Autos of Never-were

[Viola]

In the time of PT Cruisers and HHRs, and fiberglass kits...

...If you were designing a car with a distinctly vintage flavour but NOT a replica of an authentic vehicle, just a Gotham City sort of interpretation of a bygone age, what would you do? You can salute multiple makes, pursue lost cul-de-sacs of possibility, meld decades, put classic parts on modern models, whatever. Whether its Dusenbergian or Fordesque (Model X), what is the car you wish was made?

I put this in the Lounge because it doesn't pertain to any real historic cars but if it needs to be moved please do so.

My family and I were playing with this idea over the weekend, designing and naming models, and we had a lot of fun.

 

[Diamondback]

Actually, given a blank-check, I'd pair up a faithful reproduction of one of the bodies various coachbuilders assembled for Duesenberg with an up-engined variant of the computer-controlled multi-mode drivetrain I'm designing for my eventual Firebirds.

->Ceramic engine block allows higher temperatures, running longer at higher RPM's.
->Timken roller-bearings on the crankshaft save wear and reduce friction, reducing power loss.
->Electromagnetically-actuated valves allow for continuous timing adjustment in real-time, and eliminating the camshaft/timing-chain/pushrods reduces rotating mass and also power-loss from driving them.
->Computer-controlled fuel-injection in tandem with the above adjusts fuel-delivery for maximum power or efficiency depending on selected operating-mode. Also allows shutdown of individual engine cylinders for "variable displacement", further boosting economy.
->Infinitely-variable transmission, Subaru WRX-style, allows the transmission gear-ratio to be adjusted in real-time to fit situational requirements--paired up with the faster-redlined engine, you could accelerate up to 90 in 1st gear, then automatically and directly shift to Overdrive to hold up to speed, at which point the variable-displacement option would also kick in, exploiting the vehicle's own inertia to maintain cruise speed.

Additionally, the interior would be fitted with modern conveniences hidden behind sliding panels: iPod and phone docks, in-dash navigation and systems-monitoring, 110VAC outlets for laptops and other passenger-electronics...

 

[Viola]

My sister today designed something called the Wraith Argent, a very loving tribute to the Rolls' Silver Ghost. It seemed to borrow slightly from a very luxe interpetation of an HHR in terms of body and cargo capacity, but with a lot of the Rolls aesthetic. Right down to silverplated fittings...possibly most useful if a werewolf cuts you off in traffic.

As for me, I think I am going to have to involve at least some of a Buick.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I want: a solid, simple engine with a carburetor that can be adjusted in a pinch using a dime.

A standard transmission. This is essential in case I have to roll it down the hill to start it on a below-zero day.

Windows and an windshield that crank open. Because power windows freeze shut and annoy me.

A big trunk, such as was commonly found in business coupes.

Metal body panels and fenders that bolt on and off for easy replacement if someone hits me in a parking lot.

Real metal bumpers that can take a jolt.

Mohair upholstery. No synthetics, no vinyl that burns the back of your legs on a hot day.

Overall styling? Rounded and bulbous, but not cutesy. The PT Cruiser is actually a step in the right direction, but I'd make it a little higher.

I'd call this car "the Lizzie," but unfortunately that name is already taken.

 

[Smithy]

The design cues I'd love to see would be from the C, D and E Types of Jaguars of the 50s and 60s

 

[Viola]

It sounds like I am not the only person who misses straight six and straight eight engines. Sturdy. What a thing to trade for GPS.

CRANK windows, yes! I forgot to specify that for my own, but a thousand times yes.

 

[Diamondback]

But if you got a straight-6 or -8, it's almost enough room for a V-12 or -16...

 

[Fletch]

I want: a solid, simple engine with a carburetor that can be adjusted in a pinch using a dime.

A standard transmission. This is essential in case I have to roll it down the hill to start it on a below-zero day.

Windows and an windshield that crank open. Because power windows freeze shut and annoy me.

A big trunk, such as was commonly found in business coupes.

Metal body panels and fenders that bolt on and off for easy replacement if someone hits me in a parking lot.

Real metal bumpers that can take a jolt.

Mohair upholstery. No synthetics, no vinyl that burns the back of your legs on a hot day.

Overall styling? Rounded and bulbous, but not cutesy. The PT Cruiser is actually a step in the right direction, but I'd make it a little higher.

I'd call this car "the Lizzie," but unfortunately that name is already taken.

How about the Flying McCloud?

1936 Reo, their last passenger car.

 

[Viola]

But if you got a straight-6 or -8, it's almost enough room for a V-12 or -16...

That's what my brother said when designing his atavistmobile. lol He went directly to a Cadillac V-16, he's got good taste.

Me, I think I could manage to content myself with a more subtle little number.

 

[noonblueapples]

I want: a solid, simple engine with a carburetor that can be adjusted in a pinch using a dime.

A standard transmission. This is essential in case I have to roll it down the hill to start it on a below-zero day.

Windows and an windshield that crank open. Because power windows freeze shut and annoy me.

A big trunk, such as was commonly found in business coupes.

Metal body panels and fenders that bolt on and off for easy replacement if someone hits me in a parking lot.

Real metal bumpers that can take a jolt.

Mohair upholstery. No synthetics, no vinyl that burns the back of your legs on a hot day.

Overall styling? Rounded and bulbous, but not cutesy. The PT Cruiser is actually a step in the right direction, but I'd make it a little higher.

I'd call this car "the Lizzie," but unfortunately that name is already taken.

Carburetors really shouldn't be touched by most people, extremely easy to throw out of whack, and dificult to get back to proper running after. Injection is best for the average person to work on theselves when it needs it and usually it doesn't.

My wifes car has crank windows, and I hate the lean over to roll down the passenger side (there are worse things in life I guess). Beware that modern crank windows usually have plastic innards, and would break if forced when frozen shut.

To each there own on the PT cruisers styling (I hate it), but having managed a garage and seen theese monsters over and over I warn everyone away from them, they are built like crap

 

[noonblueapples]

That sounded sort of negative, should have prefaced my comments by saying I like your ideas for a solid simple "peoples car"

 

[noonblueapples]

Always thought this was a fun interpretation of timeless design:

 

[Edward]

The ideal car for me?

On the surface, a Ford V8 Pilot - or alternatively a Ford 100E, mid fifties style.

If actually going to drive it as transport (only interest I'd have in owning a car!), I would be fitting retractable seatbelts, ideally ones with fittings designed with a period aesthetic, even though an anachronism. I would want a radio in there.... a DAB (and FM, for hooking up with an iTrip) system with cunningly hidden speakers, and a frontage on it on the dash that would make it look like a miniature of an old valve wireless.

As a minimum, it would have to be as efficient as possible - smallest engine, highest MPG.... while still having enough poke for long distance driving. The ideal would be something like the Morgan Life Car concept model, which runs on hydrogen fuel cells, if memory serves, with the only emissions being pure H2O vapour. Something simple, though. No interest in raw performance for its own sake, nor do I find any attraction in the macho culture surrounding V8s etc.

 

[JimWagner]

Oops, quoted the wrong message.

Meant to say that Lizzy's dream car sounds like a Checker Marathon.

 

[David Conwill]

I want: a solid, simple engine with a carburetor that can be adjusted in a pinch using a dime.

A standard transmission. This is essential in case I have to roll it down the hill to start it on a below-zero day.

Windows and an windshield that crank open. Because power windows freeze shut and annoy me.

A big trunk, such as was commonly found in business coupes.

Metal body panels and fenders that bolt on and off for easy replacement if someone hits me in a parking lot.

Real metal bumpers that can take a jolt.

Mohair upholstery. No synthetics, no vinyl that burns the back of your legs on a hot day.

Overall styling? Rounded and bulbous, but not cutesy. The PT Cruiser is actually a step in the right direction, but I'd make it a little higher.

I'd call this car "the Lizzie," but unfortunately that name is already taken.

Lizzie, to me you just described a ‘35 or ‘36 Ford coupe!

How about a whole auto corporation? I call it “Independent Motors” and it’s a fictional merger of Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, and Packard. Packard is at the top, competing with Cadillac, Continental, and Imperial; Clipper is right below, going up against Buicks and Chryslers; next is Studebaker, matched with Oldsmobile, Mercury, and DeSoto; Hudson is the “excitement” line, and targets the same market as Pontiac and Dodge; and at the bottom is Nash, building cars in the Chevrolet/Ford/Plymouth segment.

But all those makes existed in the Golden Era, and you requested a specific car with Golden Era flavor. I think mine would be a 1931 Mercury (real Mercs didn’t arrive until 1939): Picture a 1931 Model A lengthened in the engine compartment and wearing a winterfront-equipped 1932 Ford radiator shell. The car rides on 20-inch wire wheels with a winged-godhead hubcap that covers the lugnuts, and is powered by a twin-updraft-equipped 300ci overhead valve straight six with a 5-speed manual transmission. Single side-mount spare tire. There is a top and windshield, but they spend most of their time folded across the deck and cowl respectively. It should sit a smidge lower then a contemporary Ford too (we’re not selling this car to farmers, remember), probably via a 1936 front axle, a slight frame step in the rear.

-Dave

 

[LizzieMaine]

Oops, quoted the wrong message.

Meant to say that Lizzy's dream car sounds like a Checker Marathon.

A friend of mine owned one of those and thought it was the best thing ever on wheels. If there was ever such a thing as a two-passenger Checker coupe, it'd be just about perfect for me. Failing that, any mid-thirties business coupe would do, but my ideal choice from a styling viewpoint remains the '39 Plymouth. Just a gorgeous car.

There's a 1940 Ford two-door sedan at a used-car lot up the road from me right this very minute for $5000, and I'd probably snap it right up if I had $5000 sitting around.

(For the record, I live fifty miles from the nearest interstate, so 99 percent of my driving is done on two-lane roads with 45mph speed limits.)

 

[dhermann1]

41 Buick

It would look an awful lot like this. A 1941 Buick Century, straight 8.

 

[David Conwill]

There's a 1940 Ford two-door sedan at a used-car lot up the road from me right this very minute for $5000, and I'd probably snap it right up if I had $5000 sitting around.

That would be a smart buy. It’s about the best 70-year-old car you could buy right now. They reproduce just about everything for them, their few inadequacies have been addressed numerous ways over the years, and they’re only going to go up in value.

There was a ‘38 Deluxe Fordor (same body style as the ‘40 but with different front sheetmetal) on a lot near me during my last year of law school. They wanted something like $6500, and I’d have bought it if I’d had the money.

I’m not sure if the ‘40s still have crank-out windshields, which is why I didn’t mention them. They’re arguably the smarter buy, as they have hydraulic brakes, which don’t require as frequent or precise adjustment as the mechanical brakes on the pre-1939 cars.

-Dave

 

[dhermann1]

'39 Dodge?

Lizzie: Would you settle for a '39 Dodge? If you could just step into the WayBack Machine to 1951, I'm sure my Grandpa would be willing to part with his for a reasonable sum.

 

[Diamondback]

Actually, Edward, that's the really neat part about a variable-displacement V8 with modern controls--you can reduce it to a V6 or a 4-banger, but still have the additional power available should unforeseen circumstances require it; with a 4-cyl you're stuck with whatever you can wring out of it.

To each their own, though.