2

not gonna prevent many head on collisions with those Jersey barriers!

I'm guesing that was taken on the morning commute as there are four lanes inbound and only two outbound.

To think that even in the early 60's traffic was bad enough for that.

andys120

Yup, that's a Standard Pennant ca. 1957-8.

Standard bough Triumph Motors in 1944, probably with profits from the wartime manufacture of fuselages for the Dehaviland Mosquito and Bristol Beaufighter fighter-bombers.

The four-banger in the Standard 8 and 10 etc was the basis for the units later used in Triumph TR-2, -3,-4 sports cars and was used in US-made Ferguson tractors. Standard Triumph was taken over by Leyland in 1960 (later known as British Leyland).

andys120

kyfdx

2nd generation Prelude... '85?

jlindh

Looks like an '84 that I had although there may not have been any changes for '85.

lostwrench1

That white car behind the wagon is difficult. Because of the trim on the side of the hood, I'm going with a 1940 Chevy.

Does anyone else see the barking dog on the end of that wagon? Or have I been staring at that white car too long.

boomchek

Agreed 84 or 85 Lude. The wheels with the chrome trim rings look ealry 80s to me.

grahampeters

G'day

1954 Standard 10, as others have pointed out. A friend's father bought one for his wife in about 1968, the car promptly expiring and rusting slowly in their back yard.

We lived at the top of a very steep hill and several times had to get out of the asthmatic car and walk, leaving my friend's mother with the problem of rescuing the car.

Not one of the high points of British motoring history

Cheers

Graham

fintail

I think the white car is a 41 Chevy coupe. From the angle it tries to fool one into thinking it is a fastback car, but I think it is a normal coupe. Just noticed the dog, funny.