I got to Uruguay just in time (1992) you still see some of their old cars still in use as daily drivers. Mostly in rural area, often Model Ts from the 20s. I asked my host if they had any antique value, he said no, they’re just bought and sold as used cars.
In Monterrey, Mexico, in 1965, taxis were all vintage cars from the 20s, big roomy sedans. I rode in a couple of them, it was sweet.
When I visited Monaco, I saw lots of exotic cars on the roads. Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Rolls Royces, etc. And their showrooms too.
Back in about 1993 my friends and I went to The Taste of Madison [Wisconsin] up on the Square. The Wienermobile was there, and the drivers were handing out Wienermobile whistles. The massive line was almost all adults, thrilled beyond belief to be getting those whistles. Including us.
I saw a Rolls behind me in Minneapolis once. A Sunbeam Tiger here in Tucson.
A family friend had an old Model T or A when I was a kid, and sometimes the dad would take it out for a run around the block with us in it. So I know I sat in the rumble seat once.
I’d never heard of a Bricklin
I was visiting an old neighborhood where I used to live. As I came around a corner near our old house I spotted a DeLorean parked in front of a house. Then, in front of it, there was another! And another! All told there were about 10 DeLoreans parked by this house. Apparently it was the DeLorean club of Seattle’s monthly meeting. I’ve never seen that many DeLoreans together in one spot since they were still being sold by dealerships.
I drove alongside a ‘64 Ford Thunderbolt (Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt - Wikipedia) for several minutes. These were factory drag cars, not meant for use on public roads. The engine, restrained to legal speed limits, sounded furious. Probably not intimidated by my Honda Fit.
I’ve also seen the world’s most expensive car (one sold for $70 million a few years ago) being driven, but not on public roads. It was crawling around the service road of a fancy golf course just after dawn. Far too expensive to risk among traffic, I suppose. Ferrari 250 GTO - Wikipedia
I used to live on Middle Straights Lake, NW of Detroit, near the public boat ramp. Occasionally, an Amphicar would drive into the lake there, putter around a bit, and drive out. Very cool.
I also just remembered there was a Henry J in my neighborhood, growing up.
Saw the Mach 5 once on the road, and I will never forget it:
machrc1-copy.jpg (1000×546) (diecastxmagazine.com)
When they were new, one wag described it as a car eating a cassette tape.
A coworker of mine had one. He’d drive it to work, and then go to the lake afterwards. When he’d just drive in, turn right instead of left and head down the ramp, it always attracted attention.
Top speed was unfortunately about 45-50.
It was a poor car, and a poor boat, but it was the best car-boat ever made,
That reminds me of the cars I saw on the road in Cuba. There are the beautifully restored 1950s American cars that serve as taxis for tourists, of course. And then there are the cars ordinary Cubans drive. Many of them are complete Frankensteins, mash-ups of parts from different cars. They’ve pretty much all had their engines replaced with ones from more modern cars. One car I saw had the body of a 1950s car, but had the instrument cluster from some newer car grafted onto the dash. I’ve heard Cuban mechanics are quite skilled at fabricating custom parts for old cars.
I spent six years in Madison, home of Oscar Mayer. Weinermobile sightings were not uncommon there (but still very fun).
Saw a 1963 Avanti just after it had broken a record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Lucy
Jay Leno’s Room Of The Giants.
Early 1900’s cars powered by aircraft engines.
Example:1917 Fiat Botafogo Special with 21.7 L 6-Cylinder motor
I grew up in a non-descript suburban neighborhood. Lots of station wagons. Except for the old man across the street with a red Avanti.
Ah, but around the corner from that old guy was a house where we’d often see other cars from designer Brooks Stevens. The guy who lived there was Brooks Stevens’s lawyer.
I didn’t realize he designed the Weinermobile, too! A man of diverse designs, from the Excalibur (“A Luxury Hot Rod”) to Studebakers (he and Raymond Loewy tried to save the company with wild designs; the Sceptre was pretty cool), to Lawn-Boy mowers.
I’ve seen a few Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Nothing special.
Jay Leno owns several Stanley Steamers. Here’s a video where he shows what’s involved in starting up a 1922 model, one of the last ones made. Suffice to say, you don’t want one of these if you’re in a hurry to get someplace!
I knew three people who drove steamers in the 50s.
A guy in south San Francisco had a late model Stanley that he used as the family car. A pilot light kept the boiler at minimum pressure, so start up was quick. There was a rare problem when the weather warmed up during the night. The boiler pressure would slowly increase until it blew the safety valve. It sounded like a shotgun went off in the middle of the night.
Barney Becker had a 1924 Doble roadster out in Walnut Creek (you can still Google ‘Barney Becker’s Doble’). It had a flash boiler so no start up issues. His daughter told me ‘I just turn the key and drive it’. The car was notorious in the bay area. It could beat anything in a stop light drag race. That was a popular activity in the fifties.
My friend Jim Crank had a 1918 Stanley that was another story. Jim was a showman and loved the ritual of starting the Stanley. It wasn’t just time consuming. The burner resonated with a howl you could hear all over town. The thing always drew a crowd.
Thank you for reminding me of the Avanti! I had a childhood friend whose father was an art professor at a local college, and who was definitely a bit avant-garde and funky, even by 1970s standards. He had an Avanti, and though I don’t think it was his “daily driver” car, you’d see him out driving it regularly.
In 1954 some guy on base told me that if I hitched to Chicago and went to a Drive Away agency they’d give me a car to drive to the west coast for my leave. Armed with that rumor, I thumbed rides to Chicago and found an agency and it turned out to be true. The car they gave me was this one:
For a kid making $85 a month, that was really interesting. I drove it to Alameda and called the dealer. He said he wasn’t ready for it so I should keep it and have fun for a couple of days. I did, then delivered it to San Jose. Of course, a week later I had to hitch hike back to Illinois.
Those were the days.
