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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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forgot an interesting tidbit. stopped for gas in Rock Hill SC (just below Charlotte), and at the Marathon station (in the parking lot of a shopping center), they had a nozzle for 100 octane racing fuel. Guess they really are into stock car racing down there!
oh, for those interested, it was $7.29/gallon.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I don't think Chevrolet ever put a 'V' symbol on a car with a six. In fact, they had a specific badge for the six. My guess would be that it had the base V-8 (283 c.i.)
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Apparently, this is the 6-cyl badge.
And I think that's right, that the 283 engines just got that generic "V" badge, but with no displacement listed. IIRC, in big cars, the 283 went through most of the 60's just as a 2-bbl with 185-195 hp, until the 307 replaced it around 1968.
Yep, I recall a young guy in our neighborhood when I was a kid that had a 63 Impala SS 409 and he switched to a 6 cylinder emblem like you are showing. I don't know if he really thought it would fool anybody, or it was just his sense of humor. Funny how I still remember it was kind of a silver grey coupe. OK, time for some Beach Boys or Jan and Dean tunes!
Saw 2x no-grille Q45s within a day or so. Also a mid 90s Supra that looked pretty tired.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My Dad did that with a black '63 Impala SS 409 hardtop that he had. I think he did it more for the irony, than trying to make anybody think it WAS just a 6-cyl. He also put a hood scoop from a '62 Dodge on it, so it sent kind of a mixed message! He would sometimes drive around on racing slicks as well...most likely a big no-no. Wiped out in the rain one day and hit a guardrail. Never told Granddad why he wiped out...
It didn't total the car though. He had to sell it when he got drafted, around 1968 or so. I've occasionally wondered if the car is still around somewhere. It had the optional 425 hp setup, and had a 4-speed, so I imagine it must have been worth something, even back in the "dark days" of the 1970's.
A friend of mine replaced the ///M3 badge on his heavily modified E36 with a German 316td emblem. Most Bimmerheads knew what was up but it was a hoot to hear bystanders talk about how they wanted a 316 since it was so cool and fast. European Car even printed a letter from one poor soul who was asking where he could get a 316, since he had seen one set FTD at a local autocross...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I was really thinking about rebadging my E55 with something like "E200 CDI".
For obscure vehicles, I saw a Buell motorcycle this morning.
A Buell or an EBR (Erik Buell Racing)? I presume the former.
Yes, an early 00s model I am sure. Maybe not rare, but uncommon.
That's a fairly rare car if it was "real"---they only made about 19,000 SS convertibles that year.
I owned a 1964 Impala SS with the 400 H.P./409 with a four speed.
This was around 1982. I think I paid something like 1500.00 for it. It ran well and was rust free
1983. but it needed paint and some fix up. I kept it about a year and sold it to a persistant guy
who kept bugging me. when he got up to 2500.00 I cut it loose.
It was totally stock. Dark blue with blue interior.
I would watch guys look at the 409 emblem and give me a thumbs up.
Man, did it have TORQUE! I would take neighbors out in it and when I slammed it from first to
second they were impressed and scared too.
And the wonderful sound that 409 made!
Oh, there were faster cars but the Beach Boys put that car on the map forever!
I owned a 1964 Impala SS with the 400 H.P./409 with a four speed.
64 was kind of interesting. I think that model brought about a little more either like it's looks or not compared to the prior couple of years. I liked the 61-64 and the 65 and 67 big Chevy's. Wasn't a fan of the boxier 66, but I think most liked it. Funny, over time I've kept switching which I liked best. When I was young it was the 63. Then the 62 and now the 61. Guess I'm regressing with age
I've always loved the '65 looks though.
I think there simply isn't a bad line on the '65 Impala. It's restrained.
Personally, I also like the '61, and like the '62-63-64 in descending order by model year.
I like the '67's instrument panel, probably best of any full-size Chevy.
On the highway today, an original looking red Mini. Couldn't catch it, although I was driving over the posted speed like everyone else.
Someone who parked in the same lot as me at work had a '65 Impala 2-door in the color 'Evening Orchid'. I am not usually a fan of lavender cars, but there was something about that color that looked incredible on that Impala.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Somewhere around 1986, a co-worker bought a '65 Impala convertible.. Paid around $3000, which was a lot.. It was mostly blue and primer, but had all of the body work done, and was a really, really nice car. I remember lusting after it..
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I like the '67's instrument panel, probably best of any full-size Chevy.
Big Chevy's - I think I like the 59/60 dash. My favorite dash and interior is probably a 63-67 Stingray, followed by the couple of prior year Corvettes. I was also always a fan inside and outside of the early 2nd gen Camaro (70-72).
This is exactly correct. I am not a big fan of the rest of the '67 design, but that instrument panel is sooooo pretty. Odd they only kept it that one year.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Saw a nice Beetle today, kind of a two tone gold, a 70s model I think - colors suited the car and era.
My friend who follows this stuff tells me that 15-mile '69 Corvair Monza discussed here earlier was bid to $29K but didn't meet reserve.
An original Austin Mini Cooper S in race tune is a formidable, if little, opponent.
The Corvair was at the Mecum Houston auction.
Saw a nice 68-69 Mercury notchback hardtop coupe in downtown Bellevue today, not sure if that would be considered a Montego or Cyclone, it was the sport model, looked restored.
Saw three new Caddy ELRs at the local Caddy dealer. The ELR, soon to be obscure?
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Definitely, will go down like the XLR or oddities like the STS-V.
The annoying commercial didn't help, either.
What is it with Caddy and trying to create "Halo" cars by simply attaching a high price? XLR-V for $100k, anybody?
Although, in this case, the ELR may be priced so that Caddy simply doesn't lose money on every one they sell as I"ve read GM loses $ on every Volt sold.
Maybe make the ELR the new CTS coupe, lower the price...
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Price and material quality doomed those larger V cars. They had awesome powertrains, but merely competent-at best cars attached to them. CTS-V is the most competitive, as it goes against smaller tuned cars of the competition,. The rest just couldn't match the Germans - XLR-V was barely faster than a stock SL550, and just as expensive. STS-V was very expensive and boring looking. Caddy has tried to go up against the SL twice now, and didn't cut it either time. Lexus also couldn't do it.
ELR must be like 60% more expensive than a CTS coupe. No doubt it cost a lot to develop, but that's not always relevant. It is approaching Tesla money.
For obscure cars, I saw a really clean 70s Datsun King Cab pickup today, little old guy driving it, as one would expect. Also an Acura ZDX and a Daewoo Leganza.
Yeah, that commercial was, umm, interesting. Personally, I'd rather have August off!
Maybe it's not a 'classic', but the Lincoln MK VIII I saw this morning in our parking garage is pretty uncommon...
And many places who have productivity and living conditions that at least match those in the US, if not exceed it, receive such perks.
Having a spokesperson for your halo car play a role that makes him look like an entitled hypocritical dbag surely won't help things. From my experience, those who live in showy expensive faux-modern houses and drive 80K+ cars don't deny themselves holiday time.
They're uncommon enough these days that I think the last time I saw a Mark VIII was at the Carlisle Ford show last year! And they came out in what? 1993 or 94? Here in Maryland, at least, a 93-94 would now be eligible for historic tags!
I see Mark VIIIs now and then here, and there seems to be plenty of them on local Craigslist. Maybe a regional taste - I don't know how well they sold when new, they were kind of striking looking, not in a bad way.
Here's one with some "special" exterior trim
I think the Mark VIII sold well its first couple years, but then fell off fast. I'd guess maybe 20-30K per year, tops, probably dwindling to under 10K by the end?
I didn't care for them when they were new. I thought the Mark VII had a more beefy, muscular look to it, and even seemed more luxurious inside. The VIII seemed a bit stark inside. But, over the years, the style has grown on me, and I appreciate it for the 90's-futuristic look that it was. I think i actually like them a bit more than the Eldorado. With the Eldorado, that C-pillar and rear quarter window treatment didn't look right to me. The Seville from that era seemed perfect, though.
oh, and as soon as you said "Special" exterior trim, I knew exactly what you meant before I even opened the pic! Nice to see that Caddy isn't the only one guilty of that crime.
The Mark VII is 80s modern, and it does look muscular, kind of a gentleman's Mustang. Styling wise, probably better than the 90s equivalent. The late run Mark VIIIs were maybe the first American car to have xenon lights, and the designed aged well. I see values have withered to almost nothing now.
I never liked the Eldo C-pillar either - I don't like it when a window deviates too much from the angle of the C-pillar roofline. The Seville is a nicer design, and took well to the 98 facelift. I was always really irked by the 83-88 Cougar with its reversed window angle. Gremlins also bug me for that.
Cadillac needs to ditch the play as a "performance" car. It's a luxury car. I know they want a younger demographic but they don't need to build rocketships, because quite frankly 90% of the people who buy BMWs are putting around in shopping malls anyway, and besides that you aren't going to get too many BMW owners to jump into a Cadillac right now. BMW is on a roll.
For some reason, I liked that reverse-slant window on the '83-86 Cougar, but didn't like the enlarged version for '87-88, which seemed too large for the car.
I also didn't care for that upkick on the '67 Newport I briefly owned back in 1999. I thought it looked good on a Barracuda, but not so much on the bigger C-body. I prefer the larger, triangular hardtop roofline, but I think Chrysler abandoned that for '67-68. Dodge may have as well, which would have just left the Plymouth Fury to offer either style.
Gremlins just bug me, period!
That's the issue with the 87-88 - window isn't in proportion. It's an odd looking car, strange that it exists with the same years T-Bird which isn't a bad looking car.
Saw a chrome bumper MGB out in the warmth yesterday evening.
I've seen perhaps 4 or five MG-Bs in the past week, including a chrome bumper '68-'73 one this afternoon that appeared in great shape. As a one-time Triumph owner ('66 TR-4A) I couldn't help but think about how well that relates to the # of TRs, Healeys and Sunbeams I've seen recently (exactly none of any of those).
Back in the day I actually considered buying a B-GT which I still think is a really pretty car. Maybe if I had I'd still have it.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Yesterday, a MINT 1969 Riviera!
I owned the exact car years ago. Same green color and black vinyl roof.
Those were just excellent cars.
I had a tatty 1967 Riv- built when engineers at GM had more influence than the bean counters.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I saw that same MGB again this evening. Nothing else comes to mind today.
MGB on the east coast tonight. Was pulling out of the parking lot at a restaurant, I almost ran into it as he backed out of a parking spot between 2 SUVs. But I stopped in time.
nice looking chrome bumper car. Pale yellow. Looked nicely restored. sounded good too.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Lots of older cars today. butter yellow/white 55 chevy 2 door post. Similar color 73/74 ranch wagon, right after that gray 87-89 ranch wagon. Early MG t?. 70 dark green Chevelle SS. 60 White Caddy convertible with a white 63/64 Bonneville convertible right behind it.
There is going to be a big ACS fund raiser car show tomorrow.
Last year, first year, they expected about 30 cars, got 150.
This year, moving to a larger display area.
I saw the very clean mean sounding dark green/white 72 T-Bird I see now and then, out in the rain this morning. I kind of like the car, and it looks good on old style mag wheels.
Out again and saw an 82-85 Celica convertible - probably pretty rare in some areas, but I remember a few around back in the day.
Not exactly for this topic as I was at an annual swap meet, but I saw about thirty or forty Studebakers out in South Bend over the weekend, but the local region there invites other cars too and two of the more interesting to me were a '41 Graham (old Cord sedan body) and a '61 Caddy Coupe deVille in silver. Among the Studes there I loved were a light green metallic (factory color) immaculate '64 Gran Turismo Hawk and a factory maroon '64 Avanti R2 with 4-speed and power windows, 12K miles and I believed it...proper nose-down 'rake', correct bias-ply tires, painted in "Avanti Red" which is quite like '62 Corvette Honduras Maroon and '64 Eldorado color whose name escapes me. I'd seen the Hawk before but the Avanti was a first-timer at this show.
If I ever get another old car, a '61-62 Caddy would be high on my list. Probably lean toward a '62, as they were a bit cleaner, nicer rooflines on the coupe and 4W sedan, etc.
What do you mean "if"? It's just a matter of time, Andre!