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

tjc78 · April 2024

@fintail said:
I wish my parents and myself would have documented our cars so thoroughly. Especially for parents' cars, I am happy just to find an old pic with the car in the background.

I remember admiring those Passats when they launched - around then my grandpa was thinking of a new car for grandma, and I recommended one of those. They have a rep for being pretty finicky and are quite rare today, so probably good for my cred that he held off and didn't go for it. (Grandma would later have her Ciera replaced by a Taurus then another Taurus at recommendation of my uncle - she was always more fond of the Ciera as it had a low trunk, and she had to back down a driveway.)

I recall the 4th gen Jetta launched when I was still a student, and was a very modern and somewhat upmarket car then - especially in that trim. A co-worker later had a new 2004 facelift model, diesel, it had some quirks but the diesel had enough desirability that he was able to part with it during the 2008 gas price hike and had some positive equity. While a student, a friend had a late model Jetta III - I remember the chime clearly.

And a white on white Cabrio, what a period piece. Makes me think of this classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jehJed3rZhU

The cup!…. was empty

laurasdada · April 2024

sda said:
87 VW Cabriolet Wolfsburg, triple white, 5sp, cruise, ac, leather. A pain to keep the white leather and white headliner clean but I did! One of the few cars I wish I kept. I traded it for the 89 Jetta Wolfsburg I shared previously.

My mother had the same, triple white!

fintail · April 2024

tjc78 said:

@fintail said:

I wish my parents and myself would have documented our cars so thoroughly. Especially for parents' cars, I am happy just to find an old pic with the car in the background.

I remember admiring those Passats when they launched - around then my grandpa was thinking of a new car for grandma, and I recommended one of those. They have a rep for being pretty finicky and are quite rare today, so probably good for my cred that he held off and didn't go for it. (Grandma would later have her Ciera replaced by a Taurus then another Taurus at recommendation of my uncle - she was always more fond of the Ciera as it had a low trunk, and she had to back down a driveway.)

I recall the 4th gen Jetta launched when I was still a student, and was a very modern and somewhat upmarket car then - especially in that trim. A co-worker later had a new 2004 facelift model, diesel, it had some quirks but the diesel had enough desirability that he was able to part with it during the 2008 gas price hike and had some positive equity. While a student, a friend had a late model Jetta III - I remember the chime clearly.

And a white on white Cabrio, what a period piece. Makes me think of this classic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jehJed3rZhU

The cup!…. was empty

Most examiners use clipboards - I don't believe in 'em

fintail · April 2024

Stopped by a local car show today - mostly a younger audience with the expected cars (souped up Subarus, Mustangs, Mopars, later model BMW/Audis, etc), but some older obscure cars were in attendance too. In no particular order (sorry if too many pics):

laurasdada · April 2024

The name is Dalton.

Michaell · April 2024

laurasdada said:

The name is Dalton.

I thought you'd be bigger.

ab348 · April 2024

After selling my MR2 and finding the Honda dealer wasn’t interested in selling me a 1990 Accord, I literally took the bus uptown to the VW dealer to look at their offerings. I had never owned a VW previously but had always heard good things about them from people who had them. I drove a GTI demonstrator they had and truly, within just a couple of blocks, knew it was the car. It just had a unique driving feel that was very different from the Japanese cars I had tried. I got back to the dealer and started to talk numbers. They had one brand new one on the lot in an odd sort of light blue/purplish metallic, which I didn’t mind. But they had a second demonstrator in black with a factory metal sunroof they could sell me for less. I wasn’t crazy about a black car but liked the idea of the sunroof so we struck a deal. It turned out to be a great car, one which I later regretted selling.

Unfortunately my camera broke at IMS while I was there on vacation and I didn’t replace it for a few years, so I don’t have any pics of the GTI. It looked like the one pictured (except for the 16V badge; mine was the 8V version) with the cool teardrop wheels. The interior pic is one I found online. Those seats were very comfortable on long drives.

fintail · April 2024

laurasdada said:

The name is Dalton.

His car wasn't wearing Coker wide whites. Weird choice for that car, but to each his own - gives it some flair I suppose.

roadburner · April 2024

The whitewalls, chrome wheels and chrome fender flares ruin it for me.

fintail · April 2024

roadburner said:
The whitewalls, chrome wheels and chrome fender flares ruin it for me.

The wheels and flares as you no doubt know are period correct, just very USDM (I don't mind chrome wheels on some colors of 126, but its not a universally beloved look, and period non-chrome aftermarket wheels can look amazing on these cars), but the tires are a bit too 1959 for a car that from what I could tell was an 89-91 model.

andre1969 · April 2024

Michaell said:

laurasdada said:

The name is Dalton.
I thought you'd be bigger.

Eh, I'd rather have a Great Buick. What was that number again?

I always loved those big Benz hardtops but yeah, that tire choice is a bit unfortunate. Could be worse though...check out what happened to one in an episode of the 1980s version of "The Twilight Zone!"

It was an episode called "Welcome to Winfield." The car was driven by the Angel of Death, who was pursuing a young couple who had cheated death, and tracked them to an old West town that had somehow been overlooked by Death. The car got a flat tire, and the locals, who were still stuck in the late 1800s, fixed it the only way they knew how!

As goofy as it seemed back in the 1980s, whoever thought "The Twilight Zone" would end up predicting automotive trends of the future? Just use a chrome version of that wagon wheel, and it wouldn't look so out of place today!

imidazol97 · April 2024

So right about just put chrome on it and it's 2024.

explorerx4 · April 2024

Never saw this commercial before. Made me cheuckle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTjW-NM68xw

jwm40517 · April 2024

That Mystery Machine van or one just like it was in lexington, Ky last week.

andre1969 · April 2024

That Pacer ad is funny, but it's not wrong. Those cars were fairly roomy inside. It's been ages since I've been in one, but I remember it feeling sort of like a mid-70's intermediate up front. The back seat was definitely a compromise though. I think it had legroom on par with your typical intermediate coupe of the time, although none of them were exactly generous. But, the cushions were extremely thin, and the seat was shoved so far back between the rear wheels that they had a cutout for the differential bulge!

I imagine it was something akin to sitting in the third row seat of some station wagons.
Still, if you were the type of person who only used the back seat occasionally, it was a good alternative to a bigger car. They were guzzlers though. The '78 Pacer, with the 304/automatic was rated 14/19. A Toronado, with the 403, was rated 13/19.

fintail · April 2024

andre1969 said:

Michaell said:

laurasdada said:

The name is Dalton.
I thought you'd be bigger.
Eh, I'd rather have a Great Buick. What was that number again?

I always loved those big Benz hardtops but yeah, that tire choice is a bit unfortunate. Could be worse though...check out what happened to one in an episode of the 1980s version of "The Twilight Zone!"

It was an episode called "Welcome to Winfield." The car was driven by the Angel of Death, who was pursuing a young couple who had cheated death, and tracked them to an old West town that had somehow been overlooked by Death. The car got a flat tire, and the locals, who were still stuck in the late 1800s, fixed it the only way they knew how!

As goofy as it seemed back in the 1980s, whoever thought "The Twilight Zone" would end up predicting automotive trends of the future? Just use a chrome version of that wagon wheel, and it wouldn't look so out of place today!

I'll have to look for that one, looks like a fun episode. I remember that mid-80s series, along with the similar "Amazing Stories".

That car looks like a Euro model with an AMG or similar (Lorinser maybe) bodykit and aftermarket wheels (not just the proto-donk wagon wheel). Those period accessorized cars are becoming quite desirable today, and the 6 liter AMG tuned models are really valuable now.

andre1969 · April 2024

That "Welcome to Winfield" episode is on YouTube. In fact, that's where I got those screen captures. And I was thinking that, too, that the bumpers on that car looked Euro-spec.

Looks like YouTube actually has all of the 80's Twilight Zone episodes, and they're uncut. I remember a few years back, MeTV showed them, for one summer perhaps, but they were definitely cut down for modern television, where you have close to 20 minutes of commercials per hour. Back in 1985, I think it was only 12.

One way I tested this out, was that there was one episode I distinctly remembered had an M-body 5th Avenue in it, but in reruns (both MeTV and when it would occasionally come on other channels), that car didn't show up. But sure enough, it was in there, on this YouTube collection. The episode starts off with this older doctor on a lonely country road, in his 5th Avenue with a flat tire. As he's getting ready to change it, one of the locals comes up, whispers something in the doctor's ear, and he instantly goes insane. That whole scene got cut out when it went into reruns.

I liked "Amazing Stories" too. And, the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" revival. It's funny how all of a sudden, for the 1985-86 tv season, nostalgia and anthology shows were in. Or so they thought. IIRC, "Amazing Stories" only lasted two seasons. I think the Hitchcock revival only made it one. The Twilight Zone revival made it like 1 and a half, and then a few years later someone else picked it up and they made a bunch of syndicated episodes.

I used to like "Tales from the Dark Side" too. That one comes on Comet TV, and I tried watching it. Unfortunately, I don't think it aged all that well. Some of the stories were pretty good, but others, not as good as I remember. I wonder if part of it that back then, I didn't have cable tv, so there wasn't as much to choose from. So, we were grateful for what we got!

stickguy · April 2024

Back in 1978 any “traditional” car was a guzzler. Especially with a V8

fintail · April 2024

andre1969 said:
That "Welcome to Winfield" episode is on YouTube. In fact, that's where I got those screen captures. And I was thinking that, too, that the bumpers on that car looked Euro-spec.

Looks like YouTube actually has all of the 80's Twilight Zone episodes, and they're uncut. I remember a few years back, MeTV showed them, for one summer perhaps, but they were definitely cut down for modern television, where you have close to 20 minutes of commercials per hour. Back in 1985, I think it was only 12.

One way I tested this out, was that there was one episode I distinctly remembered had an M-body 5th Avenue in it, but in reruns (both MeTV and when it would occasionally come on other channels), that car didn't show up. But sure enough, it was in there, on this YouTube collection. The episode starts off with this older doctor on a lonely country road, in his 5th Avenue with a flat tire. As he's getting ready to change it, one of the locals comes up, whispers something in the doctor's ear, and he instantly goes insane. That whole scene got cut out when it went into reruns.

I liked "Amazing Stories" too. And, the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" revival. It's funny how all of a sudden, for the 1985-86 tv season, nostalgia and anthology shows were in. Or so they thought. IIRC, "Amazing Stories" only lasted two seasons. I think the Hitchcock revival only made it one. The Twilight Zone revival made it like 1 and a half, and then a few years later someone else picked it up and they made a bunch of syndicated episodes.

I used to like "Tales from the Dark Side" too. That one comes on Comet TV, and I tried watching it. Unfortunately, I don't think it aged all that well. Some of the stories were pretty good, but others, not as good as I remember. I wonder if part of it that back then, I didn't have cable tv, so there wasn't as much to choose from. So, we were grateful for what we got!

Very cool, thanks for the info, I had never searched for those - I will have some stuff to binge watch on a rainy day. I remember enjoying those shows, and even a couple of the episodes per the guides online, but I have no memory of the Winfield one. Pretty fun story, and that car is what I call the "cocaine" color combo -- white on white with white wheels, perfect for a successful Miami or LA drug dealer/lawyer etc in 1985. Even as a grey market car, assuming it is a 500SEC, something like that with accessories probably cost 50-60K then, a pretty penny. Funny how they gave it turbine sounds, and how the MB star was not edited or otherwise covered, usually brands aren't shown so clearly.

Back then, we lived in an area where OTA TV was not particularly reliable or varied, so we had cable - I had plenty exposure to period pop culture.

uplanderguy · April 2024

Back from Memphis and Bowling Green. I put over 2K miles on that Malibu since Thursday, and it was a pleasant cruiser--quiet, plenty of power IMHO, and decent-looking. People bag on CVT's all the time, but more than once I found myself wayyyy speeding. Maybe the sensation of no shifting and almost-no raising RPM's is it. The other day I looked down and was doing 94.

I loved Graceland, and I'm not a fan of Elvis' music (besides "In The Ghetto"). It exceeded my expectations. You go to the big welcome center, with a Disney-like Main Street of museums about him and others influenced by him, then get on a shuttle to go to the house which is across the street. It's not a mansion but very nice. The property isn't particularly big--you can see the house from the street. Upstairs is off-limits, but I loved the house and grounds tour. It's still 1977 in that house.

The neighborhood is absolutely sketchy. No other way to put it.

Next morning I went to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is at the Lorraine Motel where MLK was killed. I was quite impressed.

Did Bowling Green yesterday. Plant tour blew me away...only four in our first group (7:15 am). Next group had about twenty. One guy in our group was the first to start an ERay on the line. I only saw two ERays on the line.

The museum is very nice, and I ate at the Stingray Grill there, but honestly, I like the Studebaker National Museum better....I've seen a lot of Corvettes in my life and C3's through C7's don't do much for me. Nice to see a few pictures of designer Bill Mitchell, who grew up in my small hometown.

Having a GM rental allowed me to park very close to the plant entrance. They have signage that non-Big Three cars (non-UAW) have to park in the lot farther out, LOL.

Michaell · April 2024

uplanderguy said:
Back from Memphis and Bowling Green. I put over 2K miles on that Malibu since Thursday, and it was a pleasant cruiser--quiet, plenty of power IMHO, and decent-looking. People bag on CVT's all the time, but more than once I found myself wayyyy speeding. Maybe the sensation of no shifting and almost-no raising RPM's is it. The other day I looked down and was doing 94.

I loved Graceland, and I'm not a fan of Elvis' music (besides "In The Ghetto"). It exceeded my expectations. You go to the big welcome center, with a Disney-like Main Street of museums about him and others influenced by him, then get on a shuttle to go to the house which is across the street. It's not a mansion but very nice. The property isn't particularly big--you can see the house from the street. Upstairs is off-limits, but I loved the house and grounds tour. It's still 1977 in that house.

The neighborhood is absolutely sketchy. No other way to put it.

Next morning I went to the National Civil Rights Museum, which is at the Lorraine Motel where MLK was killed. I was quite impressed.

Did Bowling Green yesterday. Plant tour blew me away...only four in our first group (7:15 am). Next group had about twenty. One guy in our group was the first to start an ERay on the line. I only saw two ERays on the line.

The museum is very nice, and I ate at the Stingray Grill there, but honestly, I like the Studebaker National Museum better....I've seen a lot of Corvettes in my life and C3's through C7's don't do much for me. Nice to see a few pictures of designer Bill Mitchell, who grew up in my small hometown.

Having a GM rental allowed me to park very close to the plant entrance. They have signage that non-Big Three cars (non-UAW) have to park in the lot farther out, LOL.

Guess that means that VW are now considered a "preferred" brand, as the TN plant just voted to join the UAW last week.

uplanderguy · April 2024

I think VW is the only UAW import brand built in the U.S.

uplanderguy · April 2024

Michaell · April 2024

uplanderguy said:
I think VW is the only UAW import brand built in the U.S.

The MB plant in Alabama is scheduled to hold a UAW vote in May.

UAW is committing something like $10M to the efforts to unionize the import brand factories in the US over the next few years.

uplanderguy · April 2024

Some of his other cars just didn't interest me much....Stutz Blackhawk, purple Mark IV, pink '55 Cadillac Fleetwood sedan. I did like the Scout II that was used around the property, shown above.

uplanderguy · April 2024

Lorraine Motel. Same years and model of cars shown in B&W photos taken the day of MLK's assassination. I doubt the '59 Dodge had fins this color though!

uplanderguy · April 2024

uplanderguy · April 2024

Zora Arkus-Duntov's ashes are at the museum, above.

That gray '58--I'm typically not a fan of the '58 as it has those louvers on the hood and the chrome strips on the decklid, but that solid-gray color, and fuel injected, just grabbed me. The Fawn Beige '62 is my favorite year and color Corvette, period. Still looks like the '50's, but dechromed and no pastel colors and no white coves. The addition of the 327 that year is a good thing. I do like the looks of the cars with the hardtop on.

The C8 shown was a museum delivery, being driven out the door.

I ate at the Stingray Grill there at the museum; pretty good food; limited menu, bar, looks like a place in an airport where businessmen would hang out, LOL. Every ten minutes or so you heard the clear, unmistakable sound of a C8 starting up, since deliveries were being made out in the hallway.

I learned that Z06 engines are built in the "engine room" right there at BG. One man builds the entire engine by himself and his name is on a plaque put on the block.

On the plant tour, the mating of the body to chassis was interesting. Seeing a Z06 engine before the body is placed is something--it's absolute art to look at.

fintail · April 2024

uplanderguy said:

I didn't say it, but I won't disagree

Good pics, the MLK site too. I was possibly going to attend a conference in Memphis last month, but got out of it as my director didn't want to go either, and justified money saved as a reason to skip it. I was debating visiting Graceland, as it is dear and seems a bit of a theme park, but looks like you saw some cool stuff.

andre1969 · April 2024

Cool pics, Uplander. Looks like you're having a great time! And yeah, I don't think that '59 Dodge had that shade of green! It looks like something you'd expect from the 70s! Also, if you want to get picky, I think there was a '67 full-sized Pontiac parked beside it, not a Cadillac. Unless I'm remembering the old middle school and high school textbooks wrong.

A sad day in history, but it's still cool that they tried hard to recreate and preserve it, so that it won't be forgotten.

roadburner · April 2024

AMG has followed the "One Man, One Engine" philosophy as well- complete with a signed plate on the motor. My C43 doesn't have a hand built motor, which is why it's often referred to as an "AMG Lite."

tjc78 · April 2024

That white Lincoln Mark II has to be one of the best looking cars ever made (IMO)

explorerx4 · April 2024

Elizabeth Taylor's Mark II is pretty sweet.
Lincoln MKZ's were avaible in this one off Mark II color.

fintail · April 2024

Out on foot today, saw a mid 70s Pinto parked a few blocks from my house. By the stance I could tell it wasn't stock - hearing it start and drive away hinted it had some kind of V8 under the hood.

uplanderguy · April 2024

I love Mark II's, always have.

fin, when I saw that Mercedes quote at the museum of Graceland....well, yes, that one's for you!

uplanderguy · April 2024

That looks like a Caddy to me next to the Dodge in this pic, but a convertible instead of a coupe:

I'm old enough to remember details of this event. Odd that they didn't find the shooter for two months, and he was in London. Pretty clean escape for a two-bit criminal, hmmm.

andre1969 · April 2024

Yeah, now that I look at it, I can see the bladed rear fenders of a Cadillac. But, maybe it's a trick of the light/shadows or something, but I swear the leading edge of the front fender makes me think of a '67 Pontiac. But I think that dark spot is actually a shadow or reflection or something.

tjc78 · April 2024

@explorerx4 said:
Elizabeth Taylor's Mark II is pretty sweet.
Lincoln MKZ's were avaible in this one off Mark II color.

I didn’t know that!

uplanderguy · April 2024

I love twentieth-century (well, really, Civil War and later) history and pop culture. Whenever I approach a place that I've seen photos of, all my life--like Graceland, Dealey Plaza, Lorraine Motel, Fallingwater--I'm always wowed, like "There it is!". But there are also other things that aren't as I imagined. Like, at Graceland, that you can see the house from the street and that it's not really that huge of a house or lot. Lorraine Motel is on a dinky side street. That kind of thing. Always interesting to me though.

imidazol97 · April 2024

1¹¹⅓esq 2!

uplanderguy · April 2024

A couple things I learned, or at least were reminded of, when I toured Graceland, is that he did 1,100 shows between 1969 and 1977. Yeesh!

He was generous, probably to a fault.

I knew he gave proceeds from a concert to the building of the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, but I also learned he helped Danny Thomas finish St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis. Presley bought the Potomac, FDR's boat that served as a 'little White House' on occasion, for $55K and gave it to Danny Thomas who raffled it off to benefit St. Jude's. It sold for $75K.

roadburner · April 2024

He was aggravated with his Pantera and he shot it...

uplanderguy · April 2024

I hadn't heard that, but I did hear Priscilla say once that he had a temper and if someone he didn't like was on TV, he'd shoot the TV and tell his Dad to go buy another one.

laurasdada · April 2024

uplanderguy said:
I hadn't heard that, but I did hear Priscilla say once that he had a temper and if someone he didn't like was on TV, he'd shoot the TV and tell his Dad to go buy another one.

Is that any different than any one of us?

andre1969 · April 2024

Apparently Elvis shot a lot of things. But for some reason, Robert Goulet always gets associated with that, because he was on tv once when Elvis shot at it. I think they re-enacted that scene in one of those old movies that was based on his life, so because of that, Robert Goulet got a bit famous, unfairly perhaps, as the man Elvis shot at!

Sometimes when I'm flipping through the channels and there's nothing but crap on, I'll be like "And they wonder why Elvis shot the tv!" But, as time goes by, fewer people get the reference.

Elvis shooting the tv even worked its way into a song. Here's the Springsteen version but I think Dire Straits did it too. Dunno who did it first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAlDbP4tdqc

roadburner · April 2024

Restoring Elvis' BMW 507.

stickguy · April 2024

on the flight back from Portugal I watched part of the recent Elvis movie. Had trouble getting into it and ran out of time, but some interesting stuff. Definitely did not paint the Colonel in a good light.

uplanderguy · April 2024

I saw the movie about a month ago. The Colonel took ridiculous cuts of Elvis' money.

andre1969 · April 2024

I saw the movie a few months ago, and enjoyed it. I'm sure they took a bit of creative license with it, like they do with most "based on real life events" type movies, but it was still pretty cool.

Oh, on the subject of Elvis, one of the 1980's Twilight Zone episodes had a story about an Elvis impersonator in modern times, who went back in time and met the real Elvis, just before he became famous. He thought this was awesome, that he would be able to guide Elvis into not making some of the mistakes he did in his career (i.e.,, don't do the movies, stick to rock and roll, etc). But of course, it doesn't pan out the way he hoped...

I do remember one scene, where the impersonator is back in time, but doesn't realize it yet. He's on a lonely country road, and the real Elvis, driving a truck, picks him up. They're driving along, and when an oncoming car approaches, the impersonator is a bit dumbfounded, and says something like "Hey, that looks like...a DESOTO!!' Naturally, I guess, I'd remember that part!

It was a 1950, as I recall.

uplanderguy · April 2024

When I was in high school, I remember looking at a Time magazine where they had a section of little-snippet stories, and a lady in Memphis was admiring a Cadillac of Elvis' and Elvis came up and talked to her and said, "It's yours". It was a '74, maybe, can't recall for sure. The article said that it joined her other Cadillac in the driveway.

I always wondered about the title, etc. Probably "call this number and my people will get it done".

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

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