I have a soft spot for those … I used to own a 97 Samurai …
(not mine, but similar built; 4:1 transfer, 30 or 31” tires and locker front and rear and you were basically unstoppable because: 63 or so hp :o)
The only 4x4s that did consistently better were Unimogs
At the Winchester Mystery House this morning, the Planters NUTmobile:
I spotted a kei truck yesterday, probably a Honda Acty, hauling snow to be dumped somewhere before the snow emergency today.
Yeah I like those. My personal preference is the 3 door, short wheelbase model. I drove the old military Jeeps, the M151s. And then when the HummVees came out I drove those too. The HummVees are nice: faster, better suspension, smoother ride, but they are big. The old M151s I like because they are narrower and with their short wheelbase they can maneuver around trees and obstacles better. I generally prefer smaller.
And they really stood out!
I assumed that the designer, Brooks Stevens, was a Milwaukee native. One of my neighbors there was his patent attorney (and mentioned that Stevens had never said thank you for all the late nights this guy put in on his behalf).
I’ve been seeing multiple cars with a California plate in the format 9X%%###. The general pattern started at 0AAA000 ending at 9ZZZ999.
I stopped for gas while out running errands earlier, and a guy in a Lotus Elise pulled up to a nearby pump. The license plate read TRK DAZ.
My kid’s obsessed with those, as she watched plates creep up from hers (starting with 7K%%###) to newer ones. The latest one I saw last week started with 9W).
Jalopnik had an article…
I’m not a fan of the Cybertruck, and I’m happy to see less and less of them on the roads here (SFBA CA USA), and also happy to see reports of disappointing sales, but I saw one with a wrap colored medium-dark green. A very nice color, and fairly unique. I’ve seen Cybertrucks in many color wraps but this green was nearly handsome.
It was like…
lipstick on a pig.
I passed a 1990s era Toyota pickup truck with a plow this morning, those things are indestructible.
This was a couple weeks ago, but I forgot to report it then — a canary yellow VW with “Yellow Submarine” graphics on both sides and pix of the Fab Four. It was for sale.
I saw a Saturn SW2 on the road this morning. Those first generation Saturns are starting to get pretty scarce, so it was interesting to see one still going. And it looked pretty well maintained, too.
Driving through El Centro this morning and saw the Navy Blue Angels training. Stopped at the rest area on I8 and watched for about 15 minutes. Very cool.
Parked on my suburban street, an Apocalypse Hellfire. Had to look it up to see that it was a $200k truck.
I was 86’d this morning in the parking lot of my hotel in Monterey:
A restored and somewhat customized second generation (1980-83) Honda Civic.
This morning, early. Just now — a 2026 Rolls-Royce Ghost
Are you rich? If you’re loved by many, if you are happy, then you are rich, and blessed.
I’m not an expert on Rolls-Royce models but I’m pretty sure this is a 2026 Ghost. Anyone know for sure? From the license plate #, it’s a brand new car.
Note the suicide doors. Pretty cool.
MSRP starts at around $355,000. Maybe when it’s fully optioned the total cost is over $500,000. A guess.
A Porsche Cayman & a 911 GT3, both fire engine red & parked next to each other in the parking lot by work
Separately, a Dodge Promaster contractor / work van driven my a middle aged male drove past me in the neighborhood; the vehicle wasn’t all that interesting, just plain white, but the fact that his left foot was resting on the vent on the dashboard sure was. Not only us that incredibly dangerous & a pretty-much guaranteed broken pelvis in even a minor accident but his having the flexibility of a teenaged female gymnast to have o e foot tgere & thw other on tge gas pedal was very impressive!
This evening I saw a Cybertruck that was plastered with advertising for a contractor. I think this was the first Cybertruck I’ve seen that appeared to be an actual work truck.