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

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  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,253
    edited February 2021
    The Mercedes must had had an upshift between 75 mph and the end a the quarter mile.
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  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936

    The Mercedes must had had an upshift between 75 mph and the end a the quarter mile.

    It does appear it was coming on strong at the end of the 1/4. The Ventura starting to get winded.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    I'd never heard of (or if I had, it didn't register) of the Ventura SD, until it came up in discussion here. It's got a Wikipedia mention, though. Looks like it was a California special, and they built about 250 of them. That fold-back roof is cool, but I have a feeling those things leaked like crazy, and as a result they probably had a high scrappage rate as they aged.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    I wonder how much that fold-back roof option was? And, all things considered, that price of $4218 with the power disc brakes, power steering, 350-2bbl, automatic, and upgrades doesn't sound bad. According to Wikipedia, looks like there were only 250 built, and it was a California-only model. I wonder what the breakdown was of 6-cyl to 350?

    Interestingly, in '72, the V8 option was a Chevy 307 in the 49 states, and a 350 in California. I'm guessing it was a Pontiac 350, but the '72 Pontiac brochure doesn't specify.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    Interesting to see the performance comparison to the MB and also how contemporary vehicles just crush older cars in performance and fuel economy.

    True, but as many model years, and years of new technology, have passed from that Ventura to now, as did from a 1921 Model T to the Ventura. Hard to imagine.
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    andre, not sure on the Ventura, but the identical top on my Studebaker was a $185 option in 1963. GM also required you to buy a vinyl top to get it, which I distinctly remember. No such requirement--no such vinyl tops--at Studebaker in 1963, LOL.

    Chevy called the option the "Sky Roof".
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    edited February 2021
    My wagon has nearly 3x the hp of the fintail, weighs over half a ton more, gets 50% better mileage, also no doubt pollutes 500 times less. Progress is real.

    Interesting to see the performance comparison to the MB and also how contemporary vehicles just crush older cars in performance and fuel economy.

    True, but as many model years, and years of new technology, have passed from that Ventura to now, as did from a 1921 Model T to the Ventura. Hard to imagine.

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    And I'm guessing it's slightly faster...
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    I always thought Mercedes used 4-speed automatics, but looking up a 280SEL 4.5, it's showing a 3-speed. At first I thought an extra gear might have accounted for part of the better high-range performance, but that's not the case here.

    However, looking up specs online, the Ventura used a 2.73:1 rear end, versus a 3.23:1 for the Benz. And, while the Pontiac had the advantage of a larger engine, it wasn't that much torquier. The article mentions the 350-2bbl has 270 ft-lb@2000 rpm. The Benz 4.5, a 276 CID unit is actually very close...264 ft-lb@3000 rpm. So maybe having the quicker ratio, plus the similar torque at a higher rpm helps the Benz out some at the upper end?
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    I sure was more interested in cars from fifty years ago than now though. :)
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    edited February 2021
    I think the period 4 and 6cyl cars had the 4 speed (fintail has one), but the V8 cars used a 3 speed. As an aside, the V8 108/109s like this were the first standard (as in not a 600) V8 MB production sedans. The MB also has the advantage of fuel injection, which probably compensates for the smaller displacement.

    That 4.5 was sold around the world, including Germany, and maybe the gearing was for high speed cruising - I suspect a 4.5 can cruise at ~120 for long periods.
    andre1969 said:

    I always thought Mercedes used 4-speed automatics, but looking up a 280SEL 4.5, it's showing a 3-speed. At first I thought an extra gear might have accounted for part of the better high-range performance, but that's not the case here.

    However, looking up specs online, the Ventura used a 2.73:1 rear end, versus a 3.23:1 for the Benz. And, while the Pontiac had the advantage of a larger engine, it wasn't that much torquier. The article mentions the 350-2bbl has 270 ft-lb@2000 rpm. The Benz 4.5, a 276 CID unit is actually very close...264 ft-lb@3000 rpm. So maybe having the quicker ratio, plus the similar torque at a higher rpm helps the Benz out some at the upper end?

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    I saw some pics of Ventura II's and Novas online with the Sky Roof but no vinyl tops, which I thought GM required. Here's the only brochure I can see from Chevrolet about it, on the Studebaker Skytop site, and it says vinyl top required. I'd say that was relaxed after introduction.

    http://www.studebakerskytop.com/other.html
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  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,312
    edited February 2021
    I remember Ford advertising that compared the Granada to the 450 SLC as well as to the Seville. Their ad agency obviously didn't believe in mandatory drug testing...

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    Yeah, Ford was pushing it with the Granada and those Benz and Seville comparisons. But, it wasn't their first time. Back in 1965, I think it was, they were bragging about how the new LTD was quieter than a Rolls Royce.

    I used to have a serious dislike for the Granada, because it seemed to represent just about everything that was wrong with the 70's. Over-styled, pretentious, cramped inside, poor handling, poor acceleration, fuel economy that often rivaled cars one or two size classes larger, etc. I know this describes most cars of the 70's, to some degree, but the Granada seemed to take it to the extreme.

    Supposedly though, they were fairly reliable. Again, by 70's car standards, so maybe that's not saying much. But, the Nova and its clones tended to score worse than average in Consumer Reports reliability ratings. The Aspen/Volare quickly became the most recalled car in history, at least until GM's X-cars wrested that title from Mopar. When the Fairmont and Zephyr came out, they were recall-plagued, as well. And when GM downsized their midsized cars, which put them somewhat into this class, it was basically engine and transmission roulette. You could hit the jackpot or you could crap out.

    Nowadays though, that they're somewhat scarce, I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind the Monarch version, with a 302 (or better yet a 351, which was offered for a few years). And, this is one of those body styles where I actually prefer the 4-door.
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    andre1969 said:

    Yeah, Ford was pushing it with the Granada and those Benz and Seville comparisons. But, it wasn't their first time. Back in 1965, I think it was, they were bragging about how the new LTD was quieter than a Rolls Royce.

    I used to have a serious dislike for the Granada, because it seemed to represent just about everything that was wrong with the 70's. Over-styled, pretentious, cramped inside, poor handling, poor acceleration, fuel economy that often rivaled cars one or two size classes larger, etc. I know this describes most cars of the 70's, to some degree, but the Granada seemed to take it to the extreme.

    Supposedly though, they were fairly reliable. Again, by 70's car standards, so maybe that's not saying much. But, the Nova and its clones tended to score worse than average in Consumer Reports reliability ratings. The Aspen/Volare quickly became the most recalled car in history, at least until GM's X-cars wrested that title from Mopar. When the Fairmont and Zephyr came out, they were recall-plagued, as well. And when GM downsized their midsized cars, which put them somewhat into this class, it was basically engine and transmission roulette. You could hit the jackpot or you could crap out.

    Nowadays though, that they're somewhat scarce, I gotta admit, I wouldn't mind the Monarch version, with a 302 (or better yet a 351, which was offered for a few years). And, this is one of those body styles where I actually prefer the 4-door.

    The 76 Grand Monarch with moonroof and 351 would get my vote. Discontinued for 77 as the Lincoln Versailles pretty much took its place, with much commonality.

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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,027
    I had totally forgotten about the Grand Monarch Ghia. Here's someone's personal webpage about one example:

    http://www3.sympatico.ca/bkeevil/mercurymonarch/grandghia.html

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    I remember when I was a teenager looking at a loaded Granada, maybe an ESS - had moonroof, leather buckets or split bench (I seem to recall the seats had slight bolstering), wheels - seemed like a pretty nice car in its day. Not sure what was under the hood. IIRC it was black on red, it was getting old then and starting to circle the drain, so to speak. Sadly, I doubt anyone saved it.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,851
    My Grandmother had a Granada in the mid 80s. I don’t remember it too well except it was red on red and she always said it was slow compared to her Dart she had prior to it.

    I don’t know the whole story on the Dart but supposedly it was hopped up and Grandpop acquired it for unpaid repairs at the shop.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    The Granada sold really well, and unlike Ford in some other years, they really differentiated in appearance, in and out, the Granada from the car it was based on.

    All what you're used to, but I thought the dash was a little unusual in that it had all that woodgrain trim on the driver's side large part of the panel, with just one square instrument in the middle. I'm assuming there were no optional gauges but I do not know.
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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,027
    There was woodgrain on the passenger side of the dash as well, at least in some models. There was a smaller square fuel gauge to the left of the speedo, and a digital clock available (or maybe standard) on the passenger side.

    One thing I did not know until looking at the brochures was that at least early in its run, the 200 six-cylinder was standard. You could also order it with a 4-speed manual and a buckets and console setup, at least in the early years. The take rate could not have been very high for the 4 on the floor.

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  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    A friend in HS gave me a ride in his dad's new '77 Granada 2 dr with a 302 and 3 speed + OD. I remember seeing that same manual trans option in later dealer ads after that and it was pretty unusual at the time. No idea how many were ordered/built. Both the Maverick and Mustang II came before that, yet only the granola had an overdrive manual and 4 wheel disc brake option. But it was after all a Mercedes pretender. :smile:
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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    RE.: Instrument panel--I guess used to GM, I was accustomed to seeing two round pods of instruments, or three, or two square pods, or a linear speedo. That always struck me about the '67-68 big Mercurys too--one big round pod in the center of the driver's side of the panel.
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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    omarman said:

    A friend in HS gave me a ride in his dad's new '77 Granada 2 dr with a 302 and 3 speed + OD. I remember seeing that same manual trans option in later dealer ads after that and it was pretty unusual at the time. No idea how many were ordered/built. Both the Maverick and Mustang II came before that, yet only the granola had an overdrive manual and 4 wheel disc brake option. But it was after all a Mercedes pretender. :smile:

    My '77 Cobra II had the 302 with a 4-speed. 135 HP. Pretty quick through two gears, even with that tiny, tiny 2-bbl, but after 45 mph... :(

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    kyfdx said:

    omarman said:

    A friend in HS gave me a ride in his dad's new '77 Granada 2 dr with a 302 and 3 speed + OD. I remember seeing that same manual trans option in later dealer ads after that and it was pretty unusual at the time. No idea how many were ordered/built. Both the Maverick and Mustang II came before that, yet only the granola had an overdrive manual and 4 wheel disc brake option. But it was after all a Mercedes pretender. :smile:

    My '77 Cobra II had the 302 with a 4-speed. 135 HP. Pretty quick through two gears, even with that tiny, tiny 2-bbl, but after 45 mph... :(
    The nice folks at Holley could have taken care of that for you.

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  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    edited February 2021
    I liked the ESS at the time but was disappointed that Ford made no upgrades to the suspension so it drove poorly just like all other Granadas. A friend in high school had a 77 Monarch 2dr, cream yellow, brown landau top, cream yellow vinyl interior, bench seat, 302 with 3sp/od floor manual shifter. It did have the rallye wheels. I thought the color was not very masculine, but whatever. I never saw another one like it. His dad bought it for him and his dad bought a new black/red leather Mark V for himself. They were from TX, oil money.

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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    I'd imagine a Granada was horribly slow with the 200. The 250 in those years did not take well at all to emissions controls, which might be why it was often slow, even compared to similar-sized engines from the competition.

    In 1971, the last year it was rated in gross hp, it had 145 hp, which was the same as the Mopar 225 slant six, and the Chevy 250 inline-6. In '72 though, it was cut to 95 hp in the Torino, and 98 in the Maverick. In contrast, the Chevy 250 was a bit better, at 110 hp. The 225 slant six was also 110, although there was a 100 hp version for California.

    In later years, the Chevy 250 ranged from 100-110 hp, before being replaced in cars with the Chevy 229 V6. It lasted a few more years in trucks though. The Mopar slant six went down to 90-95 in '75, but then recovered a bit to 100 for '76-79. In '77-79, there was a 2-bbl "Super Six" option that bumped it to 110 hp. I don't think it did much to torque, but it gave it a much broader torque range, so performance improved more than you might expect. But then it took a hit in '80. The 2-bbl was dropped, and the 1-bbl went to 90 hp. And then 85 hp in 1981. It recovered a bit, back up to 90 for '82-83. But then it was dropped in passenger cars. The only RWD cars left for '84 were the M-body Diplomat/Gran Fury/5th Ave, and they started using the 318 standard.

    Meanwhile, the Ford 250 got choked down to 88 or 92 hp (Maverick/Torino) for 1973. In 1974 it was 91 hp in either. In '75 it was down to only 72 hp! I always wondered if that was a misprint. But, the 200 version was only 75 (odd that it was slightly more), and even the 302 was down to 122. In '76 though they got it back up to 90 hp, and it stayed in the 90-98 range through its last year in passenger car service, 1980.

    For some reason, whenever I think of the phrase "98 pound weakling", the Ford 250 comes to mind, because of it being rated at 98 hp one or two years. Although I know the phrase pre-dates that, by a long shot.

    Ford also had a 240 6-cyl, that they used in their big cars. It only had 140 hp gross in '71, but for '72, it had 103. Ford dropped it in cars for '73, and went with a 351 standard in the big cars. Probably a wise decision, considering how heavy cars were getting, while the engines got weaker. I think '73 was the last year that Chevy offered a 250 in its big cars. And Mopar started making a 318 standard for '72 in the Fury range.

    Ford even went so far as to drop 6-cyl engines in their midsized cars. By 1975, Ford even bypassed the 302, and made a 351 standard in the Torino! When the LTD-II came out though, they used a 302 standard.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,188
    My girlfriend had a Monarch with the 250. She'd turn the A/C off to go uphill. :(

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  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    Even though the Mustang II and Monza were competing with V8 options they were still running 13 inch 4 lug wheels on both. Dressed up red and ready but still wearing pinto/vega shoes. :o


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  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,851
    kyfdx said:

    My girlfriend had a Monarch with the 250. She'd turn the A/C off to go uphill. :(

    My Mom had a 92 Caravan SWB with the 4 cyl. I had it loaded with 7 adults and in 95 degree heat with the AC blasting (poverty model, no rear vents). It actually barely made it up a hill and struggled to maintain much more than 70. Man that van was a dog.

    I’m sure the older vehicles were worse but not carrying 7.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    Like I mentioned, I was totally smitten with the Monza 2+2 at introduction time,although I never saw a real one until February. I saw a burgundy used '75 V8 with A/C in the late '70's at the Chevy dealer 15 miles from where I lived. Early one as the silver edges of the side louvers were actually chromed instead of flat silver paint, and it's the only Monza I ever saw with the optional leather seating that was in the brochure--same seat design but with eyelets in the seat creases/seams in the inserts.

    I like the look of the Sport Mirrors (optional), but because of the teardrop side window design, they were too low to be useful IMHO. I remember this plainly in my one friend's car.

    Monzas (and the others) were only initially built in the smallish Ste. Therese, Quebec plant. It seemed to me it was a slow start-up for whatever reason, for our dealer to not get one until four months into the selling season. The fact that the brochure was all drawings/artwork, with no photos, made me think there were production snags/timing issues as well, as that was not typically Chevy's habit in brochures at all.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    Fun cover, I like the Mustang II fastback, but much better in the flamboyant Cobra II trim. For all the cars listed, I'll take the 300D , maybe the one on the list most likely to still be around today, too.

    Back to January 1991, another time I remember, 2 cars. First, a new style facelift C4 Corvette, in the kind of burgundy red color I remember seeing a lot of them in back in the day. Fairly optioned, MSRP nearly 36K - older guy won it (and the showcase with a ski boat) which was fun:



    And on the opposite end, a Festiva, this ancestral Kia with AT and stereo mentioned, had a MSRP of just over $8700:



  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    Sheesh, that Festiva almost reminds me of a Trabant, LOL.

    Styling-wise, I always thought the C4 Corvette aged pretty well. I like that maroon, the dark green metallic they had, and actually I liked a bright turquoise or aqua metallic they had in those later years too.

    I can remember when the '84 was introduced. A friend and I went to introduction night at a dealer in Cuyahoga Falls, OH that is no longer there. They had a silver one there. I thought it looked clean and modern after 14 model years of the C3. The sticker was $24K and there was a $2K "Additional Dealer Markup" extra sticker affixed by the dealer.

    "Additional Dealer Markup", or even MSRP, is a foreign thing to me as a Chevy buyer, but a 'Vette is probably the only product they could ever get away with doing that on.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    edited February 2021
    I still see a Festiva around here and there, at that MSRP, doesn't seem like huge value. They were pretty small. I recall a girl in high school had one, and it took just a few guys to be able to lift it and move it. Also comes to mind that car was an "L" model, nicknamed the "Festival".

    C4 was a very cool car to have in the 80s. IIRC the 84s are the least desirable, due to the harsh suspension and maybe some unrefined mechanical elements. C4s are still generally super cheap even in nice condition, a lot of car for the money, but as I think 'ol Shifty said, the interiors age in dog years.

    I recall a local Chevy dealer had a 5 or 10K ADM on the SSR, not sure if they actually got that though - those things are kind of the ultimate Bush era bubble boomer car, but once the newness wore off, I am sure deals could be had.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,253
    Once, I had a Festiva as a loaner. It was so loud on the highway, I turned off the radio because I couldn't really hear it.
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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    I suspect in 1991 you could buy a decent used car for nearly 9K.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    I hate the SSR--then, and now, LOL.

    One thing I was just reminded of in the R&T article about the Monza 2+2 vs. the Mustang:

    While I liked the '75's simple instrument panel of the Monza (I don't like its subsequent panels), there were photos in the article of both, and my Dad, forever turned off Ford by our '62 Fairlane, looking at the article said, "The Mustang definitely has the better dash". I will admit the Mustang's instrument panel was far-more luxurious-looking by 1975 standards than the Monza's.
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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    fintail said:

    I still see a Festiva around here and there, at that MSRP, doesn't seem like huge value. They were pretty small. I recall a girl in high school had one, and it took just a few guys to be able to lift it and move it. Also comes to mind that car was an "L" model, nicknamed the "Festival".

    C4 was a very cool car to have in the 80s. IIRC the 84s are the least desirable, due to the harsh suspension and maybe some unrefined mechanical elements. C4s are still generally super cheap even in nice condition, a lot of car for the money, but as I think 'ol Shifty said, the interiors age in dog years.

    I recall a local Chevy dealer had a 5 or 10K ADM on the SSR, not sure if they actually got that though - those things are kind of the ultimate Bush era bubble boomer car, but once the newness wore off, I am sure deals could be had.

    84 had the infamous crossfire injection. I’ve always head you want to go with a later year with normal FI. I’m sure early models had plenty of other teething issues too.

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    I think the '85 had a slightly softer ride, and I believe the '84 and '85, and maybe a year or two later, could be had with cloth buckets instead of leather, and subtle two-toning above and below the side molding. I liked both of those things. Those things went away later.

    The thing I always heard about was the crushing ride of the '84, and that it needed more oomph. I think as the cars aged, the bar-graph instrumentation could be a headache.

    I rode in a red-on-red-leather one-year-old '84 at a dealer with my (former) friend who unfriended me due to Facebook mentioned earlier, driving. I seem to remember it chirping tires when the automatic shifted even, but my friend had his foot in it.
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  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,027
    edited February 2021
    In the early '80s, GM's sporty cars had decent styling inside and out, but engine/chassis tuning still left a lot to be desired. The cross-fire injection V8 wasn't much more powerful than a carburetor, though probably more emissions-friendly, and I recall that the 3rd-gen Z28 introduced in '82 had a real buckboard ride.

    Re Ford, the Granada was still on the old Falcon platform and so it had the same uncertain but numb steering, stiff leaf springs out back, and poor front suspension geometry. We had the 250-6 in our '74 Maverick and it was no ball of fire, especially for being in such a light car. I also recall it didn't like to start (or even crank) when it was cold out. Something about internal tolerances being too tight, if memory serves.

    The Chevy 250-6 made a comeback in the B-body cars when they were downsized for '77, at least in Canada. I can't imagine they sold many, but a friend of my brother's who drove cab bought a gently used '77 Catalina sedan off the used car lot of my GM dealer in 1980 and drove it in taxi service here for a number of years..

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  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    In the U.S., the 250 only appeared in the Caprice Classic and Impala among B-bodies.

    A girl in my class, had parents who traded in their '72 Caprice for a new '77 Caprice Classic, in the brochure two-tone blue. It was a sedan with the 250 six.

    The very next year, they were driving a new '78 Caprice Classic sedan, V8, two-tone green. I'm guess 'Dad' wasn't a fan of the six.

    Similarly, an elderly guy in our neighborhood when I was a kid bought a new beige '65 Impala Sport Coupe with six (no emblem on front fenders). He traded on a new, white '66 Impala Sport Coupe with 283. And he was not customarily a one-year-trader. I'll assume he hated the six even back then. (He later had a gold '69 Impala Custom Coupe and a light green metallic '73 Impala Custom Coupe). His cars were always very clean, including whitewalls.
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  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    Odd, I don't think I've come across a 6 in the 77 and newer Impala/Caprice until they introduced the 4.3 V6. All were V8s. Pontiac/Olds/Buick, the 231 V6 seemed to be fairly common, though they were real dogs in performance.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,092
    You could even get a 6 in the Impala SS, I am pretty sure Not sure if the Galaxie XL was the same.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    Without checking, but I'm fairly sure, that through '67 you could indeed get an Impala SS six-cylinder.

    The '63 Chevy II Nova SS was only available as a six-cylinder, but then that's all there was in a Nova at all that year.
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  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,652
    The Impala SS was technically just a trim package to make it look sporty. But you still had to order, separately, all the stuff that made it go faster. I tried looking it up in my old car book, and it does indeed list the Impala SS as having a 6-cyl standard. A whopping 400 of them were built that way. The remaining ~73,000 were V8.

    For 1968, my book doesn't break out the SS as a separate line, so I'm guessing it was demoted to just a trim package again, versus a separate model?

    I had thought the Galaxie XL was V8 standard, but again, looking in my book, it looks like a 6 was standard, at least for some years. And, in '64 at least they even had an XL 4-door hardtop! I didn't look at the entries for all years, but just happened to look around '63-64, for these tidbits.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,027
    andre1969 said:


    I had thought the Galaxie XL was V8 standard, but again, looking in my book, it looks like a 6 was standard, at least for some years. And, in '64 at least they even had an XL 4-door hardtop! I didn't look at the entries for all years, but just happened to look around '63-64, for these tidbits.

    And not a bad-looking 4-door either:


    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,936
    ab348 said:

    andre1969 said:


    I had thought the Galaxie XL was V8 standard, but again, looking in my book, it looks like a 6 was standard, at least for some years. And, in '64 at least they even had an XL 4-door hardtop! I didn't look at the entries for all years, but just happened to look around '63-64, for these tidbits.

    And not a bad-looking 4-door either:


    Much better looking than the frumpy 61/62.

    2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech, 2006 Acura TL w/nav

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    edited February 2021
    My uncle in Arizona has a light-to-medium blue metallic '63 Galaxie 500XL 4-door hardtop. Never seen it in person.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702

    I'd take a frumpy '62 Galaxie 500/XL Sunliner in rangoon red. Or viking blue. :smile:

    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,055
    I'd take a '61 Ford Starliner in any color but their tomato red, bone-stock--it's my favorite Ford after the '56 and maybe the '58. I also like the '57 even with its headlights--outsold Chevrolet that year although I think that's lost on most people, LOL.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • omarmanomarman Member Posts: 2,702
    I saw the poverty caps on that viking blue '62 Galaxie 500/XL Sunliner and figured there was more to that story. Sure enough under the hood is a 406 tri power backed up by a 4 speed. I never saw that combo out in the wild before but in the 70s my oldest brother had a 406/4bbl. Probably more tri power FE block Fords now than were ever ordered back in the day.
    A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
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