Minneapolis Street Sighting: Volvo 1800S

As far back as I can remember, I've always liked Volvos; I grew up with the 700 series, the 200 series, and I was around for the launch of the 850 and other modern FWD Volvos. Harking back long before the "stylish" C70 coupe and coupvertible, and decades before the C30, there was a proper good-looking Volvo that looked both "stylish", and "sexy". Enter the Volvo P1800 and its variants.
Conceived in 1957, then starting production in 1961, the Volvo P1800 has become a cult vehicle much like all Citroens here in the US. Like Citroens, this cult-classic Volvo certainly has its fair share of problems; the first run cars were plaqued with quality control issues: misaligned panels, improper carburation, and half-assed interior upholstery among other things. In 1963, production was brought to Sweden, and the 1800 inherited an S it the end of its designation. From what I've read, the 1800S was a far better car than the first two years of production, but the fuel-injected 1800E were superior mechanically still. Although Volvo initially labeled the 1800 series as sports cars, the performance was bleak at best. With barely 115 horse, 0-60 wasn't a strong point, and at a nudge over 100 miles per hour, top speed wasn't either. Longevity is a main point here, as with other Volvos. You've heard of 200k mile 240DLs, and 300k mile 760s, but hear this. Over three million miles on a 1800S; Irv Gordon has owned a 1966 1800S since it was brand new and has put a hair over three mill on the car. Why is this car so reliable? Basic maintenance; it gets serviced every 3,000 miles, and at the first sign of deterioration, the part is cleaned and rebuilt; so far, the head had been shaved twice, and the gears replaced once. Other than that a simple rebuild at 2,010,000, the engine is scott-free and will be so for the near future.
But these classy Volvos aren't purely about speed; they're about style. Many classic "cult cars" have an angle from which they look terrible; the P1800 and its variants don't. Surely, they got progressively "worse" as the years went on, with changing light and safety regulations, but really, the basic formula stayed in place. A Beetle transformation the 1800 wasn't. As with many classic cars, I like the first iteration best. The wheels, the colors, and the trim all look great, and should not be fussed with.
This example is probably the nicest one I've seen outside a show; sure it's not top quality, but its a daily driver; the paint isn't amazingly shiny, and the chrome could likely be better, and the steel wheels have their share of rust, as does the lower portion of the body, but it's still living. I don't know what the owner does for a living, but I often see this example buzzing around Uptown, mixing it up with the newer S60s, S80s and XC90s that seem to gravitate to Uptown's upscale eateries and shops. By no means is the 1800 a common car, and it's just badass to see this old boy mixing it up with its newer grandchildren so to speak.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Falcon Courier

I know I said I wouldn't be doing any big three cars this week; unfortunately, this Falcon is an exception to that rule, but I think this example definitely falls right in line withe coolness and quirky factor of the Tercel and that Rambler wagon I blogged earlier. In its own right, this compact Ford line is pretty cool; I quite like the simplicity of their styling, and despite being the basis for the Mustang, the Falcons aren't anywhere near as common, especially in the rust belt.
In the 1960s, American cars (or any car for that matter) was known for being able to get decent gas mileage and get out of its own way; in 1960, Ford changed that, with the introduction of its compact Falcon lineup. Obviously, there were two doors, and fours, and convertibles, and wagons, but there was also this nifty little panel van called the Courier. In its heyday, and probably even now if its driven well, it was capable of achieving 30 MPG highway-- a feat the "compact" Ranger pickup and contemporary Focus even has trouble of earning. Like its contemporary "equivalent", the Falcon only earned that 30 MPG figure with its base engine; 85 horses puttering through the rear wheels isn't exactly bragging rights. These could also be had with a 170 cube six that put down a hair over a hundred horse, or if you cared about the V8, you got a 260. Or if you really wanted to go to town, a wide variety of Ford's V8 family is easily swappable-- anything from 260s to 427s will fit. I think I'd like mine with a hopped up 289 with a bit of suspension work.
As with nearly all the "street driven" classics in this state, this poor Courier seemed to have suffered from our hellish winters. Gone is any notion of factory fresh paint; while not a rustbucket, age has definitely gotten the better of this poor panel wagon. I will say this though; aside from the paint being as dull as a parking lot full of beige four-cylinder Camries on Wal-Mart hubcaps, the car looked pretty good. All the trim was intact, the badges were all there, and none of the chrome was missing, though a replate is definitely in order. As it stands, I think I'd just hope up the engine and leave it at that. There's just something about this clean, uncluttered design I just love. There has never been another production Ford "truck" that looked so clean, with little effort. I think the Falcon Courier is my favorite Ford truck this side of a 1953-1956 F-100

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD

Minnesota is the land of the long and treacherous winter; we have snow and ice, and lots of it. Owning a versatile vehicle in this state often means an SUV or a loaded-to-the-brim luxury truck. Looking back twenty five years, Minnesotans often thought otherwise. In addition to the normal F-150s, Cheyennes, Suburbans and AMC Eagles, there was a different breed of four-wheel-drive wagons: the Japanese.
In the early 1980s, Japanese cars were starting to really catch on, here in the United States. Smaller cars like Toyota's own Tercel and Corolla were beginning to be common even in the midwest, and competition from Honda and Datsun was starting to take its toll. With the rise of "all-purpose-vehicles" like the AMC Eagle, and the Subaru 4WD wagons, Toyota realized that it, too, could fill a niche in the up and coming segment.
Launched in 1983 for the US market, the Tercel SR5 was truly the first Japanese "crossover" if you will. Combining 4WD versatility with station wagon room, this concept would be commonplace fast forward twenty years. In 1985, when sales peaked, this and the Subaru were the only Japanese four wheel drive nontrucks you could buy; for awhile, Toyota was actually thinking ahead. Unlike the contemporary Subarus which had mediocre mileage, the Tercel SR5 was a traditional front-wheel-drive car with a six speed manual. However, if 4WD was selected via the stickshift, the car didn't have to come to a full stop. Instead, the transmission could be shifted into an extra low gear that acted as a transfer case; in automatic transmission cars, a little button was pushed on the dash, and power would be split equally among the front and rear wheels. The only fault I find with this Toyota classic is that it produced a rather measly 63 horses, which isn't as bad as one might think. Sure, these are no race cars, but what Tercel is?
Sure, this example was a little rough around the edges, but what daily-driven economy car isn't? The body has started to showcase some of the common rust spots on these cars, both between the hood and grille, and around the rear emblems, which are incredibly still intact after twenty five years of daily driving. I didn't get to peek inside, so I can't remember if this is a stick or auto, but being outside in the snowbelt would suggest that the 4WD did indeed work.
With Toyota now turning pretty steadily toward appliances on wheels rather than proper funky, enthusiast oriented cars, I think it's time we remember what this Japanese giant used to do for the car industry. And this Tercel SR5 4WD lets us do just that.

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.

Colin's Toybox: Introductory Post

Many car enthusiasts know that getting a foot into this amazing hobby is started at an early age. For me, that "early age" came very young. Before I could actually pronounce words in their entirety, I was mumbling words like "Corsica", and "Tempo", and I think "Fiero". Like most children growing up in the early-to-mid-1990s, I was drawn to the various Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars that lined the shelves of the local Wal Marts and Targets; unlike a majority of kids my age, I did not really care for the fantasy cars. I greatly preferred the models based on real cars, with realistic paint schemes and non-goofy window and tampo colors.

As I got older, I began to develop a taste for diecasts other than basic Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars; I started buying 1:24, and then a bit later I acquired my first 1:18. But, this where I differed. Some diecast collectors only focus on a specific brand of diecast, while some limit themselves to a particular brand of car, and yet still some only buy for the sake of investment. I am all over the board; I tend to gravitate to cars that I have an interest in. But herein lies the problem. Since my automotive tastes jump all over the board, so does my diecast collection; I have Hot Wheels muscle cars, Matchbox trucks, Johnny Lightning classic cars, and offbrand contemporary cars. Basically, if it has caught my eye in any way, shape or form, it came home with me. And this trend continues today.
With the demise of retail stores stocking diecasts, I have turned to the internet to supplant my collection. On the internet, the selection of cars is far greater than one could hope to ever find in stores; and that's not including ebay. I rarely shop on ebay since it is a hassle for me as I'm a bit iffy on online spending and buying from stranger/non businesses. I have recently developed a favorite site called Milezone. Fast shipping, great selection, and a cool rewards system that lets you return rewards for money and essentially buy cars free once you have enough reward funds.

I used to keep my cars in the original package, and did so for quite a while; then I got to thinking. What good does it do to buy cars and never actually see them? Over the weekend, I plan to open the vast majority of my carded collection, and showcase them here on Sunday nights. I will showcase the first batch of cars next weekend, starting off with a smattering of Hot Wheels cars from my childhood.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: AMC Gremlin

As a departure from my usual posting of the "Big Three", I will use this week to venture into other vehicles I've seen throughout my shooting career; some of these may not be familiar to the non-gearheads who read my blog, but I will do my best to explain why I shot the cars I did.
As of late, for some reason AMCs are really, really tickling my fancy; first it started out with the AMC/Rambler Marlin, and it blossomed into other cars. Eventually, I got to love and adore the whole brand, particularly the cars made from 1965 to about 1980, with the exception of the Eagle, which ran till 1987 or 1988. As many people know, AMC was bought out by Chrysler in 1987 after a brief bed-night stand with French carmaker Renault; this tie-up really did it in for AMC. Gone were the quirkycool cars like the Hornet, the Pacer, and Javelin, and they were instead replaced with even crappier versions of crappy Renaults. The public knew this, and likewise, Renault's short stint in the US was to say the least, craptacular.
What we have here is the AMC Gremlin. Launched in 1970, it did battle with, among other cars, the Ford Pinto, and Chevrolet Vega, along with a slew of fresh-from-Japan compacts. When it was new, it was criticized as being quite ugly, and "weird", and as such, many automotive writers, American and foreign put on various "worst cars" lists. As an enthusiast, I think this nomination is blasphemous. Despite the negative connotations the name Gremlin conjures up, there is really nothing wrong with AMC's second cult compact (the other being the much hated Pacer).
I recently got an AMC book detailing the likes of the Gremlin, the Javelin and Javelin AMX as well as other AMCs that dominated the racing circuits in the 1960s and 1970s; like most compact cars of the era, the Gremlin was successful at racing in showroom stock/SCCA series races, and when painted up in the traditional AMC livery (red, white and blue), it looked pretty badass. The fact that it rolled on deep-dish vintage Torque Thrusts only helped matters.
As you can see, this Gremmy is far from a race car of any sort. It's got stock paint, stock badges (with a broken AMC logo), and it rolls on stock wheelcover/hubcaps. Inside, as you can imagine, things are pretty staid; no rollcage, no seat harnesses, and no removable steering wheel. Does the factory stock aspect take away from its coolness? Absolutely not! I have not seen another Gremlin since, aside from a stock black '78-'79 Gremlin GT I saw today. I know these pictures are not quite what I would call my best, but to me, they document a not-often seen car pretty well. I only wish I knew what engine powered this, and if the house nearby houses any other interesting oddballs.

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.