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No, the rusty pair of pliers is not a hint. Or is it?
Kudos to one of my favorite CC readers geeber for correctly catching the 1962 Ford Fairlane. Sir, your comments inspire me to try harder, and you never fail to notice when I’ve had the inspiration, time or energy to do better than average. For that and your other insightful comments I am most appreciative.
32 Comments on “Curbside Classic Clue...”
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Though I’m not terribly good with domestics, it has a terribly 77-79ish Ford LTD feel to it.
Maybe even a 77-79 T-Bird.
Of course, maybe I’m miles off.
Looks like a late 70″s Mercury. Owned a 1977 Marquis wagon (no wood grain) . Held 4 kids and a 100 lb. Lab with room to spare.
81 buick skylark
The hood has a late-70s or early-80s downsized “powerdome” quality to it. What I mean is that earlier radiator grilles from American automakers tended to have pretty dramatic creases. They were toned down as the ’70s drew to a desultory close.
The picture suggests a smaller car, an upright rather than a raked fascia, and a grille separated from the headlights by sheetmetal.
My best quick (but not confident) guess is the 1976 Buick Regal coupe. If the Regal was “noteworthy” it was one of the earlier examples of GM trying to save money by having multiple brands share sheetmetal (in this case the doors). The problem with that is the Regal and its near twin the Olds Cutlass Supreme lost a measure of brand identity, e.g., Buick could no longer offer its traditional sweepsphere side sculpting. Perhaps the catsup oracles didn’t care because at that point Buick was ditching its luxo-barge image in favor of a more sporty, European look. That tipped over fast.
Smells like 85 Grand Marquis. I had one about that color. Great car.
Edit: Ohh, I feel even better about it now. That reflection is the Merc hood ornament standing proud.
Edit V2. I think It’s an earlier Panther Marquis. My 85 didn’t have quite the same trim pattern. I’ll guess 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis.
’82 Marquis. I had one. I recognize the corner of that grille.
Hoser, that’s still too recent, I’m thinking ’80 model Mercury Grand Marquis (the de Sade edition).
You’re right. This CC has an even line down to that 90 degree angle. The 83 GM I suggested, slopes.
I’m starting to think mid 70’s Chevelle/Malibu.
If only they had produced a ‘DeSade’ edition…
This looks like my wife’s old 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis,same color and all. The pliers don’t look familiar !!
It might be a 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix, or maybe a year or few later.
1981 Pontiac Grand Prix?
~1980 Dodge Diplomat
1976 Chevrolet Impala.
I scrolled down, getting excited that no was guessing early 80’s Grand Prix (the reflection of the hood ornament makes me think so)…and “Doh!” big_gms beat me to it!
82 Bonneville?
The hood crease is subtler… still holds a chance
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/6th_Pontiac_Bonneville.jpg
I’m impressed. Bonneville. Good job!
My dad brought one of these home one day, as a potential new car for my mom … everybody agreed that it looked very sharp (fully-loaded, nice wheels, black with red-pinstripes and interior) … but then he realized that the rear windows did not open, and the power-operated rr vent windows did not mollify him.
Mom wondered what she needed the a 4-door for when all of us children had our own transportation by then … Dad already had a new Crown Vic every year, so there was a big discussion which totally changed the decision criteria … we ended-up buying a dark red 1969 Cougar (bodystyle 65C!! one of 1200 made from the original owner … she so loved this car she kept it the next 10 years, something that would have never happened with the Bonneville!!)
Dad didn’t quite understand the idea of how a nearly 15 year old Cougar with no features but a/t, p/s deluxe wheelcovers and a bench-seat(!) could be superior to a new fully-loaded Bonneville, but he quickly got with Mom’s program, and returned the Bonneville the next day…
80’s GM B-Body or Chrysler car. The Panthers have a much more “dramatic” crease and the lines are straight.
GM cars were more subtle and went to the outer edges of the hood although not reaching them.
And the hood reflection looks to me like a “cristal” Pentastar.
Maybe the people posting the Skylark is right.
Late 80s Chevy Caprice.
Mercury Monarch?
Looks like a 88-91 Grand Marquis. Without the De Sade option.
Ford Grenada
73 Lincoln Continental.
Buzz called a 76 Impala, I say a 75 Caprice..
The crease looks a lot like the one on my dad’s 80 Impala but the grille and hood ornament look a bit too finicky even for a Caprice. I’m guessing Pontiac Parisienne.
72-73 Mercury Montego?
The more I look at the picture the more it appears to be a luxo-midget. If it’s American it smells like a GM car. The 1981-82 Buick Skylark doesn’t appear to fit because of the raked headlights, but the 1983+ had a flat fascia. The rusted tool would be a useful accessory for this notorious car. However, the chrome surround of the grille area doesn’t fit any of the up-close photos I can find. So maybe I’m either dead wrong or haven’t quite zeroed in on the right year.
Paul, thank you for the kind words. I enjoy reading your “Curbside Classic” articles, as you always give fresh insights into cars that we knew and loved, hated or even ignored. Your average articles are superior to almost everyone else’s top-notch efforts. You ought to compile these for a book…they are that good.
I’ll join Dr. Lemming and guess 1983 or later X-body Buick Skylark. Those models had a flat front ensemble. And this color of blue was popular in the early 1980s, particularly on GM cars.
I drove a company car for a time that had some galvanized body panels, which GM apparently understood to mean “repels paint” as one of its benefits. The body looked fine, except the hood and trunk, which looked like a snake shedding its skin.
Early 80’s Buick Century.
Edit: Ooops, just saw this was already identified. . . and thanks for the paint explanaition.
Actually all the manufactures had issues with switching over to unleaded paint in the early 80s. The colors that suffered the most were the blues and silvers for some reason. GM actually paid to repaint many of those cars but it was one of those “hidden warranty” things were your dealer had to be not a total douche-bag.