Dallas Drives: the cars used in the series

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Although it could never be described as a city car, the turning circle might not be suitable for multi-storey car parks!

Swami

I often wonder when I park in one of those, which have clearly been around for decades... how on earth did people use them in the 70s? Sure they made the parking spaces themselves smaller over the years - I remember when 'Compact' spaces first started appearing maybe 30 years ago - but I get a bit leery driving around the spiraling ramps even in my current car, which is a lot closer to the length of Bobby's 450 SL than Jock's Lincoln! I guess that's why you see all those scrape marks on the walls.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Something great happened over the weekend and I had to come on here and share it with you all:

I went to a supplier's office and what was in the parking lot? A gorgeous Lincoln exactly like Jock's!

The car was in amazing shape! Perfect condition all the way around.

So I waited around a few minutes hoping the owner would come out. He didn't, but then another guy pulled up. Well, you know I've never been shy, so I walked right up to him. The following conversation was great:

Me: Hey, Bud! How are you?
Texan: Hey Bud. How's things?
Me: I couldn't help notice that cool car!
Texan: Everybody does.
Me: Do you know who owns it?
Texan: Yes I do, but it's not for sale.
Me: Well, I don't need to buy it. I can admire it for free.
Texan: I figured you were waiting here to buy it. The guy who owns it turned down a hundred grand for it.
Me: He has a piece of history here. Just needs a EWING I license plate to make it perfect.
Texan: I agree. He has a few of these cars. This job takes him around the country, so he is always on the lookout for another one. Takes him several years to find the right one, and when he finds one, he drives it across the country to get it home.

Pretty fun way to spend your downtime on your business trips, I would say.

My aunt had a cream-colored Mark V when I was a kid, likely the same year as Jock's - first time I ever encountered power windows and seats, which I considered the height of fanciness. Wish we'd somehow kept it in the family.

My dad briefly had a brown 1976 El Dorado convertible as the result of some oddball business deal where the other guy couldn't come up with the cash. He wasn't a car guy, though, and thought it was way too impractical to keep (no room in the garage, etc.). We put it on ebay and within a day a guy was heading to Ohio from NYC on the Amtrak to snap it up. It was glorious, like riding on an ocean liner. You had to turn the wheel like 8 times to make a 90 degree turn! I bet it would go for at least 2-3x what he got for it in the early 2000s, maybe even more if we fixed it up to excellent condition.

 

[Lastkidpicked]

I often wonder when I park in one of those, which have clearly been around for decades... how on earth did people use them in the 70s?

Guzzler, remember when EVERY car was that size? For example, Sue Ellen's wood paneled station wagon?

It was glorious, like riding on an ocean liner. You had to turn the wheel like 8 times to make a 90 degree turn!

They had the "drive the living room" feel to them.

May I ask what color was the Mark V you looked at? They come in many nice color schemes, especially for their time.

It was the same color as the one in this ad. It was in such perfect shape, you would think it rolled out of the factory that morning!

 

[Swami]

The Lincoln does have some presence though. We have so many roundabouts here, it would be interesting to see how it copes with them.

Swami

 

[Lastkidpicked]

Did you catch the joke about "Snarl-Free" lease?

Lincoln Mercury, the sign of the cat. (Insert cat snarling here).

 

[Lastkidpicked]

 

[Swami]

How much was the Lincoln back in the day, and what would be the modern equivalent be?

Swami

 

[Michelle Stevens]

How much was the Lincoln back in the day, and what would be the modern equivalent be?

Swami

About $11,000 in 1977 (their first year and the year of Jock's) which would be about $47,000 in 2020 value. The most expensive as the 1979 Collector's Editions which were about $22,000 which is about $56,000 in 2020 USD.

Equivalent, the last Lincoln coupes were the 1998 Mark VIII. One can buy a entry level Lincoln Continental or Aviator in that price range. I would think Jock would be driving a Ford F-series King Ranch which would be about in this price range.

 

[Michelle Stevens]

It was the same color as the one in this ad. It was in such perfect shape, you would think it rolled out of the factory that morning!

Nice color! Did it have these turbine wheels? I had an '80's Town Car with those. I would guess that color would be Cream. If only there were autos today that would bring honor to that color or any colors of that time. Everything today is the same dozen colors.

I certainly remember those commercials with the Sign of the Cat. They were more on Mercury adverts than Lincolns as I remembered, at least the later versions in the 1980's.

Advert for '79 models ....

 

[Lastkidpicked]

This one had the wheel covers instead of the turbine wheels. It reminded me back in the day of a shop called "HubCap Annie". This was a huge outdoor shop of nothing but wheel covers!

Thank you for uploading that Lincoln advertisement. Very cool!

 

[Kenny Coyote]

My aunt had a cream-colored Mark V when I was a kid, likely the same year as Jock's - first time I ever encountered power windows and seats, which I considered the height of fanciness. Wish we'd somehow kept it in the family.

I was a little kid in the 70s too and I remember being amazed at the power windows and power locks. Another thing I loved was metallic paint. I don't know if that was a new thing in the 70s or not but it was new for me and I loved it.

 

[Billy Wall]

[QUOTE="Lastkidpicked, post: 221497, member:

[/QUOTE]

I just watched this episode not too long ago. They were very sloppy with the camera work as you can see where the set ends up top.

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

[QUOTE="Lastkidpicked, post: 221497, member:

I just watched this episode not too long ago. They were very sloppy with the camera work as you can see where the set ends up top.

I've noticed a few of those in the early years and have wondered if that was how it aired on TV or if somehow we were seeing a slightly different cut or aspect ratio or something like that when it was transferred to digital. It's really glaring at times!

 

[Taylor Bennett Jr.]

Nice color! Did it have these turbine wheels? I had an '80's Town Car with those. I would guess that color would be Cream. If only there were autos today that would bring honor to that color or any colors of that time. Everything today is the same dozen colors.

I'm wondering now if my aunt's Mark was that color, but I remember it being more cream than yellow, or at least lighter in color. I was pretty young, though!

Advert for '79 models ....

pure elegance!

 

[Swami]

I think the metallic colors suited the Lincoln better.

Swami

 

[Kenny Coyote]

I think the metallic colors suited the Lincoln better.

Swami

Better than which cars? I was so young then I don't remember what cars we were looking at that had metallic paint. We got a new Cadillac around 1974 or 1975 which I loved - our first one with leather seats, power windows and locks. At the same time we had a little yellow Mercedes convertible which was nice but we didn't use it as often. Then around 1977 or 1978 in place of the Cadillac we got a larger Mercedes, which was technically a better, more expensive car than the Cadillac but I liked the Cadillac better.

The Mercedes we got around 1977 or 1978 was much more like JR's Mercedes than the sports car, although it wasn't quite as big as JR's model of Mercedes. It wasn't metallic paint, it was, of all colors - light orange, like the color of orange sherbet with a white interior and had a diesel engine. It would have have been a midlevel model I would think - do you have any ideas as to the model number of the car? If I heard it, it might sound familiar.

 

[Swami]

Better than which cars? I was so young then I don't remember what cars we were looking at that had metallic paint. We got a new Cadillac around 1974 or 1975 which I loved - our first one with leather seats, power windows and locks. At the same time we had a little yellow Mercedes convertible which was nice but we didn't use it as often. Then around 1977 or 1978 in place of the Cadillac we got a larger Mercedes, which was technically a better, more expensive car than the Cadillac but I liked the Cadillac better.

The Mercedes we got around 1977 or 1978 was much more like JR's Mercedes than the sports car, although it wasn't quite as big as JR's model of Mercedes. It wasn't metallic paint, it was, of all colors - light orange, like the color of orange sherbet with a white interior and had a diesel engine. It would have have been a midlevel model I would think - do you have any ideas as to the model number of the car? If I heard it, it might sound familiar.

Would that have been a Mercedes E-class, like Sue Ellen's estate in the early 80s, although perhaps the saloon version?

Swami

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Would that have been a Mercedes E-class, like Sue Ellen's estate in the early 80s, although perhaps the saloon version?

Swami

No, E-class doesn't sound familiar, it was a three digit number, followed by two letters. I think it was a 1977.

 

[Kenny Coyote]

Would that have been a Mercedes E-class, like Sue Ellen's estate in the early 80s, although perhaps the saloon version?

Swami

This is the closest thing I could find this morning to the car we had - it's got the diesel engine and it's a sedan, although the paint color isn't quite right, because ours was a very light orange - quite a unique color. The shape and style of the car in this picture is maybe not exact but similar, including the hood ornament.

 

[Swami]

View attachment 21226

This is the closest thing I could find this morning to the car we had - it's got the diesel engine and it's a sedan, although the paint color isn't quite right, because ours was a very light orange - quite a unique color. The shape and style of the car in this picture is maybe not exact but similar, including the hood ornament.

E-class has been for a long time the European designation for that model. I guess that may have been a 230e, the E-class used to be designated with the E after the numbers, whereas now the modern equivalent is badged E220d. All Mercedes models are now badged in that way, my A-class is an A180 Sport.

Swami