Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jaguar XJ-S H.E

I love classic Jaguars like nobody's business and to prove it, I've shot a few Mark IIs, a Mark IX, a couple early XJs, and one lucky E-Type/XK-E; there remains a question as to what defines a car as classic, and this is where my opinion shifts from the socio-norm of what defines a classic car. To many car enthusiasts, a classic is a vehicle that is significant in some way, shape, or form, and a vehicle that will likely have an impact on vehicles to follow, or likely had impact on the auto industry as a whole.

To me, a classic car is defined as those, but also a vehicle that I don't see as much around my parts; so does that mean I go around shooting every older car? Absolutely not.  I only shoot what interests me; and that's where these Jaguar XJS' come in. I know many Jaguar enthusiasts don't like these XJS--but I do. The series ran from 1975 to 1996, when the aging (but still good-looking) coupe was replaced by the XK8--which hasn't aged very well in comparison.

This is an H.E model, which debuted in 1981; among other "niceties" and tailorings for the US market, it came with a supposedly more efficient V12--and a boost in power. Not that it was needed really. No one thought the XJS were sports cars by any means---if anything, the XJS is a really nice grand touring car--not unlike the current XK lineup. Unlike today's XK lineup, however, the XJS really had no hardcore model. Only the TWR model,  which wasn't really available for mass consumption.

So why do I like the XJS? I have no idea--I've always been drawn to them, and its probably due to nostalgia factor; this is the first Jaguar I recognized, and whenever I think of Jaguar, this is the first one I think of. And that will stay with me till I die. That alone is why I adore the XJS.

This is example is dead-on perfect; fluid black paint, no pitted chrome, and even the questionable alloy wheels are still intact. I couldn't find a single thing wrong with this XJS. I love these, and I don't think I've seen a nicer one around.

 While black is a fairly boring color, it does make or break cars; this XJS certainly wears the color with pride, and I don't recall seeing another black one. The interior on this is something I can't comment on; I don't remember anything about it, unfortunately.

I still enjoyed shooting this--and I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing these.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Caprice

I realize that Caprices and Impalas are almost cliche now--for car enthusiasts of all walks of life. But here me out; in Minnesota, thanks to a certain trend, these cars are getting more extinct by the day, much less rust-free examples. There are two main reasons these cars are getting much harder to find--demolition derbies, and donkriders.While I admit the donk game is changing, and some of the cars look very nice, I find it sad the "ryderz" tend to go after clean cars with no rust--such as this one here. Granted, the things are now being done up rather subtly compared to five or six years ago, there is still no excuse for hacking up a clean, low mileage, original car.

The demolition guys always start with the beaters, and tend to ruin them even more, and in their quest to build a demo car, they often destroy what they don't need. Why? Because rednecks. That's why. I hate demolition cars not only for the destruction itself, but the fact that most demolition derby cars aren't really car guys; they just like destruction. Most of them swap engines and throw whatever parts they can onto a demo car, without thinking about how well the shit goes together.

 And that, my readers, is why full-size American cars--particularly the full-size Chevrolets are disappearing. In large numbers.

I was shocked to see this example; not only is this one super-duper clean, it's original too; right down to the fender skirts, the landau roof, and all the intact badges. I'm not sure if this one qualifies as a time-capsule car, but it's pretty damn close. This is honestly the nicest stock one I've seen in person--and I took a bunch of pictures to savor the moment.

The beige hue looks dull--I'm not gonna lie; it suits this big boat well, though. I'd rather it another color, but stock is good. This looks probably as it did new--and that's a very good thing. Not many left.

Even though this one is for sale, I applaud the owner for keeping it so nice for so long. Shame it's next owner probably won't do the same. As time passes, we lose more cars like these. I can only hope that this one was saved--if not, yet another clean car falls victim to donkrydin homies who don't know "bout tha whip".

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Toyota Supra

I have long been a fan of sporty Japanese cars--and the Celica/Supra has been a longtime favorite of mine; although I like almost of them (save for the 2000+ Celica), there are a few generations which have become my favorite. I absolutely love the Mark II cars, depicted here. Introduced in 1982 and lasting till 1986, the Supra Mark II is not a popular car with ricers, much like the Mark III and IV cars; instead, the Mark II is a popular car with actual enthusiasts-- not only because these old Supra don't "look sick", but thankfully there's not a huge aftermarket selection of cosmetic parts for these.

Introduced in 1984, and lasting till 1986, this style with the 4 spoke wheels and bodycolored fender flares was called the P-Type; as with hoards of other Toyota fans, I think the P Type is the better looking Mark II; everything about it just looks right. From stance, to the monotone body, it has a certain appeal has only gotten stronger as the car has aged. Even nearly thirty years on, the P-Type Supra stands the test of time--quite well.

Like the Lynx before it, this  Supra isn't quite mint; bumper fade and minor crash damage hold true to its status as a daily driver; and to be honest, most enthusiasts would balk at that. I don't; I understand that cars are meant to be driven. Yes, the Supra is a fairly rare car today--and I don't think it was exactly common when new either, but still.

The paint on this example is clean, and is likely original; all the trim is there, and the ever-present rust seems to be missing on this almost-fine specimen--a true testament that whoever owned this thing definitely took-and takes--great care of it.  I don't see many on the roads these days, and most of them are in worse condition than this.. so props to the owner.

I didn't get to look inside, so I can't vouch for the condition, but I would hope that the interior is as clean as the body; I bet that driver's seat at least has some wear, but hey, what do you expect? It's a thirty year old car in Minnesota, that gets driven. It's gonna have wear. I'm just glad (from what I remember) that interior is still in decent shape.

This is a future classic (and it already is sort of a classic in its respective enthusiast circles), and definitely deserves to be saved; but it's nice to see a sports car that is still driven. This thing has a ton of potential, and it appears the owner is holding on to this car as if he (or she) is the last owner. Kudos to you, Supra owner. One more classic Toyota is still prowling the roads.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mercury Lynx station wagon

In the 1980s, Ford's corporate twin had almost no models of their own(and really, when did they, save for one or two?) so there needed to be something done about the potential success of the Ford Escort; in the 1960s, the Comet was Mercury's smallest offering, and in the 1970s, the small car was the Bobcat. With the rise of the first "real" iteration of "world Ford", the compact Escort was born. I put real in quotation marks for two reasons. First of all, the first real "world" Ford--aside from the Anglias and Cortinas and such, was the Ford Fiesta sold here in the late 1970s, and the second reason for the quotation marks is because despite the "World Car" designation, the American Escort was an entirely different car than the ones sold elsewhere in the world.

The US got the Ford Escort in 1981, and with it came three bodystyles, a three-and-five-door hatchback, and a traditional wagon. Unfortunately (as with most Mercury products), the Lynx sold considerably worse than its Ford Escort twin. As a result, the little Mercury was dropped in at the tail end of the 1987 calendar year, at which point it was replaced with an Australian-built car called the Ford Laser. That car was sold here as the Mercury Tracer for a few years, then the nameplate was stuck on a virtually identical twin of the next-generation Ford Laser.

As a result of the whole rebadging-Fords debacle, Mercury finally shut its doors late in the 2000s; if Ford had been wise and given Mercury a different lineup that was, you know, full of nice cars sourced from Ford's European and Australian branches, maybe Mercury would still be around. But we already know how well Australian cars sell in the US.

I never really liked the Lynx in any form--heck I've always thought this generation of Escort is a disaster in itself; no it's not ugly (actually that's debatable), but it sure isn't a nice looking car. It does want it's designed to do, and nothing more.  Aside from the unfortunate tailgate rust and dent (mailbox impact, perhaps?), and the little mishap on the front left corner, this little econobox looks fairly clean.

Yes, the paint is faded, but its approaching thirty years old (the oldest ones were 1985 models), so fading is to be expected. I do think its cool how the rear bumper has remained intact all these years, and there is no evidence of the wheelwell rot that ate so many of these cars to death; same with the wheels--these stock 14s are pretty clean, and to be honest, I do like these wheels. I always have, really.

Would I drive this "classic" Mercury? Probably not by choice. If it was given to me? Sure. It likely returns good gas mileage, and because its skinny tires and relatively light weight, it probably does well in the snow. On that accounts, I'd drive it. But I don't think I'd buy one though.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

I realized I haven't posted up any Volkswagens from before the Malaise-era lately--and I seek to change that. I rarely see pre-Rabbit Volkswagens here that aren't Beetles--or clapped out for that matter. Every time summer rolls around, it appears that Karmann Ghia is the classic of choice in Minneapolis. With good reason; they all look good, but the earlier cars look best. They're relatively cheap as far as classic VWs go, too. I found quite a number (okay, six) for sale on craiglist near me--in driver condition for under $10,000. I have no idea why, but I assumed they'd be quite a bit more expensive.

The name Karmann Ghia sounds classy, and catchy doesn't it? Well, it is-- but the name also has great significance to those who are really in the know about cars. Both Karmann and Ghia are well known names in the coachbuilding--and specialty cars  field; Karmann builds convertibles (or used to until they closed their roof a few years ago) and Ghia made some remarkable cars; unfortunately, their name got plastered all over British Fords as a trim level. I'm sure that was the builder's first and foremost want and need. Not. 

Production of Volkswagen's personal car started in 1957 and ended in  1974; as with all classic cars, age did a number the still-decent looking car by the end of its run. The earlier cars had disc- wheel covers on smooth wheels, and the chrome was slimmer and better executed than the later cars. Another huge difference among the various model years is the taillights; later models had fairly ugly lights compared to the earlier, much prettier cars, but overall differences between years were quite slim, making it still an attractive car even in the mid-1970s when production ended.

I would love to have one, as it's easily my favorite Volkswagen aside from early Beetles, and the Brasilia, which we did get in the United States. Really, these cars look great, and are in my opinion, very far ahead of their time styling-wise. Too bad the Porsche 914 effectively replaced these.

This thing is beautiful; dressed in a very pretty medium green color, this little Ghia looks great; the polished chrome trim sets off the color exquisitely; the car itself looks far more expensive than it probably was to buy--or restore for that matter. I don't see many green ones (in fact, this may be the first one I've seen in person), and it's a shame; this color is perfect. 

The chrome on this example is pretty damn flawless, and not at all what I would expect for a Minnesota car; the grilles are in impeccable shape, as are both bumpers--a far cry from the orange one I've shot a few times. Heck, I've even seen this one being hand-washed outside a local garage. That fact alone should tell you something about the level of attention this KG receives from its owner.

I haven't seen a cleaner one here, and I doubt I ever will again; I had fun shooting this example, and cars like this are why I shoot. I love finding cars not in the norm almost more than I love shooting them' finding things like this make the summer days of putting miles on my bike worth it.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mercedes 200 fintail

I've always had a fondness for classic Mercedes; some generations more-so than others. I only recently started getting into Mercedes products, and I'm still at the bottom of the learning curve if you will--but I know a good looking car when I see one. I sort of got into these cars last summer, and I obviously still like these; I did shoot a few before I really knew much about them, and this is one of the first fintails I shot--ever.

The reason it's called a fintail is simple-- just look right above the rear decklid. Yes, this Benz had "fins" too, and in my eyes, the Mercedes interpretation looks quite a bit better than the American interpretation. No flashy chrome, and no random emblems, just clean, uncluttered sensible Mercedes styling. Usually, I see these in less-pedestrian colors, but somehow the brown makes this appear to be not as much of a luxury car as it is.

Sadly, the W110/111 cars mark the near-end of good looking Mercedes midsized cars; yes, the W114/115 cars look good, and the W124s do too, but I don't think either of those will ever climb in value the way a good fintail has--but that's just me.

Honestly, since this is one of my earliest "full-car" shoots, the pictures suck; I realize that. But, I do like the color combination depicted here. I often love luxury cars in untraditional colors, and I think the brown over tan works--quite well. Hell, Porsche proves this by offering a Panamera in this combination-- oddly enough, Mercedes makes one pay extra for it via their designo program.

The paint isn't glossy--far from it, and these is nasty fender rot; there's not telling what else this poor car hides under the surface. I imagine it had to be fairly bad, because I never saw this car after that summer (of 2010), shortly later, a brown 1965 Mercedes appeared in a Minnesota U-Pull-It. I wonder if this is it? (Or was, since this car is likely crushed by now). I hope wherever this car did end up, it got stripped of its usable parts if the whole thing wasn't saved.

I hate blogging cars from my archives because more often than not, they're not alive anymore, or they've deteriorated enough that they're not blog fodder anymore. Shame, really, especially considering what a nice car this could've been if it was saved--and what a nice car it was when it was new, too.