Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jaguar E-Type

To be honest, very few cliche cars get me excited anymore; one exception is the Triumph TR-6, which I absolutely adore. Another example is the Jaguar XK-E/E-Type. This particular car has been spotted at various car shows and gatherings here in Minnesota for the last few years. Only recently did I discover its habitat. Yep, you guessed it; this stunner is another Quality Coach. Upon my various ventures over to the place where old, obscure, not-often seen car thrive in droves, this E-Type had me stopping and gawking damn near every single time I showed up in its presence; this thing truly is gorgeous. From its authentic British wires (the wheels not the electrics, people.), to its beautiful blue paint, from the chrome bumpers to the intricate badging detail on the trunk, this Jaguar captures the essence of "British tourer".
If asked to write down a list of favorite cars ever, this classic Jaguar would definitely be on the list, right up there with such hotties as early bumper TR-6s, XKSS roadsters, and the obvious 250GTO and 300SL Gullwing. As you can see, I'm quite a sucker for 1950s and 1960s sports cars, preferably with clutter-free designs, and as little chrome as possible.
While the E-Type certainly was a sports car by today's stretch, the E-Type is more heralded as a tourer, much like the modern XK/XK-R, and with your choice of either a 3.8 or a 4.2, touring is what it did best, although, like today's XK, this 1960s predecessor could reach upwards of 140 MPH in a straight line. As with today's XK, the E-Type also got relatively decent fuel mileage given its size. As with today's version, the 1960s piece with the 3.8 got about 21 MPG as well. Not bad, considering cars "got terrible gas mileage" in the 1960s. Nice to see, even 40 years later and a few more horsepower doesn't really do anything to detract the gas mileage figure very much. If anything, this proper XK is certainly more of a hoot to drive than the new one.
As I've said before, this example is truly amazing; the paint finish, the chrome, the interior. Everything is just about as perfect as can be, save for the modern stereo' here's hoping it doesn't have subs in it. The only thing missing is that fact that I don't own it. Shame, shame.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac Sedan deVille

First off, this is one of few classic Cadillacs that does not belong to Jesse. Like him, the owner of this classic Caddy has kept his example is great shape for so long. Since the majority of classic Caddys I see are in relatively stock condition, this particular car only was worth a shoot because I like it; in fact, I have a few Matchboxes of this gen, including one in this exact color combo. Contrary to many, I don't care for the preceding generation of deVilles. I love this generation, however. This and the 1961-1964 Lincoln Continental are probably my two favorite domestic luxury sedans of all-time. Like the Conti, these, too, look good on semi-bling wheels. Nothing too outrageous, obviously.
This particular example is outstanding considering its gone nearly 45 years without being rusted away or blinged. The gold paint is FLAWLESS; the trim is nearly there, the factory hubcaps are intact, and even the interior is MINT. Sadly, being for sale in Minnesota, this example is likely going to either get blinged to shit, or turned into a beater. I fear for this car. It's too nice to get ruined by mother nature or otherwise.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Infiniti M30 Coupe

When one is mentioned the words, "Infiniti coupe", it's no doubt that the first car that comes to mind is the relatively new G35/G37 Coupe. Go back 20 years, and you'll find quite a different Infiniti coupe. And here it is; the M30.
Available in both coupe and convertible forms like its much younger G35 sibling, the M30 is RWD, too. Where the two cars differ most, though, is what they're meant to do. While the G35 packs a sporty punch with a dab of luxury, the M30 is all about luxury-- with a little sprinkle of performance thrown in to ensure that keeping up with traffic will actually happen. Also, like its much younger sibling, the M30 is a six-cylinder, too; it uses the predecessor to Nissan's much-loved VQ35, the VG30. But, instead of 300+ horses in the G35/G37, this "classic" Infiniti makes do with... wait for it--a staggering 162 horses. To put that into perspective, a base 2011 Nissan Altima 4 cylinder makes a 175.
This example was pretty nice. It did have a few blemishes, particularly in terms of wear and tear on the plastic pieces; the bumpers were scuffed from parking damage, but honestly that's really about it. The paint appeared to be in good nick, too, which is rather surprising given where I live. Unlike most newer "classics", this vehicle didn't suffer from rust or major body damage, a fact that is even more apparent up close. Like most cars of this vintage, the factory trim and badges are left intact, albeit faded, chipped from day-to-day sun exposure.
As always, I try to voice my opinion on what I'd do to the vehicle. In this case, I'd freshen it up, throw some new wheels on it (probably 18x7" and 18x8.5" bronze Volk GT-Cs), and maybe do an engine swap and massage the suspension here and there. I'd leave it looking stock, though, as to not screw up hard-to-find trim pieces.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Honda Prelude

It's 1986, and you're shopping around for sporty two door coupes. You've looked at the Sentra two door, and decided it's too bare bones; you don't like the styling of the Toyota Tercel and you ruled the Corolla out because you want FWD; there are no Mazda dealers around, so you can't look at the new 626 coupe. lastly, you have sworn against "crappy American cars", and with such travesties as the Cavalier and Sunbird base models, and the Ford Escort EXP, who could blame you?
What you're left with is the Honda Prelude, a sporty coupe based on the popular Accord range. Coming in a variety of flavors, including a rev-happy Si variant, the Prelude lineup has something for everyone. While the aforementioned Si was the version of choice for buyers who wanted some pep along with the sleek body, most opted for the much more sedate base model, seen here.
This particular example looks pretty good for a Minnesota car; yes, it has the obligatory rear fender warp, but aside from that, it's pretty clean. No gaping holes, no MAACO paint job, and all of the factory trim is correct, and non-missing. Even the stock two-tone has stood the test of time amazingly well. One thing I adore about this car, however, is the lack of aftermarket pieces. Like most Hondas, Preludes are often a favorite for ricers and tuners, so finding a relatively stock Prelude in any condition is a feat in itself. To find one this old, and this stock is beyond my wildest dreams. As a fan of vintage Japanese tin, this sporting Honda certainly woos me over. Would I do anything different if it were mine? Probably not. I like this generation of Prelude, so seeing one stock and non-riced is a great change. I'd leave it as-is. And that's the way I like most of the cars I feature here.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Honda CRX Si

Since I am a vintage Japanese car nut, living in Minnesota is hard for me. Okay, not really, but cars older than, say, 1995 or so, are usually in extremely poor shape or at least have substantial rust. Since Japanese cars tend to rust rather quickly, the quantity of pre-1995 Japanese cars in this state is pretty small compared to domestic cars. Having said that, let me clear up a few things. Firt off, I realize the Honda CRX isn't typically considered a "classic car", yet. Number two, yes I am aware that this example isn't quite stock. Hence why I like it. It's modified without being overly garish or ricey.
In 1985, Honda decided to try a new niche; an all-out sports car based on the popular economy car, the Civic. Around this time, Nissan came out with the bigger Sentra/Sunny ZX Coupe based on their popular compact, the Sentra. But, since the Sentra coupe was a bigger car, it didn't really compete with the CRX. It would've competed more with the Civic coupe-- a car that didn't come out till 1992, when the CRX was dropped.
As far as trim levels go, one could choose from the DX-- a bare bones no luxury model, the HF-- a bare bones economy model with steelies and pretty much no luxury, designed for fuel economy, or the much coveted Si model. This model is what you see above. It packed exterior features such as bigger alloy wheels, a slightly lower ride height, and a power moonroof. Equipped with the B16A, this diminutive sports-compact barely nudged the scale at a tad over 2100 pounds. While it wasn't a fast car, per se, the CRX Si is said to be a hoot to drive.
This particular example sported a few JDM pieces. IN place of the stock front fascia are JDM yellow fogs (a popular mod), and a carbon fiber front lip. The JDM-ness continues with a carbon fiber hood, too. No doubt done for aesthetics, the hood probably evens out the already good weight balance. The only thing that worries me is that since this car has dealer plates, it's probably being driven extremely hard. I'm also worried about the fit and finish of the mods, which makes me think it was modded to hide past damage. Oh well, it's still a clean example of a forgotten species in the import performance segment.

Boise Street Sighting: Mazda REPU

As I've said on numerous occasions, Boise, Idaho is one of the coolest places I've been when it comes to finding old vehicles still being used daily. The lack of salt, and overly dry year-round climate make this city on of the better places to find old cars in decent shape. Since Boise isn't a trendy city, big-city fads like donkriding and minitrucking haven't made a tremendous impact on the car culture there. The result? Many, many rare cars and trucks scattered about the city like diamonds in a field. A good portion of the vehicle I saw whilst there were of the GM variety, so not many "street sightings were had. Since I am a sucker for old Japanese trucks, I went gaga when this thing caught my lens.
What is this, you ask? Well, the title says Mazda REPU. Let me explain. Before the Ford-Mazda joint venture Courier/B-Series, Mazda had their own compact truck. Like the B-Series that came after it, this little pickup did battle with Toyota and Datsun as well. Unlike the truck that replaced it, however, this little guy did without pistons. Rather than being simply a four letter catchy name, REPU actually tells the buyer, and enthusiast/onlooker what they're looking at-- a rotary engined pickup.
Powered by the same 13B found in the much-loved RX7 sports car, this classic minitruck was the world's first--and only-- rotary powered pickup truck. Made from 1974 to 1977, just 15,000 were speculated to have been built--actual production figures are unknown. Unlike its piston-powered competitors, the rotary drank gas at the same rate as a contemporary fullsize car. Toyota's SR-5 achieved 27 MPG on the highway, the Datsun got a decent 24 MPG on the highway, and the REPU? It's official EPA rating was 14 City and 19 Highway. Not too terrible by today's standards until you remember how small these trucks really were. Since Japanese vehicles had much higher tendency to rust out, most of the surviving trucks are in the Western part of the US. Fitting, since I saw this exmaple in Idaho.