Minneapolis Street Sighting: Bentley Turbo R

I can't help it; I love finding rare and off-the-wall stuff. I usually expect to see pre-1960s Bentleys--because, well, they're collector cars more than anything. Post 1980s Bentleys are fairly rare here, unless the Bentley is a Continental or any of its derivatives. Even then, Bentleys are far and few between here. So I was stunned when I spotted this out of the corner of my eye.

I got closer, and realized that not all is what it at first seemed; shiny, the paint was not. Chrome, the trim--again--was not. And not all the centercaps were present, either. Surely, this once-noble motorcar has seen better days--and hopefully it will return to those better days.

As I mentioned above, spotting this one was a real treat; I hardly ever see these, much less in dilapidated condition, but hey--a Bentley is still a Bentley, and I will shoot accordingly. With weathered paint, and dull chrome--and godawful US spec headlights, this Bentley is far from a collector's car; and it has every right to be. Even as an enthusiast of British cars, I think these leave a little to be desired. I'm sure they're great luxury cars, but--like their newer counterparts--the styling doesn't leave anyone filled with very much emotion.

The rolling stock can't decide whether it wants to be sporty or luxurious, either. I'd rather a set of nice (but not generic) 5 spokes than these factory turds; sure, they look period--and I do mean period. This style of fat face and not much spokage was quite popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and even Bentley was immune. I guess shallow spokes and big surface meant classy? I mean, c'mon, in 2003, the Lexus SC430 had that basic style of wheel, and we all know what a classy car that was.

I would gladly drive this thing; first, I'd make sure all the maintenance is up to snuff, and give it a good Sunday wax, but I would still sport it. And for under $30k, an old Turbo R makes for a pretty nice budget Bentley, too.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Cadillac Eldorado

I usually pass on Cadillacs these days; actually, I lie. I still shoot them, but it takes quite a car to get me to notice. At first, I was shooting anything I deemed old or classic, be it rare or not. This seems to be the case here, as I used to shoot any and every Eldorado of this vintage I dare see. I've probably blogged at least five of these by now, and to be honest, I don't shoot them anymore. Hell, you'd be hard-pressed to get me to take a second glance at these now. With a lethargic V8 an front-wheel-drive, this this is definitely a product of the emissions-choked 1980s; and it shows. These aren't collectible, and they're not really a favorite on any Cadillac enthusiasts must-own list. Stodgy, iffy build quality, and a understeer does not a Cadillac make--well it does if you're familiar with most of the brands' offerings from 1978 to about 2003.

I usually try to not shoot custom cars, but some cannot be helped; they're either too awesome to pass up, but sometimes, the bad sides of automotive customization rear their ugly heads. Yesterday, I brought readers a fantastically ugly Ford pickup, and today, my example of Cadillac's least pretty Eldorado is no different. On the bright side, at least this once-luxurious barge isn't pretending to be a race car of any sorts.

Where do I start with this? First off, I thought the whole mural trend died out in about 199, and honestly it probably did; this poor Eldorado looks almost abandoned--and it probably is. The paint-job I'm sure costs loads of money when it was new. The detailing is extremely intricate, but unfortunately age hasn't been kind to it; the shine or candiness has all but disappeared, leaving extreme fading around the text and "Lowrider" logo; I'm almost wondering if this car was in Lowrider magazine when it was a fresh build. It certainly meets all the criteria: small diameter reverse wire wheels, gaudy-but-showcar paintjob, and gold-plated trim.

Cars like this leave me torn; on one hand, I despise them and think they're mostly garbage, and on the other side, they're at least better than donks. Way better. At least these things aren't jacked up so high they ride higher then pickup trucks. Also, these things for the most part, are done fairly tastefully by "ghetto" standards. I almost like this one. Almost. My love for this generation of Eldorado is dying rapidly, but it's nice to know that not all of them are red, white, or black with stock wire hubcaps an church grilles.

I would save this one, but it's too far gone at this point; at least there are plenty of others out there should I start caring about this bodystyle. As far is this one goes, its best days are clearly far behind it.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford pickup

Over my years of car spotting, I have only recently noticed a severe drop in classic trucks, much less rust-free example of classic trucs. To me, a "classic truck" is a pickup whose design has not only stood the test of time, but one whose design is almost instantly recognizable as belonging to certain brand. The '75-79 Ford pickups fit both criteria quite well.
From an early age, I grew fond of this bodystyle, and as I got older and grew more appreciative of certain vehicles, my love for this bodystyle grew even more. I like this trucks best in two-tone schemes, so I was sort of pleased when I noticed this truck--but this sighting wasn't as rosy as it initially appeared.
I have always liked the idea of a "sport truck"; however, this idea is likely best left to factories and well established tuners, not Joe Blow and his garage. As a moderate enthusiast of Ford trucks, I was a tad saddened by this. I never really like to this generation customized, and this one borders on the tacky side of things.

Up close, this truck saddened me; first off, the condition isn't as great as it initially appeared. The paint appeared originally, with a dash of redneck-repair. Flat in spots, glossy in others--and that's just the start. The mesh taillight accents, combined with the cheesy visor make for a terrible combination of add-ons. The fender flares only add to the ridiculousness. It really is a sad-looking truck in person. I'm less than impressed with the--dare I say it--riceyness of this example. On the uspide, Cragar SS wheels are always a good choice; the diameter and combination of tires is a great choice too. Unfortunately, the rest of the truck sucks.
I love these trucks, but unfortunately, I would not drive this one. The owner ruined what once was a very classy truck. Ditch the body mods, keep the rolling stock, and beef up the engine, and then we'll talk. Until then, keep on trukin', Cletus.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mazda 626 Turbo

As I've always said, the vehicles I grew up with were more interesting than those on sale today from the same manufacturers. I have always loved Mazda, partially because the brand remains part of my childhood. We never had any of the interesting ones, unfortunately. Aside from the more plebeian 323s and 626s, Mazda marketed plenty of interesting versions of its more staid passenger cars. With the rise of the "budget" performance cars, the 323 GTX was launched as an effort to bring the idea of all-wheel-drive performance to a new crowd; Audi's fabled Quattro was much too expensive to be enjoyed by an audience with modest income. Turbo power is seen as the answer to good fuel economy, and good power today; funny thig is, some twenty-five years ago, the same was also true. Turbocharged imports came on the scene faster than magazines could write rave reviews. Mazda has long cared about drivers, and has always marketed their vehicles as driver's choice cars. Obviously, with the rotary-engined vehicles, and the much-lauded MX-5 roadster (Miata here in the 'States)Mazda has shown that it cares about the driving public--and the bread-and-butter 626 was no
different.
Shown here in the five door hatch guise, the Turbo made up the sport end of the 626 lineup; this lineup also consisted of the GT, the LX notchback (nee sedan), and LX five door hatchback. As far as collectability is concerned, I would venture to say that all of these cars (the Turbo included) are long forgotten by now--and that's a shame, because more of these cars aught to be saved, even if they weren't much when new.

 dumb
This example is fairly clean; no obvious rust, and no bondo, either. Quite rare for a Japanese cars of this vintage--or any car of this vintage, really. The color leaves a bit to be desired, but this is a product of the 1980s, so it really isn't a surprise that the hue sucks. I'm just glad its all one color, though. That in itself is a quite rare feat. I like the wheels on this example, too. Stock 5-spoke "sawblades", but they're nice--even by today's standards. Inside, it had a 5 spd manual, and I'm sure this is a hoot to drive, even if it isn't overly exciting. I remember reading somewhere that turbos with a 5 spd were fairly rare, and the hatchback body style makes them that much more so. I would almost venture to say that this is a once-in-lifetime find--and an interesting one at that.