(first posted 2/5/2013) So far in this series, we’ve seen only British cars from this storage yard. While most of its inhabitants originated in the UK, there were also a few mainland Europeans. So, in the words of Monty Python, “and now for something completely different.” In things automotive, the French can always be counted on for something rather different, and while Renault might be one of their more conservative makes, the R4 is still a little quirky by North American standards.
This isn’t the first time that this exact car has been featured at CC before, as well as other classic car blogs, but to my knowledge this is the first time that this “1988” Cadillac Cimarron “convertible” has been documented after being spotted in the wild. Quite possibly the most infamous example of one of the most infamous American cars of all time, I use air quotes because of course, there was neither a factory Cimarron convertible nor any authorized aftermarket conversion, and while this car may have started off as a 1988, in its current state, it’s much less of a 1988 than it is an amalgamation of multiple model years. Confused yet?
Old Beetles aren’t that common anymore around the streets of San Salvador, but they aren’t all that rare either. However, there’s no way to deny that they’re dwindling in numbers, and somewhere in the back of my head, I’m slowly trying to come to terms with the idea of a world with no Beetles by the roadside.
On the other hand, while old Beetles aren’t that rare, daily-use ones tend to be post-1968 models. As you can easily guess, most pre-67 Beetles have been snatched by collectors and restomod folks. To find any pre-68 Beetle, still providing regular service and in stock condition, has truly become a rarity. At least, around my surroundings.
Lots of imports to get through again, as always. But they weren’t all found in the usual tree-lined place, no no! One can encounter genuine in-motion classics, such as this magnificent Morris Minor, out in the wild. If you can call this wilderness…
It only took forty years to realize my dream. These photos were printed from 28-year-old film, only days before I submitted this article.
This is a vehicle that has held quite a strong hold on my imagination. My initial exposure to this car occurred in 1966, when I was in sixth grade. I had tagged along with my dad to an auto parts store located in Oakland’s Chinatown.
(first posted 2/3/2013) For some odd reason, on this (another) gray day, I have summer on the brain…so let’s dig out something apropos. Like this gnarly Jeep Commando, to take is into the woods further than just about anything else I can dig up right now. And if we get stuck, that winch will rotate the earth a bit closer to us. Read the rest of this entry »
(first posted 7/2/2018) To say that the all-new VW Rabbit (Golf Mk1) arrived half-baked is stating the obvious. After building essentially the same cars for some 30 years, retooling for a totally new car, in which none of the parts interchanged, and which was optimized for lightweight and different parameters, VW was essentially starting over from scratch. And it really flubbed it. The initial ’75s had numerous issues, some of which required serious work-arounds, as is detailed in this chapter of R&T’s long term test, which went on to 48,000 miles. Stay tuned.
(first posted 7/2/2018) We buy hatchbacks that have been lifted, like the Subaru XV Crosstrek. We buy station wagons that been jacked-up, like the Subaru Outback. At least in North America, hatchbacks and wagons haven’t exactly had a reputation for being cool for some time. You know what else aren’t cool? Vans and minivans. Can we convince automakers jacked-up vans are the next big thing? I ask because I keep seeing this Mitsubishi Delica Space Gear around and it makes a lot of sense. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s once again a week for traveling and discovering new places across the US. With that in mind, let’s revisit these travelers of the past with images dating before commercial flights became the norm.
My favorite Pontiac year is 1959. And the Star Chief is my favorite model. So when I saw this 37,000 mile original on Craigslist, resplendent in the rare “Sunset Glow” color, I said to myself, “It’s a dream come true”.
It appears from my casual observations on public transportation and in the office that the mustache is making something of a comeback. I suppose it never really left, but in my mind, I had always associated a mustache with gentlemen who are or were older than me. My dad had a mustache for all but maybe six months during my entire lifetime. When he shaved it off (and I forgot for what reason), it was thoroughly disorienting. I was so very relieved when I saw that it was back during one of my returns from college. One of my uncles has always sported a thick one, and his son, my cousin, also has one. Just as many men in my extended family are or were clean-shaven, like my late grandpa and Uncle Jim. I’ve grown facial hair and was one of many who sported one of the most nineties things for guys in that era: a goatee. I also wore sideburns for a while when I still had a full head of hair. I have never, however, grown just a mustache.
(first posted 7/1/2013) July 1st is Canada Day which is always a good time to get a bit patriotic. If the words “Canadian” and “sports car” were used together, most car buffs would probably immediately think of Malcolm Bricklin’s SV-1, which was assembled in Saint John, New Brunswick. But oddly enough, the Bricklin SV-1 wasn’t officially sold in Canada, since it was always intended for the US market. Bricklin production was located in Canada strictly because of government subsidies more than anything else. There was, however, an earlier sports car that was designed and produced by Canadians, and this one was only sold in Canada.
(first posted 7/2/2018) This is what really turns my crank, seeing a 51 year old Dodge van still doing the work it was designed to be doing 51 years earlier. Of course, I have a rather special affinity to these Dodge A Series vans, having owned one myself. And I suppose my ProMaster van is something of a spiritual successor to this, the very first extended body Dodge van. And this is sort of an enclosed-body counterpart to my ’66 F-100, which still goes to work, although not every day like this one, whose owner was laying pavers at these new houses.
So yes, this is how I like my CCs; black with no cream but a dash of cherry.
