Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chrysler 300

Usually when car spotting, my findings end up being the GM variety, with a slight smattering of Fords. Lately, though, that's not been the case. Slowly but surely, vintage Mopars are popping out of the woodwork. Everything from Imperials to the ever-popular K-cars are coming out in droves. I recently stumbled upon quite the trove of vintage Chryslers, and I began appreciating these cars like never before. I have always enjoyed the true muscle cars like the Dodge Dart GTS, Plymouth Roadrunner, and of course the wing twins, the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird. But, I recently started to take interest in Mopar's other cars; the forgotten Three Hundred. I know of the mid-1960s 300s, and I obviously know of the 2005 reincarnation of the famed 300C moniker. But there's another side of the famed 300 moniker. The later 1960s and 1970s cars were absolutely huge--not that there's anything wrong with that, though. I've always equated luxury barges with marques like Cadillac and Lincoln. Slightly down the luxury food chains are the middlemen, Buick, Mercury, and last but not least Chrysler; that's where the 300 comes in. Billed as a luxury car, the Three Hundred competed with cars such as Mercury's Grand Marquis two doors, Oldsmobile's Ninety Eight two doors. Although not as luxurious as the New Yorker or Imperial offerings, the big Chrysler still held its own in on road--and in the showroom. Unfortunately, thanks to derbiers, and frequent rusting along lower fenders and inside door jams, most of these big Chryslers are not a common sight on our roads anymore. Engine choices are a 400, or a 440, and these big barges could even be had a four-speed-stick. I'm sure shifting yourself in one of these would've been pretty fun. Heck, I don't think Chrysler even offers a stick shift car anymore aside from the Challenger. I bet this thing can really roast its tires, and knowing its hefty weight, I bet it does the whole sideways thing fairly well too.


 









I've never seen one of these up close in person until now; I quite like this. I'm always intrigued by new and interesting cars, and lately older Chryslers are tickling my fancy pretty well. Like most cars, the paint is pretty much shot--but hey, it appears original at least. The chrome appears intact, and not quite ruined either. It's rare that something this old (and something not saved as much) would be in decent condition, but it appears that the owner of this Three Hundred is intent on saving his car. I would be too were it mine.
The thing I like most about this big Chrysler is the mere fact that its a four-door hardtop. Pillarless doors are so damn cool, and they look so right on a big car. I hate sedans with actual B-pillars. To me, B-pillars only clutter up the lines of a car.  Another thing I quite like about this badass four-door is the fact that it doesn't need any dress up to look imposing. I can picture this thing--quite easily I might add--roaring down a desolate road 'Duel' style chasing and scaring motorists in random economy cars. Maybe even haunting a new Chrysler 200?
Who knows, maybe I can even find a dead 200 to blog-- if I care about it in twenty years.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Triumph Spitfire

I've always had a thing for British roadsters; I think the TR-6 did it for me at an early age, then my love for little Brits was further enhanced by the likes of the MGB, and later I learned more and more about the AC Ace cum Shelby Cobra. Tossing all that aside, though, I really began to develop an interest in British cars back in 1999 when I was visited London for the first time. Discovering brands like Triumph (not just the TR-6 mind you), Morris, Rover, and other various makes made me appreciate the British car industry as a whole, made me wonder "why did we never get most of these cars in the US?" I suppose a few Britons could ask the same about classic Camaros, Corvettes, and whatever other US-built cars they seem to lust after. Growing up fascinated with British roadsters, one of the cars that quickly became my favorite Triumph was the Spitfire, and up until now, the later ones. Why, you ask? Because up until now, the later ones are all I've seen; two brown ones, a few green ones, and yellow one. This early blue model looks infinitely better than the later cars for several reasons, most notably the lack of "big bumpers." I detest big bumpers on almost anything, and foreign cars (namely British cars) are the single biggest culprit. I spotted this awesome Spitty in a slightly-shady area, about a block from last week's Buick Le Sabre and Electra; upon initial reaction, I was stunned, but at the same time, I kind of expected it--that area of town is filled with quite an assortment of interesting and obscure cars. The hue represented on this classic Brit is brilliant; definitely not a common color for any Triumph, let alone one as seldom-seen a Spitfire. The tarp over the interior is a shame, because I imagine its just as meticulously looked after as the body, wood wheel and all. Rolling stock of choice are Minilite wheels; something most people have a love-it-or-hate-it affair with. Me? I straddle both sides. I quite like these wheels (as well as the various derivatives of them), but I do think there are other choices. Problem is, Minilites are the Torq Thrusts of smaller. foreign cars. This is likely the cleanest, and by far the coolest, Spitfire I've seen. I'd gladly drive it as is, or maybe put in a hopped up Rover 3.5 or maybe even a small Ford V8. possibilities are endless, but I'd want to possible make this little Triumph "Spit Fire."--from the exhaust that is.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Buick Le Sabre

Cars of the 1960s are a growing fascination of mine. I'll be honest, though; aside from Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes and other common cars, I know very little about 1960s-era vehicles. I'm slowly learning, though, because each time I find a new example a car from this era, it intrigues me.
The Buick LeSabre is a vehicle I am familiar with, not because I necessarily know a whole lot about the car itself, but it seems to be the most common Buick nameplate in Minnesota besides the new cars; every day, I encounter various post-1985 models in all sorts of condition, decaying pristine. Never ever have I seen one that was a pre-1970s model parked on the street--until now.














From what I can gather, this is a 1965 car judging by the front grillework and the rear fascia; from the front and rear ends, it looks amazing; the interior, too, looks to be in incredible shape. The fascias are mar-free, and the chrome is excellent. Inside, this classy Buick stays true to its heritage; minimal trim, and material abound adorn this proud classic. If I only saw the bottom picture, I'd assume it was taken almost forty years ago; not two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, all cars have flaws--that what gives them character, and this Le Sabre is no different. Gladly, though, this example has minimal rust, and its in the usual places. It almost seem like with a new pair of front fenders, this Buick would be ready to take its owner to church again without hassle.
I hardly ever see vehicles this old in my state, and when I do, they're often donked. Thankfully, this Buick has lived over forty-five years of unmodified history, but with a for sale sign placed in the windows, that might change. I sure hope it doesn't; I quite liked this finding, and its surely not an easy one.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Buick Electra 225 Limited

How do I find all of my spottings outside of uptown? Well, sometimes I ride around, and get lucky--other times, I explore new tools in aiding in my car search. Ever since googlemaps came out a few years ago, I have been using as a tool to find and scout out new and unfamiliar areas; although google last visited Minneapolis' poorer areas in 2008, I tried my luck in seeing if any of my internet spottings were still there. Fortunately, out of maybe fifty cars spotted, only seven or eight were there; this Buick Electra is the only car on the street that remains; all the other google spottings from this street are gone--either crushed, or donked.
I previously featured an Electra that I shot much closer to home--and that one was in much better condition. This one, though, doesn't look all that bad... until you get up close.













I'm not quite sure what to make of the front grille treatment; it is not at all stock, but surprisingly aside from the dual Buick badges (wtf?), the chrome-capped fascia doesn't look awful. It doesn't look right, but it could be a whole lot worse. Turning my attention to the side, I noticed a bit of tinworm on the lower fenders, but honestly that's to be expected--it's a Minnesota car for crying out loud, it isn't going to be perfect. The color suits it well; it's a period color, and it honestly looks okay with the Buick rallyes--this color I think would look better on a Cadillac or maybe a Pontiac. The vynil roof looks to be in pretty good shape, too. I find that extremely satisfying because that means that there's likely no serious roof rust.
What I find the most interesting is the continental kit, or the appearance of one, anyway; I've never seen a fullsize Buick with one, and it honestly just looks weird.
I do appreciate the fact this big Buick is in respectable shape, and could easily be saved if the owner wanted; I don't whether this big barge even runs, considering the old-style license plates, but I'm sure it could be made to do so--that is, unless it's been sitting ever since google spotted it in August 2007. That might be a problem. One can only hope its not the case, but I suppose being dead is better than being donked--maybe.

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."