I’ve been pretty busy what with working on the house lately and already played hooky the other day. As a result I didn’t drive very much in the last 24 hours as I was otherwise occupied trying to catch up, but was astonished at what I did see in such a short time. No doubt there were even more but these five were the ones I was able to capture albeit one sort of halfway got away from me even though I was stopped at the time. Let’s see what we have here, in order…
Thursday evening, 6pm – I pick up the boys from Urban Air indoor adventure park and head to get chinese food with them. Lo and behold we get passed on the left as we are stopped at the light by a Volkswagen Thing and are able to snap blindly away as we catch up with it only to have it immediately pull into the turn lane a short block later as I am trying to explain to the kids why VW made what is essentially a squared off Beetle Cabrio. The two pictures above are the best two of the bunch, clearly Shaky Hand Jim is benefiting mightily from not having to pay for film developing costs as getting the whole thing in frame is just a matter of quantity these days.
Early Friday morning, heading to Home Depot for some paint rollers: Stopped at the light and see another white Volkswagen, this time a VW Vanagon just sitting at his light which is about to turn. I was able to get the phone turned on and even zoomed in for the above shot.
Then as he pulled across the intersection, we have a profile shot somewhat ruined by the early morning sun. Still, Vanagons aren’t that rare but usually around here they are either newer campers or Syncros, bog standard early Wasserboxer Westfalias with the little hubcaps are seen less often. The round headlight models with the double grilles denote it as being between a 1982 and a 1985 model. The hubcaps probably narrow that down to one of the earlier years but I’m not positive.
After the day’s work of painting the outside trim of the house I am working on I head home, just over a mile away, and at the only decent-sized intersection on the way see this late 1988 or 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in the adjoining lane. If it is in fact a 1988 it’s a first-year model of this generation in excellent condition. Thinking that if William Stopford were here, he would probably get out, knock on their window and introduce himself to the occupants hoping to bag a ride in one of his dream cars, I figure it’s worthy of at least one picture. The last one of these I saw was in a junkyard a few days ago, I’m glad I am seeing an even better condition one on the road. Around here they just seem to have disappeared.
Once at home I am informed that the boys have a sleepover planned and I am due to leave to pick up pizza for them and their friends in ten minutes. Dutifully I leave the house again and stop at the light before the pizza place and in agonizing slow motion see this glorious sight pass by my windshield and turn left in front of me as a juggle my phone and drop it but am able to recover just in time to take one photo, above. No, not the Chevy Cruze, look beyond it.
Alright, a little post-production cropping work and here is a better blow up of the rear half of what I believe is a Jaguar 420G (not to be confused with the 420) or the earlier Mark X, and if so it’s the first one that I can recall ever seeing actually moving under its own power. It was soooo graceful swinging that left turn, like a cat stretching while getting up. I instantly recognized what looked sort of like a flattened and flounderish early XJ-ish shape (I know, the XJ came later) and just got too excited for which I must apologize. I do hope to see it again, stationary, like every other one I’ve ever seen, usually in museums or shows.
Then, after picking up the pizza, I pulled out into a line of cars waiting to turn right and spied this ahead of me turning con brio.
Ooh, an early Ferrari 308GTS, while there are other Ferraris in town and a 308 isn’t going to win any drag races against a current Camry V6, it’s still exciting to see and one of their iconic shapes; one wonders if it would be half as iconic if Tom Selleck hadn’t driven one for ages on Magnum, P.I…. But the little V8 does sound great, it goes well enough and it certainly does look the business.
And at the next light we are behind it with all the time in world to not flub a shot. This is pretty much where the Jaguar started out in the previous pictures…Anyway, looks like the owner has the Magnum association thing going on with the “1 Robin” licence plate. We can see that it’s actually a 308GTSi by the badge, so built between 1980 and 1982 as earlier cars were carbureted and laster cars had a “quattrovalvole” badge to designate them as 4 valves per cylinder cars.
One last look at the 308 in the mirror after the light turns and we’ve pulled ahead only to have to stop again at the railroad tracks. If the driver were a blonde woman this could be my Clark Griswold moment, but I already know it’s a Magnum wannabe dude so I tuck the phone away for good and head the next half-mile home without other sightings.
The double grill on the Vanagon means it’s water-cooled, so as far as I know could either be a Wasserboxer or a Diesel (in-line, like the Rabbit or Golf). As for the steelies with dog dish caps, these may have been offered on the earlier years, as our ‘85 round headlight Westfalia had full size plastic covers. Some good sightings; especially the Ferrari and the Thing, which don’t seem like good year-round drivers for your climate. Nor the Jaguar come to think of it.
Looks like a perfect evening to have the top down on the Thing! They were not enjoying the ride like it was meant to be.
Thing’s were everywhere for a few years and then they were gone. They remind me of a Jeepster in an odd sort of way.
If there was a ‘Greatest Hits’ for Ferrari, the 308 might be at the top. Bad PI TV shows notwithstanding, it was the car that brought Ferrari into the mainstream, the first that owners might actually be able to use as a daily-driver.
Well, as much of a daily-driver as a Ferrari could ever be, besting what might have been the previous winner, the 365 GTB/4, aka Daytona.
When you showed the Vanagon, I thought “Hey, like the one on Magnum PI.”
Then Magnum’s Ferrari appeared.
I half-expected to see an Audi 5000 next, driven by an Englishman wearing much beige, talking endlessly about his time in Morocco…
Wow, that Olds is, in fact, an ’88. Seeing those early GM-10 cars is almost unheard-of, and that one looks to be in terrific condition. This one is an SL — the middle range between the base and the International Series.
And somehow it’s fitting that the Olds has Colorado Pioneer license plates.
Agreed regarding how first gen GM-10 cars are wicked rare these days. I actually had a later first gen Cutlass coupe pass me yesterday coming the opposite direction. It was the first I’ve seen in ages.
I still see a red convertible most every day. How many can be left?
Even in Lansing, the W body Cutlass has gotten rare. I suspect I see more G bodies around these days. There’s even a couple of N body Calais still running around.
There is a bright red sedan that lives in my neighborhood. I have been unable to develop enough enthusiasm to snap pictures. Perhaps I should reconsider.
It seems like Colorado has more special edition plates than any other state. It looked like the Vanagon had “Collector Car”. The Olds had “Pioneer”. We had “Adopt a Greyhound” when we lived there. Maybe there can be a “CC” plate.
Nice sightings!
I think the Jag might be an S Type or the 420 that was based on it rather than the MK X or 420 G though….
Agree, it looks a bit short in the tail to be a Mark X/420G.
My thought too. Nice catch though!