A BMW M60 i5 was in front of me, and then it parked. I followed.
It is an all electric, AWD model of the 5 Series, with an extra electric motor to generate 593 HP and up to 605 lb⋅ft of torque sent through all 4 wheels. Adaptive suspension is standard. This electric motor is part of BMW’s fifth-generation e-drive kit (thus the i5).
MSRP, approx $94,000.
Note the 5 on the C pillar, for this being a 5-Series car.
Note the carbon fiber side mirrors.
Note the carbon fiber rear lip spoiler. A spoiler reduces overall aerodynamic drag by “spoiling” the smooth airflow as it passes over the car.
Without a spoiler that smooth airflow, especially at higher speeds, would create a low pressure pocket behind the car and generate drag and lift.
A seventh generation (1989-97) Mercury Cougar, with the Bostonian trim packing, ie, vinyl half roof. What’s amazing is all the various special editions that were issued back then.
I saw my first Rivian close-up: an R1S, which I parked next to at a restaurant. My first, primary, and lasting impression is that the thing is huge. Some years ago I owned a 1986 4x4 Suburban – you know, the big boxy ones, before they got small? I think the Rivian was bigger than that old Suburban. I’m probably wrong because it was parked next to my diminutive Kia Soul, but it sure looked enormous when I was standing next to it.
Edit: per our friend Google: the Rivian R1S is 200.8 inches long, 81.8 inches wide without mirrors, and 77.3 inches tall. 1986 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4x4: 219 inches long, 76 inches wide, 72 inches tall.
So the R1S is damn near half a foot both taller and wider than an 80’s era Suburban, but about 18 inches shorter. Doesn’t seem like it.
The Grenadier was designed to be a modern replacement of the original Land Rover Defender.
It is built in Hambach, France at the Ineos Automotive plant, which was formerly owned by Mercedes-Benz. Production began in July 2022. The first deliveries were made in December 2022.
It is named after a pub in London, The Grenadier, at DD coordinates ▲ 51.5014326, -0.1548741. This is where the early concept was formed, presumably over a point or three.
The main thing to my eyes is that the next body style ( 1965-1968 ) has a much sleeker A-pillar, with a longer and more raked back, with the vent window being long and thin, rather than short and fat.
Last night on my commute home I saw an old early 1990s Chrysler Lebaron convertible. It wasn’t in perfect shape, but it wasn’t bad considering it’s a 30+ year old car. As I’ve said before, I always enjoy seeing those sorts of cars that were once common and considered pretty ordinary, but had mostly now disappeared from the roads.
I also saw a vintage Toyota Land Cruiser, similar to this one. It had round sealed beam headlights like the one in that picture, so I’m guessing early 1980s. I know at some point they facelifted that generation to use rectangular headlights.
The big thing I remember about them was that if you have one, you were stuck with it forever. A lot of people found out the hard way that they not only didn’t protect the paint, they actively wrecked it. And come to think of it, weren’t you technically supposed to take it off when it’s raining? I feel comfortable assuming the overwhelming majority of people didn’t do that, or even know you were supposed to do it.
And yes, everywhere. It’s not even like a lot of people had them to be cool and more than most people today don’t have spoilers to be cool. They’re just…there. Didn’t a lot of cars come with them from the factory?
Regarding the car bra thing. I was car-crazy from the very late 1970s through today and I’d put their peak popularity in the mid to late 1980s. I’ve always looked at them with disdain in “the cure is worse than the disease” kind of way, for the reasons thus stated in this thread, and others.
In parallel with this, there were a faction of people who, perhaps in concert with the sellers of these things in order to create their own feedback loop, that tried to push them as a desirable accessory in and of themselves. I’ve heard quite a few say/suggest to me and others ( of our cars ) “hey, that thing would look really cool with a car bra…” and somesuch.
I would assume the popularity of the car bras coincided with the popularity of grill-less car designs and painted bumpers, which gave cars a front-facing painted area that some people felt needed protection. And those sorts of designs became mainstream with cars like the Taurus, which would indeed put it in the mid to late 80s.
Possibly brand new and apparently unmodified Mazda Miata. It had been parked nose-in outside a Target so I only saw the rear and I was in too much of a hurry to get inside to get a picture.
