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I'm just curious: How's your brother's '85 Chrysler (the one you had) running, and how many miles does it have on it at the moment?
The reason I ask is because I saw an '87 Chrysler Fifth Avenue for sale in my area with 70k original miles on it. And this is unusual because whenever I see a Fifth Ave. it is usually beat to hell.
...but I think I remember him saying it had something like 230K on it the last time I spoke to him. The car is still going strong though it doesn't look so pretty anymore. Seventy thousand on a Chrysler M-Body? That car's still a youngster.
actually had a pretty good survival rate, although a lot of them ended up getting a second life in taxi service, which ultimately battered them into junkyard fodder. Still, it was one of Chrysler's most popular models in the 80's, and a lot of people viewed them as a good alternative to GM's shrunken Electras and 98's. A lot of older people bought them too, so a good proportion of them have been well maintained and pampered, albeit maybe run up against the garage wall a few times as their drivers have aged!!
BTW, Lemko, the 5th Avenue is making another appearance in the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto video game. Here are a few screen shots...
They also do a pretty good looking '63 or so Impala!
The reason I asked Lemko about the M-body was that I've been bitten by the Mopar bug lately, ever since I saw my neighbor sell first his '70 'Cuda 440 6-pack and then his '95 Dodge Ram truck, which only had 26k original miles on it!
For that reason I've been brushing up on my Mopar history quite actively. Check out Mopar Muscle Magazine (the most recent issue) and in it they have an article about converting an '88 Diplomat to EFI. Now there's a car you don't see every day anymore!
that would probably be an improvement, converting an '88 Diplomat (or any '85-89 M-body) over to fuel injection! The 1984 and earlier models had Carter Thermoquad carbs that were pretty reliable, but in '85 they went to Rochester carbs. Both the civilian and interceptor models picked up an extra 10 hp (up to 140 and 175, respectively), but torque went down, and the power bands were more peaky. The 2-bbl models, while going from 130 to 140 hp, were actually SLOWER from 0-60, although top end was improved. Somehow, the 4-bbl interceptor models ended up worse across the board, despite going from 165 to 175 hp. 0-60 was worse, 0-100 was worse, and I think even the top speed dropped a bit.
Overall though, a 1987 5th Avenue, if it's been maintained decently, should prove to be an excellent car. You'll never mistake it for a 6-pack Barracuda or anything like that, but for pimping and crusing in a neoclassic package that's not grotesquely oversized, they're hard to beat. Roomy suckers, too. The EPA only rates their interior volume at something like 99 cubic feet, but those old M-bodies have more legroom up front than most modern cars, and enough headroom that Shaq could probably wear a top hat in one!
Two car shows, a museum & some road sightings. A very big weekend.
First the road sightings: Maroon Avanti II (not that far from South Bend). Alfa Spider ('80s with rubber snout) Dart Swinger (bumper sticker: "Honk if parts fall off"), actually looked decent. Pontiac Ventura "GTO"-'74ish? And...an early Pantera (pre-rubber nose). Have I ever seen one on the street?
Stumbled on car show in SOuth Haven while carpet shopping. Nice bunch of hot rods, muscle/pony cars, custom Harleys etc. The usual suspects. A few that stood out as odd for that group (any would make a good "normal" sighting): '39 Opel (yes, you read that right) street rod. Claims it is one of two '39's in USA. Rambler Rebel "Machine" '69 AMX two seater '36 Cord 812 convert. a real one! I think all of the vehicles were drivers.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen car show at the Gilmore Car Museum grounds. OF course virtually anything there would be a good sighting most days. A sea of MGB's including one GTV8 and a roadster "V8". Piles of TR6's and a bunch of splendid big Healeys (one black and bronze two tone was gorgeous). Minis, Spitfires (one with a Detroit V8, yikes), TR2,3, 3A & 250 (no 4's), Jag's of all types, all XK's, 120, 140, 150, E-types (a stunning blue series I coupe had a sign below the liscence plate that said "My other car is a Dodge"). And a white MKII like Kev's.
A bunch of TVR's incl. the red Vixen I saw last month. Has a Ford V8. Just down from it was another Vixen with (I think) a BMC A-series in it. Talk about variations on a theme (a fugue for TVR's in 12 cylinders?). Also some later, wedgier ones (Tasmins? Taimars? Tapirs? Wait those are Malaysian herbivores, chuckle.).
Several Lotus 7's (most were Lotus not Caterham!), an Elan Sprint, two Europas, a Lotus Elan M100 (less than 600 imported in '91 only) pretty sure it was the one I saw the same day as the TVR, and an Isuzu Elan.
2 Morgans, several Sunbeam Tigers and Alpines, some Rolls, Midgets, Sprites.
Now for the ODD stuff. That king of wedges-an Aston Martin Lagonda! Zoiks! Jensen Intercepter MKIII. A Riley Elf. "The Mini with a boot." Triumph Stag. And two Ginettas. A G15 (claimed to be the only one in the USA), and a "new", revival, one (G22?). 1400 lbs with a Miata drive train. My birthday is coming up if you all want to pitch in... ;^D
The Museum has a lot of neat stuff too. A Tucker with only 37 mi. Other low milers, the last Checker Marathon and the last Camaro (zero miles). Lots of brass era, 2 Stanley Steamers, electrics, Packards, Duesenbergs (love Duesies, a Phaeton on display was sold in '47 for $123.00, just an old car), Caddies (a V16 and a separate 16 engine on display, Bentley Speed Six (very John Steed), BMW M1, another AMX (a '70, had a model of one as a kid), 275 GTB4, Peirce Arrows by the crate, and a special display of vehicles built in Kalamazoo. To name a few.
Did it still have the twin-cam engine (the "ka-boom" engine) in it? Many people substitute a regular MGA pushrod engine and keep the twin cam in the garage in a box. A few brave souls race the twin-cam in vintage racing, and they do move along pretty nicely. Modern machining and lubricants have extended their life and reliability.
Drove a '66 Stingray yesterday, 327/350 4-speed. With the small block, the manual steering wasn't bad at all. I wouldn't exactly call it a sports car, but it was really fun to drive. I love the sound from the side pipes (option). This was a beauty, and priced accordingly at (gasp) $49,000.
The Jensen Interceptor Mark III is not an odd car at all! It was probably the only wholly reliable British car of the '70s thanks to that Chrysler 440 and TorqueFlite in it.
... back in the late '70s and delivered newspapers, a customer of mine had a Jensen Healey. Does anybody remember this car? Is it the same car as an Interceptor?
the Jensen-Healey was intended as a replacement for the Austin Healey 3000, which was a bad idea since it had none of the style or the burly character of the big Healey.
OTOH the J-H was considered a very nice handling car, I can't remember the origin of the twincam four used therein, Shifty?
The Jensen Interceptor was designed as a luxury GT, some were fitted with an AWD system ("Jensen FF").
It was Jensen that built the bodies of the Volvo P1800 and 1800ES.
MGA still had the twin cam. I think the Jensen Healey had a Lotus twin cam. Drove one once, it was a quick handler. jros-I realize the Intercepter was Chrysler powered, but they are still pretty rare ducks. Andy the FF has a longer wheel base and an extra fender vent. THey are way rare.
The Jensen Healey is actually quite fast, when it's running. The Interceptor is a big beast, with all the plusses and minuses of a Brit-American hybrid.
...today was a beautiful day in Chicagoland (80F, sunny, low humidity), so while out driving for a couple hours, I saw mostly ordinary old cars, including:
69 Cadillac convertible, in one of those non-eye-catching period earthtones, hazy green or funky gold, in decent shape 70 Ford LTD 4-door sedan, nice condition, blue 65 Wildcat or LeSabre 4dr HT, kinda beat up 70 Olds Cutlass convertible, in that period babydoo brown with matching interior, a bit rough with junky sounding exhaust 67 Ford CUSTOM (as opposed to Galaxie) 500 sedan, decent, blue, with driver old enough to have bought it new when he was 40.
Again, ordinary, til I was pulling out of our local Wendy's (@Addison/Western) and let go in front of me a white/white cove/red interior'57 FUEL-INJECTED (or at least badged as such) Corvette. IL plates read 'CVETRUN'. Scary. Tried to pull next to the driver to ask if it was 'real', to no avail. Manual transmission for sure....coulda been real, but I can't imagine driving one on Western Avenue in traffic, a TOTAL OF 43 were built with RPO 579E (283/283hp FI with cold air induction) that year, but with no further breakdown of the other (the 250hp version with competition camshaft) of 6339 total production. I can't imagine what those are worth now (my ~1983 Standard Catalog of American Cars says 'add $2k for F.I.'--yeah, right!). Guess I need an updated copy, eh?
There are a lot of fake Model A kit cars out there, too.
But strangely enough, the number of real Model As registered and running in the USA is enormous. Easily the best survival rate of any old mass produced car. I think I read once that there are over 1/2 million still running around.
...the fake Model A's are obviously fake. You can tell by the modern wheels and tires and sealed-beam headlights. I recall seeing one of these Pinto-powered faux A's at the local Ford dealer back in the mid '70s. I thought it was cool when I was a kid, but today they just look plain tacky.
A T-bucket rail, actually driving around on the road. Not sure if that's the right term, but it was an old T body (the low one, no roof), with huge rear tires, and just frame rails and a monster engine with a blower out front (riding on what looked like bicycle tires). Guy and a woman driving it around the neighborhood.
Just not something you see everyday. Even rarer than the chrome bumber MG B that I saw the saw the same day (for some reason lots of old cars drive around near the swim club we go to, which is in a quiet suburban neighborhood).
Also went past a 60 something Ford PU (the cab over style). Looks all original, and not in a good way (terrible paint, etc.). But, it is out in the driveway and has plates on it, so I assume it runs.
Oh boy where to begin......basically it's that British/American hybrids were/are all made by very small companies like Jensen, Bristol, Allard, AC and Morgan that do not have large production engineering facilities so they are assemblages of parts from a variety of sources.
No you can say that about any car but that's where production engineering comes in. A bigger company has more resources and may even be able to buy a window regulator or a/c compressor that's tailor-made or at least adapted for the specific application.
Parts for cars like that are really hard to find, and if you have serious body damage, you might just as well forget it.
And often these hybrid companies really never sorted the cars out very well. It's not like they have millions for R&D. As Andy says, it's mostly an "off the shelf" operation.
In America, we used to call "off the shelf" cars "assembled cars". Many MANY US makes of the past were assembled cars, and you could make a good car out of parts...like the Jordan comes to mind.
But you really have to love a Jensen Interceptor to put up with the challenges.
Two prewar hump-backed fourdoor Plymouths and a (Dodge?)pickup all on flatbeds being trailered, probably to the crusher. They were in total junk condition and badly rusted.
I'm guessing they were in an old barn and were now headed for the Great Slag Heap but it was curious that they were on two separate trailers behind two separate tow vehicles.
I was out riding my bike Saturday, on a loop I've been riding for 10 years. I'd noticed this house before. It's in a rural devlopment and has a free-standing shop about the size of a 4-car garge next to it. He often has had odd cars for sale in the yard. Stuff like 1st generation Infiniti Q45, Peugot 505s, Audi 5000s. Stuff that makes you go "hmmmm. Interesting, but I wouldn't buy it." (except for maybe the Q)"
Well, Saturday was different. First, there was the immaculate Lotus 7 with a roll bar, Brooklands screen and no headlights. Next to it was an equally pristine Mini. But that wasn't all. I glanced at the garage, and yanked on the brake levers so hard I almost went over the handlebars.
A guy was working a power buffer over a '49 Caddy Coupe. Dark blue. Sitting low - not "low-rider" low, but race car low. Wearing race numbers and the biggest Yoko 32Rs I've ever seen.
I waited for the guy to shut the buffer off. "Hey, is that a Carrera car?" I think the guy didn't expect a question like that from some skinny lycra-clad road bike weeny. "Yeah!" He replied. "Can I take a look at it?" "Sure!"
What a beast. Gutted interior with a full roll cage and racing seats. NASCAR style tube frame from the firewall forward with a corresponding front suspension. It's running a Chevy ZZ crate 350 with Caddy badges on the valve covers, and a Jerrico (I think) tranny. Obviously *very* well built. And street legal (eek!).
Turns out this non-descript building I've been biking past for years houses a shop that builds and restores cars for vintage racing. The Lotus was waiting for its owner to come pick it up. The Caddy was built to compete in the vintage Carrera race, and was about to go for a shakedown run at the vintage event at Road America. They got the weight down to 3,800 lbs., and the handling is (according to the guy at the shop) pretty neutral. Just an absolute thrill for a motorhead.
Some of those Carrera-replica people are pretty crazy. They have '57 Oldsmobiles going 150 mph+. I've seen photos of some horrendous crack-ups, thank god not too often but once is enough if you're the driver.
..spotted today - a beige 1968 Chevrolet Biscayne 2-door sedan and a teal blue and white 1963 Buick Special with dog dish hubcaps. The Chevy was driven by an elderly lady and the Buick is for sale in somebody's driveway. I should check it out. It would make an interesting daily driver.
I spotted a pristine-looking Jeep Grand Wagoneer on the highway today. I usually don't see them on a daily basis, but when I do they look like they have been pampered, especially the last 1989-91 editions.
I've also noticed that these last Grand Wagoneers tend to command a premium price on the resale market these days. I see them in Hemmings listed for sale at about $12k or over, which is pretty impressive for what is basically a 30-year-old design.
Well, they can ASK whatever they want in Hemmings under their First Amendment Rights, but in fact those old cows shouldn't be worth more than $4,000 all day long.
I think if you put a price of $12K on a 1990 GW you are going to be buying it a birthday cake before you'll sell it for that.
Wait- So if I ever chose to drive a late-model GW ('89-'91), which I probably will someday, I'd be driving the exact same Willys-designed, 1963-era truck?
a yellow convertible that looked like it's been junked up a bit with funny exhaust tips two raked aerials on rear deck and the silly chrome covering on the top halves of the headlights. The Gap between the hood and fender tops was so big I wondered if the hood hadn't been latched.
Oh well, '64 was never my favorite year for those .
A lot of people are doing what we call "front clip restorations", that is, they take the front fenders and hood off only, pull the engine, paint everything from the firewall forward, and repaint the entire car but do not restore the chassis or suspension. So when it comes time to fitting everything back together, sometimes the gaps are the first clue that this isn't a body-off job. Still, from 10 feet away, these "front clips" looks okay.
It's all in the details and most restos don't go that far.
I was on the road for another couple hundred miles today, and saw a few interesting cars. a 59 Chevy sedan delivery on a flatbed, a 55 Buick 4 door hardtop in red and white, a basic 58 Chevy 4 door post, a 61 Chevy 4 door post, a 67 Chevelle SS, a VW Dasher still doing highway service, a nice looking 49 Ford tucked away in an old garage, a 67-69 Firebird convert, a late Lotus Esprit, a nice shiny W123 diesel wagon, and an immaculate W110 230 fintail, in a blue just darker than mine. This car was at least as nice as mine, if not better. Best sighting of the day, to me.
I also had my camera along with me, and managed to get a pic of but one car. It's hard to spring into action when driving fast. Here's a very nice looking 58 Caddy I passed....and you can see a fish-eyed new Malibu in the mirror too, if you are into that kind of thing.
Pink, 2.5 tons and with tail fins. One man's dream is another's nightmare.
Now why didn't you take a picture of that '55 Buick for me?
I saw a very rare car the other day, my second one in a year. A 1956 Lancia Aurelia Spider. Rare because they only made 240 of them, unusual in that it has a modern specification for 1956 of a V-6 engine, twin Webers and a rear mounted transaxle with inboard brakes, and interesting because 20 of them are still in the hold of the Andrea Doria, many fathoms deep. Value today of about $125,000 for a very nice one.
with that '58 Caddy is that horrible chrome/stainless sheet on the lower quarter panel that doubles as a fender skirt. Take that off, expose the rear wheel openings, and I think you have a good looking car.
BTW, is there a car called a Sweeney? I heard of that name, or something that sounds like it, in the song "Cool for Cats" by Squeeze. The line goes something like "The Sweeney's doing 90 cuz we have noplace to go, so we get a gang of villains from a shed outside Heathrow" or something like that...
Are those Caddy fender skirts "wrong" as in bad styling, or "wrong" as in not stock? Few cars can pull off pink so well.
The Buick was nice looking, wide whites and all. Very hard to get a shot of an oncoming car. Same for that 59 Chevy sedan delivery. Those are seldom seen.
Lancia Aurelia is a beautiful design, too. I can see why they are worth so much. Just a perfectly proportioned little car. I am surprised nobody has tried to go down to salvage some parts.
those fender skirts WERE stock, so they were just wrong, as in bad taste!
I don't think I'd be caught dead in any modern car painted pink, but somewhow, I think it actually works on most 50's cars! One of my Consumer Guide old car books has a pic of a pink '57 Chrysler in it (it might have been called "Salmon") but it STILL looks beautiful!
I guess older cars just had enough chrome to offset the pink, and especially if they were two-toned, it helped ease the femininity of it. I know I've seen some Mopars from the mid 50's that were a two-ton pink and dark gray, that looked fairly nice.
my Norseman pic suddenly decided not to show up (at least on this end), so if anybody's really dying to see it, just go to Google and type in "Chrysler Norseman", and you'll find more pics of it than most sane people would want to see!!
Aaah, I see, about the skirts. I have never cared for fender skirts on most cars. Same for pink...it would be a tough sell for me. But on a flamboyant 50s car, I could deal with it.
"I guess older cars just had enough chrome to offset the pink, and especially if they were two-toned, it helped ease the femininity of it."
Back in the '50s the husband would often choose the car, but the wife got to choose the color. Andre, I'm sure you're familiar with the Dodge LaFemme - a car built with the lady in mind. I believe they built them in 1955-56. The car came with a matching purse, compact, umrella, rain hat, and rain coat.
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Also recently spotted was a brand new Lamborghini Murcielago or Gallardo (yellow) - very wicked looking
The reason I ask is because I saw an '87 Chrysler Fifth Avenue for sale in my area with 70k original miles on it. And this is unusual because whenever I see a Fifth Ave. it is usually beat to hell.
BTW, Lemko, the 5th Avenue is making another appearance in the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto video game. Here are a few screen shots...
They also do a pretty good looking '63 or so Impala!
For that reason I've been brushing up on my Mopar history quite actively. Check out Mopar Muscle Magazine (the most recent issue) and in it they have an article about converting an '88 Diplomat to EFI. Now there's a car you don't see every day anymore!
Overall though, a 1987 5th Avenue, if it's been maintained decently, should prove to be an excellent car. You'll never mistake it for a 6-pack Barracuda or anything like that, but for pimping and crusing in a neoclassic package that's not grotesquely oversized, they're hard to beat. Roomy suckers, too. The EPA only rates their interior volume at something like 99 cubic feet, but those old M-bodies have more legroom up front than most modern cars, and enough headroom that Shaq could probably wear a top hat in one!
First the road sightings:
Maroon Avanti II (not that far from South Bend).
Alfa Spider ('80s with rubber snout)
Dart Swinger (bumper sticker: "Honk if parts fall off"), actually looked decent.
Pontiac Ventura "GTO"-'74ish?
And...an early Pantera (pre-rubber nose). Have I ever seen one on the street?
Stumbled on car show in SOuth Haven while carpet shopping.
Nice bunch of hot rods, muscle/pony cars, custom Harleys etc. The usual suspects.
A few that stood out as odd for that group (any would make a good "normal" sighting):
'39 Opel (yes, you read that right) street rod. Claims it is one of two '39's in USA.
Rambler Rebel "Machine"
'69 AMX two seater
'36 Cord 812 convert. a real one! I think all of the vehicles were drivers.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen car show at the Gilmore Car Museum grounds. OF course virtually anything there would be a good sighting most days.
A sea of MGB's including one GTV8 and a roadster "V8". Piles of TR6's and a bunch of splendid big Healeys (one black and bronze two tone was gorgeous). Minis, Spitfires (one with a Detroit V8, yikes), TR2,3, 3A & 250 (no 4's), Jag's of all types, all XK's, 120, 140, 150, E-types (a stunning blue series I coupe had a sign below the liscence plate that said "My other car is a Dodge"). And a white MKII like Kev's.
A bunch of TVR's incl. the red Vixen I saw last month. Has a Ford V8. Just down from it was another Vixen with (I think) a BMC A-series in it. Talk about variations on a theme (a fugue for TVR's in 12 cylinders?). Also some later, wedgier ones (Tasmins? Taimars? Tapirs? Wait those are Malaysian herbivores, chuckle.).
Several Lotus 7's (most were Lotus not Caterham!), an Elan Sprint, two Europas, a Lotus Elan M100 (less than 600 imported in '91 only) pretty sure it was the one I saw the same day as the TVR, and an Isuzu Elan.
2 Morgans, several Sunbeam Tigers and Alpines, some Rolls, Midgets, Sprites.
Now for the ODD stuff.
That king of wedges-an Aston Martin Lagonda! Zoiks!
Jensen Intercepter MKIII.
A Riley Elf. "The Mini with a boot."
Triumph Stag.
And two Ginettas. A G15 (claimed to be the only one in the USA), and a "new", revival, one (G22?). 1400 lbs with a Miata drive train. My birthday is coming up if you all want to pitch in... ;^D
The Museum has a lot of neat stuff too. A Tucker with only 37 mi. Other low milers, the last Checker Marathon and the last Camaro (zero miles).
Lots of brass era, 2 Stanley Steamers, electrics, Packards, Duesenbergs (love Duesies, a Phaeton on display was sold in '47 for $123.00, just an old car), Caddies (a V16 and a separate 16 engine on display, Bentley Speed Six (very John Steed), BMW M1, another AMX (a '70, had a model of one as a kid), 275 GTB4, Peirce Arrows by the crate, and a special display of vehicles built in Kalamazoo. To name a few.
Quite a feast.
Drove a '66 Stingray yesterday, 327/350 4-speed. With the small block, the manual steering wasn't bad at all. I wouldn't exactly call it a sports car, but it was really fun to drive. I love the sound from the side pipes (option). This was a beauty, and priced accordingly at (gasp) $49,000.
OTOH the J-H was considered a very nice handling car, I can't remember the origin of the twincam four used therein, Shifty?
The Jensen Interceptor was designed as a luxury GT, some were fitted with an AWD system ("Jensen FF").
It was Jensen that built the bodies of the Volvo P1800 and 1800ES.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I think the Jensen Healey had a Lotus twin cam. Drove one once, it was a quick handler.
jros-I realize the Intercepter was Chrysler powered, but they are still pretty rare ducks.
Andy the FF has a longer wheel base and an extra fender vent. THey are way rare.
69 Cadillac convertible, in one of those non-eye-catching period earthtones, hazy green or funky gold, in decent shape
70 Ford LTD 4-door sedan, nice condition, blue
65 Wildcat or LeSabre 4dr HT, kinda beat up
70 Olds Cutlass convertible, in that period babydoo brown with matching interior, a bit rough with junky sounding exhaust
67 Ford CUSTOM (as opposed to Galaxie) 500 sedan, decent, blue, with driver old enough to have bought it new when he was 40.
Again, ordinary, til I was pulling out of our local Wendy's (@Addison/Western) and let go in front of me a white/white cove/red interior'57 FUEL-INJECTED (or at least badged as such) Corvette. IL plates read 'CVETRUN'. Scary. Tried to pull next to the driver to ask if it was 'real', to no avail. Manual transmission for sure....coulda been real, but I can't imagine driving one on Western Avenue in traffic, a TOTAL OF 43 were built with RPO 579E (283/283hp FI with cold air induction) that year, but with no further breakdown of the other (the 250hp version with competition camshaft) of 6339 total production. I can't imagine what those are worth now (my ~1983 Standard Catalog of American Cars says 'add $2k for F.I.'--yeah, right!). Guess I need an updated copy, eh?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
But strangely enough, the number of real Model As registered and running in the USA is enormous. Easily the best survival rate of any old mass produced car. I think I read once that there are over 1/2 million still running around.
Just not something you see everyday. Even rarer than the chrome bumber MG B that I saw the saw the same day (for some reason lots of old cars drive around near the swim club we go to, which is in a quiet suburban neighborhood).
Also went past a 60 something Ford PU (the cab over style). Looks all original, and not in a good way (terrible paint, etc.). But, it is out in the driveway and has plates on it, so I assume it runs.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
No you can say that about any car but that's where production engineering comes in. A bigger company has more resources and may even be able to buy a window regulator or a/c compressor that's tailor-made or at least adapted for the specific application.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
And often these hybrid companies really never sorted the cars out very well. It's not like they have millions for R&D. As Andy says, it's mostly an "off the shelf" operation.
In America, we used to call "off the shelf" cars "assembled cars". Many MANY US makes of the past were assembled cars, and you could make a good car out of parts...like the Jordan comes to mind.
But you really have to love a Jensen Interceptor to put up with the challenges.
I'm guessing they were in an old barn and were now headed for the Great Slag Heap but it was curious that they were on two separate trailers behind two separate tow vehicles.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Well, Saturday was different. First, there was the immaculate Lotus 7 with a roll bar, Brooklands screen and no headlights. Next to it was an equally pristine Mini. But that wasn't all. I glanced at the garage, and yanked on the brake levers so hard I almost went over the handlebars.
A guy was working a power buffer over a '49 Caddy Coupe. Dark blue. Sitting low - not "low-rider" low, but race car low. Wearing race numbers and the biggest Yoko 32Rs I've ever seen.
I waited for the guy to shut the buffer off. "Hey, is that a Carrera car?"
I think the guy didn't expect a question like that from some skinny lycra-clad road bike weeny. "Yeah!" He replied.
"Can I take a look at it?"
"Sure!"
What a beast. Gutted interior with a full roll cage and racing seats. NASCAR style tube frame from the firewall forward with a corresponding front suspension. It's running a Chevy ZZ crate 350 with Caddy badges on the valve covers, and a Jerrico (I think) tranny. Obviously *very* well built. And street legal (eek!).
Turns out this non-descript building I've been biking past for years houses a shop that builds and restores cars for vintage racing. The Lotus was waiting for its owner to come pick it up. The Caddy was built to compete in the vintage Carrera race, and was about to go for a shakedown run at the vintage event at Road America. They got the weight down to 3,800 lbs., and the handling is (according to the guy at the shop) pretty neutral. Just an absolute thrill for a motorhead.
new bright red SSR
I've also noticed that these last Grand Wagoneers tend to command a premium price on the resale market these days. I see them in Hemmings listed for sale at about $12k or over, which is pretty impressive for what is basically a 30-year-old design.
I think if you put a price of $12K on a 1990 GW you are going to be buying it a birthday cake before you'll sell it for that.
Oh well, '64 was never my favorite year for those .
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
It's all in the details and most restos don't go that far.
I also had my camera along with me, and managed to get a pic of but one car. It's hard to spring into action when driving fast. Here's a very nice looking 58 Caddy I passed....and you can see a fish-eyed new Malibu in the mirror too, if you are into that kind of thing.
Now why didn't you take a picture of that '55 Buick for me?
I saw a very rare car the other day, my second one in a year. A 1956 Lancia Aurelia Spider. Rare because they only made 240 of them, unusual in that it has a modern specification for 1956 of a V-6 engine, twin Webers and a rear mounted transaxle with inboard brakes, and interesting because 20 of them are still in the hold of the Andrea Doria, many fathoms deep. Value today of about $125,000 for a very nice one.
Now parked here:
BTW, is there a car called a Sweeney? I heard of that name, or something that sounds like it, in the song "Cool for Cats" by Squeeze. The line goes something like "The Sweeney's doing 90 cuz we have noplace to go, so we get a gang of villains from a shed outside Heathrow" or something like that...
The Chrysler Norseman
The Buick was nice looking, wide whites and all. Very hard to get a shot of an oncoming car. Same for that 59 Chevy sedan delivery. Those are seldom seen.
Lancia Aurelia is a beautiful design, too. I can see why they are worth so much. Just a perfectly proportioned little car. I am surprised nobody has tried to go down to salvage some parts.
I don't think I'd be caught dead in any modern car painted pink, but somewhow, I think it actually works on most 50's cars! One of my Consumer Guide old car books has a pic of a pink '57 Chrysler in it (it might have been called "Salmon") but it STILL looks beautiful!
I guess older cars just had enough chrome to offset the pink, and especially if they were two-toned, it helped ease the femininity of it. I know I've seen some Mopars from the mid 50's that were a two-ton pink and dark gray, that looked fairly nice.
Honda 600
Not many of these around
This guy is using some first class hallucinogens
This makes my eyes hurt
Interesting
Very neat
Worth nothing outside of England, and not a ton there
If you're insane, you can take this on
Another nice highline DS
Much better than average fintail. Weird interior. The material is wrong, but the pattern is right.
Pretty and rare W109....could do a lot worse for 5 grand
Your Norseman pic worked for me
Back in the '50s the husband would often choose the car, but the wife got to choose the color. Andre, I'm sure you're familiar with the Dodge LaFemme - a car built with the lady in mind. I believe they built them in 1955-56. The car came with a matching purse, compact, umrella, rain hat, and rain coat.