Yogi01

A very special gem of a place. From the outside, there is no clue to the treasures inside. Many early cars co-exist alongside other unique collections. Very close to many of San Diego's better-known attractions. Well worth the time. https://www.pbs.org/video/ken-kramers-about-san-diego-j-cooley-museum/ https://www.jacooleymuseum.com/

My family had one of these in the early '60's. It was bought from a corner used car lot and was in typical, "used car" condition--for a car 15 years old. Oh,yeah. The hydro-electric windows didn't work so my dad put in some manual window hardware from a 40's-era Ford. Annnnnnnd, because of the constant over heating, the car ended up with an Olds V8 that always leaked oil and smelled like an old work truck. There were various holes around the firewall area that leaked the fumes and smells to the inside of this beauty. The under seat heaters leaked so dad 'bypassed' them and therefore- no heat. The interior had been redone in black-and-white vinyl and was too hot and sweaty in summer and too cold in winter. The old black lacquer paint was crazed from the Southwest sunshine. The tops of the big fenders looked like shards of broken glass. The pot metal chrome trim was badly pitted and cracked here and there; It all made for a very bloody car washing chore. We lived in the hills on dirt roads so the car was always dirty. The heavy push-button doors were quite a nuisance. On a downward slope, they would fly open like a bull out of a chute as soon as the button was pushed. Likewise, on an uphill slope, pushing the button outside wouldn't really release the door enough to have an edge to grab. Oh, and how many of you have ever tried to use the trunk in a normal-everyday fashion. It is very deep and nearly inaccessible. You have to climb up on the bumper to have any chance of retrieving your stuff. My mom convinced dad to let it go. Sold it for $550. He always seemed to regret the sale but I never quite understood why.

Of course, 4 divisions at GM made versions of this car: Chevy Nova/Concours. Pontiac Ventura/Phoenix. Olds Omega. Buick Apollo. Because of the many little squares in the taillights, I think it's the Pontiac flavor. Dating from somewhere '75-'79. I always liked this series. Especially the 4-door model.

Kurtruk is correct. Ford used the same grille and trim on the 74, 75 and 76 Torino. Not a rare styling decision at the time, but how boring. Now that I'm thinking about it, it happens even these days.

Hey. This is my car! Her name is Mrs. Rosenthal. I bought her from the guy, John, who posted the ad last year. I had hunted for one of these for a few years. Someone in the Cadillac & LaSalle Club sent me the link to this ad. Due to Covid I was unable to go from California to check the car out personally. John and I, however, were able to talk a lot, email and do some "Facetime". We came to an agreement and for a year Mrs. Rosenthal has been happy living her senior years in Southern Ca. The A/C is, in fact, all present but not working. Someone had stuffed the below-dash controls/wires behing the passenger kick panel. I will get it working or maybe Classic Air/Vintage Air; haven't made up my mind. She did need some little stuff: I rebuilt the carb and power steering pump. The front seat power assembly was sticky and needed some love. A few windows were unsure of themselves and needed cleaning/lubricating/adjustment/elec. care--the usual. The front fender "Sedan de Ville" scripts were missing. I replaced them. I replaced the antique shocks. All that kind of stuff. All in all, she's a nice, clean, reliable car. The ad said, "Needs Nothing". Well, that was a half-truth. She goes out multiple times a week. And the green color gets lots of positive comments. By the way-she has an almost-twin in Europe-without a/c-I'll attach photo. --Yogi