I saw an Aston Martin in the parking lot at the vet this afternoon. I couldn’t get a picture because I was carrying a pet carrier with a scared kitty in it.
Later I saw a 1990s era Oldsmobile Ninety Eight in my neighborhood, the last of the big rear wheel drive GM cars. The Oldsmobile version always seemed less common than the Chevy and Buick variants.
I had a Hyundai IONIQ 5 merge into traffic in front of me today. From the rear, it just looked like an slightly odd, white, piece of hard plastic. But I might have to take it for a test drive.
That might have been a Rivian R1S. I didn’t notice any badges, though; probably because I was concentrating on seeing if my bus was approaching.
Yesterday in Los Gatos was this Porsche 911 Speedster. This one is probably a 2022.
The 911 Speedster is a tribute to the original Porsche Speedster, a 356 first released in 1954 (web photos for illustration). Originally, the 1954 Speedster was intended to be a lower cost budget version of the 356 Cabriolet (or, convertible) — a stripped-down basic, with less equipment and therefore less weight. With the same engine and less weight, it performed and handled better. Part of the weight savings was due to a smaller windshield that did not rise as high as on the Cabriolet. While the Cabriolet was a more comfortable ride and its occupants better protected against the elements, the Speedster was arguably more fun to drive.
With better performance and more fun at a lower cost it became a popular car. Today those 356 Speedsters are highly desirable, and they are pricey. Costing an average of $350,000, with fine examples easily costing upwards of $400,000 and $500,000, they are easily at least 2x or 3x the cost of a Cabriolet.
As an homage to the 356 Speedster, Porsche has been making the 911 Speedster, with lower windshield, less equipment, and lighter weight. Today a brand new 911 Speedster costs about $300,000. Ouch.
More photos here, 911 and 356.
Although not the infamous car James Dean died in, the 356 Speedster was closely associated with the actor: he ran several races in one before trading it in for the fatal 550 Spyder.
(I had mistakenly remembered the death car as a 356.)
Walking to the store this afternoon I saw some sort of late 1960s or 1970s sports car drive through an intersection from about half a block away. At first I assumed it was an old 240Z, but it had more of a “Coke bottle” shape, with bulges over the front fenders, so I’m thinking maybe it was actually an Opel GT. But it was hard to make an ID from that distance as it drove past.
I went to a cruise and came across an assuming car that took me by surprise. It was a 1962 Pontiac Lemans Convertible.(internet image) It was greatly overshadowed by a collection of muscle cars that Jay Leno would have envied. What made it special was the drive train. It had the 194 ci 4 cylinder which was basically a 389 V8 cut in half.
The transmission was in the rear and it was in independent axle. It was connected to the engine by a torque tube that housed a “rope” drive shaft that was bowed by 3 inches front to back. The engine was angled upward slightly to line up with the shaft. the flexible drive shaft was supposed to take some of the vibration from the engine. Video of car and transmission.
I’ve only seen this engine once before and that would have been in the mid 70’s. It was quite a piece of engineering at the time.
I just saw an F150 Lightening for the first time. I didn’t think anything of it until I noticed someone loading groceries into the frunk.
A Citroën Traction Avant, from circa 1935. This was the world’s first front-wheel-drive car that had fully independent suspension and a unibody design. FWD and independent suspension already existed, but Citroën was the first manufacturer to incorporate these in a unibody design.
The Hyundai NEXO, claimed to be the world’s first hydrogen-powered EV SUV. I noticed it because it had HYDROGEN POWERED EV labeled across its door sill. These are web pics because I was unable to snap any pics.
Per Hyundai’s web site, the NEXO is the world’s first dedicated hydrogen-powered SUV, and the “NEXO Fuel Cell gives an EPA-estimated range of up to 380 miles. And with zero emissions, it’s helping to take us toward a cleaner future . It’s your journey.”
Per wiki, the NEXO is a compact crossover SUV that was revealed in January 2018 at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. For now, in the US the Hyundai NEXO is only available for California. The NEXO was released in South Korea in March 2018. It was released in the United Kingdom in March 2019. It was released in Australia in March 2021.
Hydrogen EV. I think it is a great concept.
Another nice Bel Air:
The VW Scirocco S, with Recaro seats
Built from 1974-1981, the 1st-gen Scirocco has been a favorite ever since it first came out. Who remembers the mid-1970s when VW released the brand new Scirocco, Rabbit, and Dasher? My girlfriend’s father drove one of those Rabbits. And I always loved the Scirocco. My ex-wife’s cousin had a boyfriend named Joe who drove one. Joe had the license plate JOROCCO. It was perfect. I haven’t seen Joe in over 40 years but I still remember his plate. And his car!
I spotted the Bentley convertible from last week parked on the street so I got a look at the front end. It has a Euro-style plate –W12– 
Driving to the airport yesterday we were passed by a Bentley Flying Spur with the W12 badging.
I remember them all. The Rabbits and Sciroccos were popular race cars for many years. I know one of each that are still racing. Well, hobbling along behind the younger, faster cars that are sporting less tired engines. I ice raced a Rabbit.
I spotted a Chevy Aveo in the supermarket parking lot that had an unusual aftermarket accessory. There was a chimeny exhaust of some sort, coming out of the side back window. Any ideas? I assume it’s a heater or a cooking setup of some sort, which I’ve seen in camper converts, but an Aveo?! There was a paddleboard on top, and a large cooler or storage locker on the back mounted via a trailer hitch.
I had a Scirocco. The color was Viper Green. A friend and I hi-poed the engine. VERY zippy little car, great fun to drive.
Just from today…
Late 60s Camaro(?)
88 Le Mans in a used car lot (looks like a dollar store CRX)
Dodge Charger SRT
And it sounded like this (idling next to me at a red light)
Bonus:
I ran across this picture of Catherine O’Hara
and noticed that car is almost identical to the car they had in Schitt’s Creek
Just saw a new 2023 Toyota Prius. New body design; I like it.
Yep. Likely a '67 since there’s no hint of a sidemarker. Part of one should be visible just ahead of the bumper in the second image.
Coming back into Chicago at the end of a roadtrip earlier this week, a Bentley Continental convertible with Illinois passenger plate ‘X NBA.’
