Strange Vista Cruiser

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Strange Vista Cruiser

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

I would think that headlight must be done at a later date. At least in Canada, we never had that light on anything until around 1978 did we?

ABC123 · Uber Guru

Can't see the outer. upper corner but looks like a 1980 Malibu light to me.

See the source image

Prefectca · Poncho Master!

1978 Olds Cutlass. I like the look actually.

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Prefectca wrote:
1978 Olds Cutlass. I like the look actually.

That's it! I'm surprised how well they fit.

Note that the front bumper on the Vista still has the turn signal lights in it. Plus, those rectangular sealed beams were a product of the mid-late 1970s and weren't available, to my knowledge, at the time the Vista was built.

Prefectca · Poncho Master!

The original lights in the bumper could be swapped for driving/fog lights. That would be perfect.

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

The reason I wondered if it came from South America is the big 3 often shipped the dies from 1960's and early 70's cars and they were used right up into the 80s, many converted to square headlights like these examples:

The original 1960's Falcon was used right up to the 80's!

You can get a glimpse of the rear license plate on the Olds and it looks South American to me.

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I guess the rule of thumb is never say never. Could be South American I suppose.

The reason for my comment is that the Vista ones look like sealed beam headlights, whereas the ones on the South American cars look like separate lenses with replaceable bulbs (like more modern cars here). Those lights were typical in Europe, and it appears South America?

The sealed beams were a US standard from 1940 until the early 1980s, and had to be round until the US feds agreed to allow rectangular shaped sealed beams for 1975.

Plus, the fact that it looks like the bezel and turn signal appear to be exact pieces from the later Cutlass. The hatch glass looks like it's McGivered from a later wagon or SUV, but who knows?

Neat photos for sure. Maybe the back story is somewhere out in cyberspace...

gparis7 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

The square headlights sure are ugly on this car, IMO.

NOS · Poncho Master!

there is an emblem on the front fender just in front of the wheel

Dale

-- Edited by NOS on Thursday 1st of December 2022 12:52:32 PM

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

NOS wrote:
there is an emblem on the front fender just in front of the wheel
Dale

-- Edited by NOS on Thursday 1st of December 2022 12:52:32 PM

It says "Vista Cruiser"

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

NOS wrote:
there is an emblem on the front fender just in front of the wheel
Dale

Do you mean above the marker light? I thought that was just a shadow or something. I see the "Vista Cruiser" behind the wheel though.