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Classic Cars What Will Be a Future Classic?
588 messages, Last post on Sep 06, 2009 at 3:54 PM
You are in the Classic Cars Forum. Your Host is mr_shiftright
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While the debate in this discussion about how to categorize such K-car offshoots as the '80s Voyager/Caravan turbi-4 minivans and Chrysler Mark Cross LeBaron T & C woody convert may still elicit opinions, the February '09 issue of Collectible Automobile suggests that the PT Cruiser convertible is a "future collectible" candidate. I agree with Shifty, that the K-car derivatives mentioned above are not classics, nor will they ever achieve that status. Neither will any PT Cruiser, for that matter. However, I don't disagree with Collectible Automobile on the Cruiser convert; it may, in time, become a collectible. Then, again, it may not. Time will tell. I'd classify those '80s Mopar twins as collectibles, though. Why? As a first attempt to inject performance in a minivan, and as a car that revived the convertible (after Detroit had discontinued them, in the '70s, and many had given the open top concept up for dead), they are innovative and interesting enough, and rare enough, to earn the respect of being something more than just old cars. While the first mass produced (76,000+ manufactured between '05-'08, according to Collectible Automobile) retro convertible shares some of those same qualities, it's too early to predict whether it will garner enough interest to become collectible.
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Replying to: fezo (Dec 31, 2008 3:36 pm) Interestingly, the guy who was responsible for the split grille on Pontiacs, which evolved into a beak in later years, went over to Ford! His name was Semon Knudsen, but he went by the nickname "Bunkie". And I can understand why!  Bunkie was responsible for putting the beak on the 1970 T-bird, and his influence could also be seen in the 1970 Ford Galaxie XL. The cheaper Galaxies had a fairly plain, flat front-end, but hidden-headlight XL was showing a bit of a central theme. It would become more pronounced in 1970-72. For 1973 it was toned down a bit, and by 1975 had evolved into one of those stereotypical, pretentious, upright mock-Mercedes grilles that were all the rage at the time. |
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Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 01, 2009 4:22 pm) I've found a paint supply website that has tons of paint chips scanned in, at: http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/ And it looks like that Verduro Green was a Pontiac-only color. The paint chip says that it was also offered in 1967 as a spring special color. Now Oldsmobile lists a "jade gold poly", and Buick calls it "olive gold poly". The color is #43794 for both, and it looks kind of blackish-green to me. Pontiac's "verdoro green" is a different #43745. I don't think it's a bad color, but you're right, a bit too olive. I tend to like the light silvery greens they used back then, or the darker forest greens, but that "verduro" doesn't do much for me, either way. If on that fateful day in 1994 when I saw a '67 Catalina convertible sitting at a little buy-here/pay-here lot north of Baltimore, had it been that shade of green, rather than the pale creme it was, I still would have ended up buying it! |
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just browsing around those paint chips, I notice that "Verdoro Green" made a comeback in 1969-1970 on Pontiacs. However, it's a different item, #2095, so perhaps it's a slightly different hue. When I was a little kid, my grandparents' neighbors had a 1970 Executive 4-door that was a dark green. Might have been that Verdoro, but there was also a dark "Pepper Green" offered that year. I think the Pepper green is more what I'd call "Forest green", though. My grandparents had a 1972 Impala in what we always called "Forest Green", probably because if you take a Crayola 64 crayon box, Forest was the closest color! Looking at the paint chip though, I see they have two dark greens. One's called "Spring Green", and the other is "Sequoia Green". I think theirs was the Spring. It was a beautiful car. When I was a little kid, I asked them to hang onto it so I could have it for my first car when I turned 16! They laughed, because at the rate it was rusting, it probably wouldn't have made it until then! 
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Replying to: hpmctorque (Jan 02, 2009 5:55 am)
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Replying to: fintail (Jan 02, 2009 9:50 am) What seems to happen is that the things that offended the eye at the time the car was built become (interestingly) unnoticed by the eyes of the future. With the Edsel, it seems like our eyes are still sensitive to the ugliness, but somehow we have forgiven the Chrysler Air Flow, the '59 Cadillac, the '58 Oldsmobile, etc. Now they are "camp" (or whatever the new term is for IRONY IN DESIGN). Of course, ANY open car will generally be saved by someone, if it is not too badly deteriorated. So I'm predicting that PT Cruiser convertibles will be saved if they are nice survivors, but not restored. I see them as like Rambler American convertibles from the early 60s. Nothing to brag about, not worth that much, but if shiny and nice, too valuable or useful to junk. So somewhere between a Renault Alliance convertible and a Nash Metro convertible in value and desireability, is my opinion. |
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about the PT Cruiser convertible, is that IMO it's not a "real" convertible. It still has a full, thick, B-pillar with a roll bar. Plus, with the high beltline and the top that still sticks up about 7-8 inches, it just doesn't feel all that open-air. I wonder if the market would tend to differentiate between a "real" convertible and a "semi" convertible, such as the PT, VW Rabbit/Cabriolet, W-body Cutlass Supreme, and others that I'm sure I'm missing?
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Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 02, 2009 10:26 am)
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 02, 2009 10:32 am) Thanks, Andre! I always wondered why Bunkie was called Bunkie. You've certainly removed all doubt on taht one. That Verduro Green was a pretty funny color for a car. Like they took the idea and started making refrigerators that color. Just when I thought I had blocked out the 70s... |
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Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 01, 2009 3:50 pm)
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