Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

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

1111511161118112011211279

Comments

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    edited September 2021
    On the subject of black cars, I've never had one. My '68 Dart was primer-black when I bought it, but its original color was antique white, with a two-tone interior. The seats and door panels were all white, but everything else was burgundy.

    The only two cars I had with a black interior were my '69 Dart GT (a light beige color) and my '67 Catalina, which is kind of a pale, creamy yellow. I wonder, if the reverse of that would work? A black car, but with a light creme/beige/pale yellow interior? I could see that combo working well on a 50's car, especially with a black/yellow two-toning. But by the 70's, I'm not so sure.

    Normally I wouldn't think of a blue interior with a black car, but that '73 Galaxie 4-door hardtop looks decent in that combo.

    **Edit: on black cars with yellow interiors: I could see something like a Camaro, Mustang, or other sporty car pulling it off, although I'd imagine the interior would actually be a combination of black and yellow. And I doubt anybody's doing yellow dashboards anymore, unless it's one of those pay-through-the-nose customized jobs.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    I had one black car, my '90 GTI, and it had the standard gray multi-tone fuzzy cloth interior with black accents which worked well with the paint:



    These days you see lots of black cars and most have black interiors, but a few dealers locally will spec them with beige inside to make it seem less gloomy, so that combo is not too unusual.

    In '67, Olds offered a Saffron interior on the Cutlass. I've only ever seen it with Saffron paint which is the same paint used on your Catalina. I don't know if it was available with other paint choices. I like the color and think this interior is pretty cool:


    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,441
    2 rare fords yesterday driving around. First a hot Rod Edsel wagon. Lime kool aid green with a white two tone roof. Modded, on mags, jacked rear, definitely breathed on engine. Why someone did it, I can’t say.

    Then a 72ish Ranchero. Also hopped up. Dark blue with orange stripes and slashes. Maybe a Mets fan? Big rear tires, nice rumble, smelled like running really rich. I think it was a stick too.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,057
    edited September 2021
    RE.: '67 Cutlass interior--a school friend's parents had a '67 Vista Cruiser. I was always amazed by the squarish glovebox door that opened up.

    Saw these cars at a tiny used-car lot in Ravenna, OH today.

    andremobile--'70 Newport Custom four-door sedan--383 V8; asking $8,300; "original paint"




    '68 Riviera--gorgeous styling IMHO, but I didn't notice when I took the pic, the not-great hood to fender alignment. Asking $9,800.



    One sort-of negative about the '68 Riv is that it started using the regular full-size Buick instrument panel that year instead of having its own unique panel. This '68 had the brushed metal trim, from the Wildcat I believe, which looked nice. It had the strato-bench seats, used from Caprice on up, any number of models. They look nice, but I recall from a college friend's '68 Bonneville Brougham, those seat backs were hard and thin for a luxury car.



    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,057
    Same lot had a Dodge Diplomat coupe, my guess would be late seventies/early eighties. I like the styling of those cars, but this one had an opera-style (a la '71 Eldorado) straight-up-and-down quarter window. I always liked the larger quarter windows of those cars, and the LeBarons, better. It was a pale yellow and in authentic/clean original condition. I don't recall the price.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    edited September 2021
    Hmm, I'd be a bit curious about that Diplomat. My guess is that it's a '77-79, as they were more common. These are the ones that usually had a triangular quarter window, but you could get the smaller opera window as an option. The '77-79 also had a bit of a "boat-tail" rear end, or at least, a slight point at the center of the rear. And the front had a somewhat handsome, yet nondescript front-end that honestly would have looked fine on a Buick.

    For 1980 it was restyled, and squared up considerably. The coupe was moved to a shorter 108.7" wb (versus 112.7" in '77-79) to make room for the new Cordoba/Mirada coupes. The front-end had a more formal grille that spread outwards at the bottom, below the headlights, and encompassed the turn signals/running lights. It makes me think, just a bit of a '60 DeSoto, the way its grille did the same thing and housed the turn signals. The '80-81 coupes, however, were very poor sellers, and were dropped for '82.

    **Edit: Now that I look back and see you mention "straight-up-and-down" quarter windows, I'm almost positive you saw a '77-79. The '80 had a forward slant, more like the opera window on a Colonade Monte Carlo...

    Here's a '78 Diplomat coupe with those narrow opera windows...


    And here's an '81:


  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,057
    Yes, it's that first (earlier) style.

    I see now that the car is in the background of the Riviera pic, although not many details can be seen.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 17,314

    @andre1969 said:
    Definitely, yes! My Granddad had an old Ford from that era, a '32 I believe. 2-door sedan. I remember him mentioning that he flipped it, but was able to get it upright again, and keep on driving it. Just to show how far my family hasn't migrated, over the decades, I can still remember him showing me, roughly, where he had flipped it!

    Here you go…

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive

  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,938

    @andre1969 said:

    Definitely, yes! My Granddad had an old Ford from that era, a '32 I believe. 2-door sedan. I remember him mentioning that he flipped it, but was able to get it upright again, and keep on driving it. Just to show how far my family hasn't migrated, over the decades, I can still remember him showing me, roughly, where he had flipped it!

    Here you go…


    Great colors, very sharp.

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

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    That Chrysler sedan is a little pricey, but looks to be in excellent condition. Except for the doofus that substituted poverty caps and trim rings for the original full wheel covers.

    The Riv looks like it has a bad hood hinge on the right side. My Cutlass had a similar problem though not as bad as that and it would go back into the correct position if you pushed it down. Apparently it was a common problem on '68s and maybe the same design was used on the Riv. Also good point on the dashboard change for the '68. The '67 version was better. It might not have been able to pass the more stringent safety regs for '68 though.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    I just zoomed in on that one pic where you can see the Diplomat in the background. Is my mind playing tricks on me, or is it seriously priced $9,999?!

    The Newport doesn't seem like *too* hideous of a price, since it does look like it's in really sharp condition. But that Riviera, the $9800 price actually seems fairly reasonable to me! Was there anything else wrong with it that stuck out? It looks pretty nice in the pics to me, except for that hood alignment. I guess in my mind, I'm just looking at the $8300 for the Newport as sort of a baseline, and thinking that surely the Riv has to be desireable enough to warrant a larger price premium than that, over the Chrysler?

    It's cool to still see places like that, where you'll see interesting finds like that on a used car lot.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    One thing I never noticed before...if I squint my eyes a bit (and let me take another sip of this Yuengling :p ) the front-end of that '78 Diplomat bears a resemblance to a '77 Impala.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,856
    edited September 2021

    I don’t remember those Diplomat coupes at all. The 81 really isn’t all that bad looking. I guess they would have competed with a Lesabre coupe and/or the Panther coupes?

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    andre1969 said:

    One thing I never noticed before...if I squint my eyes a bit (and let me take another sip of this Yuengling :p ) the front-end of that '78 Diplomat bears a resemblance to a '77 Impala.

    I got more of a Buick vibe. I always liked those 2-door Dips. I never knew they shortened the wheelbase with the refresh for 1980. Those wheels like on the ‘81 that Andre posted were really sharp.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,441
    Andre, with the crazy used car market now, especially with 10s or 100s of thousands of newly flooded cars needing replacement, might able to sell off some of your fleet and pay for the new garage.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,938
    I like the clean look, color and wheels of the 81. The cornering lights are a nice touch. As a negative I assume backseat legroom and overall space was less than the 77.

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

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    edited September 2021
    Geez, I think all fuselages were some derivation of green. My grandpa had a 71 Newport hardtop. 383, but if I recall it right from old pics, dog dish caps. Green on green. The car had some weird story behind it (before my time), maybe bought as a demo but had been in an undisclosed crash and had frame issues, and gave my grandpa problems. Apparently the 65 Newport it replaced was far more reliable.

    That 81 Diplomat looks like it has the same wheels as Andre's 5th Ave. The 78 in the pic appears to have T-tops.

    If that Riv is as nice as it looks in the pic, seems like a very fair price.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    The slightly slanted windshield is an easy way to spot a 31 - I think that feature appeared later in the production run.

    @andre1969 said:

    Definitely, yes! My Granddad had an old Ford from that era, a '32 I believe. 2-door sedan. I remember him mentioning that he flipped it, but was able to get it upright again, and keep on driving it. Just to show how far my family hasn't migrated, over the decades, I can still remember him showing me, roughly, where he had flipped it!


  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    fintail said:

    Geez, I think all fuselages were some derivation of green. My grandpa had a 71 Newport hardtop. 383, but if I recall it right from old pics, dog dish caps.

    According to the brochure wheel covers were standard.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Maybe it had these, which I guess could give that impression (and I suspect the car was this color, from what I recall):



    Or maybe they were switched when the car had its apparent repair. Need to find a pic.
    ab348 said:

    fintail said:

    Geez, I think all fuselages were some derivation of green. My grandpa had a 71 Newport hardtop. 383, but if I recall it right from old pics, dog dish caps.

    According to the brochure wheel covers were standard.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    edited September 2021
    sda said:

    I like the clean look, color and wheels of the 81. The cornering lights are a nice touch. As a negative I assume backseat legroom and overall space was less than the 77.

    I think the wheels really stand out on this car. They're 15x7 rims more commonly seen on something like a Dodge Mirada. I have a set on my 5th Avenue. Most cars in this size range tended to run on 14" rims, and I'd guess a 5.5-6 inch width?

    As for legroom, you'd think that dropping from 112.7" to 108.7" in wheelbase would result in a pretty big loss of legroom, but these coupes weren't all that space efficient to begin with. The only statistic I could find was a '79 LeBaron coupe, which listed back seat legroom at 34.0". I found 30.7" for the '76 Aspen coupe, which was on the shorter wheelbase from the get-go. I would think the Diplomat and LeBaron coupes, once they were moved to the shorter wheelbase, would be similar, but perhaps not. The more formal roofline might have allowed them to push the back seat a bit further rearward, to offset the loss in wheelbase.

    It's a bit ironic, I think, that they moved the Diplomat and LeBaron coupes to the shorter wheelbase so they didn't compete so directly with the Cordoba and Mirada. But, when they shrunk them, they made them look even more like personal luxury coupes than the '77-79 models!

    I had always thought of these cars more as upscale compacts, a reaction to the Granada, although they sort of became midsize-by-default. But, a few months ago I found this old dealer training film on Youtube:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaIy6XK8bcU

    Looks like right out the box, the Diplomat coupe had its sights set on the personal luxury car market. And to be fair, a lot of midsized 2-doors were so space-inefficient that the EPA classified them as compacts, so a Diplomat or LeBaron coupe probably could pass off as a nice alternative to a Monte Carlo, Cutlass Supreme, or T-bird. Or, to Mopar's chagrin, a Cordoba, Charger SE, or Magnum...

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    andre1969 said:


    As for legroom, you'd think that dropping from 112.7" to 108.7" in wheelbase would result in a pretty big loss of legroom, but these coupes weren't all that space efficient to begin with. The only statistic I could find was a '79 LeBaron coupe, which listed back seat legroom at 34.0". I found 30.7" for the '76 Aspen coupe, which was on the shorter wheelbase from the get-go. I would think the Diplomat and LeBaron coupes, once they were moved to the shorter wheelbase, would be similar, but perhaps not. The more formal roofline might have allowed them to push the back seat a bit further rearward, to offset the loss in wheelbase.

    The '78 Diplomat brochure actually has a dimensions table that included legroom by body style:


    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    Cool, thanks AB348. I had started off looking at the '79 Diplomat, couldn't find anything, so then jumped to the LeBaron.

    Anyway, at 34.0" of rear legroom, it does stack up pretty good to cars like the T-bird (32.7", although I found that in a Cougar brochure), Cordoba (32.1") and Monte Carlo (32.9"). Although sadly, a Granada/Monarch, which I always thought of as one of the worst when it came to space efficiency, is 33.9"

    The Granada comes up short on front legroom though, at 40.6", whereas a T-bird/XR-7 was 42.1", Monte Carlo was 42.4", and the Cordoba was 42.6"

    So I guess if you want to think of the Diplomat/LeBaron coupes as personal luxury coupes, maybe they were sort of a baby-step towards downsizing/improved space efficiency, although nowhere near as radical as the '78 Monte Carlo et al. Or the '80 T-bird/XR-7.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    andre1969 said:


    So I guess if you want to think of the Diplomat/LeBaron coupes as personal luxury coupes, maybe they were sort of a baby-step towards downsizing/improved space efficiency, although nowhere near as radical as the '78 Monte Carlo et al. Or the '80 T-bird/XR-7.

    Looking at the brochures, early Diplomat interiors could be spec'ed out to be very posh. Some of the seat trims would rival any domestic luxury or personal-luxury brand. The dashboard gave a similar first impression too, though I always found the instrument faces to be overstyled and busy to the extent that they were difficult to actually read at a glance. One thing I have no memory of is how quiet and smooth they drove. My only impressions of that came from later-model more basic versions which might have had some of the sound insulation stripped out to meet a price point.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,156
    Pacific Coast Highway, around 1977:


    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4

  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,311
    Datsun B-210 "honeybee" or something like that?
    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2018 Honda CR-V EX AWD (wife's)
  • mrwhipple311mrwhipple311 Member Posts: 53
    Michaell said:

    Pacific Coast Highway, around 1977:


    Its like watching CHiPs without the Blue Accord or Green GTO ramp car
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,685
    Street view of that area looks about the same today.
  • MichaellMichaell Moderator Posts: 240,156
    texases said:

    Street view of that area looks about the same today.

    Absolutely! Only erosion or fire will take those houses.

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and let us know! Post a pic of your new purchase or lease!


    MODERATOR

    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2014 MINI Countryman S ALL4

  • lemko1968lemko1968 Member Posts: 111

    Can’t get more obscure than this: a mid-1950s Eshelman.

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    At far left MB W116 with a Volvo brick behind it.
    Michaell said:

    Pacific Coast Highway, around 1977:

  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657

    Michaell said:

    Pacific Coast Highway, around 1977:


    Its like watching CHiPs without the Blue Accord or Green GTO ramp car
    LOL...I always wondered what the story was behind that blue Accord. I don't know if it was around as a background car for all six seasons, but it sure was in a lot of episodes! The IMCDB shows pics of it from seasons 1-5. They do show a pic from season 6, but it's a front shot, and that car looks gray/silver to me.

    I wonder if that Accord belonged to a member of the crew, or something? Here's a pic of it from the third season...

    The pale blue Firebird next to it seemed to show up a lot, too. I think that might be a 1977-only color.

    I think the GTO Ramp Car showed up sometime in Season 2. In the first season, while they did have car crashes, they tended to be more realistic, and cars didn't go airborne, but in season 2 they started that. I also recall a Dart Sport or Duster being used as a ramp car for a bit, but I seem to remember in one of the stunts, it took some serious damage, so that might've been when they went to the GTO?

    I think they still had that GTO around by the end of the 6th season. At least, I remember one of the final episodes, "Things that Go Creep In the Night", with Rich Little, there was a pretty spectacular pile up at the beginning, and I think that GTO was involved. I also remember towards the end, Rich Little was trying to evade the cops in a '62 Cadillac hearse that, mercifully, turned into a '64 when it went over an embankment. (I say mercifully, because I've always had a thing for the '61-62 Caddy)
  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,938
    I believe the light blue Firebird was the special ‘Bluebird’ edition. IIRC they had several special edition colors that year, I think to attract female buyers.

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

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    sda said:

    I believe the light blue Firebird was the special ‘Bluebird’ edition. IIRC they had several special edition colors that year, I think to attract female buyers.

    Well, how about that, you learn something new every day. I had not heard of these special color Firebirds. Of course, there is a webpage about them:

    https://firebirdtransamparts.com/redsky/ladybirds.htm

    They're pretty interesting in that the Sky Bird seems aimed at the female market, whereas the Red Bird looks a bit more macho, at least enough that a guy wouldn't be afraid to drive one. The Yellow Bird sort of is between the two.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,057
    They were all pretty 'fem' in my memory. I think the colors were the only differentiating factor. They all had the heavy velour interior.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,441
    I wouldn’t mind a red or yellow. The blue is too much. V8 manual of course!

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,057
    edited September 2021
    That vid andre provided of the Diplomat--those may have been the last Chrysler cars I liked a lot. Perfect size, elegant styling in the coupes. I like the Diplomat's front styling better than the LeBaron's, and the added prestige or whatever of the Chrysler name doesn't mean anything to me, and maybe nobody else, but parking lights belong below the headlights not above, LOL!

    There is a GM 'reminder' look of the front of the Diplomat IMHO.

    When my Dad was deciding on whether to buy a new '77 Impala in the fall of '76, I remember him looking square-on at the front of a new '77 Impala wagon and saying, "The front does look pretty nice". I like the '77 Impala's front styling too...simple, better than the frou-frou front of the Caprice to my eyes.

    MHO is that usually, the first year of a body style has the most cohesive styling all-around. Subsequent years were changed for the sake of model-year change. One exception that jumps into my head is I think the '56 Ford is a lot nicer than the '55 it is similar to.
    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    edited September 2021
    Yeah, that blue is just too much for me, too. In that screen shot I posted from "CHiPs" I don't mind it so much, because it was taken on an overcast day, so the way it washes out, doesn't look so different from that '75 only (I think) baby/sky/whatever blue that I love so much on something like a LeSabre convertible.

    But in person, I just don't care for it, and it's hard to say why. Part of the problem is that there's just TOO much blue, like up in the taillight trim, grille inserts, etc. And I think the wheel pattern has too much silver in it, that the light blue just washes out in it. Also, that's not a design that's more deep-set like a Pontiac Rally 2, where I think the contrast might work better.

    Actually, looking at this pic, I can put my finger on it I think...


    In this light, it has more of a pastel look to it, which seems out of place for the late 70's. It might have looked good on a 50's car, maybe even some very early 60's models, but it just seems like something that would have been better suited to something that had wide sidewalls.

    The whitewalls might be something that's throwing me off, too. They just seem out of place on a car like this. Maybe if the car had blackwalls, and some blackout trim here and there, I wouldn't mind the color so much.

    I like the red the best, and if forced to choose that one would be my choice. But even the yellow doesn't seem too bad. That blue just seems out of place to me, though.

    **Edit: I don't know why, but when I thought of a car that blue would look on, my first thought was a '55 Oldsmobile. Well, lo and behold!


    Granted, it's not exact, but it has a strong similarity, at least viewing through my monitor (and admittedly, my eyesight which isn't quite what it used to be!)
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657

    That vid andre provided of the Diplomat--those may have been the last Chrysler cars I liked a lot. Perfect size, elegant styling in the coupes. I like the Diplomat's front styling better than the LeBaron's, and the added prestige or whatever of the Chrysler name doesn't mean anything to me, and maybe nobody else, but parking lights belong below the headlights not above, LOL!

    I'm the same way, I just prefer the more "normal" front treatment of the Diplomat. And then, the later Diplomat/Gran Fury. The turn signals above the headlights just seems wrong, and think it makes the cars look top-heavy. I don't mind it so much on the '77-79 models, but for '80, with the narrower, taller grille, and the way the turn signals go all the way up and curve over the top, I'm just not a fan of.

    I don't know how Mopar managed to do it, but somehow they seemed to get the M-body fairly right, from the start. The Apen/Volare were trouble-prone from their launch. The Omni/Horizon had a bunch of issues, and I think they were amplified by it winning Motor Trend's Car of the Year...that put them under even more scrutiny, and made them (and MT) a bit of a laughing stock.

    Then the R-body, as much as I love them, I'll concede their build quality was pretty bad the first year. Same for the J-body (Cordoba/Mirada). I think the '81 Imperial would have been okay, if it wasn't for the fuel injection which was troubleprone. And then, naturally, the K-cars were pretty bad at launch.

    The only rationale I can think of for the M-body being a cut above, is that I believe it came out in mid-1977. It was heavily based on the F- (Aspen/Volare), but was beefed up. And the Aspen/Volare themselves went through a fairly major quality control correction in mid-1977, so the ones after that aren't nearly as bad as the '76/early '77 models. The M-body had its issues, no doubt, being a product of the 70's, but at least it was among the better offerings in that range of car.

  • mrwhipple311mrwhipple311 Member Posts: 53
    andre1969 said:

    Michaell said:

    Pacific Coast Highway, around 1977:


    Its like watching CHiPs without the Blue Accord or Green GTO ramp car
    LOL...I always wondered what the story was behind that blue Accord. I don't know if it was around as a background car for all six seasons, but it sure was in a lot of episodes! The IMCDB shows pics of it from seasons 1-5. They do show a pic from season 6, but it's a front shot, and that car looks gray/silver to me.

    I wonder if that Accord belonged to a member of the crew, or something? Here's a pic of it from the third season...

    The pale blue Firebird next to it seemed to show up a lot, too. I think that might be a 1977-only color.

    I think the GTO Ramp Car showed up sometime in Season 2. In the first season, while they did have car crashes, they tended to be more realistic, and cars didn't go airborne, but in season 2 they started that. I also recall a Dart Sport or Duster being used as a ramp car for a bit, but I seem to remember in one of the stunts, it took some serious damage, so that might've been when they went to the GTO?

    I think they still had that GTO around by the end of the 6th season. At least, I remember one of the final episodes, "Things that Go Creep In the Night", with Rich Little, there was a pretty spectacular pile up at the beginning, and I think that GTO was involved. I also remember towards the end, Rich Little was trying to evade the cops in a '62 Cadillac hearse that, mercifully, turned into a '64 when it went over an embankment. (I say mercifully, because I've always had a thing for the '61-62 Caddy)
    I recall that the Accord was used by the stunt director or something of the like and it would be used as a pace car.
    Don't recall the source though
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034

    They were all pretty 'fem' in my memory. I think the colors were the only differentiating factor. They all had the heavy velour interior.

    According to one of the webpages I found on the Bird cars, you could get vinyl seats in at least some years. They showed a picture of the Sky Bird with blue vinyl inside.

    I find it odd that I have no recollection of ever seeing one locally. It's not like they were ultra-rare.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • sdasda Member Posts: 6,938
    A high school friend of my younger sister had a new Yellow Bird fully loaded including T-tops. I can’t describe the cloth interior other than it was beige with black very small squares, very handsome and looked comfortable. I don’t know what engine it had but it wasn’t the V6. My sister was driving her 73 Subaru 1300 GT hooptie.

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

  • lemko1968lemko1968 Member Posts: 111

    Beautiful 1966 Pontiac Bonneville.

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,441
    hoarder guy (cars and other stuff) had something new today. a 80s vintage El Camino Conquistador. Looked to be in OK original shape. He happened to be out so I commented that I liked them which he appreciated. Said that he was using it to replace his recent vintage Silverado because it was too big for what he needed a truck for.

    of course, he also has a early 80s F250 that I never saw move out in the road, and a 1970ish El Camino too. Plus an Allante, late 70s Fleetwod, and a C3 Vette in the driveway under ratty covers.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • uplanderguyuplanderguy Member Posts: 16,057
    edited September 2021
    That '66 Bonneville is gorgeous; great color too IMHO.

    RE.: The "(fill in the blank) Bird" Firebirds--so much for not looking at the brochure I guess. Of the half-dozen total I probably saw in the last 40+ years, all were velour inside but apparently vinyl was available.

    I went back to the little dealer and got pics of the Diplomat. I didn't hang around long as felt I was going to be bothered by a salesman in no time flat. The "WARRANTY/NO WARRANTY" sheet on the window said "1979 Dodge Diplomat Salon". Somewhat bland interior, but not bad. $8,999 asking price.






    2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Diplomat looks nice, but 9 grand, I don't know about that even in the current inflationary fun.

    I've noticed a Mercury Lynx sitting in a driveway in the neighborhood, kind of a weird color - looks like plum almost, but could be oxidized dark grey. It hasn't moved in ages, but today was out on the parking strip, maybe being hauled off. Either being saved by a fan of the old and mundane, or off to the parking lot in the sky.

    Regarding light blue cars, there's a facelift first gen (MY 86-87) Tempo sedan in the area, kind of a powder/pastel blue. Also appears to not be on the road much.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,034
    fintail said:


    Regarding light blue cars, there's a facelift first gen (MY 86-87) Tempo sedan in the area, kind of a powder/pastel blue. Also appears to not be on the road much.

    In that same theme, Hemmings featured this pastel blue Bunkie Bird today.

    https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/thunderbird/2519627




    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,097
    Definitely more appropriate on that. Nice interior, as Birds tended to have. Dunno about that price, but I suppose if you want one, that could be the best one around.

    Tempo was like this I guess, couldn't find a great pic as these seldom were saved.

    image
    ab348 said:



    In that same theme, Hemmings featured this pastel blue Bunkie Bird today.

    https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/ford/thunderbird/2519627

  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,311

    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2018 Honda CR-V EX AWD (wife's)
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,657
    That Diplomat is nice, but just doesn't grab me. Part of the problem is I've just ended up with too many cars in that color range over the years. In fact, I think the color on that one is called "Light Cashmere" or something like that...it looks like the color of my old '79 Newport.

    "Salon" was the middle trim level that year, with "Medallion" being the top dog and the base just being "Diplomat". Looks like the interior is fairly standard...even the basic cloth in these cars wasn't bad. Well for entry level at least. Crank windows, but the position of that steering wheel makes me think it might be a tilt. I'm pretty sure the landau roof was optional, though. I'm starting to wonder, if perhaps they only offered the narrow opera window with the landau roof in '79? I tried googling pictures, and the only '79 I saw with the large triangular window was a model with no no vinyl covering at all.

    But good lord that price! Either I'm extremely out of touch, or someone's overly optimistic. Or both.
Sign In or Register to comment.