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

fintail · May 2006

I remember some old movie having a Sunbeam Talbot roadster, too. And then of course there's the Aston in The Birds.

fintail · May 2006

Today I saw a pretty light blue and white 57 Nomad. Good looking car, although not as much as a 55/56.

Now on to the freakshow

Why did they sell these in NA? Who bought them?

Apart from liking Packards, the commies also liked 70s Chrysler exteriors, and 70s Mercedes interiors

What sane person would do all this work?

80s legend

I'm almost ashamed to admit I kinda like it

Denim interior, what a brilliant idea

See above

Really cool pimptastic Buick...wow

Gorgeous downsized Fleetwood...the best colors...and huge bidding

For the ambitious

See above

I could see Andre in it

So well done, and then they get the hubcaps wrong

Nice upholstery pattern

bocatrip · May 2006

Was that the 55 Talbot? Kewl car. Most of the Sunbeams that we think of are not classic like the 55 Talbot. The Alpines are mundane in comparison.

fintail · May 2006

aah here we are...this is the one I was thinking of

bocatrip · May 2006

I might be dating myself. However, try googling the Alvis TD21 and see a gorgeous car that was quite rare. I had one that I got for nothing because it was sitting in someones backyard forever and they wanted it removed. I got a tow truck, removed it, and put it in Hemmings Motor News for $995 no title. Sold it fast. This was over 10 years ago. The Alvis is still not worth a zillion dollars but it was quite unique. The very early ones do have big values. "Red Triangle" is it's signature.

Mr_Shiftright · May 2006

Alvis is one of those marques that nobody knows about or cares about in the US, but that could sell well in the UK (providing you can absorb shipping costs, etc.). I find them a bit clunky.

andre1969 · May 2006

I think I remember that one...isn't that the movie where Bogart & crew hold up a family in the Leave it to Beaver house? I don't think I've ever had a chance to see it the whole way through, but I'd always seem to catch it midway through when flipping channels, and it would hold my attention.

Oh, I did catch the tail-end of "Vertigo" this morning. I guess the trademark car in that movie was Jimmy Stewart's white '56 DeSoto Firedome? I saw the movie in its entirety for the first time late last year, and remembered lots of scenes driving around on the city streets of San Francisco. And the way the movie was restored, most of the scenes looked like they were just shot yesterday! Was that movie originally black and white, though? In some scenes, the color just seems a bit off, but then they used different processes back then, plus I guess it could have to do with the way it was restored.

andys120 · May 2006

.isn't that the movie where Bogart & crew hold up a family in the Leave it to Beaver house?

Yup, the head of the house is played by Frederic March.

Fin, Minxes and Super Minxes were not unheard of in North America. They were popular with folks looking for second cars that were a little cheaper and yet roomier than a VW.

The early 60s were the heyday of the Rootes Group in American besides the Hillmans Humber Super Snipes and Sunbeam Alpines were moderately good sellers. There were probably more nameplates available for sale in the USA from 1958 to 1965 than at any time since the 1920s.

fintail · May 2006

I can't imagine those Minx' lasting very well...I am amazed a LHD version survived. That was a good time for cars though, yeah, domestics and foreign. They all had some real shining stars during those years.

Today I saw the same pretty 280SL I saw a few days ago. I also saw a real winner....a Datsun F10 wagon. I haven't seen one of those in eons. It was kind of a yellow green with wood siding, and it was really in nice condition. It even had the original hubcaps which were kind of like the honeycombs on a B210. It was in a handicapped spot at a grocery store, so it's a little old lady car no doubt. Unfortunately, I left my phone at home.

chuck1959 · May 2006

Denim interior, what a brilliant idea.

Well, almost a brilliant idea. I had a 1973 Gremlin X with the Levis interior. Right in the middle of the front seats (IIRC)is a metal Levi's jeans button. In the summer that button heats up and when you sit in the seat...well you can guess...OUCH!!!!! :surprise: One time I was wearing shorts!! I think it deleted the following model year .But I loved that interior it was just as tough as the jeans! Unfortunatally in 1975 I was in a head on collision and the car was totaled! Thank god I wasn't!

lemko · May 2006

...for spotting:

Two-tone green 1955 Chrysler New Yorker sedan.

Red 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu two-door hardtop with black vinyl roof and 307 V-8.

Beige 1970 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight convertible

Beige 1977-79 Dodge Diplomat coupe.

british_rover · May 2006

on the way to our off-road driving event I saw.

A silver Porsche 356 no idea if it was a real one or not as it was going the opposite direction on the highway.

A Black New Yorker not sure on the year though maybe a 1956.

A 1997 Defender that joined us on our trail ride. That was kind of a surprise we knew this guy was coming but he never told us he had a Defender.

mazda6iguy · May 2006

Over the weekend... a AMC Gremlin that sort of looked like it had a stripe on it similar to the 'starsky and hutch' Ford.

chuck1959 · May 2006

That's probably a Gremlin X. "74??

omarman · May 2006

That's probably a Gremlin X. "74??

Chuck1959 is probably right. If you google search "norbert vance amc" you can access a site with many AMC vehicle pics from the 70's, including a blue '74 Gremlin X with the swoopy, body-side stripe.

Apparently, Mr. Vance's father was an AMC engineering manager who drove home some interesting AMC factory cars during that era - much to the delight of his teenaged son.

I like the Ambassador police interceptor pic replete with a wave sound of its 401 V-8 idling in 1974.

stickguy · May 2006

Wow. He had pics of 2 of my cars, except for the color. I had a Gremlin X just like the blue one, but it was yellow (about 4 different shades, but still yellow). I also had a Hornet, but it was green (what else!)

ghulet · May 2006

A friend's sister had one when I was a kid, it was silver with an orange stripe, kind of a cool color combo, IMO.

toomanyfumes · May 2006

Was "Big Bad Blue" which was actually a light, almost baby blue. Of course, half of the car was grey primer, or sheetmetal over the rust holes.. :sick:

imidazol97 · May 2006

I spotted an Aurora, probably middle of the era. It had Buick portholes on the side of the hood, not on the side of the fenders. Sort of like this early Buick.

Is this a new fad or just a used car that went through our regional Buick dealer who adds vinyl roof and portholes to new and used cars that go through his lot?

kyfdx · May 2006

Saleen Focus hatchback...

I didn't even know that Saleen did Foci..

Mr_Shiftright · May 2006

Yep:

http://www.saleen.com/n2o_s121.htm

Looks like fun.

kyfdx · May 2006

I was sitting behind it at a long light.... Didn't even notice, at first... All that caught my eye was that garish spoiler at the top of the hatch...

It was only after the light changed, and it started moving, and I saw the aggressive wheel/tire set-up, that I noticed the SALEEN imprinted in the bumper skin..

I wonder how much that would set you back? Maybe a $25K-$30K Focus?

explorerx4 · May 2006

check ebay, rousch(?) has some too.
yesterday, i saw a nice blue mid 60's stingray(fastback) and a silver '70's 911.
maybe someone will spot my '91 mustang tomorrow.

lemko · May 2006

...really nice dark green 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe fastback sedan on Rhawn St. in NE Philly.

explorerx4 · May 2006

i'm sure i'll see some clssics.

fintail · May 2006

Never heard of a car with this name (except on the Simpsons) - not easy on the eyes

Freakshow

What am I missing here? World's most expensive example

A bit of a project

A real Popemobile

Very elegant...I love the instrument clusters on these cars

Cool stuff, Canada gets it

High style, high price

Italian fintail

Seldom seen

My, what a big nose you have

I could see Andre in this

Pimpy...must have been a huge aftermarket for this stuff

Should be a nice example

Admirable originality

As practical as a SUV, and less pretentious. Kind of likeable actually

ghulet · May 2006

Wow, that '73 Cadillac is tacky. I can't imagine actually choosing to spend more money to make the car look like that, as opposed to the not-so-restrained-to-begin-with Coupe de Ville of that era. Blech.

Nice weather (OK, a bit too hot today for my tastes) this weekend in Chicago, instead of the usual rainy holiday weekend. Brought out lots of neat rides:

*cool '77 Buick Electra coupe, light yellow with white vinyl top and interior
*beautiful '69 Firebird 400 coupe, very correct down to the black vinyl top, Rally II wheels, except for the Hugger Orange (Chevy called it) paint, which I don't think was offered on Firebirds. Looked great, anyway.
*ratty AMC Eagle wagon, with removed fake wood decals
*nice '72 Camaro Z/28, white with RS front end and those graphite mag (alloy?) wheels; no stripes, no gaudy spoilers
*'79 (I think) Hurst/Olds with 'Calais' interior, a bit worn but factory correct down to the wheels, two-tone paint, loaded, with t-tops, for sale (no price on the sign)
*BMW Z3 M coupe, don't see those too often
*the nicest Lincoln Mark VII LSC I've seen in a while, mostly because of its strange rust-colored exterior with black leather
*stunning 'original' Mini, blue with white top and stripes, parked behind a mid-sized SUV, which looked like it could serve as its garage, on Clark Street. They are TINY!!
*period pukey green but nice '72 Chevy Greenbriar (second lowest trim level Chevelle wagon), definitely not too common (hard to believe they offered four trim levels of Chevelle wagon, especially considering 54000 total production).
*late '90s Cadillac Seville, unremarkable except for the trifecta of bad-taste items added: two-tone paint, chrome wheels with Vogues, dreaded carriage roof, faux RR grille and a continental kit. Made that '73 Coupe de Ville look restrained.

fintail · May 2006

I saw a MGB today that had anything but an MG engine under the hood. It was some kind of smallblock V8, and the car was pretty much 100% stock from the outside.

An oddball I saw today was a restored looking ca. 1966 Chrysler T&C. Later I saw a Euro model W124 wagon...I couldn't tell what it was as it was debadged, but the bumpers and lights were a giveaway.

Also a late 140 CL600, I always kind of liked those big weird coupes.

explorerx4 · May 2006

i haven't quite figured out how to just link a picture, but saw this beautiful 220s today:
for fintail

fintail · May 2006

Very pretty. The fintail wants those tires.

prosa · May 2006

I love the last picture for the Italian fintail, with the grinning people sitting in it. Priceless expressions.

chuck1959 · May 2006

Today I saw a 1979 (?)Lincoln Versailles. I haven't seen one of those in years! It was white/red interior.

lemko · May 2006

Saw a really nice 1977 Pontiac Bonneville coupe upstate this weekend. It's been a l-o-n-g time since I've seen one - especially in this great condition. Also saw a really nice black 1979 Cadillac Series 75 limousine. This is a real limo - not one of the cut-and-paste jobs so common for almost 25 years. This one was for sale. Too bad I have no place to store it. My girlfriend and I could ride around in chauffeured Cadillac style for those nights on the town.

imidazol97 · May 2006

1960 Ford Sunliner, bright red with white top. It had the fake? lower exhaust outlets that mirror the shape of the taillights into the bumper.
1963 Ford Thunderbird.

fintail · May 2006

Today within about 2 minutes of each other I saw a showroom looking ca. 75 Olds Cutlass sedan in a gold-green color, it had body color hubcaps I think, little old lady driver of course. Then along came a ca. 79 Malibu coupe, in a pleasing light blue, also pristine looking with a little old lady behind the wheel.

british_rover · May 2006

1971 I think 240z in red followed a couple of hundred feet behind by a Z8 also in red.

Never realized how similar they looked.

I am pretty sure the Z8 was driven by the same guy who drove up in the M6 this morning to pick up his wife in their Range Rover. I know he has one and I know it is red so how many of those can there be in this area.

andre1969 · May 2006

I drove down to the other end of my street, a way I don't go that often, as there's a 4-lane road that divides the street that takes me to most of the places that I need to go.

Anyway, there's a house for sale over there that for the longest time had this pretty '77-79 green Coupe DeVille sitting by the street, covered in dust and pollen, no tags, but no for sale sign on it either.

Well, that's gone now, but in their carport I did see the tail end of a white '79-81 Newport sticking out. I can't remember the last time I've seen a Mopar R-body on the street (other than my own) but it was kinda cool to see one just a half-mile from my house! It had tags on it. I was kinda curious to walk up to the house and see if they were interested in selling it, but it was kinda early that day...

I've already had two of these things, but somehow I feel like I'm destined to keep repeating my mistakes! :P

Mr_Shiftright · May 2006

That's because the guy who designed the BMW 507 roadster also designed that Z car. You have a good eye! There is genetic material between the Z8 and 240Z.

british_rover · May 2006

Ah see I did not know that but it makes sense.

I am surprised I did not recognize it before but seeing them back to back in similar color under identical light conditions you could really see it.

explorerx4 · May 2006

a gold volvo p1800, dealer plates and what looked like an enterprise rent a car sticker on the trunk. :confuse:
once the minivan in front of it moved out of the way, there was an early 60's white corvette with removeable hard top following a '72 malibu! i didn't get close enough to see any details.

chuck1959 · May 2006

I saw a MINT 1974 Ford Maverick. It was a 2 door. I may be wrong but it appeared to have the LDO (?) package. I thought that was a 4-door option?

british_rover · May 2006

That might be our Volvo. I know the autogroup owns a p1800 but I forget what color it is.

gsemike · June 2006

What is the LDO option?

andre1969 · June 2006

stood for "Luxury Decor Option", IIRC. It was probably a dress-up trim package that gave you a slightly nicer interior, and special trim on the outside of the car. Nothing performance-oriented, though.

kyfdx · June 2006

1) Acura Vigor.. maybe not a classic, but increasingly rare, as they only made them for three model years.. '92-'94.

2) Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 In pretty good shape..

chuck1959 · June 2006

Here's what the LDO option on the Maverick included.

Luxury Decor Option - Exterior
Odense Grain vinyl roof for 4 door sedans
Odense Grain vinyl roof with Halo treatment for 2 door Sedans
Additional coat of paint
Bright bodyside and wheel lip moldings with color-keyed grained inserts
Front and rear bumper guards with rubber inserts
Bright pillar appliqué with grained inserts color-keyed to the vinyl roof(4-door only)
Chrome-flashed window frames, windshield reveal, drip and belt moldings
Outside remote control left hand mirror
Chrome-plated grille, unique color-keyed wheel covers
Deck lid and quarter panel extension moldings
Deluxe gas cap, DR78x14 Steel Belted Radial Ply White Side Wall tires
Luxury Decor Option - Interior
Contoured reclining independent seats
super-soft vinyl interior - Available only in Tawny Tan
Cut-pile carpeting, unique door trim
unique door trim panels, cigar lighter, inside day/night mirror
color-keyed instrument panel with wood tone appliqué
Color-keyed steering column and deluxe two-spoke steering wheel
rear seat ash tray, deluxe color-keyed seat and shoulder belts
sound package, handling package

bumpy · June 2006

In other words, the Pimp Package.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2006

No, that's the PDO bumpy!

andre1969 · June 2006

did Ford start putting the LDO package on their Mavericks? The Granada is generally considered the first domestic attempt at a more luxurious, upscale compact in 1975, although Chrysler must have known what was going on because for 1974 they rushed out the Valiant Brougham and Dart S/E, with shag carpeting, over-stuffed door panels, and crushed velour seats that would have looked at home in the pimpiest Cadillacs and Lincolns.

Considering the lead times it takes to design a car, I guess Ford really lucked out with the Granada. If it came out for 1975, I'd imagine that work started on its conception in 1972, maybe early 1973? Could they have really anticipated that there would have been this much demand for a more upscale compact? Seems to me that if we didn't have the fuel crisis in late 1973/1974, which made people abandon their big cars in droves, that there wouldn't have been this much of a craze for it.

Or maybe they were just going for the mock Mercedes angle, which was becoming in vogue in the 70's, and then just got lucky when fuel prices went through the roof?

andys120 · June 2006

.. complete with the droopy trunk line that distinguished this vehicle.

This not particularly good example was seen at a local garage that caters to the Euro car set.

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

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