Understand this is not everyone's cup of tea (of course, neither are Cougars) but I've liked this styling in cars since I was a kid and I think this is pulled off pretty well compared to other ones of the same type:
I like it , what kind of chassis is it ?
There is a Fox Cougar based one in my town that I like a lot too
I'd definitely pick up one of those if I could, would love a cougar conversion. Give us some more info, what kinda engine and drive train?
Scott
Very nice, what is it?
Shenanigans.
That is NOT a car. I see no under bonnet pictures, sir ;)
Is that an Excalibur? A strange part of my psyche has always liked them as well (of course I've also admitted I'd drive a Tiffany...)
It's not an Excalibur. The windshield and T-tops look to be C-3 Corvette.
I know two things; one, I'm very curious and two, I really like it.
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
Dracula would drive THAT CAR and nothing else IMHO.
Paint the red a deep purple and put a skull hood ornament out front ;)
*facepalm*
Wow Karl, I'm impressed. you're starting to gather quite the fleet of cars man, you're on your way to becoming the next Jay Leno!
You won't find one in my garage anytime soon....then again, you typically can't find anything in my garage.
thats what i was thinking lol, man, you got more then i do now ill bet lol...
definalty not my thing.... but then again I hate tiffany conversions.... nice looking car though...
that's BA! I've always wanted one too. I think it was cause I had a hot wheels car that looked like it
I don't like them either. Lots of those types of conversions weren't pulled off too well. Lots of ground-up builds didn't turn out too well either.
Click for example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CUSTOM-EXOTIC-SILVER-EAGLE-THE-BEST-IN-THE-WORLD_W0QQitemZ290424814852QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item439eaafd04
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Phantom-by-Johnson_W0QQitemZ270561580181QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item3efeba1495
http://i.ebayimg.com/02/!Bqbmw2QB2k~$(KGrHqIH-EIEuYPO7U19BLvskzYlg!~~_3.JPG
This makes #11
Hey wait... you didn't tell us what it's based on... and what about pics of the interior.... and the engine....
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
Can you make a post in users rides with a picture of every car? or are some super classified? haha
is it a Mercedes ?
You just said it, so I don't have to. This is a much better build. You can't tell what it's based off of from the outside.
That cougar based one is similar to the one here in town
I'm 99% Sure that it's C3 Corvette judging by the windshield and T-Tops... but I sure would like a few more pics to be sure!
It's definitely not a Mercedes, though I think its lines are somewhat based on the old Mercedes. Wouldn't mind a convertible.
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
Yes, I can see that it looks like it's a C3, but there are no definite identifying items on the car, like are on the Cougar Tiffany coupes. When you look at one of those, you're looking at a Cougar, and you can tell on the first glance.
I'm sorry but I like it.
OK, I see what you mean... Like the ones built on the Fox Mustangs or the Camaros! Way too wide!!
This one looks like they utilized the narrowness of the C3 passenger compartment to their advantage by hacking the doors down to give the body a more 30's width. I'd love to see one based on a convertible!
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
I think its pretty neat, but v8demon's right... We need engine pics!:D
Dammit! let us in the loop already!
The colors are definitely nice. They really work well together.
you're up to 11? I can only think of 7... It's a very Karl car, I can say that much :)
I know some people will grimace at cars like this but I've never been mainstream with my car tastes anyway.
Four Cougars
300ZX TT
XJS 6-litre V12 Coupe
1978 Town Car Limousine
Spyder GT Convertible
Amigo 4WD V6
Integra
Plus this newest addition
All legally tagged and insured :burnout:
But what is the newest addition based on?!?! And where are the pics of the interior and engine?? :D:D
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
It will be a little while before I can get more pictures but I will try to get some and post them here with a small window of time I should be getting.
Guess this is turning into a "name that car" thread.
It is a Berlina by the Phillips Motor Car Company.
(http://www.bobsclassics.com/81b18.jpg)
source: http://www.bobsclassics.com
(http://www.bobsclassics.com/sold/81be16.jpg)
source: http://www.bobsclassics.com
(http://bobsclassics.com/sold/79bb1.jpg)
source: http://www.bobsclassics.com
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3671824954_690edaabba.jpg)
source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30337029@N07/
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
There you have it. Surprised no one knew about these cars but from what I've gathered, there weren't many built. I've seen the number 87 thrown around many times and I've been wanting to get one for quite some time. Problem is they have all either been way more than I'm willing to spend, overseas, in rough shape, or odd colors.
I'll admit the black and red isn't my first choice but with such limited numbers and after looking for so many years, color was the only non-reversible trait of this car that counted somewhat against it (those colors are still ok, just not my first choice). However, I have a feeling that the black and red will present better in person than these photos. I haven't seen it yet. My wife left her weekend open and flew out last minute (because I waited until last minute to decide if I wanted her to look at it and potentially buy) to look at it for me. She basically looked it over with me on the phone and I decided on buying it based on her feedback. She's good at finding rust too. She's found rust on cars before I have.
It has something like 5,000 miles and has obviously sat in a garage a lot. I will probably take it to Pat Goss' shop for his rundown of system flushes and such like I've done with the Jag, two of the Cougars, and her Amigo at his shop.
I have to replace the rubber strip on the bumpers and will probably buy six new wheels with black wall tires. I may put fog lights on the bumper like some of the others and I may put a hood ornament on. I have to see it first. My wife says the wheels have really cool paint, she mentioned that several times. I'll have to see for myself but I still think I will want shiny new chrome there.
I will probably be either asking in this thread or creating another, but I will be looking for ideas and suggestions on wheels. Dayton Triple Cross are the current candidate but I want to see if something other than typical wires would fit this car better. With the color pattern and the right wheels, it may be able to pull off a bit of a sporty roadster look.
Hell, it is based on a Corvette with a Corvette drivetrain. Bill's guesses about the C3 were right. I was waiting until someone came out with a confident answer.
I will try to take and post pictures when I see it. :cheers:
From everything I read on the internet, they are very well built cars, suffering none of the usual cheapness and poor engineering of the other hybrid neo-classics. In fact, the only real issues I could find concerning them had more to do with the usual problems associated with the C-3 chassis, namely the brake calipers and a tendency for wonder at highway speeds. The calipers can be replaced with new sleeved units, and I think there is even one company now making the C-3 caliper in aluminum, while the wonder seems to be a function of worn or dry rotted suspension components, out dated shock absorbers, and too little caster. When you have the car aligned, have the tech get all the caster he can into the car, even if this goes beyond the book settings as this will help quite a bit with the wonder.
Personally, I think the red and black combo looks great, and is very correct to the period the car was built to emulate. It's a good thing they only built 90 or so of them as I might otherwise have to buy one, then cut the top and graft in the proper bits from a Corvette convertible!
Shiny Side Up!
Bill
yeah I had one, think it was a Bugatti and had a small fake tire on the trunk lid
"one" what? :confused:
You
think it was a Bugatti??? :wtf: That's not a car forgotten by people. :confused:
some recent shots...
Wow that's awesome! I like it. That wheel base looks so long!
It must take an incredible amount of searching for all the finds you have!
i know the answer to both of those statements.. lol.. because not too many people care for that style of car
Thanks Joe. The car's overall length is about the same as a Cougar and the XJS. I have a Cougar cover on it in the garage and there is actually some excess cloth at both ends. Wheelbase is probably longer though as you have said.
Just because car enthusiasts don't like certain styles doesn't mean they don't know of their existence. Many car enthusiasts are aware of a vast array of peculiar cars. Awareness is not directly coupled with appeal.
There weren't many made because by the third year of Berlina production, the C3 was no longer produced and the C4 was too different for a redesign to have any chance of profit.
When new, they cost approximately $180,000 in today's money and any car with that kind of cost is not produced in large quantities.
They sold for such high cost because the base car was expensive to begin with, they were hand-assembled, and contrary to your statement, lots of people do find this type of style appealing as evidenced by the wide variety of 'neoclassics' on the new car market in the late 70's and early 80's that were also very expensive. (Excalibur, Clenet, Zimmer, replica Auburns, Mercedes, etc).
It was the 'retromod' of the day. 40 to 50-year-old styling that was widely appealing on new platforms. The same concept re-surging right now with old 60's and early 70's styling on modern platforms.
The cost, availability, and maintenance of the cars from the 30's era of sweeping fender and tall grill styling that appealed to many people was too much hence the birth of a market niche for these retromods. Hell, those cars from the 30's are still going for insane prices into the high six-figures and low seven-figures and neoclassics with that styling are still being built and sold today.
Oh, and even though I don't care what other people think about what I drive, (people that know me have seen what I've enjoyed driving over the years) the reactions and compliments that car repeatedly gets also contradicts your statement.
"lol.. because not too many people care for that style of car"
I couldn't agree more so I'm building on that theme. I hate these wheels and have been trying to find a set that has an appealing style that not only fits in the wheel wells but also on the fenders with real tires because the spares are a little skinnier. (Yes, there are real tires under those tire covers.)
.....
Pretty cool Karl, not something that I would own, but I like it. That hood ornament you added is a perfect fit!
Congrats on the purchase!
I like it....its cool. The Dracula theme will serve you well this month!
Travis
man that is awesome! love the work you do to your cars!
I like it, very nice find!
Thanks guys. And thanks to V8Demon for planting the seed upon which my ideas will build, in other words the direction I hope to go with it but like everything else, I don't know how far time will allow. If I could pick just one car to work on, I could probably make better progress on that one car rather than trying to do stuff to a whole bunch of cars.