Tom Halter found his “Holy Grail”recently, and described it as “not just a unicorn, but a unicorn whistling Dixie while chewing bubblegum at the same time.” Pretty high praise indeed, for such a recent albeit low-production car. I saved the “Holy Grail” title for finding a daily driver Peugeot 404 on the streets in Eugene, a virtual twin in the same color and condition as the one I had back in 1978.
My best recent curbside find was this pristine 1963 split-window Corvette Sting Ray in San Mateo. It’s a car that made a big impact on me when it came out, given that I was ten and a GM acolyte. And I’ve long wanted to do a thorough write-up on it, so now I just need to find the time. And this past summer at the CC Meetup in Nashville, I got to drive a ’67 Corvette convertible, so that will make a good companion piece. Now I’m almost glad I held off writing up that one.
My number two find happened earlier that same day, when we went for lunch at our favorite (and very authentic and unpretentious) taqueria in Moss Beach. It’s a 1956 Jaguar Mark 1 2.4, the very first of a long line of mid-sized sporty sedans, and that was a very significant car at the time, as there was nothing in its class that offered its combination of performance, looks and price. It is the direct predecessor to the long line of XJ sedans. And this particular car may well be the very first one (or so) imported to the US.
So now to the second part of the question. What would you like most to find in the coming year?
Me?
Did you have to ask? Yes, a Tatra 87 in authentic CC condition parked at the curb would qualify as my second Holy Grail. A fallback, in case that doesn’t happen?
Well, a curbside Duesenberg with “patina” would certainly fall in the unicorn category. It’s a car we’ve never covered here, and it may be a long wait, in terms of a genuine Curbside Classic.
How about something a bit more modest? A green Opel Kadett A, just like my father owned. It’s the one car that hasn’t received my proper attention in my Auto-Biography. I’ll keep looking. I certainly never expected to find a Kadett B 1900 Rallye just a few blocks from my house. Hope springs eternal, in the heart of a curbsider.
And you? Your best find, and best hope?
I found it, and I wrote it up here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-king-midget-model-3-1957-1970/
One of around 5000 made, and the last one was made 47 years ago.
Found this SSK reproduction (*) at the local detail shop.
(*) reproduction because no one would leave a real one unguarded next to the sidewalk and let a guy like me walk around taking pictures of it.
It was nicely put together.
Easy: A Toyota Century in Manhattan!
I’d love to find a Citroen CX parked on the street here in “flyover” territory… just so that I can believe it might be possible someday for me to own & daily-drive my dream car.
I think a genuine 1934 Aston Martin Ulster filling up at the gas station might count as a decent find.
I would like to come across a Manic GT (sports car built of a Renault in Quebec). Its pretty unlikely though.
Surprised it could run on pump gas.
What else to feed it? Gin? 🙂
I actually managed to find a genuine Cadillac Allante near the big car dealership area near me one time. That was a really cool find, even though me driving meant I couldn’t get a picture.
As for what I would like to see, most of the rare stuff I can think of has been in museums and at shows. But, with regards to stuff that you don’t see at all that I would like to see, I would probably say a Fuselage Imperial. That or a 66 Toronado as I have yet to see one of those.
The 57 Studebaker Commander that I wrote up last fall did it for my Holy Grail find.
What would I like to find? A 74 Luxury LeMans sedan like the one my mother bought new would be just peachy. Or a Stutz, but those are not often found out and about.
I thought the Lamborghini Espada you found in the Walmart parking lot was fairly significant as well!
Excellent point. The 31 Buick rumbles rumbleseat coupe in a country club parking lot wasn’t bad either.
Yesterday i went for an afternoon walk with my wife and i saw a classic car parked in front of a house that i have never seen before in my life.at first i thought that it’s a chevy from 50s then when I’ve got closer i saw the badge.it was a PEUGEOT.
In 198? I was riding the bus in Guatemala out of a remote town over a *very* bumpy road when a Tatra with it’s nose bashed in pulled up behind us then passed us….
.
I’m pretty sure I was the *only* person there who knew what it was .
.
-Nate
A few years before the days of CC, I came out of the movies to find a gullwing Mercedes 300SL from the fifties like this one, parked on the street in downtown Portland. This was a million-dollar car just parallel parked like anyone else. It would be my Holy Grail find today as well.
My car, too! 🙂
A couple of years back, my wife and I were on vacation in Golden, British Columbia. We were driving down the main street, when I spotted a gullwing parked in front of a convenience store. “Holy moly! A gullwing Mercedes!”, I said, or something similar.
Looking up information from the many emblems on the car showed that it is owned by Siegfried Linke of Washington, who (among many things) is a judge at Pebble Beach!
Ditto here for me in Munich!
“Found” one roaring past me on the Danube Autobahn towards Vienna but never had the chance to draw my mobile phone before it was gone (I was jogging).
At the top of my bucket list: A Studebaker Scotsman. A car with a slightly racist name, and so rare that I’ve never even seen one at a show or museum.
Second on my list: Aston Martin Lagonda.
I didn’t know the Scots were a separate race from the rest of us white folks, but maybe I missed something. 🙂
The Scots were stereotyped as being very frugal, or as their detractors would say, cheap. To name your most inexpensive stripper in your model lineup, the Scotsman, wasn’t much of a tribute.
I know. But that’s an ethnic slur. I was just being a semantic pedant. 🙂
I can do you a real Lagonda Tom. A 1934 speedster belonging to the grubby gentleman in the boiler suit; he had just finished tourquing the V12 engine and we were all out for a jaunt around west sussex for a test drive. Riding in it was both a hoot and frightening; there is nothing to keep you in your seat on a tight corner!
The Lagonda owners’ club was meeting in Aldeburgh when we were last there. Unsurprisingly, there were some nice cars, well-maintained runners rather than show-queens. Sunday morning they all rumbled away from the seafront, as memorable a sound as it was a sight.
I recently saw a BYD crossover pass by my condo- unfortunately I didn’t have time to get my phone out to snap a picture. I’ve only ever seen one twice here in Chicago, and for all I know it might be the same one. To my knowledge none have actually been officially sold here. Perhaps it’s a gray market import or a manufacturers test model.
I’ll echo Paul on his fathers car- I’d like to see a ’79-’85 Riviera like my father had, preferably gunmetal gray with matching vinyl top just like he had. They used to be so common around here, but the tinworm seems to have eaten them wholesale. It’s been years since I’ve seen one.
I don’t think they had a real tinworm problem on those; instead I would say they were the first 80s GMs that became collectible, especially the Buicks, and I suspect many of them have been garaged and taken off the curbside!
I hope you’re right!
Dodge 024 DeTomaso ! I might have seen ONE in my entire life. And whatever happened to the Chrysler Imperial Lamborghini Edition ? Lutz or Tom Gale might know….
Jonathan, close, but so far away. My ideal barn find is a De Tomaso Mangusta. An old classic car hunter/friend found a unique example. While most Magustas came with Ford’s 289 hipo, he onus one (of one) with a Shelby 289.
Another one for my bucket list – Mercury LN7.
These were all over the place when I was in my late early twenties, as we had a Lincoln Mercury dealer (Al Packer) in a Northeast Baltimore suburb where me and my friends ran around (Hamilton). More commonly seen though were their Ford Escort siblings, the EXP. (Probably purchased at Al Packer Ford a mile away in the same neighborhood; now located in White Marsh, MD.)
I always thought these cars looked like little Fox bodied Mercury Capris.
These cars are all but gone from the road today, so it would be a rare find. The last time I saw one was probably 20 years ago….
Thinking about it, I’ve found some rare iron the last few years, such as the Tatra in Memphis and the 1960 Jaguar XK-150S here in town that I drove.
Right now, my bucket list is leaning more toward the oddly equipped or powered such as the ’71 GM B-body with a three-speed manual or ’61-’62 Mercury with a six-cylinder engine. My bucket list is an evolving thing.
Approximately 10-15 years ago, I observed what appeared to be an original/unrestored Dusenberg, with “patina” to spare, parked curbside in Pine Mountain, Georgia! Needless to say, with the trnkon the back, it took up 2.5 parking spaces!! 🙂
Five years ago, a friend and I found an original unrestored 1953 Cadillac Eldorado, one of only 532 made (all were convertibles) in an underground parking garage in Toronto. I thought it was a ’54 or ’55 at first, but some review of details make me fairly sure it was a ’53.
The building superintendent said it had been sitting, not moved, since 1962. The license plate, service stickers and sheer accumulation of dirt and debris everywhere made me think this was true.
It was covered in dust, sitting virtually on the ground. All bias ply tires and all springs were squashed flat. The paint and leather looked original worn and cracked with a rust – patina underneath and under the hood.
This was a unicorn, not just for the rarity of the car, but the fact it had sat undisturbed and unmolested for 50 years.
It turned out the original owner still lived in the building and still paid rent on that parking spot. He was in his early 90’s and in poor health. My friend tried to make contact with him to inquire about purchasing the car. Yes, it would need absolutely everything re-done, but it was complete and would have been a cool project.
One day it was gone. The super said the owner had died and his son had the car removed. Hopefully it was sold to an enthusiast and not just scrapped.
If it was scrapped, the junkman might have paid scrap price, but I can guarantee he didn’t scrap it if he has any business sense.
My most recent unicorn find was probably this 1955 Studebaker Conestoga: I didn’t even know this model existed until I saw it on the street. But my ultimate holy grail find would be an NSU Ro80 — though I’ll almost certainly never find one, I can still dream.
Jealous!
When I went to the DMV in San Franciso maybe in the late 80’s – early 90’s there was a perfect Ro80 parked on the street in front. If any were imported into the US in the first place it wasn’t many and I had never saw one before, and here was one on the street was looking almost new many years later. It was old enough that I thought about how it was really modern, if not like current cars really, for being so old. A different version of the future than the one I was standing in.
Sorry, no smart phone with camera in my pocket or any one else’s yet.
A couple years ago I saw my first Citroen XM, looking perfect innocently sitting on the street in a residential area of Cambridge UK, among a bunch of Skoda and Peugeot and other mostly mini hatchbacks. OK, shoulda taken a photo.
Memories…
The most bedazzling (well, to me at least) unicorn I’ve seen recently is an Oldsmobile Omega convertible. It’s located on a farm in Indiana that I drive by occasionally — always several hundred feet from the road, so I haven’t photographed it. But I’m hoping to find it for sale out by the highway one time I drive by… or better yet, to see it on the road.
As for what I’d love to find: A Citroen CX that was imported to the US by “CX Auto.” They sold in tiny numbers in the late 1980s — would be a very interesting story to tell.
I saw a Studebaker Avanti pulling out of an Advance Auto Parts store recently. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to snap a good photo.
The white Vega from the other day would definitely check the box for me. I have a Bentley R-type and a Studebaker Golden Hawk in my files to eventually write up.
For me, my unicorn CC I saw would be a 2009 Mercury Sable (normally it’s the Taurus that’s seen around here), and a Saab 9-7X I saw parked in the mall. The one I would like to see, though, is a 2011-2014 Chrysler 200 hardtop.
Come to Omaha, you’ll see 2-3 200 hard tops a day…
That sounds great! I would love to go there.
Hey Paul! I almost bought That Same Silver Split window back in ’99. One day Mrs. Safari and I were heading down to Montara to check on my boss who was under the weather. That car was sitting off the side of HWY 1 with a For Sale Sign on it . If I remember correctly the owner was asking around 25 Grand for it. We were looking to buy a “Muscle Car” but I was afraid to buy that one because I thought I would not drive it, I would just end up parking it in my big shop in the back of my house in El Sobrante and just look at it. You see back in the early ’70’s, in Florida, one of my friends had a green ’66 Big Block Fastback and a little old lady with a Cadillac took the Front End clean off of that Corvette. I still have the photos of the heartbreak. So that is always in the back of my mind. So, we bought a used 84 Corvette then a used 98 Corvette that a guy had to sell quick to pay off some medical bills and finally Christmas Eve 2005 we bought a brand new C6.
Oh, my Holy Grail Story. One day I was in Berkeley just about to cross the Top of Solano to head over to Zachary’s Pizza. As I step into the crosswalk a guy atop of a Vincent Black Shadow wearing period correct regalia stops in front of me to allow me to cross the street. I had to rub my eyes, did he just come through a wormhole and land on Solano? I said to him, “Cool! Not every day I get to see a Vincent Black Shadow, Nice Bike Dude!” He said Thanks. I wonder how many people on that street knew what treat was before their eyes as I watched him drive off up Solano into the Tunnel heading downtown.
The same, based on the license plate? I guess that’s not too implausible.
This was sitting around the corner from a restoration shop, and looks like it was just finished. Immaculate. I bet it’s worth a bit more than that now.
Well-optioned radio delete cars are always good unicorns in my opinion. I used to own a ’65 Buick LeSabre 400 (Super Turbine 400 transmission and 4-barrel carb) with power steering/brakes, A/C, and NO RADIO. It was purchased at Schwind-Boeker in the Quad Cities by a man who was probably 75 if he was a day (in 1965). Seeing as he grew up without a radio, it seems logical. He wanted just to be comfortable, not entertained.
What am I offered for a (straight grained) radio delete plate from a 600 Grosser?
Not really the same thing as it wasn’t a credit option, I suppose. Radios really were extra cost options in the W100s.
I do enjoy looking at the radio delete plate in the DD W108 280S. This is a reflection of the original owner’s location in the middle of nowhere, rather than just their frugality. And they were frugal…not an extra beyond the tinted glass.
I would love to see an E30 M3 convertible. Super rare.
We spotted this Citrôen DS convertible in Hundested a few summers back. It stands out.
Such a gorgeous car.
The year was 1980? I was visiting Martha’s Vineyard. On the ferry ride over there, there was a brass Era Simplex that was just beautiful on board. Once we got to the island, I started seeing more brass Era antique automobiles, and more and more and more. There was a brass Era tour going on and on that day I must have seen 150 or more museum quality cars out driving. I wish I had a camera that day. I saw at least 10 Stanley Steamers, a few Locomobiles, early Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs, Buicks, pre Model T Ford’s, as well as early Model T’s, a Brush, Overlands, Packards, Pierce Arrows, an American Underslung, after Wintons, a few Rolls Royce, and dozens more that I just can’t remember. It was a once in a lifetime experience to just stumble into. It was the only time I was ever on the island and they just happened to have that tour on that day. I still remember the puff, puff, puff sound of the Stanley Steamers.
My best recent find was the Toyota Century limo I wrote about a while back.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-1991-toyota-century-vg40-limousine-just-short-of-pretentious/
The SM Opera is a close 2nd, though the last one I saw was 5 years ago…
In terms of unicorns, I’d have to agree with Paul’s #1 (and perhaps even #2): Tatra 87 and a Duesenberg? I’d be over the moon with those. Though I’d be equally happy, instead of the Duesie, if it were a Hispano-Suiza, a Delage D8, a Maybach Zeppelin, a Pierce-Arrow or a V12 Lagonda.
More “common” post-war cars I’d love to see and do a piece on: 1st gen. Mazda Cosmo, early model Simca 1500, Lancia Flavia berlina…
Any Bristol, Iso, Monteverdi or Jensen ever made would also hit the spot.
During art deco week here a Hispano Suiza and V12 Lagonda can be see curbside every year the Lagonda is a replica Lemans racer in full race trim and now a local car, The Hispano only visits.
I saw a 1991 Volvo Coupe (née 780) in Erie, PA a month or so ago. Only a couple hundred 1991 models (badged COUPE instead of 780 as in previous model years) were made, I’ve heard. I also saw a Peugeot 405 wagon in RI a few years ago – no idea how many were imported.
Want to find: the supposedly even rarer C70 T5 manual. Also, Acura SLX, 2-door 1992+ Trooper (I’ve literally seen more Vehicross), Mustang SVO or 1993 Cobra, any Buick T-Type, 1991-1992 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and any Chrysler GLH.
how about a 1953 oldsmobile fiesta convertible ? according to Wikipedia, there were 450 made in 1953.
in Havelock, Ontario where I grew up, one of the gas station owners has had one forever. he said he bought it as a teenager and I am guessing he is currently in his mid 60’s.
the car had never changed during my years there. as of when I moved in 2003 it still made rare appearances on the road. I am guessing it was a Canadian car from new or nearly new, as it had the worn appearance of one too many of our Canadian winters and at some time had had a body job that was long on enthusiasm and bondo, not so much on skill.
as far as what’s on my list…..anything and everything ! I look at cars kind of like I look at people. pay attention, and you will find the odd and the eccentric everywhere you go.
(and again with the cars/people comparison, its sometimes the ones most people overlook that have the most fascinating stories !)
2011 Saab 9-5
US-Spec Peugeot 505
Euro spec Chrysler 300M
Saab 9-3 Turbo X (the one with better pics, but they are 640×480)
And I can’t remember of more
I did see an early 90s beached-whale Caprice driving through Kingston-upon-Thames a couple of weeks ago. It was very much in daily driver condition. No great shakes in its home country, but in south-west London? Sure, we see old Mustangs and Corvettes pretty often, 50s fins and a few stretched Lincolns, all enthusiasts’ cars. But a Caprice? How did that get here, and why?
I’ve seen quite a few strange ones. A Volkswagen Amarok pickup going down the highway in central New York. A fleet of cj10a jeeps at fairgrounds still being used. A Saab 94x at work. I’ve seen that dually cutlets ciera Wagon driving around. A lot more that I can’t remember.
1991 Pontiac Tempest in Oregon!
FIND: In warm weather I sometimes visit Lake Geneva (SE Wisconsin), and will see some fairly exotic cars with IL license plates, meaning visiting Chicagoans of means. The occasional split-window Corvettes somehow seem as thrilling a “find” as the Italian exotics of the era.
HOPE TO FIND: The 100% un-exotic 1960 Ford Ranch Wagon was the first new-car purchase by my FoMoCo father, and I grew up in its 3rd seat. I’m probably more nostalgic for it than he is, and would be *thrilled* to see one at the curb somewhere. Oh, I’d be *very* tempted if I found a decent one for sale :
“visiting Chicagoans of means”
I believe the term is FIB. The I stands for “Illinois.”
I smiled at your post, CJC, ’cause know the term well—but, being from outside the region, I try not to buy into the cross-border rivalry too much. It certainly has been an education, though!
Chicagoland Mercedes or BMW: even-money bet they don’t put the front license plate on their car because, you know, it ruins the looks, or performance, or something….
My unicorn appeared before me just this past week, like a bolt out of the blue, a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. I was just pulling into my local Trader Joe’s parking lot, and there it sat, like a vision from Mt. Olympus, gleaming black with its unique stainless steel roof and grey fabric upholstery. We aimed right for it and jumped out, exclaiming in giddy euphoria that we had just come upon Cadillac-dom’s Holy Grail. I have not seen one of these cars in decades, and certainly not as a CC in such a mundane place. It appeared to be totally restored, albeit with some minor customization (no Cadillac emblems and the door handles had been removed), its windows were down, and as we circled around the car the owner walked over and was very chatty. He said it was No. 660 of a total 704 built in 1957-58, originally selling for the stratospheric price of $13,074. Arguably Cadillac’s most lavish and extravagant model ever, this was a stunning example. I still cannot believe that we happened across this rare creature.
And another view. (Sorry, my jpeg photo attachments are all turning sideways, and I am not seeing the “edit” ability)
And a front view.
And finally, the tour-de-force dash.
There have been been two I was especially happy to find – a Volvo Duett, and a 1956 Continental Mark II, both profiled (by others more knowledgable) here at CC.
The Duett was the more emotionally satisfying. I’ve been drawn to Volvos since the mid-60’s and drove a much-loved 544 for a few years, so finding the Duett was like coming across some family history. But true ‘unicorn’ status belongs to the Continental.
As to what I’d like to find….maybe a Facel Vega? Good luck with that. Or in the ‘Completely Impossible’ category, a Lancia Florida. Those could require a full year’s disciplined detective work in LA or the south of France, but I’d love to see them in the flesh.
At a more prosaic level, maybe a nice 1961 Pontiac 2-door hardtop, or a first year Pontiac GTO.
Spotting this (1971?) Buick Skylark Custom convertible in London near the American Embassy was a thrill. Not sure the Buick qualifies for unicorn status but it was a surprising sight in that location. And the condition, despite the missing wheel cover one hoped was in the trunk, was amazing.
I finally found an early 70’s Capri in person after a decade of searching. Unfortunately it looked like this. It’s kinda like like finding a unicorn… dead and mostly decomposed.
I found a pair Austin Marina coupes behind a garage in decent shape. Being in the summer, they were too covered in brush to for decent pics. I’m planning to go back before they are consumed again by the vegetation. One Marina seems rare enough to me, at least in the rural areas of S.C., but two is almost impossible.
The sexy European. Looks to be a the remains of a ’73.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnCXiv1cVdg&feature=youtu.be
A clean first gen V6 4 speed would be a nice find, even a 2.0 4 speed would be OK.
The below. A virtual unicorn here in Austria. Not something I was expecting to find at the local garden cum building supplies center.
The 1997-2004 second generation was the least exotic (as in rare) of all GS models so far. An ex-colleague’s uncle bought himself a brand new fully-loaded 2nd gen GS430 Executive, an example below. One hell of a ride, as he assured me. I’m sure it was.
My personal unicorn would be a 1974 DAF FAS 2200 day-cab grain tipper with removable sideboards (FAS = 6×2 truck chassis with a liftable tag axle).
Lexus (and Toyota) hardly sells anything here, most people hardly see the point when one of the Germans can do mostly everything better and costs no more, and as I think we both would agree, EU spec M-Bs, Audis and BMWs do not seem to suffer from the reliability issues their US versions do, so again, why a Lexus? I personally would not have minded the current IS but I hate the fact they only offer them with auto boxes here.
I’m sure we had such DAFs in Israel but the chances of finding one are minimal These days…
Oh, I have no preference or dream find – I take on all-comers:)
Adding also that you have a better chance of seeing a Tatra here (well, the Slovak and the Czech Republics are our neighbors) than a Lexus like this…
AFTER I get the Publishers Clearing House contest big prize (which they keep assuring me I am IN THE RUNNING to win!)….
’63-’67 Jaguar E-type roadster in opalescent blue, please. Electrics sorted out. Ready to turn the ignition key and enjoy!
Along with that, a 1946-1947 Packard TWO-door sedan/coupe, whatever you want to call it. Also turn-key. In deep blue with contrasting interior. 3-speed with overdrive.
There is a mint condition Citation X-11 that regularly parks at a Vons in Pasadena, CA.Brown color with pin striping.
Hopefully the North Allen or California Blvd. Vons as the Ghetto Vons @ orange Grove and Fair oaks is going away soon .
.
-Nate
Late last year I drove past a Rolls Royce Camargue, but didn’t have time to stop. Luckily that was the second one I’ve seen as a CC find.
And last night on my way home I saw a rhd Jeep Comanche, possibly the only one in Australia. Photo is still on the camera, but will write it up at some stage.
Recent Unicorn CC find? Easy–a Daimler 2.5 V8, RHD, resting in an open garage in the Fan district here in Richmond. First Daimler I’ve ever seen in the metal and a *completely* unexpected find. A lucky glance down an alley uncovered it. Hope to write it up at some point.
What’d I *like* to see? Someone above suggested Facel Vega. Yeah, I’d take that. Or maybe a BMW 2000CS, the slightly ungainly but instantly recognizable predecessor to the E9 CS coupes.
Saw a Linc MkVII a while back. Notbing unusual, you say? This was a 1984 MkVII turbo diesel.
Owned a diesel Ford Escort L.
Friend had a gray- market 5-speed Benz 300TD wagon, still wearing Euro bumpers and metric dash.