When I photographed this car’s interior, I noticed a cassette half-inserted into the tape deck. That itself was unusual – after all, even I don’t use tapes any longer, and I’m not exactly an early adopter of technology. It wasn’t until much later, upon examining the photos, that I noticed the cassette case laying in the console. That got me wondering just what album the car’s driver was listening to. So today’s CC Clue is a twofer: Can you identify the car and the cassette?
Unfortunately, I don’t know what cassette album this is, since I only have one partially-obstructed photo of it. But CC is full of music cognoscenti, so maybe someone can figure this out. I assume the car’s driver is older, judging by the granny cushion on the driver’s seat… but maybe Granny likes hip hop, so who knows?
In case it helps, I have enlarged the cassette case as much as possible from the original image above.
Good luck! We’ll see an article about the Clue Car tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll know the mystery album by then too!
This is a puzzler, to be sure. The seats had me thinking Jaguar, but the fuzzy center console is a mystery. Ditto for the cassette.
Car seats looks like 60’s era GM . cassette says sports like pontiac fire bird -chevelle ss.
Cassette looks like pop-rock from that era. Cant name artist.
I don’t want to sound Cavalier about my participation in this challenge, but I’m getting a serious GM vibe: My guess is that the car is a Cadillac Cimarron.
As for the cassette, I haven’t a clue…
I’m feeling an ’80s Cadillac thing myself. Cimarron or Seville, maybe.
As for the cassette, I went from 8-track straight to CD.
I see a center section from a bench seat, so not a J body imo. Seat also doesn’t have heavily textured leather of early Cimarrons or cushion effect of later ones. Does look very ’80s GM though, boxy console with that fuzzy lining and Torx screws. Downsized Olds or Caddy of some sort.
Cassette looks like a low-budget compilation of some sort (note the “II” at end – there’s a volume I of whatever this is too. Not an actual album i think.
No idea on either. I only used some 8 tracks early on in 1970 and the first two were the Grassroots and Led Zeppelin II. I had so many albums that when I went to cassette I recorded my own cassettes. Believe it or not I still have them all. Consequently I never bought and and wouldn’t recognized the cover art.
Mmmm, might be a great hits of the Disco era, just from the colourful packaging. Or a greatest R and B hits.
I’ll go late 70s Chevy Nova for the car.
K-tel, maybe?
Clueless on the car, but that definitely looks like some sort of disco compilation tape. Got to agree with you on that one Lee.
Oh what the heck, I’ll take a stab at the car too. One of those little Buicks that looked like a Cavalier, put it around 1982-ish. Skylark maybe? (But not a cool Skylark like a ‘72, which is one of my wife’s favorites.)
Of course, Olds had a J car like that too.
I’ll second the Cimmaron. The stitching sure looks right, and it’s the only Cadillac (I think!) that could have such a dinky console. As for the cassette… I got nuthin’.
The car IS a Cimarron and the cassette is how to still hold your head up knowing you overpaid for a gussied up Cavalier!
It definitely looks like a Cadillac seat but I recall early Cimarron’s having perforated leather like Mercedes; my guess is an ’80-85 Seville or Eldorado.
Don’t know the car, but cassette may be something by Devo… EZ Listening, maybe.
That’s definitely a Devo deep cut. Bravo.
Lincoln Town car from 80s or 90s.
My first car was a 1985 Cimarron. I thought it was the bee’s knees. I was only 21 and I was driving a “Cadilllac”. WTH?
Anyway, this is not a Cimarron. It’s a good guess, though.
Those appear to be Allen head (or faux Allen head) screws around the edge of the console. That seems unusual for something that looks like it’s from the 1970’s … but what it is, I have no clue. Come to think of it, I think TransAm steering wheels had faux Allen heads, so maybe GM.
GM loved their faux Allen heads all over interiors in the 80’s
I’m usually pretty good at identifying CD/album/cassette covers. This one definitely appears to be a compilation cassette based upon the artists/songs listed at the bottom of the cover (in white). The cassette cover artwork appears to have the cut out letters with torn paper edges typically associated with Punk artists like the Sex Pistols. My first thought was a multiple cassette Punk/New Wave music compilation I liked in the mid 90s called ‘Teenage Kicks’. But the art is totally different. And the yellow font in the middle looks pretty cheesy to be associated with Punk.
My guess is a compilation New Wave/Punk rock cassette. Could be a minor label. Rhino was big into these.
As an aside, I think Ian Drury and the Blockheads ‘Hit Me with your Rhythm Stick’ must appear on 90% of New Wave compilations. It was a seminal song. 🙂
Getting off-topic now, but another song by Ian Dury that has actual CC relevance is “Billericay Dickie”, with the line “I had a love affair with Nina, In the back of my Cortina”. I had that on a Stiff Records compilation that included two more car-related songs.
One by Larry Wallis called Police Car:
“I got speed, I got power, I got a V8 heart”. Not sure what British police cars in the late ‘70’s had V8’s; perhaps a Rover or an older Daimler SP250.
And the other by Dave Edmunds, Crawling from the Wreckage:
“I took out my revenge on the revolution counter
Crawlin’ from the wreckage, Crawlin’ from the wreckage
You’d think by now at least that half my brain would get the message
Crawlin’ from the wreckage, Crawlin’ from the wreckage
Into a brand new car”
And my favorite lines (hey I was young when I had this album):
“Gunned up the motor into hyperdrive” and “’when I’m disconnected from the drivin’ wheel, I’m only half the man I should be”.
Is that the “Bunch of Stiffs” compilation? I had that LP for years before it went to a vinyl collector friend. I remember Police Car and Semaphore Signals by Wreckless Eric. but can’t remember Dave Edmunds’ solo. It’s quite possible Larry Wallis was actually singing about a Dodge Polara, and not a British car at all.
On a related note I can name two more songs with Ford Cortinas, The Jam’s Saturdays Kids and “My Old Cortina” by Athletico Spizz 80, plus From a Vauxhall Velox by Billy Bragg and Richard Thompson can claim two classics, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and MGB-GT.
Seems like im on target with some of the others on GM sport cars of late 60’s 70 era.
I like the challenge.
The yellow lettering on the cassette looks like it ends in “AS”…The Mommas and Papas? Greatest Sambas? The Oompa Loompas?
The spacing of the artist names makes me think hip hop, with first names as just a letter or two and a hyphen. The colors seem like early 90s or late 80s.
Is that console missing a lid? It is not a good looking console.
The “nice” seats combined with the cheap console and fake allen-head screws says GM to me. But there’s no individual spaces for the cassette tapes. So, early 80s GM maybe?
Or late 70s? I’m starting to get a Riviera vibe here.
This is a fun challenge. Can’t wait to see how wrong I am…
Buick
Wierd Al
A number of folks guessed Cadillac (with KevinB and Acd hinting at Seville)… which was on the right track: It’s a 1987 Seville. It’s easy to forget that the 2nd generation Seville had bucket seats as standard equipment. That the console was open made it even trickier.
As for the cassette, I wish I knew. Daniel M’s suggestion that it’s a compilation makes a lot of sense. As for the music type that the driver of a Seville would be listing to… I guess we’ll have to use our imagination on that one!
Eric, thanks for the shout out and the reaffirmation of what my life has come to!