Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS

I've written about donked and modified Monte Carlo SS' quite a bit, because that's all I seem to find. Every so often, I see an example too clean to resist shooting. It's not everyday one comes across a clean, uncut SS in fantastic shape, much less one with such storied background as this one. This car belongs to a friend of mine, so I am able to dish out the correct story on how this car came to be.
The owner's grandmother was a Chevrolet nut to the fullest. When the owner was growing up, her grandma told her stories of her Chevrolet Laguna; it was silver with pink trim where the usual trim would be maroon. It also had a redyed pink interior in place of the maroon interior. An additional feature that made the Laguna stand out among its peers was the pink-painted Chevrolet Rallye wheels, for sure a rare option.














In the winter of 1985, with the Laguna being eaten by road salt, a replacement was due. Since the owner's grandma preferred her cars with a dash of sport instead of all-out luxury, the SS seemed like a suitable candidate. With the 305 untouched, this car oozes pure 1980s factory freshness, right down to the original build sheet. The pink you see on the car is dealer paint applied when new. Because of the dealer repaint when new, this car is likely a one of one. The flower was etched into the glass in the fall of 1987 when the car was barely a year old, and there is no plan on replacing it. While the car is 100% original except for audio and future tint/club/alarm, the little things are starting to need replacing. Like all GMs, the dash is peeling/cracking, but that's just considered normal wear and tear. Another thing is...it seems to have bad weatherstripping, as it leaks through the T-Tops during a minor drizzles, not to mention any heavy rain. It's got fewer than 80k original two-owner miles, and since it's a summer toy, it's going in storage in the winter.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: AMC Eagle

I love AMCs; I love station wagons; I love the Eagle line of cars. Naturally, this was a "must shoot" for me. Cars like this make me perk up, moreso than the average classic Ford or GM for obvious reasons. Even new, the AMC brand wasn't the most common brand, despite having a strong presence on our roads. Assembled in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a good majority of these cars spent their lives in the rustbelt, which is not good for cars in general, let alone the hit-or-miss paint quality of the Malaise era.
Getting out of the 1970s, AMC was in a rather dark period; the once-muscular AMX was a shadow of its former self and now reduced to a tape-stripe package, the much-loved Marlin was long gone, and the quirky yet functional Gremlin and its cousin the Pacer, were both on their way out, and the Matador had developed into a big, bulky coupe that people either loved or hated. That left the basic Hornet bodyshell, which, despite revisions, still looked like the same product that left factories in the early 1970s.
In 1980, the Eagle lineup was born. Comprised of lifted sedans, hatchbacks, and wagons, this lineup would be the forerunner to what would spell success for Subaru with the Outback lineup some fifteen years later. Along with these off-road cars, AMC bonded ties with Renault, and..well.. you can guess how that turned out. However, in the 1980s, the majority of the population didn't quite understand the concept of four wheel drive cars, and those who did bought Jeeps instead. Chrysler saw the success of the Jeep brand, and purchased them in 1987, thus winding down the nearly 35 year old automaker.
Despite being out of production for nearly 35 years, the AMC Eagle certainly has a cult following, and owner fall into two distinct categories; AMC nuts, or people who don't quite know what the significance of what they drive (ie not car people). I have loved the Eagles for quite some time, and despite being produced close to Minnesota, seeing a well-kept one is quite a rare sight.
I was gladly surprised when I happened upon this gorgeous example -- okay, maybe gorgeous is too kind of a word, but this car is definitely one of the nice Eagles I've ever seen. Even though the factory sky blue paint is quite faded, and lost its luster, this example isn't sporting any rust. The wheels are in excellent shape, too, which I suppose isn't too surprising since they're aluminum. What I do find quite attractive here, is the lack of woody-sides. Yes, I realize a woody would make this all-the-cooler, but dare I say it looks great without it. Even better than the wood-sides perhaps. I just wish more people had the same train of thought as me, so more would be saved. Cheers to the owner for keeping this example is pretty-much flawless condition.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Citroen 2CV6 Club

On my quest for shooting, I usually try to hunt for offbeat cars; cars I haven't seen a while. For the most part, cars from the big three generally don't interest me unless they're appealing in some way or another. On the flipside, I have a huge interest in foreign cars, and even deeper than that, obscure cars. This Citroen certainly fits that bill quite well.
Upon the surface, one tends to notice the drab red color, and white (gray?) wheels. To the average person, this combination screams generic old car, but for an enthusiast, this combo is quite appealing. Okay, maybe not in this application, but whatever. I like it. I'm glad this example is free of rust, and its quite free of the oft-tacky period decals that adorn these cars. The wheels are factory correct too (not that 3 lugs are common anyway), so that's a plus. I didn't get to inspect the interior as the owners came out when I was shooting, but if the exterior is any indication, the interior is in fairly good shape. While I would've preferred an earlier car, finding a 2CV of any sort is always welcome in this rustbucket-dense city. This 1986 model is awesome in its own right, I just wish I could find one of the pre-1960 vehicles. Now that would be a treat. If I had fun shooting the "common" 2CVs, imagine how much fun I'd have with a much earlier, prettier car.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Impala SS

It's not too often that one spots an undonked classic car in my area anymore. With all the "big body whips" being fodder for the donk/high rider craze, even cars such as this '65 Impala SS are slowly disappearing from our streets. To me, a nicely restored (or in this case, still stock) example is that much cooler than a subtle custom. I've seen plenty of custom Impalas, probably enough to last a lifetime. However, I don't see stock ones that often.
This particular Impala was one of a select few that looked great from a distance, but up close it still looked great. The cherry red paint, combined with the dual exhaust and stock hubcaps gave this car a look that says "I'm classy" but also it looks mean, too. I give the owner props for leaving all the stock badging and trim on it. The Impala logos were kept in great shape, as were both bumpers. Heck, I didn't even find any evidence of bendiness on the grille. A rare feat, I imagine.
However, I deduct points for the dumb license plate. Having a plate reading your "nickname" only bodes negatively for the attention this car will likely receive in the near future. It can only mean one thing. Rims, a "sick paint job", and "some bangin' ass sound." Right. Because every classic car needs to be turned into a rolling Soulja Boy concert that can be heard for blocks on end.
If this clean SS were mine, I'd leave it how it is, and put some collector plates on it.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy C-10 pickup

I usually don't shoot trucks, for a couple main reasons; they're usually either tattered, but with no patina, or they're generic 88-98 examples of the big three. This truck is falls into neither category. While I wouldn't exactly call this prime example of mid 1960s Chevy a "show-piece", it's definitely a very nice example.
The paintwork is top notch, if not extremely well restored. Even the stampings in the rear bumper identifying the dealer are present. While I am a huge sucker for teal on cars, it's rather seldom seen on pickups. I quite like this. I have seen a few '68-'72s in this color combination, but I think this C-10 pulls off the combo better than those later trucks.
The wheel and tire package looks just right here. Most times, I prefer a set of modern wheels and tires on classic vehicles, (don't ask why, I just do) but I do appreciate a good quality preservation or restoration. Here, the stock wheels only enhance the truck's character, so I'm glad the owner chose to leave these in place.
The interior looks to be pretty standard. Since it had a club in it, I was a bit offput when it comes to peeking inside. I did see that the interior had been either supremely restored, or it has been babied since it was new. Judging from the rest of the pickup, I would say the latter is possible.
As far as making this example "mine", I'd leave it as is. Not many of this generation around remain stock. I do like lightly modded "restomods", but seeing a stock example is quite a nice change from the norm. I dig this!