Show me a nice old car

I first spotted this 1949 GMC New Design late at night, parked across the from our AirBnB. The next morning it was gone, and I wasn't able to photograph it. The second morning, as we were packing up to leave, the truck was back along with its owner. I ran out, chatted with the owner for a bit, and asked if I could take some photos of his truck. Turns out, he'd been out at a car show the previous day. :cool:

Nikon FM2n, Nikkor-S Auto 55mm f/1.2, Ultrafine Xtreme 400, developed in LegacyPro L110 at 1:31 for 5.5 minutes.


2019.10.10 Roll #223-04094-positive.jpg by dourbalistar, on Flickr
 
1955 Mercury
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Leica M-D 262, 35mm Summicron v.1
 
Am I alone in thinking that some of these are just plain ugly and deliberately so it seems?


I don't mind them being ugly if it's just part of the function but designing ugliness seems weird to me...


Regards, David
 
An unexpected surprise! I can’t remember the last time I saw a Corvair cruising the streets of Yokohama.

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Sigma 45mm f2.8 DG DN "Contemporary" lens
Sony A7III (ILCE-7M3)
Yokohama, Japan - February 2020

All the best,
Mike
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
An unexpected surprise! I can’t remember the last time I saw a Corvair cruising the streets of Yokohama.

All the best,
Mike
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Mike,
I don’t know if you are cherry picking cars, but from what you post it seems like Yokahama residents have a lot of respect for old machinery. Not only is the wheat separated from the chaff, but it seems mostly taken care of at a high level as well.
Nice looking Corvair, the most dishonestly maligned car in automotive history, a fact which now makes them cheaper than they would be otherwise.
 
Paulbe said:
Yokosuka Mike--nice pics! I can't remember seeing a Corvair ANYWHERE on the streets for a loooooong time!
Paul
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Thank you, Paul. When I said I was surprised to see a Corvair I wasn’t kidding. Especially a 2 door beauty like that.

All the best,
Mike
 
Larry Cloetta said:
Mike,
I don’t know if you are cherry picking cars, but from what you post it seems like Yokahama residents have a lot of respect for old machinery. Not only is the wheat separated from the chaff, but it seems mostly taken care of at a high level as well.
Nice looking Corvair, the most dishonestly maligned car in automotive history, a fact which now makes them cheaper than they would be otherwise.
Click to expand...

Hi Larry, not really cherry Picking but I should say that Yokohama is a sort of destination for classic and sports car owners from other parts of Japan too. The streets of Yokohama are lined with old beautiful buildings. On a sunday afternoon it’s quite common to see car and motorcycle owners park their vehicle on a street with a nice background and take pictures of their ride.

The streets are also full of newer European cars too but I try to keep my eye out for the older classics. And, you’re right about the cars being well maintained, there aren't a lot of junkers on the road around here.

All the best,
Mike
 
That Corvair is a beut, Mike! The owner is clearly dedicated to its preservation. That one would be 1964 or earlier. Considerable change for the 1965-69 model... I restored a 1965 Corsa turbo and also had a 1966 coupe with a 327 Corvette motor in the middle. Whoop! There is still an active Corvair club in the Puget Sound area. "Unsafe at any speed"? Boo to Ralph Nader!
 
Doug said:
That Corvair is a beut, Mike! The owner is clearly dedicated to its preservation. That one would be 1964 or earlier. Considerable change for the 1965-69 model... I restored a 1965 Corsa turbo and also had a 1966 coupe with a 327 Corvette motor in the middle. Whoop! There is still an active Corvair club in the Puget Sound area. Boo to Ralph Nader!
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Hey Doug! By the looks of the license plate I'd say you're spot on with thinking it's a 1964.

All the best,
Mike
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
Hey Doug! By the looks of the license plate I'd say you're spot on with thinking it's a 1964.

All the best,
Mike
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Hah! I hadn't noticed that detail until you pointed it out! Another detail... it appears to have been lowered a bit. And since these earlier Corvairs had rear swing-axle (which Nader criticized), lowering visibly changes the camber geometry of the rear wheels.
 
I did all my dating in a 1963 Corvair coupe just like that except it was a golden tan - no radio and no AC.
You are correct- you could lose the rear end pretty easy on wet pavement. The later model corrected the problem.
 
Doug said:
Hah! I hadn't noticed that detail until you pointed it out! Another detail... it appears to have been lowered a bit. And since these earlier Corvairs had rear swing-axle (which Nader criticized), lowering visibly changes the camber geometry of the rear wheels.
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I noticed the negative camber, too. Those swing axles could be treacherous.

As besk pointed out, the Corvair was updated in 1965, with new styling and a fully articulated rear suspension, that dramatically improved the handling.

- Murray
 
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