Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Monte Carlo

In the hustle-and-bustle of the big city, donks are quickly becoming the transportation of choice for young folks who have the desire to look "cool", and as a result, stock and almost-stock examples of Chevrolet's personal luxury coupe are getting harder and harder to find. Poking around in the numerous sidestreets revealed that not all of them are rusted or blinged; instead, there are still some quite nice examples, even of base models, still around.
The 1970s examples are big and bold, and laden with enough chrome to make even the "hardest" blingster jealous; the 1980s versions are stark contrast. Not much chrome except for the wire-wheelcovers, the two-tone paintschemes were on the way out, and the car itself was much smaller. Did it still deserved to be a called a "luxury coupe"? You bet. Vinyl ruffled seats, optional landau top (which this example was lacking), and a choice of engines meant that buyers could option out their Carlo from either simple, to pure 1980s luxury kitsch. Solid colors, though, without the vinyl roofs look the best, and too many people overdo it when it comes to either customizing or restoring their Carlo.. Plain and simple is just how I like these.









It's not often that 1980s "in-cars" escape whatever fad is running rampant in car culture; for years, Monte Carlos have been prime fodder for lowriders, and demolition derbies. Now, there's a new enemy--donkriding. Donking is when someone takes a car, and jacks it up on obscenely huge wheels, and does little to no performance mods to offset the added unsprung weight. Thankfully, this example is as pristine as can be. No modifications, good or bad, adorn this almost-classic luxury coupe.
It's never easy to shock me, when carspotting; somehow this maroon Monte Carlo took me by surprise. I guess I wasn't ready to see a rather nice example or a car so commonly ruined in mass numbers; the paint is fantastic, especially considering the fact that it lives in rust-hell. The trim, too, has withstood the test of time quite well, only showing minimal fading.
Seeing how this Monte is equipped with one mirror, I'm guessing it's a base model. No bad thing, really, it just means its likely motivated by either a diesel 305, or the more common 3.8 V6. I'd rather have the V6 than the diesel for obvious reasons, and given the upkeep, I bet the V6 actually gets better mileage than the diesel.
It's not often one of theses is preserved or at least left stock, and this owner seems to take great pride in his or her near-classic coupe. One only hopes that this nice example can survive for many more years to come.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Corvette

I usually don't shoot many "cliche" cars, but the Corvette has always stood out as a childhood favorite car; many people despise the fourth-generation Corvette (referred to as the C4 by enthusiasts), but I am not scared to admit I still sort of like it. As a little boy, the C4 was still fresh when I was born, and the facelift came out when I was about three or four. Initially, I loved the post-facelift cars, and grew to hate the first-generation C4; now, though, it's quite the opposite. The only post-facelift car I still adore is the ZR1, and the Grand Sport. The older ones, however, I am developing quite a fondness for. The wheels on the first iteration still give me the chills-- I never liked them, and I never will. This example rectifies that problem--quite well.










Like most early C4s, this car is a love it-or-hate it vehicle for me; on one hand, I love it because it's an original-shape C4, and not the cheap-looking facelift version, and one hand I hate it. The poking-out exhaust looks awful, and that half-assed wing looks positively stupid. Most Corvettes aren't beaters by nature, but this example seemed a bit neglected--or maybe that was just the area in which I found it.
Aftermarket wheels with missing centercaps would suggest a rather hard life, but I can't be too quick to judge. These wheels look better than the stock ones, and the exhaust is obviously not stock, so I can assume that this thing gets hounded on a daily basis. And it probably sounds quite good, too.
I love spotting the early C4s, and this one is no exception; if it were mine, I'd ditch the wing, and add better fitting exhaust tips. I do quite like the rolling stock, and I'd leave them alone. This is one nearly-perfect C4 that only need minor touch-ups to be immaculate.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Impala

Like the vast majority of my recent sightings, this one falls into the "I shot it once before, but never blogged it" department; I've always seen full-sized Chevrolets cruising the area, but so many of them end up as donks or lowriders; very rarely do I see one stock. In the rust belt, any old Chevy is sight, and a non-customized one is that much better.
When it comes to full-size Chevrolets, I never much cared for this generation; I've always been a fan of the obvious '58s, the '59s and the '61. The post '70s don't really do much for me, though I sometimes respect the '71s and '72s if done right. Though the later "box" cars are still a dime a dozen here, the pre-1977s are a rare sight, and welcomed in any condition.










I first saw this example of Chevrolet's fullsize about four years ago in a different area. Within a week of spotting it, I could've sworn it had suffered fire damage-- or maybe that was a different one entirely. Anywhoo, I scoped this thing out, clean and clear; I made sure no one was watching, for the neighborhood was rather seedy, then out came my camera.
On first glance, this Impala seemed to be a loved example--and it probably was. Aside from the flat paint, and pitted chrome, this Impala was in fair shape. The usual dings and pits adorn this car like scars on a war vet, but its clear this old boy isn't done fighting. With the windshield caked with a "Lyme Tyme" banner, this Chevrolet is owned by someone who probably doesn't care about this big guy's significance.
Scratch that minor setback, and classic Impala looks too good to be true--and it is. For surviving the Minnesota years for four decades, this Impala has clearly stood the test of time. Hopefully, this is just the middle-ground in a long life of motoring for this Chevrolet legend.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Lumina Euro four door

During the mid 1980s, GM came up with a new front-wheel-drive platform to do battle with Ford's Taurus. Like Ford's entry in the midsize market, the GM W-bodies had V6 power, and were front-wheel-drive. Also, akin to Ford, the GM cars had sporting variants. However, unlike Ford's Taurus SHO, the sporting versions of these new GM front-drives was limited to exterior changes only. The Chevrolet Lumina came in two sporting variants during the first generation's 1990-1994 model run-- the higher-class Z34, and the middle-ground Euro, which was available as a two-door coupe as well as a four-door sedan.
These cars differed from the base model in that a racier rear "wing" was added, black and red trim donned the rocker panels, and a more sporty wheel choice flanked all four corners. On of the most minor changes that set the Euro apart was the red "Lumina" lettering on the trunk. Yes, it's a minute difference, but one that adds just enough "flair" to set the Euro apart from the more basic cars. While no sports car, I still maintain that the first generation "hot" Luminas looked pretty good in their day, and still do today.








Unfortunately, most of the surviving Luminas Euros are in terrible condition. Rust plagued the rear wheelwells, and the door bottoms, and the rear suspension didn't cope under heavy loads, and these cars eventually fell by the wayside. Often popular choices as beaters for GM fanboys and W-Body enthusiasts alike, the survival rate for clean Euros is fairly low.
This car doesn't quite fit the "clean" label. While there's not quite enough rust to call this one a beater, this poor Euro does exhibit signs of a hard life led. The hood is showing some signs of rust creeping up through the metal, and the rear wheelarches are getting eaten, but aside from those two spots, the body looks fairly decent--for a Minnesota vehicle. The only main issue I take with this example, and I didn't see it when I rolled up on the curbside of the car. The Cutlass Supreme not only looks out of place, but the wheel design doesn't mesh with the Lumina's styling either. It looks... better suited to the Oldsmobile's shape (well duh), and most definitely does not belong here.
Finding first generation Luminas is a rare sight here, and finding one of the "nicer" ones is proving to be a tad more difficult than originally intended. Thankfully, this almost-dead example is still kicking, though I doubt it will be for much longer. I'm glad I spotted this one when I did, though since I shot this I have seen three immaculate Euro sedans--when I didn't have any way to shoot them.

Colin's Toybox: Hot Wheels Ford Frontrunnin' Fairmont

This is an oldie; one of the few cars that's miraculously survived my childhood. Like most of the cars in this era, this Hot Wheels represents a contemporary Ford product--the much-loathed Fairmont Futura two-door. While this casting was available an a plethora of variations, I only managed to save this Color-Changer variation. Shockingly, it still has all its paint; moreover, it still changes color--barely.
As older Hot Wheels go, this one is far more detailed than its newer cousins. It has a molded front fascia, the taillights are recognizable, and the profile is distinctly Fairmont. Unfortunately, this casting, too, suffers from Hot Wheels "big wheel syndrome". This would no doubt look better with same size wheels, but I guess since it's modelled after a rear-wheel-drive car, Mattel's gotta accentuate the wheel arches somehow.
I like this casting, and I would like more in my collection. Sadly, these are creeping up in value, so the odds of finding one cheap are pretty much shot at this point. Oh well. I suppose its good I have one replica in my collection. If I come across any more I will snap them up. Can't hurt, can it?

Diecast of the Day: Biante Ford Falcon XR8 and FPV GT

And I bring you another slice of my large-scale car collection--this time something not sold on American soils. In Australia, the Falcon name was kept alive--and still is. These models represent the BA series of cars, produced from 2003 to 2005. The red one is an XR6--it's got a big turbo straight six, producing 320 HP and the blue one is an FPV GT with a Boss 330, a 5.4L V8 churns out 390 horses. Due to the Australian government having power tax, both of these cars were widly underrated, and some speculate that the 4.0L Turbo six made closer to 360 horses, and the V8 made in excess of 450. Not bad for "four door saloons", no?
Quality of these two is on par with early-2000s AutoArt products; extensive detail, but somewhat fragile. Initially I was worried about getting near thirteen-year-old diecasts, but amazing they've held up well. I love oddball and unique cars, and these two Aussie Fords definitely fit the bill. I only have one side of the equation though. I don't have many Holdens. Think I should take those on?

Minneapolis Street Sighting: BMW E46 sedan

First attempt at doing a photoshoot. Light was alright, and background was decent. Too bad I can't photoshop the crap out of the background. I wish it was a better setting, though I think did alright, given what I had to work with.