Identification help, I believe it’s a mid-50s model.
If it’s not this 55 Mercury Montclair, I’d assume it’s rebadged version of it.
Just noticed yours is a convertible.
Still not quite the same, but I still think it’s a trim level or badging thing.
I saw this Mercedes E350 wagon yesterday evening. Mercedes E-class, not too uncommon. But station wagons, you don’t see those too often.
Oh, and that’s a Honda Clarity next to it.
It’s a 1956 model, the trim lines up. Thanks for figuring it out for me.
Station wagons are more popular among Europeans and not so much among Americans, according to the car magazines I read. I assume you’re in the USA?
Correct.
Although according to some of the car blogs I read, SUVs/crossovers are beginning to take over that market in Europe, too.
On a small BMW 128i: “LESS BMW, SAME STRAIGHT SIX”
The straight 6 engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balance. BMW has been building straight 6s continuously since before WWII. Many other manufacturers did build the straight 6, but they have pivoted to the V6 because it is a shorter engine.
It’s definitely a Pontiac, I believe it’s a mid/late 60s Catalina. But when I was looking at the picture trying to ID it, I noticed the red car behind it appears to be another mid/late 60’s Catalina
Apparently NASA used a modified version to tow this thing up to speed to see how well it would glide. Notice the front passenger seat it backwards so he can watch the plane.
The placement of the front fender badge is specific to '67.
The distinctive sideways “J” taillights on the red car cut deep into the bumper, making that a '68.
Either one could be a Catalina or a Ventura.
BTW: that old truck is an International Harvester from some point between '53 & '55.
Then probably a Catalina. I believe the name started with a C.
(ETA: you can zoom in pretty close on that green truck with this picture)
Thanks but I don’t think there is any way to distinguish one year from another during that period.
I bet this first one has never been posted here before:
And, this one is pretty rare too (just look at the license plate!)
Wow, so while I am familiar with the Checker Marathon, I’ve never seen one with that high roof and extra large rear door before. That would certainly make ingress and egress easy. Do you know if that was an actual factory option from Checker, of if this was some sort of later modification? I know Checker actually built limos for a while in the 1960s, so this could be one of those, but those exposed hinges make it look aftermarket.
All I know about Checkers is from the cabs I used to see in NYC.
When I saw this car this morning I thought “That can’t be stock…”
But, maybe it is - just unusual.
Yeah, that’s stock; Checker called it a Medicar. Plenty more info here:
Neat! So it was kind of the forerunner to modern wheelchair accessible vans.
While you were posting that I was off looking for pictures of the Checker limo. This is what those looked like; essentially a Checker with a longer wheelbase, longer rear door to go along with it, and a fancier looking roof (Although I found some that didn’t have the vinyl roof and opera windows, that just looked like a normal Checker but a little longer). But the roof was the same height as a normal Checker.
It looks like the Medicar used the same wheelbase as the limo, but was taller as well. It almost looks like the Medicar used the same rear doors as the limo, with some extra glass tacked on to the top. Except the hinges on the limo were actually hidden, while the Medicar has those ugly exposed ones.
From ~20 years ago, possibly the world’s largest private collection of Checkers:
More 1960s: this Dodge Charger XP29 507, proclaimed on its plate.
I’m guessing “507” means a modern 5.7 liter is now under the hood, like this one: