Mystery car pix

andys120

..what this was before it went for a swim?



BIGGER/BETTER pic.

stever

VW Bug?

They usually float better than that.

andys120

Yup, the steering wheel and the odd suspension uprights as well as the engine shroud in the rear are the giveaways for the Volkswagen Type 1 (it could have been a Karmann-Ghia or a Beetle).

They would float but not for very long.

stever

An old (trusted) friend went climbing one time and they parked on the "wrong" side of the river up a rarely used drainage. Upon return a few days later, they learned that the Army picked up their Bailey bridge and took it somewhere else.

So one guy waded across, tied off a climbing rope and they got it attached to the VW, drove the Bug into the water and "ferried" across. When it started floating it swung close enough to the other bank to get moving again. Depending on the time of day, that river could be thigh deep from glacial melt.

texases

Those photos of the Eklutna bring back memories - went rafting with a guide service years ago, just had Helly Hansons and a life vest, no dry or wet suit. Two folks fell out (water was HIGH and fast, just rained). Friend and I pulled one back into our raft, she was going hypothermic, the guides had to beach and warm her up near a fire. That glacial runoff is COLD!

stever

Jay Hammond went rafting with some unprepared outfitter over in the Wrangells wearing just rain gear and two people died when they flipped. If the hypothermia doesn't get you the cold water immersion heart attack will.

Lake Superior is about as bad - it's been hot enough here once this summer for me to jump in.

texases

Side note - Steve, would you get rid of that android software spam over on 'Edmunds Answers'? I tried to 'flag' it, but the 'flag' link seems to be broken...

stever

Ah, thanks, sometimes those slip through the mod tools here. I'll ask about the flagging too.

andys120

lemko

That's the Storied Hudson Italia!

Mr_Shiftright

is that the one now resting on the bottom of the ocean?

stever

andys120

Looks like McQueen's Chevy 3100 camper.

fintail

That would be the Chrysler Norseman, lost on the Andrea Doria:

stever

Fer sure.

"Steve McQueen's 1952 Chevrolet pickup with custom camper will cross the auction block at a Mecum's auction of celebrity items this Friday, July 26, at the Santa Monica, California airport. Mecum did not release an estimated sale price."

Steve McQueen's 1952 Chevy Pickup and Camper up for Auction

andys120

robr2

2014 Chevy Impala.

andys120

2014 Chevy Impala.

Yup, sure is. They're saying nice things about it.

[Deleted User]

2014 Chevy Impala. It has the 3.6 liter V6, and is built on the same platform as the Caddy XTS. It puts out 305 HP in the Chevy and the Caddy. Both have 265 lb ft as well.

It came in second in the latest Car and Driver comparo, bettered only by the new Avalon. (which I think has a very, very ugly front end). The Chevy is gorgeous....Kudos GM.

texases

I'd be hard pressed to pick the XTS over the new Impala, seems like 99% of the car for 80% of the price, or less.

Mr_Shiftright

I was thinking the exact same thing.

lemko

You can see a bit of later Imperial styling in the Norseman.

andys120

bhill2

'61 Pontiac. Looks like a Ventura.

lostwrench1

Because of the wheel covers I'll put two chips on 61 Bonneville.

[Deleted User]

Exactly. I think the Chevy actually looks better than the Caddy, and I like it's big screen/giant icon infotainment system. These smaller screen units are very hard to use on the fly.

I gave up on GM a long time ago, after owning many of their products. (87 Cavalier Z24 5 speed, 89 Toronado Trofeo', 94 Grand Dammit, and finally I inherited a 1993 Buick Century).

However, having seen some of their new products... I feel a bit of a surge of American pride again.

andys120

Yup, it's a 1961 Pontiac Bonneville Sport Coupe.

andys120

texases

Mid-70s-ish Alfa Montreal. Has to be one of the most distinctive cars out there, what with both the headlight louvers and the black B-pillar slots...

andys120

Yup, it's a 1973 Alfa-Romeo Montreal, named after the Expo67 World's Fair where the concept was first shown. Styling was by Bertone's Marcello Gandini (Lambo Miura and Countach).

texases

"named after the Expo67 World's Fair where the concept was first shown."

I didn't know that. Wish I could remember it, we went to Expo '67...of course I was 11 at the time, not really into Alfas at that point...

fintail

Future mystery car namer

wgrafer

She seemed to like the Audi best. Did she skip the BMW???

fintail

She's saying BMW, but the letters sound different in Russian (as in German, it would be "bay emm vay".

My niece is 2, and she's obsessed with toy cars. I need to get my sister working on something like this :shades:

grahampeters

G'day

Isn't it pretty? A mate has a red one in his workshop at present. Something to lust after.

Cheers

Graham

lemko

My parents went to Expo '67 in Montreal when I was very little. I remember them bringing back a cloth wall hanging as a souvenir that hung in my bedroom for many years that depicted the different countries' pavillions. The most distinctive one was Great Britain's:

texases

I remember the US pavilion's huge geodesic dome, and the Russian pavilion's many displays of industrial might. I also like the Swiss, I got my first Swiss chocolates there...ummmm...

andys120

I remember the Canadian brewer's pavilion with dozens of different brands on
tap. It might be the closest to heaven I ever get. :shades:

andys120

fintail

Facelift Mitsu 3000GT, 1994+

andys120

Yep, that's it.

andys120

texases

Mitsu 3000GT: A car which seemed to be less than the sum of its parts - Turbo, awd, etc...

fintail

Looks like a 58-60 T-Bird.

Funny, in the 80s movie "Back to the Beach", Frankie and Annette drive a 60 T-Bird much like that:

andys120

It's probably the same car.

That's Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello for those not of a certain age.

texases

grahampeters

G'day

Right hand drive so I was thinking British (dunes look like South/West Wales) but lines scream French post war. Pressed steel wheels look Italian but are too deeply dished and chrome hubcaps look wrong. Rear reminds me of pre-war American, which was sometimes aped by French designers. Front guards and lights also seem American (as does nose)

Weird wiper setup is "different".

My wife has just opined: "That's Cute!"

I keep feeling Duesenberg, but know that's not right.

Cheers

Graham

andys120

That's a real stumper. My first thought was Frazer-Nash or Bristol but I can't find anything that's even close.

Graham is right, it's an amalgam of French and American styling cues but likely it is British. The wheels and hubcaps look a bit like those on BMWs of the postwar era.

How about a clue for the clueless? :confuse:

texases

OK - European, not French, but the workers may or may not have spoken French...

fintail

Dutch plates, if it matters.