1972coronet Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Richard Bartrop said: Ford sold Cortinas and other Britsh Fords in Canada until 1973, though I remember the constant gripes about Cortina quality. Likewise, GM did a healthy trade in Vauxhalls until about the same time. I don't know why they didn't sell a few on the other side of the 49th while they were at it. Likely EPA and safety standards . Well , at least the 1974 film The Seven-Ups made liberal "use" of Opal Kadette wagons in the infamous chase scene ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bartrop Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 23 minutes ago, 1972coronet said: Likely EPA and safety standards . Well , at least the 1974 film The Seven-Ups made liberal "use" of Opal Kadette wagons in the infamous chase scene ! Safety and environment were why they stopped sending them over in the early '70s, but prior to 1968, these weren't in place. Now GM did try selling Vauxhalls in the states from '58 to '61(?) but for some reason, they never caught on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 GM did sell one of the Vauxhall models (Viva?) in Canada in the early 70s to disastrous results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bartrop Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 GM had been selling Vauxhalls here since 1948. The '70s in general were not a good time to be selling British cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 1 hour ago, 1972coronet said: Likely EPA and safety standards . Well , at least the 1974 film The Seven-Ups made liberal "use" of Opal Kadette wagons in the infamous chase scene ! "Wagon" singular - they slapped a quickie coat of red paint on the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1972coronet Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Ostensibly , I didn't pay that close attention to that detail . Similar to the background cars in The Blues Brothers --- some of them seen in the parking lot of the ( Dixie Square ) mall were also seen later parked in driveways , on the streets , etc . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike999 Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Adam, thanks for the warning on this one. As a fellow fan of Loser Cars, I thought about getting this kit. But as you noted, this is a real lackluster reissue so I'll pass. Especially with the current prices. Maybe it's cosmically fitting, or something, that a turkey of a car got a turkey of a model kit re-issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 On 7/5/2019 at 5:08 PM, Faust said: Wow... I thought only the Brits and Japanese had Three-Wheelers! Impressive, though! Darn.. that's a heck of a list! I have a Toyota Vitz (which is the domestic Echo/Yaris), as well as that brown Civic I did, and a couple of Kei Cars. I would LOVE a Fuego!!! I think those are cool looking. They do suck, though. Maybe there's a Burago in 1/43? I do have a Burago Renault 9 I could do as an Alliance... By Tercel, I hope you mean one of those ugly 4WD "station wagon" ones. You forgot the Fire Arrow!!! I know it's a Dodge, but it isn't... I do have a Trabant, if you're looking for Euroloser. A woman at work had a gold Fire Arrow. It looked just ok from the sides, and looked like a typical Japanese car from the front and rear. Who can forget the Mitsubishi-built "Dodge" Charger? I think all of the Tercels were ugly. Regarding someone's comment on the Vauxhall, I don't recall ever seeing one in the states as Opel was GM's captive import for the U.S. market, first with the Rekord, then the Kadett and Manta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 The Mitsu was actually called a Challenger, and it was produced from '78-'83, which was a longer run than the original "E" body MOPAR! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 On 7/6/2019 at 5:01 PM, Richard Bartrop said: Safety and environment were why they stopped sending them over in the early '70s, but prior to 1968, these weren't in place. Now GM did try selling Vauxhalls in the states from '58 to '61(?) but for some reason, they never caught on The '58-'61 sales were only a stopgap measure until the Tempest and Skylark/Special were ready. Once the dealers got their hands on those, they dumped the captive imports like a hot rock. The resale on those cars dropped to near zero. If GM would have tried that move again in '71, there were probably enough people who got burned in '58-'61 who would be very vocal about it to anyone they knew... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randyc Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Man, these were so a part of my childhood. And I owned 2 '73 Vegas, a GT wagon and a hatchback. My aunt had a green metallic early pinto (small bumper). A friend had a Crusing Wagon. And there were a LOT of these losers running the roads. But just not sure I can justify the expense for such a sparse kit that I may not get to for a couple years. Thanks for showing what's in the box and adding your fun perspective to it. Always look forward to reading your comments. And seeing the builds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatz4u Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Yes, I bought a new Pinto back in 1972, it had a 1600cc engine, 4 speed, & the large rear window...I drove it for 110,000 miles with no problems & sold it to a guy who drove it for 50,000 more. He told me that the engine was getting rebuilt & going into his Willys pickup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faust Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 On 7/4/2019 at 11:24 PM, Motor City said: Adam, My older sister had a Pinto, followed by a Nova, then a Thunderbird, and then … a new 1984 Alliance! The Tinmont (my buddy's name for his new 1978 Fairmont 2-door sedan) was actually a pretty rugged car. He attended a party in Downtown Detroit one night and didn't quite make the turn from one freeway through the sharp turn onto the next, bouncing off the retaining wall. He kept driving for about ten miles or so and called me from a pay phone around 3 in the morning after the radiator gave out! I picked him up and drove him home. The car was towed to a collision shop near my house. The front passenger tire and suspension were bent up several inches off the ground! Yes, he had driven on 3 tires for over ten miles. That's one heck of a car! The Stallion Maverick is another rarity that I saw once, maybe twice. Hopefully someone makes a decal set and you pick up the Jo-Han kit or promo to at least partially fulfill your fantasy. You are now contemplating what foreign losers I will come up with. Let's try the Toyota Echo, Renault Fuego (my cousin had 2 of these), Renault Le Car, Honda Insight, Toyota Tercel, Yugo, Datsun B-210, Fiat X/19, Chevrolet LUV, and Kia Soul. Jim: I was at a toy show on the weekend. You'll never guess what I found. The Escii Renault 5 police car. It's not QUITE a LeCar (has better, flush headlamps) but other than that, it's awfully close! I was pretty pumped, as you can imagine. Despite what the auto press of the day said, I still think those are horrible, ugly cars. Being in Canada, we got them a few more years than the US, and I can rememer always thinking they were just the grossest little automotive ticks I'd ever seen. True to this day. So, the loser list is getting fuller! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 5:20 PM, Bucky said: The Mitsu was actually called a Challenger, and it was produced from '78-'83, which was a longer run than the original "E" body MOPAR! right you are, Bucky! thanks for the correction; the small Charger was based on the Omni/Horizon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 21 minutes ago, Faust said: Jim: I was at a toy show on the weekend. You'll never guess what I found. The Escii Renault 5 police car. It's not QUITE a LeCar (has better, flush headlamps) but other than that, it's awfully close! I was pretty pumped, as you can imagine. Despite what the auto press of the day said, I still think those are horrible, ugly cars. Being in Canada, we got them a few more years than the US, and I can rememer always thinking they were just the grossest little automotive ticks I'd ever seen. True to this day. So, the loser list is getting fuller! Adam, I hope you keep buying up all of these loser cars and corner the market! They are much more affordable than the muscle cars, pony cars, and full-size cars. You can add the ugly duckling early Valiant and Lancer to your collection if you haven't already done so. I want to add an early Comet and Rambler American to my collection of early compacts (1st generation Falcons, Lark convertible, '65 American, Nova convertible) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 54 minutes ago, Motor City said: right you are, Bucky! thanks for the correction; the small Charger was based on the Omni/Horizon When that Charger came out, my heart sank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike999 Posted July 9, 2019 Share Posted July 9, 2019 12 hours ago, Faust said: Jim: I was at a toy show on the weekend. You'll never guess what I found. The Escii Renault 5 police car. It's not QUITE a LeCar... Just to drive you a little crazier...it's not quite a Renault R5 police car, either. I have one of these NEARLY done (Ha! ). ESCI just took the rally version of their R5 kit and added police gear and decals. That means it has the hotter Gordini racing engine, which I plan to hide by gluing the hood shut. Even worse, the kit has the special rally wheels, not stock wheels, with wide racing tires. Renault R5 wheels only have THREE lug nuts, not the usual 4 or 5. So finding replacements is not easy. An internet search showed the police cars also used regular skinny tires. I found an ESCI R5 parts lot cheap on eBay with plainer wheels, and tires in the parts stash. Something to watch for: the kit's hood has bracing detail on the bottom, which is good. What's bad is that the bracing creates 2 big, long sink marks on top of the hood...which has to be painted shiny gloss black and will show every little flaw. I don't know how many times I filled/sanded/primed that #$%$!! hood. It always looked perfectly smooth...until I sprayed the Gloss Black paint. Other than that (Mrs. Lincoln) it's a pretty nice little kit. It has a police radio with microphone, and is a vehicle from the Traffic Police. So it will be fun to fill up the back with traffic cones, barriers, etc. When I finally get that hood finished... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 (edited) It's too bad *edit* people don't want to discuss scale models. Edited July 30, 2019 by Casey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 On 7/8/2019 at 7:25 PM, Faust said: Despite what the auto press of the day said, I still think those are horrible, ugly cars. Being in Canada, we got them a few more years than the US, and I can remember always thinking they were just the grossest little automotive ticks I'd ever seen. True to this day. So, the loser list is getting fuller! And didn't you guys north of the border suffer through a bunch of Ladas also? Nothing like obsolete Fiats to curse at! At least they didn't sell those in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faust Posted July 30, 2019 Author Share Posted July 30, 2019 You guys didn't get Ladas Tom? Man, there were two of those in my townhouse complex growing up. One was blue (dark blue, with rust) and the other was bright yellow, with a bit less rust. Canada as a passion for crappy, supposedly 'economical' cars. Cheap doesn't always mean economical, but many in Canada don't get that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 18 hours ago, Faust said: You guys didn't get Ladas Tom? No, we didn't! No doubt due to our disdain for the Russians! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faust Posted August 3, 2019 Author Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) Say... I would love to be able to get a full set of the base Pinto hubcaps for my Brother's kit. He always likes to build "base-mobiles", where as I like the high-end loser cars. We've got two (mine and his). Is there any chance that there are a couple of anybodies out there doesn't want their spare one, and could send it to me? Thanks! Edited August 4, 2019 by Faust Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 I had a '74 Pinto and loved that little car silly; good acoustics overall, great gas mileage, easy to park, good acceleration in the low end, real focused rack and pinion steering, but no muscle at all. The little sewing machine engine had a real time attaining highway speeds. If I can ever find a decent completely stock '74 kit, I'd be all over it like a dog on a pork chop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted February 15, 2020 Share Posted February 15, 2020 On 7/6/2019 at 4:34 PM, 1972coronet said: Likely EPA and safety standards . Well , at least the 1974 film The Seven-Ups made liberal "use" of Opal Kadette wagons in the infamous chase scene ! Opels were sold at Buick dealers. In the early 1970s the dollar sank against the German Mark.. when I lived in Germany back in 1969-72 it went from 4 marks to a dollar to less than 2! So that killed the salability of Euro cars in the USA and that was the end of Opel. GM substituted in Isuzu built cars as “Opel by Isuzu”. That didn’t last but a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Macleod Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 On 7/4/2019 at 6:59 PM, Motor City said: Adam's Top Ten Fantasy List from the domestic manufacturers: Buick Rendezvous Pontiac Aztek Pontiac T-1000 Cadillac Cimarron Vega Notchback Ford Fairmont Dodge Aries Plymouth Reliant Mercury Lynx Mercury Bobcat How about it, Adam? What? Nothing from AMC? Gotta add a Gremlin or Hornet in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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