Mystery car pix

kyfdx

Is this about '71 or '72?

I started driving in '74, and we had gas prices even cheaper than that, off and on... (midwest, not east coast, though)

fintail

That Morris Minor sure is the odd man out. I will also pick off the German built Ford Capri in front of the 62 Impala 4 door HT.

uplanderguy

That Chevy wagon is a '74 Impala wagon, by the location of the side molding and nameplate on the front fender.

andys120

The photo was taken in San Francisco, which is usually a ways above the national average for gas, although I think it was about the same in NY when this was taken (no one has guessed the year yet).

IIRC most of the Gen 1 Capris e got were made in Dagenham, not Cologne.

The Morris is probably the oldest car in the pic (1959-60?) and the Capri may be the newest.

andys120

I think that's a '68-69 Chevelle convertible parked at the sidewalk in front of the two apparently headless gentlemen (lots of strange people in San Fran, especially in those days).

I can't believe nobody can recall the year of the great Gas Embargo.

stickguy

That would be 1973 I believe.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy

that is hideous. Looks like a toon car come to life.

Mr_Shiftright

No worse than some early Subarus

grahampeters

G'day

I actually know about this one but will let someone else figure it out. However, I can confirm that this was not a reject from the Wacky Races!

The real story involves a Fish Barter Scheme with the Soviet Union!

Cheers

Graham

magnette

This is a Troll - I don't think they made more than about 6 or 7 though. It was made in Norway in the late 50's

robr2

Let's see:

in front of the doors looks like a gen 1 Monte Carlo
first car in the parking stall is a Ford LTD
in front of that is a Toronado

Mr_Shiftright

That's right---a TROLL! Interesting in that it was, i'm told, one of the first attempts to make a production fiberglass car in Europe ala the Corvette in the USA. They only made 5 or so, but the intention was to create a national auto industry in Norway.

kyfdx

I see trolls all the time in the forums.. ;-)

grahampeters

G'day

This is one of the odd stories of motoring history. The Troll was a fibre-glass bodied 700cc, two stroke, rear wheel drive car developed in the 1950's by Troll Plastik & Bilindustri, ostensibly to develop a Norwegian Car Industry. However the Norwegian government were keen to sustain a fish export industry, especially to the Soviet Union, which supplied cars to Norway offset by the fish exports. Accordingly Troll were restricted to manufacture 15 cars, although only about 6-7 were actually produced.

It was supposed to be a sports car and the engine, sourced from Germany was claimed to have a Bosch fuel injection system. Top speed was about 130km/h. It was compared to a Porsche of the time, which seems a bit optimistic.

There were export plans for something like 2,000 cars per annum, but after investors got the hint that it could not be sold in Norway (due to the Fish Barter Deal) any idea of volume production ceased.

Not sure that the name was catchy enough. There might be other connotations in Norway but calling a car after a fierce legendary monster with a fondness for eating children, does not seem a winner to me.

Cheers

Graham

andys120

Mr_Shiftright

<img src="http://toysnz.com/sites/toysnz.com/files/TNZ_Share/tmp/bg_cached_resized_f867a1b6e315994cdb0302e2e25d5919.jpg"

ateixeira

Looks like a stretch limo version of a Subaru 360.

Mr_Shiftright

What a concept--a 1-ton Subaru 360

Nope.

HINT: It's British

texases

1952-ish Humber?

Mr_Shiftright

bingo! Gold Star! Probably the Humber equivalent of the old US Military M37 I think it was called ????

andys120

I had that one along with several other Brit army vehicles. I loved those Dinkys.

lostwrench1

A 1960 Buick and the return of the portholes!

bhill2

A 1960 Buick and the return of the portholes!

Yes, and I think the cheapest least-expensive one you could get; a LeSabre 2-door sedan.

andys120

Right Lostwrench, it's a 1960 Buick Lesabre, in the background, to the right can be seen a '65-ish Mercury and the tail of a '62 Chevy Impala.

andys120

imidazol97

> right can be seen a '65-ish Mercury

Is the gold car the Mercury? I get the impression of a Dodge or Chrysler. Maybe partly by the C-pillar shape along with the ridge along the side.

Michaell

First generation Toyota Corona .. '65 or '66?

andys120

'65 or '66?

Guess you forgot that side marker lights came in for 1968. That's a 1970 Toyota Corona.

Michaell

Guess you forgot that side marker lights came in for 1968. That's a 1970 Toyota Corona.

Forgot? Heck, I was 5 in 1968.

My folks had a '73 Corona.

berri

Time can change things. I remember when those early Toyota's and Nissan's came over here I thought they were not only ugly, but maybe just a bit short of repulsive. However, looking at them today I sort of like them. I can't put my finger on what made me change my mind (senility?), but seriously, maybe there is something a bit art deco about them. I believe there is an old Toyota collection or museum somewhere in the vast LA area. I need to look that up next time I've got some time out there.

stickguy

berri

Hey, that's the first 59 Ford that I've seen from during it's era that actually had a continental kit for the rear tire back then - seriously! I liked Mopars in the old days, so I'll take the blue 61 Chrysler sedan. Cheyenne isn't near as booming these days, but it's downtown is still worth a quick look if you're on I-80 in Wyoming. Big western wear place that was fun to look around and a really neat old record shop last time I was there.

andys120

That's a 1959 Pontiac (Safari?) wagon next to the Chrysler. Further down, under the bank sign, I think there's a yellow and white '57 Ford and heading the other way a blue '60 Chevy. Good chance this photo was taken in 1961, I think.

qbrozen

I'm trying to help someone out with a theft. I'm having a hard time figuring this out. The taillights should be a big help, but I'm coming up empty so far. The sideview seems to show a 4-door coupe type of car. And the headlights with what appears to be fogs or aux lights under them.

I've enhanced the pics as best I can with the software I have here at work.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/10422617785_c9158e1045_o.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2855/10422757553_4850c132f9_o.jpg

stever

imidazol97

Are these any better?

With the shape of the metal around the license plate holder and the positioning of the rear view mirrors, someone should recognize the car.

The dark blotches almost show numbers on the license.

Is that an antenna on top of the car? One of those flat V-shape antennas for TV?

qbrozen

at first I stuck them in my message, but it appears to be distorting the pics a bit. In the original, the car is a bit longer in the profile pic.

robr2

Big square dash.
Long term test.

I'm guessing Silverado.

Mr_Shiftright

What's that? An ATM in the dash to help you get cash price at the pump?

stever

Very good - the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado showing the "Parking Card Holder".

Mr_Shiftright

Ohhhh....I couldn't live without one of THOSE!

fintail

I think the thing on the roof is actually an illusion, being something on the ground ahead of the car.

I am having a tough time with the car, but it is distinctive with the license plate area and taillights, which appear to have a light area on the trunklid.

Maybe submit it to Jalopnik, they do car ID spots all the time.

uplanderguy

Although the mirrors look big to me, I'd guess either a late-model Pontiac Grand Prix or G6.

fintail

I got a Pontiac feeling from it too. Tail lights don't seem to match tough, at least in the quick google search I made.

ateixeira

The side mirrors look like they're door mounted, or at least very low mounted.

Not too many cars have those, and most that do don't fit the overall body.

Hopefully the mirrors ring a bell for someone.

qbrozen

Yeah, that's definitely an important detail. I would be pegging it for a previous gen GS350 if not for those mirrors.

andys120

...wheels, this car most likely was delivered on small 13" steel wheels with wheel covers, those Minilites make it look sportier than it is>

uplanderguy

Is that a Datsun 210? Actually pretty good styling IMHO--sure beat the "Honey Bee" my uncle bought later.

andys120

Yup, it was sold in most markets as the Datsun 1200.