1972 Chevy Impala convertible. One of many 70's battlecruisers that I've had a lusting for from time to time. Also, the last year that the convertible was in the Impala series, as they moved it to the Caprice line for '73-75.
If I bought one though, I don't think red would be my first choice.
Yup, it's a '72 Impala. I too have a soft spot for those big convertibles but they're just too big to mess with on today's crowded roads, and then there's the gas mileage. :surprise:
last week I was driving a Chrysler 300G convertible---talk about BIG---we couldn't even find a lift that it would fit on!! Parking in a 'slot'? Forget that. And those 2 big 4bbl carbs sucking gas. What a ride, though. You park that next to *anything* and the other car immediately disappears.
Also, 18 years of product development between the 2 cars can certainly be felt in brakes and steering.
My guess is the biggest difference would be the tires and steering wheel. Those old cars had big steering wheels, to compensate for versions that lacked power steering. No matter how well a car handles, an oversized steering wheel just makes it feel sloppy.
As for tires, according to cokertire.com, a 300G came with 8.00-15 bias ply tires standard, and 8.20-15 optional. I'm sure that had to hurt handling, although sometimes, putting radial tires on a car originally designed for bias ply isn't always the magic bullet many people think it is. It can vary from car to car.
But, fast forward to 1979, and steering wheels were much smaller, ratios were quicker, and a '79 Lincoln was running around on 15" radials. Cokertire.com lists the original size as "LR78-15", which I don't know how to relate to modern terms. The (presumingly) original spare in my '76 LeMans says "FR78-15" on it, so I wonder how the two would relate, size-wise? You'd think a ~5,000 lb Lincoln would take a bigger tire than a ~4,000 lb LeMans. Maybe that's where the "L" versus "R" comes into play?
I'd imagine that if you were going for relatively stock tires on a '79 Lincoln, you'd probably get a 225/75/R15, or even a 235?
I had forgotten that the Falcon was that late in adding a hardtop to the lineup. I think the Valiant/Lancer added one for 1961, and of course the Studebaker Lark had one from the get-go in 1959.
Didn't the Chevy II have a hardtop from the very beginning, in 1962? I wonder if that's what put pressure on Ford to add a hardtop to the Falcon?
'63 Falcon Sprint...first year for a two-door hardtop and first year for a V8 Falcon.
Hmmm... a little confusion about the nomenclature here. The seller advertises this car as simply a "Ford Falcon Futura" but Wikipedia confirms that you are correct, the 260V8-powered Sprint model was introduced in 1963. The bucket seat Futura version was introduced in '61, the second year of the Falcon.
IIRC the original name for this model was Ford Falcon Futura Sprint.
Chevy II had a hardtop in '62, and I'm pretty sure they also had a convertible in '62...my in-laws (now divorced) had a choice of a cheaper model full-size Chevy or Chevy II Nova convertible as a wedding gift and chose the Chevy II...a robin's egg turquoise per my mother-in-law. They were married in '62 and their gift from the groom's parents was a new car.
Falcon got its first convertible in '63, also. Chevy II, and Dart and Valiant, got their first V8's for '64. The Rambler American didn't get a V8 until later, and the mid-sized Classic only got a V8 in mid'63. There wasn't a hardtop Rambler Classic until '64.
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I really wanted one of those for my first car back in the 90s - I knew of one in town, owned by a nice old guy who was talkative about it, but wouldn't sell it - was "saving it" for his adult son who couldn't care less about the car. Then the old guy passed on and the property was emptied out overnight. It was a cool car, 260, red on red, very solid condition - I wonder what became of it.
Boy, I didn't think it would be that hard but the green car is a 1967 Shelby (Mustang) GT-350. IMHO it may be the best looking Mustang ever (the "Eleanors" were patterned after it (mostly).
Here it is from the front>
The misaligned (fiberglass) hood was typical, the extra lights in the corners of the grille were not, these were usually twinned in the center of the hood in the '67s.
huh. OK. I found more pics and they do all look like that. Really thought '67 would have still had the '65-'66 taillights, and I definitely thought it said shelby on the back.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Yep, the side marker lights are a good way to tell a '68 from a '67 Shelby Mustang. Another is the placement of the hood scoops and the more rectangular auxiliary lights in place of the round ones in the '67.
There's a shiny metal surround on the '68 tailights which the '67 doesn't have.
Oh, and there were no convertibles in '67 (what a shame).
It's a Rolls 20/25 (plate helps ), "where was it built" is a fun question. I see it is RHD, I don't know if a Springfield built car would be RHD, and the body is later than Springfield production.
That picture was taken last September and I didn't look at it very closely, but I thought we had a picture of a Springfield Rolls and that is definitely not it!
Springfield production ended in 1930, I think. That car is probably 1935-39. But, RRs were often rebodied. It would be cool in a way to have a US built Rolls.
That looks like a prewar BMW 327 or 328 Coupe but it could be a postwar replica made by the Eisenach Motoren Werkes (EMW) which was formed by the Communist regime of East Germany. EMW was later merged into the IFA/Sachsenring consortium which made Wartburgs and Trabants among other things.
The EMW emblem looks like a BMW roundel with red in place of the blue and I believe that's what I spy on the nose of the pictured car..
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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Odie
Was in high school when those came out and I like them.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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Odie
Sorry no, but obviously a close relative.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
If I bought one though, I don't think red would be my first choice.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
If you consider my "mid size " 2012 LaCrosse tips the scale at over 4000 the old boats aren't that bad.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve
My guess is the biggest difference would be the tires and steering wheel. Those old cars had big steering wheels, to compensate for versions that lacked power steering. No matter how well a car handles, an oversized steering wheel just makes it feel sloppy.
As for tires, according to cokertire.com, a 300G came with 8.00-15 bias ply tires standard, and 8.20-15 optional. I'm sure that had to hurt handling, although sometimes, putting radial tires on a car originally designed for bias ply isn't always the magic bullet many people think it is. It can vary from car to car.
But, fast forward to 1979, and steering wheels were much smaller, ratios were quicker, and a '79 Lincoln was running around on 15" radials. Cokertire.com lists the original size as "LR78-15", which I don't know how to relate to modern terms. The (presumingly) original spare in my '76 LeMans says "FR78-15" on it, so I wonder how the two would relate, size-wise? You'd think a ~5,000 lb Lincoln would take a bigger tire than a ~4,000 lb LeMans. Maybe that's where the "L" versus "R" comes into play?
I'd imagine that if you were going for relatively stock tires on a '79 Lincoln, you'd probably get a 225/75/R15, or even a 235?
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
That's a pretty big spear going down the side of the car!
Didn't the Chevy II have a hardtop from the very beginning, in 1962? I wonder if that's what put pressure on Ford to add a hardtop to the Falcon?
Hmmm... a little confusion about the nomenclature here. The seller advertises this car as simply a "Ford Falcon Futura" but Wikipedia confirms that you are correct, the 260V8-powered Sprint model was introduced in 1963. The bucket seat Futura version was introduced in '61, the second year of the Falcon.
IIRC the original name for this model was Ford Falcon Futura Sprint.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Falcon got its first convertible in '63, also. Chevy II, and Dart and Valiant, got their first V8's for '64. The Rambler American didn't get a V8 until later, and the mid-sized Classic only got a V8 in mid'63. There wasn't a hardtop Rambler Classic until '64.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
And shouldn't it say SHELBY across the back? Something seems really wrong here to me.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Here it is from the front>
The misaligned (fiberglass) hood was typical, the extra lights in the corners of the grille were not, these were usually twinned in the center of the hood in the '67s.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Oops, now I see the poster had to identify it!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
There's a shiny metal surround on the '68 tailights which the '67 doesn't have.
Oh, and there were no convertibles in '67 (what a shame).
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
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Ferraris don't have to be red, Stirling Moss won a race at Goodwood in 1960 driving a dark blue SWB, while listening to the radio.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
The EMW emblem looks like a BMW roundel with red in place of the blue and I believe that's what I spy on the nose of the pictured car..
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93