Mystery car pix

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Comments

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,711
    The "T" suffix on the UK plated Niva dates it to 1978/79.

    60 Ford in the front row of the car lot is a Galaxie 4 door post, could be a Galaxie 2 door post in the back row.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    Cool pic here taken in the early '90s of a somewhat famous singer and actor behind the wheel of a classic convertible. Taken on Canon Dr. in L.A. in front of Caffe Roma, courtesy of Vintage Los Angeles.


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  • magnettemagnette Member Posts: 4,239
    That Buick next to the entrance -is it a 60 Le Sabre?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,711
    Pretty sure my dad's Country Sedan was the same color as that convertible. BMW E32 in front of it.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    magnette said:

    That Buick next to the entrance -is it a 60 Le Sabre?

    Yes sir!

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  • tmarttmart Member Posts: 2,415
    Don’t recognize the driver, but he’s in a red 60 Ford Sunliner.
  • sdasda Member Posts: 7,701
    Is it Ricardo Montobaln? (sp?)

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  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    sda said:

    Is it Ricardo Montobaln? (sp?)

    I wouldn't think so, there's no Corinthian leather in a '60 Ford.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    The driver is the late Al Martino, the father of Alison Martino who runs the Vintage Los Angeles page, and she says he loved to drive the '60 Ford Sunliner that was his fun/cruising personal car. Al is best known for his singing career but was also in several movies, most notably The Godfather.

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  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 17,318
    edited October 2021

    Two nice Panther wagons across the street too.

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  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    ab348 said:

    The driver is the late Al Martino, the father of Alison Martino who runs the Vintage Los Angeles page, and she says he loved to drive the '60 Ford Sunliner that was his fun/cruising personal car. Al is best known for his singing career but was also in several movies, most notably The Godfather.

    IIRC Martino's Godfather character was based on Sinatra.https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553887/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,736




    Did anyone notice how the instrument cluster and the lower controls have the same shape as the
    taillight and the reflector light on the rear bumper. Alliteration.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,711
    That arc theme is in the car, especially the Starliner, I also see it in the front fenders, and the roofline too. The optional reflectors under the taillights help with that too.

    That design influenced the 1962 UK Ford Capri, which I see as kind of a 2/3 scale Starliner:

    image
    imidazol97 said:



    Did anyone notice how the instrument cluster and the lower controls have the same shape as the
    taillight and the reflector light on the rear bumper. Alliteration.

  • sdasda Member Posts: 7,701
    imidazol97 said:





    Did anyone notice how the instrument cluster and the lower controls have the same shape as the
    taillight and the reflector light on the rear bumper. Alliteration.

    What was the reason ‘blue dots’ were added to tail lights?

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  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 269,877
    sda said:

    imidazol97 said:





    Did anyone notice how the instrument cluster and the lower controls have the same shape as the
    taillight and the reflector light on the rear bumper. Alliteration.

    What was the reason ‘blue dots’ were added to tail lights?
    Custom!

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  • tmarttmart Member Posts: 2,415
    To look cool.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,736
    sda said:

    imidazol97 said:





    Did anyone notice how the instrument cluster and the lower controls have the same shape as the
    taillight and the reflector light on the rear bumper. Alliteration.

    What was the reason ‘blue dots’ were added to tail lights?
    "In taillights with internal parabolic reflectors, the blue dots gave a very vivid magenta color to the taillight when viewed from directly behind. It's actually pretty neat. On vehicles with no reflector inside the taillight housing, the effect was much less pronounced and not worth doing."

    I recall that fad from the 50s. On some taillights it makes the color more purplish and piercing, in my opinion. It was a fad somewhat like the fad of recent years of having "fog lights" or "driving lights" on your car and driving around in normal weather with them on to impress people.


    https://mechanics.stackexchange.com/questions/50296/what-was-the-initial-idea-behind-those-blue-dot-tail-lights-from-the-30s-to#:~:text=In taillights with internal parabolic,pronounced and not worth doing.

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  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,736
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IB2LE7TcEY

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,170
    1969 Cougar, XR7?
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    This one might be a bit more difficult:


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  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,170
    1960 Auto Union SP 1000?
  • tmarttmart Member Posts: 2,415
    ab348 said:

    This one might be a bit more difficult:


    Kinda looks like a 57 Ford mated with a 55 Thunderbird! Or an offspring of a 57 Thunderbird.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    texases said:

    1960 Auto Union SP 1000?

    That's it, though the listing tabs it as a '59 model. I had never seen one before. Not a bad design for the era.

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  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    edited October 2021
    ab348 said:

    texases said:

    1960 Auto Union SP 1000?

    That's it, though the listing tabs it as a '59 model. I had never seen one before. Not a bad design for the era.
    It's as good an example as any of the influence Detroit's 1950s styling themes had on European styling. The SP1000 ticks all the boxes with a wraparound windshield, hardtop roof and tailfins. The result IMO is kind of a disproportianate mess.

    More pleasing results occurred when stylist paid more attention to proportions and didn't try to get all the gingerbread on the car>



    Here we have American themes like two-tone paint, quad headlights, pillar less hard-top, wraparound glass, tail fins and chrome accents used in a restrained way to create a styling masterpiece,

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,711
    The W111/112 coupes are seen as timeless due to their restraint . That one is two tone due to being a cabrio (the car in that pic is a low grille car, so 1970-71, likely a 280SE 3.5). Two tone was offered in normal hardtops too, here's one from a few years prior:

    image

    There were more two tone options for fintails, especially early cars, but with the fins, these aren't as restrained:

    image
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    edited October 2021
    Brochure , notice how the juxtaposition w a narrow beam sailboat makes the car look longer ;)


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  • magnettemagnette Member Posts: 4,239
    That is a 67 Imperial convertible

    Going back to the Auto Union SP 1000 we had that offered here in about 1960-62 and was only sold here as an Auto Union and rarely seen but the contemporary DKW saloons were marketed fairly widely here as DKW although with an Auto Union badge I think - sort of "DKW by Auto Union"

  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    edited October 2021
    "Auto Union" was an an amalgam of makers similar to General Motors. The four rings in the emblem stood for Audi, Horch, Wanderer and DKW (eventually NSU was added ust before the VW takeover) They used "Auto Union" as a marque in the same way the General uses "GMC" which is to say for products similar to those sold under other names..

    Yup, that's a 1967 Imperial Crown (they weren't badged as Chryslers in '67 IIRC (it's confusing)

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • Lostwrench3Lostwrench3 Member Posts: 835
    Correct. Beginning in 1955, Imperial was an individual make.
  • texasestexases Member Posts: 11,170
    Until the '90s. Hard to think of this as a world class luxury car:

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    Though many like the early to mid-60s body on frame Imperials and while they are certainly robust cars, the ’67, although being the first of the unibody Imps, is my favourite. I love the narrow body-color accent in the grille and the general presence it has.

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  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,935
    Tucker?

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  • Lostwrench3Lostwrench3 Member Posts: 835
    One of 51!
    47 survive.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 17,840
    Lostwrench3 said:

    One of 51!
    47 survive.

    That's an unbelievably good survival rate! People must have recognized they were special from early on.
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  • lemko1968lemko1968 Member Posts: 111


    ???

  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    Triumph Mayflower. Always thought the body design was odd, with lots of sharp angles in some areas but rounded in others.

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  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,711
    Volunteer Park, Seattle, early 60s (should zoom well):

    image
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 20,535
    Looks like the Morris Minor far right is visiting from California. Newish Chevy II off in the distance.

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  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,935
    Brown rambler next to the red and white Buick road master.

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  • Lostwrench3Lostwrench3 Member Posts: 835
    1949 Chevy.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    Partially hidden behind two figures in foreground is a copper-colored 1960 Chevy wagon (Kingswood?)

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,935

    Lotus. Evora?

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  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,678
    edited October 2021
    stickguy said:

    Lotus. Evora?

    Nope it's the new Lotus Emira their newest design and likely the lasr with internal combustion power so perhaps thevlast lightweight Lotus (batteries are heavy!)

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • magnettemagnette Member Posts: 4,239
    That Triumph Mayflower has a none standard paint job which does improve it in my opinion from the usual plain single colour.

    There was a lady who lived in our neighbourhood when I was a kid and she drove round in a black Mayflower - it looked like a hearse...
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 58,711
    Seattle:

    image
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,935
    got you 60 Ford in there. And what must be a brand new at the time VW bus. That could have appeared brand new 10 years later too.

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  • Lostwrench3Lostwrench3 Member Posts: 835
    1955 Olds.
    1961 Olds.
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