Attractive Older Cars and Why You Think So

Mr_Shiftright

I dunno, Fenway, some 1950s Chevies fans are gonna hotly debate you on that choice!

I like 'em okay..they have a brute look that the earlier cars don't have...I like them better than the 59s for sure, but I think the 55-57 are a lot "cleaner" and this boosts their popularity and value over a '58.

badtoy

Too boxy for me - but the 57 was never my fave either. I like the 55-56 best.

Hey, waitaminnit -- they're boxy too! Oh well...

3and14

A few of my favorite styled cars off the top of my head:

Lamborghini Miura
Alfa Romeo Montreal
First generation Riviera
First generation Toronado
BMW 6 series
Second generation BMW M5
70-71 Challenger/Cuda
Plymouth Superbird
65 Impala SS
Ferrari 400i
BMW 507
Auburn Boat Tail Speedster
Studebaker Avanti
67 Eldorado
First generation Grand Prix
Jensen Interceptor
Buick GSX
72 Riviera Boat tail
Tucker Torpedo
Jaguar XK-R

im_brentwood

Did I miss where someone posted about the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900?

Tell me I skipped over that post by accident...

Also, Bugatti 57C..

Bill

andre1969

I like the Impalas from that year, but the plainer models are just too upright and boxy. Even comparing, say, a Bel Air 2-door hardtop to an Impala 2-door hardtop, there's a lot of difference.

I always thought the '58 Ford was a nice looking car as well, especially considering what a dog the '57 was!

But, being a Mopar man, I still gotta say the '58 Plymouth looks better than both ;-)

-Andre

badgerpaul

I think the only external differences between the Bel-Air 2dr hardtop and the Impala (which was actually classified as a Bel-Air) was the funky grate like thing under the rear windows and the fake vent about the rear window, which the '58 Bonneville also had.

andre1969

actually, compare the two side-by-side sometime. The Impala's roofline appears to be a couple inches lower, and the rear quarter window is much smaller.

Here's a Bel Air 2-door HT...

http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/addetail.html?903253

And here's an Impala for comparison...

http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/addetail.html?9242726

I've read somewhere that, even though they appear similar, the Impala and Bel Air actually had very little in the way of common sheetmetal aft of the firewall. It's a subtle difference, but when you see 'em side-by-side, it's more noticeable. The Bel Air looks more like a 2-door sedan with the B-pillar removed, instead of a more rakish hardtop.

The Impala, Bonneville, and 2-door HT Cadillacs appeared to have the same roofline, while the lesser Chevies and Pontiacs had the same roofline. I think Oldsmobile had a different roofline as well, and Buick used both Impala/Bonneville rooflines and Olds rooflines. I'm a bit sketchy with Buicks of the era though.

-Andre

scissors

My all-time favorites (for looks, not performance):

Ford GT-40
Lamborghini Miura
Dodge Viper
3rd Generation Corvette (noticing a pattern?)
My current car ('97 Trans Am)
Ferrari 360 Modena
The last Mazda RX-7 (which the current 'vette appears to be modeled after in the front)
Mitsubishi 3000GT (except for the last year of production with that horrid "rising sun" spoiler.)

--Scissors
"Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!"
"The only thing funnier than death is a funny death!"

badgerpaul

Comparing the 2 pictures there does seem to be a difference. I know the rear fenders differed, needing to make room for the 3 lights per side on the Impala vs the 2 on the Bel-Air. When I was growing up, my mothers car was a '58 Impala so I've always had a soft spot for them. What was interesting was that on the title it was called a Bel-Air, I've since learned that in '58 it was considered a sub-series of the Bel-Air.
Through out the 1950's GM used 3 basic body platforms the A: Which was for Chevy and Pontiac; the B: Which was Oldsmobiles and lesser Buicks and the C: Which was Cadillac and senior Buicks. What is interesting today is to compare something like a '55 Chevy and Pontiac and see the similarities in roof lines and fender dips which now seem so obvious.

lemko

1. 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
2. 1965 Lincoln Continental
3. 1957 Chrysler 300C
4. 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
5. 1941 Cadillac 60 Special
6. 1989-91 Mercedes S-Class
7. 1961 Corvette
8. 1961 Chevrolet Impala SS
9. 1953 Cadillac Eldorado
10. 1957-58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham

Honorable Mention: 1958 Chevrolet Impala, Mercedes 300 "Gullwing," 1957 DeSoto, (quad-headlamp set-up) 1957-58 Imperial, 1958 Plymouth Fury, 1955 Oldsmobile, 1965 Buick Riviera, 1968-1970 full-size Chevrolets

lemko

1. 1977-79 Cadillac Devilles and Fleetwoods
2. 1968 full-size Plymouth
3. Cadillac Seville STS
4. 1989 Cadillac Brougham
5. 1947-53 Chevrolet trucks
6. 1962 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk
7. Lexus LS400 & LS430
8. BMW 7-Series
9. 1980-84 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight
10. 1961-64 Cadillacs

dpwestlake

'37 Mercedes 540K
Mercedes 300SL Gullwing
Aston-Martin DB4 Zagato
Cord 810/812
Buick Boattail Riviera
most pre-war Packards

badtoy

you are obviously a man of exquisite taste.

(Hey -- what's with the Saab? Sorry -- never mind....)

dpwestlake

Drive one sometime.

Mr_Shiftright

Nice list, but I thought I heard a dull clunk when the Riviera Boatail landed

dpwestlake

My wife thinks the Aztek and Ford Focus are "cute". Go figure!

corsicachevy

Does she think you're cute? :-)

andre1969

How's about this?

http://www.imperialclub.com/varieties/special/professional/Hearses/1957-and-Fleet.jpg

Sure beats the heck out of getting the ride to your final destination in some minivan with landau bars on it!

Mr_Shiftright

Ever notice how hearses don't have luggage racks? There's a message there.

badtoy

I heard the Saab "clunck," and Shifty the Riv -- no accountin fer taste, huh?

(Actually, I'm well aware of the Saab's appeal in terms of driving enjoyment -- it was the styling I was wondering about, although the early turbos were kinda mean and funky looking. What's with the chrome grille on the newer ones though?)

The boat-tail: as usual, shifty and I will have to respectfully agree to disagree. Great car. Great exterior, great interior and great drivetrain. I WILL have one of them one day, for Sunday cruises.

andre1969

badtoy,

I saw one of them for sale about a month ago at a local gas station. I think it was a '71. Nice looking car...looked like it was in good shape, too. I think it was advertised for about $3.000. I was tempted, but, thankfully, I guess, short on cash!

Kinda funny though, that this car was Buick's flagship, yet had a vinyl interior! Sign of the times, I guess! I think they're cool though, because even though their styling is a bit radical, it still all flows together (at least in my eye). Maybe it's not quite as classy as the 60's Rivs, but it sure beats the '74-76 and '77-78 Riv!

popgun

Go way back to the 1932 Cadillac Sport Phaeton for a real classic...... wish I had one!

chryslertmi

Mostly GM's and Chrysler but also, a Ford or two.

1.) 1957 Chevy Bel Aire..Obviously
2.) 1958 Plymouth Fury... Sleek and smooth
3.) 1957 Chrysler 300....ahead of its time
4.) 1959 Cadillac........ huge, excessive, and bold
5.) 1963 Ford Thunderbird (conv).. second favorite
vintage
6.) 1966 Ford Thunderbird (conv)..favorite, hope
I got the year
right (or65?)
7.) 1966 Plymouth Fury.....owned one, and my
first love
8.) 1963 Corvette (coupe)..nothing like it then,
and now
9.) 1971 AMC Javelin.......stricly for its syle,
exterior and interior
10.) 2000 Dodge Viper RT...Dream Car, not since
Chevy created the Vette
decades ago, beautiful.
Reeks of power with a
massive, muscular since
of style.

Appreciate, any comments on my choices?

Mr_Shiftright

Well, some interesting cars....you seem to like the outrageous and excessive styling the best. As for "beautiful", all in the eyes of the beholder of course, but of your entire list only the '63 Corvette strikes me personally as a design that people will admire in the distant future as really "beautiful", that is, balanced, harmonious, classic, bridging tastes, trends and generations. The others will have their place as "hard not to notice", that's for sure! Only a few would I dare to put on my real ugly list..the 59 Caddy, the 66 Bird and the Viper. Let's call it the "way overdone" school of design. Please indulge my prejudices here, thank you!

But of course, who knows what people will say in 50 years? As for now, it seems many American collectors like lots of chrome and fins sticking out everywhere, so maybe that's "beautiful" these days.

rea98d

What's wrong with a 66 T-Bird? (FYI, 64-66 had same body style). A Pontiac Aztek is way overdone. A T-Bird? Those things are cool. I want one! Btw, the last T-Bird to have tailfins was in '63.

Mr_Shiftright

66 T-Bird.

Well, I think it is fat and overblown, with all kinds of gee-gaws and chrome gizmos stuck on it. It's a very chaotic design, like the people designing the front of the car never went for coffee with the people designing the back of it. The car is incoherent, to me anyway. I have no idea what it's trying to be or look like. Maybe a kind way of saying it is----"tortured". I much prefer the earlier Birds because they are, at least, understandable in terms of design--all the pieces seem to be related.

chryslertmi

Thanks for the feed back on my top 10 list. Although, these 10 would all be sought for my dream collection, I was a little fuzzy on the exact year for my favorite T-Bird and could use some help. 64 to 66 were the same body style with a slight difference in front grills, tail lamps, and chrome gismos. The convertible (has to be a convertible) I'm thinking about was featured in the movie, 'Thelma & Louise', anybody out there remember the year of that one? For precisely that year is the one for my list.

Mr_Shiftright

I was under the impression that was a '64, but I'm not really sharp enough to date this particular car year by year from memory. Maybe someone can help us out with that.

You are welcome concerning the feedback, and thank YOU for the courteous give and take on the subject.

harry0

MGA..all models

MGB..all chrome bumper models

Sunbeam Tiger

Mini Cooper S

Mercedes 230 SL

Austin Healey 3000

Austin Healey Frogeye Sprint

AC Cobra....Shelby Cobra

BMW 2002

BMW 507

Triumph TR3

Triumph TR6

Volvo P1800

Ford T Bucket 1923

55-57 Chev Bel Air

31-34 Ford Street Rod Coupe

Daimler SP250 Dart 59-64

Any car in "American Graffiti" movie

This is my Favorite..I wish this guy would put a For Sale sign on it.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/16377080/16379154XQpIStjXkR

im_brentwood

That was a 1966...

Great cars, and I'm surprised they dont sell for more than they do...

Bill

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, HARRY! How could you put a Daimler SP250 into such a great list? OW! OW! It hurts to look at that car! OW!

As an owner once said "her beauty is under the skin".

Not a bad car, but beautiful....ah, personally I can't swallow that, but.....

harry0

You could be right Mr Shiftright. It kinda looks like a mini batmoble with a fishface.My wife questioned me on that choice also.

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/3460/picother.html

andre1969

Well, the DeSoto taillights are a nice touch!

harry0

http://community.webshots.com/photo/163950/163963

harry0

Here is a link to "Famous cars of movies and TV"

Nice page ..Many memories...

http://community.webshots.com/album/4863417cJfKiUxLme

badtoy

I think your memory of the '66 T-Bird may have betrayed you. The '64 thru '66 had the same basic body lines, but the grille of the '66 was the cleanest and best of the three, with minimal chrome and an elongated T-bird symbol stretched across the center of the eggcrate grille.

As for your other comments:

"fat and overblown" -- hardly. It is sleek and trim, with great character lines that run the entire length of the car, making it appear even longer and lower than it really is.

"all kinds of gee-gaws and chrome gizmos stuck on it" -- what in the world are you talking about? There is no extraneous decoration of any kind on the car.

"It's a very chaotic design, like the people designing the front of the car never went for coffee with the people designing the back of it. The car is incoherent, to me anyway. I have no idea what it's trying to be or look like. Maybe a kind way of saying it is----"tortured". I much prefer the earlier Birds because they are, at least, understandable in terms of design--all the pieces seem to be related."

Once again, i haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. Which lines are incoherent? To my eye, the only T-Bird that was a styling failure (until the absolutely awful '79 thru '82s) was the '58 -- Lee Iacocca's baby, and the car that cemented that twit in my mind as a tasteless, arrogant jerk. The '58 was, truly, an incoherent design, with a rectangular grille, sharp character lines on the sides and an elongated version of the '57s taillights at the rear. Absolutely hideous. It was also the year that the T-Bird went from a sleek 2-seater to a full front and rear seat. Marketing genius -- they sold 38,000 compared to 21,000 the year before -- but they turned a wonderfully stylish personal coupe into a road hog, just as Buick did with the Riv (although road hogs have their place too!).

rea98d

IMO, the best looking T-birds are, of course, the 55-57's, with the current ones (we can call them current now, right?) either tied or a close second. Then, the 61-63 birds, although I think Ford overdid the trim on the sides of the 63's. The 64-66 birds are close behind, and still good looking. The next tier, in my personal tastes, are the ones that are neither stylish nor offensive. The MN-12's and Fox Birds are tied at the top of that. The 7? to 78's are next, and IMO, 79-82 birds follow. They're no uglier than any other car of the 80's. Just boring boxes. Then the rest of the often forgetable late 60's and early 70's birds. And yes, I'll agree the only truly garish design to bear the name was the 58-60, and don't see where they have any continuity with the cars before or after them. I see a certain similarity between a 57 and a 61, especially from the rear, and a 64 is an evoloution of the 63 design. Where do the 58-60's fit? Nowhere. Just my opinion, of course. Someone else may think the 58 T-bird is the most beautiful car made.

chryslertmi

I couldn't agree more with your comments on the '66 Thunderbird. The movie 'Thelma and Louise' gives a picture of your thoughts completely in many scenes focusing on the blue, 66-bird, and I thought the car was as much a star as the two leads. Although, a great deal has been said for all T-Birds, 1955-66, in my humble opinion, the 66 was the most beautiful. I was never a big fan of Ford styling after 1950 but these T-Birds and the 66 in particular were an exception. Where I could rotate other picks out of my top 10 list of 'dream' collectibles, this one would most certainly have to stay. Thanks for your input.

andre1969

I actually think the '64-66 T-birds are the best looking generation after the '55-57. They reminded me of the '58-60, but just cleaners. The '61-63 were probably the sleekest, but I just thought they were ugly.

Anything from around 1967-76, I think, is pretty fat and bloated, although some of the ones with the hidden headlights are kinda neat. I actually like the '77-79 models. They're cleanly styled, with their crisp, modern (for the 70's) lines, but they're just not that special. The 80-82 models really aren't that ugly, just kind of awkward and dull. No Fairmont-based car should have a C-pillar that thick!

I think the '83-86 T-bird has withstood the test of time pretty well. It almost looks more revolutionary now than it did back then. Still felt like a Fairmont though, and judging from my friend's 1986 3.8, performed about as well. Even though the '87-88 were fundamentally unchanged, I thought they had a nice facelift.

For some reason though, I was never able to warm up to the '89-97 generation T-bird. Even though they were V-8 midsize RWD coupes, a combination that I would normally love, it just didn't feel right to me. I'd driven a couple, and even seriously considered buying one from Carmax a few years back, but it just didn't seem like the right car for me.

As for the new T-bird, it's nice to see them reaching back for their heritage, and making the car more upscale. My only problem is that it reminds me more of a 1955 Corvette than a 1955 T-bird!

rea98d

The original T-bird copied the Vette, so if you wanna duplicate it, why not go back to the same cheat sheet?

Mr_Shiftright

Well, we'll agree to disagree...I can't even say the word "beautiful" and 66 T-Bird in the same sentence. It's such a pretentious overstyled glob of a car to me, I can't imagine paying serious money for one ( although people do, in fact) , or worse yet, driving one...but maybe that's why Thelma went over the cliff...the brakes and steering! There were a lot of better looking American cars on the road in 1966, IMO. But you do get hundreds of pounds of metal and chrome for your money, that's true.

ghulet

obviously, so here's my beholden, in no order:

-50s Facel Vega, stunning
-66 Cadillac Fleetwood (compare this to any Caddy from the 50s or 60s and I think you'll agree)
-70-73 Camaro (gorgeous, clean, too bad most are chopped, spoilered, scooped, big wheeled, etc.)
-Porsche 911, particularly 68-ish to about 82 (with the chromey mag wheels)
-65 Buick Riviera (hidden headlights, one year only)
-55 Chevy, this one's obvious, I think
-60-whatever-year-they-dumped-the-fins to 73 Mercedes S class
-81-91 Mercedes S class, I love these, always wanted one as a teenager
-60s Lincoln Continentals (can you tell I like big cars)
-68-72 Corvette

66vette

Of course its my 66 corvette, second would be a 67 corvette. After that would be a 442 W30 or maybe a not so stock 68 fastback. If i didn't want performance than a first year vette would be in there too. Since ther has been so much talk of thunderbirds, a 56 would be one of my favorites just for a relaxing sunday drive. I have owned these cars over the years except the thunderbird, and none of them come close to my
1966 Corvette, which i still own. What a fun topic, thanks guys!!!!

jgmilberg

Two good looking cars in my opinion anyway are:

1970 Olds Cutlass "S" or F-85

Any year(not very many though) Cadillac Alante'

ghulet

my uncle had a 70 blue/white stripes and interior 442 W30 automatic convertible when I was a kid w/just about every option (air, tilt, power seat, windows, 8 track). It was beautiful.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess he never should have sold it.

andre1969

I always thought the Buick Special/Skylark/Gran Sport from that era was a really classy car. That and the '70-72 Cutlass models. The Pontiacs had just a touch of ugliness to 'em that I still found cool, but the Chevies from that era are just so common, I guess, that they look plain to me. Not that I'd be ashamed to own any of 'em, mind you, I just like the Buick and Olds better.

66vette

A hurst olds restored would be in my top ten and i cant believe i didn't mention a Shelby mustang, and i a gree with Andre, i always thought that olds and the grand sports were G.M. best, but nothing looks like the mid year vettes, nothing, it would have to be one of the most reconized sport cars in the world. Im 36 and i cant believe how lucky i am to have a beautiful one. I would gladly give it up to get all those lost ones back, i am now a NewYork fan! Larry from Seattle

mdouglas3

My favorite year for the T-bird is 1987,the Turbo Coupe is a gorgeous car.
Honorable mention: 87 lincoln Continental
2000 Jaguar S-type
87 Buick Grand National
92-98 S-Class Mercedes

rea98d

of a Jag XK-120 FHC. A very pleasant reminder of why I think that has got to be the most gorgeous 2-door car ever built. (And no, no 4-door I've ever seen comes anywhere close either.)

jrosasmc

Any Volvo 850, whether it's an early '93 or late '97. These cars have got to be one of the best-looking vehicles to come out of Europe in a long-time, certainly better than many imports which I will not name. The 850 kicked the butts of all the older Volvo models, the exceptions being the P1800 and the 122. You think the 850 is boxy and dull? I think it's a very sexy car to look at. My '93 GLT has 85k miles and absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it. Same thing goes with both '96 models that my friend owns; he's got over 130k miles on each of them and both are still serving him faithfully, day by day.