Mystery car pix

andys120

1972-73 RX-2, Rotary powered.

Actually it's a '71. :shades:

grahampeters

G'day

Looks like the rear of a Mazda Capella Coupe.

Cheers

Graham

andys120

That's because the RX-2 was a Capella (aka Mazda 616) with a rotary motor in place of the inline four.

Wikipedia-Mazda Capella

andys120

grahampeters

G'day

The roof is ungainly but it looks like it is hiding a four seater. Therefore almost certainly US. I'd guess early 50's and possibly coachbuilt, but know nothing of US coachbuilders.

I am interested in what it is; certainly different

Cheers

Graham

wgrafer

Looks like a cross between a Kaiser Darrin and a '56 Continental. I have never seen one of these - and I definitely would remember....

bgkk75s

1952 Muntz Jet.

In 2009, this Muntz Jet Convertible was offered for sale by Bonhams Auction at the Quail Lodge Resort and Golf Club in Carmel, CA. It was estimated to sell for $150,000 - $175,000. As bidding came to a close, the lot had been sold for the sum of $117,000 inclusive of Buyer's Premium

Mr_Shiftright

the Muntz story is very entertaining reading. I won't go into it all, but I encourage people to check it out.

Basically this Jet is a re-design of the car Muntz originally built from Kurtis designs. The original Muntz was Cadillac powered, but the Jet was forced by GM to find another engine--so they went with a flathead Lincoln.

Muntz lost money like crazy on the 4-seat Jet. It did have some nifty options though, like a liquor cabinet.

Rumor has it that Ford, by selling Muntz Lincoln engines, got cozy enough to rip off a lot of Muntz/Curtis ideas for their new "sports car"---the Thunderbird. Given an examination of the two cars, the rumor has merit.

ateixeira

As someone who used to watch a lot of Rally, and a fan of the Delta Integrale, this is a sad fate for the brand.

Dad's got a 200c so nothing against those, for what they are, but they are most certainly not Lancias!

andys120

uplanderguy

When Phyllis Diller died, her obits said that she briefly dated Earl "Madman" Muntz. What a pairing that must have been.

Mr_Shiftright

Kinda looks like her, too: (yep that's really him)



His ad slogan was: "He buys 'em high and sells 'em low"

Sounds about like my stock portfolio strategy. :P

stickguy

Muntz is another car featured on chasing classic cars recently. Wayne gets to have all the fun.

andys120

Still no answer on the Corvette look alike in Post #38854? Surely you know this one Shifty. Fintail, Wgrafer, etc.

Hint, the motor is in back.

uplanderguy

I believe that is what was known as the "Monza SS" show car. MPC offered a model kit of it back in the '60's.

andys120

It is similar but it's not a Monza SS. One more hint: Like the Monza SS it is also Corvair based. It was the brainchild of a distinguished race driver and intended to be a production sports car but GM pulled the plug on the Corvair before he could sart a production run.

Mr_Shiftright

It's a Fitch Phoenix. John Fitch just passed away. My bro' had a Fitch Corvair--I thought it was a brilliant car, and I'd love to have one.

andys120

Fitch Phoenix.

Correct, if GM and Ralph Nader hadn't killed the Corvair, John Fitch might have been another Carroll Shelby and made an American Porsche out of the Phoenix.

Fitch, who recently died at 95 had a careers as a Fighter pilot, racing driver, race track and team manager as well as an auto safety pioneer. He might be the most amazing man you never heard of.

Obituary-John Cooper Fitch.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think Nader killed the car---GM shot themselves in the foot. Bad PR itself can rarely kill off a car. The Corvair was under-developed and GM pretty much had abandoned it by 1965 anyway, the same year as Nader's book. So GM had the Corvair off the books already, with the '65 being the last model planned.

the Mustang was a big wake-up call for GM--hence the Camaro really became the new Corvair.

If anything, Nader merely made circling the drain a little faster perhaps, or if anything encouraged GM that they were right in ditching the car and going "conventional".

andys120

uplanderguy

The '65 was an all-new car and very attractive. But, maximum 180 horsepower didn't cut it for most people. I'd still enjoy one but I think it'd be even harder to find anybody to work on it than a Studebaker.

Mr_Shiftright

Well like the Studebaker cult, the Corvair cult has its little nests of believers--so I think if you were patient, you'd find someone in driving distance. He might be WEIRD, but he'd know Corvairs.

There's a guy right around me who collects them, He must have 20 of them in the back 40, in the tin shed, even stacked on each other. He fixes one up, sells it, fixes another sells it, buys 3 more, takes those apart...you know the routine.

These days, with aftermarket help you can make a much better Corvair, or Studebaker, than the factory ever did. For one thing, you can stop most of the oil leaks and you can re-assemble the car with more care.

michaellno

1968 Mercury Cougar, from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Are these pictures coming forth because of the new Bond movie being released this Friday?

I cannot identify the coupe next to it, however.

jwilliams2

Looks like a 1969 Cougar, and a 1969 Aston Martin DBS...

uplanderguy

I'm with you; that's a '69 Cougar. No idea on the Aston Martin.

uplanderguy

A friend who's an auto writer told me not to worry about serviceability when I bought my '66 Stude--'anybody that can work on a '60's Chevelle can work on that car'. I didn't own it long enough to really find out though.

andys120

Yep, it's a '69 Mercury Cougar next to a '69 Aston-Martin DBS. It's from On Her Majesty's Secret Service an oddball in the Bond series in that it featured George Lazenby perhaps the most forgettable of the James Bond portrayers and Diana Rigg (next to the Cougar), my far and away favorite of the Bond girls.

Mr_Shiftright

Sure, there's nothing challenging about working on a Chevelle or a Studebaker---same-o, same-o. It's all straightforward 1930/40s technology basically. Any mechanic who worked on cars in 1915 should be able to work on any American car up to about the early 70s, no problem. And if he worked on Model T Fords, he'd understand automatic tranmissions. AC might throw him a bit.

grahampeters

G'day

George Lazenby might be the most forgettable Bond, but pulling it back on topic, he was a Car Salesman from Canberra. He then sold Used Cars in Finchley (North London) before moving on to selling New in Park Lane.

Unfortunately he could not do a posh enough accent, so the voice when he was pretending to be Sir Hilary Bray, was actually dubbed by George Baker, who subsequently played Inspector Wexford.

Cheers

Graham

andys120

Much BIGGER!

uplanderguy

Agree for the most part, Shifty...which is why I think having a Corvair would be more of a service headache. I've long said that after a Studebaker, a second-gen Corvair would be my next choice in a hobby car. Rumor was the dealers usually had one dedicated Corvair guy out back in the shop.

For some reason (last, I guess), I've always liked '69 Monza hardtops with the four-carb engine (140 hp), although Corvair boards say that's fussy to keep running well and that a 110 hp is a less fussy beast. The styling and interior use of space is top-notch IMHO.

robr2

I see a Chevy convertible on the left with a Ford Falcon behind it.

BTW - It's pronounced Dot-chez-tah with an voice tinged by Jack and Chestefields.

Mr_Shiftright

yes a '69 would be a nice car to have. Carbs might be fussy but they aren't complicated....just a matter of rebuilding them and then twisting a screw now and then.

lostwrench1

1954 Buick
1956 Mercury

bhill2

The Chevy convertible is a '62 as is the Falcon. The '57 Chevy looks like a 210 to me, because it has dog dish hubcaps and the area between the chrome trim on the back looks like it's painted (as opposed to the aluminum beauty panel of the Bel Air).

andys120

Good eye on the Mercury, it's hidden in the trees but it's there. As for my
mis-pronunciation of Dorchester, I find the way they speak in Boston rather bizzah.

andys120

The '57 Chevy looks like a 210 to me, because it has dog dish hubcaps and the area between the chrome trim on the back looks like it's painted (as opposed to the aluminum beauty panel of the Bel Air).

Black walls instead of whitewalls are another indication but by '62 the '57 Chevy was just an old car (that was outsold by Ford in'57) and Boston is pretty hard on cars (note missing hubcap).

odie6l

Sorry, had some computer issues thanks to vacations and Sandy.

The 3 vehicles are as follows (from left to right);
1971 Monteverdi 375C
1967 TVR Trident Roadster
1972 Guyson E12

Odie

stever

Welcome back.

lemko

Another Muntz line was, "I'd give 'em away, but Mrs. Muntz won't let me! She's CRAAA-ZY!!!"

Mr_Shiftright

Wasn't he the one who started that old joke?:

"How can you say you 'buy high and sell low' and stay in business?"

Answer: "Volume, son, volume..."

lemko

Here's the cartoon logo of the Madman himself in a Napoleonic Hat, boots, and longjohn underwear:

odie6l

Odie

grahampeters

G'day

No idea what it is, but what a magnificent picture for a jigsaw puzzle!

Cheers

Graham

andys120

Definitely French, 1930s vintage, probably bodied by Saoutchik, Franay or
possibly Chapron. It's likely a Delage, Delahaye or Talbot-Lago. The French dominated exotic car styling during the 1930s and 40s.

Here's a 1947 Saoutchik Talbot-Lago T126 that looks similar>



You'd get more attention in this than in a Countach.

imidazol97

>magnificent picture for a jigsaw puzzle!

Very good point.

odie6l

Very close Andy... It is a 1937 Delahaye 135 Torpedo Cabriolet. It was at The Elegance of Hershey car show this year.

Odie

fintail

Typical (with one vehicle unlike the rest) random parking lot in Germany:



larger version here

andys120

1937 Delahaye 135 Torpedo Cabriolet

Is that a Saoutchik body?

andys120

I'll try the nearside row (L-R):

-VW micro van I forget what they call it
-Audi A/S-8
-VW Minivan (not our Routan)
-Skoda Superb wagon
-Mercedes SL (current version).

Next row is a lot harder, is that a Ford F150/250? What's it doing there?