Mystery car pix

lostwrench1 · February 2018

Left to right.....
1947 Pontiac
1949 Olds
1955 Olds
1948 Buick

tmart · February 2018

This appears to be a "GM" town!

imidazol97 · February 2018

55 plymoith 6-cyl

fintail · February 2018

Parked on the street facing away is a couple of early 50s Mopar sedans with the sturdy Briggs body, and maybe a ~50 Pontiac sedan between them.

I spot WA plates, and then see the filename, Walla Walla.

andys120 · February 2018

fintail said:
Parked on the street facing away is a couple of early 50s Mopar sedans with the sturdy Briggs body, and maybe a ~50 Pontiac sedan between them.

I spot WA plates, and then see the filename, Walla Walla.

Yes it's Walla Walla, WA ca. 1954. The newest car is either the '54 Olds nosing out of the garage
or the car barely visible in front of the drug store, beyond the MoPar nearest the camera. It could be a '55 Plymouth. Oddly most of the other cars are a lot older.

This type of garage/gas station was once common around the USA. Big cities had dozens.

fintail · February 2018

Approximate location present day - yuuuge changes, but the Denny Building is still there.

lostwrench1 · February 2018

I'll stick with that Olds nosing out of the garage as being a 1955 because of the headlights' "overhang" above them which the 1954 didn't have.

andys120 · February 2018

lostwrench1 said:
I'll stick with that Olds nosing out of the garage as being a 1955 because of the headlights' "overhang" above them which the 1954 didn't have.

I looked at some pix of '54 and '55 Oldsmobiles and I'd have to agree, it looks more like a
'55.

andys120 · February 2018

Export version>

andys120 · February 2018

No takers on this dowdy pea green sedan? It was once the leading import model in the US, ca. 1950

fintail · February 2018

Austin A40/Devon. Export models were badged "Austin of England", I think.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2018

The hood ornament was the tip-off.

andys120 · February 2018

fintail said:
Austin A40/Devon. Export models were badged "Austin of England", I think.

Yup, the pictured car is indeed a 1951 Austin A40 Devon which curbside classics.com cites as the "best selling import of it's time." I'm sure that did not last long and the dowdy Austins were soon swamped by a wave of Volkswagens. Home market A40s included Countryman estate wagons, Dorset 2-doors and even a small pickup.
CC indicates that the car is much smaller than it appears in photos.

andys120 · February 2018

Can you spot the non-stock features to Mr. Cool's Mustang?

stickguy · February 2018

wheels and the sewer pipe poking out below the front door. that must have been fun on that snow and ice.

andys120 · February 2018

Yup , those wheels are aftermarket American Racing TorQ-Thrusts or imitations thereof.
The side-pipes are part of an effort to make this standard ('66?) Mustang fastback look like a Shelby GT-350. In the same fashion the emblems and other trim items have been removed and the rear quarter vents have been replaced by the Shelby windows from the '66 GT-350.

I'd make a more convincing Shelby look if it had the hood scoop. Like any powerful Mustang it's a poor choice for winter driving. You can practically see the tin worms eating up that body.

IIRC the fastbacks were relatively rare back then, most early 'Stangs were notchbacks or convertibles.

andys120 · February 2018

These subcompacts are being road tested by a magazine. How many do you recognize?

fintail · February 2018

I look at the Austin Devon like a 3/4 scale ~41 Chevy.

I see a 65 Impala in front of the Mustang.

fintail · February 2018

Toyota Corona at far left, Renault 10 ar far right, Fiat 124 at rear. I suspect the Corona and Beetle lasted much much longer than the others.

andys120 said:
These subcompacts are being road tested by a magazine. How many do you recognize?

stickguy · February 2018

is that another MG 1100 next to the Toyota? And Lancia behind that?

For some reason, next to the Renault, I think that is a Simca.

andys120 · February 2018

fintail said:
Toyota Corona at far left, Renault 10 ar far right, Fiat 124 at rear. I suspect the Corona and Beetle lasted much much longer than the others.

Right on each of those. BTW they're all 1967 models.

stickguy said:
is that another MG 1100 next to the Toyota? And Lancia behind that?

For some reason, next to the Renault, I think that is a Simca.

Yep, it's an MG 1100 and that's a Simca 1000 GLS next the Renault 10. It's not a Lancia between the Fiat and the Simca. The resemblance comes from the fact that, like the Lancia Fulvia, it was styled by Pinifarina. Here's another pic of one>

stickguy · February 2018

Ah, something to get Iluvsephia's heart all a flutter.

iluvmysephia1 · February 2018

You bet, stick. I'd take any or all of 'em!

andys120 · February 2018

iluvmysephia1 said:
You bet, stick. I'd take any or all of 'em!

Not me, I'd die of boredom behind the wheel of the Corona and the VeeDub is way too slow even if it has 20% more power than my '65 had. There are some Simcas and Renaults that interest me but not the ones shown. The pick of this litter for me is the Fiat 124.

Questions:- Which of these was produced the most years between the 60s and today?

-What's the dark colored car between the Fiat and the Simca, it was mis-IDed as a Lancia?

fintail · February 2018

Would the Fiat count for longevity, living on as a Lada? That or the Beetle.

andys120 · February 2018

The Fiat 124 was a remarkably long-lived design built in many lands under many names. An Egyptian subsidiary of Lada was still building theum until 2007. Now you could argue that 124 versions built in India, Russia, South America etc. were not the same as the original Italian version but that holds true of it's nearest rival for longevity, the VW Type 1 (Beetle/Kafer)

andys120 · February 2018

The car that isn't a Lancia was a Datsun PL410 sold as a "Bluebird" around the world but not in the USA. The 410 was succeeded by the legendary 510 after a few years (it was also labeled a "Bluebird" in most markets.

andys120 · February 2018

lostwrench1 · February 2018

The last Nash, the 1957. (Ambassador Custom).

Mr_Shiftright · February 2018

Wasn't that called the Country Club? Came with a 327 V8 & 255 HP.

lostwrench1 · February 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
Wasn't that called the Country Club? Came with a 327 V8 & 255 HP.

Yes.

andys120 · February 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
Wasn't that called the Country Club? Came with a 327 V8 & 255 HP.

Oh yeah, they threw every name they could at this one, it's a 1957 Nash Ambassador Custom Country Club

Cool color scheme though!

andys120 · February 2018

West 11th St.

stickguy · February 2018

bottom picture, Volvo 144 next to the pole (behind something under a tarp, I assume a motorcycle). Rambler station wagon in front of it. And is that a 4 door Peugeot across the street?

fintail · February 2018

Yep that's a Peugeot 404.

Volvo would have been brand new at the time, by the look of the other cars and the filename. In the lower pic, a few cars behind the Rambler think I see a Karmann-Ghia with a Beetle behind it and a Falcon behind that. Way in the back on the other side of the street, parked, I think I also see a Volvo 122/Amazon.

In the top pic, I think the roadster is an Alfa 1600 Spider.

andys120 · February 2018

stickguy said:
bottom picture, Volvo 144 next to the pole (behind something under a tarp, I assume a motorcycle). Rambler station wagon in front of it. And is that a 4 door Peugeot across the street?

Yep, a Pug 403. Good eye onthe Amazon, it's way back there. The Alfa Spider is likely a Giulietta 1300 produced ca.'57 to '65.

stickguy · February 2018

that sports car bothered me. I was thinking Fiat 124, but it was not quite right. Totally blanked on the Alfa.

andys120 · February 2018

stickguy said:
that sports car bothered me. I was thinking Fiat 124, but it was not quite right. Totally blanked on the Alfa.

The pic was from 1967 and the 124 Spider did not come to the US until '68 IIRC. Don't feel bad though, the Fiat 124 Spider was deliberately designed and styled to be a kind of cut-rate Alfa Spider. They had a lot in common>

-Pininfarina bodies
-1300/1600cc twin cam fours
-Five speed trans (rare back then)
-Modern fully convertible tops easy to raise or lower.

This is the part where Shifty will chime in to say that Alfa Spiders were built to higher standards. Since I have zero hands on experience with those I concede the point but either the Fiat or the Alfa would be easier to own than a typical British roadster of the era but somewhat short of what you'd get with a Porsche or Mercedes.

lostwrench1 · February 2018

1964? Hmmm. There is a 1966 vehicle in there. Who can spot it?

andys120 · February 2018

The car nearest the camera in the lower photo is a 1966 Oldsmobile, probably a Delta 88 and likely the newest car. Olds and Buicks were very similar in that era.

stickguy · February 2018

I think the picture name mentions 1967

Mr_Shiftright · February 2018

The Alfa advantage over the British sports cars like the MGA and B was sophistication. A 60s Alfa was technologically advanced in every way, even way ahead of America, and the British were still running what was basically 1930s technology. I'd say the Alfa Sprint was every bit the match of the Porsche 356, even in how they both rusted.

A Benz 190SL was a well-built little tank, more like the Volvo P1800, more sporty than sports. The little Alfa could outrun all of the above.

lostwrench1 · February 2018

andys120 said:
The car nearest the camera in the lower photo is a 1966 Oldsmobile, probably a Delta 88 and likely the newest car. Olds and Buicks were very similar in that era.

Nope, that Olds is a 1965.
Anyone else?

Mr_Shiftright · February 2018

Yes, that Pug is a 404, not a 403.

stickguy · February 2018

the Volvo would have to be a 67. They were not introduced to the press until August of 1966, as MY 1967.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2018

The first Volvo 140 series were kind of "[non-permissible content removed]" cars--they had a lot of 122 parts on them--leftovers I guess--so when you went to repair them, you went nuts trying to figure out which parts to buy.

andys120 · February 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
A Benz 190SL was a well-built little tank, more like the Volvo P1800, more sporty than sports. The little Alfa could outrun all of the above.

By 1967 the 190SL had long been replaced by the 230/250SL (W116) "Pagoda" Series which if no match for Alfas and Porsches in performance did have some impressive rally wins and sophisticated spec. Of course it was also pretty pricey.

lostwrench1 · February 2018

Ok, the '66 I spotted was the Valiant.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2018

andys120 said:

Mr_Shiftright said:
A Benz 190SL was a well-built little tank, more like the Volvo P1800, more sporty than sports. The little Alfa could outrun all of the above.
By 1967 the 190SL had long been replaced by the 230/250SL (W116) "Pagoda" Series which if no match for Alfas and Porsches in performance did have some impressive rally wins and sophisticated spec. Of course it was also pretty pricey.

Yep, the last 190SL was 1963, then came the Mercedes 230SL. Interestingly, it is this early "Pagoda", with the smaller engine and fewer appointments, which is considered the best "driver's car" of the Pagoda family. I would completely agree with that.

andys120 · February 2018

Mystery car pix

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