Theme Day: I don't like Lincolns

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
02/13/2020 at 13:08 • Filed to: None

So have a Mercury, instead. My mother had one JUST like this one. New, in 1973, with boo-coo options, it cost $5,500.

DISCUSSION (22)

Kiltedpadre > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 13:16

I would like a 1958 turnpike cruiser myself.

Kinja'd!!!

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 13:19

Does that include ALL Lincolns ?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 13:20

|”don’t like Lincolns”

| (arguably the most Lincoln-styled Mercury of all time)

Weird flex, but okay.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 13:26

Never trust a Lincoln... you’ll get snake bit...

And, was this the worst “cop car and detective pairing” of all time?

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 13:32

Ah 1973, maybe the zenith of working class purchasing power. You could buy houses here for 40K then that are 7 figures now.

The gas crunches really made those dinosaurs age fast, resale value was laughable.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
02/13/2020 at 13:49

Troll.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail
02/13/2020 at 13:58

Mom’s had a 429 and was gutless. She divorced the man who bought it for her and then neglected it to its grave.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
02/13/2020 at 14:01

Even as a kid, I always was struck by the giant cars he drove. If you want to see a lot of Ford container ships, watch The Streets of San Francisco. For that matter, if you want to watch one of the lamest cop shows off all time, you can watch that show and get a two-fer.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:10

My mom had a T-Bird of this era when I was a little kid. I remember my dad removing some of the emissions equipment from the strangled 460. The car was off the road by 1985, given away for free to a friend of my dad who wanted the rear end, I think. They don’t build em like they used to.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:10

I can't think of a single Lincoln or Mercury that I would actually want to own.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:13

Only one TV Detective rose above it all. Firebird Esprit. Not the T/A, but the Esprit. The thinking man’s F-Body.

Kinja'd!!!

I always thought it was cute that Beth drove a 914. “Go Ahead. Redline it, Jim!”

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > fintail
02/13/2020 at 14:17

They don’t build em like they used to.

I can think of several reasons why that is a good thing.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:20

Yep, I was saying that with sarcasm. Most of these cars were pretty used up by 100K miles and were on the way to the scrapyard around 10 years old , and they often had more than a couple hiccups getting to that mileage.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BaconSandwich is tasty.
02/13/2020 at 14:21

I owned a ‘95 Town Car for a minute, which I think is basically a leather-clad CVPI, and I wasn’t much impressed.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
02/13/2020 at 14:22

I’d have to agree with you on that. Did any of those have any real muscle? My stepmom had a ‘73 Camaro RS with like a 350 and I think it had some power.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:22

Don't worry. I won't hold it against you. :P

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BaconSandwich is tasty.
02/13/2020 at 14:24

Well, you’ve seen the crappy Vic I own now, right?

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:28

I don’t think so. 73-77 was kind of the low point. Engines were just strangled, even with the 455.

I’ve always wanted to build an Esprit with a modern LS3 and suspension upgrades. Herb Adams did suspension work that was unique (I don’t know why.... but... 1970s GM...) to the Firebirds of that era, so Rockford probably got better handling than he would have gotten out of the Camaro.

It’s sorta fun to watch those old episodes and see how “landmark” locations around Burbank, Glendale and Van Nuys turn up all the time. And the smog was just awful.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
02/13/2020 at 14:30

From Wikipedia:

A 1974 Firebird was driven by Jim Rockford in the pilot movie and the first season (1974–1975) of The Rockford Files , and every following season, Rockford would change to the next model year. However, in the sixth season (1979–1980), Rockford continued to drive the 1978 Firebird from season five, as James Garner disliked the 1979 model’s restyled front end. The cars in the show were badged as lower-tier Esprit models, but in reality were Formulas with the twin-scoop hood replaced with a scoopless one. Another hint was the twin exhausts and rear anti-roll bars that were not used on Esprit.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 14:36

Whoa. I never knew that. I’d read once that Garner consciously felt that Jim was a JC Penney sport coat guy, so would have gone for the style of a Firebird, but the “value proposition” of the Esprit.

I had no idea they were de-badged Formula Firebirds. Wow. That rear suspension upgrade was pure Herb Adams...

https://www.pontiactransamforum.com/threads/the-herb-adams-designed-pontiac-fire-ams.77/

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
02/13/2020 at 15:30

I think so. The one where you were planning on doing a dazzle paint job on it, right?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > BaconSandwich is tasty.
02/13/2020 at 15:56

Yes. I flipped several 2000 Vics a number of years ago and the 2010 is a much better car.