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Vintage Car Identification Help!

1246710

Comments

  • erjorg1erjorg1 Member Posts: 2
    Hi - I'm interested in identifying the make and model of this car owned by my grandparents. Also, from the license plate, is there any way to determine where it was registered? Thanks in advance.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/52871830@N06/4875763377/

    Eric
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Yeah, it looks like there's a 40s GM product in the garage in the background, too.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    I think that's a 1935 Plymouth...can't tell anything on the plate
  • erjorg1erjorg1 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you -
    Eric
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    35 Plymouth:

    image
  • florian1florian1 Member Posts: 1
    Can Anyone help me identify this old Ford - and also tell me if there is any value in it?

    file:///C:/Users/new%20user/Desktop/Site%20visit%20~%2011-09-09%20(46).JPG

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks
    Florain
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Florian-it looks like that file is on your computer. If you would upload it to your carspace account (or flickr or the like) then post the link, we can take a look.
  • m4rsh4llm4rsh4ll Member Posts: 1
    Hi mi name is Martin and I wonna ask you to id some of cars used by my uncle before II war in Poland. Think it`s all german construction but need the names of all cars.

    image
    image
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    This one looks like after war maybe russian construction ?

    image

    Thanks for help...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Great photos by the way.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited September 2010
    Great pics.

    First car reminds me of an early 20s Lancia with its headlight arrangement and fenders...but I know little about those cars and am likely not correct.

    Second car - I am 110% certain it is a Ford Model T ca. 1923. By this time Ford had many foreign factories, so it could be a European built car.

    Third car (truck) - no idea,

    4th and 6th cars are the same vehicle. I like the 6th pic as I have a jacket identical to the guy at left. Regarding what the car is, it is difficult as so many European cars looked similar. It's from around 1930 give or take 2 years. The bodywork looks more French than German to me, but there were few differences at the time.

    5th car is an Opel Olympia 1935-37.

    The truck at the end appears to be a German Büssing-NAG dating from just before the war to just after it.

    It might be tough to get more details here, as I think only a few members have any interest in ancient Euro metal. This site has a global contributor base, and can probably determine the mystery cars easily
  • rakewell1rakewell1 Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2010
    I'm curious about the identification of this rusted front end of a car, a photo of which I saw in a blog I read, here:

    http://www.somebeaut.com/2010/09/21/death-of-a-roadster/

    We don't have many clues. The most distinctive feature may be the slightly trapezoidal grill opening, larger at the top than the bottom. I looked up photos of all of the makes of car I could think of that had headlights of this general style, but never found one that matched this unusual grill opening shape. The small accessory lights underneath the headlamps, as well as the bumper mounts, might be additional clues.

    Nominations?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Looks like a Berkeley actually but not quite....
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited September 2010
    I can't determine the roadster...seems kind of Lancia-ish somehow, but I am pretty sure the second car shown there is a Ford Maverick or Mercury Comet
  • jornadojornado Member Posts: 3
    the back country of NM is swimming in roadside relics. here are three that I just can't place:

    image

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    image
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    Not sure what the first one is. The middle one looks like a Willys Americar and the last appears to be the remains of a late 1930s Ford truck.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited September 2010
    I'd say the first is a ~46 Hudson, the second looks like a 41 Ford coupe with a custom front end, and the third could be a lot of things but likely an early-mid 30s Ford.
  • jornadojornado Member Posts: 3
    edited September 2010
    I would say the 46 Hudson ID is positive: chrome trim and suicide doors:

    image

    image

    middle car has been hot rodded - steering and road wheels show that. that and the lack of a grill make identification interesting

    split windshield and lack of a hump on the front fender makes that coupe not a Willys Americar
  • lyda2lyda2 Member Posts: 5
    I would appreciate help identifying the vehicles pictured in the attached link. Both belonged to my grandparents in Kansas in the early 1900's. I believe the larger car dates to at least around 1925; I'm not sure about what looks like it might be an early truck. Thank you.

    http://nrkraemer.jalbum.net/Family-Cars
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well you have to remember that back then there were many types of assembled cars and regional automobiles, so it might be tough to pinpoint every generic-looking automobile---in the 1915-25 era, there might have been 1500 separate makes of car in production!

    Given all that, the 1925-era car resembles an Essex, and the little car might be a Detroit Electric, circa World War I
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    If you have the photograph, can you use a magnifying glass and see if you can make out the symbol on the wheel hub. It kind of looks like an 'S', but I really can't tell. As Mr. S said, hundreds of makes looked very similar during this time. A wheel hub or radiator badge are the surest clues.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited October 2010
    Hmmm....could be a STAR....also close resemblance there. Not a Simplex, probably not a Saxon or a Stearns-Knight. Without a frontal shot, it gets very tough, even for the super-experts. Since many of these cars were "assembled" (made from parts bought from component manufacturers, like Saginaw transmissions and Continental engines and Moline radiators, etc), that left very few areas of the car with which to individualize the automobile----the body, which in a two-dimension side photo in black and white often looks quite anonymous in the 20s, and the radiator shell, which on the other hand can be quite unique, especially if we can see the grille badge or scripting. This is often the only real place to put a "label" on these generic assembled cars.

    There were some "S" cars made exclusively in Kansas, like the Sellers and the Stafford, but they did not survive into the 1920s.
  • lyda2lyda2 Member Posts: 5
    I've added a couple of photos of the larger car, one of which pretty clearly shows the front and the hood ornament. Could this be a Ford Model A? Thank you for the replies and suggestions.

    http://nrkraemer.jalbum.net/Family-Cars/
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited October 2010
    Larger car - tough call but probably from 1923-25. Second car - Model T coupe from around 1920 with later wheels, Third car - larger car from first pic with Model T roadster in background, probably 1924-25, Fourth car - appears to be the same large car in the first pics, but maybe repainted or dusty. The large car has a very distinctive radiator shell, similar to Buick (but it isn't). It's not a Ford A, it predates that by several years. The hood ornament is a period typical "dog bone" style seen on many cars of the 20s, could be purchased aftermarket too. It appears to be a car higher on the rung than a Model T, a good middle class mid 20s box.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    the picture with the guy sitting inside the front bumper has his profile perfectly reflected on the radiator.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited October 2010
    Certainly not a Model A or anything in that class---it's a big car but not a particularly prestigious looking one----large and utilitarian. Yes, the "hood ornament" is generic---an aftermarket device called a "moto-meter". That's a thermometer in the glass circle, and you could see it from the driver's seat. This era car is tough to ID.
  • lyda2lyda2 Member Posts: 5
    I thought it might have been a Model A because I saw Model A photos on-line with similar bumpers and cross-pieces between the headlights (I don't know what those are called), and I remember my father telling me he had a Model A when he was young. But perhaps those bumpers were also common to many different varieties of car back then? Anyway, thank you for your replies - I appreciate your help and the information you've provided!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The Model A is pretty easy to spot, yes. There are people a lot better at spotting these old timers than I am. Given the endless variety back then, some cars are quite a challenge and one would have to be quite the expert. There were hundreds and hundreds of different makes in that era of automotive history, and many did not exist but a few years.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    A Model A radiator shell is very easy to spot, the top horizontal component dips down in the middle like the top of a heart shape. Model As were smaller than that car.

    The radiator shell on that larger car is unusual, like a cross between a Buick and a Packard. Someone out there will know what it is, but I can't pinpoint it...those cars are way before my time.

    You can probably get some detailed info here, many posters there have knowledge about long-defunct cars

    The people here can probably identify it too
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    The key to identifying a Model A is the radiator cap right in fron of the windshield:
    image
  • lyda2lyda2 Member Posts: 5
    Thank you!
  • lyda2lyda2 Member Posts: 5
    I posted a query on the AACA site as you suggested and got two replies suggesting that the larger car is a 1923 Willys-Knight 3-door. Thank you for directing me to this resource!
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Yep, looks like a good match, especially the distinctive radiator shell.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Damn....that was one of my first picks! I need to listen to my gut more.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    No problem...looking at the radiator shell that appears to be correct, mystery solved.

    I wonder what the script on the grille says...I know in the teens and twenties it wasn't uncommon for motorists to have a badge denoting where they lived...that could be it.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Also the name of a garage, or a business.
  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    edited October 2010
    The key to identifying a Model A is the radiator cap right in fron of the windshield

    Wonder where you pump the gas then? :) (Haha, I know you meant to point out the cowl integrated fuel tank.)

    Old Fords aside, it seems like the ability to ID those regional/independent cars may die off when the experts pass on. I don't think the museums can save everything-and probably shouldn't try.

    I remember reading that there may have been upwards of 100 different American made motorcycles over the last century! I don't know if that's true but there's a wiki page listing 33 American bike makers over time. Kind of nice to see the joint venture Hodaka dirt bikes remembered.
    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    :blush: Oops...yep, gas cap...maybe I should have just called it that big round chrome thingy... :P
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Many Model As wont' let you forget where the gas tank is, because you'll smell it went you get behind the wheel.

    It's a safety feature :P
  • jrosasmcjrosasmc Member Posts: 1,711
    I found these two articles over on The Truth About Cars site and I know that you'd be very interested to take a look at both of them:

    http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/curbside-classic-1965-mercedes-220s-w11- 1/

    http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/which-car-most-influenced-the-styling-o- f-the-1959-mercedes-w111/

    Since you're the fintail guru here on this board I have to ask you - are there significant differences styling-wise among different years of the W111 series? Specifically, could you tell the differenc between a 1959 and a last-of-the-line 1968 model?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Cool stuff, thanks for sharing..I hadn't seen those before.

    There is no significant body difference in W111 cars. Really, there are only a few time-centric changes in the entire run of US spec cars. As Europe didn't use a strict model year system as on this side of the pond, changes took place at random times. Sometime in 1962 I think, the turn signals at front moved from the stacked headlight bezels to cone shaped lenses between the headlights and grille. Sometime in 1963 the side view mirror moved from the front fender to the front door. Earlier cars have a different texture to the taillight plastic, but I can't recall when it changed.

    Other than that, nothing really changed...starting in 1965 I think, dealer installed rub strips are not uncommon on lower side panels - but not seen on all cars. Other than that, no real exterior changes throughout the run, you can put a fender or door from a 1959 built 220SE on an end of the run 230S and it should fit without issue.
  • jornadojornado Member Posts: 3
    In Re Ford gas caps:

    ? - 1928, threaded
    1929 - '80s, quarter turn twist lock
    80s - back to a different kind of threaded
  • rosalie11228rosalie11228 Member Posts: 3
    Hi all,
    Am new to this forum and was wondering if I can post some photos of vintage cars for ID. I have a vintage photograph business and need help identifying in order to list them.

    Kind regards,
    Rosalie
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hi Rosalie,

    You can post them but it's best to do it one at a time, and then allow a day or so for the comments to come in. You'll have to host your photos on your own website or photobucket or some such in order for them to appear here.

    Once you have a URL for your photo, you come to this box, like you did for your first post, then click on the little "img" tab below ONE TIME, then paste in your URL, and then click on the "img" tab a second time, then click "post my message" and that should work.

    Make sure your photos are not too large or they will distort our page.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    The maximum width the page will tolerate is 650 pixels. You can reduce the size of the displayed photo by inserting a reduced width and length at the end of the link after you click on the Img button below the posting box. E.g., width="650" height="XXX" then the final greater than symbol that the Img button inserted. The xxx is determined to keep the original width x length proportional to the final 650 pixel width.

    If the original picture is larger, I recommend putting in a link to the original picture on the hosting site so the readers can see finer detail if it's needed to help with identification.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Yeah,links work very well.

    Anyway,bring on the pics, I like a challenge
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    I see I wasn't clear. I was suggesting putting the picture on the page AND adding a link to the larger original picture hosted somewhere.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • rosalie11228rosalie11228 Member Posts: 3
    Okay, I uploaded to Flickr - I hope that helps... there are quite a few.... hope you can help... hoping to list these pics in my ebay store and make some money to help my hubby out with the bills...;-)

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/28334698@N03/
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Some of those are pretty tough, I think I know a few though

    carc - 1961 Pontiac

    car - interior of a 1961 GM car, could be the Pontiac from "carc"

    carb - 1956 Mercury

    card - 1957 Pontiac

    care - likely an early 20s Model T

    cari - 1946-48 Dodge

    carj - car at rear is a 1939-40 Ford

    carg - appears to be one of the mid 30s White Yellowstone buses

    cark - I'll guess a 1936 Dodge or Plymouth

    carn - 1949-51 Mopar product

    caro - 1941 Plymouth

    carp - 1936 Chevy I think

    caru - car behind the boy's head could be a 41 Pontiac? Toughie

    polko - looks like a 1946 Ford at left
  • rosalie11228rosalie11228 Member Posts: 3
    Well that is certainly a good start! Thank you so much for looking and for your feedback. I don't want to list photos of cars without knowing what they are. :-)
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Not a problem, it's a fun game for me. Hopefully some others can add detail - if you are looking to sell them on ebay, you'll do better with the most information possible, and I could be wrong here and there.

    The AACA "What Is It?" forum also has some experts and a large readership base, some info might be able to be found there too
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