Minneapolis Street Sighting: Mercedes 280SL

Throughout the history of the automobile, there are cars that have always been considered pretty, and there are those that have been considered some of the ugliest. Ironically, many nameplates somehow fit into both genres, but one famous marque didn't earn the ugly crown until recently. Always seen as a beautiful car, and the essence of high-class German motoring,  Mercedes' SL has long been a game-changer in the world of upmarket roadsters and hardtops.

In 1954, a star was born; from the racing pedigree of the SLR, a roadcar was carved, and with that roadcar, came bounds and bounds of legacies to fill; each new generation heralded more and more creature comforts, and the bar for luxury motoring was raised a notch above the previous generation. But, like all things being governed, new crash test laws, and laws about pedestrian safety did their best to compromise Mercedes' most prestigious effort to design the best roadster.

In 2009, the crown from Mercedes would be stripped, and they have continued to have a hard time winning it back since then. Rather than lambast the current and preceding generation of what once was the most beautiful Mercedes, I will focus on which generation fits the bill for being the second mot beautiful Mercedes roadster.

Admittedly,  the Pagoda Mercedes is a cliched car, much like any variation of Ford's popular baby, the Mustang; unlike the Mustang, though, I shot quite a variety of Pagodas as they never seemed to get old.  This was one of the only street parked examples I've featured, so I tried to make the best of it. The silver paint was quite elegant, and certainly screamed "class"--and its obvious that the body-colored wheels only helped the case here.  The idea of only having the necessary items caking the exterior is a practice Mercedes could (and should) relearn.

Inside, this two-seat piece of elegance looked just as amazing as the outside; no blemishes in the leather, the dash was in tip-top condition, and even the steering wheel plating was done correctly--unlike quite a few cars I've seen where the steering wheel luster was all but gone.

I had immense fun shooting this, and as these cars creep up in value, the likely that I will see another streetparked is getting dimmer by the day; well spotted, and certainly well shot, I say.  And kudos to the owner for driving it around, and not confining to it a garage like so many of its brethren.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Buick Skylark

Yesterday, I brought readers one of my favorite Oldsmobiles; today, I give readers the pleasure of viewing one of my favorite Buick models of all time; the Skylark--particularly this generation. I don't really like the 1968 or 1969 cars that much for the same reasons I don't like the same year Pontiac LeMans, Tempest, or GTO, and Chevrolet's Malibu and Chevelle. Likewise the Oldsmobile Cutlass. It's not often I see a car multiple times without shooting it, but that's the case here. I see this clean Skylark numerous times per day, and all days of the week; it's owned by someone who works at a food shop, and its used as their delivery vehicle. Not many older cars are used as a daily driver here in the rustbelt, and even less of those vehicles are in outstanding shape as this good ole' Buick Skylark is.
















Upon first notice, this classic A-Body looks pretty good; no bling, no evidence of bondo,and certainly the paint color is normal for once. Riding on Buick Rallyes, this 'lark fits my mental picture of what a Buick from this era is supposed to look like. In the early 1980s, this would have been an ideal "used car", but today this car can pass for a "summer car", especially in our area.
As a casual observer to these cars, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but one car buff on a site a frequent commented on the presence of Buick GS bits on a non-GS. Okay, so I likely wouldn't have known unless I was told so; I suppose that means the bits (the hood and steering wheel) fit quite well here. And I agree. While this is no show car, this Skylark has presence on the road. It's less common than its Chevrolet Chevelle counterpart, and its less likely to be preserved even further down the road.
To that, I give kudos to the owner for preserving (and cherishing) such a unique vehicle. I have long liked these, and it's great to see one that isn't either cut up and made into a donk, or transformed into a trailer-queen show car that never gets driven. I'm glad this isn't a high-spec GS, or GSX; normally, I'd prefer the nicer version of said "muscle cars", but sometimes a base model is okay too.
I still have fun spotting this car, even if the owner doesn't really get why I like his vehicle; oh well. Not everyone is a car enthusiast just because they have a nice/noteworthy vehicle.

Colin's Toybox: Hot Wheels Ferrari FF

Like many kids growing up as car enthusiasts, I developed a passion for Hot Wheels, and Ferrari. Over the course of my childhood, I quickly found a favorite car, and a favorite Hot Wheels--the Ferrari F40. Hot Wheels introduced their F40 along the time the real car was introduced, and they did so with the F355, the F50, the Enzo, and now there's this-- the Ferrari FF. As a Ferrari nut, and an avid Hot Wheels collector, I had to snap one up.
I applaud Hot Wheels' efforts in this replica. The side profile looks dead on; the side air intakes on the front fenders are nicely replicated, as is the odd curvature of a body-line that distinguishes the lower portion of the car from the roof. Up front, the detailing is quite good for a small-scale car. The odd grille and lower air intake are done well, and would look better on a darker car. The only downside of the front is the ill-fitting headlight tampos. Out back, the story is a bit different. There really isn't much to see. Yes, the taillights resemble the actual units, and the quad exhaust looks reminiscent of the real deal, but really detailing is sparse; its almost as if Mattel engineers rushed this replica to market.
But it's a Ferrari, and it's a Hot Wheels, so I had to have it. Why didn't I pick up a red one? I hate red cars if I can help it; the FF--along with many other post-modern Ferraris looks dowdy in red--almost more of a lookatme car than it should be. I also have a thing for silver or gray replicas. I love the FF (even though most people don't), and I am quite happy with the overall effort put in here.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Porsche 924S

For every great 911, there's an equal-- but still great-- nontraditional Porsche; cars like the 914, and eventually the 924 (and 944 and 968) resembled the bulk of Porsches for younger buyers. As a result, these "lesser" Porsches weren't as flashy, nor did these cars have the same performance as the much-heralded 911 cars. Originally designed to be Volkswagens, the car was passed off to Porsche at the last minute; as a result, most Porsche aficionados either love the 924 dearly, or they hate it with a fiery passion. Somehow, I fall right in the middle. Then again, I don't worship the Porsche brand with the same enthusiasm that most owners of classic Porsches do. I never had any strong feelings one way or the other toward the 924, but as it gets older, I tend to like the initial design more.









I've shot these on occasion before, but I am really starting to see less and less of the "affordable Porsches"; I guess that has to due partly with the fact that these cars don't quite have a following yet, and because of their iffy reputation, likely never will, and second, these cars (like many German cars of the era) had sever quality problems, both mechanically and otherwise, so finding one in recently good nick is something of a treat. And what a treat this is. The last 924 I blogged was in okay condition, and could probably pass for a candidate if there ever was a US-version of the British TV show, "Wheeler Dealers", but this one actually looks.. nice. Okay, that might be stretching it a tad, but this example clearly had more going for it than that red example I posted last November.
Finished in a period but somewhat dated silver metallic (or what's left of the metallic anyway), and sporting a set of infamous Teledial wheels shared with the 928 and later 944, this budget Porsche means business. Well, sort of. Packing anywhere from 150 to 165 horses, this little car surely can run with other cars of its class-- now, anyway. I'm sure the other 1980s "sports cars" are just as quick to 60. And I'm sure the trek to 100 MPH is just as fun-- if not just as slow.
While the 924 (and 944, too, apparently) had its share of cosmetic maladies (including severe front fender rust, and rear wheel-arch rust), this particular one was surprisingly clean-- a trait not often found on Minnesota 924s. Like about 5% of its surviving brethren, this silver example had all its badges and trim, suggesting that this is likely a cared-for vehicle. Why you'd pour time and passion into keeping a 924 running is beyond me, but hey, someone has to do it.
I'm not necessarily dogging the 924 by any means, I just think there are nicer (and better) Porsches that an enthusiast could possibly be more concerned about. Or perhaps, that's why this 924S was rescued from certain death otherwise. While the 924 is by far not my favorite Porsche, I can't fault the owner for keeping it around to see another 30 years of motoring.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Lumina Z34

As readers can sort of gather, I have a rather soft spot for some of GM's most unloved, bashed vehicles; and I'm not really afraid to admit it. I have always liked the first generation Chevrolet Lumina for some reason, and I think it looks great in two door guise; in addition to being a two door, this example is the coveted-in-GM-circles Z34 model. Don't get the idea that it was a corner-carving sports machine, because honestly.. it really isn't. What Chevrolet specialized in in the early 1990s was appearance packages; the Beretta, the Camaro, the Cavalier, the Corsica, the Lumina, and even the Monte Carlo (which replaced the Lumina nameplate in 1995). It seems that this was Chevrolet's peak era for making cars that younger drivers not only wanted, but could afford.
When I was younger, I assumed that the numbers after the Z coordinated with the engine size in liters, like it does with most other alphanumeric car names; after coming to my senses that a Camaro Z-28 did not have a 2.8L V6, I proved myself wrong. Ironically, these did have the 3.4 DOHC in them, as did the Monte Carlo Z34s that replaced them. The same formula cannot be applied (obviously) to the other Chevrolet "Z" cars, thankfully. Doesn't mean I dismiss the other Zs, though, because I quite like this lineup of reasonably attractive and sporty cars.
Unfortunately, this Z34 is starting to succumb to the elements; yes, the paint is all there, and despite the obligatory GM rust, none of the paint is actually gone; it's just rusted through. Likewise, the trim is pretty much intact, too.. The ground-effects spoiler, and louvers are in great shape, should the rest of the car cave completely into its cancer that's slowly killing it right now. Overall, this is about the shape I expect a 1990s GM car to be in these days; even though the owner has tried to baby it to the best of his ability, it appears mother nature wants him to do otherwise. And that's no fun, because these cars were fairly rare in their day, and ever more-so now.
I'm glad I shot this when I did; even though these pictures aren't that old, it now has slightly more rust, and a huge dent on the driver's side door, possibly from coming in contact with a larger vehicle. I feel bad for this car, and the W Body geek in me wants to save it; hell, as a car enthusiast I want to save it.