Since I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, I’ll call them New Year’s wishes: the ten cars I’d most like to find on the street and write up. And since the world is apparently going to end on 12/12/12, maybe I should call this the Ultimate Top Ten CC List. Here goes, in no particular order, but before I do that, let me wish everyone a Happy New Year!
1. 1976 Buick LeSabre: I’ve been wanting to find one of these since I started writing CCs three years ago. But if I tell you why, it would spoil it. It’s not some personal coming of-age experience I had on its wide seats. But with the right checks on the order sheet, the ’76 LeSabre set a record of sorts. Stay tuned.
2. 1963 Corvair Monza Four-Door: We all want to rediscover our first car, no? This one is the closest I could find on google; it’s a ’62. The real thing will have black interior, and the 98hp Turbo-Aire, and the four-speed. Somewhere out there…
3. 1961 Chevy Bel Air Two Door Sedan Or Coupe: Either one, or both will do. In the sixties, I wasted endless hours internally debating the pros and cons of the various ’61 – ’64 Chevys, and in the end, I always came back to these two. 1961 was the last year for the ‘flying wing’ roof, and for some reason, a two-door with that roofline really spoke to me. The bubble coupe could also be an Impala; don’t want to be too nit-picky.
4. 1936-1937 Lincoln Zephyr: When I first stumbled into one of these by accident as a kid in Iowa, parked in a dusty field at the county fair, I spent a good twenty minutes or more obsessing on it. And went back for more later. Having been exposed to Tatras as a tyke in Austria, this was as close as it got. And a pretty nice effort too, despite its conventional underpinnings. I’m ready for a top-up.
5. 1934 Chrysler Airflow: By that, I mean the real unmolested thing, not like this one I found at a car show this summer. Oh, the horror! To each their own, but it did seem a bit of a waste of a nice Airflow.
6. Tatra 77 or 87: OK, we can dream, right? For what it’s worth, there’s probably more of them in the US now than in their country of origin.
7. Steyr-Puch 500-600-650: Austria’s last true domestic passenger car. Looks like a Fiat 500, and the body was a license-built Fiat, but with S-P’s own engine, transmission, brakes, and other components. Unlike the thrashy Fiat vertical twin, the S-P had a boxer twin, with hemi heads. And there were hi-performance versions, like this 650 TR, which was quite the terror in its racing class. My aunt had one (not the TR), and I have happy (if noisy) memories of way too many of us piling into it during our summer there in 1969.
8. Opel Kadett A: Yes, CC is (among other things) a hunt to find all the cars of one’s youth. The 1962 – 1965 Kadett A was never sold in very large quantities in the US, unlike its very popular Kadett B successor. But still, there must be one out there somewhere.
9. 1965 Coronet 440 Wagon: Another Niedermeyer-mobile, and my first (illicit) drive. I finally have a picture of it now. Here I’m tamely getting into the back seat, since everyone else is around. Nice three-wheel Cushman mail-delivery vehicle back there.
10. 1956-1957 Corvette: Another obsession of my youth that needs to be recapitulated.
Please note that I’ve left out a whole raft of exotic European machinery from the fifties and sixties. I’m trying hard to be realistic here. Anything you’d really like to find in 2012?
Ferdinand Porsche toured Ford factory in the late 30s. Oddly enough, there are similarities to the early VWs. Body shape, even the wheel bolt patterns (Ford from 1935-1939 had large hole in the center with lugs around the edges of the brake drums).
Vauxhalls had the VW stud pattern too untill the E model in 52.
All fairly rare cars in this part of the planet I saw a 58 Vette on Xmas day and I know of 1 Tatra that model in a museum Ill be goung past in a couple of days I think they have an Airflow and Zephyr too but on the street here very little chance unless there is something at the art deco weekend this year. I owned a HA Vauxhall Viva with souped engine the English version of that Opel but few of those survived Steyr Puch there is a truck for sale on trademe but the 500 bodied one unknown in this part of the world very few 2 door Chevies either, any how Happy new year Paul and all looking forward to what you do find and if all works out Im taking yall to Art Deco week via my camera.
I have a book with details of the Southward Museum collection, it lists a 1933 Chrysler Airflow and a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr amongst a lot of other really interesting cars – I will have to visit one day.
I look forward to you photos of the Art Deco week too Bryce
Ive posted a few shots from Southwards on the cohort page from a previous visit they have some rare old cars there alright but the displays change regularly. Do visit it awesome collection
The Corvette is in a shop I go to. There is a 76 Lesabre around but can’t recall where.
How about one from my youth- ’70 Coronet, preferably a sedan?
Hmmm. Nothing like a good question to get me thinking.
1963 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special. My second car, and the only one that I don’t have decent pictures of.
1963 Chrysler. Either the Newport or New Yorker will do here. I spent a lot of time in one of these with friends in high school.
1955 DeSoto. My grandma had one of these when I was a kid, and it was my favorite car for a long time.
1963-64 Studebaker Avanti. Another car from my youth, and something that I would love to catch out and about.
1946-48 Chrysler. No personal stories here, but this always seemed to me to be the quintessential immediate postwar car. A couple of old ladies drove one of these around Muncie, Indiana when I was in college, but that was a long time ago.
A Marmon or a Stutz. It doesn’t matter which. These were both built in Indianapolis, so my chances may not be quite so slim as they would first seem.
A 1974 Lincoln Continental. I know, an odd choice among all the big Lincolns of the 1970s, but for some reason, it was always a favorite of mine.
A 1974 Pontiac Luxury LeMans. The car my mother owned when I was in high school. So many stories, so little time.
An early 70s Dodge passenger van. A two tone Royal Sportsman Maxivan, if we are going to be particular.
A 1964 Standard Studebaker – maybe even the Cruiser. I blew my chance at one of these when I visited South Bend early last spring. The fact that the car lacked a grille and had the interior largely disassembled removed it from being CC-worthy in my mind. Therefore, I snapped but two quick photos and was on my way. I vow to find another and to do a proper CC on the final new U.S. Stude.
However, if Scott’s choice of a 1970 Coronet were to cross my path, I would be all over it.
The beautiful thing about doing CCs, though, is that while we all may have our preferences and desires, something surprising and fascinating is bound to sneak up and smack us on the back of the head. Sometimes, the ones that are the most fun are the ones I didn’t think I was interested in at all until one of them gets in my way.
Happy new year to all of the CC commentariat.
Hi JP I think there is a fair chance a Stutz Bearcat will be at a car show I’ll be going to later in January, it has been there in previous years.
A 73 Pontiac Catalina with the 400 engine, sh*t brown with a white vinyl top and white vinyl seats.
A 75 Ford LTD Landau, blue with chrome everywhere.
A 73 Mazda, RX2.
A 79 yellow Ford Fairmont Futura,
I grew up in the malaise era. The Pontiac was pretty fast for it’s time and outside of the vinyl seats was a decent car. The only new car my dad purchased when I was a kid.
The Ford was like Kim Kardashian only slower, looked like a good idea but driving it was really a let down.
Loved the Mazda until I realized I was driving a Japenese car without Japanese gas mileage or reliability.
The Fairmont was the best of the lot. Picked it up cheap because of the yellow color.
Would love to see all again in the wild. Would probably buy the Pontiac.
1. 1973-74 Pontiac Grand Am
2. 1965 Corvair 4-speed Monza
3. 1963 Fairlane 500 w/ 4 speed and center console
4. 1950 Chevy Fleetline ultimate sexy fastback
Nice list, but we both know which one I already found for you ; )
Happy hunting and have a great week off.
Doug, Is that directed at me? Am I forgetting something? That wouldn’t be the first time.
Just shot some car but nothing on your wish list yet
edit a nice old Packard still working though check the cohort page
You forgot about the Steyr-Puch I saw when I was in Finland. Of course I didn’t know what it was at the time, and I’ve intentionally not looked it up because I know the CC is coming someday.
Oh, I can come up with a few:
’50 Buick Super fastback with that insanely huge waterfall grille, my grandmother’s ride from new until my uncle bought her a ’64 Riviera. It was then handed on to my Dad, who drove it to work for several years until its untimely demise at the hands of a runaway snowplow truck.
’56 Chevy four-door sedan, black, the first car I remember my parents having.
’57 Chrysler 2-door, the second car I remember my parents having. Best tailfins ever, IMO.
’67 Pontiac Catalina 2-door fastback, white with black interior, basically a clone of the one my parents had; delete-option the engine that grenaded a few months after they bought it.
’66 Mercury Monterey 4-door sedan with the roll-down (‘Breezeway’) rear window; the one I briefly had was in showroom condition back to the C-pillar but totally wrecked from there back. Actually bought it for a demolition derby but had it been intact I’d have kept it forever.
’84(?) Mercury Zephyr 2-door with a small-block V-8; parents’ first decent car after a decade of unreliable heaps. Iffy build quality (of course, given the time) but shockingly fun to drive. Too much fun perhaps; my younger brother came close to killing himself in it in a spectacular high-speed encounter with several trees.
IINM, the last year for the Zephyr was ’83; the Fairmont and Zephyr were replaced by the Tempo and Topaz for the 1984 model year. If it had a small-block V-8, though, it may have been older than that. IIRC, the Fairmont and Zephyr were offered with the 302 in 1978-79, then with the 255 in 1980, possibly beyond that, but not much beyond that.
1.Any Lancia
2. Delorean DMC-12
3.AMC Spirit.
4. GMC Typhoon
5. A running V12 Jaguar
/I think I’m younger than most CC commenters
There is a daily driven V12 XJS coupe not far from here must shoot when I next see it
Last year I actually found a white 1980 Lancia Zagato targa, in good running condition too, the only blemish was it was not restored and had a missing left rear turn signal lens.
That ’76 LeSabre is gorgeous. I want it.
And the black ’61 Bel Air better have a 3 on the tree. Perfect simple, basic transportation.
We need a good thorough CC on the ’80-85 Seville.
You’re right; way overdue. Warning: that’s a pretty controversial one, though…
I’ll defend it as it is one of my all-time favorites!
I actually saw 4 sitting along side Route 66 outside Chelsea, Oklahoma Wednesday, apparently parts cars, but they weren’t Curbside, so…
Citroen SM (other than at a Citroen event of some kind).
Type III Karmann-Ghia (I’ve seen one of these in Pasadena, actually)
For what it’s worth, I saw a first-generation Isuzu Impulse today, not sure if it was in running condition. It was parked in a driveway. Another Japanese adoption of a quirky Giugaro design.
You just reminded me about really wanting to find an Impulse. No luck so far…
My father 2nd car was a 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan. Sadly I don’t believe their are any pics of it.
My ever-lasting list of things I’d like to find and photograph on a street or in a parking lot somewhere:
* 1978-80 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon. This is one of those cars that left a lasting impression on me long ago, sold enough back in the day, yet has completely evaded me ever since.
* 1973 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Again, for purposes of recreating personal memories, the “1973” and “Coupe” parts are mandatory.
* 1976-77 Chevrolet Chevette; preferably orange in color.
* 1982 Ford Granada.
* 1981-85 RWD Isuzu I-Mark.
* 1983-89 RWD Isuzu Impulse.
* 1979-82 Plymouth Arrow pickup. (Their forgotten version of the Dodge D-50)
* Plymouth Trailduster.
* A number of relatively modern one-year-only oddities: 1990 Chrysler Town & Country, 1993 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, 1987 Ford F-150 Flareside with the facelifted nose and the ancient-looking stepside cargo box.
* Saab 99. (Oddly enough, I HAVE found a 96 in the wild of northeast Wisconsin; though it wasn’t in running condition.)
* NSU Prinz. (OK, that’s probably pushing it…)
Hey,I found a Lincoln Zephyr here in Southern CA. I’ll try to post it on the CC Flickr page.
Here’s a little picture.
Amazingly I saw one of these in traffic today going the other way couldnt get a pic dark maroon in colour.
Okay, this goes way, way back. I think we are really talking snowballs in he11 here, but: When my father found out what price cars were going for in around 1947, he sold his well-worn ’35 Ford sedan for $300, which seemed like a huge price to him. Of course that was after years of wartime rationing when production lines hadn’t really cranked up yet. He had the devil of a time finding another dependable car – there just weren’t very many to be had. At any rate he finally found a 1934 LaSalle four-door sedan without rear quarter windows. I believe they called it a town sedan. It was in okay condition; I remember that he replaced the “airplane” bumpers with more conventional ones – probably for help in push starting. He traded it on our first new car, a 1950 Packard sedan which he picked up in Detroit and drove home. We saw the old LaSalle once a few weeks after it was traded; never again. And, I still have never seen another one. I repeat, a 1934 LaSalle town sedan. Any photo at all would be welcome.
Surely one of these must be on someone’s “wanna see at the curb/kerb” list….
– JPS livery Lotus Europa
– MkI Lotus Cortina
– ’62 Vauxhall Victor (Envoy in Canada) – my first car, much abused and actually missed.
– a factory 16″, diesel powered, vanagon syncro. Not rare in Europe, but rare here.
Jeez, could go on, but I’d be over the moon if I saw the Europa.
alistair
A flatmates brother drove a Europa many years ago not JPS though kinda shit brown colour thing I know where a Victor is but the VX490 was popular in aussie but rare here Lotus Cortinas are hard to find in kerbside condition now
Yep, might be a car show kerb involved!
There are a few mint old Cortinas around but Lotus very rare expensive cars new and worse now. Probably be one or two at the Kumeu show but Im not sure I can make it.
It would be pretty neat to see a Chrysler by Chrysler, which kind of looked like a mini-1970 New Yorker. Ever seen one of those Bryce?
Long wheelbase Valiant with all the fruit yep they werent all that rare years ago 360 engine in most also avaiable in 2door pillarless hardtop body Ive seen one like that Must visit the guy I bought my project Hillman from he has a huge collection of Valiants and Hillman Hunters he might let me photograph some
If you ever find yourself on the west coast of Florida, you should stop by the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum in Pinellas Park. It’s the collection of a Frenchman who is obsessed with early front-wheel drive and rear-engined cars. He has several Tatras.
http://www.tbauto.org/cars/tatra_t87.htm
He also has a working replica if Cugnot’s 1770 steam-powered cart.
http://www.polypack.com/videos/tbautocugnot.wmv
My list:
1. 1970 Chevy Impala Coupe. My first car – and mine did not have the concave window. Why were some concave and some normal?
2. 1974 Ford LTD. They were as common as nickels in the day and you can’t find one today.
3. 1975 Cadillac Coupe De Ville dElegance. Maroon preferable.
4. 1974 Oldsmobile 98 Brougham.
5. 1984 Buick Skyhawk. My first new car. Had it two months.
6. 1970 Datsun 240Z with original interior. Orange or red preferable.
“1970 Chevy Impala Coupe. My first car – and mine did not have the concave window. Why were some concave and some normal?”
Just speculation on my part, but was this part of the distinction between a Sport Coupe and a Custom Coupe?
Until the Caprice was introduced in 1966, all full-size Chevy two-door hardtops were “Sport Coupes”. The Caprice’s two-door was a “Custom Coupe”, however. In 1966-68 it featured a formal roofline that was very different from the Impala Sport Coupe. In ’68, the Custom Coupe was expanded to the Impala line as well, so that it now offered both styles. The Caprice continued to be Custom Coupe only.
From 1969 onward, although the “Sport Coupe” and “Custom Coupe” names continued (Impala coming as both, Caprice as Custom Coupe only), the two now looked much more alike. I believe the name distinction lasted until 1976. IINM, when GM converted its full-size two-door hardtops into pillared hardtops, one of the two remained a true hardtop for one year longer than the other one. Aside from that, I don’t know if there was any physical difference between the two in the later years.
We agree on the Tatra. I drove over a 1000 km in the Czech Republic last summer, and I photographed a lot of Skodas, but no Tatras,. I settled for a 10 dollar tin plate wind up toy of the Tatra instead.
A few less uncommon cars I wouldn’t mind having a good look at again:
~ 1957 New Yorker 4-door hardtop, preferably in turquoise with white top and side trim
~ 1955 Packard 400, black ‘n’ white
~ 1962 Lincoln convertible sedan, desert tan inside and out
~ 1951 or 1952 Packard low-line 2-door sedan (never had one, just like the looks of that body style.)
~ 1949 International KB-11F 10-wheel tractor truck – a nice one. My father’s trashed one is at LeMay’s, way back next to the woods.
I don’t think we’ve had a real CC on the Dodge Spirit/Plymouth Acclaim or the LeBaron Coupe of about ’87-95, have we? I know we’ve talked around them, but not on an actual CC for either one that I can recall.
I don’t remember one for the Chevy Corsica, either. I always thought a loaded-up Corsica with everything possible would be cool because I’m sick like that. I put quite a few miles on a ’94 4-cylinder model and it was awful, but I liked it anyway.
The one car I would absolutely love to find, but know I can’t, is an NSU Ro80. It was one of the most groundbreaking cars of its era, but there were few if any imported to the States and only a handful left.
Paul,I don’t believe a word of that 12/12/12 end of the world crap! I mean, the Mayans could see the future ? They couldn’t see Cortez sailing in to slaughter them!! For your list please add for me:
1960 Ford Fairlane 2dr.(bubble back window,not Galaxie roof)
1968 Ford Torino GT Fastback
Like your Corvair,these were my first two cars and I’ll always love them!
Happy New year and thank you for a really fine website.
All right; you talked me out of it 🙂
Thats good Id hate to see CC disappear in 12 months theres a whole century of production out there to find and document.
How about these?
1970/71 Plymouth Fury III, sedan or hardtop tho ours was the sedan
1975 Plymouth Gran Fury with the police package (yep, we had one too, tho it was supposedly an undercover vehicle) but it DID have the 360 in it.
Any Fiat 128, bonus points if it’s the Familiar (3 door wagon), I think the sedans or coups are/were more common.
A Fiat Strada (Ritmo to everyone else) though I’ve not seen on in ages in the wild
How about a 2CV, a Renault Le Car (R5)?
And how about the Duster or Gold Duster,or perhaps an MGB-GT, my Dad had either a ’68 or 69 in midnight blue with black interior.
And for my first car, perhaps a ’68 Chrysler Newport, tho mine was the plebeian Custom sedan, either it or the hardtop will suffice (or 2 door/convertible if you happen to stumble onto either) or better yet, skip the Newport and go for the same year 300, any body will do thanks.
OK, I’m done now.
Numbers 1, 3, 5 and 9 are on the list of cars I want to own soon. After I get my hands on that Motion Stage III 73 Chevelle SS that’s floating around out there!
Hard to comment/request on this one – almost all the cars I’ve owned have been covered; and most of the ones I’ve wanted or was curious about. There are two missing for me, though:
–VW Fox, late 1980s. Vee-Dub’s answer to Yugomania; and – as I can testify from experience – a pretty good one. Someone near and dear to me owned one; I’d driven it a lot; and oh, how I lusted for that Fox shooting-brake. Just as it came within reach, the Fox disappeared, and – almost – VW’s American presence.
There are almost no Foxes left on the streets anymore. The fox with the Fox moved out of my life, but I know she kept it for ten years, at least. The first three, it showed no sign of Yugo Disease, so I’m curious what killed them and how – and why the car didn’t succeed, given its mini-Scirocco road manners.
–1964 Chevrolet full-size. That was a model-year Chevy that was ubiquitous where I was – and long-lived, in the land of the tinworm. They didn’t hold up especially well compared to others, but their owners kept them; and ten years later they were daily driven with the floorboards falling out and frayed carpeting visible from the curb.
I never understood why it was that year, and not the better-styled 1963, that was so popular and so long-lived. Even in the 1970s, a 1963 was a rare sight; but a 1964…every kid and charwoman in town seemed to have one, rotted sheet-metal flapping in the slipstream…
A mate of mine back in the day used to sculpt cars for a local dealer he spent a week recreating a 64 Chev and 4 ltres of bog it came out ok had a good motor but I saw it as traded and was amazed it was holding together in a crash it would have shattered like a windscreen.
I had a Fox for 12 years – a red 1989 wagon with a four speed. My parents bought it for me when I was in high school and looking at going to college several states away and needed something more reliable than a 22 year old Amazon or a 10 year old VW Dasher diesel that was prone to oil fed sudden acceleration syndrome. It came down to a new Fox or a slightly used Taurus wagon and I didn’t really need the Taurus’s extra volume and I liked the Fox’s manual transmission and livelier driving dynamics and its familiarity to the Dasher. They ended up with a Taurus wagon not long afterwards but that’s another story.
The Fox served me well for most of those 12 – it sat semi-retired for a year or so near the end. It didn’t really give me any problems until I bought a house at the bottom of a very steep and fairly long dirt driveway which really chewed through half-shafts and eventually cracked the transaxle case. Other than routine maintenance, the exhaust system rusted out (which was pretty routine before they made them out of stainless) and I had to replace a leaking front seal on the trans and the A/C went out which I never got fixed for some reason (and which I now can’t believe I survived with down here in Alabama). The longitudinal orientation of the drivetrain made it an easy car to work on compared to a tranverse FWD car.
The interior was in shambles by the end and probably would have fared better were it not for my own various half-ass and half-baked attempts at custom car audio installations. Window cranks handles broke occasionally and the driver seat was completely worn through but the few pieces I didn’t hack up weren’t in bad shape. It did have great bucket seats up front and the drivers ergonomics were great – the Germans know how to make a stickshift fall under your hand properly. The back seats were for small children only – having only two doors made more sense if you thought about it in the sense that anyone who would be inconvenienced by climbing back there had no business being asked to sit back there in the first place.
Didn’t have any rust issues (other than the exhaust) and it spent it’s first few years in the DC area and Bloomington, Indiana. At the end, the unibody was flat worn out though – that driveway probably accelerated that too. It flexed enough on a moderate G turn that gaps would open up around the windshield and you could hear and feel wind whistling through – that’s why I finally dropped it off at the VW graveyard – it was still plenty driveable but I didn’t need it anymore and we needed the space but I didn’t feel good about letting anyone else driving it knowing the state it was in, especially if they were gonna be piling kids into it.
When it was new I got about 30 MPG around town and close to 40 on the highway compared to 40/50 for the diesel Dasher. Late in life it only knocked down about 25 city, The 90 horse 1.8L Audi four banger was pretty peppy, especially after the 55 HP of the diesel Dasher and wasn’t as bad as it sounds now considering how little the car weighed. It did start to bog down if you got a few other people in the car and a load in the back or were climbing mountains.
I would say the reason Foxes didn’t last very long on the road is they were cheap cars and driven by cheap people – especially when they were bought used. They were pretty simple and basically pretty reliable but some parts could be pricey at the dealer’s counter which was the only place to find a lot of things (especially some of the fuel injection stuff which I fortunately never had any problems with) and it wouldn’t take much of a repair bill to scare someone into scrapping a undesirable car with very little resale value. These cars belonged to the class of cars that I usually don’t understand why the purchaser didn’t buy a used but much nicer/better car instead and they were somewhat of an orphan with their VW/Audi parts bin heritage and were saddled with some strange lack of features and options, like a 4 and 5 speed manual but no automatic for an auto loving country, a 2 door wagon but no 4 door wagon, and no power anything options – they looked like pretty austere strippers to a secondhand shopper. At least some of them came with A/C and you could get a removable moonroof (mine had that too).
I do miss it sometimes as it was a practical and fun little wagon. With the back seat folded flat you could get a lot of stuff in there and with a roof rack, it was my “truck” many times.
Patman,
Talking of the VW Fox, I loved those too but something you said about how stripped out they were by not having power windows etc, that was VERY common still on cars of its ilk back then.
But I will agree some of the options packages were a bit odd as I wanted the wagon too but to get the cargo cover, I had to spring for the rear wiper/washer and I think AC or something like that.
This car was built in Brazil and was based on the Brazilian Gol, which was built for that market. Wikipedia does not indicate it has a successor or predecessor so it’s a model onto its own and is a subcompact (B segment) car.
So back then, the car got crank windows, manual door locks, AC was optional and I think dealer installed and only had the 4spd manual. An automatic was I believe offered later though.
A lot of cars back then still had crank windows, the Civic in its lower trims still did, up to about 2000 or so, the GL Golfs had power everything for a long time, but you paid more for them in general than you did for similar cars from everyone else practically that didn’t have power windows or locks.
Today, we are spoiled in that even the base subcompacts generally comes with power everything, maybe not with keyless start (also known as keyless go in some models) and AC as standard equipment along with Bluetooth in most as well. But back in 1989, not so much in this class.
Otherwise, yeah, nice little cars with great driving dynamics for the times.
The difference between the Fox and other base compacts is there were no upper trim levels to aspire to for the Fox. Which was fine as the car didn’t really need it, but within a few years you could order power and convenience everything on just about any car and so a used Fox looked pretty bleak in comparison and they didn’t have the cache of a Civic and Tercel or their own Rabbit/Golf cousins to fall back on.
I liked that rear wiper – people thought it was funny for some reason, but I found it very useful.
My picks?
1950 Plymouth – My mom and dad’s beloved car for 10 years
1952 Chevy DeLuxe coupe – my first car for $75 bucks.
1955 Dodge Royal Lancer hardtop coupe
1960 Impala sports sedan
1966 Impala sports sedan
1964 Chevy SS convertible (for obvious reasons!)
1972 Chevy Nova coupe
1981 Plymouth Reliant coupe
1990 Plymouth Acclaim
1959 Volvo PV544
1970 Mustang convertible
1992 Chrysler LeBaron convertible
I would love to see a 1959 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer two door hardtop, or any ’59 Dodge for that matter. It was my mom’s first car in 1971, and she always talks about what a cool car it was. Hers was two-tone coral and beige. I’d also like to see a 1977-78 Thunderbird. My grandmother got a brand new ’77 in black with red pinstripes, white interior and red carpets and dash. Several years after that, my aunt had a ’78 T-Bird, navy blue with the saddle tan interior. Both cars had the floor shift and console too.
You know what? I’d love it if you found a ’76 Buick LeSabre. My grandmother owned one (well, maybe it was a ’78, I can’t remember correctly), and in the late 80s traded with us for an ’87 Century for financial reasons. The LeSabre was a rusty, barely-running, peach-with-tan-vinyl-roof abomination that was arguably more embarrassing to be seen in than my Mitsubishi Minica. It had rusted floorboards that soaked through with water when it rained and half of its front grill was missing. My mom had to put a plastic bag over her leg when it rained because the windshield and front door leaked like mad. So, I wonder what these cars were like when they were new, or at least not hulking pieces of garbage like the beast that rotted away in our driveway.
I don’t have a wish list like some of you guys. I appreciate any old cars that I come across. I had a good time this afternoon though, and a great way to start the new year: Someone advertised in the local classifieds that they’re parting out a ’66 New Yorker 2-door hardtop. I went to see it and buy some parts off it. Despite the decrepit overall condition of the body, the stainless-steel trim pieces I have been looking for were in near-perfect dent-free condition!
Definitely I wanna catch up with the 1962 Plymouth Fury 4 door hardtop I got a few shots of back in April.
Also, the 1960 Mercury Park Lane I got a few shots of that were too dark back in August is another. And there’s a set of elusive Studebaker Hawks: a 1962-64 Grand Turismo Hawk in one of the Autumn Rose or weird mild purple shades that I see when I get off of work frequently, and a 1956 Golden Hawk I see tooling around Rockridge.
Also, A Lancia Fulvia, my favorite Italian car of all time, would slay me.
Just 10?
My 1969 Ford Torino notchback GT. I bought it from my brother for $100 and a French racing bicycle. 390/4 speed, 3.90 rear end. I could pass anything but a gas station. The French racing bicycle lasted a lot longer.
1971 Dodge Charger SE. My other brother had one of these. I think there’s one down the road from me, but I’ve only ever seen the grille from the street. I’ve not seen the car curbside.
1986 Yugo GV.
1987 Dodge Lancer ES Turbo. I had one. Still miss it.
1987 Dodge Shadow ES Turbo. I had access to one. Still miss it, too.
1985 Mercury Capri RS 5.0L. I had one. It was a POS, but when running well, it was great!
Any 1959-60 Batwing Chevy. Growing up, one of the other immigrant families had one (a 1960), the sons and fathers spent a lot of time in it going to a from fishing holes, hunting blinds and other fun activities. I have fond memories of that car, more so than some my family’s cars…
1964 Mercury Monterey Breezeway.
1975 VW Rabbit.
1975 VW Scirocco.
Bonus: Any mid 1970’s GM Colonnade station wagon. I can’t remember the last time I saw one anywhere.
I think of several ways to go on this….
1. The Top 10 CC’s I’d like to see here, written Up
2. Top 10 I’d Like To go over myself, see on Road, Confirming That They are Not Extinct
3. Top 10 I’d Like To Own
4. Cars I have personal Associations With, thru Family, Friends, Driving, or Some Experience.
So How Should I go about this…
1986-89 Olds Toronado Trofeo — I really am dying to read a thorough write up on this, What Worked, What Didn’t? How Few Of These are still on The Road? I havent seen one in So Ca. in 5 years.
1989 Buick Riviera…. T-types? The Monitor, reverseable suede/leather seating…
1956 Dodge Royal Lancer La Femme Model… I wanna check one of these out in the flesh. A 55 would do in a pinch, The Texan Model if no LaFemmes can be found.
1960 Lincoln Continental Mart V Limosine, and/ OR Convertible with Breezeaway Window?
1957-58 Eldorado Biarritz Brougham 4 door. I don’t think I have ever looked over one of these with a fine tooth comb. How many are still running?
1958 Imperial Convertible
1966 or 1965 Ford Thunderbird Landau… I love the cockpit feeling on these, the speedboat like ride when turning, and the Tufted back seat. I want the Turn signal indicators to follow the 1-2-3 pattern of the taillights on mine however.
1958 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser
1963 Pontiac Grand Prix , Loaded
1973 Ford Thunderbird, Loaded
1972 AMC Ambassador Brougham Loaded.
1984 Cavalier Convertible, in Brown if possible, I drove one for many years,
only ever saw 1 other in that Sable Brown , and 1 Sunbird in same color.
1976 Matador Barcelona II, or The earlier Oleg Cassini edition
1976 Mark IV In Aqua Pearl
You just reminded me of a car I saw over the holiday. These have to be getting pretty darn rare:
It is indeed a T-Type, an ’86 or ’87 I think.
I have never in my entire life seen these wheels:
UGH- Those Wheels are about as awful as That Landau Roof treatment…After Market I assume.
I bet those wheels are a Bitcx to get off too.
Its silly, but I loved How the Monitor spells out the Nameplate in script when the car is started.
I cant imagine how hard to find a new monitor would be. $$$ I Imagine.
Nope, those are factory wheels. I did some dealer trade driving work for a Buick dealer years ago, I remember some of the shorty Rivs with those wheels.
Yes, you can see the Riviera on the wheels, But were Vinyl roofs factory options on these?
Going to go to southwards collection today en route to Wellington so lets see what turns up
The wander around Southwwards was worth it saw many interesting old cars Ill have to wait untill we get home to unload the camera but got some shots of some of the wish pics and some pics of unheard of cars.
Paul, I share your love of the 61-64 Chevys. My dream car when I was 16 was a 62′ or 64′ Impala. In the end, I ended up with an 85′ Alfa GTV6 (go figure). I ended up deciding I liked the 62 and 64 best, due to the rear end, side trim and lines, and trim line on the trunk. Beautiful cars. I still lust for one today, in gold with cream trim. Blue and white is a close second.
Cody
Just a couple final thoughts on this:
Our neighbor’s kid had one of those 1976 LeSabres. Looked like Buick didn’t want to let go of the pillarless hardtop, and I give them lots of credit for that. Talk about a half-way compromise!
The 1961 Chevy? My second car was a well-rusted out 1961 Chevy Bel-Air two-door sedan. Black w/white top, looked like a taxi. I wound up fixing it in 1969 and my buddy painting it 1968 Camaro Rallye Green while I was in basic training! That was really something. The car didn’t look too bad in that color, either.
I never drove it to California, as I was just too young and very fearful about the reliability of that car. Turned out I was right – the engine blew as my dad was moving it one day! My buddy put a 283 in it, but I decided to sell it to one of his friends after I returned to base in May, 1970. Six weeks later, I found my beloved avatar!
Both the LeSabre and Delta 88 coupes kept a semi roll down small quarter glass on their coupes through 1976, I thinkin Pontiac might have had it 74-75 too on the Catalina/Bonnevile 2 doors too.
You’re right about the ’74s. I believe the Catalinas had it in ’75 and ’76 too. They didn’t get the new roof in ’75 that the Bonnevilles and Grand Villes did. Speaking of which, I’d really like to see a ’75-’76 Bonneville or Grand Ville. I really liked the looks of them. With the rectangular headlights and wraparound parking lights, they looked a lot like a ’75-’76 Cadillac.