I was sitting at a light, and about a 1/4 mile away I saw a car sitting on a street parallel to the one I was on, and from that far away I thought it looked like a 62 Pontiac. As I approached it I was surprised to see I'd called it right, it was a 62 Parisienne or Laurentian 4 door, parked there with a for sale sign in the windshield. The reason I bring this up is what modern regular car could be spotted a 1/4 mile away and tell the year and make? Man, they don't build them like they used to.
Not that I'm bragging, but as far as full size Pontiac cars go, I can tell the differences from 55 to 70. Before or after that I'm at somewhat of a loss.
You're right, they don't build them like they used to.
My wife is always amazed when I catch a glimpse of a fender or taillight and can rattle off the year and make. I'm always preaching this to the young guys at work, how cars used to go through a re-style every 2 years, unlike todays "styling".
They all kind of look like melted jellybeans to me The occasional time you actually see some old chrome plated smile coming at you on the highway with actual coloured paint on it (not white) just perks me right up.
It is actually called a renticular stimulator. Where you have interest in something particular you notice anything that is the same. I bought a G6 total loss, never saw one before, then after I could pick one of those (and I agree) jellybeans from a mile away. Surprised that model never saved Pontiac, my wife and I loved that car.
Speaking of G6's I have to admit I got kind of excited when I first saw the signboards announcing them outside the dealerships. I mistook the G6 block lettering for 66 and I thought they were bringing back the 66's models to sell. Now that might have saved Pontiac cause I sure would have bought one at least!
Like many of you guys I can still call them right too but this topic reminded me of when we were kids playing 'name that car' at night by recognizing the headlight/parking lite combos coming at you or tail-lites you were catching up to.. Whoever called it right first got game-points when the cars whizzed by or we caught up to them and saw what they were ...if wrong you lost a point so it was better to shut up and not guess if you didn't know!. Amazingly enough most cars of the day were recognizable like that and my wife and kids couldn't believe it one night a few months ago when I saw a '70 Toronado coming at me and called it right from waaaay far away!.
The good ol' days!. ~
-- Edited by Ghost Post on Friday 6th of August 2010 11:12:47 AM
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I like real cars best...especially the REAL real ones! ----------------------------------------------------------------
Its not all that much fun any more doing this with my family because no one else has any idea what they are anyway. I could say that was a 1974 Duesenburg pickup truck and they would just look up momentarily whatever screen they are glued to at the moment and say oh yeah.
I shoulda married a girl who had dirt under her nails...
I shoulda married a girl who had dirt under her nails...
It's seeing comments like this that remind me just how lucky I am, to have done just that. And I too perk up when I catch that glint of chrome and glass that could only be something old on the road, and the girls are starting to get good at it too!
I shoulda married a girl who had dirt under her nails...
It's seeing comments like this that remind me just how lucky I am, to have done just that. And I too perk up when I catch that glint of chrome and glass that could only be something old on the road, and the girls are starting to get good at it too!
Don't get me wrong, she's a hell of a good woman, it just that she really isn't into cars. To her a minivan is the classiest thing on wheels. The boys...so far not much interest but hey who knows....
I shoulda married a girl who had dirt under her nails...
It's seeing comments like this that remind me just how lucky I am, to have done just that. And I too perk up when I catch that glint of chrome and glass that could only be something old on the road, and the girls are starting to get good at it too!
Don't get me wrong, she's a hell of a good woman, it just that she really isn't into cars. To her a minivan is the classiest thing on wheels. The boys...so far not much interest but hey who knows....
I didn't take it that way at all, just I do know how lucky I am to have a good woman who does appreciate cars and what goes into them. And so far this summer, all the car money has been spent on hers, but I do get to drive it, and being a nice sunny day today I took it to work, now to take the long way home with the top down
"... I mistook the G6 block lettering for 66 and I thought they were bringing back the 66's models to sell. Now that might have saved Pontiac cause I sure would have bought one at least!..."
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"So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think... The good outnumber you, and we always will." Patton Oswalt
Like many of you guys I can still call them right too but this topic reminded me of when we were kids playing 'name that car' at night by recognizing the headlight/parking lite combos coming at you or tail-lites you were catching up to.. Whoever called it right first got game-points when the cars whizzed by or we caught up to them and saw what they were ...if wrong you lost a point so it was better to shut up and not guess if you didn't know!. Amazingly enough most cars of the day were recognizable like that and my wife and kids couldn't believe it one night a few months ago when I saw a '70 Toronado coming at me and called it right from waaaay far away!.
The good ol' days!. ~
-- Edited by Ghost Post on Friday 6th of August 2010 11:12:47 AM
This brought back some good memories, sittin on the porch with my Grandmother and Grandfather, and he used to get me to name the different cars. Seemed to be a lot of Lotus Europa's around the Peterboro area back then. I remember thinkin they were pretty neat, considering they were'nt North American
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1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
i remember when i was between 3 and 5 i would ryme off almost every car that drove by i can still ryme off cars pretty good and being young i can also ryme off some of the new cars too
We had a lot of practise trying to identify cars while on the highschool bus, hour aech way, (68-72) so we got pretty good at it. Nowadays, they're all riceburners but my son who is into those things can tell them apart easily. He knows how many hp they come with, tells you more detail than I care to hear. I guess its what you grow up with.
