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

uplanderguy

Amazingly, spotted this today at the BP station right by the university, here in rusty, crusty Kent. I think it is an employee's car.

Decklid emblem said "LTZ V6".

I didn't look inside of it, but what I could see when I drove by, is it had saddle leather seats.

I like the size and interior space, but that is a pretty ugly styling job.

RE.: The Ciera....didn't they use some made-up supposed-factory name for the color, like "that Burnt Sienna Ciera" or something like that? LOL

explorerx4

In the driveway next door. Looks like it's out of 2 Lane Blacktop.

uplanderguy

That's a '56 instead of '55, but it does look close.

The very first car I remember my parents having was, like that car, a '56 Chevrolet Two-Ten two-door sedan, white over gray two-tone, full wheel covers, blackwalls, six, 3-speed. Black and white interior.

We had it until 1964 and it was quite rusty by then.

explorerx4

I didn't say it was the main vehicle in the movie.
It looks like it would fit in with the movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syV2LkGpQB0
It just started up as I am writing this. Sounds right for the movie too

fintail

I wonder how many chose a loaded Malibu back in the day, interesting one on which to check all the boxes.

andre1969

Missing that front bumper, that '56 Chevy is making me think of the "Twilight Zone" episode, "You Drive." Although that one was a '56 Ford!

uplanderguy

'56 is my very favorite Ford.

Can't say I recall this episode of "Twilight Zone" though.

andre1969

I'd say the '56 is probably one of my favorite 50s Fords. I think '56 is one of those years, where if I had to pick a low-priced car, I'd have a problem picking a winner, because I like all three.

That Twilight Zone episode is from the 5th season. I think a lot of Twilight Zone fans consider the 5th season to be the worst of the half-hour seasons, but it still had a number of good ones. And I think "You Drive" was one of the good ones.

uplanderguy

I think the worst episode I remember was from the last season; in fact, might have been the last episode.

It was the one where the swimming pool had a happy world at the bottom for kids with not-great family situations up in the real world.

The one kid had a southern drawl while neither of his parents did, LOL.

On another topic, a friend of mine is very much interested in buying this car on Hemmings. '73 Cougar convertible. He likes that it's not a Mustang, and I get that.

He asked my opinion. I think it looks and sounds nice from the video. Not my cup of tea necessarily, nor does it have to be of course. The pinstripe was added at some point, and there's no 'Cougar' nameplate on the decklid. He felt neither of those was a deal-breaker, and I agree.

https://www.hemmings.com/listing/1973-mercury-cougar-930187

stickguy

a couple today on the way home. a 67 Camaro, very modified. Did not get a close look but big wheels and some engine parts sticking out of the hood.

and shortly after, passed a 65 or so Chevy PU coming the other way. Quick look but seemed very original, and not restored. actually looked like a work truck that still worked.

texases

That Cougar looks in good condition, but not my cup of tea, either. Why the photographer didn’t put that dangling wire up in the dash is puzzling.

explorerx4

That Cougar has definitely had at least one door repainted.
Also note the front fender bolts on the right side are body color and on the left they are black.
I'll just stop there.

stickguy

on a trailer, the shell of a 68 or so Barracuda (the flat rear window version of the 1st generation). No trunk lid or doors on it.

explorerx4

I really enjoy watching these car stories from CT.
It's such a pretty state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzClgPBbVng

texases

@stickguy said:
on a trailer, the shell of a 68 or so Barracuda (the flat rear window version of the 1st generation). No trunk lid or doors on it.

I’m thinking that’s the second generation.

uplanderguy

Yep, second gen arrived for the ‘67 model year.

Knew the look you meant though of course.

stickguy

I considered it the 1st generation until the 70 or so major redesign. But what do I know.

ab348

stickguy said:

I considered it the 1st generation until the 70 or so major redesign. But what do I know.

Obviously, not much.

J/K. The chassis was similar if not identical, but the body and interior was different.

fintail

Took the fintail out early today on what might be the final summery warm day of the year, saw quite a bit on the road and got a few waves and thumbs up from other drivers. Cars that come to mind include a ~70 Chevelle, 55 Chevy wagon, a couple of 50s pickups (I think a Chevy and Dodge), 70s Toyota pickup, the Mark IV that lives in my neighborhood, MB W116, 53 Ford Crestline sedan that is always street parked, an incomplete looking 55 Studebaker sedan for sale - unfinished project no doubt, somewhat iffy looking 39 Ford convertible sedan that gave me cut down closed car vibes, later 80s LeSabre.

uplanderguy

Second 2004-07 Malibu spotted in Kent in a week. And it’s got those repulsive plastic wheelcovers!

Took photo from my C8.

V6, but base trim. Seems like since then, one would always have to get the top trim level to get a V6.

stickguy

Parked outside Cracker Barrel (not really surprised) a clean looking 77ish vintage (the eyebrow years) F150. Period brown with block graphics. A classic.

benjaminh

Monroney for a loaded 1965 Buick Riviera.

ab348

Whoever is generating those fake window stickers (I cannot call them reproductions) needs to (a) stop overlaying an image of the vehicle and (b) get the proper font for what was an early computer line printer.

benjaminh

Sorry about that. I knew the picture of the car had been added, but after seeing that the starting price seemed right I was fooled into thinking it might be real. So in creating something like this do they look up the real prices for the options?

andre1969

I like seeing those old window stickers, because they show just how expensive cars could be back then, once they were optioned up the way most people would want them. People often talk about how cheap cars were back in the old days, and I suspect they usually reference a base price, forgetting about how much stuff was optional back then, that we take for granted these days.

As for pricing, $4408 is what my old car book lists as the base MSRP for a '65 Riviera. I'm guessing most of those options and prices could be looked up in those American Standard car books. Or there could be more detailed sources than that, these days.

benjaminh

Video on a restored early 1970s British spec BMW. I like the American spec versions of these cars too, which are rare today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1FmDq6I87s

uplanderguy

I like to look at old window stickers too, but I like the original stickers, which of course most people don't have.

Years ago, Newman and Altman, the premier NOS parts place in South Bend in a 19th century Stude multi-story building, had production orders (originals). For your $15, they would pull the original out, and retype it on a four-part blank they had, from whatever period in time. As you'd imagine, typos would happen. The only reason I think they didn't just photocopy the original, in Stude's leaning-to-the-right font, is that they figured people would rebel at paying $15 for a photocopy, LOL. I wouldn't have.

Now that the museum has them, a photocopy is what you get.

roadburner

benjaminh said:

Video on a restored early 1970s British spec BMW. I like the American spec versions of these cars too, which are rare today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1FmDq6I87s

My E3 (a 1973 Bavaria) is still around- owned by a fellow BMW CCA member.

stickguy

I am always amazed by how expensive AC was back then (and often radios). AC on that sticker is 10% of the original MSRP

fintail

That window sticker font bugged me too - surely something correct can be made today.

Spotted today a very clean street parked mid 90s Z28 on collector plates - makes me feel old, and a clean likely restored late 70s F series 4x4 "highboy".

andre1969

Air conditioning is one of those things that started off as a plaything for the rich, but then gradually went down in price, as it became more common. And probably simpler to build. Eventually though, it got caught up with inflation in the 70's, and prices started to rise. Around 1955-56, I think a/c was around $550 or so. By the late 60's, I believe it was down to around $350-375, although the more luxurious cars probably had some kind of fancier auto-temp systems that were pricier.

I seem to recall that for 1985, in GM's full-sized cars, regular a/c was $750, but if you got the auto-temp, it was another $150 on top of that.

fintail

And in the PNW, it was not uncommon for even fullsized cars to lack AC into the 80s.

Saw a BMW E34 on the road today, saw another one on Monday and jogged by the street parked one in my area on the same day.

roadburner

Theres a 1991 E34 M5 on BaT; 6 days to go and it's already bid to $20k.

fintail

The ones here certainly aren't M5s. The one I see on foot is a lovely silver blue color, but the car itself definitely is wearing it's ~35 years of age.

tjc78

There are two family cars that I remember not having AC. One was my Grandfather's AMC Spirit (I have no idea what year that thing was) and the other was my Mom's 84 Escort. That one didn't even have a radio.

Funny story on that one. My parents were getting a divorce and right around when it was finalized my Mom really needed a new car. I've mentioned that my Uncle was in the business (Father's brother) so I guess Mom didn't want to deal with him at the time. My Dad goes to the dealer and they grind out a deal on nearly new Escort that was equipped with AC and other things at a good price. My Dad leaves after the deal is done and they were waiting on the paperwork. The salesman decides it would be a "better" deal to get her into a brand new stripper Escort for only a few bucks a month more.

That car did not stick around long and maybe a year or so later it was traded into my Uncle's dealership for a brand new 85 Charger (with AC, radio, and rear window louvers).

tjc78

The Spirit was similar to this one.

stickguy

My family did not get a car with AC until I was a senior in HS and had my own car (also without AC!). And not even sure if that new car had it since it was a total bare bones Omni.

kyfdx

My mother always had A/C.. '62 Star Chief, '67 Bonneville, and then forward.

My first car with A/C was a used 1984 that I bought in 1990.

andre1969

I think the first car in my family, on Mom's side at least, to have a/c was Grandmom and Granddad's '68 Impala 4-door hardtop, the one that was in that "Grecian Green" or whatever it was called. Grandmom and Granddad bought it new, and then swapped cars with my Mom, and used Mom's '66 Catalina convertible as a trade on their new '72 Impala.

Before the '68, they had two full-sized Chevy wagons, but nobody could ever remember the exact year when I asked about them. The first was either a '60 or '61, and the second was a '64 or '65. I don't know if either one had air conditioning, but I suspect not.

On my Dad's side of the family, I know Grandmom and Granddad's '63 Monterrey did not have a/c. Their '66 Tempest was only around $3100, so I doubt it had a/c. My paternal grandparents kept a LOT of records, from their car purchases. I was able to find the finance agreement for that car, but not the window sticker.

I did find the window sticker for their '71 Pontiac, though. Oddly, Granddad always referred to it as a Tempest, but the window sticker says "LeMans." Pontiac did some shuffling back then, and I never paid quite as much attention to the midsized cars, so I had to look it up. My auto encyclopedia just lumps the whole midsized lineup under "LeMans", with T-37, LeMans, LeMans Sport, and GTO trim levels. But, I dunno if the T-37 was considered a LeMans back then, or its own individual model...I've learned not to take those Consumer Guide encyclopedias as the gospel!

Anyway, my grandparents' '71 LeMans hardtop coupe is listed at $2938 base. As equipped, the full MSRP, including $102 destination, was $4,201.22. It did have a/c, listed at $407.59.

Looking back, I think it's a bit odd that Granddad would refer to that LeMans as a Tempest. But, maybe that's just because, for years, he was used to Pontiac's midsized cars being Tempests, and "LeMans" just being a trim level. It's probably not much different from me referring to a truck as a "Dodge Ram", even though they've been just "Rams" since 2013. Some might argue 2012, but my '12 does say "Dodge" on one spot, on the dashboard. And it's registered as a Dodge.

People will practically crucify you these days if you say "Chrysler Imperial" in reference to the '55-75 models, but after I started doing it with "Ram" vs "Dodge Ram," I sort of understood why people do it. Old-timers were probably accustomed to the car being a Chrysler Imperial, so they kept calling it that. And heck, it was still sold through Chrysler dealerships. It's not like Cadillac, which was usually stand-alone. And some years, the badging would even say "Imperial by Chrysler" on it!

sda

Mom's first car with ac was a 63 Olds Dynamic 88 Holiday Coupe that they bought used in 65 at Bert Smith Olds in St Petersburg. It had been special ordered by a elderly man who selected heater delete but factory ac. He was unable to keep driving so sold it back to the dealer. When we moved to New Orleans we liked to froze in the winter without heat. Mom kept blankets in the car.

fintail

I am sure my mom's T-Bird had AC, the Tempo was well-optioned so it had AC, dad's 85 S-10 Blazer had it I think, but I am certain my dad's Horizon did not have it, I'd wager the 70 Mustang lacked it, and I think the 85 F150 did not have it nor the Econoline he had back in the day. None of the 60s Fords my dad had in the 90s had it. I am pretty sure my uncle mentioned by grandpa's big Chryslers did not have it (Seattle specials in a way I guess). My first car with AC was the 1989 MB I bought around Y2K.

uplanderguy

That Spirit looks better to my eyes now than it did at the time.

My first car with AC was my '82 Monte Carlo. My '81 Monte (stolen) didn't have it.

My parents' first car with AC was their '84 Monte Carlo (window sticker shown here a few weeks back, $11,409). They were late 'joiners' in general, not even owning an automatic transmission until 1974!

andre, going to Hershey? The plan is for my wife to join me for the first time, assuming the weather is good. Out Thursday for the afternoon to go through the corral, and Friday morning for the show. If you're going I'll probably bump into you there Friday, as you guys are easy to spot!

uplanderguy

andre, re.: your grandparents' '71 LeMans hardtop coupe window sticker:

What engine did it have?

I am pretty sure (accent on 'pretty') that I remember the '71 Malibu Sport Coupe V8 beginning at $2,949. Chevy had a weird habit then, of having different base prices for sixes and eights. The top of the window sticker would say "Malibu Spt Cpe 6" or "Malibu Spt Cpe V8".

I wonder if Pontiac did something similar.

The sleight of hand here, would be that Chevy would advertise that Chevelle had "a standard V8".

roadburner

Our first car with A/C was a 1966 full size Mercury which my father thankfully swapped for a 1967 Mustang coupe. Since then, my only cars without A/C have been my 1969 SPL311 and my 1975 2002.

andre1969

My grandparents' '71 LeMans had a 350-2bbl, listed as a $121.12 option.

My auto encyclopedia does break out its production numbers by 6 vs V8 for the Chevelle/Malibu, but for the LeMans, it just lists one base price, for the 6-cyl. Incidentally, it puts a '71 Malibu V8 hardtop at $2980, but for the '71 LeMans, it was spot-on, at $2938. It lists a '71 Malibu 6-cyl hardtop coupe at $2885.

But whether it was $2949 or $2980 or somewhere in between, that seems like a great price for a V8 Malibu!

Oh, and yep, as far as I know, we're planning on going to Hershey, so hopefully we can meet up and say hey!

uplanderguy

Saw an original '71 Malibu window sticker online, showing the $2,980 you mention. Weirdly, there's an original window sticker for a '72 showing the base price to be $2,922.70. It's from a BaT car that sold for $35K on July 27, 2023. Pretty steep for not an SS.

The '71 window sticker I saw online, the original, the 245 hp 350 was $26.35 optionally. And the $26 I remember as most of the V8 Malibus I saw new then had the 2-barrel 350, optionally.

Seems like Pontiac didn't play the game of the LeMans having "a standard V8".

uplanderguy

The only window sticker (and it was a photocopy) I had for any of my hobby cars was this one, for my Canadian-built (after South Bend had shut down earlier in the model year), '64 Daytona Hardtop. It's funny to me Canada's plant was still using the "VIII" to designate a V8, like Studebaker did in nameplates on the cars, from '59 to '61.

Other paperwork I have for that car, which I received from the museum, shows it was built 6/10/64 but wasn't delivered to the customer until 8/13/64. The "CORRECTED" on the window sticker, I believe, was when the dealer decided to take the car from factory stock, a new window sticker with a dealer destination was printed and affixed to the car.

explorerx4

What's a climatizer? A defroster?

uplanderguy

Heater and defroster. I gotta believe the rest of the industry included that as standard by 1964, so that was probably one way Stude could advertise a lower base price.

uplanderguy

A couple pics of that car. The original owners (no kids or grandkids) had this frame full of nothing but pics of the Stude, 20 years after they sold it! Their executor gave it to me.

Pardon the reflections.