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A 1955 American game-changer, announced to the public just about this time of the year in 1954 and one of the most influential and successful U.S post-war cars. Introduced many firsts for the marque and the parent corporation, most importantly a newly designed, lightweight 265 OHV cu.in. V8 motor ( which can  still be purchased as a replacement part to this day ) and became one of the best-selling american cars ever at a very affordable price with unexpected performance....albeit after some first-year mechanical hiccups. Lasted for three years relatively unchanged ( '55, '56 & '57 ) before GM morphed it into a typically oversized, mediocre, chrome-laden monstrosity with tail fins for '58.

I'm fairly certain about the identity of this car, but hopefully some additional guesses will be forthcoming and heard before the solution is definitively announced. If a '61 Lancer could be identified with the first guess in minutes based on a tighter crop, surely someone can ID this car as well, looking at a crop which reveals so much more.

JZG

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Yep, that windscreen detail looks like the Chevrolet my father had.  Couldn’t tell you the model, as different names were used around the World.  I’m pretty sure my father’s was called a Bell Air, 1955 maybe?

Edited by IkarusJohn
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Ikarus John got the last piece.

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Sorry, Stuart.

Here’s a filler (excuse the poor scan of one of my father’s old Ektachrome slides)

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Edited by IkarusJohn
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4 hours ago, Jim J said:

Ford Zodiac Mark IV?

Indeed.  Nigel had it, but didn’t name it.  Over to Jim.

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Family holiday in the summer of 1969/1970.  The car was new (Dad had the previous model, and it was a disaster).  The photo was taken on the Haast Pass road, just above the bridge.  We had just finished the Routeburn Track, and were heading up the West Coast towards home.  I was 10.

This was typical of our trips - our luggage carefully covered with a tarpaulin on the roof, and our camping gear in the trailer - all very heavy canvas.  You can see how far down on the springs it is, with no one in the car (there were five of us).  It was a three litre engine, with a four speed manual on the column.  Dad drove with a constant eye on the water and oil lights.  My brother later seized the engine (oil), and it was replaced with the later 3 litre from the Grenada.  By the time it was handed over to us kids to use (towing horse floats and boats for water skiing), it was tired.  The clip holding the column shifter to the gearbox would periodically ping off, requiring wriggling under the car (under the car, just behind the drivers front tyre)  with a bit of the eponymous No 8 wire to reconnect the gearbox.

It actually coped with our teenage enthusiasm reasonably well.  It’s the first car I got up to 100 mph - keeping it in a straight line was a challenge, and the bonnet bounced up and down, but to my brother and me, it was great fun, though more than a bit ugly …

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Let's try this one. Every time I try to get clever and offer hints or clues it gets identified instantly, so let me just say that it is very much a multi-national effort.....and I hope that isn't too much already.

JZG

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