When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Quite common in Sweden as "A/EPA-Tractor" a very Swedish phenomen turning cars into "tractors" ( max 30 km/h (19 MPH) and just one passenger etc etc) and making them an option for drivers 15/16 years old ( car is 18yrs old in Sweden)
This one is clearly an 80s GM product in the "premium" class. I'm going to guess Buick Park Avenue.
I'm thinking earlier, possibly '69-'70 Olds 98 LS? Tricky as even though GM cars back in the day looked completely different the switchgear such as this was shared.
OK Guys, First one is as you say GM and in this case it's was fitted to a mid-80s 4d Silver metallic Chevy Caprice
The other 3 details then?? any ideas?
Wait - was confused. I didn't realize they were different cars, although I was totally confused about the yellow exterior and blue crushed velvet interior combo.
In the late 1980's I was only 16 yrs old and an old farmer from our church gave me my first car.
It was a true "barn find" since it was in a cattle pasture where it sat many years until the grass grew up thru the floor boards.
The paint was long gone and mostly rust from sitting in the weather and it was in the worst condition imaginable, my dad said we will fix her up and make it drive.
The car was pretty much an antique by the late 1980's and it was too far gone so my dad basically gave it away for scrap and I had to wait a couple more years to drive.
What am I?
Bonus points if you know anything about the engine!
^^^Early 60s Chevy Corvair....a Ralph Nader Special.
Since you asked about the engine........rear-engine, air-cooled flat-six (boxer) design. Had an oil system that was pure crap...seals would frequently fail, and oily gunk would splatter all over the inside of the rear engine compartment. My first job out of high school was in a high-volume gas station, and almost every Corvair of that vintage would come in a couple of quarts low on the oil and need the crankcase filled. (oil was checked and windshield cleaned during fill-ups in those days, as a customer-courtesy)
Since it took forever for the air-cooled engine to produce any heat/defrost in the winter (and sometimes leaked toxic exhaust fumes into the cabin), an option was a gas-burning heater that heated up quickly, but could pose a fire hazard.
Like with the similar-design but smaller air-cooled VW Beetle, the rear-mount engine also made the car tail-happy, and, together with a cheap and primitive swing-axle rear suspension design and questionable tire-pressures, allowed for squirrely and sometimes dangerous handling characteristics. A number of people were injured or killed in Corvair accidents and rollovers....this was an age before universal seat belts and other safety features.
In short, no offense to you or your family, Margate, but, IMO, this car was a piece of junk.
Last edited by mmarshall; Nov 10, 2023 at 09:28 PM.
I worked a car engine fire one night on a Corvair and the battery which was in the same compartment as the engine, blew up! Luckily the hood was down so I didn’t get soaked with acid but it sure scared the hell out of me. Sounded like a grenade.
In the late 1980's I was only 16 yrs old and an old farmer from our church gave me my first car.
It was a true "barn find" since it was in a cattle pasture where it sat many years until the grass grew up thru the floor boards.
The paint was long gone and mostly rust from sitting in the weather and it was in the worst condition imaginable, my dad said we will fix her up and make it drive.
The car was pretty much an antique by the late 1980's and it was too far gone so my dad basically gave it away for scrap and I had to wait a couple more years to drive.
What am I?
Bonus points if you know anything about the engine!
My first car- a very well used blue '64 Corvair. Didn't last long...
I worked a car engine fire one night on a Corvair and the battery which was in the same compartment as the engine, blew up! Luckily the hood was down so I didn’t get soaked with acid but it sure scared the hell out of me. Sounded like a grenade.
Don't most cars have the battery in the same compartment as the engine?
