Minneapolis Street Sighting: Toyota Supra Mark IV

In my years of carspotting, there have always been a select few of my favorite cars that have somehow eluded me. Maybe it has to do with rarity, or simply because of where I live; the Supra falls into both of those categories I'm afraid. Marketed as Toyota's halo car when it went upmarket, the last-generation Supras are quite rare compared to earlier cars.

First established in 1978, the nameplate was made into a separate model in 1982; it is Toyota's answer to Mazda's RX7, and Datsun/Nissan's beloved Z-car.  Like its two main competitors, the Supra has always relied on one main powerplant--variations of an inline-six cylinder engine, which, in later years had the option of being turbocharged. Like its turbo-Z competitors and RX-7 competitors, the Supra turbos are quite the collector item--if not molested.

While some car enthusiasts (mainly on the muscle car side) have the idea that Supras will never be as fast as certain cars, the fact of the matter is, they can. As with a vast majority of other Japanese supercars, they can be turned into quite quick monsters with very little effort. I have not seen many tuned Supras up close, but as a general car enthusiast, I would like to.

I am proud of this find; for starters, Mark IV Supras are pretty uncommon here in any form--and rightfully so. This is Toyota's halo car--and this example certainly looks the part.Being all stock helps matters in this case, as its a rare feat for one of the world's most renowned tuner cars.

All the correct bits are present here; the stock (and slightly bland) wheels, the stock (and often duplicated) rear wing, and hey look! Supra taillights-- but wait.. This is a Supra!

I notice that this one has badges on the fenders, marking this one a 15th Anniversary Edition; that little tidbit marks this example as a 1997. Surviving nearly seventeen years as a stock car is one thing, but to do so in a world where this car is widely coveted by people who refuse to leave it stock is quite another.

I am quite happy with this spotting as I hardly ever see Toyota's supercar, stock or not. This is the only Mark IV I've shot in depth, and I hope it won't be my last.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Triumph TR250

I have a thing for British cars, and more often then not, the British beings I spot in Minneapolis are of the Triumph breed--and there's nothing wrong with that. I love them all; most of the ones I see are either TR-6s, or (sadly) the later TR7s, which I abhor. Earlier cars from the brand tickle my fancy, and to me, the TR250 is about one of the best examples of what the Triumph brand stands for.

Lightweight, and a good handler, yes, but fast..erm, no.According to wikipedia, these hit null to sixty in ten-and-a half-seconds, and took nearly forty seconds to hit the magic triple-digits. But, speed is not the point of British roadsters such as this. 

Oddly enough, for not being sold in the US when new apparently, most have made their way over here, and I wouldn't be surprised if most of the 600 left are in the US. I have seen about five or six, so I'd consider myself  very lucky.

I really like this example; the deep navy bodywork looks excellent, and is a standout considering most of the examples I see are either green or white. The tan top is wonderful as well, and definitely goes well with the exterior.  I also am a staunch fan of the luggage carrier, as it looks at home here; normally I decry the addition of such exterior "modifications", but in this case, the rack looks to be a period accessory, thus I don't mind it.

I dig the wire wheels on this one, too, and how could I not? While these cars did come with steelies (painted or otherwise), I feel that proper wire wheels are the way to go here. Wires just look right.

I love finding little British roadsters, and I love shooting them so; I know these pictures are fairly old, but I do think this is one of the better subjects I've shot; I am no expert at Triumph, and each one is a learning experience for me.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet 210

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mercedes 300TD

I am a staunch Mercedes fan, but I am picky about which Mercedes I like. While some people narrow it down to model years of bodycodes, I narrow my likes and dislikes down to color and wheel combinations as well--and the W123 is proof of that.

To me, the W123 is the best modern-classic Mercedes; it's new enough that there are still quite a number of them on the road, and finding a used example won't break the bank. On the flipside, these W123s are old enough that finding a nice one can be a tad tricky.  In exceptional condition, bodywise,yeah, but mechanically, I am pretty sure that all of these are solid and won't die. After all, Mercedes products made before the DaimlerChrysler merger are solid vehicles and the W123 is one of the best cars around. Period. Want proof? The W123 has been featured on Wheeler Dealers, and its used as a current taxi in several countries where cars garner tons of abuse, such as Turkey, Botswana, and Iraq and Iran.

This example of one of Mercedes' most timeless modern-classics is a rather nice one; obviously, its dirty, but that's the only real problem with it. I didn't notice any rust, and all the trim is in place. While I don't like the stock wheels on these at all, these wheels are used on everything from late-1960s Mercedes, to these, and they don't look good on anything. To be a perfect wagon, it needs color-matched hubcaps with trim rings, not these godawful disaster-pieces.

I also much prefer the European headlights as well, but honestly, aside from those two nitpicks, this 300TD represents the breed well. Worn, sure, but it probably has quite a bit of life left.

While these are still sort of common, I do shoot them every now and then, and I'm glad I shot this one; it has since been involved in a wreck, but it still chugs onward despite a blue front fender and lack of a bumper. As I said earlier, this generation of Mercedes' midsize car is unkillable.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo6 XWD

I have a thing for Swedish cars; really, I am a newbie at most Swedish cars, especially Saabs. Sure, I know of the 900, and the 99, but I know next to nothing about the earlier cars. Unfortunately, the Saabs I'm most familiar with are the ones slapped together by GM and burdened with a price-tag that doesn't quite match the build quality.

Many Saab enthusiasts will agree that even the Viggen wasn't quite what a Saab should, and their place in the luxury car market was an odd one; were the cars focused on luxury or were they focused on sportiness? No one really knows, as Saabs weren't quite BMW luxury, nor did they have the panache expected with a $35,000 car.

After a decade of morbidly underwhelming cars, GM looked to revitalize Saab in the later half of the 2000s, by offering them deals with Subaru (the 9-2X), and then Cadillac and Opel. Unfortunately, GM handled Saab the exact same way they handled Isuzu--horribly. GM purposely gave Saab shitty, underclassed vehicles as starting points, and ultimately drove Saab to its death.  At least the final farewell was a great car.

The previous 9-5 was a bit of a dud; it wasn't a fast car, it wasn't a sports car, and it wasn't overly expensive; it was an alternative to Volvo's cars, which do hold a specific place in today's evergrowing luxury car market. What Volvo had that Saab didn't is dealers; for every Saab dealer, there were two Volvo dealers. In my home-base-state of Kansas, there were a few Volvo dealers when I was little, but only one Saab dealer.

The Saab 9-5 is a striking car, if not only for its rarity; in this color, it looks great. Stunning wouldn't be far off, to be honest. It's a far cry from the Saabs of old, but  this example is by far prettier than than anything else churned out by GM.  The lines flow, and although the car looks relatively bland with the base wheels on it, these 19" turbine wheels look amazing, and enhance the car's presence--dramatically.

While I dislike the Opel-esque cutline in the lower flanks, the execution here looks considerably better than the approach taken on the Opel Isignia/Buick Regal. Another area of concern, stylingwise anyway, is the lack of any sort of front or rear bumper. Yes, the slim "bumper"-area looks good, but because my state requires front license plates, the front plates look tacked on--and they are.

Overall this is a very cohesive design that was only plagued by lower-level wheel choices. On the bright side, Saab (and GM) realized that even on base model, hubcaps are pretty stupid at this price point.

I am glad I shot this as these are very scarce in my area. Quite a pretty end to a very storied automobile marque. What it lacks in overall quirkiness, it makes up for in rarity--just like any Trollhattan automobile.