Cruise Night!

[SaxMan]

With a rare Saturday night off, I took the Sprite up to a Cruise In at Mt. Airy, Maryland. It was one of two LBCs present and only 1 of 3 British Cars, the rest being mostly American muscle cars or 60s era. At first no one seemed to know what to make of the little Sprite, but then I started attracting a crowd. Small children, in particular, were quite piqued by the little car. I had no qualms letting them sit in the driver's seat. Once people started seeing that I was letting kids sit in the car, it was on! I guess that's the nice thing about a driver-level car: I was completely unconcerned at what the kids would do. In addition, maybe I planted a seed in their mind the way my neighbor did when he had his British cars (a Jag Mark II and an MGB GT)...someone is going to have to take care of these cars down the road!

Sprite saddled up next to a Camaro:
DSC_0021 by David Cohen, on Flickr

'62 Olds F-85 convertible with an operational turbocharger
DSC_0023 by David Cohen, on Flickr

Sprite looks a bit lost amongst the Camaro and Corvettes
DSC_0039 by David Cohen, on Flickr

Nice '75 MGB was the other LBC representative at the Cruise In:
DSC_0051 by David Cohen, on Flickr

Sprite looks like a dachshund among German Shepherds:
DSC_0061 by David Cohen, on Flickr

Sprite at sunset:
DSC_0068 by David Cohen, on Flickr

The other British car represented was this Lotus Esprit:
DSC_0082 by David Cohen, on Flickr

...and then there was this. Posted without explanation.
DSC_0094 by David Cohen, on Flickr

 

[59diamond]

I went to a car show today with my Bugeye and it wasn't so much that i didn't win a trophy it was that a 2015 Corvette did win one. The judging was terrible. I am not saying I should have won a trophy but there were about 300 cars there and some idiot judge picked a 2015 C0rvette over cars that people spent blood sweat and tears restoring and the trophy goes to some guy who bought the car a year ago. Gimme a break.
Sorry for the Rant

 

[Trevor Jessie]

oooh! '62 F85 ... I'd so love to have that car.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Trevor my buddy had one of those we cruised in in high school. 215 Buick engine. No big deal as a car. We thought of it is more of a beater. Still had room for five or six of us going to Big Boy Mainliner in Cincinnati where all the car action was on the weekend. Black w Red einterior IIRC. This was before my buddy Tony graduated HS when he got a new Navy Blue '68 Sprite for a Graduation present. Three axles in first year that car almost caused both of us to flunk out Freshman year at U of Cincinnati. Those fun times I recalled when I bought Bugsy I my '68 Sprite 30 years later. And I'm still having fun��

 

[nomad]

oooh! '62 F85 ... I'd so love to have that car.

Sooo, what is the engine in that car? Looks like a turbo set up on top of everything!

Kurt.

 

[smaceng]

F-85 Oldsmobile: 1962 Aluminum 215 c.i. V-8 with the factory Turbo....straight from the factory!
Scott in CA

 

[nomad]

F-85 Oldsmobile: 1962 Aluminum 215 c.i. V-8 with the factory Turbo....straight from the factory!
Scott in CA

Never knew they did that! A friend had, I think, a small Buick with the aluminum engine that we hated. It had a transaxle and the most ridiculous unsprung weight in the rear imagined. A real treat maneuvering over street crossings.

Kurt

 

[Jim_Gruber]

There were F85's and then there was IIRC the Starfire with the Turbo'd 215 V-8. My buddy's was an ordinary F-85.

 

[SaxMan]

Thanks, Jim -- couldn't remember the name of the turbo package. I was thinking "Jetfire" or something like that.

Pity that Oldsmobile resurrected the legendary "Starfire" moniker 11 years later for their Monza-bodied subcompact. What a piece of dreck the later Starfire car was!

 

[SaxMan]

The owner of the F85 Starfire also had a matching F85 wagon that got the "rat rod" treatment:
DSC_0059 by David Cohen, on Flickr

Here's a '63 Cutlass -- it's the same chassis, but with more conservative styling than the '61 - '62. I really like the GM Y bodies...I think they are really underrated and undervalued.
DSC_0074 by David Cohen, on Flickr

A few others...

Beautiful '59 Corvette:
DSC_0075 by David Cohen, on Flickr

Nice Charger:
DSC_0079 by David Cohen, on Flickr

A pair of '71 Dusters:
DSC_0063 by David Cohen, on Flickr

'65 Corvair -- wouldn't mind having this car, although the whitewalls are a bit much:
DSC_0040 by David Cohen, on Flickr

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Pontiac tempest had the rear transaxle. F85 were usually 2 speed automatics.

 

[65_BRG_Sprite]

That Charger is HUGE!

 

[HealeyRick]

Pontiac tempest had the rear transaxle. F85 were usually 2 speed automatics.

 

[3798j]

The Tempest swing axle with "rope" driveshaft in action.

 

[nomad]

Must have been a Tempest. All that I remember is that it was ill handling. I thought it had a solid rear axle and transaxle but apparently it had swing axles. We loved that engine but hated that car. In that era I almost bought a Bug Eye fitted with that aluminum V8 and a three speed with overdrive. Guy claimed he had timed it on the I state and had it up to 140MPH. I seriously doubted that but it was definitely fast enough to get into serious trouble with!

Kurt

 

[3798j]

If it was a Tempest, its V8 was the iron block Pontiac 389....just de-stroked making it their 326. A good motor with ample torque.

 

[smaceng]

As I learned to drive on a 1962 Tempest, 4 cyl with a 3 speed manual transmission, yes I do remember how cornering was a challenge. In 1962, the 215 aluminum V-8 was an option.....but very few cars received it. But in 1963, the 4cyl. was still available, but the 326 V-8 was optional. The 3-speed manual was available too, but not the 4-speed with the V-8. The 1963 Tempest had a redesigned rear suspension, that used half shafts with u joints on both ends. This greatly reduced the "jacking" problem as shown in the photo above. Eventually this new design rear suspension was used on the Corvair, 1965 I think.
Scott in CA

 

[anarchy99]

I love that 59 corvette. One of my dream cars to own one day... When I think American muscle car, that car in red with white scallops, is where it's at.

 

[Bayless]

That Corvair reminded me of this one I saw at the Corvair Convention a few years ago.

 

[BillW103]

Don't leave out the Buick Special.
I took the Bugeye to The Goodguys last week. Nothing like watching people walk by a $60k 32 Hiboy to look at the Bugeye. It's amazing how many hotroders have a Bugeye story.