Mystery car pix

stickguy

I thought a caraige roof wa the 1/2 padded vinyl roof (just over the back part of the roof)? I still call the one on the caddy a vinyl roof.

andys120

Technically the 1/2 roof thing is a Landau roof IIRC and you can't call the one on the Caddy a vinyl roof as it's obviously made of some sort of cloth (or cloth overlay).

Mr_Shiftright

Aww...it's a little Fiat of some kind (hood emblem a giveaway) but the year is hard because in Italy they used prewar designs after the war (THE war being WWII for the younger members who have their own favorite wars :P )

I bet it's a lot smaller than it looks in that photo but it's not a Toppolino, so must be bigger displacement.

What's that little box thing on the driver's side fender that isn't on the other fender?

fintail

I think its a Fiat 1100, made through 1948/50 or so IIRC

That little thing on the fender must be some kind of club badge or something

andys120

You're very astute Mr.S, that Fiat emblem is really small and it is indeed bigger than a Topolino though probably pretty small by our standards.

It's a '46 Fiat 1100, a prewar design indeed and to my eyes a very attractive one. The Vee shaped
grille strikes me as an American influence.

I suspect the little box thing is a license plate, the front plates are pretty small in Italy.

andys120

fintail

Aah the Typhoon...must be 92 or so. They still have quite a following I think.

andys120

Right on Fin, it's a '93.

Try another?

fintail

Thanks to reading CAR....Daihatsu Copen I believe.

vibsr

I'm not much of an SUV fan, but that GMC Typhoon was awesome! Now why couldn't the General offer a manual transmission option with this? I KNOW Borg-Warner or Getrag could put together a box that could handle the output!

jspringer

You are definately correct. And it is the base model, not the upcoming sport edition. Not a bad little car, a little feminine, but then again so is the Miata

navigator89

and it's an easy one.

imidazol97

This message has an Image Hosted by tripod emblem with no picture. I believe there were a couple of these in the past.

Does anyone else see the picture?

andys120

No can see #4549 either.

fintail

I can see it. It's a c.1989 Caprice with some retarded 20" or so wire wheels. That car would look better with smaller period wheels, maybe those checkerboard wheels seen on Monte Carlos.

navigator89

I dont know why you guys cant see it, fintail and I can.

It is a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. I really like the wheels, I cant believe you dont, fintail.

Could you show me exactly how checkerboard wheels look like?

imidazol97

http://bigcadillac.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/carrice.jpg-

is the link to the Caprice. I can't get it to post correctly. Cut and paste to see the image.

I dug the link out of the source code for the discussion page.

I don't care for the wire wheels myself. They don't look right without the gold bling and a vinyle roof and landau lights. Other wheels would appease my memories of that great car.

Coworker kept getting calls from people who buy those up and ship them to the middle east as a business. He had his mothers from that era. A police suspension model that he had bought for her before she passed.

Mr_Shiftright

Andy you'd like a book called "Chrome Dreams". Do you know it?

It discusses automotive styling and how it is tied to the economics, history and attitudes of the country it was made in...or more precisely, about the evolution of car design.

This book taught me to look at a strange car (or a familiar one) and come to certain conclusions about it.

fintail

I just don't like "bling"...those wheels look silly IMO, and they must seriously damage the ride and handling. All show, no go.

Checkerboard wheels

imidazol97

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Mon 19 Dec 2005 09:35:40 AM PST
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I'm not having good luck with images lately!

fintail

OK I'm hosting it myself now

Checkerboard wheels

imidazol97

That kind of wheel is more like the Caprice. Even Rally wheels from the 80s would suit me.

gsemike

They were squeaking as heck, but the factory spoke were good looking as well. My sister had an 80 Impala and it had fairly decent looking but kind of flat wheel covers.

andys120

"Chrome Dreams" rings a bell but I'm not sure if I've seen it. Sounds fun.

andys120

fintail

Lloyd Alexander from the late 50s - not a company noted for good looking cars.

I was thinking rallye wheels on that Caprice too. Those fake wires could be noisy indeed...I remember our Ciera had those when I was little, they always rattled.

hypnosis44

The wheel cover squeaking could usually be cured by placing tape on the wheel surfaces the wheel cover grips contacted. The rattles could be cured with pliers and a small hammer - or these days with quick set epoxy. They did look pretty good but were always being stolen.

andys120

Correct on the '58 Lloyd Alexander.

Try another?

tmart

Early Volvo...144 or 164?

bumpy

how about the tank?

stickguy

it's a 164. You can tell by the snout. Pretty much a handling pig with the extra weight hung out the front (they had to extend the nose to make the straight 6 fit).

andys120

That's right it's a 164. Posing the Swedish tank in front of an olive drab tank is an interesting idea.

Mr_Shiftright

they are both tanks but the olive drab one weighs less.

The 164 was Volvo's Buick, minus the power.

andys120

fintail

The lovely AMC Hornet Sportabout c. 1975

vibsr

How many new cars can you find on the road today that are as simple as a '75 Hornet? If that wagon has an inline-six, I bet you can find the spark plugs, thermostat, and the oil filter in the dark. HEY!! Did you know that the 1970 Hornet had windshield wipers that were powered from the engine compression? I think electric wipers were an option that year. :surprise:

ateixeira

Those hub caps remind me of some of the ones Datsun used.

It's funny how cars from a certain era tend to converge in terms of styling.

-juice

andys120

michaellno

Circa 1965 or so.

andys120

Nice guess but it's not a Polara and not a '65 model.
You're getting warm though, it is a Dodge. :P

bhill2

Sitting at my desk where I should be working, I'll take a crack by saying a '66 Monaco.

andys120

I should be working too :P

You're mostly right, it's a '68 Monaco

lemmer

My busy season is coming up, and I fear it will seriously cut into my posting time.

So, keep those mystery cars coming lickety-split for the rest of the month.

andys120

So, keep those mystery cars coming lickety-split for the rest of the month.

fintail

I want to say its a DeTomaso of some kind. Or was it Iso?

Reminds me of a Maserati too, but I suspect that isn't it

firemanjack

I had a '62 Rambler 440 with vacuum wipers...they worked off the master cylinder as I recall...and they worked very well..They were infinitely adjustable from a trickle to blazingly fast..It also had a Borg-Warner tranny with a selection for starting in second gear in slippery weather...
That car was a tank...and I loved it.. Jack

imidazol97

>they worked off the master cylinder

Can you explain that?

I recall when they added a vacuum booster to the fuel pump that would help keep vacuum to the wipers when acceleration dropped the intake manifold vacuum. But I don't recall master cylinder being used.

andys120

I want to say its a DeTomaso of some kind. Or was it Iso?

Yes, it's an Iso Rivolta Fidia, ca. 1968, one of 92 made, I suspect that's Frua coachwork which is why it reminds you of a Maser.

andys120

fintail

Frua...I was thinking that

That's a 64 Impala SS...what I wanted for my first car