Nov. 16 Weekly Open Thread
As always, this is the place for discussion that doesn't fit anywhere else.
A few notes:
- Yesterday on the freeway I saw a Ford Fusion. There's nothing particularly remarkable about that, of course, but it caught my eye because, in terms of pride of ownership, it was the rolling equivalent of a wallet overflowing with pictures of one's grandchildren. The Fusion bore a custom license plate that said FUSION, and that license plate was encircled by a chrome Ford license plate frame. Finishing off the look was a Ford logo bumper sticker and a rear window banner sticker that looked like this, only designed to fit the rear window and saying "FUSION."
I don't think I've ever seen a prosaic family car so publicly and emphatically branded before; I don't totally understand your devotion, Mr. Fusion owner, but I applaud it.
- I was at the train station this weekend and spotted this pretty yellow coupe sitting behind a locked gate. After some pondering and some head-scratching, I finally activated some dormant memory banks and figured out what the heck it is. It's not every day you see a seemingly pristine Renault 17 in the wild. I couldn't quite tell if it was the rare performance Gordini version or not; perhaps a Renault-phile will weigh in on that topic.
Has anybody else seen any rarities or oddities on the road lately?
--Chris H.
epilonious on November 16, 2009 at 11:01 AM
I saw an old suzuki swift (cultus)... they always make me smile....
John B on November 16, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Last week I saw a two-tone light blue over dark blue 4-door Chevy Ciation...from a distrance it looked very nice. There can't be many that nice still around.
Also, a guy in town regulary drives a 1940 Ford Jeep prototype.
It looks basically like a Willys but with a meaner front end, a more curved cutout for the door openings and the gauge cluster from a 40 Ford.
It's pretty rusty but he still drives it. I've only seen others in books, but restored it would be worth a good amount of money.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on November 16, 2009 at 12:04 PM
About a quarter mile down the street from me is a pristine 1970-ish Ford F-150. I think it's a daily driver!
There's a 1961-62 era Chrysler 300 that lives somewhere close by.
Chris Mallow on November 16, 2009 at 01:01 PM
I saw a late-60s Mercury Cougar in seemingly good shape. Not that it's rare, but in a way, when you're used to seeing old Mustangs everywhere, and even old Camaros and Challengers are fairly commonplace, just don't seem to be enjoying the renewed muscle car/pony car trend of the past several years. It was good to see (my mom's first car was a '67 Cougar, and I always think of her when I see one of this vintage).
There's also a '68 Ford truck, needing lots of TLC, that's been sitting in a pasture with a For Sale sign on it ("351W, $800"). If I didn't already have a project going on, I might actually be interested...
That Car Guy on November 16, 2009 at 01:28 PM
To Epilonious: Funny you should mention the Suzuki Swift/Cultus/Geo Metro. I'm doing a post on them; I always liked those little things. Please stay tuned!
Dave7 on November 16, 2009 at 01:29 PM
Nice find! I love oddball stuff like that.
I did find a Vauxhall Victor Wagon in the scrapyard recently - rare find anywhere. Solid body but quite rough otherwise.
A picture for those interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveseven/4077075280/
Sigivald on November 16, 2009 at 02:56 PM
There's a Citroen CX (I think) parked in St. Johns (the suburb of Portland, OR)...
Can't get close enough to get a really good look, since it's in a fenced parking lot, more or less permanently. Probably for sale.
David Colborne on November 16, 2009 at 09:59 PM
Alas, I am despondent, for I have not seen any woolly French autos in the wild lately. There was a Nimitz-class mid-'60s Impala at a car auction I went to recently, though. It looked like it last saw service as a stunt double for the USS Arizona.
Eu Neuwagen on November 17, 2009 at 12:15 AM
Choosing a car is bit difficult , since in the market wide range of cars are available. You need to consult an expert who can compare different branded cars. I prefer Eu Neuwagen to consult and get the right brand.
Anthony Cagle on November 17, 2009 at 07:22 AM
There's a Jeepster a few blocks from me.
isitacrossfromchris on November 17, 2009 at 10:01 AM
I saw a 1986 Audi Coupe GT. Sweet car but some jerk was driving it.
That Car Guy on November 17, 2009 at 11:56 AM
To isitacrossfromchris: Jeremy Clarkson of "Top Gear" fame has a comment about people who drive Audis. Around here, that term applies to most of the rented Lexus operators.
jjd241 on November 18, 2009 at 03:23 AM
So it's official. You guys have ruined me. While I was able to live with lusting over the obvious oddballs like a Pinto or a Gremlin, now I find myself looking at every for sale sign with a bit of lust. This 1981 Plymouth Horizon has been parked accross from my house for a while now. Even though I know it would probably drive like a 1981 Horizon, It still looks tempting. It actually has a bit of the same vintage Fox Mustang going for it (albiet without a 5.0L) Notice that there is no price on the for sale sign.
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Horizon_TC3
jjd241 on November 18, 2009 at 03:32 AM
A better Link for this beauty...
http://www.allpar.com/omni/turismo.html
kenny on November 19, 2009 at 03:54 PM
there is a rusty one of these Renaults with blown tires on a street in the Woodstock area of Portland OR.
Cannot even imagine how hard and expensive it would to get that thing up to running condition again.
Tommy's Dad on November 19, 2009 at 09:54 PM
My in-laws have a Peugeot 505 GL wagon more or less permanently planted in their driveway. The body looks straight and rust free (covered in a few inches of dust though, both inside and out), but the tires are all flat and it doesn't look like it's been run in ages. It's a shame too, because it's a nice looking tall wagon in the Forester/Eagle vein (even if it doesn't have really much of anything else in common with either), but I shudder to think of what it would cost to get whatever parts it needs to run again.
Aside from that though, there's really not many interesting old cars around here. It's a desert climate, so rust isn't much an issue, it's more that people around here just don't seem to keep their cars long enough for them to become classics, unless they're too poor to afford something newer (in which case they also aren't affording to do proper maintenance and care either).
GregS on November 25, 2009 at 08:37 AM
This past weekend in Oakville, Ontario, I was passed by a red Studebaker sedan. I don't remember ever seeing a Studebaker on the road before!