Attractive Older Cars and Why You Think So

fezo

wilcox

something that could eat you alive if you were a redneck.?

bubukitty

Fezo, that is pretty close and this one is a great car too. The one I was thinking about is the body style that came after the one you show....it was a little rounder in its proportions. Thanks for the pics!!!!

Mr_Shiftright

fezo

Way to go, Shifty!!!

Mr_Shiftright

You may already be a weiner!

Of course, any discussion of unique beauty in a motorcar must include this one, which not only looked good, but could be (and was) taken out on the racetrack regularly.

vman

Now we're talkin Mr S. ..............

Mr_Shiftright

Could do about 150 mph in its lightest, hottest form, too! All from a "slant six". Fuel injected, tubular frame, what a production car for 1955!

Now you have to cough up about 225K for a nice once.

Another incredible bargain for the money, in 1948, was this baby: Also a 6, also really fast right out of the showroom, and also timelessly beautiful. Compare to a 1948 domestic car!

isellhondas

What a beautiful Jag! Thanks for making my morning!

Did you ever try to steer one of these things?

Talk about Armstrong Steering! Only a 55 T-Bird without power steering is worse!

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, they were meant to drive fast, and they feel better at speed...the brakes were a bit scary (the only drum brake car I ever thought stopped really well was the 1965-69 Corvair, oddly enough). But it was "a man's car" as they used to say, so the steering effort was thought to be suitable for the rig.

bubukitty

The Oscar Meyer weiner mobile is a little too round (and a little too long!) to be the Plymouth Satellite, but nice try! Thanks for the chuckle! Just out of curiousity and interest in trivia, do you know what car was the platform for the weiner mobile Mr. Shiftright? Thanks!

fezo

Gotta love that question! I'll bet between me and Shifty we come up with an answer.

BTW - great pictures, Shifty!

Let's see, did you post teh gull wing Mercedes here or the other topic? Either way, you can send the real thing over to my house....

I remember seeing one of those parked at a giant shore house. We stopped an ogled. I imagine the owner spent several hours removing drool marks....

Mr_Shiftright

Oddly enough, in my town there are two of them used as daily drivers! One is a GW the other a 300SL roadster.

true story---one day last year, an MGB broke loose from its parking brake and headed right down the streeet for the roadster. Eyewitnesses said that about 25 yards before impact, the MGB veered to the left and creamed a Ford pickup.......YES!

vida27

Need I say more?

Mr_Shiftright

Nice proportions, don't you think?

bubukitty

What a great car. One of my favorites. Also like the looks of the Alfa 2000 and the 2600 Touring bodied spiders.

Mr_Shiftright

I have to say Bubba, that I while I like the 2600 in general, I personally find the front end too busy and cluttered up to be truly "beautiful" in all proportions.

My other "complaint" with the 2600 is not aesthetic...it's a very big car with a lazy 6 in it, and it's a bit ponderous for what you'd think an Alfa should do...I like cars that can do exactly what they look like they can do...you'd think the 2600 was some big powerful car like an XKE or 300SL, but it isn't....

Still, not bad-looking...

bubukitty

Thanks for the picture Shifty. I think you are right about the front end of the car being a little busy. The overall proportions are nice and the rear end reminds me of the Maserati 3500 a little. Saw a 2600 spider at Martin Swigs dealership in S.F. about a year ago for $15k, but the car needed a lot of tlc and the price seemed a little high considering the dollars that would be needed to get it to where it should be. The link below has some more images of a gorgeous 2600 spider. Haven't figured out how to paste the pictures in yet. Any hints...I'm not a real computer whiz. Thanks!


http://www.highway-one.com/Images/Photos/AlfaRomeo/Alfa2600.jpg

Mr_Shiftright

Thanks for the link Bubba,

That's the problem with the 2000 & 2600. Usually when you see them for sale they're a mess...all bondo and rust --or--the previous owner put way more in than could ever be realized on the marketplace...you'd be lucky to get $18,000 for a very nicely done 2600 cabriolet from the 60s...no more than for a very tidy Porsche 356C Coupe.....not fair!

bubukitty

Here's another image, this time hopefully it will show up on this page!


http://www.highway-one.com/Images/Photos/AlfaRomeo/Alfa26003.jpg

bubukitty

Here goes again.

Mr_Shiftright

Well, you can scratch the chrome wire wheels right off, spoils the whole line of the car, glitzes it up terribly. Great, turn an old Alfa into a pimp's car....at least they could have painted them silver, that might have helped a bit. More money than sense.

Okay,here's the Shiftright rule:

Wire wheels look best on BIG wheels, at least 16", preferably 18" (e.g. MGTC)

Wire wheels rarely look good in chrome because it overemphasizes the wheels and leaves the rest of the car behind--so unless the whole car is glitzed out with chrome and wild paint schemes (street rod, Duesenberg, e.g.) is doesn't work for me. Worst offenders are wires on modern Mercedes, I think.


You can see in this photo what I mean...notice how your eye now focuses on the car, and the wires, painted down a bit, seem to "float" the car and make the whole thing lighter and more lovely, IMO.





Best thing for a postwar sports car is to paint the wheels either silver, body color, or, least good, a contrasting color to the body. Powdercoating is nice for this.

bubukitty

I love wire wheels and think that silver painted ones look great. Not too big on the body colored wheels. I'm not a big fan of chromed wheels (mainly modern wheels like on some Japanese cars and Mercedes). I like chrome wire wheels for the most part, like those you see on some older MG's and especially the chrome Borrani wire wheels on some of the older Ferraris, like the one below



or this 365 GTC/4



IMO.

Mr_Shiftright

Borranis are nice wheels, and most Ferraris look pretty good in them--the older ones, anyway. Of course, wire wheels on a powerful car is pretty risky, another consideration. I just looked at a 250GT/Lusso and it had popped spokes all over the place.

rea98d

How are you guys getting all these pictures? Is there something I'm missing here? help me out!!!
BTW...IMO, the wheels on the black jag need some help. They create black holes in the car that just ruins the appearance. Personally, I like chrome wire wheels on that car. They also look good on the huge luxury cars of days gone by, especially the ones dressed up with lots of chrome. Just my 2 cents worth though.

Mr_Shiftright

I think the photo darkened the wheels more than in real life. If you see a car with wheels powder-coated in the body color it really really looks nice. There is something to be said for restraint, and I think people appreciate it if the restraint is carefully and beautifully done. Even silver wire wheels (which is the way most of these cars came from the factory--chrome was either an option or not available) look great if done well. To me, chrome is the big cliche...too much of a good thing perhaps, like an over the top Harley. Chrome to me is a side dish, not a main course. Why should a nice old jag have to look like a diamond pinky ring?

rea98d

Maybe so. I do think they should have snapped that picture from the side lit by the sun (on a car that dark anyway.) Excuse me for sounding ignorant, but what's the difference in appearance between silver wheels and Chrome wheels? I always thought silver paint was supposed to be a cheap chrome immitation, but it seems to be pretty popular. To me, the purpose of chrome plating is to make steel look silver.

fezo

Now I've got a 98 Chrysler Sebring convertible - bought it specifically because the top comes down
... Anyway, thsi is a JXi and has the ugliest wheels in the world. I bought it used and thus got these and an unwanted gold package. Question Shifty - the gold letters are easy enough to remove and get rid of the glue - makes it look pretty cool - how do you go about painting those wheels?? That or do you have another suggestion?

Without the silly wheels and the gold it will look very sharp. Currently, if I want to become a pimp I don't have to buy another car....

Mr_Shiftright

Powdercoating is a great way to make any wheel look good, and it is much more durable than paint...practically bullet-proof.

Silver powdercoating has a number of advantages over chrome, i think...it's very tough, is easy to clean, doesn't pit or rust like chrome and doesn't tarnish. And since most of the early sportscars weren't dripping with chrome, it doesn't throw off the visual balance like chrome wires might (depends on the car really, since I have to admit those Borranis on the old Ferrari looked pretty good).

fezo

Here's a dumb question - who does such work? A body shop? Don't say me---it would be an ugly scene... Of course the other question becomes what such a thing costs - never did such a thing (obviously) - on the other hand, I never had a pimp car before, either....

Mr_Shiftright

I'm glad you asked...rather than endure my long-winded explanations, you can visit this site and it explains all and gives prices. Typically, a wire wheel costs around $75-90 apiece. The process is fairly sophisticated, as you will see, and requires special equipment. Interesting reading actually.

http://www.powdercoater.com/prices.html

bubukitty

Hi Gang. Here is a favorite car of mine that I also happen to think is one of the most beautiful cars in the world! (IMO). A Ferrari 250 GT California Spider.



bbk

wilcox

this site. Thanks...

Will

Mr_Shiftright

You can always tell a good design because people still copy it decades later. Look at the similarity to this new Aston Martin, which I like a lot except for the regrettable feature of the convertible top sitting on the back deck.

vman

I though some of you might like this link. The images are presized for Windows desktop wallpaper.


http://www.secant.co.uk/pioneer/archive/archive.htm

bubukitty

Shifty, thanks for the DB7 drophead pic. Just drop dead gorgeous! Wish I had the dollars..........! Agree with you on the convertible top. You would think they would have made it a cleaner design with a solid boot for it to fit under. Here's another favorite of mine, the 250 GT Lusso. I have a lithograph of this car by Harold J. Cleworth hanging over my desk that I have had since the early '80s. If money were no object, I would have one of these.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, I just appraised a Lusso the other day, bubu...a '64, silver, very original car, very nice...needed a little bit of leather touchup (dyeing?) and some pieces of chrome had lightly pitted, and the Borranis had a few broken spokes...one tiny parking lot ding in the quarter panel, that was it. I estimated it at $115,000.

The Lusso is lovely and very comfortable to drive for a vintage car...I think the only reason they are not more valuable is that the "small" V-12 isn't very fast...oh, but it sounds great!

bubukitty

Shifty, I wish I had been there! The silver Lusso sounds like it was a beautiful car. I have seen it in silver before. There was a real nice one in silver at Fantasy Junction in Emeryville a year or so ago. I try to go there at least once a month to look at all of the beautiful cars they have...always a nice selection, just none that I can afford really! They have a '65 327 Corvette roadster there now that has a NOM but is otherwise in pretty nice shape and very original. They want about $26,500 which seems right for a NOM car. Does that seem right to you or a little too high? Thanks!

Mr_Shiftright

I think the non original motor is a pretty big hit on a Corvette (don't ask me why there's all this concern for original engine #s on a mass-production car, but there it is...) Anyway, you'd really need to take $5,000 off on an average book of $27, so around $22.5K would be a fair offer.

bubukitty

Thanks for the information on value. Much appreciated. Hopefully if Santa is good to me this year, perhaps I can finally get another fun car again! Here is another "if price were no object" car I would love to own--an Aston Martin DB4 convertible!

carnut4

get one for me too, in a red or silver, with tan leather seats. I don't care how expensive or reliable it is to maintain and drive.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, it's expensive to maintain, don't you worry!

carnut4

is it really that much worse than other fairly exotic sports cars? I finished high school in Los Gatos, Ca, where my folks until recently. Every time I visited there, I stopped at Ferrari of Los Gatos to look over their current offerings-primo exotics ranging from new and used Ferraris to Porsches, Jags, Mercs, Aston Martins, Bimmers, Alfas, and other exotics, etc. But my main reason for hanging out there was the sound of the Ferrari 12's being tuned in the shop. If I was lucky, a mechanic would take one out for a "tune-up run" and wind it a little pulling out. Ah the sound. The Aston Martin also sounds great. How do the Astons compare to, say an Alfa or Ferrari in terms of maintenance and reliability? Off topic, I know-just wondering.

Mr_Shiftright

Aston Martins are more akin to Ferrari in terms of maintenance but Ferrari would be more reliable if properly cared for. A person could easily get buried financially an old Aston Martin. Alfas are simple, reliable cars, they are not exotics unless you are thinking of pre-World War II. What they all have in common is, with notable exception, being beautiful each in their own way.

Mr_Shiftright

So whaddya think?

bubukitty

Well, with no intent to insult anyone who may like this car, I think that perhaps this one may have to go over the the "ugly" car topic, IMO. It looks to be very aerodynamic, but I would think Bugatti would have come out with a car more akin to the styling of a Jaguar or Aston Martin. It looks a little bulbous from this angle.

carnut4

I can tell it's Italian, just at a glance. Something about the trim or something-seems to hark back to older Italian coupes from the 50's. I agree I'd have to see it from all angles to really say. But from the profile, I certainly like the proportions better than any of the "boy racer styled" japanese coupes,with their fake plastic addons ,etc, and others like the Cougar. [Excuse me, but I'm one who HATES the new Cougar].
I'd like to see different angles .Got any? And does it have a retro/reference to a boattail rear?

Mr_Shiftright

rea98d

Shifty, what car is that? Looks a little like an S-Type with the Cougar's headlights (Can we say "parts-sharing"?) Regardless, it is a great looking car.

carnut4

Please don't say it has the Cougar's headlights. Shifty-I like it-the lines are clean-unlike so many on new cars that are trying to look new and different. Do I see a hint of a boattail theme down the roof, through a split rear window, and a reference to a boattail rear? If you have no 3/4 rear views, maybe I can go look. I'd especcially like to see more of the coupe. Not that I could ever afford one...