Mystery car pix

steelydanfan · August 2008

Was this "burnt Orange " paint job original to this ( apparently British) car ? Uggh...........

andys120 · August 2008

That's the original color but the car is not British.

jlbl · August 2008

OK, now I am fully foolished. I am going to sleep it over. :confuse:

Regards,
Jose

razortb · August 2008

It's a Sterling on an Accord base.

oregonboy · August 2008

Okay, with a bit of research, the orange roadster is clearly a Fiat Dino Spider, 1967-72

james :shades:

jlbl · August 2008

James, you got it (waiting for Andy's ratification)!!!

link title

Regards,
Jose

andys120 · August 2008

You've got it Oregonboy!>

''72 Fiat Dino Spider 2400

I ought to note (as a former 124 owner) that the interior of the Dino is very similar to that of the 124 Sport Spider, especially the seats. Both cars were Pininfarina designs from the same era.

The cloth covered headrests are obviously not OEM, they look like they came off a Saab.

andys120 · August 2008

bumpy · August 2008

First-gen Mitsubishi Eclipse, the original DSM.

andys120 · August 2008

Yep, but what's a DSM?

hudsonthedog · August 2008

Yep, but what's a DSM?

Diamond-Star Motors. The name for the Mitsubishi-Chrysler joint-venture plant in Normal, Illinois, that produced the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Plymouth Laser, and Eagle Talon.

Chrysler sold it shares in DSM to Mitsubishi in the mid 1990s and the plant was renamed.

To be technical, the Plymouth and Mitsubishi versions were BOTH the original "DSM" vehicles with the Eagle following about 6 months later.

lemko · August 2008

lemko · August 2008

bumpy · August 2008

"It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas."

stickguy · August 2008

we have a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses...

Hit it!

Looks like about a 1972 DOdge. A Polara? Of course Andre will know for sure.

urnews · August 2008

Early "Popemobile?"

oregonboy · August 2008

I didn't know that Grandpa Munster became Pope!

boomchek · August 2008

More like an early Cindirella horseless chariot.

wgrafer · August 2008

Since it says 1974 on the license plate, I think I'll go with 1974 Dodge Monaco decked out in NY State Police colors. If it's a clone, it's a good one!

andre1969 · August 2008

1974 Dodge Monaco. I think they're handsome looking beasts, but damn if it doesn't look like a ripoff of a '71 Buick!

They were good, sturdy, durable (not always reliable though) cars that made great police cars and taxis. They weren't popular among the general public though, partly because of that heavy, bulky styling that really wasn't what the public was looking for right in the middle of an oil embargo. Now to be fair, ALL full-sized cars were big back then, but I swear that thing makes a corresponding GM or Ford car look petite!

andre1969 · August 2008

Since it says 1974 on the license plate, I think I'll go with 1974 Dodge Monaco decked out in NY State Police colors.

D'oh! I didn't even see the license plate!

andys120 · August 2008

lemko · August 2008

What is really is - a 1929 Studebaker Children's Hearse! Morbid!

lemko · August 2008

That's what it is! It's the same car as the Bluesmobile in NY State Police livery.

bumpy · August 2008

The gumballs seem rather antiquated for '74, though. Maybe they came off whatever '62 Polara the Monaco replaced?

bumpy · August 2008

andys120 · August 2008

Hudson Six, late 40s/early 50s, this engine did well in the fledgling NASCAR.

bhill2 · August 2008

Specifically, Hudson Hornet Six. It would have had to be early '50s, because that was when the Twin-H engine was introduced.

andys120 · August 2008

Second Notice: Anybody know what this is?

stever · August 2008

1955 410 Superamerica.

Or a catfish.

andys120 · August 2008

That's right, it's hard to believe that's a 1955-59 design, it looks like a contemporary of Ferraris from the mid-60s..

andys120 · August 2008

steelydanfan · August 2008

lemko, I thought Cinderella had gotten home late from the ball.................

andre1969 · August 2008

1955 Chevy with a thunderbird hood scoop. :P

andys120 · August 2008

Last call for the little cutie in 17831.....

jlbl · August 2008

A Jaguar of the 50's. No time for conducting a search now. (Call for lunch!). May be later if no one shots in the target.

Regards,
Jose

andys120 · August 2008

Nope, not a Jag.

magnette · August 2008

Lagonda 2.6 litre - this drophead coupe was only made 1949-52,with coachwork by Tickford. The four door saloon which accompanied this model was available 1948-53. And I looked all that up a couple of weeks ago when I passed one of these dropheads in traffic, locally,

andys120 · August 2008

That's correct Magnette. I believe I had a Dinky Toy of one back in the day, that one and the "Sunbeam-Talbot" were my favorites.

andys120 · August 2008

bumpy · August 2008

I was almost going to say it's an El Camino with a Pontiac front end, but then I saw the back seat passengers. Must be some sort of late-70s Grand Prix-ish thing. The hood scoop seems very un-late '70s though.

magnette · August 2008

1977 Pontiac LeMans Sport Coupe, but the stripes and bulge on the bonnet make me think it's rarer than that - is this a CanAm ?

kyfdx · August 2008

I believe it says CanAm right there on the front of the hood.. driver's side..

andys120 · August 2008

Right, Magnette, it is indeed a (1979) Pontiac CanAm, essentially a LeMans with the Firebird 400 CID V8. Why didn't they call it a GTO? :confuse:

andys120 · August 2008

michaellno · August 2008

Muira, Diablo, LM002

andys120 · August 2008

Yep, you know your Lambos, Micheall.

andys120 · August 2008

magnette · August 2008

Well, in most markets this was the Wartburg 353, but in UK we had this car as the Wartburg Knight - mainly as a 4-door saloon, but also this wagon, which was known as the Tourist. Sold as a saloon from 66, the wagon was a year or two later, at least here, and we stopped importing them in the mid seventies, but I think they were still made well into the 80's. This is a fairly arly one, I think, as the grille got updated later.

andre1969 · August 2008

Well, 1977.5 Can Am. That was a one-year only model (or half-year only model). The LeMans downsized for '78, and while they did revive the Grand Am nameplate (they probably shouldn't have :sick: ) the Can Am was never to return.

From what I heard, the molding they used to make the rear spoiler broke, and GM didn't want to invest the money to get it fixed. The Can Am also used the Grand Prix dashboard, which did not bode well for the Can Am, as the Grand Prix was a more profitable car.

As for the GTO? Well, if it's any consolation, some of the ads for the Can Am proclaimed "Remember the Goat!"

In a way, I'm glad they DIDN'T call this car a GTO. While I like the Can Am (heck, the '76-77 LeMans is one of my favorite cars, so of course I'm gonna love it!), it ain't no GTO! It had a 400 Trans Am V-8 that put out 200 hp, with a 3-speed auto and 3.23:1 rear. California and high-altitude models got a 185 hp Olds 403. Now for 1977, it was pretty potent. 0-60 in about 8.8 seconds. It was probably the quickest large-ish car around that year, except maybe for the police versions of the Monaco and Fury. Now "real" performance cars like the Corvette and Trans Am and Camaro would still be quicker. And I guess once they started putting the 195 hp 360 in the Aspen R/T and Volare Roadrunner, those probably would have taken it.

But then, I guess when you look at how they tarnished the GTO name with the 1974 Nova-based model, maybe calling the Can Am a GTO wouldn't have been so bad, after all? :sick:

**Edit: I probably would have responded sooner, but this afternoon I was driving around, and went to a cruise-in, in, ironically, this thing.

Mystery car pix

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