Mystery car pix

grahampeters

G'day

Rover 800 series from 1989. Probably sold as Sterling in America but this one is from England

Cheers

Graham

lemko

It was sold in the U.S. as the Sterling 827. I believe there was also a hatchback version of this car.

grahampeters

G'day

Quite a pretty design and really the last gasp of Rover as a luxury car. The hatch was practical and the saloon comparatively rare in Britain. The plow nose was replaced about 1992 and looked tidier without the pockmarks which usually marred the lip of the early models.

A guy across the road from us when living in Gloucestershire had several and thought them wonderful. However he was an unmarried elderly engineer who enjoyed tinkering! The foibles of the Rover electrics provided lots of entertainment for him.

Cheers

Graham

robr2

Only Rover could take a perfectly capable Honda/Acura and turn it into something so British in terms of reliability and quality....

ateixeira

An Acura clone without the hassle of reliability.

lemko

andys120

Humber Super Snipe Estate

Yup, it's '66 Super Snipe. The sedan...er..Saloon versions were somewhat popular in the heyday of British imports here. I rode in one once and was impressed with the interior fittings which were like those of a Jag or Bentley with lots of nice wood, leather and little fold out tables. It looked like a Checker outside but not so much inside.

andys120

That's an 80s Subaru DL. Someone has removed the Subie emblem and replaced it with that third lamp.

andys120

ateixeira

No rust so it can't be. :P

texases

A friend had one of those Subaru DLs. I couldn't figure how such a 'inherently balanced' engine was such a raspy thing. :confuse:

robr2

Peugeot 508 Estate.

lemko

Actually, that third headlamp is a Subaru option that year. The Suburu emblem would flip up exposing this "passing light." It wasn't legal in all states.

fintail

I am surprised at how many Subarus of that vintage have survived in my area. I still see them now and then. And yeah, the engines are very coarse sounding - not like one 25 years newer is much smoother.

andys120

Peugeot 508 Estate.

Keerect, nice looking motor IMO.

explorerx4

Looks pretty close to what a Fusion wagon would look like.

andys120

Looks pretty close to what a Fusion wagon would look like.

Ya think?>

andys120

explorerx4

That's even closer to what a Fusion wagon would look like.

fintail

Fiat 124 coupe ~1970, clean design, shame they disintegrated so easily.

andys120

Close it's a 1968 Fiat 124 Sports Coupe/1400, the first year for the 124 Sports in America. IIRC they went to the four headlight design for '70.

texases

" four headlight design for '70."

I don't remember those, any pics? I can't find one.

andys120

This pretty design was followed in 1973 with a disastrous big bumper design that also had four headlights>



In all there were way more four headlight 124 Coupes than two headlight cars especially in the US.

Mr_Shiftright

Lovely, fun car, the 124 coupe.

Man WANT! :shades:

andys120

bhill2

Wow. '64 Imperial. Me like!

andys120

Looks odd with the tiny wheels, sunk into the body carrying that huge chassis.
The slab sides are a direct steal from the '61 Conti (the car Draper should have bought instead of the DeVille).

andys120

lostwrench1

With AM/FM radio and "Auto Pilot".

stickguy

Euro model 1990ish 5 series touring.

andys120

Euro model 1990ish 5 series touring.

Nein, it's the Euro only E30 3 Series Touring. Sedan versions of the E30 were so successful in the US that they never bothered to import the slick little 3er wagons.

I'd love to have one.

kyfdx

I thought it was an E34 5-series wagon, too..

andys120

It's tough to tell the difference, even if you know there is one. Which is which?>

kyfdx

Back to back, I'd say the grills are a good tip-off... E34s are much wider...

It's funny... I never saw those two models as so similar, until you posted the wagon...

I'm digging the E36 M3 wheels on that last one, though..

andys120

stickguy

1970ish Chevy Suburban

uplanderguy

I'll say '71 or '72, since although it has an aftermarket grille insert, the parking lights are in the bumper instead of the grille unlike the '69 and '70. In that color, which I remember, I'll say a '71.

explorerx4

It looks like a 2 door model.

berri

Believe it or not, I think they were 3 doors back then (back door on pax side only).

stever

So that's where the first Dodge minivans got the idea. Clean looking rig.

texases

Yep, 3-door. The previous generation Chevy truck did also come in a 2-door panel truck version. The 'Charlie's Chips' guy used one when I was a kid:

Mr_Shiftright

:P

stickguy

looks like an early Jeep dolled up to resemble a Fiat Jolly.

whatever it exactly is, it is certainly odd.

bhill2

I think it was called a 'Jeepster', although it may have had another name. Some neighbors of ours had one in the mid '50s, when I was about 5. It had dragon figures painted on it. They called it the 'Myassis Dragon'. It was several years before I got it.

andys120

It's a 1972 Chevy Suburban 2500

[Deleted User]

I think it's godawful. Powerful ugly car. It looks like a German rendition of a '57 Caddy Eldorado Baritz. :P

[Deleted User]

Looks like it could be the official Pepto -Bismal vehicle. Yikes.

lemko

Of course the slab sides are stolen from the 1961 Continental! Elwood Engel, who designed the 1961 Continental, was hired away from Ford by Chrysler after Virgil Exner was canned. The 1964 Imperial is a curious combination of both men's designs.

Mr_Shiftright

Nope, nope and nope. It's a "real" Jeep model, introduced in 1959.

any other guesses?

texases

Well, with the 1959 hint I'll 'guess' it's the Gala (export) or Surrey (domestic) model. More about them here.