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

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  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    Maybe a nice bustleback Seville

    I saw a very young driver in a late 70s Alfa Alfasud sedan today. It looked OK, but it had that dull tattiness to it that likely spells tons of rust. Also saw an old Ford Econoline pickup that had been nicely renovated. Saw an immaculate 560SEL too, but it was white, which is not my first choice.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,019
    I wouldn't mind one of those bustleback Sevilles, except that I think the only good year was 1980, when you could get the 368 V-8. '81 had the V-8-6-4, although supposedly if you disable the cylinder deactivation, it's supposed to be a damn fine engine otherwise. And the '82-85 had that nasty little 4.1 aluminum engine.

    Anyway, here's my new baby!
    image

    Ain't she purty? ;-)

    Here are a few more pics...
    http://www.msnusers.com/andre1969/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&a- mp;PhotoID=14
    and
    http://www.msnusers.com/andre1969/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&a- mp;PhotoID=16

    It's my first Ford product!!
  • jrosasmcjrosasmc Member Posts: 1,711
    Andre- What kind of model is that?
  • jlawrence01jlawrence01 Member Posts: 1,757
    Looks like a car that would be great ... for a bill collector ...
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    Weirdo time:

    Nice unusual Hudson

    I'd take this...really really cool

    I like this due to its powerplant etc...but it seems expensive

    Another new car for Shifty

    Better than normal 504

    IMO, based on history, this should remain in England

    Another nice Edsel wagon

    Nice highline Citroen DS. These seem to be pretty strong right now, compared to other period Euros

    Really nice looking fintail, but is 1000 or so over market even for an immaculate car

    Look at those rocker panels

    I could write a book about what's wrong with this. Nice lights, likely from a Euro fintail

    I'll admit, when I was little I kinda liked the bustleback Sevilles, and I still don't mind them. This reminds me of them. Not in bad shape.

    Just to show how far things have come, as this thing was so hyped at launch

    Interesting low mileage 126, but it's too expensive

    Euro 126 with 2nd gen US lights mated with Euro wipers. Weird. A 1983 car with airbag and ABS

    I don't think you can get a nicer modern car for $7500
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Chrysler K Car--hey, the bid is ALREADY up to $110. I bet it could break $500 if bidders really get worked up.

    Goggomobile--Can this car ever run again? The engine looks like it was recently raised from the Caribbean. Still, if it were on the West coast, I'd be tempted.

    58 MB convertible -- Yikes! Somebody got their hands on this once-nice car and cobbled it. If that's a real bid at $16K, it's reckless. It's going to take a lot to make this car right and then it's still a carb car. The SE is worth more and is more desirable. And those door gaps...I wonder if it's the camera or if they are really that bad. On a convertible, that's frightening if true. Still, worth saving if the price were right.

    Citroen DS -- very cool. Price is just about right at this point, any more that $5.5K and you'll have a hell of a time selling it again. Not a good color, and rust is troubling because of the way the car is built. If you want a DS, buy one with a receipt for recently overhauled hydraulics. The Citroen to have is the Chapron convertible but they are in the $30K range at least.

    MB Fintail -- it's the rust you DON'T see that will kill you on a car like this. The rocker panel is just the tip of the iceberg. Look at the wheel well! This is a parts car.

    420SEL -- the seller is dreaming. Bid is now market correct at around $8.5K. It is a popular misconception that low miles on a complex 15-20 year old car is a GOOD thing. Sometimes they turn out to be the most troublesome of all. Repairs will kill you on a car like this. Engine rebuild alone is worth more than the car right now.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    I think that 300SE is worth $7500 if it is as nice as it looks, anyway. Very similar condition to mine, but mine has a lot more mileage. I wouldn't want one that has sat around unmaintained...I am sure it kills the weirdo HVAC system.

    On that 220SE ponton cabrio...the ad states 59 was the first year for FI in it, which is correct. The seller claims to have a 58 SE model, but his is a carb car. Could just be a badging issue, but it would worry me about what else is wrong.
  • jrosasmcjrosasmc Member Posts: 1,711
    This morning I had the opportunity to take a brief ride around my block in my neighbor's friend's '71 Alfa GTV 1750 coupe. This car has been fully restored, and has dual Weber carbs in place of the former Spica injection system.

    Let me tell you, I have much, much more respect for the Alfa Romeo marque after seeing what that car could do. Just sitting in it as it was being driven showed me how much character it has- from all the gauges and dials going this way and that to the shifter protruding out of the lower dash. It was quite fun, to say the least!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Ah, yes, back when they let an Alfa engine REV!

    Actually the Spica is pretty darn good if you have a mechanic who can set it up right. Webers are a pain in the butt, you're always messing with them. They have two fuel settings...too little and too much.

    But at WOT Webers sound nice and work well with the 1750 engine.
  • jrosasmcjrosasmc Member Posts: 1,711
    That 1750, I was told, can rev up to 6500 and/or beyond.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might hit 8,000 but there would be some risk of broken valve springs. 6,500 would be a breeze for that engine.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    Out in the garage where I store the fintail, a new occupant has turned up. It's the same old Jag roadster I spotted some time ago, and snapped a pic. Here it is again, alongside a nice 220SE ponton coupe undergoing mechanical freshening. Is this an XK120/140 or something?

    Jag

    Gorgeous wood in ponton

    Don't see one of these sans hood every day. Note early FI manifold
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Nice cars but someone is pimping them up. You know, less is more when it comes to these old beauties. Those chrome wheels and fat white walls look like they are trying to turn a basic sports car into a Zimmer. All it needs is an automatic transmission. Those Jags did race, you know, let's get real here.

    Looks like someone stole the MB's hubcaps. That's wasn't you, was it?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    Didn't US market cars have wires and wide whites like that? It doesn't appear to be a real sporty roadster, the top is too tall...is it a DHC? I don't know a lot about Jags.

    I think the Ponton had some suspension work done, so the caps were left off. I'd take something higher up LOL
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,504
    The custom is for all the local Corvette owners to drive in the parade, so I saw almost every iteration of Vette. Of note, the oldest was a '56. Also, no one had a '63 split window this year, which I usually see.

    Some kind of early '50s (?) Plymouth Cranbrook. In great shape, but looked like a lower price model.

    A huge Chryler Imperial in black.. Just guessing, but late '30s, early '40s? It had to be 20 feet long.

    An almost perfect mid '60s Continental convertible with the suicide rear doors, followed immediately by a '30s era Lincoln convertible that looked like it could be worth $100K.

    Lots of muscle cars, convertibles of all ilk. Even a Tiffany...why?

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,504
    A Mercedes 220.. In pretty good shape.. still had the matching body color hubcaps.. early '70s?

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    If it had no fins, it would be a late 60s/early 70s model, yes. That's when the 220 became the lowline car, like this

    image
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's a car you can still buy dirt cheap if you wanted one. Slow simple sturdy, probably a 4 cylinder gas with standard shift was the most reliable of the whole model line back then.

    JAGUAR--yes you could get wide whites on those cars in the US but chromey wires were only on a 150 I think. Most Jaguar enthusiasts would tend to barf after seeing that done to the cars, but as they say, you bought it, it's yours, you can do what you want to it.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,504
    Yep..that is the one.

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  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    I like shiney wire wheels, but I do not like those ultra wide, white walls. Yuck.

    My Mk II has some Dayton chrome wire wheels on it, but they're not the spin-off types, they're lugs. Look pretty sharp. Still have the original steel wheels with the matching body color paint on them. Boxed up right now.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ... a 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limousine near the former Hoffman-Jetzon tire plant next to Route 309 in Montgomeryville/North Wales. The car was dark blue in somewhat shabby, but eminently restorable condition.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    So is that Jag an XK140 or something?

    I once saw a '65 W111 coupe with wire wheels, owner claimed there were a dealer installed accessory.

    I think the older Caddy limos, especially the ones just before that series, with fins and wraparound windshield, can be very classy if done right.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I don't mind wire wheels but it's the chrome. It takes the eye away from the car and glues it to the wheels. It destroys the roadster's symmetry. They should be painted, even black looks wonderful if they're powdercoated. Then the car just floats along the ground and you get the full effect of the shape. On a big Cadillac the shape is not important, it's the sheer MASS of the car, like when you see an aircraft carrier vs. a PT boat. So yeah, pimp it up, make it fun.

    Benzes look terrible with wires IMO. They need "machine-like" discs or hubcaps. The Rudge wheels on the German cars were very handsome, just perfect for a Gullwing.

    Wire wheels in general favor larger tires. Once you hit about 15" they tend to look too small for the design. The idea was for the spokes to be "airy" on a big tire, not bunched up and dense like on a small tire. At 15" or less they look like a basket rather than a web.

    After all, wires were supposed to give lightness and strength to sports cars, that's why they were first used.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    I've always had a hard time telling the difference between the different versions, but yes it is a XK-120/140/150. (Just not sure which).
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    I think the XK150 had more of a "squashed" grille, so I think it is a 140. But I don't know the difference, and I am too lazy to look.

    I've never seen a postwar MB that looked really right on wires. There's an old W114 250CE in town that has old school looking wires on it, probably as old as the car. It looks different, but not correct. I don't mind the simple old color coded hubcaps, personally.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    Well I will say that I do like the look of a race prepped old Jag in British Racing Green with black wire wheels.

    Still though, I like the look of stainless steel or chrome wires on a vintage Brit car. Just me.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,662
    I saw a black XK-120 roadster last summer running blackwalls on black disc wheels and fender skirts. What a fantastic looking and sounding car!

    The car in Fintail's picture is almost certainly an XK-140 DHC. The vent windows and top stack are the giveaways for the DHC.

     As such the wide whitewalls & wires are period correct, I suspect the chrome is not. OTOH you want to put blackwalls and unpainted wires or discs on a roadster.

    It's amazing to remember how many of the sportscars of legend were delivered on ww tires straight from the factory, as was my TR-4A (Goodyear Blue Streaks)including Jags, Healeys and even some 300SLs,
     although most German and Italian cars did not have them.

    Those super wide wws were popular in the 50s but they started getting skinnier and skinnier by the mid-60s.

    As Shifty points out Chromed wires were not commonplace for a number of reasons although they become optional at extra cost by the mid 60s on British sports cars (and Jag Sedans).

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Wires can also be a royal pain in the neck, especially if you drive aggressively.

    Yep it looks like a 140 (I always look at the big clunky front and rear bumpers) and I also don't think chrome wires are correct. They look even worse on an old TC/TD/TF series.

    It's the human equivalent of TOO MUCH jewelry. There's a great line from some old movie from the 50s, I think it was, where two guys in tuxedos are at a fancy party, talking and drinking. Then this very glitzy lady walks by, spouting "darling, how nice to see you" this way and that, and she is loaded with clanking jewelry. So one guy nudges the other: "What's that, the new Buick?"
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    I've been kicking around the idea of replacing my driver with a beater pickup for yard/day to day duty and something fun for weekends. I've always loved the looks of the TR6, so I've been idly searching the classifieds online. Wouldn't you know that the only one close to me is owned by someone smoking something a little stronger than Camels...

    http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/2/8/72276228.htm

    I saw the same car listed on another site for about $10k less - what a deal!

    So Shifty, how much should a nice TR6 go for, from a seller who isn't quite as strongly self medicated?

    -Jason
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...a 1951 Ford two-door sedan going north on Oxford Avenue in Philly. It was sort of a greenish light blue and appeared to be in average condition.
  • ghuletghulet Member Posts: 2,564
    I just found out that one of my bar customers owns a '67 he says Jaguar Mark II sedan, but I think it's actually a Daimler 250 (V8, automatic, RHD, black with black leather, disc brakes). Any info on this car? It is my understanding that it's basically a Mark II with an old BSA/Daimler V8 rather than the Jaguar's 6 and slightly upgraded interior.
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    While I'm far from an expert on Daimlers, yes if it is a V8 it is a Daimler version of the Jaguar Mk II. The Mk II came in 2.4, 3.4, and 3.8 DOHC I6 variants (not including the S and other spinoffs). The Daimler came with a 2.5 (yes 2.5) liter V8. Other than that, pretty much identical although the front grill is different. I think there may have been some other minor differences (maybe rear diff and brakes???)
  • seminole_kevseminole_kev Member Posts: 1,696
    ...of course all this is assuming stock. He could have dropped a Chevy 350 V8 in a Mk II for all I know.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 264,504
    I think it was a '67... Looked like a daily driver in great shape, except for some bad window tint..

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  • magnetophonemagnetophone Member Posts: 605
    hey!!!!!!

    I spotted a Trans Am in Austria.
  • wimsey1wimsey1 Member Posts: 201
    That is weird!
    Todays spottings, Porsche 928 (haven't seen one in a while), a '80's Alfa Spider, an early Corvair coupe, and another '70's Eldo convert.
    Those 928's look remarkably current for a car styled 25 years ago.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    928s are awesome but extremely maintenance intensive. Probably .50 cents a mile easy. Not for the feint of heart. Buy only a clean one with a maintenance record file folder the size of a sofa cushion.

    TR6: Good solid clean driver, no show car but nothing shabby at all, is worth $10K. Plenty of beaters out there. The car to have is a TR250, with the TR6 engine but the TR4 body. Made only in 1968. You get the classic British styling of the TR4 but the power of the TR6 without the clunky bumpers.

     Oh, dear, or gear, a TR6 listed for 95K? Another one of those restorations that "got out of hand". The Mad Hatter meets Jesse James. I hope that guy read a funny book called "The Gold Plated Porsche", which tells a similarly sad and funny story.

    Daimler V-8. Might be a real car, probably is given that only a madman would go through the trouble of putting a Chevy V8 in a RHD drive Jaguar, thereby rendering it DOUBLY worthless in the USA. Actually what I would do is convert a RHD Daimler V-8 to LHD, and then replace that ugly grille with a Mark II if it could be made to fit. That would be a nice car, with overdrive and wires and a/c and something to keep the engine from melting into a puddle of metal in Arizona. When a Brit encounters 80 degrees Farenheit, he puts on jungle gear.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    ...a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS convertible and a 1975 or 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. The nice weather brings 'em out!
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 26,019
    could someone tell me what this is?

    http://www.michaelp.org/photos/pebble99/italiano/fiat_dino_spyder- .jpg

    A buddy of mine said he wants a Fiat Dino convertible. Just so I didn't look too naiive, I tried to do a google search, and this was one of the cars that it pulled up. So, I ended up looking naiive, anyway ;-)

    Anyway though, what is it? I like the looks of it. Front end has an aggressive, yet exotic stance to it. Makes me think of one of those submarines out of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", or something like that!
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,662
    The Fiat Dinos were contemporaneous with the 206 GT and 246GT Ferrari Dinos and used the same V6 motors (in both cases designed by Ferrari and made by Fiat.) The Spider was bodied by Pininfarina and bore some resemblance to the smaller 124 Spider. The even rarer Bertone-bodied Coupe was also very nice looking....
     http://www.ritzsite.net/Fiat_Dino/Gallery/Fiat_Dino_2000_coupe_19- 68_blue-green_side.JPG

    The biggest difference was that the Fiats carried their engines up front while the Ferrari Dinos, intended to compete with the 911, were mid-engined/transaxle cars.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    2.4 engine was much better. 2.0 engine is a boat anchor, you don't want it.

    You get Fiat prestige at Ferrari repair prices, so be very prudent about what you pay for one of those. Sticking Ferrari badges on them is considered a major faux pas.
  • jrosasmcjrosasmc Member Posts: 1,711
    The Mopar bug seems to have bitten me as I spent much of the 4th looking at and playing around with a few of my friends' vehicles...

    1) I took a look at my neighbor's restored '70 Challenger R/T; this particular car had a 440 6-Pack in it. What struck me most about this one was that the whole body shook (literally) at idle, and the steering wheel and shifter were the biggest culprits. But all that torque, oh man! That Challenger could really light up the rear tires!

    2) Next my best friend's dad came over with his '69 Road Runner convertible and we also took that one out for a spin. I observed, with a little delight, the incredible chassis flex that occurred at highway speeds. Anything over 50 mph and you could clearly see the whole hood vibrating. This one was equipped with a 440 4-bbl.

    Sometimes I wonder why those old Mopar muscle cars are going for ridiculous prices on the market...
  • jaserbjaserb Member Posts: 820
    That made me chuckle, since if you look at the ad you'll notice the "custom 24 karat gold gauges".

    So, you've got $95k to spend on a car. Let's see, a new Maserati Spyder...or a TR6? A nice Ferrari 355...or a TR6? A 911 Cabrio...or a TR6? An LS430, an S2000 and a Mini Cooper Works...or a TR6?

    I could play this game all day!

    -Jason
  • scantyscanty Member Posts: 164
    Today's fun sighting was of an Lotus Elite Type 14, with the BRG/yellow paint scheme, similar to #1021 of this gallery:

    http://www.stuart.strickland.net/elite/index_gallery.html
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,662
    A fairly crappy looking but still running Triumph GT-6, a faded red Porsche 356C coupe lacking hubcaps and a very nice Merc 220SE convertible in Tobacco Brown parked, top down.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    Tobacco brown...the worst color LOL. Called 'Havana Brown' before people got so uppity about Cuba.

    My lone weird sighting today was a Ford EXP. Haven't seen one of those in some time. Woo hoo.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    GT-6 was once voted by a car magazine as the "worst car in the world". I thought that a bit unfair. Maybe ninth worst or something.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,377
    Reminds me of what the 1981 Consumer Guide says about the TR8:

    "The British auto industry seems bent on self-destruction"

    "ridiculously poor quality control"

    "If our Triumph is any indication, there might not always be a British auto industry"

    And in the same volume they laud the X cars and many other nailed together domestics of the time...so that Triumph must have really been bad
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,662
    The prediction turned out to be true. Except for boutique makers like Morgan, Bristol and TVR there really is no "British" auto industry any more.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

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