Minneapolis Street Sighting: Buick Dynaflow Roadmaster

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Volkswagen Quantum

Growing up in the early 1990s, Volkswagens other than the common Jettas, Golfs and classic Beetles were pretty scarce to me; maybe it had something to do with the fact that I lived in Northeast Kansas, but I never saw many VWs outside of those three nameplates. As I got older, though, I began to notice a variety of Volkswagens I hadn't seen before. I've heard of them, yes, but it wasn't until much later that I knew much about them.
I've been a longtime staunch fan of the Volkswagen Passat, and it remains one of my favorite Volkswagens to this day. In 2012, a multitude of versions are--unfortunately all sedan because Americans apparently don't understand the concept--or the ideology-- behind a good station wagon.
Originally offered in both a sedan and a wagon, the Quantum offered something that only Subaru and the more copact Toyota Tercel and Honda Civic wagons had at the time; 4 wheel drive. Sure, it was available on Audis too. but they were much more expensive that even the Quantum.
 In 1990, the Quantum finally became known as the Passat in the US, like it had been known as outside of the US; the rest is history, and proof that once you stick to a good name, do not change it. Volkswagen seemed to have forgotten that when they horribly attempted to rebadge the Golf as the Rabbit once again. I would laugh if VW renamed the Passat the Quantum again after its next redesign.


I've always been a fan of obscure German cars--obscure cars in general, too, but.. hey.. who's counting. I don't think I have ever seen a Quantum in recent memory on the road; the only one that stands out was spotted in U-Pull-It a few years ago in the wintertime--and that one was a wagon. I don't think I've ever seen a sedan, so this one was a treat for me. Parked in a shitty neighborhood that also housed random GM H-bodies, I had to do a double-take to be sure I was, indeed, seeing a Volkswagen Quantum.
As far as niceties go, I have no idea how this one fares; its the first one I've seen, and it's in okay shape; obviously the paint isn't terribly glossy, and it has a few nicks and scrapes here and there, but its over 25 years old. What Minnesota vehicle won't show signs of age by then? Although, I can't bash it too much, this is a decent example. The wheels are still the factory wheels and all the trim is there.
One thing interesting that I noticed about all sorts of VWs is that before the days of the S, SE, SEL nomenclature, there were numbers designating special features. This particular car is badged as a Quantum GL-5, signifying the number of gears in the manual transmission. It also sports styled wheels similar to those on the much-loved GTi, once again signifying the GL-5 as the most sporting of the Quantum line. A sports car it obviously is not, but a sporty car it is--for 1980s standards. I guess the modern equivalent is the VW CC R-Line with a stick? I guess once a sporty four-door always a sporty four-door.
This is honestly one of the more mundane vehicles I've shot, blogged, and written about, but I guess since I'm a closet VW fanatic, it only makes sense, right? After it, this thing does count as a classic--and it isn't hellaflush or stanced either, thus rendering it one more stock Volkswagen roaming Minneapolis' streets.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Model A pickup

When I'm shooting vehicles on the street, I tend to go after stock-appearing vehicles for the most part; however, a scant few vehicles begin to pique my interest in any condition. Like a majority of other car geeks, I've always been intrigued by hot rods--if they're done right. Normally, old Fords are the cliche hot rod or street rod--and they still are, to an extent. For this reason, I'd likely shy away from them--at car shows. On the street, these things truly do fascinate me. Like a Ferrari parked on the street, hot rods do leave me with an impression be it good or bad. Whether its a '50s style rat rod, or a gussied-up fiberglass body with monstrous wheels and a generic V8, these old Model As can be done up in a variety of ways. I've seen coupes in damn-near every fashion, and the roadsters and rumble-seat convertibles aren't that hard to come by, either. It's fairly rare that I do see a pickup, though, and usually when I do, it's been hacked into a rather distasteful amalgam of a roadster with a pickup bed. Not quite what I hope for when the phrase "Model A pickup" enters my head. Thankfully, the only roadster-pickup I've seen in person was quite tasteful, as is the only true pickup I've seen in person.












Patina; you've gotta love it. On most hacked-up crapfest hot rods, patina is way overdone--to the point of being straight-up ridiculous. On certain examples of the hot-rod genre, it work--quite well. Doing away with the typical off-shades of red, maroon, gray or black primer, this Model A replaces the generic "in" hues with a nice shade of blue-green that may or may not be a factory color. Like so many other "period" hot-rods, this truck has been decked out in a shop-truck manner, complete with door decals emblazoning the shop name. Again, like most of the traditional "shop truck" hot rods, this example of Ford's first popular truck is done up in such a way that I can't even tell if it really does duty as a hauler, or if its just done up like this in a vain attempt to be cool. Regardless, I quite like it; I've always dug Model As, and I've always dug hot rods for some reason. If they're true to the original meaning of what a hot rod is, then I have no problems with them. Now, if thing was sitting on a set of Boyd wheels and wearing a fluorescent paint color, then there would be a hell of a problem. But it isn't, so there's not a problem. The wheels on this guy are damn near perfect; I'm no expert at being original with regards to what wheels I'd slap on vehicles, but I do like these. These stock Ford wheels give this Model A a rat look, but keep it looking classy as well. No doubt that the bigger meats help, too. I'm not too sure of possible handling, but I'm sure it rides and handles much better than something of this nature on previously mentioned Boyd wheels would ever do. I will never grow tired of proper hot rods; they're a part of American culture that I cannot ever seem to hate. Bling-rods? Yes. I detest those. But traditional hot rods? Vehicles like this Model A prove once again that traditional hot rods are the way to go when customizing a 70 year old vehicle. They've stood the test of time for a reason.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Econoline 200 Super Van

In my tenure as a blogger, there are a few types of vehicles that have eluded me for quite a while. Amidst all the decaying pickups, rust-laden cars, and rotten SUVs that look like they wasted their life as city-dwelling beaters, vans, for whatever reason, have simply gone unnoticed. Well, modern ones have, anyway. Forget that 1980s Ford Econoline and Club Wagon for a minute. When the discussion turns to the Econoline nameplate, its the 1980s example we think of most, followed closely by their 1960s counterparts. But what about the 1970s versions? Aren't they important? Yes, but evidently not much, as so few have been saved.








When the Econoline first hit the scene, it was compact van that was ready to take on the Corvair vans, and Dodge A-100. It's following generation would change van design forever. Instead of making the van into a box with the engine under the passenger compartment entirely, the new-for-1968 Ford vans had a short, stubby hood that house the front of the engine supposedly to make the design safer in an accident. As we all know, older vehicles still have the problem with no crumple zones, so now that argument is invalid. What isn't invalid is the life-longevity of these big Fords. This 1974 example is fairly rusty, obviously, but living in Minnesota, did you expect less? Well, I can say this: there are a few others around, and they're in even worse condition.
Heavily faded, and brandishing rust like a home intruder a knife, this knocked-up Super Van sure means business. Whether that business is trasporting the owner from school to school, or simply hauling band gear from one show to the next is unseen, but I can assure you that people more likely than not give this green thing the right of way. And with a face like that, I would too.
I have respect for vans, probably even more-so than I ever have, especially with them being a dying breed. I hope to find more interesting vans as my years go on. Till then, this Econoline will continue to haunt you.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Rambler Classic 770 Cross Country

To continue "offbeat cars" week, I present a second AMC-era product. I like wagons, alot, and I'm just getting into AMC/Ramblers alot more than I've ever been. To me, discovering a new world in an already crowded segment makes me feel like I'm new at being a car enthusiast; I'm not, but my ever-growing knowledge base is only helped with the discovery of vehicles I otherwise would've only given a quick once-over.
While wagons of any sort are far from common, especially in crossover hell, I treated this Rambler initially with surprise; from a distance I thought it was a usual Chevy or perhaps a Mopar, but the rear end didn't look right. So, I pulled my bike up, and.. wow. I stood there for maybe a good ten to fifteen seconds just taking it in. I almost want to say this was the first Rambler product I'd seen in person, and also the first one I was able to shoot in depth.
In the 1960s, with station wagons being a big part of the automotive scene, it seemed as if every major car manufacturer offered multiple varieties to choose from. AMC/Rambler was no different. Rather than naming all of its offerings with traditional names like "Vista Cruiser", "Kingswood", or "Estate Wagon", Rambler opted to number its series of cars. 550 was the base model, 660 was the midgrade, and this 770 shown here was the top of the line model; it feature such niceties such as full on AM/FM radio, eight passenger seating, a standard roof, and standard 232 I6 power. While 145 horses isn't much, especially compared to even four cylinders today, remember this was over forty years ago. I think 145 does the car just fine, as I doubt the owner uses it as a race car of any sort.
This example of a rare breed certainly does the car justice; no hard-life lived here; paint, chrome and side trim are in immaculate condition, as are the factory correct hubcaps. Inside, too, was damn clean. No blatant rips in the upholstery, and all the interior trim seemed to be intact, including the rearmost seats. I don't know if I'm correct, but this looked like a genuine one-owner car. And I'll be surprised if it wasn't.
As an enthusiast, I think cars like this one should be preserved more; not only do they give the next generation of car enthusiasts something to look forward to, cars like this can also be conversation pieces at car shows, and allow the older generation to mingle with the younger generation. In short, cars like this need to be saved in order for the car enthusiast to be saved.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet El Camino

When the term "ute" is brought up, many gearheads think of the Australian connotation, something like a Holden Ute or a Ford Falcon ute. In America, the term "ute" usually applies to sport-utilities of one form or another. But, to put the term "ute" to correct use, one has to look at a whole new class of vehicles that sadly isn't sold on our shores anymore. Mainly used by farmers, and rural types who initially needed the comfort of a car with the hauling capacity of a truck, the "ute" was born. In 1957, the ute category hit the United States in the form of the Ford Ranchero, based off the then-contemporary Ford lineup. In 1959, Chevrolet entered to the fray to do battle with Ford's new niche vehicle. However, the El Camino would disappear from the lineup between 1961 and 1963, though it returned in 1964 and was a mainstay until the model's demise in 1987.
This model is a late model fourth generation; the stacked headlights make this a 1976 or 1977 model, and for some reason, "1977 El Camino" has a better ring to it than "1976 El Camino". This trucklet could have anything from a lame-duck 105 horse 250 I6 all the way up to a stonking 175 horse 400 V8. As it's been said before, the late 1970s were a terrible time for engines in terms of power, and even the great Chevrolet V8s were not exempt.
Chevrolet fans know that this generation of El Camino is no real collector prize; they're not flashy, they're not "sweet", and almost every other generation looks worlds better than this one. This generation even fails in the aftermarket parts area, since not many decent body and interior parts are either replicated or have custom parts available. So why is this particular generation of Chevrolet's ute now appreciating in value? The only logical explanation I can find, is that an early fourth generation is featured prominently as a traffic car in the newest installment of the Driver franchise.
Like all Minnesota vehicles, this certainly is no ten footer; twenty footer, maybe. Even from a bus (where I initially spotted this one), this example clearly has seen better days. The white paint is far from glossy (isn't it always?), and what little trim there is definitely shows it age. Granted nearly forty years wasting away in a salt-filled snowy haven come wintertime will do that to a car, especially if it sits outside much of its life. I didn't do a filler check for obvious reasons, but I can imagine this poor trucklet is filled to the brim with bondo just to keep it on the road.