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Sports Car COUPE 1950-65


1937hd45

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There were numerous companies 'fern that made coupes, although you mention low price, that might not be the case if that's a qualifier.

 

Jaguar is the first that comes to mind, since Unimog John on these forums owns a beautiful one.

 

Porsche, Ferrari, Fiat, Aston Martin, to name a few.  Nash Healey if you want a half-foreign!  Another little known half breed was the Cunningham, with American chassis but Italian coachwork.  I did the upholstery in a Cunningham coupe, complete with a leather headliner.  For a big guy like me, it was quite a feat working inside that little car....

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The MGC was available from 1967 through 1969.

Great little coupe with a straight 6 cylinder engine.

Not quite sure that "great" fits the MGC. It was kind of a pig. Not a bad car but not much to write home about, either. It handled like a truck with that big lump of iron in a chassis that was designed for an 1800 cc four. They jury rigged a new suspension for it, but it was less than stellar. To make it worse, most of them sold here had automatic transmissions. The C was supposed to have been a replacement for the Big Healey. It didn't amount to a pimple on a 3000's butt. Drive a Healey BJ8 and an MGC (and I have) and you'd set fire to the MG before you'd let go of the 3000

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I think the trick here is "low priced." There are plenty of sports coupes out there, but how many 50s and 60s coupes are as affordable as the MGA (under $30,000)? I remember when Alfa Romeo Giuliettas were under $30,000, but not anymore. Same with some Porsche 356s. If you think about what he's really asking--sports coupes from the '50s and '60s that are still affordable--there really aren't any. Jags, Porsches, Cobras, Corvettes, ACs, Astons, etc, yes, but none of those can be had for not a lot of cash.

 

I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this and came up almost totally empty-handed. There might be a few obscure brands, along with oddballs like the Triumph TR4 with the "targa" top, but affordable coupes are pretty scarce these days.

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Guest bkazmer

Re Karmann Ghia: A sports car is more about handling than pure power, so 4 cyl is OK, but a Beetle in drag is no sports car, and darn little sporty in the behavior.

 

Can't agree with the roof criterion -  actually closed car outperforms open (but I still love 'em).  Touring/GT car bigger and faster (XJS, 928)

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Not quite sure that "great" fits the MGC. It was kind of a pig. Not a bad car but not much to write home about, either. It handled like a truck with that big lump of iron in a chassis that was designed for an 1800 cc four. They jury rigged a new suspension for it, but it was less than stellar. To make it worse, most of them sold here had automatic transmissions. The C was supposed to have been a replacement for the Big Healey. It didn't amount to a pimple on a 3000's butt. Drive a Healey BJ8 and an MGC (and I have) and you'd set fire to the MG before you'd let go of the 3000

 

Of course, I could be wrong  :lol: 

Maybe I should have said great "looking" little coupe.

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Bob, a 120 coupe showed up in a friend's restoration shop. I was shocked at how crude the construction of the body was. Undeniably a strikingly handsome car when it's all dolled up, under the paint it is a high school shop project gone bad.

 

This car hadn't been hit or clipped or otherwise butchered so not the result of poor repair. I recall the A-pillar particularly. It met the cowl after a fashion and was so crudely welded it looked I did it. The smooth transition you see on the show field is all done with lead; no attempt was made to introduce the the mating pieces with more than a casual nod.

 

I was surprised. I had heard that Lyons was notoriously cheap, but lead had to cost something, and then to hire a kid to trowel it on more still.

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Bob, a 120 coupe showed up in a friend's restoration shop. I was shocked at how crude the construction of the body was. Undeniably a strikingly handsome car when it's all dolled up, under the paint it is a high school shop project gone bad.

 

This car hadn't been hit or clipped or otherwise butchered so not the result of poor repair. I recall the A-pillar particularly. It met the cowl after a fashion and was so crudely welded it looked I did it. The smooth transition you see on the show field is all done with lead; no attempt was made to introduce the the mating pieces with more than a casual nod.

 

I was surprised. I had heard that Lyons was notoriously cheap, but lead had to cost something, and then to hire a kid to trowel it on more still.

Having restored several XK Jags and having one of my own I have to agree...a high school metal shop project gone bad. If you were to set a team of engineers to the task of designing a car that would rust as rapidly as possible I am convinced they would come up with something closely resembling an XK Jag.

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Is there a reason that the car has to be at least fifty years old? I think that if the brain trust on this form can't come up with something, it means that it really never existed, or so rare that finding one in good shape, or cheap enough will be problematic. Unless my old brain is missing something, which is likely, there really wasn't an affordable production, sports coupe, worthy of note, during the 50's. Affordable is the operative word here:

XK 120-150

Mercedes 190 SL-1955-63

Jaguar XKE 1962-

Mercedes 230, 250. 280SL 1963-

Chevrolet Corvette 1963-

MG-Already discussed

Opel GT 1968-73

Datsun 240-280Z 1969-

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