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

andre1969 · September 2021

ab348 said:
Dad had a car - I can't recall exactly which one - that had the gimmicky talking alert for various minor warnings. I remember I used to entertain my friends by asking "When is a door not a door?" and then letting the car answer "A door is a jar".

That sounds like one of the early 80's K-based Chryslers, like maybe a New Yorker? I believe it was fairly common in the more expensive versions of the K- but I don't know how far down the food chain it trickled down.

I've heard that the Nissan 810/Maxima, of the '81-84 generation, also talked. But maybe its pronunciation was a bit better?

I remember one of my friends used to mock the "A door is a jar" by responding "No, a JAR is a jar. A door is a DOOR!" He'd say it in an officious, smug-sounding tone, which made it even funnier.

My old '79 Newport had a warning light that had "Door Ajar" on it. I think it would chime when it came on though. Not that annoying buzz that was so common back then, but a more upper-crusty, pleasant sound. Unfortunately, it was pretty sensitive, and if you took a right turn too quickly, the light would come on.

imidazol97 · September 2021

I had one of those as a loaner when leSabre was in for service. It was well used. Talked all the
time. The windshield washer fluid was low (empty).

I got in it in the morning to back out of the garage, I started the engine and let it idle. The car told
me the weather was rainy and rain was predicted. I thought, "Holy Cow, this car is tremendous in its capabilities."

Then I realized I had left the radio on and I had reconnected just as the weathercast was being given.

But the car was still great with leather seats that were outstanding.

fintail · September 2021

IIRC talking Chryslers had a male voice, talking Datsun/Nissans had a female voice. Renault and BMC cars also had talking options, and I think all of these existed in conjunction with digital dashes. I don't recall any talking GM or Ford products, and the only talking German car I can think of is Audi.

Regarding digital gauges/dashes, I like them, I am quite happy with the widescreen LED display in my wagon, very modern while not being too flashy.

uplanderguy · September 2021

On both of our Chevys, there is a big analog speedometer but you can set the digital MPH in the center between the two instrument pods. We have the digital speed set up, easy to read at a glance.

A 'frenemy' of mine who says black if you say white, said while riding in my car, "Why do they have both digital and analog?". I said "You can turn the digital off if you want". Of course, he sees no issue with instrument panels with nothing in front of the driver and everything in the center, which drives me nuts.

ab348 · September 2021

andre1969 said:

That sounds like one of the early 80's K-based Chryslers, like maybe a New Yorker? I believe it was fairly common in the more expensive versions of the K- but I don't know how far down the food chain it trickled down.

He had a few of those in the mid-80s so that must have been it.

fintail · September 2021

Another interesting installment from Adam - definitely gets my award as the best relatively new YT presenter:

https://youtu.be/QBdcgdcf2qA

sda · September 2021

fintail said:
Another interesting installment from Adam - definitely gets my award as the best relatively new YT presenter:

https://youtu.be/QBdcgdcf2qA

Agreed. Very calm, logically presented, nothing over the top, helpful tips, thoughtful comparisons. I would love to see his entire collection.

jpp75 · September 2021

sda said:

fintail said:
Another interesting installment from Adam - definitely gets my award as the best relatively new YT presenter:

https://youtu.be/QBdcgdcf2qA
Agreed. Very calm, logically presented, nothing over the top, helpful tips, thoughtful comparisons. I would love to see his entire collection.

Ditto for me.

ab348 · September 2021

Adam is great. I still don't know how he does it and I thought he was taking the weekend off after no new videos were posted Friday and most of Saturday, but then suddenly some appeared. He loves his big Fords and Mercs.

fintail · September 2021

It'd be cool to see even a list of his entire collection. I want to see him review the bustleback, too.

Michaell · September 2021

LA Farmers Market:

stickguy · September 2021

yesterday was gorgeous so people had their toys out. Saw a line green AAR 'Cuda (seem that one before). Looked brand new. And a 1980s vintage El Camino. I do like those for some reason!

ab348 · September 2021

Michaell said:
LA Farmers Market:

I thought that looked familiar:

Post from January in Mystery Car Pics topic

uplanderguy · September 2021

It's all what you're used to, of course, but those Mercs just look like a battering ram to me. Hideaway lights really never did anything for me either. My first real boss, a drunk who hit on girls half his age, drove a navy blue one with silver vinyl top which probably also comes into my opinion, LOL.

kyfdx · September 2021

I saw a video clip from Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20?), where there is a car accident with a Grand Marquis and a Town Car (I think).

Now, I'm going to have to Google it.

kyfdx · September 2021

'79 Town Car, evidently

uplanderguy · September 2021

I can't recall which of you regulars gave me the CT driving/routing tips last month, but we were back up in New Haven this past weekend, with a rental Ford Transit van that had non-operational power steering at parking speeds, sigh. At New Haven when we dropped it, the kid at the counter said "That's normal". Yeah, OK, son.

We took Route 34, exit 11 on I-84, to get to New Haven. Very, very scenic, but twisty and hilly. Wife said "We're not going back that way", so went 91 and 691 to 84 like last time.

Daughter wanted to see Cheshire Academy where my wife's father went to school, so we drove up there. My high-school classmate, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, died in that infamous Cheshire home invasion case of 2007 and while in Cheshire I wanted to see 'Michaela's Garden', the memorial to her and her two daughters. Beautiful and serene.

I-84 in New York is beautiful countryside and minimal traffic. We stopped at Port Jervis, NY, just this side of the PA line, and I remember that it was a stop on the Erie-Lackawanna railroad which I took as a kid in the sixties from my hometown in NW PA to NYC where my mother's family lived.

On 84 we passed within 30 miles of Bethel where Woodstock was. I'd like to see that sometime.

andre1969 · September 2021

I like those big '73-78 Mercurys, but for some reason it was the Fords I couldn't stand. I think what it might be is that the Fords are trying too hard to be upscale and it comes off a bit pretentious and tacky, but with the Mercury, it comes more natural? I know one proportioning detail I don't care for, is how the Ford's grille was narrower and taller, in more of a mock-Mercedes fashion, whereas the Mercury grille seemed lower and wider.

On the subject of ostentation, I've seen an old dealer training video for the '77 Dodge Royal Monaco, comparing it to an LTD and a Caprice. With the Caprice they were going after the "don't let them convince you it's really a full-sized car" angle, but they couldn't do that with the Ford. So they went after what they called "needless ostentation" or something like that, and playing up how the Royal Monaco was supposedly better designed. Of course, "design" and "style" are not really synonyms for each other...

Now the '73-74 Monterey, I'm not a huge fan of...there's just something about that look where the headlights are set in their own little sub-grilles that I don't like. But, overall I think it's still more attractive than the '73-74 Ford.

One model I think would be pretty cool to have, would be a '73-74 Marquis 4-door hardtop. At a quick glance all the 4-door look like hardtops, because of the frameless door windows and the thin B-pillar, but they actually did make a few true hardtops in '73-74. But, it looks like they were pretty rare.

In '73 Mercury built 2,185 of the base hardtop sedan and 10,613 Broughams. For '74, those numbers were down to 784 and 4,189.

**Edit: I know "Mecurys" is not the plural of "Mercury". But for some reason, "Mercuries" just doesn't look right to me

fintail · September 2021

Might be dorky, but I like the hidden headlights, liked them on the period Mopars too. The white interior in that Mercury is also really something.

uplanderguy · September 2021

I've posted this here before, but it recently showed up on another car-related website. My friend took the photo in July 1956 and he allowed me to make a copy some twenty years ago. I posted it online in a couple places and it's been copied by other people many times over, which is OK since it's a great pic IMHO.

Color is so vivid!

The site somebody else posted it to the other day, is "Only Vintage Photos Taken From 1930 to 1969 of Cars, Trucks, and Motorcycles".

1956 Packard Caribbean convertible serial no. 5699-1258, on delivery day in front of the Carl E. Filer Co. A $6,000 car in 1956.

Sorry, can't figure a way to copy just the pic without the (safe) link.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4671560332855126&set=gm.2975112889411554

uplanderguy · September 2021

Since 'Mercury' is a brand name, I think I'd use 'Mercurys' too.

I use 'Chevys' instead of 'Chevies'.

fintail · September 2021

On that Caribbean note, I think I posted this some time ago. Several years back at a show in the small town where my mom lives, a Caribbean showed up - never saw it before, haven't seen it again. This car gave me the impression of being either a very old restoration, or maybe an unrestored car, it had numerous flaws, but still presented well:

imidazol97 · September 2021

These were grand cars from my youth. Love seeing them. I recall watching the TV
commercials for them savoring every second.

I saved this copyto my hard drive, and then used it for the picture here avoiding the facebook garbage.

ab348 · September 2021

andre1969 said:
One model I think would be pretty cool to have, would be a '73-74 Marquis 4-door hardtop. At a quick glance all the 4-door look like hardtops, because of the frameless door windows and the thin B-pillar, but they actually did make a few true hardtops in '73-74. But, it looks like they were pretty rare.

I thought Adam of that YouTube channel had featured one of those, but I guess it was a Ford LTD 4-door hardtop.

Watching the video of the Marquis on the weekend with its marshmallow ride, I found myself wondering if Mercury offered a heavy-duty or firm ride and handling suspension option on those cars back then. The brochures are no help as they barely mention options at all.

andre1969 · September 2021

I seem to recall an old comparison test that C&D or MT did around '73, where they tested a Marquis, Electra, and Ninety-Eight. I'm thinking the Ninety-Eight did best in handling, with the Marquis being a close second, and the Electra being a distant third, but it's been awhile since I've seen the article. I just remember it seeming a bit odd, because among that generation, I always thought of the big Buicks being a bit more youthful and sporty than the big Oldsmobiles. Relatively speaking, of course!

Anyway, I think the Olds had some kind of suspension upgrade, and maybe the Mercury did as well? And for whatever reason, they just didn't order any upgrade on the Electra?

One thing I've started noticing though, whenever I watch some old detective show like "Barnaby Jones", which was really Ford-heavy, is that it seems like every time they show one of the cars stopping, even a normal stop, it just seems like the car rocks a bit more than it should. And definitely more than if you see a Mopar or GM product doing a similar stop. So I wonder if Fords in general were tuned more a soft, isolating ride, but at the expense of handling?

uplanderguy · September 2021

Thanks for posting the pic, imidazol. The dealership building is still there, empty, owned by the town's water company. The showroom windows are all boarded over, I think to keep prying eyes off whatever is stored there.

I don't necessarily love the V8 Packards, but they were quite an effort for such a small company, and I admire that in an old car much of the time.

Out of 276 '56 convertibles built, that the one fin posted was the same color combo is intriguing. I'll not bore with the story, but I saw the actual Filer car in 1997 or 1998 in Kernersville, NC. At that time the owner was looking to sell and wanting a '56 Golden Hawk. At some point later, the car was being sold at the Amelia Island auction, where the copy said the Filer Co. was "an east coast dealer" which is rather humorous, as much as I have the utmost respect for the Filer Co. and family.

ab348 · September 2021

andre1969 said:

One thing I've started noticing though, whenever I watch some old detective show like "Barnaby Jones", which was really Ford-heavy, is that it seems like every time they show one of the cars stopping, even a normal stop, it just seems like the car rocks a bit more than it should. And definitely more than if you see a Mopar or GM product doing a similar stop. So I wonder if Fords in general were tuned more a soft, isolating ride, but at the expense of handling?

QM (Quinn Martin) Productions, who gave us shows like The FBI, Cannon, Streets of San Francisco, and Barnaby Jones, had a product placement deal with Ford, so those are what you saw. Mopars were always the stiffest standard suspension. Ford/Mercury seemed to have a marshmallow suspension in those years. I think HFII liked it that way. GM was all over the place, with some being not overly soft, but others like our '69 Impala were so soft that the wallowing almost made you carsick.

uplanderguy · September 2021

The building sold for only $35,000 in 2019, according to this link.

The shop area out back is wider than the showroom, and was built that way--L-shaped. You can faintly see a light gray, vine-covered part of the shop section in the pic, below. Six service bays out back, each with its own individual door. The center door is tall, for larger trucks.

I can remember a tall, dark blue "STUDEBAKER" vertical neon sign which hung on a pole out at the street for a few years at least, after the dealership was closed.

The Chevy/Cadillac dealer, much larger, was just behind and to the right of this dealership, facing a street that is parallel to S. Race St.

https://www.howardhanna.com/Property/Detail/43-S-Race-Street-Greenville-Boro-Mer-PA-16125/WestPennSOLD/1363555

uplanderguy · September 2021

andre's comment about a '73 Electra in a test, reminds me of a CR test of a new '73 Electra 225.

I recall it was not unusual for cars to have 'defects' in the twenties and thirties, but this Electra had 46. For some reason, I remember that vividly.

They had a photo where opening the RF door resulted in a dent either on the hood or the RF fender.

explorerx4 · September 2021

It would have been a good puzzler picture to post, but we couldn't get close enough.
I saw a GM single cab pickup with 4 wheel steering.
Noticed the bellows on the right rear.

tjc78 · September 2021

@kyfdx said:
'79 Town Car, evidently

I hate seeing that car destroyed. I remember when that video came out, still not a big MB20 fan.

andre1969 · September 2021

That jogged my memory, Uplander...I remember that Electra's door interfering with the surrounding sheetmetal, as well!

With the way the hood, fender, and door all come together, it does look like there's not much margin for error when it comes to clearances.

kyfdx · September 2021

tjc78 said:

@kyfdx said:

'79 Town Car, evidently

I hate seeing that car destroyed. I remember when that video came out, still not a big MB20 fan.

I'd never seen it. I was eating at the bar in a local tavern, and it was on the TV, with no sound. I'm not really a kid of the '90s.

Also, I only knew who the singer was, because he did the vocals on the last Santana hit.

ab348 · September 2021

This popped up on the Hemmings site this morning and it gave me a chuckle. I had heard of the Chuck Wagon previously, but didn't know it was still in use.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2021/09/06/the-most-long-lived-tool-in-the-gm-design-is-the-gmc-motorhome-based-viewing-platform-called-thechuck-wagon

I love the pictures of the Design Staff peering through the windows at their work.

andre1969 · September 2021

Wow, it seems like that Adam guy has reviewed a little bit of everything. Here's an '83 Gran Fury review he did...at a quick glance this one looks like a dead ringer for my old '89 ex police car!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a-xXJPP3Lg

I do like how this guy's reviews are pretty level-headed and unbiased. I mean obviously he likes the car, if he bought it, but he doesn't have a dog in this fight, and he understands the shortcomings of the various cars.

explorerx4 · September 2021

I didn't think I would make it through, but I watched the whole Grand Marquis/Delta 88 Royale segment.

andre1969 · September 2021

That pic Michaell posted of the LA Farmer's market, inspired me to take this pic the other day, when I had a small Labor Day cookout...

It really reminded me of just how drab and boring looking most of today's cars are. I swear the old black and white pic almost looks more colorful than this one!

I mean, there's still enough difference that for someone who's into cars, you can still make out what they are, and determine the generation, if not the exact model year. I wonder though, if you showed that LA Farmer's Market pic to some younger people, especially those who aren't into cars, if they'd all look alike to them, as well? And maybe the younger people can differentiate these modern cars better than I can?

I wonder if the whole "all cars are starting to look alike" mentality is just something that comes along with old(er) age?

sda · September 2021

andre1969 said:
That pic Michaell posted of the LA Farmer's market, inspired me to take this pic the other day, when I had a small Labor Day cookout...

It really reminded me of just how drab and boring looking most of today's cars are. I swear the old black and white pic almost looks more colorful than this one!

I mean, there's still enough difference that for someone who's into cars, you can still make out what they are, and determine the generation, if not the exact model year. I wonder though, if you showed that LA Farmer's Market pic to some younger people, especially those who aren't into cars, if they'd all look alike to them, as well? And maybe the younger people can differentiate these modern cars better than I can?

I wonder if the whole "all cars are starting to look alike" mentality is just something that comes along with old(er) age?

The Passat is especially drab looking. Lol. Has your garage been completed?

tjc78 · September 2021

@andre1969 said:
That pic Michaell posted of the LA Farmer's market, inspired me to take this pic the other day, when I had a small Labor Day cookout...

It really reminded me of just how drab and boring looking most of today's cars are. I swear the old black and white pic almost looks more colorful than this one!

I mean, there's still enough difference that for someone who's into cars, you can still make out what they are, and determine the generation, if not the exact model year. I wonder though, if you showed that LA Farmer's Market pic to some younger people, especially those who aren't into cars, if they'd all look alike to them, as well? And maybe the younger people can differentiate these modern cars better than I can?

I wonder if the whole "all cars are starting to look alike" mentality is just something that comes along with old(er) age?

The Grand Marquis is the pick of the litter there!!

ab348 · September 2021

explorerx4 said:
I didn't think I would make it through, but I watched the whole Grand Marquis/Delta 88 Royale segment.

He posted this over the last day or two: "For those in the metro Detroit area, I will be at the Eyes on Design car show September 19th at the Edsel Ford House in Grosse Pointe, MI. And, I will be bringing my 72 Imperial and 68 Park Lane Brougham hardtop. "

andre1969 · September 2021

explorerx4 said:
I didn't think I would make it through, but I watched the whole Grand Marquis/Delta 88 Royale segment.

So, which one did you pick? Hitch-hiking? The bus?

explorerx4 · September 2021

@andre1969,
I would pick the Mercury. Less likely to get stolen in Warren.

andre1969 · September 2021

I actually don't mind that Passat, although I believe that's the one people started calling the "Volkswagen Impala" or something like that? Garage still has a bit to go. They did get all the concrete slab/stoops/etc finished. But it still needs gutters, garage doors, and a staircase. And a load or two of gravel dumped in front to smooth out the incline.

I also need to figure out what I want to do with the garage floor. I had put down epoxy floor paint in the old garage, the type where you can sprinkle the little colored flecks in. It was okay...I did it myself, and probably didn't prep it right or something, because it started peeling up in a few spots, where water would get in under the doors. And of course, when you do it yourself it usually doesn't look as good as it does in the pictures or on tv! The construction crew finished off the garage floor nice and smooth, to the point it almost has a shine to it! I was thinking maybe some kind of clear stuff, that still makes it look like unpainted concrete, but where it's still easy to wipe up oil spills and other stains.

xwesx · September 2021

Our garage floor was shined up nicely when they installed it, and we have yet to put any sort of finish on it (19 years later). We still use the space as our primary living area, and I think it has aged quite nicely. It as an appealing shine/patina on it in the areas we traverse regularly.

sda · September 2021

I was poking fun at the Passat as almost every publication finds the styling boring, uninspired yet it will ‘age well’. And what do I drive?? Construction progress can try patience. As I’ve been told more than once, “patience is a virtue.”

stickguy · September 2021

I think after 19 years it’s not a garage, it’s your house.

benjaminh · September 2021

A recent video on a 1967 Thunderbird with 18,000 original miles. Original paint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtGC6o4Xdng

explorerx4 · September 2021

That TBird sure is a pretty car.

andre1969 · September 2021

I'm liking that T-bird, too. In general, my interest in them started dropping off for '67, probably because they stopped making convertibles, and they seemed to begin trading the sportiness for out and out opulence.

But, I think they still look pretty good, with the hidden headlights, and the model with the smaller C-pillar like this one, which still gives you a roll-down window in back. I'm even starting to like the 4-door models better. I used to think a 4-door T-bird just seemed "wrong", but I guess you could look at it as sort of a precursor to the Seville, or to a lesser degree, the 1995-99 Aurora. I always thought of that one as a bit of a "personal luxury sedan", kind of like a 4-door Toronado. While it was a 4-door car, the body style did cut down on interior room a bit, compared to something like an 88 or Ninety-Eight of the era.

It also got me thinking...I remember when people started griping about a 4-door Grand Prix and, more recently, a 4-door Charger. But then here Ford went and set the tone for that kind of stuff, way back in the 60's!

I do think this style got messed up when Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen tried to Pontiac-ize them, with the exposed headlights and the beak. Although, I think they look good from the back...

Kinda interesting that, even though it was a RWD car, here they put hubcaps on it that jut out more, giving it a FWD look similar to the Eldorado and Toronado.

explorerx4 · September 2021

This is just a preview video, but I'm looking forward to the real one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biQGarsZRyE

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

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