Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mazda B2600i SE-5 4x4

I have always been fascinated with Japanese compact trucks--and I have always been a staunch Mazda advocate; put the two together, and you've got my dream ride. Okay, sort of. From an early age, I've always had a soft spot for these, and I love them in extended cab form best. Sure, the single cab was probably the most-bought (because that's what I saw tons of in Kansas), but these uplevel SE-5s look classy.

While Toyota had a trimline called SR-5, Mazda had it's own SE-5; both trucks came with 5 speed manuals initially, and both trucks offered a more sporting appearance than the base model. I've searched and searched and still do not quite know what qualifies as an SE-5 aside from more youthful colors (like this one pictured here) and more stickers, and special wheels. While it is hailed as something special among its followers, the SE-5 is nothing more than a 1980s marketing exercise to gets sales spurred.

This is where Mazda fell flat; Toyota trucks sold in droves compared to Mazdas. I still see old Toyotas on the road, despite the rust problems, but these Mazdas are seriously hard to come by--even in Kansas. Part of that may be the fact that dealer networking in the 1980s (even with Ford) wasn't quite what it is today--and the fact that Ford was pushing the Ranger instead of trying to help Mazda sell its own pickup. Couple that with low dealer inventory, and you've got a recipe for a slow-seller; and in 1993, the Mazda design was replaced with a badge-engineered Ranger--which ultimately sold so poorly that Mazda discontinued it quietly after a few years of literally no ads (print or otherwise).

I live in the rustbelt--obviously--so finding one of these alive is a miracle in itself; the fact that this one is rust-free is an added bonus. The paint looks amazing, and aside from the replacement (and rusty) rear bumper, this example is true to its original state.  The color is fantastic--only because I love teal and probably all of its shades. All of the stock trim is not only intact, but it's untouched or ruined by the weather; too bad the same can't be said of the black plastic bits (namely the grille).

The wheels on this thing are awesome; I know it's a basic 5 spoke design, but this wheel design has to be fairly rare, as I've only seen one truck in person rolling on these. All the other SE-5s I've seen have had the white painted wheels, which honestly look horrible.

The interior in this thing looks factory-fresh, too, last time I checked; all the trimmings were there, including the seats, which disintegrate prematurely on these trucks; no idea, why, but almost every single running example I've seen has seats worn down to nubs--and this one didn't. I would almost wager that this one was a lower-mileage example that has been very well looked after--and that's no bad thing.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Thunderbird SC

By now, readers should realize that the Ford Thunderbird is one of my favorite nameplates in automotive history. Ranking right up there with the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, and Ford's own Mustang, the Thunderbird represents a symbol in American motoring; virtually everyone-- not just car people-- has heard of any one of these four nameplates-- and for good reason; each one of these cars has a distinct heritage that not many cars can match.
I usually glance over this generation; the cliche'd 1955-1957 cars, the 1961-1963 cars, and the 1977-1979 cars are my favorites, and in that order. I usually don't even give the MN12 cars a once-over; I think of them that much. This, on the other hand, represents something special. The Thunderbird SC strayed away from the typical 5.0 V8 that Ford loved at end of the 1980s. Instead, stuffed under the hood was a Eaton supercharged 3.8 V6 producing 210 horses and 315 ft/lbs of torque. Unlike the vast majority of Thunderbirds, the SCs rocked a 5 spd manual, making it a unique vehicle, and as a result drew a relatively limited customer base. The black on black treatment marks this car as a 1990 model, marking the 35th Anniversary of Ford's luxury coupe. To this day, I can safely say that this one is the only one I've seen.
Like most of my spottings, I tried to get the best example I could; despite my hatred for this bodystyle, I have been wanting to feature one for awhile, and I definitely think this rare piece is most fitting to represent this era in Thunderbird motoring. Bathed in deep black with black wheels and silver lower body cladding, this example definitely looks more sinister that any of its MN12 kin; rather that shout "hurr durr durr low rent", this 'bird appears angry and focused, even when sitting still. It's not often I say this generation looks nice, but this one actually does; aside from being rare as heck, this lone 35th Anniversary SC is in remarkable condition. It looks like it could've been opened from a time capsule yesterday, and that's ever so fitting for such a rare piece. I respect that the owner takes great care of such a rare car, especially in our harsh winter climate. Kudos to you, Ms. SC owner.