Best Big 3 Land Yacht

[Gunslinger]

Of all the cars I've owned this is the one I would want back the most if possible...1964 Pontiac Bonneville. It may not be a true land yacht in the sense of others posted here, but it was, as far as I'm concerned, the best car ever bolted together. It was big...it was fast...it was beautiful...and it was economical on gas for a car its size.

My dad purchased it new and when I graduated high school he gave it to me. It served as a team bus for our college intramural softball team (it carried ten people once), got me through all kinds of bad weather...it was never stopped by snow and was extremely reliable and trouble free. It had the 389 ci/303 hp engine and turned 24mpg on the open road at a steady 70-75mph.

I drove that car for years until I was run off the road by someone who ran a stop sign...the car was never the same after that. It broke my heart when I sold it in the 1990s...the buyer really only wanted the engine. I hope that engine is still powering some car somewhere.

[Michidan]

Nice cars. The cold weather here lately has kept me out of the shop, so I've been getting my car fix by going through my books and reading up.
This discussion jives with something I've had not really noticed before ... just how long the 4 door hardtop body style survived.
Honestly, I thought of these as more of a late 50's thing, plus the Lincoln Continental and maybe a few others. But no, 4 door hardtops were available in most any line right on through 1969 and farther.
I am a 2 door snob for sure, always have been. But these are cool. It's a shame that more don't come out for car shows. I'm sure rust took a big toll on them here in Michigan, but I would think a few must be out there.

[r1lark]

'65 thru '67 Mopar 'C' body cars. Had a '66 Fury hardtop, best riding older car I ever had. Have my eye on a '65 Chrysler 4-door hardtop but the guy won't sell it yet. Here is a pic of a similar car:

[Hallabutt]

Interesting to see what some people think is a "land yacht." Looks like it's mostly just size, irrespective of number of doors. I guess that would include all full sized cars from the mid 50's-late 70's.
some of mine:
1955 Chrysler 300
1956 Imperial, 4dr
1956 Lincoln-2 dr. htp.
1962 Pontiac-bubble top
1963-65 Riviera-I own a 63 and a 65, but never really thought of them as land yachts.
1966 Olds Tornado
all Jaguar four door sedans late 60'-, but again I wouldn't have called them land yachts either.

[rockne10]

[55 56 PREZ 4D]

1974 Lincoln Mark IV.
I had one for a while around 2003. I called it the Pimpmobile.
2 door. White on white with white interior. Quite the car. Lush looking, lush feeling, lush riding. I had to park away from other cars to be able to open those loonng doors.
Dangerous as hell when the engine would quit. [Some kind of module that would fail. I always kept a spare in the trunk]
Power steering, power brakes, everything power would quit and leave you with no control of the car.
That happened one to many times.
But what a sweet ride while I had it.

[Gunslinger]

My dad had a '76 Mark IV...same problem with everything quitting. It was finally narrowed down to the control module and no more problem after it was replaced. The car was beautiful but it couldn't pass anything...including a gas station. My issue with it the cheap wood appearing plastic dash inlays. If Ford couldn't have put either real wood or a realistic substitute they shouldn't have tried with such obvious phony plastic.

[studegary]

Interesting to see what some people think is a "land yacht." Looks like it's mostly just size, irrespective of number of doors. I guess that would include all full sized cars from the mid 50's-late 70's.
some of mine:
1955 Chrysler 300
1956 Imperial, 4dr
1956 Lincoln-2 dr. htp.
1962 Pontiac-bubble top
1963-65 Riviera-I own a 63 and a 65, but never really thought of them as land yachts.
1966 Olds Tornado
all Jaguar four door sedans late 60'-, but again I wouldn't have called them land yachts either.

In 1963-1964 I owned a 1962 Pontiac Catalina hardtop. It had the convertible top shaped roof. In 1962, Chevrolet had the Impala with the same roof as my Pontiac and they also had the Bel Air Sport Coupe that people now refer to as a bubble top. Please explain your "1962 Pontiac-bubble top".

EDIT: In 1961, Pontiac did have a roof line that could be referred to as a bubble top.

[christophe]

Here is my favourite. It's linked to a guy named Mc Garett...

[Blue 15G]

A '68 Mercury! My Mom and Dad had a Colony Park Station Wagon version of that car that they bought from my Great Aunt after her husband died. This was in 1971. It had a 390 V-8 with a 2 barrel carb. I loved the amount of power the car had, and that wasn't even the biggest engine available. Unfortunately, a ride on any secondary road at all made the back seat passengers seasick. Way too much roll and slop. I guess if we had bought heavy duty shocks and/or springs for it, it would have been a much better car to ride in, but we didn't know any better back then.

Here is my favourite. It's linked to a guy named Mc Garett...

[Buzzard]

Rockne10,
If I remember correctly that Imperial has the distinction of having the first curved side glass. Correct me if I am wrong.
Bill

[T.J lavallee]

Any full size station wagon from the 60's, 70's and 80's from the"Big Three" should qualify I would think.

[t walgamuth]

In 1963-1964 I owned a 1962 Pontiac Catalina hardtop. It had the convertible top shaped roof. In 1962, Chevrolet had the Impala with the same roof as my Pontiac and they also had the Bel Air Sport Coupe that people now refer to as a bubble top. Please explain your "1962 Pontiac-bubble top".

EDIT: In 1961, Pontiac did have a roof line that could be referred to as a bubble top.

I thought that faux convertible was grand prix only.

- - - Updated - - -

65 corvair had curved side windows I believe.

[Noxnabaker]

Buzzard, that Imperial is a -61 & I think the roofline was earlier than that.

[8E45E]

Rockne10,
If I remember correctly that Imperial has the distinction of having the first curved side glass. Correct me if I am wrong.

For a postwar car, they accept the 1957 Imperial to be the 'first', but a few pre-war examples had curved side glass before that: http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...Rauch-amp-Lang

Craig