Beautiful Cars Appreciation Thread

[oldshurst442]

My order of Nissan Z favorites.

 

The others dont quite make my list.  Its not that I dont like them, its more like my feelings for them are neutral.  They dont move the feelz meter for me one way or other. 

Edited May 29, 2022 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

38 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

 Alas, the rest of Nissan's current US lineup is mostly lame appliances w/ CVTs...

The Maxima was a terrific sleeper of a family hauler in the 1980s and 1990s. It even became a sexy sedan in the 1990s.  Too bad they mucked it up.  I mean, I like the looks of the Maxima of today. It doesnt follow the usual lines of eveybody else's sedans.  But it lost so much of its 1980s and 1990s identity.  

I used to love this car back in the day.   Many people didnt know how fast this car was.  My friends were all geeking over the German crap, I was geeking out over this and the Impala SS.  Albeit, I was not so vocal about geeking out on the Japanese sports sedan...   I, however, was SUPER loud on my hatred of BMWs back then!!!

The Impala SS in black and the Maxima SE in white.  Throw in a Pontiac Bonneville, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Aurora and we round out my favorite more or less mainstream sedans of the day. 

 

 

 

[riviera74]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:26 AM, oldshurst442 said:

The Maxima was a terrific sleeper of a family hauler in the 1980s and 1990s. It even became a sexy sedan in the 1990s.  Too bad they mucked it up.  I mean, I like the looks of the Maxima of today. It doesnt follow the usual lines of eveybody else's sedans.  But it lost so much of its 1980s and 1990s identity.  

I used to love this car back in the day.   Many people didnt know how fast this car was.  My friends were all geeking over the German crap, I was geeking out over this and the Impala SS.  Albeit, I was not so vocal about geeking out on the Japanese sports sedan...   I, however, was SUPER loud on my hatred of BMWs back then!!!

The Impala SS in black and the Maxima SE in white.  Throw in a Pontiac Bonneville, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Aurora and we round out my favorite more or less mainstream sedans of the day. 

 

 

 

I would take a first generation Aurora any day over anything Nissan, then or now, especially back in the mid-1990s.

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

[trinacriabob]

On 6/24/2022 at 2:29 PM, oldshurst442 said:

 

 

This was in a class by itself!  Bombastic, excessive, call it what you want ... but what a neat and unique Cadillac.

[trinacriabob]

I just found this.

In the '77 to '78 intermediate downsize, Chevy did the worst job of the GM divisions - referring to  both the Monte Carlo and the Malibu.

Find used 1978 78 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Collector Survivor, Mint Condition, Orig 50K Miles in Temecula, California, United States (2040-cars.com)

Here is a near perfect '78 base coupe.  The front end and the heavy side sculpting for a "smaller" MC were a fail.  At least it has bucket seats and a console.  It also has some electric options (moot).  Sitting under the hood is the old school Buick supplied 231 c.i. V6.

It's a California car that has about 50,000 miles.  The link to craigslist is no longer active.  I wonder how much he wanted and/or got for it.

Edited July 25, 2022 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

Agreed with the Monte Carlo, but I think the Malibu was a cleaner design and looked better than the goofy slant back 2dr and 4dr Century and Cutlass that Buick and Olds respectively fielded for the their downsized '78 A-bodies, IMO..

Regarding this particular MC, that tan w/ beige interior seems like it was ubiquitous across GM in 1978...I've seen so many GM models of that year in that color over the years...

[trinacriabob]

On 7/25/2022 at 11:55 AM, Robert Hall said:

Agreed with the Monte Carlo, but I think the Malibu was a cleaner design and looked better than the goofy slant back 2dr and 4dr Century and Cutlass that Buick and Olds respectively fielded for the their downsized '78 A-bodies, IMO..

Regarding this particular MC, that tan w/ beige interior seems like it was ubiquitous across GM in 1978...I've seen so many GM models of that year in that color over the years...

If you are talking about specific models, I'd agree that, while the MC was a dud, the Malibu was "safer" than the aero-back-like Buick Century and Olds Cutlass (an insult to the Cutlass name) that they released.  I almost forgot that they made a coupe.  I think the sedan almost looked worse because of all the window divisions along the greenhouse sides.  What surprised me is that some head honcho didn't slap the s**t out of the designers for designs so ugly.  (They didn't do that for the Citation's design, either.)  Bob Lutz "tossed over the tables in the temple," so to speak, about some fairly bad Hyundai Azera like design work-ups for the first-gen LaCrosse.  Boy, did they ever right the ship on that one: Jaguar-esque front end, Mercedes like rear end, and classic tried American greenhouse and sides. 

I think that the problem with the first downsized late '70s MC is that it too strongly went from being too much to being too paltry.  Then, the cheapness of the interior and dash on all Chevy models on that chassis - that ran all the way until the platform was done away with - was almost appalling.  It got a little better along the way, both inside and out.  Outside, they put quad lamps on the '80 MC and the '81 refresh was a breath of fresh air. 

It's all water under the bridge, but I have been accused of "living in the past!" 

1978 Buick Century sedan - this thing was a fright *

1978 Buick Regal coupe - on the same chassis, but sort of dignified ... not bad.

- - - - -

* what a hoot it would be to find one with the even smaller 3.2 (196 c.i.) V6, no air, no electric options, and low miles belonging to some elderly person in the heartland where they didn't salt the roads during winter who wants to unload it.

Edited July 28, 2022 by trinacriabob

[Drew Dowdell]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:26 AM, oldshurst442 said:

The Maxima was a terrific sleeper of a family hauler in the 1980s and 1990s. It even became a sexy sedan in the 1990s.  Too bad they mucked it up.  I mean, I like the looks of the Maxima of today. It doesnt follow the usual lines of eveybody else's sedans.  But it lost so much of its 1980s and 1990s identity.  

I used to love this car back in the day.   Many people didnt know how fast this car was.  My friends were all geeking over the German crap, I was geeking out over this and the Impala SS.  Albeit, I was not so vocal about geeking out on the Japanese sports sedan...   I, however, was SUPER loud on my hatred of BMWs back then!!!

The Impala SS in black and the Maxima SE in white.  Throw in a Pontiac Bonneville, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Aurora and we round out my favorite more or less mainstream sedans of the day. 

 

 

 

I remember when these were *the* Japanese sedan to have if you had taste and a pulse. They clearly outclassed the Camry and Accord of the time in luxury interiors, to say nothing of the domestics including all eleventy W-Bodies. Only the 95 (and not earlier) Cutlass with the 3.4 could come close. The Passat was still a weird too-little-but-bigger-than-a-Jetta sedan driven by physics professors in tweed hats. 

Bonneville was the next size up and in SSEI version had a worthy interior.

[Robert Hall]

10 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I remember when these were *the* Japanese sedan to have if you had taste and a pulse. They clearly outclassed the Camry and Accord of the time in luxury interiors, to say nothing of the domestics including all eleventy W-Bodies. Only the 95 (and not earlier) Cutlass with the 3.4 could come close. The Passat was still a weird too-little-but-bigger-than-a-Jetta sedan driven by physics professors in tweed hats. 

Bonneville was the next size up and in SSEI version had a worthy interior.

A buddy in college had a red '90 Maxima SE w/ a manual...was a sweet car.   Years later, a buddy in Colorado had a gray '01 Maxima SE w/ a manual...it was his daily for 15 years until a hailstorm totaled it.   He replaced it with a CPO '13 Audi A6 that has been nothing but trouble since then..

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

CPO '13 Audi A6 that has been nothing but trouble since then..

That sentence is still true in just about any situation. 

[oldshurst442]

@surreal1272

contrary to what you may think about how I feel about Toyota, there are many, many cars and trucks that I very much like from Toyota and Lexus

These are some of the Toyota cars and trucks I like and is proud to admit I like.

yeah...from the 60s and 70s

even the 80s

 

and included in the Toyotas that I like...surprise surprise, a little 4 cylinder shytebox 

and a Solara of all things

 

And a couple of Toyotas that I saw in Greece that we never got here. Now these next Toyotas arent exactly cars I like, but I was smitten with them for whatever reason.

early 80s Crown

and a very much mundane 1998-1999-2000-2001 or so Avensis

 

A FWD BMW language copy cat. Never in my wildest dreams would I  have ever thought Id actually like this kinda car. But here I am.

Now...these are a LOT of Toyotas. 

Just because I dont buy into the bullshyte of Toyotas being more reliable than all others and I KNOW that their quality of car building is no better and on par with the rest of them other OEMs that we like to call shyte doesnt mean I dont like their cars...

BMW is the car company that I have an irrational hate for.

My hatred for Toyota stems for the brainwashing BS they do.  I actually like a lot of their cars.  Toyota has made some really cool vehicles for us enthusiasts.  Why they stopped would be another reason for me to hate them...

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

Edited September 3, 2022 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David]

Bricks on Wheels, The Ultimate Driving Machine and the Best or Nothing Marketing Message. LOL, I had forgot all about these till you posted them. LOL

Interesting to see the stories on which old autos from BMW would be great to electrify.

Which Classic BMW Would You Convert to Electric? (bmwblog.com)

Seems I am not the only one that believes electrifying old classic cars is a good thing.

Goodbye, V8! This is the world's first electric classic Mercedes-Benz SL (mercedesblog.com)

 

[oldshurst442]

   courtesy of @David

 

Thanx for posting this awesome restomod/pro touring Trans Am

[oldshurst442]

I think Ive seen this pic elsewhere on this site.  Could be that somebody else posted it somewhere.

Anyway, I came across it again and I needed to praise it again

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[David]

@oldshurst442 You get the laughing emoji on these posts as you nailed it in pairing the music video with the cars. Awesome and made me laugh.

[David]

Saw a mint condition Cadillac XLR today when running an errand with a young attractive woman having the top down and enjoying the smoky sun.

Silver and just like the press release version.

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 14, 2022 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[oldshurst442]

If I was a young, single, upwardly-mobile professional in the mid '60s and early '70s, Id gladly own these

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David]

I find these cars very nice looking.

1982 Mercury Capri RS

1970 Mercury Cyclone GT

[oldshurst442]

 

 

[riviera74]

I miss the 1995 Aurora rather than the 1999 Alero.  Then again, FWD Oldsmobiles before 1995 were rather uninspiring, just like that 1986 and 1990 Cutlass Calais you are showing.

[oldshurst442]

I think we, as Americans and Canadians, are just a tad too harsh with the FWD offerings from GM during the 1980s. 

The N-Body during the mid-1980s, Pontiac's Grand Am and Oldsmobile's Cutlass Calais, were, in hindight, good looking cars. They were economical compact cars. FWD.  But they were pleasing to the eye especially as compared to their contemporary Japanese equivalents.  

We should put to rest the anger we felt for GM going all FWD.  We should also put to rest the anger we had for GM the crappy small cars they produced at the beginning of this time period.  The small cars to come out from GM from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s were crap. But the  FWD cars that GM produced from the mid 1980s onward, were pretty much good cars.  The N-Body was pretty reliable. The C and K platform cars as well.  The A cars from 1986 or 1987 were pretty much bullet proof.  The W-Body cars, as were as well.  

Uninspiring?   Yeah.  Okay.

 Acura during the mid 1980s

Integra

Legend

 

Toyota Cressida

 

Pontiac Grand Am

 

Cutlass Calais

 

Most 1980s cars were uninispiring. The N-Platform was a product of its time.  But they WERE stylish little cars as compared to what was out there in the compact econo-pseudo luxury, pseudo sporty segment in their era.  Like I said, maybe its time for us to stop judging harshly the FWD cars from the mid-1980s that GM produced. They were not bad. Not bad at all.  They were good, stylish every day cars. 

I didnt post the Calais and Alero to showcase masterpieces of art.  I posted to reminisce an era in my life.  Hence the songs that I also accompanied the cars with.  Ive done that as well with a couple of German cars of the 1980s in the previous page of this thread.   I was in a certain mood. I wanted to appreciate the time period and the memories I had during this time regarding the cars and the songs and the era. 

[oldshurst442]

I heard that Jay Leno got severe burns to his left side of his face when one of his steam powered cars hissed some gasoline on him. He is alright, but no word on how severe the burns are.  If plastic surgery will be needed to repair any unrepairable skin.  Im sure happy that he is alright.  I like Jay. I like his comedy.  I like Jay even more when it comes to his car knowledge.  

A song for him.  The song just popped into my mind thinking about his accident.  

 And I believe this to be his favorite (sports) car.

The car and the song go together well as its from the same time frame.  Abouts in the 1994ish time period. 

 

[oldshurst442]

And since we are in this frame of mind

[David]

12 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I heard that Jay Leno got severe burns to his left side of his face when one of his steam powered cars hissed some gasoline on him. He is alright, but no word on how severe the burns are.  If plastic surgery will be needed to repair any unrepairable skin.  Im sure happy that he is alright.  I like Jay. I like his comedy.  I like Jay even more when it comes to his car knowledge.  

A song for him.  The song just popped into my mind thinking about his accident.  

 And I believe this to be his favorite (sports) car.

The car and the song go together well as its from the same time frame.  Abouts in the 1994ish time period. 

 

Yup, he got gasoline burns. Jay Leno suffers burns in gasoline fire, says he's 'OK' (msn.com)

[oldshurst442]

[oldshurst442]

There was a thread about Chevrolet's new commercial featuring its EVs with Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere as a song choice.  I LOVE that song. And I keep seeing the commercial. So kudos for GM and Chevrolet to actually MARKET their products...

But...Imma gonna post MY Chevrolets that I associate with the time period of the song.

 

 

Looks like my dad's Celebrity (Wanted to do a 1987 Eurosport, but I saw this one. 1986. Iron Duke.  Yeah. This one makes the post!)

 

 

And we got our first snow fall of THIS season today.  A S-10 Blazer 4x4 to finish the thought. 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

 

 

 

[David]

1966 Chevrolet Impala Convertible EV

Jan Karlander - YouTube

You can go to his site to see the two videos on the conversion of this car.

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

[oldshurst442]

A new type of muscle car. A pure American definition of.  Unlike the Alpina Bimmer above.  The muscle truck. 

But with a new flavour to the muscle car/truck theme.  Off road.  And I adore.

 

 

 

Edited November 20, 2022 by oldshurst442

[riviera74]

I wonder how much time those trucks posted above are actually off-road.  I have seen more than a few that have spent almost NO time off-road.

[oldshurst442]

And this is how Porsche gets my attention every single time.  Not with Carrera GTs or Cayennes and Tiguans.   But how they improve the 911 every single generation. How they dissect it and re-invent it and keep on rockin' with it while not deviating from it since its inception in 1963. But even before that when its was just a humble people's car in wolf's clothing as a war machine.  From air cooled to liquid cooled to naturally aspirated to turbo to rear engined and to  AWD to lowered and hunkered down and widebodied  to lifted and offroaded.