Mystery car pix

ateixeira

Now that I think about it, yes, Corcel II.

I moved to Brazil in 1979 and those were all over the place. Sort of what a yuppie would drive back then.

Keep in mind only 4 brands were sold in Brazil at the time - Ford, Chevy, Fiat, and VW.

Chevy had the Comodoro coupe (and wagon), VW had the Passat 3 door hatch. Fiat didn't even offer a premium car.

So that Corcel and the Passat were seen as the "sporty" premium options back then, since the Comodoro was so big.

michaellno

Anyone else watch the Corvair on Top Gear USA?

That show has improved a lot.

Agreed - the hosts are becoming more comfortable with one another, and the change of format to have just one focus has helped as well. Good that they aren't simply trying to imitate TG UK with the reviews mixed in with the other stuff.

Still would like to see more of The Stig, however.

ateixeira

Yeah, and Big Star, Small Car needs some work, too. They just toss them in the car, then it's a minute of small talk, that's it?

Still, it has improved by leaps and bounds. The hosts' personalities are coming out more and the teasing is all in good fun.

Foust taking the blame for rolling the Samurai, for instance, was hysterical. Especially if you know his personality.

qbrozen

I'm on the other side. Whereas I really enjoy the show, I was just thinking during the most recent episode how I am missing the other components, such as car news. (BTW, also missing the Star in a Car segment this past week.)

I'd like to see a compromise. Stick with what they are currently doing, but gimme a 5-min news segment at the end of the first half and maybe 1 review at the end of the 2nd half (and people can stop watching at that point if they want), or vice versa.

andys120

Yup, the second gen NSU Prinz was clearly patterned after the 1960 Corvair sedan.>




The proportions didn't work out well on the smaller car. In turn the ZAZ 968 Zaprohets copied the Prinz.>



You may recognize the guy getting into the ZAZ
American styling trends were tremendously influential in Europe from the mid 50s to mid-70s.

michaellno

I'm on the other side. Whereas I really enjoy the show, I was just thinking during the most recent episode how I am missing the other components, such as car news. (BTW, also missing the Star in a Car segment this past week.)

I'd like to see a compromise. Stick with what they are currently doing, but gimme a 5-min news segment at the end of the first half and maybe 1 review at the end of the 2nd half (and people can stop watching at that point if they want), or vice versa.

I think this has to do with the fact that the TG UK is funded publically, whilst TG US has advertisers. Jezza and crew can shred a car or a manufacturer without having to worry about a sponsor getting bent and pulling the ad $$$'s. Not the case here.

Regarding the news - yeah, it can be done but how current would it be? I got the impression that this season was filmed late last summer and fall, given the weather conditions they got in Colorado in the last episode.

fintail

British magazines are similar - although not publicly funded, they are less dependent on advertisers and in a less litigious society, so they will say something is crap when it is crap, as opposed to local publications that never met a car they didn't like.

andys120

although not publicly funded, they are less dependent on advertisers

I seriously doubt they are any less dependent on ads. I read Car and Top Gear regularly and some others sporadically and they are all chock full of ads although they are much more likely to dis a particular car even if they do tend to favor British makes.

fintail

When I say that, I mean an individual advertiser cannot make or break things as they can here. I would easily say car rags in other locations are more likely to be honest than the local prime suspects.

ateixeira

Ever read a review by Warren Brown? He's in the Post on Sundays, syndicated I'm sure, but they're always rosy. The only bad one I recall was for a Mitsu Outlander, and that's the only one.

Though I stopped reading 'em after a while. There was just no criticism.

fintail

Motor Trend seemed to be like that for a long time

I remember picking up copies of "Car when I was a kid and laughing hard, amazed they would be so blunt.

ateixeira

It's a hostile market for auto scribes, if you look at it from that point of view. You really can't be too critical, else they'll pull advertising and you're out of work.

With all the channels of media available today, you can't really do that at all...

lemko

andys120

Early-Mid 90s Daewoo Nubira or something. Not much of a car or dealer network but plenty cheap.

ateixeira

At first they had college kids selling them directly, but then they cut the commissions by half and basically had a mass exodus. It was a huge mess.

I remember at the end you could get their big sedans (Leganza) for half the MSRP. Buy 2 and have an entire spare parts car. Which you needed.

Guigiaro styled the Leganza, which was actually nicely styled, but the beauty was skin deep.

fintail

I remember they had special leather lined versions of the dinky little Lanos, too. I was in school then, and the local MB dealer also took on the Daewoo franchise - odd to see the signs close together.

fintail

You mean when Car said "you'd have to be an idiot to buy one" (about an early Hyundai, IIRC), someone might get upset?

ateixeira

I saw some of those early Excels at 2 years old with rust already...they were pathetic.

lemmer

All the major car magazines are just glossy brochures now. R&T is worth reading only for Peter Egan's column. Car & Driver tries to be real witty and contrarian in their responses to reader letters but they come off pretty weak by spending the remainder of the issue brown nosing the carmakers.

fintail

I'd take a Precis rebadge, myself.

I remember another comment, about the Volvo 240 series - "antique cars for antique dealers" - a reference to the great old show "Lovejoy" where the main character had a brick wagon for a time.

I need to dig out some of those magazines, I think I have a few in my mom's attic. Honest writing, hard to believe.

ateixeira

Back then Hyundai got engines from Mitsubishi.

Hard to imagine today. Those brands have gone in opposite directions. Mitsu is still trying to reinvent itself.

I think I'd rather have a big screen Mitsubishi TV than an iMiev. LOL

fintail

It's like a Mitsubishi toaster. Odd brand, goes well with Suzuki.

Anything starting with a lower case "i" is bound to be less than involving.

texases

wgrafer

YIKES!!!! Looks like somebody crossed a '57 Lincoln with a '57 Metropolitan!!!

texases

You're actually not far off...

tmart

Brings back memories of the 789 Chevy.

explorerx4

That picture was so shocking, I didn't realize there was a person in it the first time I looked at it.

texases

Hint - guess it today, or there's not much point to it...

bhill2

Are you telling me that the Irish did that??? On purpose?

texases

Aye and Begorrah!

grahampeters

G'day

Gee, you are making them hard! I had forgotten that Ireland ever made a car, with the odd exception of the DeLorean in Northern Ireland.

However, I have been niggling over the very odd fiberglass body which, with the reference to St Pat's Day (green beer, anyone?) reminded me of its origin and perhaps predictable name. The internet has its moment for these things!

It is a Shamrock, from about 1959. I think this is the prototype car which had restricted wheel arches, making it impossible to change a rear wheel. This was shipped to California for prototype testing.

An American, William K Curtis established Shamrock Motors with the intention of building a four seat, two door fiberglass body on an Austin A55 underpinnings (shade of the Nash Metropolitan). Only a few were ever made and I am not sure how many sold. There are suggestions of about 6-8 cars with four making it to the USA and the balance remaining in Ireland.

The car actually looks a lot more appealing without the removable hard top.

Motor Tend September 1959 had an article on the Irish T-Bird which might be a bit of aggrandisement:
http://www.vintage-car-magazines.com/store.php/pd607249/motor_trend_car_magazine- _september_1959_falcon_eldorado_

There is an interesting article on the BRITISH SALOON CAR CLUB OF CANADA web site last week

Cheers

Graham

http://www.bsccoc.ca/2012-Shamrock.php

texases

You got it, Graham. I'd never heard of it, either. Thanks for the links.

andys120

ateixeira

Too square, too narrow, with buyers too old to notice.

tjc78

1984? Dodge Diplomat SE

stickguy

Just wait for andre. he will be able to give you the paint code, curb weight, and most likely the VIN number and birthday of the old lady.

and most likely, he owns the car anyway.

andys120

It's an '87 tjc78.

andys120

1984? Dodge Diplomat SE

It's an '87, tjc78.

andys120

wgrafer

From left, Looks like a '56 Chevy BelAir, a '55 Mercury wagon, a '53 Packard, and a weirdly customized with fins '50 Ford.

explorerx4

I don't know if I have ever seen one of those.
The cross hair grille doesn't look familiar.
Plenty of 5th Avenue's, though.
My mom has always wanted one of those.

Mr_Shiftright

is this clip from Invasion of the Body Snatchers? :P

grahampeters

G'day

I don't care what it was, I do not want one!

Fortunately, there are some atrocities that never made it "Down Under"

Cheers

Graham

grahampeters

G'day

Not sure but I reckon the church featured in the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Cheers

Graham

andys120

From left, Looks like a '56 Chevy BelAir, a '55 Mercury wagon, a '53 Packard, and a weirdly customized with fins '50 Ford.

I think you're correct all around but those odd fins got me to thinking. They could be aftermarket or even homemade custom or perhaps that's a Canadian Ford or Meteor. The station wagon could be a Meteor too. :confuse:

texases

Pretty sure the car on the left is a '55, not a '56 Chevy. Tail light is too small, and the side spears are '55.

andys120

Tail light is too small, and the side spears are '55.

I think the opposite. Not enough of the tail light is visible to tell the year but the white in the longer side spear indicates a '56>



'55 Chevys had shorter chrome spears>

texases

You're right, that droop towards the rear means '56...

imidazol97

While we're on great Chevrolets: I saw this at the local Oreilly's a short while ago.

Beautiful.

tmart

60 Impala hardtop.