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

andre1969 · November 2020

Didn't they make that fastback roof for the NASCAR circuit? As for proportioning, with me I tend to be a stickler for where the C-pillar falls, in relation to the rear axle. Usually, the problem for me is the C-pillar being too far back in relation, with not enough rear deck, and that throws off the proportioning.

However, sometimes the C-pillar is too far forward, as well. For instance, I'm not so crazy about something like a '69 Electra or Ninety-Eight hardtop coupe, or the Imperial. Once a car gets to a certain size, sometimes it seems like the 4-door version looks better!

Now that I think about it, it does seem like the '64 Ford was everywhere, for awhile. But I might be a bit swayed because we had a '64 Galaxie when I was a kid. Still, it seems like the '64 was more common than the '63.

fintail · November 2020

I like the 63 Ford too, nice rear end with the big afterburner lights.

Might be hard to see, but I recall the red 63 Galaxie convertible at background right was a 406 manual/floor shift car, red on red:

uplanderguy · November 2020

I do think the fastback roof was at least partly-due to NASCAR.

I'll have to look at a brochure the fastback is in, to see if the formal roof hardtop coupe is still in it.

explorerx4 · November 2020

The article in this link mentions NAASCAR and NHRA influence.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1963-1-2-ford-galaxie-500xl-fastback

xwesx · November 2020

The '63 Galaxie.... man, those trunk lids go on for miles! I remember my friend's 4-door hardtop. That thing was absolutely massive.

sda · November 2020

uplanderguy said:
I do think the fastback roof was at least partly-due to NASCAR.

I'll have to look at a brochure the fastback is in, to see if the formal roof hardtop coupe is still in it.

sda · November 2020

fintail said:
I like the 63 Ford too, nice rear end with the big afterburner lights.

Might be hard to see, but I recall the red 63 Galaxie convertible at background right was a 406 manual/floor shift car, red on red:

So you treated the 'old dear' to a piggy back ride?

andre1969 · November 2020

sda said:

fintail said:
I

So you treated the 'old dear' to a piggy back ride?

Almost looks like a pre-internet Carvana delivery!

fintail · November 2020

That was the second time (knock on wood the number stops there) the car has been towed during my tenure. The cold start solenoid finally bit the dust after 50+ years, and the car couldn't start - would run very rich. One of those fun experiences of a nearly $400 part and an hour of labor to install Tow was free though, via Hagerty.

First tow was via a transmission cooling line break, easy fix and the shop towed it for free as well.

sda said:

So you treated the 'old dear' to a piggy back ride?

jwm40517 · November 2020

My first car was a 63 1/2 XL with 390. I think I bought in early 66 for $1500. I liked the 63 & 64 Fords better than the Chevys of the same period. My first drag race was against a 63 with 406 and it blew me away by a large margin.

uplanderguy · November 2020

I haven't used Hagerty yet, but I'm impressed with them just as a customer.

This isn't a debilitating thing, but my 27K mile Studebaker needs control arm bushings. I know I'm 235 lbs., but when I get out of it, it groans like a bed mattress for a second or two. And that's not a cheap fix. Sigh. I know age and atmosphere deteriorates stuff too but it's still aggravating.

uplanderguy · November 2020

Maybe not unusual to some posters here, but this is a neat shot I think, that a fellow who owns an '88 Trans Am posted on FB this morning:

roadburner · November 2020

A 120 mph speedometer in a Trans Am was ridiculous. When the moronic 85 mph speedometer regulation was repealed the US manufacturers were very timid about going back to realistic speedometers. My 1987 535is had a 160 mph speedo.

Michaell · November 2020

roadburner said:
A 120 mph speedometer in a Trans Am was ridiculous. When the moronic 85 mph speedometer regulation was repealed the US manufacturers were very timid about going back to realistic speedometers. My 1987 535is had a 160 mph speedo.

...and so does my Outback, which wouldn't hit 160 if it were dropped out of a C-17.

The downside - to me - is that the granularity of those speedos is so small, it's hard to tell how fast you're going. Hence, the popularity of digital speedometers.

ab348 · November 2020

I find the layout of that T/A speedo odd as well. Why start at 6 o'clock and end the scale at 3 o'clock?

One of the things I remember about my '90 GTI that I thought was cool was that at a certain speed (maybe 70mph?) the side by side tach and speedo both had their indicator needles parallel to each other, pointing straight up.

explorerx4 · November 2020

I think the T/A picture was taken to record the odometer.

ab348 · November 2020

Yeah, I think we got that, but found the design of the speedo more worthy of note. Not that 222,222 miles on an '80s T/A isn't noteworthy in itself.

explorerx4 · November 2020

I didn't really notice the speedo design 80's Camaro's and Firebird's all had them like that.

roadburner · November 2020

ab348 said:
I find the layout of that T/A speedo odd as well. Why start at 6 o'clock and end the scale at 3 o'clock?

One of the things I remember about my '90 GTI that I thought was cool was that at a certain speed (maybe 70mph?) the side by side tach and speedo both had their indicator needles parallel to each other, pointing straight up.

In the days before digital cockpits race cars often had the gauges mounted so that the needles were pointing straight up under normal operating conditions. That way the driver could verify that all was well with just a quick glance.

uplanderguy · November 2020

I think I remember that the '82 Camaro had the speedometer in MPH on one half of the round gauge and the other end of the needle was KPH. I'd have to check to see if I'm remembering that correctly. It was the '80's after all, and I had a real job then, LOL.

uplanderguy · November 2020

This reminds me that the fastest I ever rode in a car was a former college friend's new '83 Trans Am. I'm thinking the speedo was more than 120 then because I remember him saying "130".

fintail · November 2020

My 89 MB 300SE (similar to the oldie in Hoovie's fleet right now) also had a 160 speedometer. Not gonna happen. Fintail has a 120 - no way. I recall the Tempo in the family only went to 80, but the needle kept going past that

Michaell said:

roadburner said:
A 120 mph speedometer in a Trans Am was ridiculous. When the moronic 85 mph speedometer regulation was repealed the US manufacturers were very timid about going back to realistic speedometers. My 1987 535is had a 160 mph speedo.
...and so does my Outback, which wouldn't hit 160 if it were dropped out of a C-17.

The downside - to me - is that the granularity of those speedos is so small, it's hard to tell how fast you're going. Hence, the popularity of digital speedometers.

explorerx4 · November 2020

@fintail,
Reminds me of a trip the a Red Sox game with some of my BIL's years ago in an 1985 Tbird with a digital dash which maxed out @85 MPH.
After a while, I said to the driver, "You're going faster that 85, right?" He said, "I've got it floored and that's as high as it goes".

fintail · November 2020

Even worse on a digital. Today there'dbe a flash for that.

I remember my dad pegging the needle on his Horizon, too - he drove the heck out of that car and it just kept going, I don't recall it having any issues, no family stories anyway.

explorerx4 said:
@fintail,
Reminds me of a trip the a Red Sox game with some of my BIL's years ago in an 1985 Tbird with a digital dash which maxed out @85 MPH.
After a while, I said to the driver, "You're going faster that 85, right?" He said, "I've got it floored and that's as high as it goes".

roadburner · November 2020

When my future wife and I were dating I would drive from either Lexington or Louisville to Cincinnati in my Arrow 2.6 GT. I had a CB and a new Escort(a graduation gift from the same girl). I figured in for a penny and all like that, so once I hit I-75 or I-71 the 85 mph speedometer's needle pointed straight down. In four years of making the journey I never even got pulled over...

texases · November 2020

I'd prefer a 100 mph speedo instead of 140, all the used numbers are squashed together to make space for numbers 99.99% of people (in the US) will never use.

andre1969 · November 2020

On those T-birds with the digital speedometer, if you had the trip computer, you could calculate your actual speed above 85 mph. You'd just have to select the "average speed" function. Initially, it would show your actual speed, but then that would change, as your speed fluctuated. But, every time you reset it, for that one brief instant, it would show your actual.

As for scrunched up speedometers, on my friend's 2006 Xterra, the speedo went from 0-140, but only took half of the gauge, from the 9:00 to the 3:00 position...

It seemed a bit overkill to me to take the numbers that high...120 would have probably been more than sufficient. But then, at a quick glance, if you saw the needle pointing straight up, you'd know you were going 70. And most highway speed limits these days are around 65-70 I think, once you get away from overly congested areas. So maybe they did it that way so that at a quick glance, out on the highway, you'd know you were at least within range of the posted speed limit, and not that likely to get a ticket unless it was toward the end of the month and the jurisdiction was in a budget crunch

tjc78 · November 2020

If you can solder there is a hack to eliminate the max speed on those Tbird/Cougar clusters.

kyfdx · November 2020

120 mph speedo in my '77 Cobra II with 302 V-8. 4-speed manual.

Topped out at 108 MPH, downhill.

uplanderguy · November 2020

I used to goof on cars that only had the numbers every 20 mph on the speedometer. All of my Studes have been like that though, LOL. Even as a kid I laughed at Rambler speedometers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

sda · November 2020

I rarely ever drive 80+ though I might exceed that if I’m passing vehicles but only briefly. On the interstate I generally cruise around 75-78. Besides, if I’m On the interstate for any length of time that means we are on a trip and my wife is with me. She has an uncanny sense of speed, even when she is resting (eyes closed) and will quickly perk up when I’m doing 80 and will say ‘aren’t you driving too fast?’ Sigh

uplanderguy · November 2020

Anybody want to meet me on S. Race St. in Greenville, PA today? It's Nov. 22 and the '56 Studebakers are being introduced! There's a Hawk in the showroom if you squint. I bet there's cider and donuts! This was also a Packard dealer at the time. Photo courtesy Filer family.

ab348 · November 2020

uplanderguy said:
Even as a kid I laughed at Rambler speedometers (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 9, 10, 11, 12).

I really disliked that design choice by AMC. I wonder if it cost them many sales.

andre1969 · November 2020

uplanderguy said:
Anybody want to meet me on S. Race St. in Greenville, PA today? It's Nov. 22 and the '56 Studebakers are being introduced! There's a Hawk in the showroom if you squint. I bet there's cider and donuts! This was also a Packard dealer at the time. Photo courtesy Filer family.

I just googled it out of curiosity. Unfortunately, it's about 5 1/2 hours away.

I'd imagine most people, when they think of "Studebaker" probably think of the bullet-nosed models, or maybe a Speedster/Hawk. But for some reason, the '56-57 style 4-door always pops into my mind pretty quickly when I think "Studebaker".

The only thing I can think of is that, when I was a kid, I remember seeing one on "Chico and the Man". I think Louie the garbage man owned it. I tried looking for it on the IMCDB though, and it didn't show up. However, I distinctly remember an episode where they were trying to sell it, or at least another Studebaker, and Chico saying something like "It ain't easy selling a Stoo-dee-baker in a Chebby neighborhood!"

uplanderguy · November 2020

I remember the Scatman Crothers character having a '56 or '57 Stude sedan.

I think non-car people remember the 'Bullet Nose' '50 and '51 models best, followed by the Golden Hawk ("they're all gold, right?", LOL). But as the years pass, even fewer and fewer remember those two I'm sure.

andre1969 · November 2020

On the subject of cars becoming more obscure to the younger set, I tried to explain to a 26 year old the other day what a Dodge Mirada was! He looked it up on his phone, made kind of a scrunched up face, and said "Ew!"

He also said "It's so...BIG!! And...kinda ugly"

uplanderguy · November 2020

I get it, and I won't have a non-stop discussion about the 'whys' anymore, but it's sad to me that there's a generation or two that never once had any experience with a domestic brand. And with my lifelong love of automobiles, that's sad to me.

That the only Chevy sedan is a Malibu now is sad to me. I think the domestics just gave up on sedans when sales versus costs came in. They have the UAW to deal with, and I'm not convinced the foreign transplants who assemble here have to deal with the UAW.

fintail · November 2020

Many younger people seem perplexed at a large two door car to begin with, or that what was "downsized" or "intermediate" was actually far from the largest car available. A 70s Eldo or Continental/T-Bird is like a UFO.

I recall the mother of a grade school friend had a white Mirada CMX with t-tops, I thought that was a pretty nice car.

andre1969 said:
On the subject of cars becoming more obscure to the younger set, I tried to explain to a 26 year old the other day what a Dodge Mirada was! He looked it up on his phone, made kind of a scrunched up face, and said "Ew!"

He also said "It's so...BIG!! And...kinda ugly"

sda · November 2020

uplanderguy said:
I get it, and I won't have a non-stop discussion about the 'whys' anymore, but it's sad to me that there's a generation or two that never once had any experience with a domestic brand. And with my lifelong love of automobiles, that's sad to me.

That the only Chevy sedan is a Malibu now is sad to me. I think the domestics just gave up on sedans when sales versus costs came in. They have the UAW to deal with, and I'm not convinced the foreign transplants who assemble here have to deal with the UAW.

Sadly the Malibu is on borrowed time, it too will face the ax. The Malibu has also ended up on CU’s naughty list, poor reliability.

uplanderguy · November 2020

I was a fan of the Impala, which CU ranked highly. Further, in the fifth model year of production, I wouldn't blink an eye at buying a Malibu. I've had fifteen new Chevrolets, and based on none of them would I not buy another. CU would have had a number of them exploding into flames had I followed their surveys, LOL. I fully realize that I'm not most buyers though. I see they didn't even have enough surveys to rate the 2019 and 2020 Malibu.

I like the simple lines and proportions of the Malibu--no goofball climbing taillights or instrument panel foolishness, but I dislike the zig-zaggy lower grille.

ab348 · November 2020

I find it very difficult to believe that the Malibu has poor reliability. What cars are afflicted with that these days? Maybe an Alfa but that is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. I also quite liked the last-gen Impala (and the Lacrosse even more).

Earlier today I cruised around the lot of the nearby GM dealer who is closed today. Their lot was not totally empty but had a lot of empty space that is usually filled with new-car inventory. I stopped to look at a $50K Cdn Silverado pickup that caught my eye because it was about as compact as any of them I have seen - an extended cab (not a double cab) with a short box and nice wheels and paint that made it stand out. It was locked but looking through the windows, the interior was a letdown. All black of course but with very little of anything in the way of an accent to break up the sea of darkness, and the materials were not great-looking. Apparently (according to reviews I've read and confirmed by what I could see) the doghouse-sized center console does not open up to provide storage, for reasons I cannot fathom. Parked next to it was a similar GMC pickup whose interior was far nicer, with chrome trim and an opening console. I do not understand why GM does these things.

The only new cars I noticed on the lot were a flock of Chevy Sparks, and a couple of new Caddy sedans, the CT4 (essentially a mid-cycle refresh of my ATS) and CT5, the CTS replacement..

andre1969 · November 2020

I think "poor" is relative these days when it comes to reliability. I seem to recall about 20 years ago, cars were getting good enough that they changed their "worse than average" rating to "fair". I'm just going on memory here, but I seem to recall that for the various categories (engine, transmission, electrical, brakes, etc) the breakdown was something like:
1-3% have problems: Much Better Than Average
3-5%: Better Than Average
5-9%: Average
9-15%: Worse Than Average/Fair
15% or worse: Much Worse than Average.

So in theory, one car could have, say, a 4.9% problem rate, while another could have a 9.1%. In my opinion, that's not a HUGE difference, although I guess you could argue that the 9.1% is almost twice as likely to have that given failure.

It's been ages since I've looked at a Consumer Reports, but I wouldn't be surprised if those ranges for the upper ratings hadn't tightened up a bit.

Also, when it comes to the overall rating they give a car, that's just relative to other cars, not a sum of the various categories. So in theory, a car could rate "Much Better than Average" in every category, but still be rated poorly by CR. So, it's possible that a Malibu could still be a pretty good car. It's just that cars in general tend to be so reliable these days, a good car can still get a low rating, simply because the others are better.

It's kind of like having a kid who gets a 95 on a test, but everybody else got 100, and did the extra credit question as well. The kid who got the 95 did the worst in the class on that test. But, he still did pretty damn good.

I do seem to remember Consumer Reports getting some flack, and having to start explaining themselves when Crown Victorias started getting bad ratings, since those cars always had a good reputation. It wasn't because they were bad cars, it's just that they were still having more repairs on average than other same-year cars, who were having even less. The irony though, is that with the Crown Vic, I think it was usually relatively minor things going bad, while on the more "reliable" cars, it was more expensive components. So the more reliable cars would break less often, but be more expensive to fix when they did break. At least, once they were out of warranty.

andre1969 · November 2020

I know I've mentioned it before, but I do like the outgoing Impala, a lot. Every once in awhile I'll check the used car listings to see if an interesting one comes up. Initially I didn't really care for the 2016 Malibu. Just something about the front-end I didn't care for, but it was hard to put my finger on why. But at some point they rejiggled the front-end treatment just enough, that I like it now.

I think the only thing that keeps me from making the splurge on an Impala is that I really want a Charger!

sda · November 2020

I especially like the Impala with the V6, Bose, pano-roof. Most of the used ones I’ve found were former rentals. The current Malibu now uses a CVT, so that maybe a turn off.

ab348 · November 2020

andre1969 said:
I know I've mentioned it before, but I do like the outgoing Impala, a lot. Every once in awhile I'll check the used car listings to see if an interesting one comes up. Initially I didn't really care for the 2016 Malibu. Just something about the front-end I didn't care for, but it was hard to put my finger on why. But at some point they rejiggled the front-end treatment just enough, that I like it now.

I didn't like the Malibu front end either. For me it was the downturned LED DRLs, which gave it a frowny face. Over the last year or two they turned that frown upside-down and it looks a lot better. The only other big downside is that unless you got the top of the line, the black interior that is in what seems like 99% of the LS and LT models is just dismally dark and featureless inside.

roadburner · November 2020

sda said:
I rarely ever drive 80+ though I might exceed that if I’m passing vehicles but only briefly. On the interstate I generally cruise around 75-78. Besides, if I’m On the interstate for any length of time that means we are on a trip and my wife is with me. She has an uncanny sense of speed, even when she is resting (eyes closed) and will quickly perk up when I’m doing 80 and will say ‘aren’t you driving too fast?’ Sigh

Fortunately my wife lacks that talent; one rainy Sunday morning back in 1984 I drove my 1973 Bavaria across PA at between 100 and 120 mph- my wife never looked up from the novel she was reading. In 1988 I was driving a new 750i and at 130 mph I asked her to guess the speed. She said 85.

roadburner · November 2020

The domestic cars that I'd consider buying are the Camaro 2SS, Challenger SP/HC, Charger SP/HC, and Mustang GT. As for trucks and SUVs, I like the Wrangler, Gladiator, and Grand Cherokee(Trailhawk or Trackhawk). If I was forced to buy a full size picture it would be a Ram- preferably a TRX.

andre1969 · November 2020

One other recent GM car that I really want to like is the final Buick Regal. I think it looks great from some angles, but then from others it looks a bit like two different cars joined at the B-pillar. And from some angles, it hides the fact that it's a hatchback pretty well, but then in other pics, it looks too bulky in the rear.

Apparently it's a rare beast, too. I just did a search on Cars.com, and within 10 miles, a whopping three Regals showed up. One was a 2017 Turbo GS (older style), one was a 1998 LS (but with the GS grille on it and a nice looking leather interior), and the third was a 1986 T-type. Changing the search to 20 miles, and there's only 8. Five 2017s, one 2013, the 1998, and the 1986.

There's also ten LaCrosses within 20 miles. Interestingly, 7 of them are 2017 models. Two are 2012s, and one is a 2005.

For comparison, there's 56 Impalas (going back to 2009), and 101 Chargers (oldest one being a 2010). And one Crown Vic: a 2004 Police interceptor with 165,000 miles, that actually doesn't look half bad, at a quick glance. https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/825805600/overview/

andre1969 · November 2020

sda said:
I rarely ever drive 80+ though I might exceed that if I’m passing vehicles but only briefly. On the interstate I generally cruise around 75-78. Besides, if I’m On the interstate for any length of time that means we are on a trip and my wife is with me. She has an uncanny sense of speed, even when she is resting (eyes closed) and will quickly perk up when I’m doing 80 and will say ‘aren’t you driving too fast?’ Sigh

Now I'm getting an 80's flashback...

"Clark, did you know you're going 80 miles an hour?"
"Doesn't seem like it, does it, honey?"
"SLOW DOWN!!"
"I don't know why, we were making good time..."

fintail · November 2020

Nice dry day here, but nothing really rare on the road today - maybe old cars hibernate for the winter here. Saw a decent 80s Ciera and a 560 SEL.

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

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles