Last August my company sent me to Aalborg, Denmark. We had just acquired a small company there, and its team of software engineers were to report to me. I was on a peace mission to meet the team and get to know them. I arranged my trip so it would span a weekend so that I could be a tourist in this northern Denmark town. Along the way I encountered a handful of curbside classics, like this incredible 1971-74 Jaguar E-Type. I came across it while bicycling in the city’s northwest, near the Limfjord.
I came across this 1965 or 1966 Mustang convertible just a few minutes later. The grille looks like it’s from ’65 to me, but the side-scoop trim looks like it’s from ’66 to me. Am I reading the signs wrong, or is this a Frankenmustang?
This two-tone Beetle was busy gassing up not far from my hotel. From what cues I can make out, I guess that it’s from the 1973-78 era. Those wheels are all wrong, though.
I had to look twice to believe what I was seeing as this 1978-82 Corvette rolled up to a red light. It looked very out of place on Aalborg’s streets. I suppose that after this many years, one would look out of place on the street in the United States, too.
Finally, this 1999-2004 Peugeot 406 was parked on a side street near my hotel. I rode my bike past it every day on the way to work. I should say rather that it was the hotel’s bike; they had a whole bunch of them for guests to borrow. Bike lanes are everywhere in Aalborg, and motorists are very used to lots of bikes sharing the roads. I rode everywhere around town with no helmet and no fear. I’ll go back at least once in 2023, and here’s hoping I come back with more photos of old cars.
I remember Bradford Dillman and Ray Milland pushing a Jag that looked like that over an embankment in an episode of “Columbo.” And then stock footage of it going over was used a few years later in “Barnaby Jones!”
One of the “early on, Perry Mason” episodes has a light color mid 50’s car riding along . When it supposedly goes “over a cliff”, it’s clearly a dark color, late “30’s era” car falling.
I too can’t resist taking old car photos while traveling. Here’s a good looking Triumph I spotted waiting in the ferry line to go to over to New Zealand’s north island a few weeks ago. Don’t see these every day. In fact I can’t recall ever seeing one on the road until now.
What a beautiful 2000 Mk1. They are pretty rare everywhere now, but were quite successful in Australia and New Zealand (assembled in Aus or NZ).
The Mustang is definitely a ’66, Jim. The ’65 had a honeycomb grille, and everything on that car fits a ’66 (except the side marker lights, of course). I wonder if those were required by Danish law or were added by an owner.
Thanks! I really ought to commit to memory someday the key differences between the 65 and 66.
My basic method is grille crossbars – present in 65 and 67, absent in 66 and 68,
Might well be indicator repeaters. My Skylark has the front side marker lights converted that way.
These are some fun sightings. I am starting to think that an early Mustang is never really out of place anywhere.
Is that Jag one of the 2+2 models? That roof looks awfully tall and ungainly, which is usually my clue on those (but am not very good with Jag ID).
The Jaguar has the big grille of the Series 3 V12, and therefore the longer (105″ vs 96″) wheelbase of the 2+2 FHC. All fixed head series 3 cars were this format.
Which was a long winded way of saying of “yes”.
That’s my hometown. My brother in law is a software engineer there, but he works for a Danish company.
Your hometown is lovely! I enjoyed it very much and look forward to returning this year.
The yellow Jegguwah—I’ve never liked those—appears to be a US model.
Everybody loved the Peugeot 406. Still looking mighty fine! Its successor, on the other hand…
I have a car very like the 406 shown in the photos though it´s painted don´t-look-at-me dark grey which masks the handsome looks. The 406 of this generation is a common enough car here still, while its immediate peers such as the Mk1 Ford Mondeo, Opel Vecta “B” and Citroen Xantia are now thin on the ground.The E46 BMW 3-series not common either (reflecting fewer sales as well as attrition). The 406 is also pulling ahead of the Mondeo Mk3 and Vectra “C” though curiously, the Citroen C5 is holding up well. I get from this the fact the 406 is liked by its owners and is able to endure. My own car is now 20 years old and it´ll be rust that got it in the end, alas, despite living in a garage for its entire life and having been Dinotrolled a few times. When it has to go I will find another one as it suits me perfectly: lovely to conduct, comfortable, economical and spacious.
The 406 and contemporary C-segment 306, peak FWD Peugeots right there!
Agreed with the addition of the 205. After that it went wrong. The 407 seemed to me crudely styled and I won´t forgive the sloping a-pillar upon which I whacked my head in a show room. The 406 is a car you can flop into yet once inside you are secure. It´s like wearing a well-made tailored suit. The 307 looked ghastly, especially the nasty A-pillar to wing wobble festival. The 207 had an ugly bulge ahead of the side mirrors. The 607 isn´t bad though, the last of the acceptably styled Peugeots. I like it on its own but I fear it offers more size for not much gain. I argue that the 406 is one of the best compromised cars of its time. It is very hard to imagine improving any one aspect of it without making something else worse. Amongs its peers are some really good cars like the Mondeo 2 and corresponding Passat but I think none of them decisively beats the 406 with incurring some penalty. I suspect the Ford isn´t as durable as the Peugeot (but it looks excellent, a really lovely bit of work which I adore gazing at) and the Passat is not as good a drive while offering a better finish inside. I suspect fixing it is a pain in nose.
Those ATS wheels are very much period correct for a euro VW 1303 (Super Beetle) from ‘73-‘74. Almost as much as on a Volvo 142 from those years. The baby blue and white color combination is however not something originally offered.
That “V dub” has the big curving windshield! Added almost a foot to the “roomy interior”! lol
Who remembers the “Le Grande Bug”? Zza Za Gabor and her mom did a “commercial” for it!
Great finds! That opening shot of the E-type at the docks looks like a brochure picture from the era when it seemed like every brochure featured a car parked at a dock or marina.