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

fintail · September 2017

Sorry about the hassle, uplander, and glad she isn't seriously injured. Looks like the car did its job as well as could be expected. I was in a similar crash in 1996, riding in my grandma's 85 Olds, my uncle driving, when we were t-boned by a MB W124 300E that ran a stop sign. The Olds was a total loss, and the MB was able to drive away. I also smashed my head on the side glass, but escaped any other injury. The Olds was replaced by a Taurus, which she liked a lot less (but ended up replacing with another Taurus). At least the fault in the crash was easy.

I have respect for police and police work in general, maybe because the department in my city is probably better than in much of the nation, if not the region. I'd probably feel different if other factors weren't the same. Although I am not 100% trusting, traffic-related issues are a part of it. This is part of why I run a hard wired front and rear dashcam, I don't have a lot of trust in the quality of such investigations, too many headache stories such as yours.

fintail · September 2017

On a somewhat rural state highway today, I saw a 50s era Mack semi with an ancient looking piece of heavy equipment on the trailer. Must have been coming from a show or fair.

stickguy · September 2017

sorry to hear about the accident, but glad they came our relatively unscathed. I agree that at this point, if I am first at a light, I tend to wait a couple ticks just to make sure when it changes before going. And take a long look to see what's coming.

my opinion, if the other person "can't remember" it mostly means they don't want to say. So if one party does remember, and the other has no clue, go with the one that does. I would fight like a rabid dog if the insurance tried to pin anything on your side.

berri · September 2017

Sometimes insurance companies decide more on litigation cost and risk in these situations, so they will each agree to just cover their own party. But I agree with Stick. If they do this, your insurance rate shouldn't go up.

uplanderguy · September 2017

Thanks again, all.

xwesx · September 2017

uplanderguy said:
the woman who hit them says she doesn't remember what color the light was so no charges were filed.

Doesn't remember? That should be a clear indicator of her inattentiveness; she doesn't sound like the type of person who wants to own her actions, or make the effort to defend them, so slap her with a ticket and leave it to her to fight it.

fintail · September 2017

On this damp day, spotted an odd W116, a small bumper 450SE. This brings out the anorak in me - such a car is either a grey market import, or 1973 model year only. Looked to be in decent but not pristine condition.

andre1969 · September 2017

uplanderguy said:
Thanks. I'm pro-police, but it almost seems that top priority was getting the accident report done. They gave up calling the witness' phone less than 48 hours after the accident and said 'couldn't leave a phone message'. The lack of people stopping seemed to confirm our small-town-versus-city thinking.

Sorry to hear about the accident, but glad the daughter is okay. I can still remember my first "accident", if you can call it that. I was in the '80 Malibu that my Mom had given me, and one rainy day on US 301 when I was going too fast on tires with thin tread, I learned first-hand to take that stuff seriously! The car lost control, swapped ends, and went backwards onto the median strip. On the median strip, it spun back around, so at least I was facing the proper direction. No real damage, but the car was covered in grass and mud. Something like 3-4 different cars stopped, to see if I was okay. And oddly, during that time, three separate police cars went by...didn't bother stop and assess the situation, see if I was okay. In retrospect it's probably good that they didn't, because I guess I could've gotten a ticket.

Oh, and on the way home, the exhaust pipe fell off. I guess I had bent it when I went on the median, and on the way home it gave up and fell off. One of my friends fixed it for free though. So I got off really lucky on that one.

andre1969 · September 2017

Oh, while I'm thinking about it. I went by the mechanic and saw my DeSoto today. Here's a couple pics...not much to look at, as I'm not having him paint it, so it's going to look a bit rough until that gets done...

I'm going to look into finding someone else to paint it though...this guy's just getting too expensive. Anyway, he says the car's almost ready for me to pick up, just needs to make some adjustments here and there, and finish putting the seats back together, which he had to take apart when he put the seatbelts in. He said it runs and drives fine...but he tried to start it while I was there, and it got stubborn...

While I was there, I took some pics of the other cars he has in the shop...

andre1969 · September 2017

Oh, almost forgot one...I guess this has to be obscure as hell...a 1937 Panhard?

texases · September 2017

Love that Dart-looks just like my mom's car.

ab348 · September 2017

That Skylark reminds me of my old '64 Skylark convertible. Dunno if I ever posted a pic of it here:

fintail · September 2017

Nic, the Panhard! I wonder how that got over here. That car (Dynamic) is seen as a significant art deco design in Europe, and has some value when in good condition.

Fun stuff there. That wagon looks interesting, and the red Caddy ambulance exists in toy form:

andre1969 · September 2017

That Panhard belongs to the mechanic. He bought it in Europe and had it shipped over here. Supposedly, there's only four of them in the United States, although I don't know how you could truly verify something like that.

As for that ambulance, it's actually a '69 Olds Ninety-Eight. I thought it was Cadillac at first, but then I saw a white board in the office that lists their current projects, and one of them said "69 Olds Ambulance".

Here's what the completed product would look like, I guess.

As for that Nova up on the lift...I just noticed it was a 6-taillight model. I used to think those were something special, but I think that was just one of the styling cues of the Custom series.

stickguy · September 2017

Someone restoring a chevette just cracks me up

fintail · September 2017

I could believe there are only 4 of those Panhards here, not many were made to begin with. I hope it is on that wheel just as a roller, and won't end up as some hideous 90s style cut-up-a-rare-car custom.

Olds ambulance is even odder to restore than a Caddy. Must be another labor of love.

andre1969 · September 2017

I always thought an old hearse or ambulance would be a neat car to have, but I'd imagine restoring one would be a nightmare. I lost a lot of my fascination with them though, when I finally got a chance to sit in one. It was a 1957 DeSoto Firesweep that had been converted to an ambulance. It had a partition right behind the front seat that limited how far back you could put the seat, and it was just too cramped for me. I've noticed that most hearses and ambulances are similar, so they probably wouldn't be much fun to drive for very far!

I can still remember a '70 Olds ambulance from "CHiPs". Here is it, about to meet its demise...

I think the mechanic does intend to restore that Panhard, rather than butcher it up. I'm not sure what kind of condition it was in when he got it. Right now it's sitting on something, raised up, and that rear axle is just sitting under it. The interior is totally taken out. Interestingly, these things had a completely flat floor. Apparently the driveshaft was some sort of rope-drive type thing, similar to the '61-63 Pontiac Tempest?

Oh, that mostly-buried white wagon is pretty rare too. It's a 1960 Dodge Polara hardtop wagon with a factory cross-ram 383. Supposedly, they only made about 45 of them this way?

And yeah, the Chevette is amusing. But, apparently some of his customers have a lot of money, and "interesting" taste. I can remember one guy had a Gremlin that he did a full restoration on, and also a 1960 or so AMC American.

roadburner · September 2017

stickguy said:
Someone restoring a chevette just cracks me up

Me too; a Top Ten Crap Car...

fintail · September 2017

If I was to get a hearse/ambulance, I would want a finned 50s model. Don't really want one though, but they can be fun to look at. It'd be nice if that wagon got back on the road, something seldom seen.

Wikipedia has a page on the Panhard, interesting car:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panhard_et_Levassor_Dynamic

With something like that restored, no doubt you can get entry or invitation to high class events.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

I love the headlights and those quirky front quarter windows on the Panhard. The car bears a strong resemblance to the Traction Avant as well.

berri · September 2017

I still like the Mopars there

iluvmysephia1 · September 2017

I love the Dodge Dart, too. Such a marvel in design, ugly yet cool looking at the same time. Amazing what a CEO on the hot seat can create while under pressure.

omarman · September 2017

Back in 1977 I went to a corvette show at Mcdorman Sp? Chev near Columbus Oh. For several years they gave a new Corvette as a prize for Best of Show. That year a 62 fuel injected car won on Sunday, on Saturday it was for sale for $9100 . Would have been a good buy, as a 77 Vette was about $8000 or a bit less, nearly free if you bought the 62.

I remember Bob McDorman for his extremely low-key tv commercials. Criticized for being more boring than a PSA to BYOBF (Be Your Own Best Friend). But compared to Bobby Layman's "Price Smasher" ads, I always thought McDorman had the right touch.
The Disapatch did a story this summer about the auction of the last of Bob's car collection. They posted a pic of his 1959 Cadillac being loaded up on its way to auction.

PF_Flyer · September 2017

andre1969 said:
Oh, while I'm thinking about it. I went by the mechanic and saw my DeSoto today. Here's a couple pics...not much to look at, as I'm not having him paint it, so it's going to look a bit rough until that gets done...

I'm going to look into finding someone else to paint it though...this guy's just getting too expensive. Anyway, he says the car's almost ready for me to pick up, just needs to make some adjustments here and there, and finish putting the seats back together, which he had to take apart when he put the seatbelts in. He said it runs and drives fine...but he tried to start it while I was there, and it got stubborn...

While I was there, I took some pics of the other cars he has in the shop...

So THAT's where my brother's Valiant went

andre1969 · September 2017

iluvmysephia1 said:
I love the Dodge Dart, too. Such a marvel in design, ugly yet cool looking at the same time. Amazing what a CEO on the hot seat can create while under pressure.

Yeah, that's about how I feel with those shrunken '62 Dodges...ugly but cool. Whereas the Plymouths just seemed ugly and kind of dowdy. I wonder if the Dart line actually outsold the equivalent Plymouth lineup that year? I remember adding up the numbers for 1960, when the Dart first came out, and it actually did outsell the equivalent full-sized Plymouth series. However, when you combine Valiant totals, Plymouth as a whole still outsold Dodge. I'd always theorized they made the Plymouths look ugly on purpose, so people would spend a few more bucks on a Dodge!

I think the Dart line outsold the big Plymouths again in '61, but not sure about the shrunken '62's.

berri · September 2017

You should go online and see if you can find pictures of the original clay models before management forced a short lead time downsizing. Personally, I think the lines looked better stretched over a longer body, but I still like some of the forward looking styling cues on those 62's (and don't care for a few others).

berri · September 2017

PS - the shrunken 62's may have been sales bombs, but the platform went on to make Chrysler a lot of money with the Dodge Coronet line.

sda · September 2017

andre1969 said:

iluvmysephia1 said:
I love the Dodge Dart, too. Such a marvel in design, ugly yet cool looking at the same time. Amazing what a CEO on the hot seat can create while under pressure.
Yeah, that's about how I feel with those shrunken '62 Dodges...ugly but cool. Whereas the Plymouths just seemed ugly and kind of dowdy. I wonder if the Dart line actually outsold the equivalent Plymouth lineup that year? I remember adding up the numbers for 1960, when the Dart first came out, and it actually did outsell the equivalent full-sized Plymouth series. However, when you combine Valiant totals, Plymouth as a whole still outsold Dodge. I'd always theorized they made the Plymouths look ugly on purpose, so people would spend a few more bucks on a Dodge!

I think the Dart line outsold the big Plymouths again in '61, but not sure about the shrunken '62's.

I was at the Pennzoil Auto Fair today and saw these. Sorry I couldn't get better pics, but still neat.

sda · September 2017

sda · September 2017

And for ladies..

sda · September 2017

Nice interior of a '72 Cutlass Supreme. Mom had the same cloth in medium dark blue in hers. Also pics of an original one owner 16k mile Rabbit diesel truck w/ac. It looked new. Unfortunately the picture of it didn't take.

andre1969 · September 2017

sda said:

I used to know someone who had a '59 DeSoto Firedome hardtop coupe, in that same color configuration, white with turquoise accents. I don't think I've seen him in about 20 years, and he was pretty old, so he could have passed away by now. I wonder if that's his car?

He also had a '29 DeSoto, and a '52 Studebaker hardtop coupe.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

Ah, a Dodge "la femme". I believe it came with tissue dispenser and a pink umbrella. It's a variety of Dodge Royal Lancer.....a Lancerina?

berri · September 2017

Liked the 59 and 60 Desoto's and the 55 Dodge La Femme. Back in the mid 50's there were more than a few multi-toned paint schemes that included pinkish hues. Wonder if they offered that female oriented Dodge model in a tri-tone option?

bhill2 · September 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ah, a Dodge "la femme". I believe it came with tissue dispenser and a pink umbrella. It's a variety of Dodge Royal Lancer.....a Lancerina?

An interesting thing about that model is that it was available with any Dodge engine. "Would milady like the D-500?" I understand there were a few sold.

fintail · September 2017

My mom has always been into vintage fashion and similar things, and she has heard of the LaFemme, I remember her mentioning it. I think the car coming with a compact and umbrella caught her attention. If you offered a package like that today, the internet would be howling (IMO, many CUVs are kind of a modern day equivalent).

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

bhill2 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ah, a Dodge "la femme". I believe it came with tissue dispenser and a pink umbrella. It's a variety of Dodge Royal Lancer.....a Lancerina?

An interesting thing about that model is that it was available with any Dodge engine. "Would milady like the D-500?" I understand there were a few sold.

Can you imagine trying that kind of marketing today?

roadburner · September 2017

Mr_Shiftright said:

bhill2 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

Ah, a Dodge "la femme". I believe it came with tissue dispenser and a pink umbrella. It's a variety of Dodge Royal Lancer.....a Lancerina?

An interesting thing about that model is that it was available with any Dodge engine. "Would milady like the D-500?" I understand there were a few sold.

Can you imagine trying that kind of marketing today?

I had a client come in to look at an X1; she told me that she had gone to a Chevrolet dealer to look at CUVs and the sales guy treated her like she was an idiot- it turns out she's an executive who also holds a multi-engine rating.
Guess who's getting her business...

tjc78 · September 2017

My wife saw a La Femme on Mecum one time and she absolutely loved it.

Mr_Shiftright · September 2017

Yes they are "period charming", no doubt about it. A lady friend of mine, who is a pilot, loves them, too. Might be the airplane-y look of it as well as the pink umbrella. I used to own the Royal Lancer version, 2D HT, pink and white. Good little car, moved right along, even though it was probably 35 years old at the time.

berri · September 2017

she's an executive who also holds a multi-engine rating
Needs something bigger to go with that rating. If she also has an ATP license, maybe a minivan - just kidding

fintail · September 2017

Nice day here, and surprisingly little on the road caught my eye. For the gentle climate and excess money in this area, there just isn't a huge recreational car culture, at least in this specific town.

I saw a few 65-68 Mustangs. a nice green ~70 911, an older R107 SL, and the 66 Toronado that sleeps beside my fintail is back, after being away for a couple months.

Michaell · September 2017

Not all of the following are obscure, but my friend in CA attended the Montecito Auto Show today and snapped these pix.

berri · September 2017

Fin - isn't it still RV and Motorhome time out there? Always adds fun to your drive

berri · September 2017

Michaell - looks like an interesting show in a nice town. Did you stop by and visit Oprah?

Michaell · September 2017

berri said:
Michaell - looks like an interesting show in a nice town. Did you stop by and visit Oprah?

Sadly, I wasn't there. Have been to Montecito a number of times - my friend goes up for brunch either there or Santa Barbara every Sundary.

fintail · September 2017

Nice show - 300SL roadster with Stude Hawk behind it, sunroof 356, 41 Buick on blackwalls, mildly cladded Countach with a Ferrari 250 (SWB Berlinetta?) behind it, plenty of money floating around

fintail · September 2017

Still plenty of that here yes, but not specifically in my area. Although come to think of it, I do recall seeing a motorhome driving on a residential street today. On the state highways, they are everywhere,

berri said:
Fin - isn't it still RV and Motorhome time out there? Always adds fun to your drive

Michaell · September 2017

fintail said:
Nice show - 300SL roadster with Stude Hawk behind it, sunroof 356, 41 Buick on blackwalls, mildly cladded Countach with a Ferrari 250 (SWB Berlinetta?) behind it, plenty of money floating around

The Countach was documented as all original.

The Jaguar, I'm told, was a total ground up build, starting with nothing but the VIN.

berri · September 2017

The Jaguar, I'm told, was a total ground up build, starting with nothing but the VIN.
...with a 3D printer - just kidding!

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

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles