Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Nova Concours Cabriolet

I have an odd growing fascination with Malaise-era cars; I know times were dire, and most of--if not all--the cars turned out during that lamentable period between 1975 and 1982 were quite garbage in terms of build quality, and powetrains but the styling made up for it--mostly. Surely you had terrible colors, gaudy sticker packages, but in the end of the day, there were some truly awesome cars that resulted.
I have always been a fan of the post-1968 Nova. In its later years, the Nova lost a tad bit of its muscular character; the front end grew more mundane, and ass end went from the much-loved skinny taillights to rather boring and effortless square taillights that adorned their other cars, like the Caprice and Impala. The Nova also went from being a muscle car alternative to a lethargic pseudo-luxury two door with an economy four-door companion. The Concours name signaled luxury in the highest degree; vinyl landau roof, pleated seats, and steel wheels with trim rings, and a slew of badges. And cabriolet? Well, this is certainly not one, despite the moniker. But, who cares, this Nova looks damn good, strictly in a 1970s kitschy way.















Honestly, this was a huge surprise sighting for me; my friend in California, who runs California Streets, shot a green one. At first pic, I was in love; the green and white color combination on his find was.. well.. I am a huge sucker for green and white anything.. but these black example looks surprisingly awesome too. Not only was this Nova damn near immaculate, the Concours isn't exactly sought after today; it probably has the 307, it isn't very fast, and it sure doesn't look very sporty.
But that's why I like it. I've always gravitated towards cars that should look sporty, or should look "mean". but don't. Hence the reason I liked that gussied up Ford LTD Landau coupe I posted last summer, nearly one year ago. And my critique still stands. I love this, and I don't quite know why.
The paint is gorgeous, the badges are top-notch.. and those wheels.. I've always liked those wheels on anything from Camaros, to El Caminos, and they certainly work here. Would I be ashamed to have this awesome Malaise-era Nova in my drive? Absolutely not. This thing speaks volumes about a lost era, and it needs to be kept intact.
I applaud the owner for not only keeping this curious specimen alive, but keeping it in outstanding shape as well. Kudos to you; this Concours Cabriolet is likely the only one alive in this sate--and it's a damn good looking one, too.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Ford Thunderbird

It's not often I see big Fords, much less Thunderbirds. I will admit, I do have a thing for this generation. Right after the 1955-1957 and 1961-1963s, the 1977-1979 is my absolute favorite. After the 1980 restyle, the Thunderbirds and their Cougar twin kinda got...boring. Sure, they were still personal luxury cars, as Ford marketed them, but later cars didn't have the finesse or attitude that the earlier ones conveyed.
As thirty-five year old cars go, this big Bird was pretty clean; yes, it had some pitting and rock chips up front, but in all honesty, that's pretty much expected. Aside from that little downer, the rest of this huge Ford was in pretty stunning shape. The badges, trim, the fender-lets, the hubcaps. Yep, all was not only intact, but in damn-near pristine condition, too. I honestly can't ever remember seeing a Thunderbird of this vintage in this superb condition before. Ever. Even when I was a child, all the ones roaming Lawrence relegated to beater status pretty quickly. Shame, too, because this bodystyle marked the end for the Thunderbird as a classy car.
Even the interior on this example looked pretty fresh. The back seat had some papers and a backpack in it, suggesting this was someone's mode of daily transport, but in this day and age, I hope the current owner realizes what he drives and takes care of it. In this shape, I would cry if it got even a small rust hole. If it isn't garaged come November, it could very well get one-- or possibly several. :( And I severely hope that doesn't happen.