Mystery car pix

stickguy

front end looks like a toon car

andys120

RHD, so likely British but not a Bristol, Allard, Frazer-Nash or Alvis. I just can't quite place it.

Mr_Shiftright

HINT: It was the first production all-fiberglass sports car body built by an American fiberglass manufacturer.

andys120

Glasspar G2, early 1950s

Mr_Shiftright

There you go! Later on, Glasspar became a major manufacturer of glass boats in the U.S. Not all Glasspars were kits. There were production cars as well, but not too many. Bill Tritt was designer of the car and founder of the Glasspar company.

Wiki says he built the cars for Disney's Autopia in Disneyland.

andys120

Wiki also sez that the G2s were built on Willys Jeep chassis. I imagine power came from various V8s including GM's new hi-compression units and Flathead Fords.

Mr_Shiftright

andys120

Dunno model name but that's an early postwar (40s) Fiat Cabrio. Coachwork by Ghia or Zagato if I had to guess.

Mr_Shiftright

Well you're sniffing around the identity but I'm afraid I have to shoot down your guesses. It's not 1940s, it's not Fiat, and it's not Ghia or Zagato.......other than THAT, you did pretty well

But it is Italian-built coachwork, and does resemble Fiats of the day---but wrong country of origin.

andys120

Is it Vignale styled? IIRC he liked the portholes on the side.

I thought it might be a Simca but couldn't find one like that.

andys120

I take it back, it's an early 50s Simca 8 Sport Cabriolet, styled by Michelotti and bodied by Facel Metallion. Here it is in a pretty French blue>

Mr_Shiftright

Yes Simca. Close enough to get credit! It's a Simca Abarth built by Farina. 1951.

I never promised that "mystery cars" would be easy.

andys120

berri

62 Buick. Can't recall if it was still Invicta or the successor Wildcat? I'll guess the latter.

lostwrench1

That owner has a lot of weight in that trunk.

andys120

berri said:

62 Buick. Can't recall if it was still Invicta or the successor Wildcat? I'll guess the latter.

Since it's says "Wildcat" on the fender we'd better go with 1962 Buick Wildcat.

lostwrench1 said:

That owner has a lot of weight in that trunk.

A common snowbelt trick for better winter traction.

andys120

fintail

Lotus Eclat, one of a couple oddly named Lotus during the malaise era.

Interesting triple stripe whitewalls on that Buick.

berri

62 Buick. Can't recall if it was still Invicta or the successor Wildcat? I'll guess the latter.

Oops - got to pay more attention to the details, not just the picture

Still an Invicta for the 61 model though I believe

magnette

Dinky Toy Town



Being British at this time there are a couple of pre-war cars here but its late 50's so most are in our period.

St,Neots is a small market town in Cambridgeshire

andys120

I think the sedan... er..saloon in the foreground w the razor-edge styling is a Triumph Mayflower.

magnette

it is a Triumph but the next size up - a Triumph 1800 / 2000 / Renown. I think there is another one there too - just beyond the truck in front of the small van - that looks a similar model.

Mr_Shiftright

Is that a Morris Minor parked over by the bicycles?

andys120

That looks like the earlier version of the Minor w the two-piece windshield. That might be a 4-door version pulling in behind it. There's a Minor Traveler version (woody wagon) parked next to the big flatbed truck.

The van parked in front of the Minor looks like a Bedford, I think those were ubiquitous in the UK of the 50s and 60s.

fintail

Yep, late model Morris Minor in front of the bicycles, Bedford van in front of that, maybe an Austin A40 (or A70? looks big) pickup behind the van. Behind the Minor on the street looks like a Morris Oxford, and maybe a Ford Zephyr behind that.

There's also a Morris Minor Traveler (woody) in the parking area. The soft top car might be a Singer? The small van nearer to the camera looks like a Ford Anglia/Prefect. At far left I think I see an Austin A40. This was a time when one could pick up prewar cars, even exotics, in the UK for little money.

magnette

Between you I think you are getting most of them now, and I would agree with most of it, and the Ford van, whilst based on the 100E Prefect / Anglia was sold as a Ford Thames - as were the larger Ford lorries in period. I can't decide whether the pick up os an A40 or A70 but the latter was very rare and I think the grille is for the later version of the A40, on balance...

I can see where you are getting the Singer convertible from but I think it may be a Standard Eight which would be prewar with that wheel.

Another pre-war model is the upright dark car behind the Morris Traveller. It's a make we haven't mentioned yet and they carried on making a version of this into 1947/8 (but so did most other British makers).

There is another A40 Somerset on the extreme right (the dark car.)

Anybody want to guess the white car to it's left, partially obscured by the truck?

Amazing how many of these were Dinky toys - even the trucks look straight out of a box..

fintail

Ford Thames, that's it. Funny, I know a lot of these via old toys, I even have the Matchbox version of the Thames, which looks just like the one in the pic.

Not sure about the dark prewar car, Lanchester? The flat rear end doesn't seem to be like a Rover or Standard that I can recall. But I forget the brands.

The white car, tough but the rear windshield shape is somehow familiar. I want to say Standard 8/10 or one of the similar models, but that might not be it.

andys120

iluvmysephia1

1968 Dodge Dart

magnette

That's it Fin - its a Standard - either an Eight or a Ten.

And the upright black car is a Vauxhall - either a 12 or 14 - from about 1938 -they did carry this model over to 1945 but built hardly any postwar and the rear end was slightly different I think...

Mr_Shiftright

andys120

iluvmysephia1 said:

1968 Dodge Dart

It's '69 Dart GTS

andys120

Mr_Shiftright said:

Lotus Mk. 4 or Mk. 5?

Mr_Shiftright

Close. It's a Mark VI.

Mr_Shiftright

berri

Funny - how many clowns does it hold

Mr_Shiftright

Laugh if you will...but there's a potent 12 cubic inch engine under there, spitting out well over 9 HP.

These cars were made for a few years in the mid 50s, and you'll still see the name on a product today, but not a car.

bhill2

You had me doing research on that one, Shifty. It's a Fuldamobil from Germany.

berri

hahaha - Shifty you are the master of hyperbole

Mr_Shiftright

OK, Fuldamobile. Very good ! You guys are becoming a fine-tuned ID machine for the weirdest machines ever invented by man.

Mr_Shiftright

This one has been customized into a 4X4 but still retains its stock appearance, so you should be able to identify it.

fintail

British Ford (Fordson) 10cwt van, the license plate helps a lot

Mr_Shiftright

You'd certainly have the only one at Cars N Coffee.

andys120

TV Still -extra credit if you can Id the guy behind the wheel.>

Mr_Shiftright

Just a WAG---Chuck Connors in Mannix?

texases

Mannix was my first guess, but I can't find a pic of him in that car...
And I think it'd be Mike, not

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah well don't ever count on ME in a trivia contest.

If someone can't answer your question: "Who was your favorite cowboy?", then they are definitely not of your generation, and you'll have further communication difficulties.

andys120

Sorry guys, you're not even close...think 21st Century (the TV show-not the car or the character).

texases

'64 Imperial? Mad Men? Don Draper?

lostwrench1

Mr_Shiftright said:

Yeah well don't ever count on ME in a trivia contest.

If someone can't answer your question: "Who was your favorite cowboy?", then they are definitely not of your generation, and you'll have further communication difficulties.

I learned that when a lady with whom I was talking didn't know who Donna Reed was.