Classic Cars

[waistingmytime]

Wooden elements in automobile construction is a holdover from when carriages were actually made of mostly wood. I’ve heard of only one surviving car manufacturer that still uses wood for its platform although exotic wood veneers are still the material of choice when it comes to imparting a veneer of lux and exclusivity to expensive cars. In the late seventies a car designer and automotive journalist Robert Cumberford launched an ambitious project to build cars but succeeded only in building a prototype, the Martinique, powered by a BMW inline-six engine with 174 hp and uses a hydropneumatic suspension, steering, and brakes from Citroen. Reminiscent of classic 1930s sports car style, it weighs 2,990 lb, and is said to reach a top speed of 133 mph.

Well that's interesting ! I did not know this :blushing: It's nice looking too

 

[trencherman]

The question everyone asks about the original version of the Mini is;
Can you have sex on the back seat?

That’s similar to what was often asked about VW Beetle, how many persons can fit in it?

Answer is 71. 69 at the back plus the driver and the front passenger.

 

[trencherman]

James Dean in his Porsche 550 Spider with Nixon impersonator admiring.

 

[trencherman]

Quoting brmstn69 from Planes, Trains & Automobiles “Most go for the '59 Cadillac with it's enormous fins, but I've always thought the '60 with it's simpler lines and more restrained fins was a much sleeker and more attractive car.” Me too, specifically 1964 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz. But one primarily drove a Cadillac for ostentation and razzle-dazzle, pour épater les voisins as we say in Quebec.

 

[waistingmytime]

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Early 70's Chevy Nova SS......A good friend of mine used to have one almost like it....

 

[brmstn69]

The 1976-79 Cadillac Seville was a huge hit for GM, but some buyers wern't satisfied with a "factory" Cadillac. Custom coach builders (I use that term loosely) popped up all over with their own unique (gaudy) take on the Seville. Some were stretched with fake side mount tires and huge chrome grills, others shortened with the rear doors removed. But none were as expertly executed as these. The Cadillac Seville San Remo coupe and convertible...








Each car was custom made to order and the convertible cost $46,000 in 1977, that's $187,000 today...

 

[trencherman]

People will always insist in so many different ways that beauty is subjective but once in a while certain objects and creatures do touch that definite rarely attained standard of magnificence. The 2001 BMW Z8 is another example.

 

[brmstn69]

Stutz Blackhawk






The car of choice for celebrities in the 70's. Elvis fought with Frank Sinatra for the very first one, Elvis won and eventually got four more, but Sinatra got number 2. Other owners included Dean Martin who owned three, Sammy Davis Jr., Lucille Ball, Evel Knievel, Johnny Cash, Billy Joel, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Al Pacino, Wayne Newton, Willie Nelson, and Liberace.

Built on a Pontiac Gran Prix chassis the car featured a heavy gauge steel body hand built in Italy with up to 22 coats of hand rubbed lacquer, Connolly leather interior, gold plated interior trim, mink carpet and headliner and the trunk was lined in mink as well...

 

[trencherman]

The Stutz Blackhawk above reminded me of this one-off Exner-designed Duesenberg Model D revival prototype

 

[brmstn69]

The Stutz Blackhawk above reminded me of this one-off Exner-designed Duesenberg Model D revival prototype

Damn it! You ruined my next post!

And there's a good reason the Stutz reminds you of the Duesenberg, both were designed by Virgil Exner as part of his "Revival" series in which he tried to imagine what modern (for 1966) versions of the grand classics would look like. The Dusey model D was his first serious attempt at producing one of the Revival designs and Exner was crushed when one of the investors backed out at the last minute and the project fell apart.



Duesenberg Model D concepts


1966 Stutz Bearcat concept that would later evolve into the Blackhawk


Another Revival concept that produced a one off prototype, the 1966 Mercer Cobra


The Mercer Cobra was built on a Shelby Cobra chassis and featured copper bright work And those round things behind the front wheels, those are retractable headlights...

And while with the exception of the Stutz, the Revival cars didn't see any commercial production, they did get a second chance. As toy models...



***Interesting side note, even though all these designs were based on the past, Exner did have his eyes on the future. All the Revival cars were designed with 17 inch wheels, a size that wouldn't be used on any production car until over 20 years later on the 1987 Corvette. In fact, the Stutz Blackhawk prototype not only had 17 inch wheels, but also featured run-flat tires which wouldn't be available to the public until 30 years later. These would be replaced by standard 15 inch wheels and tires on production models as the prototype tires proved unsafe.

And finally, Henry Ford visited Exner's studio while he was working on the Duesenberg Model D and three years later...



Coincidence? I think not...

 

[trencherman]

With apologies for jumping the shark. Will try to be more cirspect next time.

Moments in what might have been. I enjoy looking at all those samples of imagined revivals which I find truly stylish concepts and understandably more creative that outright modern knock-offs such as the grotesque Excalibur. Oddly enough, I don't have any objection to remanufacturing of Jaguar e-types. What's the difference?

 

[waistingmytime]

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Looking through some "car for sale ads" and saw this car ....Think they said it's a 79 Ford LTD wagon . Is this the same type of car used in National Lampoon's Family Vacation ?

Thanks anyway but I answered my own question ....

 

[brmstn69]

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Looking through some "car for sale ads" and saw this car ....Think they said it's a 79 Ford LTD wagon . Is this the same type of car used in National Lampoon's Family Vacation ?

Thanks anyway but I answered my own question ....

Yes, and the real "Family Truckster" is for sale...
http://anon.projectarchive.net/?https://www.mecum.com/lots/HA0413-150057/1979-ford-ltd-wagon/

Thr Real Griswalds built a replica for their vacation to Disney World...


History lesson...

The Family Truckster was designed by George Barris, the same man who designed and built some of the most famous Movie and TV cars including...


The 1966 Batmobile


The Munster Koach


Dragula (Munsters)


Mannix Roadster


1928 Porter (My Mother The Car)

 

[waistingmytime]

Yes, and the real "Family Truckster" is for sale...
http://anon.projectarchive.net/?https://www.mecum.com/lots/HA0413-150057/1979-ford-ltd-wagon/

Thr Real Griswalds built a replica for their vacation to Disney World...


History lesson...

The Family Truckster was designed by George Barris, the same man who designed and built some of the most famous Movie and TV cars including...


The 1966 Batmobile


The Munster Koach


Dragula (Munsters)


Mannix Roadster


1928 Porter (My Mother The Car)

Thanks for all of that additional information .. @ brmstn69 How do you know so much about cars ?

 

[waistingmytime]

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I love the way this Thunderbird looks....If I'm not mistaken it's a 56

 

[trencherman]

I love the way this Thunderbird looks....If I'm not mistaken it's a 56​

It was a singular great design deftly produced and reproduced for the masses. Like the Mustang though, it lost sight of the original idea and it grew progressively bigger. That’s the problem with those who think size matters, to them it usually means only size matters, not perfection of form, not excellence in performance, not fitness to function. They tried to recapture the allure with a look back in 2005 but nothing doing, the magic is gone.


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[brmstn69]

Thanks for all of that additional information .. @ brmstn69 How do you know so much about cars ?

I've always been a gear head. My uncle owned a salvage yard and I spent the summers of my youth helping out, building race cars and demo derby cars in exchange for parts for my own projects. I've been somewhat of a car collector my entire life and most of the cars I've owned, while not exactly show cars, were rescued and rebuilt from salvage yards...
http://www.gayheaven.org/showpost.php?p=2545023&postcount=8

 

[Stonecold]

Those big wagon pics reminded me of the first car we got our son, a 1980 country squire made by ford. The car was built like a tank and was indestructible.

 

[trencherman]

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Dragula (Munsters)

Rolling coffins was what my Canadian colleagues at work called Corvettes in the seventies.

 

[trencherman]

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I worked briefly for a car dealership in ’72 which sold mostly Fiats but displayed a Ferrari Dino going slowly round and round in its showroom turntable. They would have quoted $12 K if you asked how much it went for at that time.



There was an attempt to revive it with this concept car in 2007 which looked (to me) even more desirable and mouth-watering than the original.

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