I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

fintail

Out in the near 100F heat today saw a 39-40 Ford convertible sedan in traffic - looked stock but maybe slightly lowered, silently moving down the road with its top down. Pretty rare car. A few minutes later on the same road, a 39-40 Ford coupe, 50s-60s style hot rod, must have been a meet somewhere.

For the GM10s and others of that era, they really need cladding and bric-a-brac to look cool, the base ones scream base.

fintail

More oldies in the warm weather - a 78-80 Malibu sedan, and an earlier 6 window A-body sedan of some kind - couldn't tell for sure as it was a couple blocks away and moving while partially hidden. It was two tone likely via vinyl top, fun to think it could be a 40 year old car now.

explorerx4

I was at my grandson's Tee Ball game to day talking his dad's dad(another grandpa).
He does auctions for a living.
There is a car auction(90 cars) coming up and he mentioned the star of the show is going ot be an 85 Avanti.
According to him, it is 1 of 5 and has never been titled.

uplanderguy

As a Studebaker guy, I want to like post-Studebaker Avantis--the chance of them ever even happening was miniscule, yet to hang around as long as they did--but they don't do anything for me. To make the taller Chevy engine fit, the forward rake was eliminated, and the front wheel openings were reduced in size, which both take a lot of the charm of the original away IMHO. In later years they were using a mishmash of interior parts, including AMC, never a bastion of interior beauty IMHO LOL.

I'm thinking since you're in OH like I am, I will eventually hear or see something about that auction.

explorerx4

@uplanderguy,
The auction isn't in Ohio. I have to find out where.

uplanderguy

On a FB "Underappreciated Survivors" page, a guy just posted this pic. We were talking about the original Intrepid here not too long ago.

I do think that's a nice-looking car, original in design and very roomy. And this one looks really good for thirty (or close) years old.

tjc78

I love first gen Intrepids... it's amazing one other than hunter green or burgundy survived. That one is an ES and most likely has the 3.5.

fintail

For it to have survived like that, it must be somebody's baby.

tjc78

Without question ... must be very low miles too. They weren't the most reliable things as we all know.

IMO it was the best looking mid-sizer in the early 90s.

Taurus, Camry, Accord while not bad looking by any means were very generic compared to it. Just imagine if it was reliable. Well... nothing is as good as a Camry of Accord of that era, but you get my drift.

andre1969

I know I've mentioned before, about a friend years ago who had a '94 Concorde, with the 3.5. I forget all the issues it had, but I know the water pump was one of them. I think he had a/c problems, and I forget what else. And the car was only a couple years old at this point! In the past, he'd also had a Vega and a Pinto. Guess which one was the most troublesome? Hint: it wasn't the Vega or the Pinto! I think he said he put something like 80,000 miles on the Vega, and the only issue it really had was needing one cylinder sleeved.

I imagine that would be a major undertaking these days on a car (if they can even do that with modern engines) but he talked about it like it was no big deal.

I think the first generation LH cars have definitely aged better, style-wise, than the second-gen.

I think GM definitely won the battle, in the long run, when it comes to medium/large-ish FWD cars of that era. I still see them out on the streets on occasion, although they're almost always Buicks...Century/Regals, Park Avenues, and an occasional LeSabre. Sometimes an Impala. But I can't remember the last time I saw an LH of either generation, outside of the Chrysler show at Carlisle. I don't really see Taurus/Sables around anymore, either.

Surprisingly though today, I saw a first-gen Neon! Its paint was peeling, but it was still moving under its own power!

tjc78

Anything with GM's 3800 / 4 Speed combo just seems to go forever. They weren't complex and in the case of the Buick's probably maintained well by older owners.

I see more early 90s Taurus/Sable than I do LH cars.

explorerx4

I think this is quite a beautiful car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tfTj63A3W0

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

I think this is quite a beautiful car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tfTj63A3W0

timeless.

texases

Love the C2, boss at the gas station had a '66 with the 427, burgundy with huge black sidepipes that I've seen on no other C2 (no cover). They were a factory part, which he had to prove when stopped by cops by pointing out the GM part number on them.

Can't say I've seen that shade green on a C2.

stickguy

I never saw the attraction to the giant engine in a Vette or Camaro. Small block seemed like a much better option for balance and handling. And probably a lot easier to work on jammed into the engine bay!

roadburner

Duntov thought that the best C3 was a 1970.5 with a 454.

xwesx

andre1969 said:

Surprisingly though today, I saw a first-gen Neon! Its paint was peeling, but it was still moving under its own power!

So, pretty much the same appearance and reaction as seeing one thirty years ago!

fintail

I think I see more earlier Taurii on the road than LH cars too, and the Ford products might have achilles heel issues that are just as bad or worse. There was a rough LHS running around locally not long ago, but been awhile since I have spotted it.

My brother had a Neon "Expresso" coupe he bought around 1999 when he was 18, and the car was a 2-3 year old lease return. He loved it and then hated it, was happy when someone ran a red light and totaled it, and he was able to get out of it. He hasn't financed a car since. I don't recall it having any failures, but I remember he was certain the head gasket was going to go.

uplanderguy

Good color and wheels on that '67 C2. I know the chassis was better than the C1, but the C2 styling never did much for me, and I actually can't stand the split window on the '63. Those cars are hard enough to see out of in the back with a one-piece window. I always thought a silver '63 looked like it could have been used in a 1959 Grade B sci-fi movie, LOL.

By '67 some of the unnecessary chrome and fake scoops were gone, and most people say they are the most-refined and best-assembled C2's. Four-wheel discs standard, but only automatic still Powerglide. I was stunned to just see that, since THM was available on full-size Chevys then.

Neither disc brakes nor THM were available when the C2 was introduced.

sda

Not a classic car but my Schwinn Varsity bought new in February 1974. I was doing some much needed purging of the storage shed and decided to give the bike its annual wipe down. I needs tires. It is kept under a plastic cover. While trying to clean the shed Mrs. SDA started a project and promptly needed my help. Lol




So much for a thorough purging of the shed. And, yes the photo background is not impressive.

kyfdx

@sda I wish I had pictures of mine. Same color, but it was the Schwinn Continental. Upgraded from the Varsity were center-pull brakes and a higher overall gear.

sda

I considered the Continental, not sure why I didn’t get it. Price, perhaps? I believe the Continental was also lighter and had quick release rims. The Varsity is a tank. It served me well.

kyfdx

sda said:

I considered the Continental, not sure why I didn’t get it. Price, perhaps? I believe the Continental was also lighter and had quick release rims. The Varsity is a tank. It served me well.

IIRC, mine was a 16th birthday present. No memory of picking it, but my best friend had a Varsity

roadburner

@sda Nice bike!
This is my 1973 Raleigh Grand Prix, which I purchased new. I had a local bike shop upgrade the derailleurs along with new tires in 2014. I guess that I've always leaned towards imports.

fintail

Neat speedometer/odometer on that Schwinn. By the time I wanted to move on from BMX bikes, mountain bikes were the thing, never had a thin tire 10-12 speed. Today for nostalgia's sake I wouldn't mind having my dream BMX (Mongoose Supergoose with blue tires and accessories), but they are very collectible/not cheap now and as most know, nobody over the age of 25 on a BMX is up to anything good.

This afternoon a 46-48 Ford coupe hot rod drove by my house.

texases

roadburner said:

@sda Nice bike!
This is my 1973 Raleigh Grand Prix, which I purchased new. I had a local bike shop upgrade the derailleurs along with new tires in 2014. I guess that I've always leaned towards imports.

Mine's a Super Grand Prix, bought new in 1977, up in the attic now:

uplanderguy

Just watched Mariska Hargitay’s “My Mom, Jayne” on Max. It was terrific. They showed an interview where she and her husband were arriving home in a ‘Benz convertible. I think it was some model of 220. It had fairly prominent wheel opening moldings. The video was from 1960.

uplanderguy

Yesterday was my hometown's annual 'Heritage Days Super Cruise' show which draws about 1,000 cars yearly and is filmed every year for the 'Lokar Car Show' on Motor Trend TV I think it is. I went.

I didn't go last year but heard this car was there then. 6K miles.

I'm not a fan of '55 Dodges....but I'm a huge fan of low-mileage, original cars. The current owner, I remember from school. He was doing work for a lady in town a few years back and looked into the garage and saw this Dodge her Dad bought new. All original now except rubber parts underhood, brake parts, fluids, tires, and he added a dual master cylinder.

He said that's what the paint looked like after a wash and wax.

He said no rust, but I do wonder about the underneath. He said it's in great shape underneath.

Great to have all the new-car paperwork. You could see the old Dodge dealer from where this car was parked yesterday. The building is now Greenville Tire.

Funny, a female classmate of mine is N.W. Moyer's granddaughter and asked me years back how she could find a car her grandfather sold. I told her it was nearly impossible...and now this car shows us and never left town!

uplanderguy

Me raving about a couple Mopars, I know, but this car was there and I have seen it before.

My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Miller, drove this '65 Satellite then (1969-70 school year) and I admired it in the parking lot.

A few years back I approached this car at the show and thought, "That looks like Mrs. Miller's car" and looked at the placard on the windshield--and it was. Still is.

She got it as a college graduation gift from her parents new. All the paperwork remains and was displayed. It was bought new in Long Island where she grew up, although she went to Westminster College about 20 miles south of where I lived growing up, and she married a fellow student there and taught her entire career in Greenville schools. Pretty cool. When my friend Bob Palma worked at HCC magazine, I told him about the car and he said that's the type of car/owner thing they'd like to write an article about--one-woman-owned car. I brought it up to her and her husband not long later and they weren't really interested, unfortunately.

sda

My best friend from Pittsburgh went to Westminster. I rode with him and his mom to the campus when he was making an application for enrollment. That was 1976. He drove his dad’s new 76 Plymouth Volare Premier. It was a 2 door, silver, with a red landau top, red pinstripes and side moldings, and red interior. It was a nice car. Nice campus.

uplanderguy

Westminster is in the little town of New Wilmington, PA. I haven't been there in ages but it was always quaint, and surrounded by Amish folks down that-a-way.

I know everyone bags on Volares, but when the '76 came out, I thought it looked nice and could be had with nice interiors. No one else in that size class was doing a wagon besides them, then, either. In hindsight, I know the old Valiant and Dart were better, but they just seemed absolutely ancient to me at the time. I'm pretty sure there was a short period of time when both those and the Volare/Aspen were available at the same time.

explorerx4

I'm pretty sure kyfdx isn't going to be a fan of this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXI9_ITuZws

fintail

Out in the old dear today (which received a few compliments) saw a 66-67 Pontiac Tempest non-GTO, barnfind looking ~50 Plodge sedan. Fiat 124 cabrio

fintail

Spotted the brown K-car again today, has to be the same car. From ~1 block away I think it may have not had a CHMSL, so older model. Also the Alliance convertible wasn't home this afternoon, fun that someone might be using it.

stickguy

last weekend, on a trailer, what looked to be a 1964 Ford Fairlane. Nice condition.

uplanderguy

In front of us today, ‘65 Impala. Not a bad line anywhere IMHO. Left turn signal on, no bulbs out. In background see the Goodyear Blimp, housed just a couple miles from here.

sda

fintail said:

Spotted the brown K-car again today, has to be the same car. From ~1 block away I think it may have not had a CHMSL, so older model. Also the Alliance convertible wasn't home this afternoon, fun that someone might be using it.

I enjoyed my 85 Alliance convertible. It was surprisingly comfortable and had the typical deep travel suspension and soft ride typical of French cars. One of my favorite memories is when I visited a close friend in Pittsburgh. He was driving and his date was in the passenger seat, I sat in back. We were cruising the streets of downtown Pittsburgh around 9 pm and had the top down. It started to snow lightly. It was a wonderful experience.

kyfdx

'65-'66 was definitely peak years for the Impala

uplanderguy

Wife and I drove down into Amish country in Ohio, the small town of Sugarcreek, today. Called "Ohio's Little Switzerland", which is a stretch. Small downtown is pretty sleepy and not busy. That said, I saw a sign and building of "Moomaw Automotive", which was identified as "Since 1912" and a former Chevrolet dealership, beginning in 1933 to 2009. They didn't survive the 2009 stuff. While I was on the sidewalk in front, a car drove right into the building, into the shop which is still very much in business. There was a '71 Chevelle in there, and an old TrailBlazer being worked on. On the sidewalk out front was the most-recent Impala, which I'll assume was for sale or possibly done being worked on. I stepped in for a few moments and saw old "OK Used Car" signage and other Chevy dealer signage from the past. I love places like that.

I looked online at Google reviews for them and I saw one one-star because "they never answer their phone" but all the others were five-star.

One person wrote, "I worked for them from 1964-2010 and while I probably could have made more working some place else, I could not have worked for finer people". I love to read stuff like that.

xwesx

Sounds like a fun place to visit! I tell you, as I get ready to head out again this year, I do enjoy just how close everything is down in Ohio/Pennsylvania. Seriously, a few hours basically gets you to anything you would ever want/need to do. It is so easy to plan some great day/weekend trips!

fintail

sda said:

fintail said:

Spotted the brown K-car again today, has to be the same car. From ~1 block away I think it may have not had a CHMSL, so older model. Also the Alliance convertible wasn't home this afternoon, fun that someone might be using it.

I enjoyed my 85 Alliance convertible. It was surprisingly comfortable and had the typical deep travel suspension and soft ride typical of French cars. One of my favorite memories is when I visited a close friend in Pittsburgh. He was driving and his date was in the passenger seat, I sat in back. We were cruising the streets of downtown Pittsburgh around 9 pm and had the top down. It started to snow lightly. It was a wonderful experience.

I think the one I see in my area is also an 85, no CHMSL. Looks to be in very clean condition.

uplanderguy

Seriously, a few hours basically gets you to anything you would ever want/need to do. It is so easy to plan some great day/weekend trips!

That is true. Although I travelled with work over most of the eastern and central U.S. for a few decades, outside of a two-year stint living in suburban Atlanta, I've lived in NW PA/NE OH my entire life and have taken what you mention for granted.

I'm driving out to South Bend, IN this Friday and staying overnight. It's about a 4 1/2 hour drive. Just feel a need to go someplace with what has happened in my life lately. The car show there is called "Concours at Copshaholm" and while not real big, is full of absolutely top-end cars--this is no local cruise-in. 'Copshaholm' is the Oliver Mansion (Oliver Chilled Plow/Tractors). It's right behind the Studebaker National Museum which I always enjoy too. Driving out, near the OH/IN border I'll get off the toll road and onto US20 and drive the last hour-and-a-half or so through rural IN and small towns. I enjoy that when I'm not in a hurry to arrive someplace by some time. I may go to Tippecanoe Place in South Bend, the Clement Studebaker mansion, for at least a beer as they've opened "Studebaker Brewing Co." there in addition to the longtime restaurant that has been there.

explorerx4

@uplanderguy,
There is lot of construction in Indiana on the toll road, so an alternate route may work out better abyway.

gsemike

This..... is the Isuzu Ascender (said as Doug Demauro) cant remember last time I saw one of these

kyfdx

That's a GM clone, right?

uplanderguy

Man, I can't remember when I've last seen one of those Isuzus. It's the TrailBlazer, built in the same plant and no doubt on the same line.

explorer4, thanks for the heads-up on the Indiana Toll Road construction. Figured I'd come home that way, but maybe not now. I'll have to see what I can find online about it.

imidazol97

I believe that was built at the Moraine plant in our area. Same line. A skillet came along with different sheet metal and things being added.

I took a plant tour and I believe there were 5 variations of the Trailblazer being built there that day. Was one a Saab? The Mitsubishi. GMC.
After searching for clones on internet, I found Oldsmobile and Buick each also had a clone.

That makes 6.

kyfdx

Saab 9-7X

tjc78

imidazol97 said:

I believe that was built at the Moraine plant in our area. Same line. A skillet came along with different sheet metal and things being added.

I took a plant tour and I believe there were 5 variations of the Trailblazer being built there that day. Was one a Saab? The Mitsubishi. GMC.
After searching for clones on internet, I found Oldsmobile and Buick each also had a clone.

That makes 6.

Mitsu had one? I didn't know that. Olds was the Bravada and Buick the Ranier. The Buick could be had with a V8 not sure about the other variants.

explorerx4

The Trailblazer SS had a 6 liter V8.