Mystery car pix

berri

Looks like around a 55 Studebaker Hawk, maybe a Speedster? Now that's a two-tone I could live without personally

Somewhere around a 48 Chevy Woodie because I think vehicles required two tail lights somewhere around 1949?

berri

I loved the looks of the old real hardtops, but grew to hate cars with no frames around the windows, particularly that "pillared" gimmick. My experiences with them were that they quickly became a pain with wind and sometimes water leaks creating drafts and lots of noises. Also, with time those window seals grew to look pretty ugly. As you noted they cost less to build, but they sold for a premium sometimes. As for the old hardtops, I particularly liked the short lived 59/60 GM 4 dr flat tops although I think they lacked a lot of structural integrity. Oh well, you can't have it all!

bhill2

berri said:

Looks like around a 55 Studebaker Hawk, maybe a Speedster? Now that's a two-tone I could live without personally

Somewhere around a 48 Chevy Woodie because I think vehicles required two tail lights somewhere around 1949?

I think the Stude is a President Speedster. The Chevy has to be a '49 I think, given the profile.

stickguy

The Stude is a 55 president speedster. Much better names in the old days. Now it would be a QB372 or some such.

close on the wagon. Based on the source ad, it is a '51 "Tin Woodie"

Mr_Shiftright

You can tell a Speedster from a regular President by those thingies hanging off the front bumper. Otherwise they pretty much look the same. Oh, the fake wire hub caps are also a Speedster accessory.

andys120

robr2

Pontiac Tempest I believe.

texases

Are those wire wheel hubcaps correct? I don't remember seeing those things in the '60s.

qbrozen

993er said:

What's this?

The answer to your question is: Freakin Awesome!

andys120

robr2 said:

Pontiac Tempest I believe.

Well, not exactly. It's actually a 1963 Pontiac LeMans, '63 being the first year for the LeMans as a seperate model rather than a subset of the Tempest.

andys120

texases said:

Are those wire wheel hubcaps correct? I don't remember seeing those things in the '60s.

I believe they were an optional extra. Perhaps they were less popular in your part of the world but they were seen on anything remotely sporty in the mid '60s around here (Northeastern US)

Mr_Shiftright

OK--in order to get the coveted Chocolate Bunny you have to tell me not only the make, (well duh) but the actual name of the truck as it was marketed.

Hint: This is a USA model truck.

Hint @2: The actual name of the truck is (make + two other words) and one of those other words isn't "pickup" or "truck".



And none of that "search google for this image" nonsense. Spyware is monitoring your every keystroke.

Michaell

Mr_Shiftright said:

OK--in order to get the coveted Chocolate Bunny you have to tell me not only the make, (well duh) but the actual name of the truck as it was marketed.

Hint: This is a USA model truck.

Hint @2: The actual name of the truck is (make + two other words) and one of those other words isn't "pickup" or "truck".



And none of that "search google for this image" nonsense. Spyware is monitoring your every keystroke.

Whoops ... when I hit reply I sort of see the name. So I'll pass.

stickguy

GMC. 1955? Is Cameo in the name?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh yeah, you CAN see part of the name when you hit reply, but you can't see the ENTIRE name bwahahahaha......

@stickguy -- no, Cameo is not in the name but you're on the right track.

explorerx4

GMC Chrome Mustache?

stickguy

wasn't there a GMC (or was it chevy) with a Spanish sounding name? Caliente, Caliabro, something like that?

robr2

stickguy said:

wasn't there a GMC (or was it chevy) with a Spanish sounding name? Caliente, Caliabro, something like that?

It was the Caballero (pronounced Kah-Bal-Yerrrrrrrrrrooooooooooohhhhhhhhh)

stickguy

close enough. I'm giving myself credit.

Mr_Shiftright

Nope. Not a Caballero. No Chocolate Bunny for you!

grahampeters

Mr_Shiftright said:

OK--in order to get the coveted Chocolate Bunny you have to tell me not only the make, (well duh) but the actual name of the truck as it was marketed.

Hint: This is a USA model truck.

Hint @2: The actual name of the truck is (make + two other words) and one of those other words isn't "pickup" or "truck".



And none of that "search google for this image" nonsense. Spyware is monitoring your every keystroke.

G'day

I suspect this is not the right description, but when the Utility was first invented by Ford in Australia in 1934, it was sold as a Coupe Utility


Cheers

Graham

andys120

I haven't a clue what the model name is but I'm pretty sure the photo is of a scale model (1/24? 1`/18?).

Mr_Shiftright

Sorry Graham, no bunny.

These are actually so rare in their GMC form, that it's hard to find an actual photo of one. I actually know of a real one near me, so maybe I'll post a picture of it later.

When you're all ready to surrender, let me know.....maybe this will motivate you....

andys120 said:

I haven't a clue what the model name is but I'm pretty sure the photo is of a scale model (1/24? 1`/18?).

tmart

GMC Suburban Carrier Pickup?

Mr_Shiftright

Hey bingo! Enjoy that chocolate bunny tmart, and don't bite the ears off right away.

Yes, the GMC Suburban Carrier was the equivalent of the Cameo. The one I know about is the even rarer 1958 model, which for collectors is actually not the most popular for either the Cameo or Carrier.

These are historically significant vehicles, as they are the precursors of the "upscale" pickup and SUV, and the idea of the flat-sided PU truck.

andys120

What a mess>

Mr_Shiftright

What an odd duck! Check out those sparrow nests over the headlights, and the death ray ports on the windshield header---and the C pillar---oh, my! And that big "M" in the grille, as if you needed a reminder? Friends don't let friends Drink and Design!

tmart

57 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser.

andys120

Yep, it's a '57 Turnpike Cruiser but for me it raises a couple of questions

-How could anyone design something so ugly?

-I wonder if those strange shapes above the windshield served any purpose (HVAC vents?)

The '58 eliminated them and the "scoops" above the headlights. It was pretty rare for any '58 to look better than it's '57 predecessor but I'd say the Mercs did (a little anyway).>

stickguy

Pick 'em up

Mr_Shiftright

That looks Studebakery to me.....somewhere '49 or '50 ish.

stickguy said:

Pick 'em up

Mr_Shiftright

And now, for collectors of relics of a declining Empire, we have:

stickguy

and, you are wrong. on both counts.

Mr_Shiftright

Hmmm.....International?

andre1969

andys120 said:

texases said:

Are those wire wheel hubcaps correct? I don't remember seeing those things in the '60s.

I believe they were an optional extra. Perhaps they were less popular in your part of the world but they were seen on anything remotely sporty in the mid '60s around here (Northeastern US)

They may have offered wire hubcaps on the Tempest/LeMans in the 60's, but those look too modern. I think they're the style GM used on their B-bodies around 1985. I think Chevy and B-O-P all offered them, just change out the logo on the center cap. My grandmother's '85 LeSabre Limited had them. IIRC, the Tempest had 15" wheels, right?

explorerx4

Red pickup is a Dodge?

andys120

IIRC, the Tempest had 15" wheels, right?


Doubtful, I think. My Dad's '64 Catalina had 13 inchers.

andre1969

Mr_Shiftright said:

What an odd duck! Check out those sparrow nests over the headlights, and the death ray ports on the windshield header---and the C pillar---oh, my! And that big "M" in the grille, as if you needed a reminder? Friends don't let friends Drink and Design!

The main reason the headlights look so bad is that the fenders were designed for single headlights, and the quad assembly was stuck on as an afterthought. The models with single headlights don't look nearly as bad.

I always wondered how far in advance the auto makers knew that quad headlights were coming. Chrysler, apparently, got the memo, as all of their '57 cars were designed to accept either 2 or 4 headlights...even if Plymouth and Dodge didn't actually offer them, instead going for a fake-out look with the turn signal mounted where a headlight would normally be.

Oddly, I always thought the '57 Ford looked like it was ready for quad lights. The fenders seemed wide enough to accept them. But, they only went with single headlights, which seemed to jut out a bit too far, giving the car a bug-eyed look.

I always thought the '57 Mercury was the ugliest car among its peers (Buick, Olds, Chrysler, DeSoto...in the past, Mercury had been cheaper, more of a Pontiac/Dodge class of car, but this year it moved upscale to clear some room for Edsel). But, in many ways, I think it predicted the 60's car better than Mopar or GM did. The GM and Mopar cars were more rounded off, whereas I find the Mercury to be pretty squared-off, and blocky. Trim off some of that excess styling, and you pretty much have the more conservative, squared-off blockiness that started to show up in the 60's.

And yeah, I thought '58 was definitely an improvement, although still not a very attractive car. Interestingly, this year, Olds and Buick went for a more blocky look as well, so I guess the Merc did have some influence. And for '59, the Chrysler and DeSoto seemed a bit more squared off, especially up front.

stickguy

Yes, the red PU is a 1953 Dodge

Mr_Shiftright

Obviously I need to brush up on my Korean War-era pickups I'm hopeless if I can't see the grille.

fintail

I think that's a Triumph 10 (TR10), the US market version of the Standard 10.

Mr_Shiftright said:

And now, for collectors of relics of a declining Empire, we have:

Mr_Shiftright

Yes! A Triumph Ten, a 1958 model if you can believe that.

fintail

Yep, I can believe it. This thing was in production through 1958-59:



A cheap car, but still.

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yes! A Triumph Ten, a 1958 model if you can believe that.

magnette

Yes - that Ford Popular was within a few weeks of contemporary with the most significant new car of that era which was also British.

Ford stopped making the Pop in the spring of 1959 and Austin / Morris launched the Mini at the end of August, changing small cars for ever - until the various small hatchbacks surpassed it later...

grahampeters

Mr_Shiftright said:

And now, for collectors of relics of a declining Empire, we have:

G'day

You are definitely dredging the low life. Without looking under the bonnet, I cannot tell if it is a Standard Eight or Standard Ten, from about 1953 to 1960. They were an unlovely car which reaked of post-war British austerity. The early Eights has sliding windows and the boot was accessed through the rear seat as there was no boot lid. A review from the Melbourne Argus of 17 February 1954 gives something of the flavour;

"PRODUCTION economies in the new Standard Eight, above, nowhere interfere with efficiency or comfort, and most of them will not be noticed by the non-technical, says John Williams, ''The Argus" motoring expert.

Mechanically there is nothing to remind one that the car is severely competitive In price, he says. 'In Britain the Standard is the lowest-price four-door eight, because of the omission of a number of, features as standard equipment. Here it occupies second place by a narrow margin, but some items which are extras in Britain are standard specification here.

These include plated hub covers, twin wipers, sun visor, twin ash trays in front, roof light, bon-net mascot, underspraying of chassis and extra :dustproofing, oil – bath air-cleaner.

Body and chassis are of unitary construction, with the engine and front suspension carried on a detachable sub-frame.

Elimination of a separate door for the lug-gage compartment has certain definite advantages, such as positive dust and water exclusion, greater strength. The rear seat squabs are divided, so that access can be obtained without disturbing both rear passengers.

As a result the luggage accommodation is increased considerably with three passengers, and enormously If there are only two in the car, as the complete seat can then be folded forward as in a station wagon.

Spare ' and tools are always easily accessible in their own compartment, and little of the large front parcels shelf space is lost by installation of the specially designed radio which, of course, is an extra. This radio, incidentally, gave excellent results during the .road test, on stations many' hundreds of miles away.

The O.H.V. engine has7.4:1 compression, develops 26 b.h.p. at 4,500 r.p.m., and drives through a four-speed gearbox synchronised on three of its speeds.
Electric system is 12 volt, there is an oil filter, and the clutch is hydraulically controlled like the Vanguard.

Ignition timing is con-trolled both by governor and vacuum unit, and the car runs well on Australian fuel, although English high - octane grades would naturally be needed to realise its full performance.

Suspension is coil springs and tubular dampers in front, with half-elliptic leaf springs and piston-type dampers at the rear."

Managing to make the absence of a boot lid a positive is a real marketing talent!

Cheers

Graham

Mr_Shiftright

That was pretty funny---almost could be taken for satire. It's hard to believe the writer is serious. I especially like the emphasis on the positive amenities, such as hood ornament and a sun visor. I mean, that's luxury!

I suppose this is why the Jaguar XK120 was such a world-shocking event in the automotive arena. For something that lovely and fast to come out of a war-ravaged England was quite a surprise.

It would be interesting to park a '58 Triumph Ten next to a '58 Oldsmobile!

fintail

Or a 58 Ford Pop next to a 58 Lincoln.

No boot lid! The spin on that one made me laugh.

Mr_Shiftright said:

That was pretty funny---almost could be taken for satire. It's hard to believe the writer is serious. I especially like the em
It would be interesting to park a '58 Triumph Ten next to a '58 Oldsmobile!

fintail

The Mini and even Anglia 105E made the Pop look like a real antique. And they no doubt had a cult behind them.

magnette said:

Yes - that Ford Popular was within a few weeks of contemporary with the most significant new car of that era which was also British.

fintail

Munich, view from Rathaus looking at Marienplatz, 1962:



Be sure to click to enlarge. Should be something for everyone.

stickguy

lots of beetles and benzes.

is that a Ford Taunus wagon turning down the aisle?