Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler OK Time Travelers ...

If you found yourself in 1949 and you get to pick a new car, every year from 1949 until 1969, what would your picks be?

1949 Cadillac 62 fastback
1950 Oldsmobile 88 coupe
1951 Hudson Hornet
1952 Lincoln Capri
1953 Packard Caribbean convertible
1954 Nash Healey
1955 Ford Thunderbird
1956 Continental
1957 Rambler Rebel
1958 Thunderbird
1959 Cadillac
1960 Rambler Ambassador Custom
1961 Lincoln Continental
1962 Studebaker Hawk GT
1963 Thunderbird
1964 Buick Riviera
1965 Shelby Cobra 427
1966 Corvette
1967 Oldsmobile Toronado
1968 Camaro Z28
1969 AMX

Play if you dare

Not a single Jaguar E-Type? You could have chosen one any time from 1961 - 1969.

I picked American cars. Go gettem

10 minutes 'til the ambien w/a xanax chaser kicks in, but here goes.

1949-54 anything with wooden sides
1955 Belair
56 T-bird
57 deVille
58 T-bird
59 Sunliner hardtop
60 Impala
61 Sunliner
62 Galaxie 500
63 Vette
64.5 Mustang
65 Buick Wildcat (what?)
66 'cuda
67 GTO
68 Cutlass 442
69 Superbird

A Ford Man !! Love the 60 and 61 Galaxies. 65 Wildcat was one but brakes were weak. GTO and 442 from when America was great. Superbird a man who drives on the wild side. 55 Belair beautiful. Any T Bird.

I like your choices.

It's a good thing you didn't go to, like, 1975, 'cause, really, 1968-1974 is sort of like just one year in my memory--Nixon/Viet Nam; Nixon/rock 'n' roll; Nixon/the Beatles break up; Nixon...

I'm not that knowledgeable about the cars of that era, but I can play over the last decade and a half:

1995 Dodge Stealth
1996 Jaguar XKR
1997 Toyota Supra
1998 Ferrari F355
1999 BMW M Roadster
2000 Porsche Boxster S
2001 BMW M5
2002 Dodge Viper GTS. Blue. With racing stripes.
2003 BMW Z8
2004 Ford GT
2005 Dodge Magnum SRT-8
2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
2007 Maserati GranTurismo
2008 BMW M6 convertible
2009 Nissan GT-R
2010 Chevrolet Camaro. Bumblebee yellow.

10 out of 15 are 2 seaters. OK Medic8r!

Twin Turbo Supra
Acura NSX 3.2 liter with 6 speed
Honda S2000 only 2000-2003 (2.0 liter 9,000 rpm redline)
BMW M5
may have to have a Gallardo on the list.

1958 Chevrolet with a continental kit.

1969 Firebird 400.

These four digit codes at the front of your car models mean nothing to me... (born in 1983)

'62 GTO. The real GTO.

My list would have to include:

Any of the *real* Ferrari Testarossas from the 50's

A Jaguar D-Type from the 50's

An Aston Martin DB from the late 50's

55 Porsche 550 Spyder

57 "E spec" T-Bird

Porsche RS60

59-60 Chev Belair Convert.

63 Corvette Fuelie

64 Ford 427 Thunderbolt

Mid 60's Ferrari GTO

Mid 60's Cobra

Adrian knows his cars. First gto was 64.

Forgot to mention the Belair would have the 348 Tri-power engine.

http://www.supercars.net/cars/518.html

Orly?

I think the first "Pontiac" GTO was 64.

That's why I said "real" GTO.

Me under-stood-ee.

I also liked some of the early "409" cars. I always thought the scalloped shaped heads looked pretty cool on them, same as the 348 engine on which it was based. Interesting how the combustion chambre was formed by using a flat milled head bottom set upon a 74 degree milled block deck, with the same angle on top of the piston.

Oh, I like the Pontiac GTOs, too, I just find it amusing how they cadged the name.

'58 Vette, light blue with white insets. Just like the old In 'n' Out commercials.

Here is some engine porn that shows a reproduction of an aluminum 409 being built up and showing the deck angle. Check some of the pics below as well.

If I only had a time machine and today's money.

1949 Ford Prefect
1950 Ford Coupe
1951 Nash
1952 Jaguar XK120
1953 Studebaker
1954 Buick Century
1955 Chevy Nomad
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gull
1957 Thunderbird
1958 Edsel
1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz
1960 Alfa Romeo Sprint
1961 Nash Metropolitan
1962 MG MKII
1963 Corvette Stingray
1964 Ford Thunderbolt
1965 AC Shelby Cobra
1966 Pontiac Acadian 327ci/350hp
1967 Corvette roadster 427/435
1968 Hemi Dart
1969 Camaro Z28

I probably would have been stoned to death, but I would love to own an original Mazda Cosmo.

I have the engine out of a 1991 Cosmo, sitting in storage, waiting to be transplanted in my my 1991 RX-7 convertible.

Well, the original is pretty nice looking...

Oh that GTO. Giddyap.

OK, European stuff.
Ferrari Barchetta
Ferrari California
Ferrari 275LM
1962 Jaguar Mark II 3.8 liter saloon
TV Talent Supermarket

The Greatest Crumpet Collector of All Time


The Snake

I always knew there was something wrong wid you.

Hemi Dart ... You da man!

Nash Metropolitan - no chance of unintended pregnancy there.

Re: Toyota 2000GT. I do like a straight-6, the rotary wins my affection in the end.

2 beauties Club Neon.

I dunno? I think I'm with Wid (as long as it's a ragtop)!

(posted before, but IMHO, worth seeing again .)

'65 ChevyII/Nova with 327 4spd.

'69 Z28 or Boss 302

'67 Barracuda Notchback

'65-66 Shelby Mustang

As a start to my list I'd like to have back these that I had as a teen (If I would have only know)

49 Willys 4 wheel drive pickup
61 Austin Healy Bug eyed Sprite
64 Impala (folks bought it new, I bought it from them)
72 Chevy fleetside pickup with "baby moons"

Now that's a nice ride Jack.



How can ya not like a 58 Chevy.

Nice, I prefer the styling of the 59-60 Chevs though, they seem more sleek and lower to me. Speaking of Chevs, the very first 427 powered cars that Chev built were pretty awesome...the Z11 Impalas in the early '60s, based on a modified 409 engine...very rare, Ka-Ching!!

In an effort to boost my feeble post count over the next few days (weeks, months) I'll be posting photos and the reasons beind my picks.

1949 Ford Prefect



I picked this photo off the net as it shows just how tiny the car was.

It was the first car I ever owned, bought it out of money from a paper route. Didn't have a license to drive so I spent most of my time taking it apart to see how it worked.

A roaring 10hp out of 1.17L and a suspension out of the horse and buggy era.

I loved it, only car I ever sold for a profit, it ended up it's days on the dragstrip with a Chevy V8.

About two years ago I tracked down a diecast of this car in the very colour I had. Cost me more than the orignal car.

IU also have a "wish I'd kept them list"

The one on yours that catches my eye is the bug eyed Sprite. Had a friend who owned one, it was like riding in a go cart with doors, loved it.

My father had a few nice cars that I remember, most notably a '62 Impala convertible(Off White, Reddish top), I think it was a 283 car, and a silvery grey '65 Buick Wildcat. Some friends of ours had one of those old Mercs with the electric, canted inward rear windows.

I've had a '67 Mustang FB, 69 Mustang FB, 70 Mach 1 Mustang from that era.

F.U., wiseass brat!

Sorry. Forgot one of these

The 1955 Chevy was clean:



The 1956 was classy:


The 1957 is an icon but this one is a 283 cid fuel injected V8 :



Now, the 1958 certainly had more chrome and looks like it was cast in dough.

OK, Pop Quiz

Which bone stock 1957 car (with a back seat) was the quickest to 60 mph?

I'm guessing it had a hemi? Could it be a Chrysler 300C?

The Mighty Chrysler 300C with its 392 cid Hemi with twin 4 barrel carbs putting out 375 HP.

A worthy choice but not the quickest. Maybe the classiest.

Here's a few off the top of my head...

Prior to '49 ... '37 or '39 Chevy Coupe

After '49...

'49 Ford Tudor
any early to mid '60s Volvo coupe
'60 Studebaker Hawk
'55 or '57 Chevy Bel Air
'57 Thunderbird
'59 Ford truck (my first vehicle)
'65 Shelby Cobra
'66 Chevrolet truck
'66 Chevy Nova SS
any late '60s muscle cars.

I came across a few nice garages to house all of these fine cars in for you guys ... Ordinary Garages

So far only one player. Step right up.

You have to tell us if it's according to manufacturers BS, or if it's independently confirmed. I recall Detroit used to be very, umm, "creative" in those days.

Rick, which garage is your's?

Adrian I submitted a picture but the extraordinary people with the ordinary garages page didn't seem interested, for whatever reason ... Please remove your shoes prior to entering.

My brother had a 4 bay glass doored garage in his last house.... I think he really just likes cleaning things.....

In his current home he has a lift for his restored porsche .. to accommodate more parking ......

I don't have my brothers money .............

Rick, sorry, had to work today. What a bunch of average garages. Kidding.

Adrian. Independent in every sense of the word. Not based on manufacturer claims.

1957 Rambler Rebel.

Haha!

....probably a Porsche under there somewhere?

Getting back to the 0-60 question....are we talking about a 392 Hemi car?

1957 Rambler Rebel.

Wid is Wight. It's the Wambler Webel with the 327 cid Bendix Fuel injected 288 HP V8 which hit 60 mph in 7.2 seconds with its 3 speed transmission.

The Rambler was unitized and therefore lighter than the archaic body on frame method of construction used by Ford, GM, Studebaker and Chrysler in 1957.

The Rambler scorched the big 300C Chryslers which took more than 8 seconds to reach 60 mph.

The 1957 Dodge D500 with the 1956 Chrysler 300B's hemi could not put the power to the ground. It was slower to 60 or the 1/4 than the 1956 D500.

The Ford F Bird with a supercharged 292 cid V8 was hot on the Rambler's heels but only the 283 HP 283 cid 4 speed Corvette got to 60 sooner.

Good Call Wid !!!

Here is the 1957 Rambler Rebel on the Daytona beach where the 1957 speed trials were held.



Don't know why, but I'd like to have one of them.

You dis my 58 Chevy and want one of those? You are one twisted man LOL

Wanna race? I mean virtually, of course.

Tight unit body vs. Doughy body on frame. No rattles vs. many. Decent fuel economy vs. more than 4000 lbs with a 348 tri power V8.

Of course, I suppose that even though the Rambler had reclining seats, the big Chevy Impala had more curb appeal.

Good choice. I suppose the Chevy was the best of the GM 1958 offerings.