Minneapolis Street Sighting: Pontiac Bonneville wagon

I've been on a 1960s kick lately; for whatever reason, I am beginning to think that the 1960s is one of the best decades for post-modern car design; every brand had consistent themes, styling was a mix of luxurious-ness, but most cars still packed tons of incredible details that would lure enthusiasts to inspect them more closely. I've brought readers examples of Pontiac's Bonneville before, but never a wagon-- and I have come to a not-so-startling conclusion; the Bonneville wagon is probably my favorite bodystyle for the nameplate. I love wagons--always have, and likely always will. As a "late-bloomer" in the classic car scene, I first discovered the mid-1960s Bonneville last winter, and pored over its many exquisite details; unfortunately, I did not get very many closeup shots of these details on that example nor this one. That still standing, this white wagon is probably the coolest American car I've featured this year.













On the whole, this particular Bonneville was beautiful; I normally don't care for white cars, but on this wagon, it works--quite well. It makes the big wagon seem a bit smaller than it actually is, and the rolling stock certainly helps matters. Another thing I quite liked about this Bonneville, is the sparse amount of chrome. Normally, I'm a sucker for older cars with varying degrees of chrome, but here, the absence of it clearly sets it off. With only the "Bonneville" script adorning the doors, the minimal application on the grillework and tailgate, this American wagon screams "class" not many others can.
No doubt this example is stock, aside from the lowering job and Torq Thrust wheels, both of which look excellent here. I'd say this is about as close of a "hot rod wagon" one can get without doing any drastic changes; for someone who recently got interesting in mid 1960s iron, I'd venture as far to say that this Bonne is certainly the best of the breed I have seen yet.
I would loved to have shot this on the street, but I'm not complaining; I realize I've broken my own rules, but hey, an awesome find is an awesome find, right?

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Studebaker Avanti Supercharged

In the heart on the Minneapolis summer, I expect more orphan cars to come out; makes that are seldom seen, like Studebaker, Packard, Hudson, etc. Normally, with my luck, I only spot these cars at shows, or on dealer forecourts. This summer I struck paydirt; I've always kind of liked the Avanti, but I don't think I've even been this close to one--till now.
The original car, designed by Raymond Loewy, is said to be one of the all-time greats in American car design, and I can see why. Nothing at all comes close; it's one of those cars that even people who aren't into cars know what it is. Same can be said for the Buick Riviera with which it competed.
Introduced in 1962, and having a short original production rare, Avantis are quite rare, with less than 6000 made by Studebker. Kit cars, and various replicas would bear the name, but these are not real Avantis--they're imitators, and should be treated as such. I never liked the square light Avantis anyway, so treating the replicas like poop is a no-brainer for me.











Spotted in North Minneapolis, this lone Stude was resting at a repair facility in the middle of one of the worst neighborhoods this city has to offer. Fortunately, this Avanti hadn't had the donk treatment like so many other vehicles in the area; it looks like it will never receive the treatment though. Aside from the light smattering of summer dust, this Supercharged luxury coupe was in excellent shape--the paint had a tiny bit of orange peel, but let's be real, it's over forty years old.
The trim and badging was is excellent shape, and I had fun looking the badges, especially the "Supercharged" script; I've never seen a real Avanti up close, so this was a treat for me.
I loved finding this, and I only wish more Studebakers were alive in the area; once I've seen one, I want to see them all! To me, the Avanti is probably one of my luckier findings, even if it isn't "on the street."

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jaguar Mark IX

When I scout cars, I tend to go for the not-so-obvious; lately I've been getting more and more into European vehicles. As you know from reading, the E-Type is one of my favorite cars ever. But, I also love the Jaguar sedans; I am quite fond of the Mark II, but I was--and still am--quite fuzzy of Jaguar models beyond that.
The Mark IX was produced from 1959 to 1961 and positioned as a top-level Jaguar; like many luxury cars of its day, the Mark IX is a far cry from what we expect in luxury cars today; no multi-speed automatics, no big-diameter wheels, any definitely no option of 30 way power seats. But if you own a classic Jaguar, chances are you don't care about any of that.
With a lethargic 3 spd manual (with a finicky hydraulic clutch), shifts were cumbersome, and deliberate, making sure that the driver put all his effort into keeping the vehicle moving at a steady pace; brakes, too, were not up to much of any sporting when it came to time to stop the vehicle--and neither was the acceleration for that matter. Sixty mile per hour came a little over eleven seconds, and its top speed was just over a hundred miles and hour. A new XF, the Mark IX is not.
But performance isn't what this big Jag is about though; its about class. Why spend thousands more on a vintage Rolls or Bentley, when one can acquire as much class for cheaper. Granted, classic Jags are by no means cheap to begin with, but why spend more than needed?













Technically, this isn't a street sighting; its a "parking lot sighting", but dammit, I could not pass this up. Basking in all its green glory, this British sedan is motoring art at its finest; I am getting a fine taste of vintage Jaguars, and for me, finding this Mark IX was a real treat. Usually, if I see Jaguars, they're lowly XJS', or perhaps maybe a rotten XJ6. But never something as magnificent as this; outside, this thing was a minter.
Inside, too, showed no signs of abnormal wear and tear; unlike most British sedans, this Mark IX did not have the seemingly obligitory tan interior; instead it wears hides matching the exterior paint color. I've gotten say, I quite like this treatment. Instead of coming off as "oh, it's another British luxosedan", this Jag screams "elegance" in a way not many cars can.
I had fun shooting this, as it was my first vintage Jag other than a Mark II or E Type that I've come in contact with; I think I am falling in love with these, and this example is precisely the reason why.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mercedes 190 Fintail

Yesterday I brought you one vehicle from a local guy's collection--the Chrysler 300 two door. Now, here's the other piece of the dynamic duo that I shot recently. Garaged for most of the winter, this classic Mercedes only comes out on nice days, but its use is not limited to sunny days; I've seen this old gal cruising in the worst of rainstorms, so it cannot be cited as a "never seen rain" vehicle if it comes up for sale.
Classic Benzes are quickly becoming a hobby for me, rather than simply an interest; In addition to the W114/W115 cars as well as the obvious SL lineage, the W110/W111 are fast becoming my all-time favorite Mercedes.
With production starting in 1959 for six-cylinder cars, this lineup would hold through 1968, with the W114 and W115 replacing it for 1969. The six-cylinders were introduced first, followed by the more economical, and slightly cheaper four cylinder cars. Engine ranges included a two 1.9L four cylinders (one diesel and one petrol), two 2.0L fours (again one diesel, and one petrol), and a multitude of sixes, and a lone 3.5L V8. Since this example is badged as a 190, I can assume that its a 1963 model and that this Fintail is one of roughly 130,000 cars built between 1961 and 1965. Numbers for diesels were far greater, with about 230,000 cars built in the same time-frame.
Aside from the love-or-hate looks, this generation of Mercedes Benz was the first to be analyzed for occupant safety, as well as pedestrian safety; it's also the car that launched Mercedes' reputation for safe, durable, long-lasting cars and trucks. To call it just another classic Mercedes would be a definite understatement.












Now, I would normally say this missing hubcaps and faded paint means "looking a little worse for wear", but not here; this is "patina" exactly how it should be done. No fake rust, no deliberate mismatched body panels, and no random parts from other cars clutter up this classic tank. I've seen this vehicle before with all of the hubcaps, and I have to say I like it better without them. No idea why, either.
Inside, this Fin looks absolutely incredible; I would almost go so far as to call this a show-car in terms of its interior quality; no rips or tears, all the gauges are intact and work, and even that oh-so-awesome speedometer is left untouched. Truly a remarkable car in outstanding condition--at least when it comes to the interior.
The only thing left to do, is to lightly clean up the body, and perhaps get the original hubcaps back on, and just cruise; I have always sort of liked these cars, but now that I can appreciate them more, I would totally drive one if given the chance--and hopefully I will.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chrysler 300

I am fortunate to live where I do; car spotting in Uptown is quite great here. Usually on Friday and Saturday nights, a smattereing of exotics come out to play. Blogworthy? Sure, if one can count mediocre yellow Gallardos and red F430s as blogworthy. I focus on older cars, though, particularly pre-1970s when I can help it. This is someone in my neighborhood who is apparently trying to make car-spotting easier for me; he's got quite a nice collection of cars, and I've featured a couple of his cars on here already.
His 0hrysler 300 is a staple in Minneapolis; he's the original owner, and it does serve as a daily driver, when the rest of his stable is sleeping. It's been on the road since new, and covered about 175,000 miles. In the time, aside from all the routine maintenance, no outside expenses were needed to keep this 300 running. It's been a daily driver since new, and with careful measures, it's likely to be a dealer driver for quite a while longer.





















Perched outside his residence, this big two-door clearly means business. A generic Sebring this is not. A while ago, I featured his Buick, and now I feature this. Caked in all its street-condition glory, this 300 is no show car--and that's how the owner likes it. "What's the point of having cars if they're not driven. If they get banged up, fix them if you care about them." Amen!
Clearly, this owner is fine with his stable being in less-than-mint condition, and to be honest, I think it gives the cars more character. While the paint is in decent shape, and the chrome is in equal shape, the whole car doesn't quite have that shwa-car feel to it. Something about it looks off. But that's okay, because I'd be hesitant to park a mint-condition anything on Lagoon, much less at night-time. While cars like this do spruce up the neighborhood, they also attract (generally) quite stupid lookyloos. While I was shooting, I got asked multiple times "where the horsey on the grille?" and "aww dammmm... is dat a 300C"? To answer the first question, " No, idiots, this is not a Mustang." And for the second question, "No. The 300C is not that only '300' Chrysler made. Do your research." This is a perfectly fine Chrysler two door that needs nothing else but to be kept away from idiots. And in uptown, away from idiots is where it will stay.