Minneapolis Street Sightings: Buick Regal

I must admit, so far, this early G Body Regal has been my favorite "pristine" find so far. Introduced in 1979, this generation Regal held through till 1987, with its share of special editions thrown in for good measure. This one, however is not a special edition; it's a pretty clean 1978-1982 example in none other than baby blue. It even has the original wheelcovers. What I find interesting about this particular car is not the condition. Granted, it is in perfect shape--well about as perfect as a 25+ year old car can be. I've never seen a base Regal of this vintage in any sort of condition until now. The hood ornament is awesome, the landau top is pretty damn sweet, and the corner taillights are pretty nifty too. Sure, the Regal was made until 2003, but none of them are as sweet as this generation. Proof that they don't build em the way they used to.

Time to spring forward

So, as the winter is slowly winding down, cars are starting to come out of hibernation. I haven't seen much quality shootables lately, and I'm saddened. But, in a few months, I'll be back to my old ways. I have seen a few cars worth posting, but I haven't had time to capture them in their glory yet. I cannot wait for spring to be here. The days will be warmer, the cars will be out, and best of all, I will find it more enjoyable to be outside shooting. So, as I have a shortage of cars to post, I will leave you with a list of vehicles I have but yet to post.
Buick Regal
Chevy LUV
Ford Maverick
Ford Mustang II


Stay Tuned, for I should have some new stuff soon.

Minneapolis Street Sightings: Saab V4 wagon

Wow. This Saab is insane. For starters, I almost never see classic Saabs, much less of this vintage. What's even more amazing, is that this example is a two-door wagon, which was never officially brought to the US. To add rarity to the finding, only 110,000 were made from 1959 to its demise in 1978. I've never seen one in person, not even at any of the prestige vintage European car shows I attend every summer. So to see one on the street in the Seward neighborhood was simply that much more jaw-dropping. To date, I have never seen a double of it. I hope to see this one again, and have a longer conversation with the owner, who is an avid Saab nut.

Minneapolis Street Sightings: Citroen 2CV6

Yes, I am aware I have featured a Citroen 2CV before. But this one is a much newer model, as evidenced by the square headlights. It's in better shape, too, which is amazing since the owner uses it as his kid hauler/daily driver. I've seen this particular example driving around the cities, and I never had the chance to shoot it until last fall. Quite a shame, really, but the pictures I got were amazing. Not only was I able to get better quality shots, but since the afternoon was in full swing, I needn't worry about lighting issues. This particular sighting made my happy in several ways; first, I was glad that I was able to come away with such crisp shots, second of all, I was simply stunned that I had seen a Citroen this spotless, and third, apparently this was my good luck charm as I saw a vintage Saab and Subaru that same day (about 20 minutes later).

Minneapolis Street Sightings: Austin Healey 3000

Now, this is a sighting. I can't recall ever seeing one of these up close before, much less in this condition. The red roadster was immaculate; the paint was spot on, the chrome was great, the wire wheels were the correct style for the vehicle, and best of all, the owner had the decency to cover the interior when it was raining. Unlike other vehicles in this series, I haven't seen beater versions of this and held out for a nice example. I flat out haven't seen one. Ever. Since I spotted this back in the fall, I've seen it a few more times. While I do have pride in the shots I got of it then, I'd kill for better close up shots and less cluttered pics. In fact, I'd kill to have an Austin Healey in my personal collection. Make mine white with a brown interior, please.

Minneapolis Street Sightings: Mercedes 280CE

Hmm, another day, another classic Mercedes. Or at least that seems to be the case here in Minnesota. But it's good though. They're awesome looking cars. Whether a two door, or four door sedan or wagon, these things are indestructible; they seem to run forever and ever, and it's not uncommon see one with over 400,000 miles on the odometer. What makes this one interesting for me is its bodystyle; I've never seen a coupe in this condition before. It's good the owner is driving it how its meant to be driven. Yes, it's an older car, and yes parts may cost a fortune (it's German for crying out loud). However, these cars while still abundant, are becoming rarer and rarer in the coupe variety. This example had a nice unworn leather interior, and the paint, though, dirty seemed original. I'm very glad this example didn't suffer from crash damage or crappy modifications. I spotted this one tucked behind a highway overpass in a rather unsavory part of town. Too bad, because that area has a ton of shootable iron. including two more coupes in horrid states of disrepair, and a wagon that appeared to have been sitting since the Gulf War.

Minneapolis Street Sightings: Chevy Chevelle SS

Hmmm. As if a Chevelle wasn't American enough. This guy decided his Chevelle wasn't American enough for him. He decided it would look better with American flags on it. It would also benefit from chrome endcaps too, and chrome headlight covers as well. The exhaust needed to be one from a generic Chevy truck too. Oh, and while we're at it, let's have open headers that are sealed off, too. Oh, and the interior needs a 1990s Chevy show sticker. Yes, and it needs a sweet Grant steering wheel. Dear sir, what I'm trying to say is, "why did you ruin a perfectly decent muscle car?" Oh yeah. It wasn't "capturing the American spirit." Dumbass. Maybe the owner of this Chevelle should get his 1995 Z-71 back. He deserves it. Badly. Seeing crap such as this makes me want to go to another car show. But that has to wait until summer. Dammit.