Type-10, or "A Cadillac Cimarron with Cloth Seats

Type-10, or "A Cadillac Cimarron with Cloth Seats"
Sometimes the rarest classic car on the block is a well kept secret hiding in plain sight. Even calling the gray doorstop below a "classic car" would get the blood up of many collectors and aficionados my age. Regardless, behold the tiniest patch of fog in Bay Ridge!

This is a 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier Type-10 in one of five colors GM called Silver Poly that year (itself a damning testament to the automotive landscape of 1987). This is the last year of the first generation which debuted in 1982. As a reliable and efficient front wheel drive compact the Cavalier was popular for its entire run through 2005.

Type-10 was the name given to all 2 door Cavaliers, which included a notchback as well as this hatchback. 4 door sedan and wagon versions vastly outnumbered the Type-10s which makes this a rare beast indeed. As an example just over 6,000 of these were built in '87 compared to over 150,000 of the 4 door. I have a friend who owned a 4 door BROWN Cavalier with a manual transmission back in the day that I loved. At the time I had my '63 Beetle and we even traded cars for a week while living 2 states away. There was something so unabashedly uncool about a 1980s compact sedan that the stick shift made it a secret weapon: the ultimate 90 horsepower sleeper, complete with White Zombie stickers on the dash.
I'd like to point out that this car is missing its front passenger side hubcap. Unlike most, this is literally a small cap to cover the wheel hub itself.

The shape harkens back to the X-Body (Citation, Phoenix) 4 door that bowed out in 1985. This ride is built on the J-Body platform, which brought you such hits as the Pontiac Sunfire, Olds Firenza, and Buick Skyhawk. The Skyhawk and Sunfire offered bizarre power headlights in the form of little doors that lifted up like eyelids while the headlights stayed in place. The Pontiac power headlights were never fully closed, with the lower thirds of the bulbs visible under the doors giving a sleazy, heavy-lidded look.

You can't tell me that this rear end doesn't look like the fabled DeLorean! The gridded multi colored taillights are very similar, as is the long sloping rear window. Those quarter windows have a small black dot near the top edge. This is the pop-out mechanism for ventilation, otherwise this thing would fishbowl so bad in the sun.

For anyone that wants to try and date one of these they might run across in the wild, the word Chevrolet was on the right side of the rear fascia until 1986. The CS designation is a trim level one baby step above the base model. There was a much faster sport version called Z24 starting in 1986 originally only for the Type-10s.

From this angle you can actually see some styling effort. The lower edge of the rear window is inset into the body, and a faux wing indentation above the taillights. It's not much but it's something!

Cavalier is such a funny name for such low-hanging fruit. The main definitions are offhand, indifferent, casual, and dismissive (which sums up this owners parking style). Chevy had a cavalier attitude about delivering the best possible design for the '80s I suppose. The Cavalier was the basis of one of the greatest crimes in recent automotive history though.
 In 1982 Cadillac decided to take its heralded luxury nameplate and shove it into a J-Body sausage casing, resulting in the Cimarron. Widely and famously known as the most egregious case of badge-engineering gone wrong, the Cimarron was obviously a Cavalier with a fancy grill & hood ornament. No matter if leather seats and sound deadening were a part of the package, the Cimarron's disguise didn't fool anyone. Cadillac barely slipped the cinderblock tied to its legs to come back to the surface.

This is the standard GM interior of the mid to late '80s. That pull-out door handle in its plastic square, the flat expanse of the dash and glove compartment, and the tall block housing the gearshift are all too common across the likes of Corsica, Lumina, Beretta, and Pontiac 6000. The factory stereo has a cassette delete in the form of a plastic cover even bigger than the cassette door would've been. This is the interior of my high school friends cars.

Looks like this frumper took a good knock to the jaw at some point, but it's still standing strong. Besides this spot the overall condition is pretty damn good for a 30+ year old car. Most GM products of this era have paint jobs that look like they reentered the atmosphere. This "color" is as boring as it gets, but it is intact.

Well there we have it: a pseudo sporty yawn on wheels from the deepest corner of the Malaise Era. Just for kicks I looked up the current values on this ride and found that it starts at $195 for salvage condition and makes its way up to $5,850 for an absolutely pristine, flawless, museum quality example. In reality there might be 2 mint examples of this ride on earth, and to the middle aged success story who had this as a first car the value might reach 15 or 20 grand (stranger things have happened). If you stumble upon one being sold by the relative of a recently deceased owner who kept it in the garage and serviced it at the dealer I say pick it up! Parts are easy to get, and it will turn as many heads as a Chevelle at most 2019 car shows. Mark my words oh Grumpy Baby Boomer: the J Body will have its day, just as easily as mid-'70s gas crunch rejects are having theirs today.

Malaise Era Bow Tie in Revlon Pink

MALAISE ERA BOW TIE IN REVLON PINK

I was walking up towards Carrol Gardens from the mighty Gowanus when I spotted this little punk:

This is a 1974 Chevrolet Nova in some sort of aftermarket pink. Few cars are more difficult to pinpoint than the '73 to '74 Nova. From what I can gather the only differences are very slight alterations to the bumpers (though the most telling aspect is hidden from view; one year has shock absorbers connecting the bumper to the frame) and the painted extension between the front bumper and grill is plastic one year and metal the next. I've read that the Chevy Bow Tie grill emblem was introduced in '74 but it seems that not all were so equipped so who knows?

These are the ridiculously oversized bumpers that were tacked onto cars to satisfy the new federal crash mandate for '74. This body style is clean and compact if it weren't for these guardrails hanging off the edges.

This ride is wearing a set of Oldsmobile rims from the '70s/'80s.

These were available as hatchbacks as well as traditional trunk backs like this one. The option cost an additional $150 and were popular enough that I've seen a few. The hatch looked pretty much exactly like this if you can imagine the entire rear front the bottom of the trunk to above the window opening. The rear seat folded forward which made for a huge increase in storage for the hatch. There was even a factory tent option that would convert your open hatchback to a mini camper. I've only seen pictures of them as they are seriously rare.

Too bad that original material is feeling the full force of the CLUB Basic. This split bench was the bare bones standard.

Well there we have it; a somewhat neutered remnant of the muscle car era that was wading through waist deep federal emissions and safety regulations on its way out of the factory. I've gone full circle on Novas. I used to think they were cheesy and not very desirable but these days I find them great. They are nicely sized rides when compared to the smaller cars of today and parts are 100% available. If you want a classic you can work on yourself that won't break the bank a Nova is a good bet. Find one from the mid-'70s and they're genuinely cheap wheels. Who cares if they left the factory with smog equipment and a straight 6 cylinder? The engine bay was designed to accept the ubiquitous 350 which will move this car around with alacrity.

Two-Tone Mystery Maverick

TWO-TONE MYSTERY MAVERICK

Recently my buddy Robin of Omaha sent in these shots. He is the only person I know of who claims the Ford Grenada as the Greatest Car Ever Built. Since that's where his heart lies in the automotive world who better to introduce us to another '70s Ford?

This is a Ford Maverick from (I think) 1976 in Light Blue. I said "I think" on the vintage because this thing is littered with mixed signals and has obviously had a storied life. That front bumper with the 2 openings instead of one debuted in '76. However starting in 1975 the letters F O R D were spelled out across the front of the hood which it obviously isn't here. To confuse things further this has the older style *grill from '70-'72 that doesn't have turn signals built into it.
*Let's take a moment to appreciate the **Thundercats logo in the grill though!
**It's actually from a late '90s Mercury Cougar but who cares? Thunder-thunder-thunder-thunderCATS!

The Maverick was introduced in 1970 as an import fighter. The popularity of the VW Beetle continued unabated while Datsun, Toyota, and Honda were all making headway in the US subcompact market. The timing couldn't have been better with the Maverick becoming Fords best selling car ever in a single year, even beating out the launch of the mighty Mustang.
The side stripe that goes over the wheel wells mimics that of the sporty Grabber option package for the Maverick. If this were a real Grabber it would have either 1 or 2 hood scoops in addition to having the word Grabber on the side. 

These exact taillights were used on the Ford Pinto as well.
This massive rear bumper arrived with the federal safety mandates in 1974. Try as I might I can't find any reference to this stripe arrangement. It might have been available from either Ford or the dealership but I'm guessing it's an aftermarket addition.

In the 2 door body style I think these things look great. There were 3 different "Thriftpower" inline 6 cylinder and one 302 V8 available. I wouldn't suggest buying a stock Maverick for the performance but their big engine bay lends itself well to engine swaps.

Well that's where we'll leave this mystery machine with its odd hood/roof/trunk/rear valance striping.
The Maverick was preceded by the Falcon and replaced by the Fairmont; both no frills dependable cars. In many ways this is the extension of the Model T. This was a light, reliable, efficient piece of transportation that just about everyone could own. The original base price for the '70 Maverick was $1,995 which was VW Beetle territory. For that price you got a traditional front engine rear wheel drive car built in America.
I'll close with a couple special edition Mavericks that are still celebrated today.

RONCHERO for '78!

R O N C H E R O 

The following car/truck is located on one of the nicest blocks in Brooklyn, as it should be! High on the lofty ridge overlooking the Narrows at the mouth of the NY Harbor rests this beast:

This is a 1978 Ford Ranchero 500 in two-tone Polar White over Dark Jade Metallic. You could easily enjoy a quick lunch sitting on the ledge between the headlights and the bumper. Oh and of course the name of this rig is RONCHERO!

This thing's got a pretty bleak expression on its face with the skin problems and smoky eye. None of that takes away from the outlandish styling with its jutting fender edges, stacked square headlights, and that mammoth, park bench like bumper. This is the last generation for the Ranchero and the 2nd to last year ever. A common misconception is that Ford made the Ranchero as a response to the Chevy El Camino. The Ranchero was introduced in 1957, predating the El Camino by 2 years.

Notice how some of the skin remains. Roncheros typically molt over a span of several days.

This thing just looks like it fell out of Mervyn's winter catalogue from '78. The white is so grubby that it's taking away from what is an attractive color combo. There were optional spoke wheels from the factory but these are not them. That cap mounted to the bed is awesome with its multiple tinted windows.
Beneath that gargantuan hood lies a neutered 302, 351, or 400 V8 good for almost no horsepower.

There were 3 trim levels of Ranchero in '78. The highest end was the GT which included massive decal stripes along the bottom and top of the body. In the middle was the Squire which had faux woodgrain available as well as a vinyl roof. This, the 500, is the base model. The Two-tone was an option that was only available for the 500.

Rust has eaten some pretty substantial holes through the tailgate. At first glance the rear of the Ranchero looks identical to the Country Squire station wagons. This tailgate with it's bumped-out section is unique, as are the taillights.

Whether you call it a cap, topper, or camper top the fiberglass bed cover on this ride is great. You know somebody has slept in the back of this thing at least once.

The shape of the cap is super unique and obviously made for a Ranchero. The swooping body line from the bed to the roof ensures that only made to fit caps will work.

Looks like some black tape is holding the chrome trim to the tops of the windows. I love this aggressive two-tone design and the trapezoidal window shape.

This has the optional Flight Bench interior in Jade vinyl. Everything else looks pretty standard with the ex option of the 8-track stereo still in the dash!

Through the trees you can see the water and Staten Island in the distance. Ronchero is one of many hoopties I found roosting along this stretch of Shore Road in Bay Ridge.
Ford explored the possibility of a smaller pickup truck/car combo based on the Fairmont. It was called the Durango and they built between 80-220 of them for sale between '79 and '82. I think they look cool and it's too bad they didn't release them in bigger numbers. Since they elected to phase out the Durango before it even started in earnest the 1979 Ranchero was the last Ford of this type.

From this angle this is pretty much a paint job away from looking really good.
I love this weirdo ride because it is a compendium of automotive footnotes all rolled into one. Crazy, jutting front end with those stacked square headlights, Malaise Era styling in excess, luxury car/truck combo, period piece cap, and awesome two-tone paint all make for a hilarious rig. I've really come around as these were my idea of a vehicle gone horribly wrong. Now I realize there's nothing like it on the road. Would I roll Ronchero? You bet your hat I would!

Now even more Limited! Part Deux

NOW EVEN MORE LIMITED! PART DEUX

Look at this majestic beast holding back the mobile homes. I drove past this thing and was pulling a u-turn before I even registered what I'd seen. I'm glad I did because the proud owner came out and was all too happy to show it off!

This is a 1979 Ford LTD II in what I believe to be Light Champagne. Some people claim that LTD stands for Luxury/Trim/Decor along the lines of Gym/Tan/Laundry but I don't see much in the way of luxury here. What I do see is the Baroque styling of the Malaise Era. 

Something about the face of this ride looks extra ridiculous to me. Maybe the fact that it looks like the wide eyed smile of a close talker. 4 stacked square headlights brace that massive egg crate grill, all held in the parenthesis of the jutting fenders. The ocean liner sized bumper completes the image. Almost every other American car had downsized at this point, and this was the final year for the colossal Ford. Even the LTD had downsized; this is the LTD II! It's almost like they wanted to accentuate the scale it on its way out.
*You can tell it's a '79 because out of the 3 years total only this one had a hood ornament.

Let's get right in there and see the engine shall we? This is the rarest glimpse for a blog that relies on found automobiles; a perk of meeting a retired owner looking to sell his ride.
Under all that wiring lies a 302 V8 engine with a 2 barrel carb. Optional choices consisted of 2 different 351 V8s (the Windsor and the Modified). There was a 400 available for the first 2 years but it had been pulled by the time this beast was built.

Here is our hero in all its glory. The LTD II was the lowest price series in the Ford lineup, and this was the base model. As was common in the past this model barely made it into their sales literature. Every other LTD II had a small opera window between the rear door and the rear window; only the bare bones edition had solid metal. To have the faux spoke wheel hubcaps on this is ironic.

Here's a glimpse into the sparse interior. Bench seats front and rear come standard with a fold-down armrest if you're not shuttling 5 passengers. There is a radio of some sort but that's about it. Crank windows and manual locks keep it frugal. Of course the inside is entirely BROWN.

For the first year this car was popular as GM had downsized everything but the Cadillac Eldorado (which was for an entirely different demographic frankly). People still holding on to the big car ethos turned to Ford. Then Ford introduced the Fairmont line in '78 which lured away potential LTD customers. Finally in '79 this was it! You could either buy a massive Lincoln or the LTD II for this final year. When 1980 came around the LTD II was never actually replaced. Now it's getting rare.
I mean, who has this car anymore? To think the Taurus would be introduced a mere 6 years after this was sold new illustrates how behind the times this ride really was.

Sweet LTD II badge.
I once had a '76 LTD 4 door that was almost identical to this car. It was unexpectedly comfortable and the ride height was upright and tall. I'd say it was a deal at $250! Ran great - delivered pizzas with it.

Well that's it for the last gasp of big car America. Someone will always collect a special edition, station wagon, convertible, or luxury model car but who saves one of these stripped down rides? Regular folks is who. This was roosting in a small trailer park outside of Scranton, PA. This is red blooded steak eating America where people proudly bought sluggish Fords instead of more practical and efficient Japanese cars. This is a ride for those who never have a problem parking and change their flag every year. Not gonna lie - I'd love to cruise around in this slab these days, stacked square headlights and all. If you were so inclined they go for peanuts (I think his asking price was $3,000 but it was perfect in and out). Parts are so widely available and this is as easy to work on as a bicycle. Why not?

George Orwell was right

YAWN ON WHEELS

I was walking along last Summer when a Victorian fainting spell came over me. Was I a narcoleptic? Had I somehow forgotten to breath? No, it turn out I was passing by this Buick and it sucked the energy right out of me. Please read this post sitting down.

This is a 1984 Buick Century Limited in one of FOUR color choices named Silver Poly. I believe this is the perfect summery of the domestic automobile landscape in 1984. Vehicles were so damn boring that they needed 4 different colors that are hard to distinguish all named the same thing.

Maybe the 4 Silver Polys referred to how many repaints it will require before the decade is out? Shout-out to whoever grabbed that hood ornament.

In the 1980s the Big Three auto makers had to switch their paint to a low VOC (volatile organic compound) recipe. They complied without fully realizing that this required a longer curing time. The result is that almost every car from the mid '80s has serious paint issues.

Let's get back to the hooptie at hand. We know this is an '84 due to those 7 vertical bars spanning the grill. Interestingly the registration sticker in the windshield says it's an '85. Maybe it was a holdover languishing in the factory lot until the model year changed?

My sympathies always lie with the copywriters who have to describe these utterly boring rides in their sales material. For 1985 Buick separated their brochure into 3 segments: The Art of Buick, The Science of Buick, and The Buying of Buick. In The Art of Buick they mention how European this car is no less than 4 times in the first 2 paragraphs. Poor Europe!

One thing I will give it up for are those sweet factory hubcaps!

To be fair these were actually well engineered cars compared to those just a few years previous. They were all fuel injected and front wheel drive with well tuned suspensions. No longer would the mighty Buick be a listing yacht in the corners. Yawn.

If anything this sticker might be the only thing to entice a thief because they might be wondering why they would bother? By the way Custom King Electronics is no more; replaced by a real estate office. Such is Brooklyn in 2017.

The name Century was first given to a 1936 Buick that could go 100mph. The British auto community in the '30s called 100mph "doing the century" and someone at Buick was amused. The official top speed of this ride was 98mph. FAKE AND SAD. Maybe the Limited refers to its limitations?

If you really squint you can imagine some continuity between the Buicks of the '60s and this car. The taillights are almost full width and it's a mostly squared off design.

Again with that sweet paint.

The mighty Grand National was available from Buick in '85, and happened to be the fastest American production car due to its turbocharged V6 engine (even beating out the Corvette!). If you were so inclined you could order a Century T-Type which sported blackout trim and a slightly better engine but it still didn't amount to high performance.

Oh yeah dig that Malaise era velour! This is the quintessential '80s GM interior with slabs of faux wood, plush cloth seats, and flat dashboards filled with buttons.

Well that's that. 

When my beloved Grandmother passed away she stipulated in her will that I could have either her Buick identical to this in every way or $3,000. I took the money without blinking. Part of it was my memory of riding in that car with several smoking adults and the windows barely cracked, but the other part was that this encapsulated all that was boring in modern automobiles for me. It is the perfect grandparent car for the mid '80s but other than that I was surprised to see it even exists in 2017.