Archive for April, 2014

Petite Pontiac – 1961 Vauxhall Victor Super Series 2

April 2, 2014

It’s fun to look around at online listings in different cities, simply to see what turns up. Aside from the usual hotrods, used commuter cars, and pickups, you do get the occasional surprise that makes it worthwhile. Back in the late 1950s, when a minor recession was driving demand for smaller cars, GM had no compacts of their own. So, they brought in their American-inspired Opels and Vauhalls, both of which had been heavily influenced by GM’s North American styling studio. The Vauxhall Victor was introduced in 1957 to replace the pre-war Wyvern, and took styling cues from contemporary Pontiacs and Chevrolets. With a 55hp inline four pushing about 2400 lb. of car around, performance was leisurely, but the car returned an average 26mpg in contemporary testing. Due to performance and a relatively high price, and in spite of respectable reviews, the cars were never a great success in North America. So finding a survivor is a rare occasion, especially one that hasn’t been baked to a crisp after 40 years of outdoor storage. Check out this 1961 Vauxhall Victor Super for sale for $4000 in McAllen, TX (near Austin).

1961 Vauxhall Victor right front

(more…)

Rusty But Trusty on the Street – BMW 2002tii, Jaguar XJ6, Pontiac Catalina, Datsun 2000, and Mercedes 280SL

April 1, 2014

Time for more catching up on the local sights. First off is an early-morning sighting of a BMW 2002tii the way we like them – daily driven and a little crispy around the edges. This would probably horrify the local BMWCCA show crowd – after all, no amount of Q-tips will clean the dirt out of the nooks and crannies on this one – but it’s great to see someone actually using their 2002 – a tii no less – as intended. This looks to be the Agave green color, and aside from the rust, it looks really straight and complete, down to the steel tii wheels with hubcaps. This has been a California car since at least the early 1980s, judging by the sunrise plates.

20140223_100427

(more…)

Suckered Again – 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina

April 1, 2014

Some people get all dewy-eyed at those awful commercials with Sarah McLaughlin singing over clips of injured puppies. But it’s really rather annoying – it seems they’re deliberately manipulating the viewer’s emotions to spur them into action. What does this have to do with old cars, you ask? Well, when’s the last time you went to your favorite online auction or sales site and browsed the pictures of project cars? You know you can bring it home – just a quick couple of fixes and it’ll be back on the road, roaming free with the other cars, a happy growl coming from the engine. Check out this 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina, a no-sale today (aww) in Graham, WA.

1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Berlina for sale

(more…)