Mystery car pix

uplanderguy

I think Studebaker had it in for photos as it was obviously a styling rip-off of the '53 Starliner hardtop--even the wheel covers are similar.

fintail

Camry hasn't been sold in western Europe anyway for several years. Still offered in Russia anyway.

fintail

Just a step beyond this, which has a lot of influence from the 55-57 T-Bird:

ateixeira

If Acura drops the TSX wagon, which seems likely, there'd be a hole in the market for a wagon that size.

au1994

I wonder if wagons will ever catch on in mass numbers in the US again?

There are some good cars out there that we will never see and some good ones sold today that are largely ignored by the market.

My ex wife had a Passat wagon that was great and some of the Audi offerings are as well.

fintail

You mean everyone doesn't want it with a mandatory V6 auto?

I remember a few years back Honda was rumored to be bringing a diesel here. That wagon with a diesel would have developed a cult following. But hey, we got some nice big fat crossovers instead, it's all good.

Mr_Shiftright

Looks like a Renault 4CV

andys120

Yup, Euro stylists used a lot of American styling thems in the late 50s/early 60s but few were as blatant as the AutoUnion/DKW 1000SP

andys120

4CV it is Shifty.

uplanderguy

Yup, Euro stylists used a lot of American styling thems in the late 50s/early 60s but few were as blatant as the AutoUnion/DKW 1000SP

Also sold in the U.S. by Studebaker.

ateixeira

we got some nice big fat crossovers instead, it's all good.

RD-X AWD Navi is now over $40k, too.

They could do a wagon for $30. Then again, why bother, if the market is a sucker for a cute soft roader?

fintail

If that's cute, I don't wanna see ugly :shades:

ateixeira

The XC60 is the looker of that class. Q5 close 2nd.

fintail

I agree those are easier on the eyes. I'd even take the toy car-proportioned GLK over the RDX, which is somehow odd to me, and gutless from what I hear, too.

ateixeira

GLK has a bulldog look to it, ugly but in a cute way.

Here's the new RDX:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/27/2013-acura-rdx-priced-from-34-320/

Yeah, can't call it pretty. At least the beak is toned down. Looks cute from some angles, ugly from others (front).

They went V6 now, but I'm mad that they dumbed down the AWD.

fintail

Not seeing the cute. Rear quarter is ugly too, IMO, I generally don't like where windows don't follow the roofline. It's just a blind spot, bad thing for a vehicle aimed at drivers who often don't have the most situational awareness. Don't be mad, I can't imagine you buying one either way :shades:

ateixeira

I don't like disappearing windows either, actually.

But the GLK is function-over-form, big windows but bolt upright and not exactly attractive.

SH-AWD was the best part about it. They never offered a manual. Zero interest.

andys120

Also sold in the U.S. by Studebaker

Are you confusing Auto Union w Daimler-Benz? D-B sold Mercedes-Benz cars thru Studebaker-Packard Dealers in the late 50s. AFAIK neither Auto Union nor
DKW had such an arrangement, and very few were sold here until after VW took over and began to get serious about selling Audis (late 60s/early 70s).

That's not to say that some individual Stude dealers couldn't have dualled w AU.

uplanderguy

Google "Studebaker Auto Union DKW" and a whole column of stuff will come up about how Stude had the U.S. sales rights to Daimler-Benz and Auto Union/DKW. I've belonged to the Studebaker Drivers' Club for 25 years and have seen pics of the same T-Bird style coupe in our club magazine before.

andys120

First let's pick out the newest car(s) in the photo, then the oldest>



BIGGER, more cars!

fintail

Hmm I see a 60 Ford towards the left, and a 60 Ford wagon at right with its rear glass up, and I think there's a 60 GM product or two as well.

jlindh

I think I see a Plymouth Valiant coming towards us on the left. They came out in 1960.

tmart

55 Ford Customline in the lower right.

andys120

Yup there's a bunch of 1960 iron but I see a couple of '61 Chevies, do you see 'em?

.

jlindh

Do I see a dark '61 chevy going away toward the front?

andys120

Do I see a dark '61 chevy going away toward the front?

I see a light colored '61 wagon towards the front, its tailgate is open. There's also sedan way up going away.

explorerx4

I'm pretty sure the wagon with the open rear window is a '60 Ford.
A '60 Chevy is a couple of cars ahead.
I've been using a 'Magnifier' available in Accessories/Accessibility in my old Windows version.

bhill2

OK, I'll take a crack at the oldest one. I bid the '50 or so Plymouth Suburban in front of the '60 Chevy in the right lane going away. I can't figure out what the little light-colored one behind the '60 Chevy is, but it doesn't look to me like a '40s car; maybe a '50s import.

fintail

Yeah I am 100% certain the wagon is a 60 Ford, my dad rescued one in the early 90s and I spend a good amount of time with it.

Not seeing any 61s, but for some reason that's a difficult pic, and I don't know all the 59-60 larger GMs from the rear.

berri

That pix reminds me of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago although I think its in NYC. There is just about something for everyone from a white 60 Ford similar to what I learned to drive in (3 on the tree and power nothin' base Fairlane while this one may be a Fairlane 500 - hard to tell which rear window is on it) to a 62, 59 and 58 Pontiac, one of Andre's favorite early 60's Dodge's to a 58 Plymouth and Buick. A lot of Ford's and I'm wondering if that vehicle behind the mid 50's Mercury is a Dodge Lancer instead of a Plymouth Valiant?

lostwrench1

Lower right - 1950 Dodge Meadowbrook or Coronet.

andys120

My bad! I took another look at what I thought was a '61 Chevy Wagon and I agree w you guys, it's a '60 Ford.

I took another look at what I thought was a '61 Chevy sedan in the lane going away where the traffic is merging from the right. I now think that one is a '58-'60 Square-'Bird.

Thus the picture was almost certainly taken in 1960 and FYI, it's of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, which probably accounts for the small number of imports. There are two, both small sedans of British origin, anyone see them?

andys120

No takers on the Brit sedans? One is just ahead of the '61 Ford wagon on the right and the other in the center oncoming lane next to a '55-56 Mercury.

Going...going...

fintail

Car ahead of the Ford wagon looks like an Austin Dorset (2 door A40). Oncoming car is difficult, maybe an Anglia 100E.

andys120

Hmmm, it certainly could be an Austin A40 but the crisp shape and small size says MG Magnette to me >



It looks like an Anglia 100E to me as well, unless somebody has a better idea>

andys120

But not when you look under the hood (it's not the Bristol Six)>

Mr_Shiftright

An AC Ace....delightful car.

andys120

An AC Ace....delightful car.

It's an Ace all right but not an Ace-Bristol. The six under the hood comes from someone other than Bristol and was fitted to a small number of late production Ace roadsters (note curved Cobra style windscreen) after Bristol stopped making their version of the BMW six.

Who knows what motor that is?

fintail

I think the MG is crisper and lower than the car in the pic, I stand by Austin

jwilliams2

I'm has to be a 6-cylinder 2.6 litre Ford Zephyr motor, which AC used after Bristol ceased production of their BMW derived motor. Not many were built before the Ford small block V8 was used and the AC Cobra was born.

andys120

I'm has to be a 6-cylinder 2.6 litre Ford Zephyr motor, which AC used after Bristol ceased production of their BMW derived motor. Not many were built before the Ford small block V8 was used and the AC Cobra was born.

Yup, that's the story of what came to be known as the AC Ace-Ford 2.6 37 were built from 1961-63. It was a kind of missing link between the Ace and the Cobra.

magnette

The rear window on the Magnette - both the ZA and the ZB - had vertical sides - not curved ones. (The Varitone ZB was different, but that had a wrap-round rear screen so it isn't one of those either.

It could be an Austin, but the rear window on the Devon /Dorset and the later Somerset were more kidney shaped.

I think its a Sunbeam Talbot. If you look really carefully the top of the trunk / boot lid immediately below the rear window has a chrome bit on it. The Sunbeam Talbot - at least the MkI /MkII - had a boot lid that opened backwards, with the handle there - I think it carried on into the MkIII which we had only as a Sunbeam rather than a Sunbeam Talbot, after the first few were made, and that had the two-tone paint like this car so I think its one of those.

The other Brit coming towards us is a Ford 100E Anglia,

Mr_Shiftright

yes, I didn't call it a Bristol because it doesn't have Weber carbs. I actually saw and drove in one of the Ford powered cars---it was fun!

These are pretty valuable now.

andys120

lostwrench1

I'll grab the 1946-1948 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible.

fintail

I didn't even think of the Sunbeam-Talbot. That's probably it. British steel must be tasty - the tinworm here has devoured almost all of those cars from that era. I don't believe I have ever seen a Sunbeam-Talbot in real life in NA, maybe one 100E, and a couple of Devon/Dorsets. I have seen several 105Es though, newer and maybe better made.

Mr_Shiftright

There are extensive iron oxide mines in Britain. :P

wgrafer

I think the light color one on right is a '46 Ford. The black one in lower right corner looks like a '49 Ford as does the one in the distance coming towards us (the newest ones). The black turner in center looks like a '41 Buick.

magnette

The 105E was, if anything, even tinnier than the 100E - all our earlier cars rusted - still do, as I can vouch - there is a hole in the front offside wing of the Magnette that will require some attention sooner rather than later...

magnette

I think the wagon turning in on the left is a 48 Pontiac