Mystery car pix

texases

I'll let others handle the cars, turns out the 'Kimball House' was a famous Atlanta hotel back in the day. All that's there now is a parking lot.

wgrafer

I'll just take the latest years I see - the green '51 Ford on the left and the green '51 Oldsmobile on extreme right.

lemko

The black car in front of the 1951 Ford appears to be a 1942-48 Buick.

andys120

Good eye, Grafer, it is a 1951 photograph. Obviously the Kimball House had already passed its prime.

stever

Mr_Shiftright

I'm seein' a couple of 220S pontons (one perhaps a convertible), a 914 or two, a 911, what may be a Citroen Avant (far left), a 190SL top left

What's the 190SL sitting on? (two of the same something) and what's the rusty car right up front--it looks SOOOO familiar but I'm not getting it. Ferrari maybe?

lemko

I see a white Ponton Mercedes and the remains of a few Porsches. I spot a 914, and a few 911s in various stages of decomposition.

andys120

I think the car to the right of the foremost Ponton is (or was) a Maserati Merak or Bora.

fintail

190SL is sitting on a couple of hardtop Adenauers. I don't see the Citroen, but at far left I see the corpse of an early 50s MB 220 on top of a ponton.

IIRC that's the California junkyard where the old now deceased owner had a rare 500K or 540K stashed away.

stever

Lots of expensive rust.

"There's an alloy bodied 500 SL (one of 29, recently one sold for $4.6 mil), half-a-dozen Lamborghini Miuras, an Iso Grifo (drool) Spyder(!!), the last surviving Horch 855 Spezial Roadster and a 1935 Mercedes-Benz Caracciola 500K that could be worth more than $10 million."

Mercedes 500K, Alloy Body SL, Lamborghini Miuras Found in LA Salvage Yard (Straightline)

fintail

Ah yeah the Caracciola car, that's it. I'd assume those were all stored inside. Apparently the hoarder's devilspawn sons are reclusive and even refused an offer from MB to recommission and display the 500K. What a waste.

jwilliams2

Looks like lots of rust on Bing Maps at 8935 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA.

What a waste is right.....

andys120

andys120

I didn't think anyone would get #32403. It's pretty rare. Anyone want to try at least guessing the nationality and MY of the little berlinetta?

jwilliams2

Looks like a 1954 Cisitalia 33 DF Voloradente coupe....based on a Fiat 1100 platform.

andys120

Correctamundo! I suspect the Voloradente was one of the last production Cisitalias.

Mr_Shiftright

also Cisitalias are notorious for being cleverly faked. The one we're looking at might not even be real! They made Cisitalias until 1954 I believe, the last being the 202.

jwilliams2

The one we're looking at might not even be real!

Actually it is real and recently sold at auction. From Supercars.net:

"This stunning car was sold new in Italy and registered first in Rome and then Milan. During the 1970s it passed into the hands of the collector Felice Marchese, who used it regularly. Numerous magazine articles (included in the file) show the car taking part in different rallies and displays. After he died, his wife kept the car, selling it just six years ago to a collector from Lombardy. At the start of 2008, this collector decided to give the car to an Italian workshop for restoration. The mechanical components were refurbished, with pistons, rods and bearings replaced, the electrical system gone over, and accessories inspected and replaced where necessary. The same level of attention was given to the suspension. The original colours of beige and light blue were identified when the car was stripped down, and it has been re-painted in this livery. The bucket seats were re-upholstered with Lancia fabric, as would have been used originally. The stylish instruments are from Siata and the wheels were refurbished by Borrani according to period specification (painted and not chromed). Combining sportiness with style, the interior exudes 1950s Italian finesse. According to the current owner, more than 2,000 hours were spent on this restoration, and the car has hardly been used since the work was finished a year ago. In impeccable condition, it would be welcomed at all major international events."

Mr_Shiftright

Well as long as there is documented history, that's probably a real one all right. The ones that are suspicious are the ones that just "appear" one day and nobody knows the provenance.

Obviously these people know what they are doing. It's more a trap for the naive. For instance, the counterfeit ones have Simca engines!

jwilliams2

So true. Provenance is everything on a car like this.

andys120

wgrafer

On the right looks like a '58 Imperial. On the left possibly a '51 Hillman Minx.

andys120

You are hot today Wgrafer, it's a '51 Hillman Minx (S4) and a '58 Imperial Crown.

andys120

wgrafer

No, this is totally unfamiliar. Steering wheel on the right - made in England or just imported to England??? Looks a little too sleek and well designed to be British - maybe Italian????? I have no idea :confuse:

stever

Steering wheel on the right - ah, that explains how they got it parked so close to the brick wall. Doesn't explain how the driver got out.

Don't know what it is. We called that body style "whale cars" back in my youth.

andys120

No takers on the black fastback? Here's another angle>

qbrozen

yeah, I'll take it. How much?

:P

Mr_Shiftright

Looks kinda like a Bristol 403 but the grille is wrong, or I'm not remembering it right, or SOMETHING... :mad:

andys120

All right here's a couple of clues:

-This was the first post war vehicle by a famed prewar maker.

-One like was blown to bits in The Godfather.

texases

1946 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Corsa?
I thought the grille looked Italian, but the RHD had me :confuse:

Mr_Shiftright

Das Choppentop?

stickguy

actually looks good.

From the A pillar back, just like a '57 bel Air too!

Mr_Shiftright

Now Let's Put The Top Up!



VARIATION:

How 'Bout a 2 Door Coupe?

ateixeira

The grille says Alfa to me, too...

fintail

Many Italian cars were RHD until the early 50s, for reasons I don't know.

andys120

You certainly have the right idea but it's a 1951 Alfa-Romeo 6C2500 Freccia d'Oro (Golden Arrow), body by Alfa. This particular example belonged to director Howard Hawks (Scarface, Some Like It Hot) and (you'd better sit down Shifty) was converted to Chevy 327 V8 power at some point.

ateixeira

Front angle is probably what Andreas Zapatinas was staring at when he penned the 2006 Subaru Tribeca.

fintail

Nah, I am pretty sure that was this:



Similar tail lights too.

ateixeira

That Edsel, or the Alfa but he forgot his glasses.

Mr_Shiftright

I would have his body exhumed just so I could wreak revenge...oh man, what a horrible thing to do to that car! Big old washing machine engine in that lovely ballerina of a car---UGH! I'm going to be sick, excuse me...... :sick:

andys120

uplanderguy

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee285/studeq/newsgroup/fiat1100fullside-1.jpg- ?t=1330395762

andys120

It certainly does, who's the styling by?

uplanderguy

Not sure, but it's a Fiat 1100 and the photo was taken at Studebaker in 1954.

andys120

The fact that there's a Fiat under there isn't very helpful. I reckon there were more different bodies put on the Millecento than just about anything ever made.

Do you suppose it was an early styling study for what became the Lark?

I'd love to see more angles on it.

otb840

This was the original Black Beauty of Texas highways from 1957 till she died out side of Mineral Wells from a busted block after some jerk but cold water in the radiator while I was eating. It outran many a highway patrol between Weatherford and Fort Worth and could run out from under it's black paint. The Black Beauty had white leather upholstery, 4 door with no-post windows.

GOD, I loved that car....................

qbrozen

looks like a funkified Venza.

andys120

looks like a funkified Venza.

Nope, the Avensis handily outsells the Camry in Europe and the Toyota Avensis Tourer is their preference over the Venza (a funkified Avensis?)

andys120