An early 70’s Dodge Dart, with 4 flat tires and hidden behind a dumpster.
I stopped for gas on the way home tonight, and at one of the other pumps was an early 1950s Buick Super. I’m going to say '52 because the license plate said “HOUR 52” and I’m guessing that’s a reference to the year (maybe “OUR 52” was taken?). It was somewhat customized, with a lowered suspension and some fancy pin-striping.
Drove behind a Jaguar F-Pace yesterday. It’s the first time I got a good look at it. Like many SUVs, it appears to need to go on a diet, the eyes (rear lights) appear small and are lost in the large “face” I was looking at. It did appear to handle very well.
I test rode a Zero motorcycle today. I’m considering one and have never ridden an electric motorcycle before. Fortunately the local BMW dealership has them for test rides.
It is fun!! And a little weird too without a clutch lever for your left hand and a shift lever for the left foot.
It has an ECO mode and a SPORT mode. I rode on local city streets, and then a few miles on the interstate. I started in ECO mode on my outbound stretch. ECO is fine on city streets, but does not have startling acceleration. Acceleration is important to get away from or avoid hazards. On the interstate, ECO mode can get you up to 70 MPH, but not much more. So you cannot accelerate from 70, which is a factor.
On the return stretch I was in SPORT mode. Much better! Its performance is similar to my old R1200RT, accelerating briskly on the interstate, able to cruise at 80 to 90+ and, very important, to accelerate briskly from those speeds. It was a lot more fun than ECO mode was. And then on city streets, same thing, much better performance.
And so the Zero motorcycle is fun. I’m considering one for my daily commutes to work which is about 20 miles each way and mostly on interstate.
I rode the Zero DS, their dual sport bike: https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-ds/?PCA=GAD-R-NA-US-S-Zero%20Brand%20Terms%20SRF%20Shipping&keyword=zero%20motorcycles&creative=345029237011&matchtype=e&network=g&device=c&pi_utm_source=google&pi_utm_medium=cpc&pi_utm_campaign=GAD-R-NA-US-S-Zero%20Brand%20Terms%20SRF%20Shipping&gclid=CjwKCAjw36DpBRAYEiwAmVVDMG4x8pFHOq6kUzVtQDUxwSeJVyxgICFaUFDSPH1lGkUMd0nkZa-YzRoC6O4QAvD_BwE
Today was a good day. I have a very short commute yet I managed to see 4 that were pretty cool.
On my way home at lunch a brand new 911 Carrera with dealer plates on it.
On the way back to work a beautiful cherry red GTO. Based on the front it was somewhere in the 68-72 range. I assume it had been restored.
On my way home I saw something that I had no clue what it was. It said Ford on the front and looked like a compact crossover convertible. I didn’t know they made such a thing so when I got home I did a little research and it appears to be a Fork Ka which isn’t sold in the US.
But before I had a chance to get home, I saw an olive green Jeep CJ (7 I think). What made it best is the driver was in full military uniform including the little hat (not sure what they are called but the kind that lay flat when not being worn).
Those are berets, usually worn by the Army.
gImages, beret US Army — beret US Army - Google Search
No, it was the WWII type I think may have been called an envelope hat. Now that I think about it I saw it right outside of the center for the performing arts so it may have well been someone still in character that just happened to have a vehicle that matched.
In the Marines we call them piss cutters. I hav no idea what their official name is.
gImages, USMC piss cutter covers — https://www.google.com/search?q=USMC+piss+cutter+covers&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVgsDMprLjAhXYHM0KHV34AhoQ_AUoAnoECA0QAg&biw=768&bih=922
I drove my '66 MGB to Bellingham today. Getting on the freeway to return home, I passed an Iris Blue chrome-bumper MGB roadster and a British Racing Green MGB GT heading north. I didn’t really notice the plates, but they looked Canadian.
Actually yesterday, but a bone-stock, unrestored '51 Ford sedan, just getting off the Interstate.
I haven’t seen anything very interesting in the past week, but this morning I did see a Suzuki Forenza. You might be wondering why I think a Forenza is interesting, but hear me out.
- Suzuki was never that big in the US, these cars didn’t sell all that well here*, and they were never all that common even when they were new.
- They were cheap, and I suspect many people who bought them treated them as “disposable” cars. And these were actually rebadged Daewoos, which never had a great reputation for quality.
- Suzuki is now an orphan brand in the US. How hard is is to get parts for one of these? I guess they were made by Daewoo and Daewoo is now part of GM, so maybe GM dealers can obtain parts.
So, based on those three factors I’m guessing there can’t be all that many Forenzas left on the road here. Therefore I think seeing one was interesting.
*Although I looked up their sales figures and they actually sold more than I thought, but still never more than 50k in a single year. Although it looks like the sales figures lump the Forenza and Reno together.
A real Morris Mini, looked set up for rally racing. At a mountain hotel in Switzerland.
A Cheetah race car, supposedly the only one that hasn’t needed at least a partial rebuild. “Cheetahs always win!”
I saw an intact Crosley wagon circa 1950 or so sitting beside a first-generation Corvair in a local garage’s parking lot. That same garage has had some pretty unusual stuff in its lot in the past, most notably a Bricklin SV-1.
Yesterday there was a '76 MG Midget on my street. I stopped and talked to the guy, and he said there was a car show yesterday – and today. My MGB isn’t a show car by any means, but it would be fun to drive down the beach and see what’s up.
The other night I Am Number Four was on TV. A 1970 Ford Bronco was featured in it. Yesterday I saw two Ford Broncos, at different times, with the same-style grille when I was driving in town.
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At the grocery store yesterday I saw a cool VW dune buggy. Obviously homebuilt; the body was a rectilinear framework of 1 1/2 inch square tube with flattish body panels pop-rivetted on. No doors, no windows except the windshield. Looked like great fun.
Someone around here has what I believe to be a gold Meyers Manx like this one. I see him drive it around sometimes.
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It just drove by. It’s yellow, not gold.
Dodge Viper. Yellow with black racing stripes.
I saw a Lamborghini in the wild on Saturday. Nice looking car, all black. My 9 y/o told me which one it is, but I can’t remember. 