I predicted it (except for a minor detail). In the post where I announced that this pristine 1972 LTD was for sale, my very last line was this: “Watch it end up in Sweden!” Close; it’s headed for Germany, actually. And it’s all our fault; we’re just not willing to step up and pay to keep our American automotive crown jewels at home. No one here was willing to pony up a paltry $4,000 for this cultural gem. And meanwhile, some American gladly spent about ten times that for that white C-Class Mercedes in front of it. No wonder Germany is running such a huge trade surplus.
We need to find us a scapegoat; how about Stephanie? I wanted to buy this splendid period piece to replace her Forester, so she wouldn’t have to remember which dark green Forester (of many) was hers in the parking lot. And I assumed she’d be wild about the green brocade upholstery. Just goes to show you what men know about their wives’ preferences.
When she sat in it, she said she felt like she was being swallowed up in that soft upholstery. “How am I supposed to see over this dash, and beyond that endless hood?” Fair point. Maybe it’s for the best she decided not to even try taking it out; she’s actually never driven a big American car ever, and the steering and power brakes on the Ford might have been disconcerting, to say the least, never mind the handling.
And so it came to be that a certain Berlin Motors heard about the car, thanks to my posts on it. Maybe it’s time we started a CC Classifieds after all. Well, we had to go and say goodbye to it, and capture the moment of its departure.
It took three attempts to drive it up the truck, as the driver underestimated the width of the LTD, and the right rear wheel slipped off on the outside of the ramp.
But here’s the video of the third and final pass at getting the LTD up on the truck. The 400 V8 was working a bit.
All of this was very familiar, in a strange, backwards way, as I used to drive brand new LTD’s like this from the trucks delivering them to the Ford dealer where I worked in high school. And here I passed up on a chance to reclaim that piece of my history. Maybe I’d have been a bit more willing to bite if it had been a four door Maverick with the 200 six 😉
Here’s the truck, pulling out into traffic, to clear the car that Jerry bought to replace the LTD: a 1985 Honda Shuttle wagon. How’s that for a study in contrasts? What could be more of a polar opposite?
I’m happy for Jerry. He’s using the profits from the sale towards buying a house, which makes a bit more sense than the care and feeding of a 1972 LTD. I will say this: if I’d driven past the St. Vincent dePaul’s donated used car lot and seen the LTD there, I would have picked it up myself. The asking price was $1400, and Jerry snagged it for $900, because it wouldn’t start since the plug wires were out of order. He also had to sort out a couple of other things, like the brakes. But I bet the end retail buyer of this car will end up paying $8-12k for it.
I would have torn out the 400 and C6, and dropped in a modern lightweight V6 with a six speed automatic, or even a turbo four “Eco-Boost”, and undertake a complete suspension make-over with HD springs, sway bar, Koni shocks, and fresh bushings. That way I could take it through the mountain passes in the style I am accustomed to, passing BMWs and Audis. Hey; a guy can (day)dream, right?
There go the dreams, off to Germany. Someone’s going to love this big Ami Strassenkreuzer there; a lot more than I could truly muster. So it’s all for the best, I guess. But I’m sure going to miss driving by it. Of course, I did just spot a pink ’63 Falcon in this part of town I’ve never seen before…
Say it ain’t so, Paul. I’m really amazed this couldn’t find a buyer domestically.
Maybe it’ll join it’s 2-door brother here soon? I totally understand the appeal of these cars, they just look totally badass and out of place here in Europe. That makes them cool and desirable.
It is very simple : the Germans dominate Europe economically.
They dominate the Euro – a German Euro would be approx $ 2,34 while a Greek Euro would be approx $ 0,34 The secret of Germany’s export ‘success’
So for very Obvious economical reasons the North of Europe “supports” the South.
But it is me who is one of the millions ending up paying for it.
So enjoy your Benzes and Beamers while we are downsizing en masse, no VW Passat is sold overhere anymore, but roads are flooded with VW’s tiny tin toycar the Up!
The 3-cylinder Peugeot 107/Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo combo is one of Europe’s best selling cars.
A few years I would have stated that the starter motor of my then Range rover was larger and more powerful.
This kind of thing makes me a little sad. I’m glad that Europeans love our cars and take care of them, but shouldn’t there be more people here who feel the same?
Not really. Consider it safety in diversification. The further you distribute these gems the more likely they survive. The other extreme is concentration. Remember that sink hole swallowing up 8 Corvettes? And a British Motorcycle museum going up in flames?
Besides, the auto business has been international from day one. Daimler Benz’s first customers were in Paris, France.
But I understand the notion. When I visited a museum in Kansas City and found cultural icons from Germany I thought of them as misplaced, stolen. Now I am thinking: how many people could see these pieces who wouldn’t have been able to see them otherwise?
Preach!
so in America we have been cooerced into the 4cyl frontdrive boxmobile, while the Europeans snap up our land yachts…something tells me we’ve been suckered…
When the new LTD driver is looking for a parking space in the center of Heidelberg we will see who got suckered into something.
Perhaps you have forgotten about some of European land yachts, specificially Audi A8, Bentley Mulsanne, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Not to mention the buses, delivery vans, and lorries. You’d be surprised at how the drivers manage to negotiate the cramped roads. Just go to the Switzerland and see those Postbuses magically sliding through the villages…
I assume Germany and some other European countries have some kind of loopholes in their road tax rules for old cars — my understanding is that registering something like this as a new car would cost you something approaching €3,000 a year in tax, on top of the price of fuel.
Every country have it’s own taxes : some tax the displacement, other the emissions and some tax the power rating. But usually there are exception for cars 20+ years old, as long as they are registered as classics (which requires them to be original, unmolested and in overall good condition).
Yes, the steep displacement tax and lack of catalysator are the reason my father deregistered his 1977 Mercedes-Benz in 2000. He said something about paying DM 150.00 per 100cc (or about DM 6.750.00) every year.
He had to wait until 2007 to receive the H-registered numberplates for the vehicles that are thirty years or older. H-registered numberplates exempted him from eye-watering amount of annual fee.
Unfortunately, the long term storage wasn’t kind to his car, necessiating the expensive restoration work, especially the motor. He had asked me if I wanted it or not…decisions, decisions, decisions.
I wouldn’t say that most Americans have 4cyl boxmobiles as their hobby cars?
It depends how you define “boxmobile,” I guess. There are certainly people who would consider, say, stuffing a Honda K20 engine into a mid-80s Civic sedan to be a good time.
Gotta love those bent eight Henrys! Here downunder we were so lucky to have them continue on the form of the Falcon and even the inline six was continuously developed right through to over 300kws from that little old original 144 cid six of 1960. Today’s 4.0 turbocharged inline six engine still uses the same bore centres!
As for the bent eights, the last of the pushrod 5.0 versions were remarkably economical with EGR and EEC-V giving 9.5 litres of fuel use per 100 kms at 100 kph ..at least on gentle ‘cruise’ ..a bit of spirited driving and that soon changed A LOT !
Having said that, I could never get better than 10.5 litres of fuel used per 100 kms at 100 kph out of the SMALLER 4.0 inline six (even at a low 1750 rpm due to high final gearing).. now even though the 5.0 V8 was turning over at 2,000 rpm at the same cruising speed it used LESS fuel than the highly developed, computer controlled (non-turboed) six..
Conclusion: the 5.0 pushrod V8 was a lovely piece of machinery. I hope it will be forever remembered in motoring history .. ..
I am very tempted to get an AU with the Windsor V8. A fairmont wagon if I can find one. I heard the 5.4 in the BA onwards was not so great. What’s your experience with those?
The 5.4 is not bad but can have issues with spark plug removal and has a narrow-ish power band – can go very well with a few mods. None in wagons though if you want/need one. AU V8 vs a BF 6cyl would be an interesing comparison, the AU could be a good long-term proposition.
I’m guessing Craig might have a ute, they are a bit heavier on fuel than sedans/wagons. Fuel use varied a bit from model to model with changes in weight, emissions regs & engines. Eg BF’s are a lot more economical than BA’s thanks to the independent variable cam timing improving low rpm torque.
…you are so right John! 🙂 ..it was indeed a 4.0 2006 BF1 wellside utility with the auto box and slightly over-gearing 235/60’s on the rear ..whereas the EF1 5.0 was (and still is my baby) with a beaut factory installed 5 speed manual.. i just love this thing
I understand the last of the AU V8’s were fitted with rather nice aluminium GT40P style heads and bigger throttle bodies, and they produced a genuine 300hp ..they also had that particular firing order sound that the very under square 4′ bore engine produces (the much less under square 5.4 just doesn’t ‘feel’ or sound the same to me.. not to say there is anything really wrong with them though
Although I have had similar feelings that something is wrong when classic American cars are unwanted at home and end up exported, I had a change of heart last year after seeing so many of them overseas in Sweden in their new native environment. I consider each sale overseas to be a great thing. Each of these cars instantly changes from being just a common old car in the US, not even able to find a buyer at $4,000, to being somewhat exotic and definitely coveted overseas, far more valuable than it was in the U.S. Each car exported also represents thousands of dollars toward improving the U.S. balance of trade. Furthermore, each car’s presence overseas creates a small amount of goodwill toward the U.S. and something that people overseas have in common with Americans; I had many conversations with random Swedes about cars that proved that to me.
I have toyed with the idea of starting a business marketing classic American cars in Scandinavia, but given the number of Swedes who come to the US to buy up our classic cars, the competition is clearly already numerous and well established. So it will probably remain only an idea.
Here in Norway I think it must be a least 15-20 companys who imports 30 years or older american cars. In a country with 4,5 million citizens…. So I don’t think you could make much money in that business today, but if the year was 1995 now….
In Sweden the population is about 9 million, so the carmarked is bigger, but the Swedish economy is a bit weak compared to the Norwegian.
But yes, these american cars is something special. And sadly, no cars of today will be like these american land yatchs.
I don’t think I ever saw a real US car in the flesh until I was in my teens. Every time I’ve since seen a “full size” US car I’ve been in shock and awe at the enormous scale of them. I think it is only long-term readership of CC that has made me realise that these things are somehow “normal” in the US of A.
So yeah, I agree. For me these are true exotics and I love to see them on the road. Having said that, a 60s/70s mustang in NZ is truly non-exotic, and I don’t think I even notice them on the road.
It’s our current car conformist culture. If you drive anything different from ‘acceptable’, you get eye-rolls, ‘eww’, and ‘wtf’ from loud mouths.
While average buyers get ‘gray scale’ colors, novice car collectors get a red ’69 Camaro to “fit in” with all the other cool grown-ups. I say ‘zzzzzzzz’.
“Honey, I dont want that green 70s car in our garage!”
“Man, why didn’t you get a real muscle car”
“Ewww a Malaise car”
I say STFU
That’s why my warm-weather daily driver is a 302 powered Fairmont and my winter beater is a GREEN ’96 Crown Vic (with matching green interior 😀 )… F the comformists!!!
I didn’t realize they still had green interiors in ’96, nice!
How’s this for going against the grain…
If I had the land mass that our esteemed *junqueboi* does, I’d snap up every Pontiac from the 70’s on to 2009 that I could find.
I would love to roam through a field of bespoilered and fender-flared Grand Ams, Grand Prix and Sunfires, pick one out and hit the road just to piss off the American-car hating road snobs.
I’m a car guy, I like all kinds of cars. But I get my hackles up when folks make sport of my ride(s), especially when they have never even sat in one, much less lived with one of them. I say this about my Mercurys, Pontiacs, even my Yugos. Although I like to walk and ride bicycle, my favorite form of transport is my automobile. They’re all good.
People drive what they can, literally. No need to denigrate them because of that.
Preach it brother!
Thanks, that’s just the SAME thing I’ve said to countless others who lament about US (and a few Canadian!) cars snapped up by Europeans, yet fork a cool 500,000 for a Hemi ‘Cuda or a Charger, and Ignore the senior cars…Geez, why can’t these schmoes get a life, and snap up one. They won’t be around forever,—or maybe they WILL!
Speaking of C-Class isn’t it time for a M-B Deadly Sin? I’m no expert on Euro-Trash but I was always under the impression that this was one of the first models that literally was the start of the cheapening of the marque? The original cheap luxury car. And not cheap in the money sense of the phrase but cheap in materials and build? If not than maybe a DS on the current CLA for the same reason.
+1. First time I heard ‘built to a price and not to a standard’ was regarding MBs from sometime in the 90s onward.
Like this?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-flat-paint-outtake-mercedes-clk-coupe-a-flat-out-lie/
Lt.BrunoStachel
I think you’re confusing the W203 C class which came out in 2000 with it’s replacment, the W204 which came out in 2007.
The W204’s are widely regarded as being reliable and durable and mark the effort to “return to quality” for Mercedes. The pre-refresh (pre-2011) versions have a very austere interior but interestingly enough, most of the materials are soft-touch and wear like iron.
Also, if you look up the intrusion measurements on IIHS, the structure can be described as granitic which makes sense as these can be specified with anything from a 1.8 liter 4 cylinder to the bonkers 6.2 liter V8.
For example, intrusion measurements for the 2014 Accord moderate overlap:
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 7
Left (cm) 12
Center (cm) 9
Right (cm) 8
Brake pedal (cm) 9
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 1
Rearward (cm) 6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0
2010 C Class moderate
Footwell intrusion Footrest (cm) 1
Left (cm) 1 Center (cm) 2
Right (cm) 1
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 3
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -4
Rearward (cm) 6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1
In the side impact for both, the Mercedes had over 5cm less deformation. In the roof crush test, the C Class’ roof was able to handle almost 3000 pounds more pressure.
I was always impressed how Callahans Ford held up in the denouement of “Magnum Force”
This is bittersweet. As others pointed out above, it’s a shame the only people who appreciate these cars are overseas…but I’m ecstatic to know that this car won’t end up getting the donk butchering that many of its brethren did and will be appreciated for what it is.
Kudos to Mr. German buyer: enjoy your cool car.
Perhaps if it was a true classic, I would miss seeing it around town. But I am old enough to remember these by the gads, rusted out and burning oil, with sagging suspensions. Definitely not one of Ford’s better ideas.
Since Paul first posted on this one, I haven’t been able to warm up to it. It gives me vivid memories from that era of low quality, malaise-era cars. When there was a significant distance between some car makers and their buyers.
I’m sure it will be treasured, where the memory of it’s original place in the market, doesn’t matter.
The trend toward big LBJ and Nixon era cruisers will make its way here. It took a while for Americans to begin listening to Synthpop and drive front-drive 4-cyl cars, but it eventually happened. Over in Europe, they can appreciate the style of these 45 year old monsters in a way we’ve forgotten, but soon enough, we’ll love them again. RWD “sports sedans” are getting old and moldy; they’ve been popular for a looonnng time and some people of questionable taste are beginning to love them. When you begin making a large number of sales to orange spray-tan people, you’re on the wrong side of fashion.
If I were in the position to do so today, I’d buy myself a nice fuselage body Mopar, along with a nice Reagan-era Japanese hatch.
Hee hee. Mr. Shoar, you just described my personal fleet, although the Japanese hatch is from the Bush II era. Airbags and rustproofing are worthwhile rust belt features.
My God, that car is as wide as some of Germany’s streets!
Dat ass! The driver’s head is for scale.
Oops, forgot the picture. Click to embiggen.
Narrow roads ? No problem, as this local Detroit Diesel fanatic proves.
Trucks are the same width world wide 2.5M our narrowest laned roads have 3M lanes marked trucks fit easily.
Actually in the US you can now go ~2.6M wide or 102″ now. It used to be just under 2.5M or 96″
If you want to eat up a lane, a Hummer would do about as well.
BTW, figure about $160 to fill up that LTD with Benzin.
To get meta:
I love that car and I’m not a fan of big Fords at all. Just something about that color combo that I love. Paul, you really do look at home behind the wheel! Better it go to someone who wants it rather then end up in a scrap heap to China……
Interesting how one continent’s junk is another country’s exotic classic. While typical American enthusiasts won’t give a second look to 70’s LTD’s and 80’s Chevy Caprices, but will gawk at and pay good money for base model VW Polos, E30s, and Mercedes sedans with Euro specs, it is the other way around in Europe. The Malaise era cars are full fledged Route 66 classics over there and get a surprising amount of airtime at car shows. The old euro cars are a dime a dozen over there. What is considered a generally disregarded $1000 POS from the 70s or 80s in it’s continent of origin is probably considered a $3000 project car or starter classic on the other side of the ocean, and it works both ways.
I am glad that its leaving for Germany. The new owner probably will take care of it very well. If it had remained here it would have most likely found an owner who would outfit it with a set of silly assed oversized rims and cut into it to run cable to put a booming system in it like they do every old car around here.
On the record though, I would rather have had that red Ford Ranger. I miss my Ranger
Gadzooks, that is the most atypical looking truck driver I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of truck drivers in my 30-40K miles of driving. From about the late 1960s to early 1980s many of Detroit’s cars were fugly and/or slower than molasses in January so I do not mind this Ford going overseas, but keep a few over here is all I ask. Just need to buy a 70-72 Dart and 78-79 Monte Carlo before they are all gone.
FWIW, I think I detected a German accent in his voice, but I could be wrong. I didn’t talk to him; just overheard him from a distance. Update: Stephanie said his accent sounded Russian.
I originally clicked on this CC to bid farewell to what is a very nice Ford.
But then i found my attention shifting to the green stuff you have on the ground between the street and the sidewalk?
That is one reason I moved to Northwest Oregon because California is the Golden Brown State and catches on fire real easily. If you really want lots of living grass move to the Evergreen State. I would have moved there, but I do not care for the Seahawks or the Sounders.
The Willamette Valley is the world’s biggest cool-season grass-seed growing area. The fields in the winter are emerald green. In fact, it’s often called the Emerald Valley.
But in somewhat the reverse of much of the country, the grass goes dormant/brown in the latter part of our long, dry summers. We have a Mediterranean climate: cool, wet winters; dry warm summers.
Lots of Pennsylvania does this during some of the warmer summers. Many people planted cool-season grass which might have worked pre-climate-change, but now goes brown and crackly in the summer.
Still thinking about that car and had hoped it wouldn’t end up at a scrap yard. Hope it enjoys long cruises on the autobahn blasting some Hasselhoff through the radio.
I don’t typically like 1970s Fords, but I am really glad this one has found a good home, no matter where in the world it is. Surviving this long in such good shape, it has earned a trip to a place to where it will be seen as very interesting and much appreciated. On a recent trip out West, I saw a complete, seemingly rust-free 1972 Thunderbird being dumped off at a scrap yard by the 101 Freeway in Northern California. This ‘Bird was finished in yellow with a white top, and was in remarkably good shape (likely an older person’s car, rarely driven, but cast off by clueless heirs upon the original owner’s demise). Its final destination was not a pick-your-parts operation, where at least something from the Tbird could have been saved/reused. This was a SCRAP yard, as in crush, shred, send to China. And a real loss of a Ford survivor.
The saga of this Ford has been one of the more interesting of many very interesting stories on CC. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed the comments in this thread.
Least the future owner see this thread and have any doubts about his car, I’d like to summarize the bottom line of cars sold in the U.S. in 1972.
The American full size car was still the best all around car you could buy. The U.S. companies tended to put their best materials and efforts into them, and they were among the most reliable, spacious, comfortable and functional cars available – regardless if you are talking about Japanese, European, or lesser American cars.
You don’t have to take my word for the above paragraph. Just take a look at the period review magazine piece in the recent CC Colt chronicles. The quality of most of the imported cars was so bad that basic items like wipers, heaters and defrosters didn’t work as intended, or arrived with “some assembly required.” The back seats were so small they were not functional. The handing of some was between quirky and dangerous, especially at expressway speeds. They didn’t even get into surviving a wreck in of those cars, but the outcome was not pretty in a 2,000 lb tin can.
And, people vote with their dollars, and the 1972 big Ford was the second best selling car in the world’s largest car market, behind only the 1972 big Chevrolet.
The last time I saw a big 1972 Ford? About a month ago a black over dark blue pillared hardtop in excellent condition pulled out of a medical parking lot in front of me. Right here in snow and ice country. Quite handsome if I say so.
So, enjoy your LTD. Write us all here if you see this!
“…And meanwhile, some American gladly spent about ten times that for that white C-Class Mercedes in front of it…”
Mercedes C…for CHEAP. Looks it, too.
Like some others said above, this car going to Germany is likely increasing its odds of survival – exponentially increased odds.
In the late ’90s I had a ’55 Chevrolet 210. It was all original down to the pinstripe on the wheels. Not having space for it, I painfully opted to sell it. I advertised it in Hemmings and several other high profile locations.
Nobody in the United States wanted it. Why? It was a four-door and powered by a six-cylinder. Had I sold it here it would have likely been parted out for yet another tri-five coupe to be cobbled together.
I sold it to somebody in Sweden. They wanted such a car; they sought such a car. It was what they were used to seeing, as I was told, and it was desirable for being exactly what it was.
Perhaps Robert Kim has cross paths with it during his times in Sweden. Either way, it was a sweet and sour experience, but I knew it would survive and be appreciated, not viewed as parts fodder.
Agreed. They will appreciate it more than we could ever quite muster. The grass is always greener….
I really, REALLY hope we can get a follow-up on the car once it is with the new owner/s.
Hopefully that Monaco previewed a few months ago could meet the same fate with a little help from the CC effect.
I’m green with envy. That pristine example was snagged for $900.00! Nice to know it will be preserved. It deserves it.
Frankly the price of $4500 was too high for that car. It is a grandfather’s car and most of them are dead and gone. Their son’s, my Dad, are in their 80’s which makes their issue obvious. The grandson, like me around 60 or so, were into pony cars and the intermediates. There is no emotional connection to that car for most in my age range. Don’t neglect the importance of an emotional connection to own an old car.
Someone I know had been looking for a 67 Newport 2dr. fastback, in turquoise, because his father had one and he learned to drive on it. He is in his 70’s and just found it this week. Pure emotional attachment. As for me I like cars first and foremost. Some more than others and I don’t need an emotional attachment.
I have my 68 Cougar, my first car and my father’s car, sitting in the garage. Emotion. My 68 Mustang is what I wanted and it sits next to the Cougar. Emotion again. My 67 Park Lane was bought to save the poor car. No one interested for ages and I paid $950 for a very nice car. My 73 Polara, purchased on a whim after seeing a friends, I got for $1600 with 75,000 miles. All others wanted parts. This 72 LTD was doomed to few people in the country who would have any real driving interest. I would have but the market is in my favor and probably wouldn’t have paid more than $2000 out here. Not everything is a collectible, or rare in a good way, as sellers like to tell you.
You are correct. It is entirely Stephanie’s fault…..
Isn’t it always? 🙂
Someone has hacked Paul’s account!!!
Nothing wrong with it. You know, buying-selling, import-export, global trading. What’s new ? And since the days of the internet I can buy a car from the other side of the globe without ever leaving my living room, exactly what I did more or less. Dozens and dozens of professionals who take care of the whole A to Z process.
Make the German guy an offer he can’t refuse and you can import it back into the US. And with the money in his pocket he can import another one.
Good export business you can keep your newer cars Paul we want the old ones, Saw a nice Rambler Marlin while getting my Citroen inspected yesterday V8 auto ugly as sin but cool as a cucumber and unbelievably the guy has 2 of them, keep em comin.
I guess multiples factors are at work there.
First, the exchange rates between the Euro and the Dollar are clearly in favor of European buyers.
Second, I see this as the result of the massive – and still strong – exportation of the american culture throughout the world.
I am currently in my thirties and I spent my french childhood watching TJ Hooker, CHiPS, Starsky and Hutch and The Streets of San Francisco (these two being basically giant Ford ads…).
The TV show Dukes of Hazzard is the reason why I am fond of american cars (To be precise, all my eyes were on Roscoe’s Matadors, Satellites, Gran Furys or else, and I couldn’t care less about General Lee).
I guess I am not the only one on this side of the Atlantic who thinks that an american car should be at least 18 ft long, weight 4.500 lbs, have a V8, squealing tires and the ability to lose a hubcap each time it takes a sharp turn !
We are just making our childhood dreams come true.
Oh. And I guess that such a Ford, apparently in very good condition, could be sold in Europe for 8 to 10.000 € (11.000 to 13.700 USD at the current exchange rate).
Speaking of France and American cars, I’m sure you know Jean-Pierre Melville’s work. This is the Plymouth Fury that Alain Delon drove in “Le Cercle Rouge”. Apart from the US cars, if you haven’t watched that movie yet, please do. It’s a Masterpiece.
Nice overview of US cars in Melville’s movies:
http://www.thecinetourist.net/un-flic-art-and-artifice.html
Oh well, as long as it is an old Ford that leaves, fine by me. An old Chevy? Now them’s fightin’ words!
Bite me… 🙂
I think the reason I like this car is because it reminds me of my parent’s pea-green 1975 Catalina we had as a kid. It’s ugly, but in a kinda cool and definately interesting way. Love it or hate it, it certainly has more character than anything available today.
Today regular gas hit $1.47 a liter at my corner gas station. That works out to $5.56 a gallon. I sold my 68 Newport when gas hit 90 cents a liter and driving the thing was costing me 15-20 bucks an hour. It’s no fun anymore when you can’t just drive it to work or go for a country drive without having this image of dollar bills continuously blowing out the exhaust pipe.
Any car in that shape is worth money but it’s a select few who can afford to use it as much as I think most of us would want to use it.
Every time I see the first pic my initial reaction is “WOW! American and German ‘mercs’ together at last!” then I realize it’s an LTD…crap, it would have been such a great photo… >_<