Cars I forgot existed

[rb336]

Saw two chevy monzas


and two chrysler tc's by maserati

[Zacha341]

What year is that Monza? The Chrysler/ Mase car is nice... I saw a Chevy Chevette the other day in nearly mint condition [[perhaps stored in some Florida garage) and wanted to wash my eyes...!

[rb336]

I would say late 70s? not one of those rebadged Vegas

[Gannon]

I would say late 70s? not one of those rebadged Vegas

The Monza was pretty amazing. You could get the 305 V-8 crammed under that hood. Went like hell until you needed a tune-up. Then either your mechanic had the ability to unhinge the mounts and raise the engine, or he was cutting a hole in the wheel wells. Either way, the labor rate went up!

Our neighbor had one...we lived in that place from '76 until '80, and he bought it new. He was one of the engine techs at the Cadillac Clark Street facility...and one of the coolest guys I've ever known. He let my sister borrow his Monza all the time, just after she got her license!


Cheers

[48202]

Merkur XR4Ti

[rb336]

I had one of those. same engine as the SVO 'stang. Had a scorpio too, that sucker was a great car. made it from philly to detroit in about 2 hours less than normal.

[Gannon]

I had one of those. same engine as the SVO 'stang. Had a scorpio too, that sucker was a great car. made it from philly to detroit in about 2 hours less than normal.

Lincoln/Mercury dealers didn't know what to do with those.


That XR4 was an amazing vehicle.

[rb336]

XR4Ti [[body by Karmann)


Scorpio


They should have just called them mercury, like the capri

Capri II John Player Special. I wanted one badly

[Zacha341]

Wow! I recall the XRATi also known as the 'RATI'... very cool forward-thinking styling but not a good or long runner IMO. Only to be matched by the Scorpio, another non-runner. Problematic in many areas.

The Scorpio: a true 'tinker'mobile, and money maker for the tow company called often! A close friend had one. It was not reliable and did not run long at all. Very few used ones where to be seen as time when on, further proof of problems. Nice ride and luxury amenities, for sitting in the driveway.

But as mentioned above the Scorpio was VERY, very fast! When running!

XR4Ti [[body by Karmann)


Scorpio


They should have just called them mercury, like the capri

Capri II John Player Special. I wanted one badly

[Zacha341]

Scorpio's were incredibly fast with very nice amenities, but not a good runner over the long haul. Not a good resale car. Aged poorly becoming a tinker-mobile...

I had one of those. same engine as the SVO 'stang. Had a scorpio too, that sucker was a great car. made it from philly to detroit in about 2 hours less than normal.

[Zacha341]

I hate to admit it but I had a Dodge Dart Swinger..... blue with a black top I think. Slant six engine with that characteristic mini-roar, or shall we say 'sound'. Wide bucket seats, I think. It was a 75 or so... I had it in 87. Then some road-toad rear-ended me on I-94 - totaled car.

[thnk2mch]

Ford EXP / Mercury LN7 and then later the Escort EXP

[48202]

Around 1989, a friend of mine had a XRT4i.

At that time, I was driving a 1974 Dodge Dart Custom, with a 318, 8 cylinder engine. Other family members had a 1970 Dart Swinger, 1972ish Valient, and a Dodge Demon. I only remember bench seats in these cars.

The Demon was pretty much the same as a Plymouth Duster with cooler tail lights, but it probably qualifies as a forgotten car. It was only made for a couple of years.

[Gannon]

I hate to admit it but I had a Dodge Dart Swinger..... blue with a black top I think. Slant six engine with that characteristic mini-roar, or shall we say 'sound'. Wide bucket seats, I think. It was a 75 or so... I had it in 87. Then some road-toad rear-ended me on I-94 - totaled car.

My mother had a triple-black 4-door Dart, which we bought new in the seventies. Don't quite remember the year, but I'd guess 1972. I can recall the dealership on Grand River, which puts this as some of my earliest clear memories. I never, ever saw another one exactly like it.

THAT car was indestructible. That 225CI Slant-six engine kept her in motion [[well us, actually, she rarely drove in it alone!) through over 200k miles. They had some attachment, because the instant she sold it, IN our driveway, the freeze plugs developed tiny pinhole leaks in three places! It was the strangest thing!

It was also one of my first 'hacks'. I learned that if you had the emergency blinkers on, then toggled the turn signal lever to right or left...the entire electrical system had what I later learned was a back-feed. EVERYTHING that was turned on ran for the instant of the light flash! Sounded as if the radio became a heartbeat, while the windshield wipers would swipe an inch or two.

Apparently I did this once too often...my mother didn't mind, but my father had to move the car one time...and the radio came on blasting, wipers flapping...I didn't play with it afterwards! Heh...


Cheers, thanks for triggering that memory.

[Gannon]

Ford EXP / Mercury LN7 and then later the Escort EXP

Oh yeah, forgot about those! They all seemed to dissolve into a pile of rust a wee bit early...

[rb336]

Ford EXP / Mercury LN7 and then later the Escort EXP

I had an EXP, and I loved it. Had it for 6 years and the only problem I had with it was when my landlord painted the building and coated the entire car with paint roller splatter

[Zacha341]

Yeah, mine ran on even after it was hit in the back but it was just too old so I sold it and that person ran it for a while. I never experienced the electrical stuff you described...

Cheers to you : )

My mother had a triple-black 4-door Dart, which we bought new in the seventies. Don't quite remember the year, but I'd guess 1972. I can recall the dealership on Grand River, which puts this as some of my earliest clear memories. I never, ever saw another one exactly like it....

[Zacha341]

Yes, you're right all those cars had bench seating... ick. My DD Swinger was a two door. The one and only Chrysler product I ever owned.

At that time, I was driving a 1974 Dodge Dart Custom, with a 318, 8 cylinder engine. Other family members had a 1970 Dart Swinger, 1972ish Valient, and a Dodge Demon. I only remember bench seats in these cars...

[gazhekwe]

My very first brand new car was a 1973 Dodge Colt [[Mitsubishi). Bucket seat, floor shifter [[automatic), and the best balanced car ever. That December, Detroit had that 18 inch overnight snowfall, and we were the only car getting through. NEVER got stuck! That is how I learned the snow tactic, never drive into something you can't back out of.

As a civil rights investigator, I did have trouble when visiting UAW offices. They wanted to screech about the foreign [[expletive) I drove into their lot with. I pointed out the Dodge nameplate, that I had gotten it at a Dodge dealer, and I was doing my best to save fuel, drive safely and keep American jobs. They could not recommend a more efficient locally made car. Oh, well.

It was orange, with a cream vinyl roof and cream interior. I unfortunately totalled it in 1975. Still miss that car. I did have to keep a part in the glove box, ballast resistor I think, because it would fail periodically and the car would not start. No warning, just wouldn't start. You could run into the store for a quart of milk, come out and the thing wouldn't start. I felt SO smart, popping the hood, reaching into the glove box for my new part and the little screwdriver needed to detach the old one and reattach the new one. I would order a new one as soon as I used the one in the box.

One time, the Bay Mills Dodge ambulance wouldn't start. I got her going with my trusty extra ballast resistor. It seems they had forgotten to order their replacement the last time they used it. Stories related to those great and gorgeous 70s cars!

Ah, she was a beauty!

[rb336]

I saw one of these today!