LA to San Francisco via the Pacific Coast Highway was a fantastic road trip on its own, but we weren’t done yet. We still had a rental car for another week, and two more states to visit.
A little while away from San Francisco in San Jose (we knew the way), I spotted this K-Car. I also learned where first-generation Infiniti G20s go later in life. Seriously, in a couple of hours, I spotted half a dozen. I missed out, though, on photographing a beautiful 1975-77 Chrysler Cordoba, a 1979-85 Oldsmobile Toronado and an Eagle Vision.
And if you’re in San Jose, you need to go to Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester, the widow of rifle magnate Samuel Winchester, used her considerable fortune to construct a mansion in San Jose. It wasn’t just any mansion, though: She employed contractors to continue building additions 24/7, 365 days a year for thirty-eight years, until her death in 1922. The commonly held theory is that the very spiritual Sarah was following the instructions of spirits to keep building in order to confuse other spirits who had died from Winchester rifles. Well, no one ever said the realm of the occult was logical.
This Chevrolet Beretta GT was parked right by the Mystery House…
…and this gorgeous Dodge Challenger was a few blocks away. We idolize the Challenger today, but it was hardly a critical or commercial success in its day, and arrived much too late to the pony car party. The Beretta was more successful and carried some gutsy engines, but you certainly won’t see one at Barrett-Jackson. It’s funny how nostalgia works.
After San Jose, we were on the way to Las Vegas. What we were excepting to be a lengthy, boring drive yielded plenty of nice scenery and breezed by. I’d heard about how visually impressive it is to drive into Vegas at night, with people awestruck by the bright lights. It just looked like another city to me and that sort of initial disappointment summed up Vegas for us.
It’s probably a fun city when you have specific plans to see shows or gamble, but otherwise it’s not really my kind of city. Still, I fired my first guns, drank jumbo cocktails on the street, saw an amazing exhibit (stay tuned!) and our hotel was a big glass pyramid, so there’s that.
During the daytime, we were driving along the strip–you need a car because it takes 10 minutes to drive to a hotel diagonally across the strip, or 20 minutes to walk – and something caught my eye in the rear-view mirror. Could it be?
Yes, it was my first Buick Reatta spotting. The paintwork looks a little worse for wear, but this car still looked sharp. A crying shame, then, that the Reatta’s looks wrote a check the car’s performance just couldn’t cash. Blame GM for repositioning Buick right as the Reatta launched; Turbo V6s and T-Type editions were axed, and Buick became the “Premium American Motorcar” brand.
Most of the car-spotting action was indoors in Vegas, but I did spot this 1981-87 Pontiac Grand Prix in a casino parking lot. While these have some neat styling details, the G-Body Grand Prix was one of the few instances where I didn’t like the Pontiac derivative of a GM platform the most. The Monte Carlo, Regal and Cutlass Supreme just looked cleaner and less frumpy.
LeBaron convertibles are still plentiful in Vegas, but I didn’t see any Sebring convertibles. The facelift pretty much ruined the J-platform LeBaron’s looks. Hidden headlamps are always cooler.
See? Much better. These always remind me of that scene in Jumanji in which the giant mosquitoes are trying to attack Robin Williams through the soft top.
Fisker Karmas are absolutely going to be collectible classics one day, for two reasons: First, they are extremely rare with their stunted production run; and second, they are absolutely stunning. The Tesla Model S is a marvel of engineering and much better packaged and more successful–but although it is handsome, the Karma has it beat in the looks department.
On one of our days in Nevada, we set off to cross state lines and visit the Grand Canyon. Stopping in Boulder City for some food, I came across this gorgeous Aurora being driven by one of the younger employees of one of the local restaurants. The second-generation Aurora had to serve not only as the luxury flagship of the Oldsmobile marque, but also as its lone full-size sedan. Accordingly, the Aurora picked up the 3.5 Shortstar V6 in addition to the carryover 4.0 Northstar V8.
This generation seems to be overlooked because the styling wasn’t as bold as its predecessor, but look at those handsome side creases and flowing lines and tell me that this car’s design hasn’t stood the test of time. These are extremely handsome in person, and it’s such a shame that Oldsmobile didn’t earn a reprieve, considering how much more handsome their cars were than contemporary Buicks and Pontiacs. Still, perhaps GM gave Oldsmobile enough of a chance to turn around two decades of declining fortunes.
I didn’t realize that you could still drive across the Hoover Dam, considering the new bridge was open and security is an ever-present concern with such an iconic and important piece of infrastructure. I can now cross “drive across a dam” off my list of things to do.
A friend had told me about a quaint old Route 66 town on the way to the Grand Canyon but I completely forgot the name. Imagine my surprise when, upon pulling off the highway, I stumbled across the very town: Seligman, Arizona. We were pressed for time and wanted to reach the Grand Canyon by nightfall, but I stopped briefly to snap some pictures of classic cars along the town’s main drag.
Seligman is charmingly rustic, with a few nice coffee shops and souvenir stores, but also a few pretty rundown buildings on the main road. We saw plenty of tourists.
A 1959 Edsel Ranger is parked outside one of the coffee shops. The Edsel line’s sophomore year had a much more harmonious front end design than the “horse-collar” or “Oldsmobile sucking a lemon” 1958 model.
It’s interesting to see cars that are five or six decades old that haven’t been buffed to a fine sheen. This Edsel has been driven and is proud of it.
I didn’t think Edsels would have been a popular choice for a taxi company, given their price premium over contemporary Fords.
We pulled into a diner parking lot so I could get a cup of joe, and I spotted something over towards the train tracks.
This old Ford Ranchero lay derelict in the grass, but I was more excited by what was keeping it company.
A first-generation Chevrolet Corvair coupe!
The old girl was looking a little sad up front, but otherwise the bodywork was pretty solid. Love the baby blue paint job, although second-generation Corvair coupes were a bit more conventionally handsome. Still, these are utterly charming cars.
It was a Corvair trifecta, having spotted the wagon in Morro Bay. All I needed was a van to cover the whole range but alas, there were none. I don’t know how these beautiful cars came to sit and decay in the high desert. Look closely and you can actually see grass growing into the cabin.
I joke that the true worth of a trip is how many photos there are of you in front of famous things. Here we are at the Grand Canyon, which was chilly but fortunately still sunny by the time we arrived. It was a long drive to and from the Grand Canyon, but the view was worth it. American highways are also much more enjoyable than Australian ones. Here, we live with the ever-present fear of the camera flash of a disguised police speed camera unit. On the drive to the Grand Canyon, totaling around four hours, we saw one police car. Thus, the speed limit seems to be more of a recommendation, because plenty of people were driving 100 mph. But, uhh, not me.
We checked out of Vegas a night early to head back to Los Angeles. Being back in Australia, I had been missing all my favorite American junk food–Popeye’s, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen–so we made a pit stop in Baker, CA, so I could get a Blizzard. The glare of the setting sun made it hard to shoot these two Cutlasses I saw. It was 80 degrees in March in Baker, so I can’t imagine how hot it would get in the summertime. At least it would be a dry heat, and this desert climate helps preserve these old cars (if not their paintwork).
That brings our trip and my two-part article full circle. I tell people they could put me on a street anywhere in the world and I would find something interesting. During the trip, I continually did annoying things like gasp whenever I saw an interesting car, or remark what cars were surprisingly common.
On that note, I should mention how surprised at how common Oldsmobile Intrigues and Saturn L-Series are in California, and how the most common cars in Vegas seem to be the Dodge Challenger, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Lincoln LS. I’m pretty happy with the road trip I planned out, and we had a great time. You know you’ve found a keeper, too, when you aren’t criticized for spending 10 minutes driving around looking for a Chevrolet Lumina Euro you spotted in the corner of your eye. What a fantastic trip! Where to next?
I work in that glass pyramid. I could have got you a discount! 🙂
Yes, Baker is warm. It can get up to 120f (That’s 50 Australian degrees!) in summer. We cope. I sure don’t miss humidity.
In our current times, it’s not at all impossible to drive a 25-year-old car as a daily driver. I see them every day. Rotting upholstery and plastics aside, you can always keep fixing a car if it never rusts.
Thanks for visiting Las Vegas. The taxes that tourists pay keep my taxes low!
Is the body world exhibit still on?
Bodies: The Exhibition is a semi-permanent attraction. Come and enjoy!
Been there!
For those who are not familiar with it: watch “Casino Royal” and pay attention to a peculiar poker party. You see an example of modern day mummification. At the Luxor in Las Vegas you can get up close.
I found LV to be a great get away without any gambling at all. For the car nut there are (at least) 3 companies that provide rides in super cars. Two of them on racetracks. Thanks to William you know what Old Car nuts will find.
There is the Mob Museum in old town LV and close by are the Hoover Dam and those looking for a day of peace and quiet may visit the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
There is no problem filling a week.
An Edsel taxicab and a Chrysler police car.Now these are cars that you don`t see everyday.
Not a real taxi. Am I the only one to recognize that phone number? Look it up … Google is smart enough to correct the spelling error.
Lemon Cab Company might be a clue too!
That ’54 Chevy would be tempting…
I completely agree with your opinion on the Oldsmobile Aurora. I love that egg like Faberge’s.
but reading up on the Northstar and Shortstar, then comparing to what you read about the 3800 makes it hard to commit to an Aurora.
“This Chevrolet Beretta GT was parked right by the Mystery House…”
And see the Ford Bronco in the parking lot behind it!
I visited the Winchester Mystery house as a teenager in the ’70s. I remember there being staircases to nowhere, and everything in the house was in sets of 13…13 steps in a staircase, 13 grooves in the kitchen sink drainboard, 13 spindles, etc.
A showcase of Victorian craftmanship, it must’ve been a boon for area contractors.
The Winchester Repeater was originally the Henry, used by some Union units during the Civil War. Rebs called it “that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week.” A problem with repeaters was black powder, which obscured the enemy after several shots.
There was also the Spencer, approved by no less than President Lincoln himself after failed attempts by its inventor to get a hearing by the War Dept. Ultimately however, the bolt-action was the next step in military rifle evolution, like the Chassepot used during the Franco-Prussian War.
WELCOME TO AMERICA ! .
I am pleased you enjoyed your trip .
Too bad you didn’t have time for the Oatman , Az. side track ~ it’s a tiny little town but interesting thevertheless .
-Nate
You have your gun moguls mixed up. She was married to the only son of Oliver Winchester, William. Samuel is probably Colt you’re thinking of.
My dad and me did that trip almost 40 years ago, only we were heading east in my ’75 Rabbit. Camped out at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Christmas Eve, 5 degrees when we got up. We took 46 across Cali to the coast; there is a 2 mile downhill on it and I ran the Rabbit up to about 115 indicated. Found out a lot later the bottom of that hill is where James Dean bought it. I wonder if he was on it too…
On the PCH it was about 10% VW buses, there was a Grateful Dead concert around Santa Cruz and they were everywhere. We were going to see his sister in the East Bay, and when I saw all the rust free cars rolling around, I decided to move from Michigan.
So glad you enjoyed your visit. My few trips to Vegas have also been great for car spotting. The Chevy Beretta picture reminds me of how much I like the way these look. I can’t think of a better example of a mid-late 1980’s car that looks this good and still seems so unloved.
The Beretta was certainly a looker but they all seem to have disappeared, true. I don’t think they were particularly well screwed-together, a complaint with many GM cars from the early 90’s…
The Reatta reminded me of the Matra 530, just smoothed over.
The last time I was in Vegas on a business trip (tradeshow), I wanted to get a used car classified magazine so I could see what old cars were for sale and for how much. Of course the variety stores on the strip don’t carry them because tourists aren’t interested in that. I had to walk seemingly forever to find a store that carried them.
Fond memories of our trip to the SW last year, great car spotting too. Must get back there someday…
The GC was an awesome thing to see but Mrs DougD and I will skip it next time and spend more time at Zion and Bryce Canyon NP’s.
Yes! I cannot second this post enough. As massive as the Grand Canyon is, Utah south of I-70 and east of I-35 is THE place to visit in the United States. Bryce, Zion, Escalante, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Glen Canyon, Bridges, etc etc all within few hours drive, with each drive being fantastic.
A fun tour. If that Chrysler police car was a Saratoga with the hemi, it was faster than it looks. And I’m trying to figure out the original color combo on that Edsel. It looks like a bunch of pastel colors got in a fight.
Made the trip from San Francisco to Las Vegas many times in the early 80s. I was in the Navy near San Jose and my sister lived in Vegas. You are right about Vegas being no big deal if you aren’t into gambling or have plans to see any shows.
If you wanted to see Reattas you should have come to north Florida. There are several in this area….including a few convertibles. Failure of the automatic transmission kills Sebring convertibles early. Neither the Le Baron nor the Sebring are seen all that often, except for the sedans.
In the 80s, Pontiac was a very popular brand in Vegas. Nowadays I suspect it’s Toyota and Lexus.
Vegas, being a major tourist destination, means that a lot of locals drive ex-rental cars like Sebring convertibles.
That 50’s Chevy, looks like it could be the cousin of the “Love Machine”, on Cheech & Chong. lol
Small world! Here’s that ’59 Edsel “taxi” and ’54 Chevy looking in somewhat better condition, photo taken in March 2007. The hood/fender in the lower right belong to a pink ’59 Edsel 2-door hardtop.
Now I don’t want to do what I’m doing…I want to drive vast distances across new lands spotting CCs. Glad you had a good time, thanks for the account.
Very nice article and the photos of the Corvairs makes me wonder about the history and reasoning why humans have so many piles of junk around and why we amass them. When you get back to the Southwest check out Oatman and Lake Havasu City they are neat for different reasons.