Mystery car pix

lemko · January 2012

I believe that's the 1974 Fascination 700 - a thermonuclear car that never got off the ground. Only five were made and all are still rumored to exist. I imagine the EPA would go nuts over somebody building a nuclear car.

lemko · January 2012

michaellno · January 2012

Dymaxion by Buckminster Fuller.

lemko · January 2012

That's correct. Buckminster Fuller also tried to market a Dymaxion House in the late 1940s that looked like a flying saucer.

texases · January 2012

That's the new Fusion/Mondeo - looks good, but seems a bit 'heavy' in that pic, like the current Taurus.

andys120 · January 2012

Yup, that's the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi, the p[lug-in hybrid version of the Fusiondeo.

andys120 · January 2012

uplanderguy · January 2012

Nash Healey. What a wonderful picture, BTW!!

andys120 · January 2012

Yes it's a '53 Nash Healey, supposedly the first one to arrive in the USA. There's a couple of interesting (tracked) vehicles on the flatcars behind it, anybody recognize them?

andys120 · January 2012

Last call for someone to ID the big tracked vehicles between the Nash-Healey and the freighter in #31934.

Hints: They're highly modified from the original configuration but the shape of the hull and the track/bogey layout should be familiar. Almost 50,000 were made.

stickguy · January 2012

abrams tanks?

texases · January 2012

Sherman tanks - odd looking turrets, though.

lemko · January 2012

Did they have Sherman tanks as late as the Korean War which would've coincided with the Nash-Healey? The Sherman wasn't that great a tank, but we built a lot of them! We had produced something like 60,000 Shermans versus maybe 10,000 Panzers. The Panzer and Tiger tanks were superior, but they were overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of Shermans, not to mention the Russian T-34. The Sherman, however, was a huge improvement over the Grant tank with a gun that was mounted on the right side of the vehicle and could only move up and down.

andys120 · January 2012

Yup those are M4 General Sherman medium tanks, modified for some purose hence the odd looking turret and attachments but the shape of the hull and the track/bogey arrangement is unmistakable>

Some Shermans saw early action in Korea but they were obsolete by the time of the photo (1953) and had been replaced by the M47 Patton as the Army's main battle tank. I have no explanation of why these were at the Port of Milwaukee apparently being loaded or unloaded to this freighter.

Factoid- 500 Shermans shipped to Alexandria, Egypt in late 1942 were said to have been instrumental in Montgomery's victory over the Afrika Korps at El Alamein. The M4 was competitive with German tanks at this stage of WWII but as Lemko pointed out later German tanks like the Panther and Tiger were far superior and the Shermans prevailed by weight of numbers.

lostwrench1 · January 2012

Those are tank "tow trucks", M32 Recovery Vehicles.

andys120 · January 2012

Thanks Lostwrench, I figured it must be something like that.

andys120 · January 2012

tmart · January 2012

Looks like the first cousin of a 53 Ford. Maybe Canadian?

Mr_Shiftright · January 2012

Hudson Jet?

wgrafer · January 2012

Yes, this looks like the infamous '54 Hudson Jet convertible prototype. Too bad they never built more than one....

ateixeira · January 2012

I'm surprised you didn't point out the headlights that stretch back half way to the A-pillar.

That and the taillights stand out as unique.

I like it.

fintail · January 2012

The lights are actually conventional looking, the other piece is just kind of an eyelash - not full on Toyota-esque lazy styling trying to look sporty when it is anything but.

ateixeira · January 2012

You mean Peugoet? They were first.

fintail · January 2012

I don't know of any Pug that is like, say, the Solara - the front and back lights both stretched way out in a weird attempt at being interesting. Then we have the goofy faces that Toyota likes. Dorky design for, well...

But what am I thinking, Toyota does no wrong.

andys120 · January 2012

Yup, it's the one and only 1954 Hudson Jet convertible

texases · January 2012

"the infamous '54 Hudson Jet convertible prototype"

Infamous? Why so?

wgrafer · January 2012

"Infamous? Why so? "

Well, there must be hundreds of pictures of the 1954 Hudson Jet convertible in books and on the web, and they are all red because they are all of this exact same car! It was a prototype that was never put in production due to money problems.

lemko · January 2012

The Jet pretty much sunk Hudson as an independent automaker hastening their merger with Nash to form American Motors. The Jet was the wrong car at the wrong time. It was a compact that cost more than a full-size Chevrolet. It was too tall, too short, and too narrow when the public wanted long, low, and wide. It's oddball styling resembled a 5/8 scale 1952 Ford with an Olds rear.

ateixeira · January 2012

You always pick on Toyota, as if they are to blame for all that is bad in the world.

Please.

Puegoet 206 pre-dates that Solara. They sell tons in Brazil.

fintail · January 2012

206 also isn't as proportionally bad, maybe it was designed by a Toyota "stylist" before he jumped ship. The Toyolex influence isn't positive in terms of interesting cars, I just call it as I see it. :shades:

omarman · January 2012

Anyone recognize the engine and the vehicle it was built for?
Photobucket

andys120 · January 2012

Small-block Chevy V8 in a Tri-Chevy ('55, '56 or '57)

omarman · January 2012

No but it's a GM product, post war, all stock and here's another angle.
Photobucket

odie6l · January 2012

Extra points if you can name the TV series this was featured in.

Odie

grahampeters · January 2012

G'day

It is an AC Petite from about 1956. I never got the whole British fascination with three wheelers.

I think that it had a small Villers engine of about 360cc. There may have been some tax advantage to using this.

No idea on the TV series

Cheers

Graham

tmart · January 2012

TV show was probably Top Gear. If not, there was a show hosted by a female racer. Don't remember the the name, something like Chasing Classic Cars, or Car Clubs.

odie6l · January 2012

good call. It is a 56 AC petitie, also known as an Invilid Carrage. As for the show,it was not Top Gear or any car review show. The Show was Mr. Bean
(the color was Blue)

Odie

omarman · January 2012

305 V6 equipped 1963 GMC Suburban. Apparently the "Scotch Plaid" valve covers were a 1963 only feature which denoted that the V6 had been revised by GM for better fuel economy. The story goes that the Suburban ads for that year emphasized the new "thrifty" nature of the 305 V6.
Photobucket

texases · January 2012

Like the Studie Scotsman...don't see many companies playing on national stereotypes these days. And which V8 was the starting point for the 305? I hadn't heard of it before.

ateixeira · January 2012

The Toyolex influence isn't positive in terms of interesting cars, I just call it as I see it.

So do it, and imitation is the sincerest form of flattery:

http://publicanfashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2012-Mercedes-Benz-CLS550-- Rear-Side-View-800x600.jpg

Maybe M-B hired the same stylist to do those tails.

Solara wasn't pretty, but it wasn't ugly either. Perhaps a bit ahead of its time?

omarman · January 2012

I think the GMC 305 was a unique 60 degree V6 engine. And the 305 was the "baby" of the V6 family. Some larger versions included a 351, 401, 478, and even a 702 V12 double six - which was one engine block but used many parts derived from the 351 V6 engine.

andys120 · January 2012

BIGGER!

tjc78 · January 2012

Solara wasn't pretty, but it wasn't ugly either. Perhaps a bit ahead of its time?

I think the first generation was. I got nothing but compliments on my 2000 V6, however, it does look dated to me now. The next generation I always liked, even with some of its quirky features.

omarman · January 2012

I just knew there had to be a Mustang somewhere at Bobby's (in the bigger shot) so I'll take the 65/66 Mustang convertible on the lower right corner. :shades:

texases · January 2012

Notice how many kids are in that Mustang? 5 :surprise: + driver = 6 people! And I think it's a '65, based on the gas cap.

This is posed, right? All the cars jammed in there, all of them clean, no rust.

fintail · January 2012

Calling that imitation is either joking, intellectual dishonesty, or deception, take your pick. If you want to see imitation, just look at first LS vs W126 or second LS vs W140.

Solara, with its stretched lenses, was twice as bad as the weird rear of the CLS. An 80K+++ car sold on the global market isn't going to imitate a modern day Monte Carlo sold in one market.

wgrafer · January 2012

I'll take the 2 Ford Country Squires - red '63 and a white '70. And I just can't resist the blue '63 Pontiac Tempest hanging off the tow truck!

Mr_Shiftright · January 2012

Rare vehicle, the 2-door Suburbans, and quite collectible today. If you see a decent one for cheap, grab it and make yourself a few bucks.

ateixeira · January 2012

You can't help but notice that taillight starting to stretch, trying to reach the C-pillar.

That is how this conversation started.

andys120 · January 2012

This is posed, right? All the cars jammed in there, all of them clean, no rust.

The photo is something of a mystery, but no I don't think it's posed, the cars are at all sorts of odd angles, it must've taken a traffic cop to get them out.

My first thought was that it was of the gas crunch of '73 that followed the Arab Oil Embargo but I don't see any 1970's automobiles there and oddly for a late 60s scene, although all sorts of make/models are represented, there's not one import.

Mystery car pix

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