Mystery car pix

andre1969

The whitewall on the tires looks a little wider than I recall for that era.

I think it's wearing those whitewall radials that Coker Tire sells.

imidazol97

Can anyone tell what the emblem behind the front wheel says?

andre1969

If that car is Canadian, shouldn't it have a Chevy engine then? It should also be on the shorter Chevy wheelbase, so it would actually be a little more (or less, actually) than a Catalina with Bonneville trim. More like a modified Catalina body shortened to fit the Chevy frame (119" wb versus 122", and they'd take out those 3 inches at the rear, which would move the rear axle closer to the back seat).

It always seemed like a lot of work to me, to offer those Canadian Pontiacs. But then, that's the way Pontiac differentiated the Bonneville and Star Chief/Executive from the shorter Catalina in the US...just extend the wheelbase out in back, which would use the same doors, roof, glass, etc, but use modified quarter panels, and possibly a longer decklid. Or maybe they made that spacer panel between the decklid and the rear window longer...I can't remember.

But, IIRC, Pontiac was a big seller in Canada, and in some years actually outsold Chevy? So maybe it was worth it?

In contrast though, look at what little effort Ford made to differentiate their cars in Canada. They came out with the hastily rebadged Meteor to sell through Mercury dealers. And for awhile, they rebadged the Mercury (forget what they called it though) to sell through Ford dealers, so that both Ford and Mercury could carry both lines.

andre1969

That's the "Tri-Power" badge. Here's a closeup.

BTW, I found that Hemmings article, and it does indeed say the car is a Catalina built in Canada, with Bonneville side trim. GM wasn't building cars in Canada for the US market that early on, were they?

There was a trim package for the Catalina called "Ventura" that dressed it up pretty nicely. However, I don't know if it was just the Bonneville trim thrown on, or not.

andys120

The car is Canadian-made but not apparently for the Canadian market which accounts for the 389 under the hood and the regular Pontiac chassis. It's never been clear to me why GM went to all the trouble of re-engineering the car to use the Chevy chassis/running gear for the relatively small Canadian Market but Pontiacs were hugely popular Up North.

The emblem to the rear of the front fender is probably for the motor, I'd love to see a close-up myself.

More pix, info are at Hemmings Motor News.

imidazol97

Andre's link:


I was fascinated by the wide-track Pontiacs in my youth. So I hope I'm not overdoing this one...
The instrument panel looks the same and the speedometer is in MPH... so it was for the US market?



Here's a link to more views of this red Pontiac.

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=BB0213-146932&entryRow=17&lo- - - - ttype=Car&startRow=13

magnette

magnette

">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8067741751_1b0bde234a.jpg

Thanks anyway for the advice on post number 35169 (I don't have a hsh key as this is a British mac keyboard)

imidazol97

Note the Canadian seats weren't restored or were the same originally as the US model...

stever

(I wonder if you left a gap/space between the jpg and the "? And some older? Mac UK keyboards let you type the # sign by typing option-3. Or you can copy/paste the symbols. But I digress. ).

Mr_Shiftright

somebody---let us know what it sells for this weekend. Gorgeous car! I wonder if the customizations will hurt the price or not.

magnette

Thanks - I'll persevere. It wasn't until I put this picture on my computer that I noticed the dummy passenger.

andys120

That's a Zundapp Janus 750 ca. 1956 made by a German motorcycle mfr. 750cc is a lot of motor for a little skate, more than an Isetta or a Fiat 500.

andys120

stickguy

A 1990 something Chevy Lumina.

magnette

Yes - named after the Roman god who had two faces... A reference to the doors as they were on the front and rear, rather than the sides.

andys120

Yup it's a 1991 Chevy Lumina, in case anyone cares what year.

fintail

Canada didn't go to kms until 1979 or 1981 or something,I think.

uplanderguy

Actually, that's a '93 Lumina, since it has no wheel opening trim.

lostwrench1

I thought it had an error by its having red lenses at the back-up lights' locations. Wrong. This car had no back-up lights. They were an option that year.

grahampeters

G'day

A Zundapp Janus 245cc; not original colour, I guess. Weird thing where the rear passengers sat facing backward providing the kiddies with a clear view of the semi-trailer about to run over them. Bit hard to tell which end is the front., The engine was mid mounted between front and rear seats.

Zundapp were a large motorcycle manufacturer in Nuremberg. An older friend had a late 40's Zundapp 200cc motorbike which was remarkably slow and heavy. He took me far and wide on it to go bushwalking, when I was a kid. Our dog could recognize the distinctive engine note from the other end of town.

Cheers

Graham

andys120

stickguy

Mid-60's Dodge power wagon crew cab. Quite the beast. But I have seen a few restored with modern mechanicas (Hemi baby!) that look interesting.

andys120

Yup, thet thar's a '64 Dodge W200 Power Wagon, ex-USAF.

stever

That's not rattle-can blue then?

andys120

Could be, I don't know what the Air Force uses to paint their trucks.

andys120

tmart

Pontiac, Renault Dauphine, Plymouth, 59 Ford Taxi, Chrysler Imperial, 55 or 56 Ford.

andys120

I have to give you an "incomplete". The Poncho is a '62 Catalina, the Plymouth is a 1958 Plaza and the Chrsyler is a 1960 Windsor.

The parked Ford is a tough one, I'm inclined to think it's a '56 but yes the cab is a '59.

tmart

Why an incomplete? I got the makes correct, just not the years.

bhill2

the Plymouth is a 1958 Plaza

I don't think that's a Plaza; wrong side trim. I'd say a Savoy, but if so the strip from the headlight to the front door was added, perhaps as part of a package. The parked Ford is a '55.

lostwrench1

That strip on the Plaza indicates it is the rare "Silver Special".

bhill2

That strip on the Plaza indicates it is the rare "Silver Special".

Well there you go. I missed a special package. Thanks lostwrench1 and accept my apologies andys120.

ateixeira

Look how low those window are. You can almost see the passenger's elbows!

With safety regs nowadays we will never see that again.

andys120

Interesting observation but I hope the slit window fad goes away. Visibility is essential to safety too.

texases

One exception to the gun slit windows is the Accord:

stevedebi

"That's not rattle-can blue then?"

It may be the correct color for the '60s but they used a darker shade in the '80s when I was in.

andys120

BIGGER!

stickguy

early Pinto (70 or 71) following a Beetle convertible.

On the right, a gen 1 Camaro (can't decide if 68 or 69, but for some nagging reason I think it could be a Firebird?)

Behind that is either a Fiat or Renault? Not quite right for a Volvo 144.

Left of the Bug is one of those weird Mercurys with the rear window that retracts.

bhill2

In front of the Camaro is a mid-60's Falcon. Then, I think, is a '64 Chevy and then a '59 Ford. I can't quite get the car behind the Camaro either but I want to say it is a period Alfa Romeo sedan. On the left, the Mercury is in front of a mid-60's Malibu with a dented front fender.

andys120

Definitely a first gen Camaro (wrong tailights for an F-Bird) and those bulges in mid-fender say it's a '69. IIRC the Merc w the odd rear window is a '64.
The little Euro sedan is a Renault R10 (into'ed 1965).

Interestingly the Pinto may be the newest car in this shot (unless the VW is newer).

andys120

I'm not sure why you think the Falcon is mid 60s, it looks to me like the more rounded '60-'63 design. In '64 they introduced a more squared-off style>



...and here's the backside of a Renault R10 (1965-71)>

bhill2

I'm not sure why you think the Falcon is mid 60s

Yeah, I misspoke. I meant the first generation, but not one of the earliest ones. I should have said ''62 or '63".

andys120

stickguy

2nd Generation Honda Prelude. Fuzzy on the years, but maybe an '88?

fintail

Definitely 83-87, doesn't appear to have a CHMSL, also has a non NA license plate mount and I don't recall a Prelude "EX", so it isn't a US market car.

stickguy

kyfdx

Agree with that... don't recall a Prelude EX, either.... Of course, if it's not US, then maybe the CHMSL isn't required, either? IIRC, '86 was the first year for CHMSL, either way...

boomchek

It's an Ogle SX1000.

Brainchild of Briton David Ogle who wanted a luxuriously appointed small car. Apparently it had flimsy construction and twitchy handling which in the end killed David Ogle himself when he lost control of the car.

Built from 1961-1963.

(I got a book for Christmas called the world's worst cars, and this one is in there.

stickguy

a 1963 to be exact.

Believe it is based on a Mini chassis. Only made about 66 of them.

I figured this one would pose some trouble getting!