I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

stever · September 2015

> bricked over in the '70s.

So that's where Jimmy Hoffa wound up.

laurasdada · September 2015

Saw a Subaru SVX today, all green. Cool.

roadburner · September 2015

ab348 said:
These things were really made well. Even the door jambs had polished metal overlays. Lovely car.

My 1988 M6 had those same type of overlays; I thought it was a really cool detail.

fintail · September 2015

Old MB coupes have that trim too.

Saw an older guy who kind of looked like a cross between Wayne Carini and Colonel Sanders in a 230SL today.

stever · September 2015

Are you even old enough to remember the (original) Colonel Sanders? I saw him in a parade in St Pete back in '69 or so.

magnette · September 2015

Just spent a few days on holiday in Dorset and Devon - loads of country lanes and little back roads- we should have taken the MG - it would have been fine down there although some of the lanes are so narrow I would have scratched it but I couldn't face the grind right across London (we live to the north east of town and to go to Devon etc you need to be heading south west). Anyway, the Fiesta was great in the lanes too - although it has a few little scratches now to show for it. .

Saw quite a few cars particularly on the Sunday and Monday - usual mix of Morris Minors / MG Bs and Midgets but also some more rare stuff including prewar Morris Ten and later a mid thirties Morris Eight, Ford Anglia E04A - probably post war but they made them from 1938-47 and it is one of the few cars made in UK during the war ( essential users like doctors were allowed to buy them) but the highlight was an early 30's Lagonda tourer which was really moving on a bit of winding old road,,,

Also a Ford Cortina Estate (mk I which is rare now) and a Bentley again prewar - probably a Derby built 3 1/2 litre but it was going the other way so I didn't get time to look closely..

fintail · September 2015

He died when I was a little kid. But I have seen old clips, and remember the Little House episode when he (I assume a lookalike actor) appeared.

This morning's sighting - 944 cabrio, driver was lost and made a couple of U-turns.

Tomorrow is the big regional concours show, I may attend.

stever said:
Are you even old enough to remember the (original) Colonel Sanders? I saw him in a parade in St Pete back in '69 or so.

andre1969 · September 2015

Yeah, that guy was a stand in, as the real Colonel Sanders died in December 1980, and was around 90 years old. And that episode of Little House, "Wave of the Future", aired in December of 81. It was one of the comedy episodes. The following episode was the Christmas special that year, so there was a blizzard and somebody died, no doubt. Or, a rabid raccoon bit Baby Grace or somebody got foreclosed on, or something cheery like that.

ab348 · September 2015

stever said:
Are you even old enough to remember the (original) Colonel Sanders? I saw him in a parade in St Pete back in '69 or so.

I remember him. A local restaurateur up here was a friend of his, believe it or not, and was one of the early franchisees .I remember eating the stuff when I was 3 or 4 years old, around 1959 or '60. He visited here around then and it was a big deal. I vaguely remember seeing him. Almost a Santa Claus-type figure to a little kid, except in a white suit. I gather he got more erratic and bitter after he sold out to Heublein for $1 million in the mid-'60s and later on started to agitate for more money from them.

The franchisee here had an existing sit-down restaurant and it was almost like Sanders original place in Kentucky in that you could order the chicken and it would come to your table on a dinner plate with vegetables, potatoes, parsley garnish, whatever; or you could order any number of non-KFC things along with appetizers, desserts, etc. I don't know if there where any other places like that.

imidazol97 · September 2015

Three for 1:

bhill2 · September 2015

imidazol97 said:
Three for 1:

I will pick the front one, a '59 Cadillac convertible (I assume a de Ville). The one on the trailer is a prize if you can recognize it.

Michaell · September 2015

bhill2 said:

imidazol97 said:
Three for 1:
I will pick the front one, a '59 Cadillac convertible (I assume a de Ville). The one on the trailer is a prize if you can recognize it.

'54 corvette.

imidazol97 · September 2015

Michaell said:

'54 corvette.

I think the Cadillac is an Eldorado.
Additional pictures including interiors of the cars.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01321_zps8jlvvnth.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01324_zpsrgdfb5hp.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01325_zpspqxjvcf1.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01323_zpsdmnithlc.jpg

All were on Firestone tires that said "gum dipped" which sounds familiar to me
from my youth as authentic markings. This was at a large car show but they had
pulled up on the side streets together. Due to the cold (59 in morning and threatening
rain, there weren't many people on the 1/2 block of side streets normally used along
the 5 blocks of main street that's closed for the show.

fintail · September 2015

That's the episode, a classic. That show ended when I was still pretty young, but my mom liked it, so we saw reruns a lot. The series ended with the town being blown up, nice way to go out.

I like imad's pic with the Corvette being pulled with a vintage truck, I wonder if it has a modern powertrain upgrade.

andre1969 said:
Yeah, that guy was a stand in, as the real Colonel Sanders died in December 1980, and was around 90 years old.

andre1969 · September 2015

My Granddad had a GM pickup from that generation. I think it may have been a GMC 3/4 ton truck, but I'm not sure. Nobody in the family really remembers much about it, as my uncle was just a little kid, and Mom wasn't much older, and not into cars. Grandmom, when she was alive, could rattle off every single car they'd ever owned, but not the trucks. I guess that was just a sign of the times, as trucks tend to be viewed as simply appliances back then, so people didn't take the interest in them like they do today.

Actually, one time I do remember Grandmom taking an interest in the trucks is when they bought their '85 Silverado, the one I still have. Their last full-sized truck purchase was a '76 GMC 3/4 ton crew cab, and with all the downsizing that happened in the auto industry after '76, Grandmom was afraid they were going to get cheated with a "smaller" truck. So she actually took a tape measure and measured a few dimensions on the '76, to compare with the new truck.

Obviously, being the same design, everything pretty much was the same size, except for one being a regular cab and one being a crew cab. But, oddly, she did find that the seat cushion was a little narrower on the '85, compared to the '76. I guess that could be because with the '76, being a crew cab, the seatback was stationary, but on the regular cab, since the seat folded forward, perhaps it was a bit narrower to account for the hinging?

imidazol97 · September 2015

I may see that group of cars at a car show coming up next weekend in the area. If I do, I'll see what I learn about the truck.
Did anyone notice the kiddie car Corvette's steering wheel showing in the back of the truck? When I've seen
this car previously, the kid's Corvette was usually on the ground too.

uplanderguy · September 2015

That Caddy is absolutely an Eldorado. The deVille had that thin side molding smack down the middle of the body side; the Eldorados had nothing there but had the wider chrome molding lower.

imidazol97 · September 2015

For Uplanderguy

Full-sized pictures with links instead of inline.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01368_zpsbxjec38y.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01370_zpsmsjs3u7l.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01369_zpsf0xszxcl.jpg

uplanderguy · September 2015

imidazol, thanks! I've read those Champions sold very well.

imidazol97 · September 2015

I have never seen a '56 Dodge convertible at a car show.

Does anyone know what the "D500" business is?

Large versions front, rear, dash
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01365_zpstj711aty.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01366_zpsgdut05df.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k110/imidazol97/DSC01367_zpsxgzlvwjg.jpg

texases · September 2015

Per Wiki:
"The 1956 D-500 was a high-performance model derived from the standard 1956 Dodge but differing in many ways. It included a heavy duty suspension and other chassis upgrades from the New Yorker and Imperial lines, upgraded brakes, and a high-performance 315 in³ (5.2 L) Hemi-head V8. A four-barrel Carter carburetor pushed output to 260 hp (194 kW) and 330 lb·ft (447 N·m). The 3-speed manual transmission was standard, with the PowerFlite 2-speed automatic as an option. A rare NASCAR-specific option was the D-500-1(Dash-1), which upped power to 285 hp (213 kW). The D-500 originally used only the Coronet 2-door sedan and Royal Lancer hardtop and convertible bodies."

robr2 · September 2015

Per Wiki:

The 1956 D-500 was a high-performance model derived from the standard 1956 Dodge but differing in many ways. It included a heavy duty suspension and other chassis upgrades from the New Yorker and Imperial lines, upgraded brakes, and a high-performance 315 in³ (5.2 L) Hemi-head V8. A four-barrel Carter carburetor pushed output to 260 hp (194 kW) and 330 lb·ft (447 N·m). The 3-speed manual transmission was standard, with the PowerFlite 2-speed automatic as an option. A rare NASCAR-specific option was the D-500-1(Dash-1), which upped power to 285 hp (213 kW). The D-500 originally used only the Coronet 2-door sedan and Royal Lancer hardtop and convertible bodies.

ab348 · September 2015

In '56 the D-500 was Dodge's take on the Plymouth Fury, a performance model wit a hotted-up engine and stiffer suspension.

imidazol97 · September 2015

I'm hoping Andre1969 pops in with the number built in the convertible model
for that year. As I said, I don't remember seeing a '56 convertible before
and most likely I have never seen a '56 Plymouth convertible. It's almost like
1957-8 Fords with the disappearing sheet metal rusting away and vanishing.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2015

D500 was an option package for better performance and handling, and also had some unique trim features.

Read All About It

andre1969 · September 2015

D-500 was, in a way, Dodge's version of the Chrysler 300 Letter Series, DeSoto Adventurer, or Plymouth Fury. The difference, however, is that while those were all separate models, the D-500 was an engine option. Theoretically, I believe you could get it on any model, even 4-doors and wagons, but most of them were 2-door sedans, hardtop coupes, or convertibles.

In 1956, the D-500 used a 315 V-8 with either 230 or 260 hp. I believe the 230 was just a regular 4-bbl carb, while the 260 was a hotter 4bbl. I don't think it had dual quads. Also, I don't know if the 315 was a poly-head or Hemi head this year. I think Shifty had a '56 D-500, once upon a time.

The D-500 became a bit more famous in 1957. That year it used a 325 poly V-8 with either a hot 4-bbl with 285 hp or dual quads that put out 310. The "regular" 325 just had 245 hp with a 2-bbl or 260 with the regular 4-bbl. And at the top of the heap was something called a D-501, which was a 354 Hemi that had dual quads and 340 hp...essentially what had gone into the 1956 Chrysler 300B. In later years, it became a hot engine for increasingly large wedge-head big blocks...first the 361, then the 383, and then the 413.

fintail · September 2015

I attended the annual PNW Concours today - I missed it the past couple years. As usual, it was a very diverse assortment, a little something for everyone - even a few Studebakers. Hard to decide what I liked most - several really cool cars, from high end to relatively ordinary. It was a damp and dreary morning, and I was using my phone, so some pics are better than others. Admission included a ticket to the LeMay Museum, and I had a free hour, so I took a quick stroll through there too. There's about 300 pics, including a few things in the parking lot, so be sure to view all pages if you wish to see:

Click here for album

stever · September 2015

I'll take the Subaru minivan.

andre1969 · September 2015

Wow, that show looked like it had a little bit of everything in it! Thanks for sharing those pics, Fintail.

andre1969 · September 2015

Going back to the D-500, I don't know if I've ever seen production figures listed for them, as it was an option package, rather than a distinct model. However, in 1956, Dodge built 1913 Coronet convertibles, and only 1378 Custom Royal convertibles. So, the D-500 would have been a rare package on an already comparatively rare car. The "HowStuffWorks" website mentions that it's been estimated between 300-1100 '56 Dodges, total, were sold with the D-500 package.

As for the '56 Plymouth convertible, it was pretty rare, as well. It was only offered in the Belvedere lineup, and only sold 6735 units. In contrast, Chevy sold 41,268 Bel Air convertibles, while Ford sold 58,147 Fairlane Sunliner convertibles. The Plymouth convertible only came as a V-8, whereas you could get a 6-cyl in the Ford and Chevy. I imagine that might have cost Plymouth a few sales, but not many, as I'd think most convertible buyers would've opted for the V-8, anyway.

fintail · September 2015

This might have been the closest thing to an Andre-mobile I noticed - lovely upholstery.

Although some of the old Mopars might have interest, and some good GM stuff too.

ab348 · September 2015

fintail said:
This might have been the closest thing to an Andre-mobile I noticed - lovely upholstery.

Although some of the old Mopars might have interest, and some good GM stuff too.

I noticed that one, and wondered what it was doing in the museum. Of course, it seems Mr. LeMay was pretty indiscriminate in his collecting.

berri · September 2015

I like the variety of the show and that museum. I think Lemay tries to keep everything from obscure rare vehicles to everyday one's like that Mopar. btw, I liked the roof line on that vintage mid 70's Plymouth Fury coupe. I may be in Sacramento later this month and am going to try and get to the car museum there. I think it used to be a Ford focused place, but not sure these days.

uplanderguy · September 2015

I like the dark green '54 Studebaker Commander coupe best (shocker), followed by the white Continental Mark II. Great assortment of top-notch vehicles; thanks for sharing.

kyfdx · September 2015

berri said:
I like the variety of the show and that museum. I think Lemay tries to keep everything from obscure rare vehicles to everyday one's like that Mopar. btw, I liked the roof line on that vintage mid 70's Plymouth Fury coupe. I may be in Sacramento later this month and am going to try and get to the car museum there. I think it used to be a Ford focused place, but not sure these days.

There is an article about the Lemay museum in C&D, this month.

andre1969 · September 2015

Yeah, I noticed that '77-78 Fury coupe, as well. I'll see them every once in awhile at the Mopar show in Carlisle PA, but otherwise they're pretty scarce. I think the people that are collecting these types of cars are going for the Magnum or Cordoba instead, and they usually have a better turnout at these shows.

I didn't really care for the midsized Fury/Coronet/Monaco as a kid, mainly because I thought the competing GM midsized cars were so much more stylish. I wasn't a big fan of the stacked headlights, either. For some reason I didn't mind them on a '76 Monte Carlo, Malibu, or Century 4-door, though.

Now that I'm older though, and they're not something you see everyday, I like them more. I'd still rather have a Magnum, though!

jpp75 · September 2015

fintail said:
I attended the annual PNW Concours today - I missed it the past couple years. As usual, it was a very diverse assortment, a little something for everyone - even a few Studebakers. Hard to decide what I liked most - several really cool cars, from high end to relatively ordinary. It was a damp and dreary morning, and I was using my phone, so some pics are better than others. Admission included a ticket to the LeMay Museum, and I had a free hour, so I took a quick stroll through there too. There's about 300 pics, including a few things in the parking lot, so be sure to view all pages if you wish to see:

Click here for album

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. I wish we had a Concours nearby, I've always wanted to attend one.

Edit: Turns out we have one a couple of hours away in Pinehurst, NC. Hopefully I'll get to check it out next spring.

berri · September 2015

When square headlights first came out, I drank the "newness" Kool-Aid like most everyone else. But over time I didn't really care for them. I think the 76 Cutlass and Buick pulled them off alright. But I agree that stacked square headlights were probably the worst.

fintail · September 2015

LeMay is definitely diverse, and not all cars are pristine jewels. A place where one can see 2 Testarossas, 3 Lincoln Zephyr 3 window coupes, a Lexus LF-A, and a mint 83 Mercury wagon all in basically the same place.

Today's sighting - AMC Concord, in reasonably nice condition. Younger driver, weird stylized handlebar mustache decal on the trunklid - hipster car.

lemko · September 2015

I had my car at two car shows on Sunday. Here's my Cadillac Brougham at Peddler's Village in Lahaska, PA for the VFR Cadillac-LaSalle Club Fall Meet and at the Rockledge Car Show later that day.

lemko · September 2015

Here's one for fintail - a 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230.

lemko · September 2015

andre1969 said:
Yeah, I noticed that '77-78 Fury coupe, as well. I'll see them every once in awhile at the Mopar show in Carlisle PA, but otherwise they're pretty scarce. I think the people that are collecting these types of cars are going for the Magnum or Cordoba instead, and they usually have a better turnout at these shows.

I didn't really care for the midsized Fury/Coronet/Monaco as a kid, mainly because I thought the competing GM midsized cars were so much more stylish. I wasn't a big fan of the stacked headlights, either. For some reason I didn't mind them on a '76 Monte Carlo, Malibu, or Century 4-door, though.

Now that I'm older though, and they're not something you see everyday, I like them more. I'd still rather have a Magnum, though!

The Ford LTD II also had those stacked square headlamps. Didn't care for the look either.

ab348 · September 2015

lemko said:

andre1969 said:
Yeah, I noticed that '77-78 Fury coupe, as well. I'll see them every once in awhile at the Mopar show in Carlisle PA, but otherwise they're pretty scarce. I think the people that are collecting these types of cars are going for the Magnum or Cordoba instead, and they usually have a better turnout at these shows.

I didn't really care for the midsized Fury/Coronet/Monaco as a kid, mainly because I thought the competing GM midsized cars were so much more stylish. I wasn't a big fan of the stacked headlights, either. For some reason I didn't mind them on a '76 Monte Carlo, Malibu, or Century 4-door, though.

Now that I'm older though, and they're not something you see everyday, I like them more. I'd still rather have a Magnum, though!
The Ford LTD II also had those stacked square headlamps. Didn't care for the look either.

I think the single square lamps that came out in '78 were a solution to the stacked rectangulars. Don't think anyone liked them much.

stever · September 2015

We had a 60 something Ford Galaxie with the stacked headlights. I always liked 'em.

texases · September 2015

For some reason round stacked lights could look good, like on a mid-60's Tempest/GTO.

Not so the rectangles:

andre1969 · September 2015

I think one problem with the stacked headlights that made a comeback in some of the 70's cars is that they were mounted inboard a bit. They were placed about where a single headlight would normally go, whereas in the 60's, they were mounted at the edges. Also, I'm not so crazy about the way the headlights surrounds are peaked at the top and the creasework extends back into the hood.

I like the treatment of the Malibu and Century a bit better. The Century still had the peaks at the top, but the headlights were moved out towards the edge of the fender, giving the car a more filled-out look, IMO.

And on the Chevelle, while they were mounted inboard, I like the way they were flatter across the top. Also, I like the way the grille on the Chevelle was a bit lower and less pretentious than in many of the other cars.

I think cars like the '76-77 Cutlass, LeMans, Century/Regal coupe, and LeMans did it best though, with quad headlights side by side, as mother nature intended. Similarly, I much preferred the '77-79 Cougar to the LTD-II, as the Cougar's headlights were side by side. And I thought the '78-79 Magnum looked great.

One really odd setup that made it to big cars was the '75 Gran Fury Brougham, and all '76-77 Gran Furys, which had one large round headlight, and vertical running lights...

fintail · September 2015

Cool, nice looking late run car. Your Brougham continues to look amazing, belying its age and mileage. You'll be up for preservation awards sometime soon.

lemko said:
Here's one for fintail - a 1967 Mercedes-Benz 230.

fintail · September 2015

Stacked rounds are definitely better. Like on 60s MBs too.

Steve, those would be 65-67 Fords, which also have a nice enough look.

'

texases said:
For some reason round stacked lights could look good, like on a mid-60's Tempest/GTO.

stever · September 2015

Assuming this AutoTrader Classics link works, ours looked just like this. Except for the emergency lights and whip antenna.

My brother enjoyed going out on Friday and Saturday nights in ours and tailgating the drunks. They'd see the "cop" car in their rearview and slow to a crawl.

berri · September 2015

Maybe one of the reasons for the stacked square headlights is that the square headlights hit kind of suddenly to initial customer approval, so they had to stick them into front end designs really designed for single headlamps. Remember some gaudy early 4 headlight models in 57/58 - same sort of thing. I agree that stacked headlights looked better with round units like in 60's Pontiacs and mid sixties Ford's.

Lemko - That Cadillac looks right at home in front of the Wells Fargo bank sign. No, not stage coach - mullah $$$

I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

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