1930 Chrysler Model 77 Roadster

Photo by Cliff West

 

Walter P. Chrysler founded the Chrysler Corporation in 1925 after buying the Maxwell Automobile Company in 1921. The 1930 Chrysler Model 77 was based on the Model 70, descended from the Chrysler B-70 from 1924, and was an update to 1929's Model 75, now with a downdraft carburetor and a new engine-mounted fuel pump, and sat right below the top-of-the-line Chrysler Imperial in the company’s lineup. Powered by a 93-horsepower 268.4-cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder L-head engine with a 4-speed transmission, the Model 77 was designed to cruise at 77 miles per hour and was capable of reaching 100 miles per hour. Model 77 Roadsters raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, at the 24 Hours of Spa in Belguim, and at the Mille Miglia in Italy. Early 1930 Chrysler Model 70s and Model 77s featured Pennon-shaped hood louvers, which were replaced by common vertical louvers in the middle of the year. Chrysler built over 60,000 cars in 1930, but only 1,729 were Model 77 Roadsters. The Model 77 was a one-year-only model, being dropped after 1930 in favor of downsized cars. The 1930 Chrysler Model 77 Roadster was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1953 Nash-Healey Roadster

Photo by Cliff West

 

1953 was the last year for the Nash-Healey Roadster, the result of a chance meeting aboard the Queen Elizabeth between Nash CEO George Mason and British sports-car builder Donald Healey, who wanted to buy American engines. They partnered to introduce the Nash-Healey in 1951, a low-slung two-seat roadster with a British-built aluminum body and a 125-horsepower Nash Ambassador 234.8 cubic inch overhead-valve L-head six-cylinder Jetfire engine on a 102-inch wheelbase, assembled at the Donald Healey Motor Company in Warwick, England. The following year brought new steel bodywork by Pinin Farina in Italy, where final assembly was performed, and a 140-horsepower dual-carburetor option. 1953 saw the introduction of a Le Mans coupe version on a 6-inch longer wheelbase. It was the best year for the Nash Healey, with a total of 162 built. Production would end after another 90 coupes were built in 1954, some of which were reserialed as 1955 models. This 1953 Nash-Healey Roadster was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1951 Nash Ambassador 4-Door Sedan

Photo by Cliff West

 

1951 was the final year for the Nash Airflyte that had been introduced in 1949. Available as a Statesman on a 112-inch wheelbase and as the Ambassador on a 121-inch wheelbase. One of the most advanced cars of its day, the aerodynamic Airflyte featured a one-piece curved windshield, a “Uniscope” gauge cluster in a teardrop-shaped pod on the steering column, optional seatbelts and fully-reclining front seatbacks and Nash-Kelvinator’s pioneering “Weather-Eye” fresh air heating and ventilation system. For 1951, styling featured a new grille and extended raised rear fenders. The 1951 Ambassador’s 234.8 cubic inch overhead-valve L-head six-cylinder Jetfire engine produced 115 horsepower, up from 112 previously. This example was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1979-1988 Zimmer Golden Spirit

 
Photo by Cliff West

Though production began in 1979, the Zimmer Motorcars Corporation was established in Pompano Beach, Florida, in 1980 by Paul Zimmer and his son, Robert “Bob” Zimmer. The Zimmer Golden Spirit was a classic-style car with up-to-date performance capabilities, based on the chassis and powertrain of Ford’s Fox-platform Mustang. While the exterior styling featured a long, low hood with exposed exhaust pipes, curled fenders, running boards, side-mounted spare tires, wire-spoke wheels with wide whitewall tires, trumpet-shaped horns and a 24-karat gold hood ornament, it was powered by a 225-horsepower high-output electronically fuel-injected 5.0-liter V8 engine and featured a 4-speed transmission, rack-and-pinion steering, independent front suspension with McPherson struts, coil springs and stabilizer bar, rear suspension with four-bar link rubber cushioned pivots, coil springs hydraulic shock absorbers and stabilizer bar, and power assisted front vented disc/rear drum brakes. The interior featured hand-stitched leather surfaces, a walnut dashboard, wool carpeting, a steering wheel with 24-carat gold-plated spokes, and crystal bud vases hanging by the rear seat courtesy lights. Air conditioning and an acoustically-balanced AM/FM stereo with cassette player were standard, while a CD player and hands-free cellular phone were optional. Prices in 1988 started around $50,000, which was equal to a Porsche or two Corvettes. Zimmer filed for bankruptcy in 1988 after building about 1,500 Golden Spirits, but was reborn in the late 1990s under new ownership. Due to their custom-built nature, it is difficult to tell what model year is represented by this Zimmer Golden Spirit at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1941 Packard Super-8 One-Sixty Club Coupe

Photo by Cliff West

 

In 1940 the Packard Super-8 became the Super-8 One-Sixty, with the introduction of a new 160-horsepower, 356-cubic-inch, inclined 8-cylinder L-head engine with aluminum pistons, which was the most powerful 8-cylinder engine available in an American car at the time, following the discontinuation of the Packard V12 after 1939. The related Super-8 One-Eighty replaced the Packard Twelve at the top of the line. For 1941, styling was updated. The radiator moved forward and the headlights were recessed into the fenders with parking lights above, while running boards became optional. Other available options included Air-Conditioning, an Electromatic Clutch eliminating the need for a clutch pedal, and an early overdrive called Aero-Drive which reduced fuel consumption by up to 20% by reducing engine revolutions by 27.8% while reducing oil use and engine wear. This 1941 Packard Super-8 One-Sixty Coupe has a 127-inch wheelbase. It is difficult to tell in the picture, but this coupe at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003, appears to be a 5-passenger Club Coupe with the new full width rear seat, as opposed to a Business Coupe with no rear seat.

1957 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe

Photo by Cliff West

 

Oldsmobile was redesigned for 1957, which was also the brand’s 50th anniversary, and the 1957 Oldsmobile 88 model was given the prefix “Golden Rocket.” The standard Rocket T-400 high-compression V-8 engine was increased to 371.1 cubic inches to produce 277 horsepower and 400 ft-lbs of torque. The optional J-2 package increased the horsepower to an even 300. Though the Wheelbases were the same as in 1956, the bodies and chassis were all-new, making the 1957 Oldsmobiles longer, lower and wider. Compared to the previous year, the wide-mouth grille was reshaped, the windshield pillars were more sharply angled, and the sweepspear came down from the middle of the belt and back to the finless rear fenders and peaked taillights to define a two-tone area. Holiday hardtops and sedans now featured wrapped rear windows with body-color twin vertical dividers. 

Photo by Cliff West

This Super 88 Holiday Coupe was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1996-1997 Ford Crown Victoria P71 Oregon State Police Car

 

Photo by Cliff West

From 1992 to 1997, Ford marketed its Crown Victoria to police departments as the Crown Victoria P71. Like all Crown Victorias, they were powered by a 4.6-liter V8 engine with a 4-speed automatic transmission. The 1996 and 1997 models are virtually identical, and the Crown Victoria would be redesigned for 1998. This example of a 1996-1997 Crown Victoria P71 from the Oregon State Police is pictured in Rainier, Oregon, in the summer of 2002. The Oregon State Police introduced this black and white paint scheme around 1995, changing from the solid white livery they had used for many years. This new paint scheme would be used until around 2000.