Minneapolis Street Sighting: AMC Ambassador SST

More often than not, my sightings come from three major players in the American-car market: GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Lately though, things are slowly beginning to change, as I've begun stricter shooting procedures. As readers may (or may not) have noticed, I've shifted from "any old car regardless of condition" to "if it's interesting, why not?". AMCs fit both of these bills quite nicely. As a child, I quickly grew fond of the AMC Eagle, and as I got older, I developed a thing for the AMX-line of cars. It must not be forgotten that AMC did produce other vehicles. Growing up from the much smaller (okay, maybe not very small) Rambler with which it shared its name, the Ambassador quickly rose to full-size car status. A quite good looking coupe (and quite rare, too) was also available, but it seems that the sedans are the most commonly seen today--and they're no everyday car; this is the first Ambassador I've seen in quite a while--at least in Minnesota. In fact, this may be the vehicle I shot on-the-go without hubcaps a few years ago.
Popular in many 1970s and early 1980s movies as the bad-guy car, or as a cop car (in Dukes of Hazzard), the Matador was quickly a forgotten sedan; clearly, it isn't an enthusiast favorite, because I see far more LTDs and Impalas.. but the Matador is awesome in its own right.











This Ambassador is in terrific shape; the paint is in extremely good shape, and the trim is not only intact, it's damn near flawless; certainly not what I was expecting. Both from afar, and up close, this big AMC oozes class--if only somewhat. Many people bag on the big guy's looks, but honestly it doesn't look that bad. It looks odd, especially from the front, with its "coffin nose"-esque hood and grille treatment. Out back, the full-width taillight bar is an interesting touch; not many cars had that feature, nor was it executed as well as it is here.
I would rag on the Dayton wires, but honestly, the owner could've done quite a bit worse. They're not horrible, but they're great. In the era of big chrome wheels with 5 or fewer spokes, multispoked wires actually are a refreshing change; I like that they're not gold, at least. Would they be choice? Probably not. But I would still drive it.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Galaxie 500

This Galaxie represents sort of an iffy find; I see cars in this shape all the time. Classic, but sort of beaters-- often with aftermarket wheels and/or trim pieces. Why I shot this one is honestly beyond me. It looks great from across the street (okay, not really, it still looks like a beater)-- and even the wheels don't look terrible per se. Up close is where the scrutiny begins and this old Ford's faults come into plain view.
First off, the paint is extremely lackluster; the color is a bit "meh", not counting the various rock chips and paint chips that mar the vehicle's backside. The only plus I can count in this category is that the trim and badges are still intact. The wheels are another letdown. I was hoping to come across the stock hubcaps but nooooooo, the owner (or playa) had to put Dayton wires on it. I fess up, though. In this application the wheels don't look disgusting. In fact, the wheels actually kind of suit the car. I wish they were chrome instead of black, though. For some reason, black wheels on a big barge like this simply doesn't work.
I don't remember very much about the interior, but it was my recollection that it was, for the most part, stock. Granted, it probably had a custom stereo of some sort, but honestly that's supposed to be expected in the age of digital/downloaded music, no? All in all, despite the overall bodywork status, I don't mind this Galaxie. I'd probably switch up a few things if I were to make it mine, though.