Show me a nice old car

Larry Cloetta said:


1983, so not that old.
My "practical" car. Have been doing paint and body work on it for the last year, finally finished it about a month ago. Though they are never really finished.
New engine, new 5 speed. 300,000 miles on the clock.
Am happy with how it turned out, not perfect, but painted in my driveway, so those are never perfect. Mine aren't anyway.
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Good stuff! Same one you took to the Salt Flats to try for the Land (Cruiser) speed record, right? :cool:
 
dourbalistar said:
Good stuff! Same one you took to the Salt Flats to try for the Land (Cruiser) speed record, right? :cool:
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Same car, but more work on it since then, color sanding the paint, other mechanical things, too time consuming and expensive to mention. Finished now, I hope.
And, go to the Salt Flats for the Speed Week, but don't ever take a car you like. You wouldn't believe how many pounds of salt slurry get caked onto the undercarriage and how hard it is to remove, even with a pressure washer. So, entire undercarriage had to be stripped and recoated since then.
Part of the problem was that the salt wasn't completely dry last year in the areas spectators were parking. Was a gelatinous slurry mix about 8-10 inches deep in areas. Gets into everything, and sticks there.
Take a rental.:confused:
 

427 Cobra replica



427 Cobra replica

This is the South African one. Factory Five, I think. Nicest turned out Cobra I've ever seen, original or kit.
 
@ Larry Cloetta:

Larry, I really like your approach to automotive imagery, in other words, Damn! Your stuff is good!

The Coronet, the Corvette and the Cobra images are exquisite! Vibrant colors, excellent composition, everything. Well done!

All the best,
Mike
 
Doug said:
I agree with Mike, Larry, great stuff!
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Thanks, Doug! There was a minor Rod Run here this last weekend, postponed from its usual June slot, and attendance was down, but still some nice cars there. It’s about the only thing we have here on a regular basis, unlike Mike’s Yokohama where all kind of fun machinery just seemingly drives by in an endless stream. I get two days, then need to wait another year. But, at least they hold still. Have a couple more for later, with accompanying “stories”.
 
Larry Cloetta said:

It's Yellow.
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I quoting this, complete with photo simply because I feel that it is deserving. It's just such an awesome image. While I have no idea whether or not that particular yellow was a factory color, it is perfect for the car. So too is the angle from which the image was made. In addition, I'm a huge fan of the Torq Thrust wheels which look especially good on this car. Despite the downsides, the other byproduct of this era that I really love is the vinyl roof. The black vinyl top on this car just makes it. Stunning all around.

This from a guy who never really warmed up to the whole Chrysler family aesthetic when it comes to muscle cars. In reality, I should have been a prime candidate to grow into a full-on Mopar fanatic as our neighbor across the street during my formative years owned both a very early 70's Dodge Challenger and a Plymouth 'Cuda of the same era. As a little kid I thought they were pretty cool, but overall I just preferred the look of GM's offerings — the Camaro in particular, which I would go on to own when in my 20's.

Good stuff, thanks for sharing Larry!
 
Larry Cloetta said:
Thread title is “show me a nice old car”, so:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1949-delahaye-type-175-drophead-coupe-by-figoni-et-falaschi/
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Speaking of Delahaye's, there was an older example from the 1930's included in an exhibit that appeared at our art museum here in Portland a few years back. That exhibit focused on cars and motorcycles from the late 30's and early 40's that were indicative of the impact that the fascination with aerodynamics had on many designers of this era. The exhibit was aptly titled "The Shape of Speed". Another car featured in that same exhibit was a Talbot-Lago that was constructed by the same coach builder as the Delahaye, Figoni et Falaschi.


1938 Delahaye 01 by Bill Guthrie, on Flickr


1938 Delahaye 02 by Bill Guthrie, on Flickr


1938 Delahaye 03 by Bill Guthrie, on Flickr


1938 Talbot-Lago 01 by Bill Guthrie, on Flickr


1938 Talbot-Lago 02 by Bill Guthrie, on Flickr
 
Last year I placed a photo of my Honda S2000 in the "Show me a nice new car" thread. Tonight while walking my son through some work on his car, he asked to see the engine bay of the Honda which led to a fairly lengthy discussion.

Thinking back on that conversation now, I realize that with every passing year, this car has less and less in common with the cars of today. So while it is only 15 years-old, a range of things from the purely mechanical throttle control to the lack of an infotainment system really set it apart from most sports or sporty cars today. And while naturally aspirated engines and manual transmissions can still be found on cars today, they are sadly becoming increasingly rare — especially if you wish to avoid features like infotainment systems that pervade the cars of today.

So despite it only being 15 years-old, I've now started thinking about the S2000 as an old car. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago while out for a drive after completing a valve adjustment on the car (being easy to work on with all systems reasonably accessible would also seem to qualify it for the "old car" category). This was shot from North Portland's Cathedral Park. The park gets it's name from the design of the iconic St. John's Bridge that can be seen in the background.


2005 Honda S2000 by Bill Guthrie, on Flickr
 
Local chap seems to have a couple of these .
Leica CL 50 cron V5

50266640057_c5dbf9a77d_c.jpg
 
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