I think I'm going to go with 58. The vehicle is somewat obscured, but the back of the rear doors seem a bit more rounded off on the 59, the windows on the side of the cargo bay seem a bit longer on the 59, and the fin starting behind the rear doors seems more linear and less complex than the 59. The side trim points to a 58 rather than a 57 or 59. I see the middle 52-54 Ford has the classic Ford rocker panel rust! I can't tell the difference easily on this one because I cant see the front of it.
Sort of close although the wing mounted mirrors give it away as Japanese Domestic Market. It is a 117 Coupe by Giugiario for Isuzu. It has very clear Ghia overtones and looks prettier with round headlights. I guess this is from about 1980
It is evocative of Giugario's Luce 1500 sedan for Mazda, done at Bertone.
There are hints of a Dino about the waistline. I was initially thinking Dino because of the Ferrari like badge low on its flank but the grille badge looks more Maserati
Mind you, being an Isuzu should have improved longevity over any Italian contemporary.
Gorgeous, isn't it? Could I please have one for Christmas?
Thanks Graham it is indeed a 1981 Isuzu 117 Coupe , one of the first Japanese cars to sport a DOHC motor. Surprisingly it is related to the surpassingly ugly lsuzu Florian.
You can't have one for Christmas though. The 117 had a long production life (1968-82) but it's pretty rare today.
Oh dear, that really is the ugly step-sister. I'd rather have lumps of coal in my stocking than that. Happily that never made it to Australia.
The predecessor was a rather pretty little car, the Bellet which followed after Isuzu stopped making copies of the Rootes group's Hillman Minx. A friend had inherited one from his mother. However it was so badly underpowered that once, when climbing a steep mountain in Canberra, three of us had to jump out and run, beating the car to the top. It went much faster downhill
This is stretching me a bit, but a Jaguar saloon from about 1950, possibly a Mark V saloon as bonnet looks pretty upright and leaping cat emblem looks integrated with design.
I wonder if Jaguar built their own bodies or if this is from Mulliner? There is something of a similar era Bentley look to it. The rear side window does not look well integrated.
Right again Graham, it's a1951 Jaguar Mark V and that's the standard body AFAIK. As for the rear window, that's the first appearance of the C-shaped side window which was seen on subsequent Jag saloons for many years.
Looks like the normal factory Mark V to me. It's not that handsome a car to my eyes. Aside from the 3.8S Mark II, I don't like any sedan that Jaguar ever made.
One thing that sort of clued me in about that Ford most likely being a '58 was the color. For whatever reason, that dark greenish blue seemed to be all the rage in '58, but then it seemed to all but disappear for '59.
There were still plenty of greens around in '59, but they were usually lighter, and a bit less bluish.
I never thought of that but after checking the color chip site, there is a gulfstream blue for 1958 which looks lilke the color of the mystery car pic. And that color isn't listed on the 1959 Ford color chart.
By the way, I couldn't help noticing the colonial white on that chart because that was the original color of my mom and dad's '59 Galaxie sedan before the rust took over. And it was a serious ruster...at least after a few winters in Ohio. :sick:
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
Steve McQueen's Ferrari 250 GTO which is in the Ferrari factory for a rebuild. Extensive coverage in Australian motoring pages this week including photos of the jigs used to support the body during rebuild.
Sorry Graham but you're a little off on this one. It's the ex-McQueen Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a car that was influenced by the styling of the 250GTO but was completely separate. The 275 GTBs were not purpose-built racing cars as was the fabled 250GTO.
The GTO an earlier design (1962-64) was out of production by the time the GTB (1966-69) was introduced.
The nose of the GTB was heavily influenced by Jaguar's beautiful E-Types but the Kamm tail with the spoiler (also seen on the GTO) was all Ferrari's. Ferrari-designer Carlo Chiti and American Ferrari driver Richie Ginther co-invented it at a way to cure rear end lift on the 250/275 Sports Prototypes In doing so they introduced the science of aerodynamics to Sports car design.
Californian Richie Ginther worked as a fabricator at Douglas aircraft after a stint in the Air Force before launching his career in sports and formula car racing..
Hi This is Syrena Sport - Polish prototype car. I have a request. Please, if you can hepl me to find out something about hubcaps. I can tell you they were made by Ghia and we are now rebuilding this car and searching for any information.
they look similar to, but not quite like, Ghia hubcaps made for cars like the Dual-Ghia and the Fiat 8V Ghia. So, circa 1950s-early 60s. I would search for any Ghia customs or show cars done by the company in that time period.
Yep, X-11, but I'm guessing '79, I remember when it came out. Compared to other cars at the time I thought the front end was very clean. I guess the Beretta/Corsica can trace some roots to it, but it was a couple of generations.
I guess the Beretta/Corsica can trace some roots to it, but it was a couple of generations.
The Corsica/Beretta replaced the Citation as Chevy's compact entry in the marketplace, but they, as well as their Grand Am, Calais, and Skylark/Somerset Regal siblings, were actually enlargements of the Cavalier platform.
As for the X-11, it was actually pretty impressive for the time. They managed to get 135 hp out of a 2.8 V-6, with just a 2-bbl carb! For comparison, some V-8's weren't even putting out that much. For example, a 1981 Mopar 318 only had 130, and I think that's all the Ford 302 had that year. The Olds 307 only had 140, and I think Chevy's 305 started at 150.
According to Wikipedia, the X-11 was offered from 1981-85, but I could've sworn they were out earlier than that, too. Also, in the final year, the 2.8 was fuel injected, but hp was cut a bit, to 130.
The Citation certainly seemed like a promising car at the time. Small on the outside, good use of interior space, economical, and modern looking. The interior was pretty cheap unless you ordered an upgrade, but when you figure this car initially competed with the Ford Fairmont and Plymouth Volare, I guess that's to be expected. The Skylark, Omega, and Phoenix variants could be downright luxurious inside if you ordered the top trim level.
Shame that the quality wasn't there initially. GM had its share of product shortcomings in the past, such as the Corvair, Vega, a bad transmission here and there. But the scale of the X-cars was huge. In that extra long 1980 model year, Chevy sold over 800,000 Citations, and it was by far the most popular car that year. The Phoenix, Omega, and Skylark were also strong sellers. That was a lot of people to piss off, when things started going wrong. And I think these cars are what ultimately led to GM's downfall.
It must have been the early info on the cover of C and D I saw in early '80, I was still in school, couldn't have been later than spring '80. I always connected the Celebrity more to the Citation, so the Cavalier/Beretta links make sense.
Even with the weaker Euro, most machines are much cheaper here, condition in sunny climates helps too.
I will pick off a few going home - red MB 107SL, probably a 450SL from around 1975-78 (big bumpers, hubcaps), also a 280SE cabrio at right - no 3.5 badge so likely 1969, and a blue pagoda SL in front of it. All three of those cars bring substantially more in Europe/UK than here.
My best friend's parents were one of the first Citation buyers. Theirs was a green and cream 5-door hatchback purchased in April 1979. The family certainly got their money's worth as that car went 195K miles and lasted my buddy through high school, college, graduate school, and into the first year of his marriage.
A buddy of mine bought an 80 Citation right about the same time I bought by 80 Rabbit. Neither of us waxes nostalgic over them.
His Citation was the right combination to not get recalled much (4 cyl automatic) but I think it was dead by 75K. It served as a lawn ornament long enough that I think his wife was ready to move out. Got donated to someplace.
For its time it was nice enough to ride around in.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
I have a copy of that issue sitting on my desk right now, if anyone wants to make an offer!
My mom was cleaning out the basement, and found a box of my old magazines, so I had her grab a dozen or so before she tossed the rest (pretty musty by now too!) And this happened to be one of them (some MT and RT also).
they liked it. other than typical terrible bucket seats, they drooled over it ("It's the most remarkable small sedan ever doled out to the american motoring public")
V6 4 speed, 0-60 in 9.2 seconds (actually quick for 1979!)
The X-11 was available in the '80 model year...I actually like the looks of it then better than later years with the huge graphics. The Citation was amazingly roomy inside, and in typical GM fashion was available in several bodystyles and tons of options. And GM did a good job differentiating a Pontiac from a Chevy from an Olds from a Buick on that platform.
I still see Citations driving around here in rusty NE OH from time to time.
I ordered a new '85 Celebrity Eurosport 2-door with the MFI V6 but was sure tempted by a new X-11 Citation the dealer had that could be bought for a good bit less. They were really the same car underneath...even wheelbase. But back when I was a bachelor and bought a new car every three years or so, I thought I'd get beaten up on resale value.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Did the X-11 just have the regular 115 hp 2.8 V-6 in 1980? I just looked up the Citation in my old car book, and it doesn't list a 135 hp V-6 for that year. My book has been wrong before, though. And the production breakdown doesn't list the X-11, which must have been considered an option package rather than a separate model/trim level.
Anyway, for 1980, here's the rundown: Coupe: 42,909 sold 2-door hatchback: 210,258 sold Club Coupe: 100,340 (I wonder what's the difference between a coupe and club coupe?) 4-door hatchback: 458,033 sold.
For a grand total of 811,540 units in that extra long year.
And that would pretty much be the last year the auto industry had a blockbuster on that scale. For 1981, I think the most popular car was the Cutlass, which moved about 480,000 units (sedan, wagon, and personal luxury coupe combined). Since then, it's been common for a car to hit 400,000 units, maybe even 500,000 from time to time. But, the days of 1 million plus Impalas rolling off the assembly line in a given year were definitely a thing of the past.
I guess, when they were in their prime, some full-sized trucks might have approached 800,000 units in a good year. If you count all bed/cab configurations, tonnages, 2wd/4wd etc.
The '80 X-11 were usually shown in ads and brochures as silver with a wide red stripe along the lower bodyside, with an "X-11" decal and small fake vent in front of the rear wheel opening. I'm pretty sure you're right, Andre, that the "H.O." V6 didn't come along until '81.
I always thought that Olds was a bit smarmy when it came to claiming the Cutlass was the best-selling model line all those years. I wonder if Chevy had added Chevelle/Malibu and Monte Carlo together, if Olds could have made that claim. Olds' equivalents to the Malibu and Monte Carlo were both labelled "Cutlass".
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
The model name escapes me now, but there's a current Nissan that even looks worse IMHO. The roof is too small for the rest of the car...it reminds me of an animal with a birth defect or something, in profile.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Comments
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Sort of close although the wing mounted mirrors give it away as Japanese Domestic Market. It is a 117 Coupe by Giugiario for Isuzu. It has very clear Ghia overtones and looks prettier with round headlights. I guess this is from about 1980
It is evocative of Giugario's Luce 1500 sedan for Mazda, done at Bertone.
There are hints of a Dino about the waistline. I was initially thinking Dino because of the Ferrari like badge low on its flank but the grille badge looks more Maserati
Mind you, being an Isuzu should have improved longevity over any Italian contemporary.
Gorgeous, isn't it? Could I please have one for Christmas?
Cheers
Graham
You can't have one for Christmas though. The 117 had a long production life (1968-82) but it's pretty rare today.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Oh dear, that really is the ugly step-sister. I'd rather have lumps of coal in my stocking than that. Happily that never made it to Australia.
The predecessor was a rather pretty little car, the Bellet which followed after Isuzu stopped making copies of the Rootes group's Hillman Minx. A friend had inherited one from his mother. However it was so badly underpowered that once, when climbing a steep mountain in Canberra, three of us had to jump out and run, beating the car to the top. It went much faster downhill
Cheers
Graham
This is stretching me a bit, but a Jaguar saloon from about 1950, possibly a Mark V saloon as bonnet looks pretty upright and leaping cat emblem looks integrated with design.
I wonder if Jaguar built their own bodies or if this is from Mulliner? There is something of a similar era Bentley look to it. The rear side window does not look well integrated.
Have seen a very rusty one in a workshop here.
Cheers
Graham
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
this is obviously attached to something that isnt a window, but the crank isnt... i would like to know the original application of the crank.
I think when history looks back at this era they'll point to that one as the best-balanced M3.
Colin had a coupe and it make more than 240hp net on the dyno, they were so underrated.
Correct, my favorite M3 is the E46.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
42- 48 Chevrolet, but its missing the center piece which is darker brown
There were still plenty of greens around in '59, but they were usually lighter, and a bit less bluish.
By the way, I couldn't help noticing the colonial white on that chart because that was the original color of my mom and dad's '59 Galaxie sedan before the rust took over. And it was a serious ruster...at least after a few winters in Ohio. :sick:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I am on a roll! Three that I know in a row.
Steve McQueen's Ferrari 250 GTO which is in the Ferrari factory for a rebuild. Extensive coverage in Australian motoring pages this week including photos of the jigs used to support the body during rebuild.
http://canberratimes.drive.com.au/motor-news/steve-mcqueen-ferrari-restored-2012- 0613-209fh.html
At some point, the roof was chopped to make a convertible (whatever were they thinking?)
They are a truly beautiful car. Perhaps too pricey for my Christmas wish list!
Cheers
Graham
The GTO an earlier design (1962-64) was out of production by the time the GTB (1966-69) was introduced.
The nose of the GTB was heavily influenced by Jaguar's beautiful E-Types but the Kamm tail with the spoiler (also seen on the GTO) was all Ferrari's. Ferrari-designer Carlo Chiti and American Ferrari driver Richie Ginther co-invented it at a way to cure rear end lift on the 250/275 Sports Prototypes
In doing so they introduced the science of aerodynamics to Sports car design.
Californian Richie Ginther worked as a fabricator at Douglas aircraft after a stint in the Air Force before launching his career in sports and formula car racing..
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
This is Syrena Sport - Polish prototype car.
I have a request. Please, if you can hepl me to find out something about hubcaps. I can tell you they were made by Ghia and we are now rebuilding this car and searching for any information.
http://www.powrotlegendy.pl/sladami-syreny-sport/w-zblizeniu,15
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
I kinda like Berkeleys...adorable little mutts---and they are teensy cars in real life. I'd buy one if it was priced right.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I believe that was the predecessor to the Beretta/Corsica, which looked a bunch better.
I would love to have the White '69 Mustang in center/front, or the Orange '70ish Camaro hiding toward the back left.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The Corsica/Beretta replaced the Citation as Chevy's compact entry in the marketplace, but they, as well as their Grand Am, Calais, and Skylark/Somerset Regal siblings, were actually enlargements of the Cavalier platform.
As for the X-11, it was actually pretty impressive for the time. They managed to get 135 hp out of a 2.8 V-6, with just a 2-bbl carb! For comparison, some V-8's weren't even putting out that much. For example, a 1981 Mopar 318 only had 130, and I think that's all the Ford 302 had that year. The Olds 307 only had 140, and I think Chevy's 305 started at 150.
According to Wikipedia, the X-11 was offered from 1981-85, but I could've sworn they were out earlier than that, too. Also, in the final year, the 2.8 was fuel injected, but hp was cut a bit, to 130.
The Citation certainly seemed like a promising car at the time. Small on the outside, good use of interior space, economical, and modern looking. The interior was pretty cheap unless you ordered an upgrade, but when you figure this car initially competed with the Ford Fairmont and Plymouth Volare, I guess that's to be expected. The Skylark, Omega, and Phoenix variants could be downright luxurious inside if you ordered the top trim level.
Shame that the quality wasn't there initially. GM had its share of product shortcomings in the past, such as the Corvair, Vega, a bad transmission here and there. But the scale of the X-cars was huge. In that extra long 1980 model year, Chevy sold over 800,000 Citations, and it was by far the most popular car that year. The Phoenix, Omega, and Skylark were also strong sellers. That was a lot of people to piss off, when things started going wrong. And I think these cars are what ultimately led to GM's downfall.
It must have been the early info on the cover of C and D I saw in early '80, I was still in school, couldn't have been later than spring '80. I always connected the Celebrity more to the Citation, so the Cavalier/Beretta links make sense.
I will pick off a few going home - red MB 107SL, probably a 450SL from around 1975-78 (big bumpers, hubcaps), also a 280SE cabrio at right - no 3.5 badge so likely 1969, and a blue pagoda SL in front of it. All three of those cars bring substantially more in Europe/UK than here.
Consider that the best seller today barely breaks 300k.
Make mine the '56 Nomad against the back wall and ... oh what the heck, the '57(?) Imperial in front of the travel trailer.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
His Citation was the right combination to not get recalled much (4 cyl automatic) but I think it was dead by 75K. It served as a lawn ornament long enough that I think his wife was ready to move out. Got donated to someplace.
For its time it was nice enough to ride around in.
My mom was cleaning out the basement, and found a box of my old magazines, so I had her grab a dozen or so before she tossed the rest (pretty musty by now too!) And this happened to be one of them (some MT and RT also).
they liked it. other than typical terrible bucket seats, they drooled over it ("It's the most remarkable small sedan ever doled out to the american motoring public")
V6 4 speed, 0-60 in 9.2 seconds (actually quick for 1979!)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I still see Citations driving around here in rusty NE OH from time to time.
I ordered a new '85 Celebrity Eurosport 2-door with the MFI V6 but was sure tempted by a new X-11 Citation the dealer had that could be bought for a good bit less. They were really the same car underneath...even wheelbase. But back when I was a bachelor and bought a new car every three years or so, I thought I'd get beaten up on resale value.
Anyway, for 1980, here's the rundown:
Coupe: 42,909 sold
2-door hatchback: 210,258 sold
Club Coupe: 100,340 (I wonder what's the difference between a coupe and club coupe?)
4-door hatchback: 458,033 sold.
For a grand total of 811,540 units in that extra long year.
And that would pretty much be the last year the auto industry had a blockbuster on that scale. For 1981, I think the most popular car was the Cutlass, which moved about 480,000 units (sedan, wagon, and personal luxury coupe combined). Since then, it's been common for a car to hit 400,000 units, maybe even 500,000 from time to time. But, the days of 1 million plus Impalas rolling off the assembly line in a given year were definitely a thing of the past.
I guess, when they were in their prime, some full-sized trucks might have approached 800,000 units in a good year. If you count all bed/cab configurations, tonnages, 2wd/4wd etc.
I always thought that Olds was a bit smarmy when it came to claiming the Cutlass was the best-selling model line all those years. I wonder if Chevy had added Chevelle/Malibu and Monte Carlo together, if Olds could have made that claim. Olds' equivalents to the Malibu and Monte Carlo were both labelled "Cutlass".
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
The answer to a question that nobody asked...
Cheers
Graham
"Gee, honey, let's spend $50,000 on the ugliest vehicle on the planet!"
"But it's got AWD! And it's a convertible!"
"So? Let's get a Jeep instead."