Minneapolis Street Sighting: Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale coupe

Welp, yep. Another Oldsmobile. Hope you're not getting bored. This time, the example is from the early to mid eighties, and to be honest, it looks like it could be older. This body style lasted from 1977 to 1985, with this particular car being a 1983-1985 model. I have no idea why, but I like this version alot more than the 1977-1980 version in four door form; in coupe form, it the opposite. I tend to like the 1977-1980s a lot more.
Like the recent rash of posted Oldsmobiles, this car seems to be in fairly nice condition for a Minnesota car; no rust, no obvious dents or damage, and certainly no bondo covering shoddy bodywork. Usually, I'm not a fan of white or cream cars, but here, the hue seems to work. It doesn't scream "I'm cheap", nor does it scream "luxury" very well either. This is a color, where you have to judge on a car-by-car basis. This Delta 88 Royale pulls it off well. Slap another two doors on it, and I'd rather have it in sky blue anyday.
One thing that I've always said when it comes to older cars, wheels often make or break the car; and this Oldsmobile is a rare occurrence. For the most part, I like to see bigger cars that aren't outright pro touring cars (or hot rods or what have you) left stock with standard wheels and tires. On this particular car, however, the modern wheels set it off. A lot of you are probably wondering what these wheels are, since they don't look too bad. Sometimes, removing a centercap makes all the difference; these are simply GMC Sonoma ZQ8 appearance package wheels with the GMC centercaps removed. Not bad, and certainly not expensive either. I'm guessing the total "build" if you can call it that was less than a grand for car and wheels. Again, not too shabby.
If this clean Olds coupe were mine, I'd chuck the Olds 403 (or heaven forbid the 305) and toss in a LS6 with a T-56 and some Corvette Z06 suspension bits and have myself a nice pro touring vehicle that not everyone and there father has built. I guess I'm just a sucker for offbeat projects-- and a pro touring Oldsmobile Delta 88 certainly counts as an offbeat project.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Oldsmobile Ninety Eight two door

I don't what it is with this damn city, but it seems like over half the cars I end up shooting are Oldsmobiles or Buicks-- and honestly there's nothing exactly wrong with that. I love finding new specimen to shoot, and certainly helps when said specimen is two blocks from my house.
Over my years, I've encountered and shot many an Oldsmobile, but I don't think I've ever run across a clean Ninety Eight two door. Ever. I've seen big cars, but this was truly massive. I bet it's probably longer than an Excursion. It certainly makes the Delta 88 coupe I posted earlier seem a tad small, if that's any indication of its demeanor.
This example seemed to be extremely well looked after. With nearly forty years of driving under its belt, this example could pass for a used car circa 1982. I scoped the car up and down for signs of rust, bondo, or wear and tear otherwise, and only found small chips of decades old GM paint missing. On the surface, the paint looked incredible (well, as incredible as non-clearcoat 1970s era metallic can look, and it was amazingly all there with no disruptions. The trim, too, was in excellent nick; the badges were spotless, and looked as if they've been adhered to the car its whole life. Same story with the hubcaps. It's not often I see a classic car not only with all hubcaps present, but all hubcaps were in really outstanding shape, too. No massive dents, or curb scrapes to report.
It looks as if this giant Oldsmobile has led a very productive life, and has served its (probably elderly) owner very well. One can only hope it continues to do so. Certainly, in this condition, it can serve as transportation with a daily dose of awesomeness as well.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Oldsmobile Delta 88 coupe

Like a scant few of my blog sightings, this car goes back a bit for me. I first spotted this car a couple falls ago and since the owner was nearby, I shot a quick profile. Fast forward a few seasons, and as luck would have it, I stumbled upon this car in a rather iffy part of town. Go figure.
As with most examples of 1970s vehicles, this particular is sporting a rather healthy dose of wear and tear; on most cars, this level of rash would make me cringe, but here I think it works. It gives off a "don't you dare" vibe, as if this big coupe was saying "you better not even As it is, this Oldsmobile looks quite evil, and ready to eat up (and spit out) anything and everything in its past. If a "Christine"-type movie was shot and based in Minneapolis, I'm pretty sure this car would be the sole star.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac El Dorado Biarritz

As a general rule, I only shoot Cadillacs if they're interesting or flawless; I see way too many, even classics, to blogshoot every single one. On principle, I try to avoid most post-1980 models since they're usually either bland or rust-laden. If there's one model I can't get enough of, it's the 1979 to 1985 El Dorado. While FWD like its Buick Riviera twin, I simply can't get enough of these. They're classy without being over garish, and they don't necessarily scream "1980s kitsch" as do most other cars from this era, luxury or otherwise.
This was a gorgeous example of a not-quite-gorgeous model year; finished in candy cherry read, the paint looked impeccable, and judging by the original dealer plaque on the trunklid, I'm gonna take a wild stab and infer that not only is this paint color stock, it's original to boot. It's not often I see vehicles with the dealer plaque still intact! Well done!
As I examined the car closer, I began to appreciate this example more and more. Right down to the wire hubcaps, nothing has been altered from stock form. As far as I can tell, this is what I would venture to call a "time capsule". I wouldn't be surprised if the interior was untouched either.
I wouldn't change a thing on this Eldo if it was mine. The only thing I'd be sure of is that I would try to protect this stunning Cadillac (for what it is) to the best of my ability.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Impala convertible

I usually don't blogshoot classic Chevys for one main reason; they're more often than not donks. I can't stand most cookie cutter donks so I don't bother. Every once in a while, though, a clean pre-1980 Chevy shows up on my radar. This sweet Impala is no different.
Bathed in a deep cherry red, this example is stunning. The paint, while dirty, is for the most part, flawless. Granted, it's not in immaculate shape, but since it has NY plates, I can guarantee this clean convertible certainly is the opposite of trailer queen. While not pampered, it's definitely one of the nicer ones I've seen and heard (even with the "small" 327.) The only things that really bugged me about this example (other than the time of day it was spotted) was the general condition of the interior.
You do not modernize a classic interior and do it half-assed. I understand the need for modern sound equipment. Fine. But, don't hack the door panels and rear kick panels to hell, and don't put a modern head unit in an otherwise stock interior. It looks classless and dumb. Lastly, the godawful steering wheel HAS to go. It just simply does not work. It looks like garbage.