Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Chevelle Malibu

Honestly, very few GM "muscle cars" get me excited anymore, except for a specific few cars. Sitting in my list of top 10 favorite cars of all time, the 1971 and 1972 GM A-Bodies, specifically the Chevy Chevelle/Malibu and Oldsmobile Cutlass. Sadly, like their 1980s kin, the 1970s versions have fallen victim to the ever-popular donk/bling craze so finding a clean, unmolested "whip" is getting rarer by the day. It just so happens I stumbled upon a neighborhood in Minneapolis free of gangstaz or donkrydaz. Classic cars free of homie-itus are the norm there.
Although I much prefer the SS, a basic Chevelle Malibu does just fine. Like most other Chevy products of the era, this bronze example comes with a 350 and an automatic transmission. Rather than go the SS route, this example is more pedestrian, restraining from a loud paint job and rumbling 454 underhood; a car like this is something you'd expect to find parked in the teacher's lot at a school circa 1974.
With age, the paint finish has begun to fade, and weather has taken its toll on the vehicle somewhat. However, the majority of the vehicle appears to be in pretty good shape. There are some places of pitting in the trim, and the badges aren't quite immaculate anymore and neither are the stock hubcaps, but that's to be expected; this vehicle is damn-near 40 years old now. And, it still looks good.
Inside, the vehicle has been pretty well kept up. No obvious interior damage, and although wear and tear is present, there is surprisingly little. It's been gently driven for the last 37ish years. Which is good, because in Minnesota, if you're not careful, your car will become dust in the winter. Slick roads and bad drivers will eat any car alive, but thankfully that's not yet the case here.
I can only hope this clean example stays that way. If it were mine, rather than turn it into an SS cone, I'd leave it the way it is. That's saying alot, considering how much I lust after 1971-1972 SS. I would gladly drive this, even in this shape. I just freaking love this bodystyle, even if the color and trim isn't my ideal standard.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Town Car

Continuing on the clean mundane cars theme, I present this gold and brown Lincoln Town Car. I much prefer this generation of Town Car compared to the newer ones, and even the 1970s ones most people same to love. I have no idea why, but this generation fits the bill for me; it's not overly long, nor is it short by any means. Unlike the older ones, this version looks good with all of the factory wheels. Yes, I even like these plain hubcaps. Sue me.
Like the Buick Regal I posted yesterday, this car, too, hails from 1980. And, like the yesterday's post, this one, too, is in outstanding condition for a Minnesota car. The paint is damn near perfect with no noticeable flaws either far away or up close.
The bodywork is awesome; the factory two-tone paint is 100% original, as evidenced by the dealer plaque on the trunk. As mentioned above, I scoured the vehicle for flaws, but could find nary a one. The owner keeps this car in impeccable shape. I see it driving around from time-to-time, but never once have I seen this example dirty. It always looks showroom fresh. Since the owner is an older guy, I would imagine he is likely the first, and only owner.
Inside, the interior, too, looks showroom fresh. No rips, or tears on the upholstery, but unlike yesterday's Regal, this Lincoln features something I've never seen on a non-show car; original dealer paper coverings over the floormats. How's that for a well-kept vehicle? I don't think this specimen even has a hair of dirt anywhere on it. Even inside. Damn.
If the current owner keeps preserving his car, there's no doubt this thing will last forever. Since he is likely approaching nursing-home age, I can only hope whoever his caretaker is takes car of his car as well. I would hate to this clean Townie go the way of the bling route. I hope for the cars' sake at least, that when the owner passes on, his beautifully maintained Lincoln stays in the family. At very least, I hope it goes to someone who can appreciate it for what it is.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Buick Regal Limited

About 30 years ago, the American Buick was usually a big, brash, RWD boat. With the Regal, however, that wasn't quite the case. It came in sedan, wagon, and coupe variants, with the coupe sporting entirely different bodywork than its sedan and wagon stablemates.
Available with a variety of V6 and V8 engines meant there was a Regal for everybody. From a dowdy 3.2L V6 to the much-criticized Oldsmobile 307, the engine family had no "awesome" members. This particular version packs an extremely underpowered version of the reliable 3.8L V6 engine. How good was the 3.8? To put it bluntly, this engine only recently ceased production.
On the surface, this thing appears to be pretty-much showroom fresh. No rust, nary a scrape or dent, and just look at that finish. While not shiny by any means, it certainly lacks the expected patina of a 30 year old Minnesota car. Even the chrome is in fantastic shape for its age! What's more, it still rolls on the stock Buick hubcaps. That's a feat in itself considering the popularity of anything RWD with the homies. Amazingly enough, the interior, too, is in pretty damn good condition; no rips, tears, nothing. Even the interior "wood" is in good shape, with no signs of fading, rippling, cracking, nor is the dash.
I certainly think this example qualifies as a "time capsule" car; it certainly looks the part. It runs, too, but it's driven often. When it isn't street parked, it sits in a garage, and its condition shows it well. Here's hoping this relatively mundane-yet-somehow-interesting Buick can survive for another 30 years.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Impala convertible

First off, older cars are getting rarer by the day here. With the combination of donk ryders, harsh winters, and crap drivers, its miracle anything survives longer than 10 years, to be honest. This summer was sort of rough for car spotting, as I focused more on quality than quantity. While this particular Impala was far from original, it was still a treat to the eyes.
The blue and white theme is perfect. It's the classic blend of performance mixed with luxury. On this car, the finish isn't show quality (there were swirls and orange peel present, which suggest a quick respray), but it makes for a far-from-cliche driver. Same opinion is had of the Cragars; they look great as always, but, c'mon, can we do something more original? Okay, they're better than 24s by a longshot, but if this rag was mine, I'd toss on some Intros or something a little less cliche.
As it sits, though, I wouldn't say no. I rather like this bodystyle, and its not one you see alot. While the '63s and '64s are nice, too, I don't like them as much. I'd much rather have one of this generation. And I'd leave it in this condition save for Intros. Wait, no, I'd have sound in this beast, too. Then it'd be my style of car.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Audi R8 5.2

Not often at all do I feature modern cars, or cars still on sale today. If a new car pops up on here that isn't a "review", there's a reason behind that; rarity. Now, Audis themselves aren't rare around Uptown at all-- I see A4s and even the sexy A5/S5 by the dozens now, and A3s aren't that far behind. The R8, though, is a different beast entirely.
This car is sex on wheels as far as new cars go. At nearly $160k for the V10, it's far from cheap, although a Lamborghini Gallardo (a pricier R8 LMAO) will set you back an additional $20K. I'm glad that the owner of this particular V10 didn't opt for the hideous standard wheels. The carbon package, which includes carbon sideblades and interior accessories, sets this car off nicely. In addition to contrasting the Ibis White paint,the appearance is more akin to that of a racecar.
Now, about that powerplant; the Lamborghini-derived V10 produces 525 horses and 317 lb/ft of torque, enabling the R8 to reach 60 MPH in just over 3.5 seconds. Top speed is north of 190 MPH, too, so the R8 V10 isn't exactly slow. I do question whether the 105 horse advantage over the 4.2 is worth the $30k jump in MSRP. The 4.2 does 60MPH in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed only 10 MPH slower. Besides a racetrack, I don't see how one would ever tap into the potential of either engine. I will give the nod to the 5.2 for its exhaust note, though. My god. It sounds so..sweet. Not many cars make my eyes stop blinking and make me take my iPod out of my ears to hear it take off. Okay, so I think I did justify getting the 5.2 versus the 4.2.

New Cars 2010/2011: Acura ZDX

When Acura launched in 1986 as Honda's upmarket division, it beat soon-to-be rivals from Nissan and Toyota; Lexus and Infiniti bowed in 1989 and 1990 respectively. In the 1990s, Acura had a good reputation for building quality, nice, ordinary looking upscale vehicles for people who were too sophisticated for an Accord or Civic. Cars like the "bargain Ferrari" NSX, the TL, and the RL all helped build a solid reputation that would hold through the decade. That reputation held up fine until the demise of the brand's only remaining "youthful car", the RSX, in 2007. Then 2008 rolled around, and the question arose: What happened to the Acura the automotive industry knew and loved?
For one, the smooth, grown-up looks had been replaced with garish and "techonolgy influenced" designs; vehicles that made the public turn their heads in horror instead of amazement. Instead of praising the svelte styling of cars like the once-decent TL and rather good looking TSX, the motoring world was left shaking their heads in disbelief. And Acura's new crossover is no different.
Onlookers are greeted with a profile that resembles a BMW X6 drawn by a four year old, complete with ungodly low rear roofline, and hidden rear door handles. Are Nissan Pathfinder rear handles supposed to be cool or something? Oh wait, they're "unique". That very word can also be used to describe the unsightly front "grille" which is nothing more than a aluminum look shield bearing the Acura logo. Clever, eh?
If you're ever stuck behind one of these turd in traffic, you'll know it instantly. Not only will you be graced with 'ZDX" and "Acura" badging, you'll also be fortunate enough to realize that whoever is Piloting this rolling blasphemous turd cannot see you behind them. But.. but it's trendy to have a high backlight and low visibility. Yeah, trendy enough til the ZDX's driver backs into your car because he or she didn't opt for the rearview camera.
Oh what $60k large buys someone these days. I blame the BMW X6 for starting all this coupe-SUV crap, and until someone takes the hint that sedans are not supposed to be SUVS (aside from Subaru, but that's a different story), the roads will be filled with ZDXs and their clones. Thankfully, even in yuppietown, MN, people are smart enough to realize these turds are not cool. Beside this lone brown one (appropriate color, no?) I don't think I've seen very many.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Monte Carlo Z34 "Brickyard 400 Pace Car"

Yeah, I know. A bland, modern, GM. It's not really that interesting right? What if I told you there were only 400 of these built as replicas? And of those 400, less than half survive today.
In mid 1994, Chevy introduced its replacement for the semi-aging Lumina coupe, called the Monte Carlo. Unlike the Lumina it replaced, the Monte Carlo promised a more luxurious feel, and a sense of upscale motoring under the Chevy brand. Like the Lumina, the Monte Carlo would do battle on NASCAR circuits around the US. So, to promote this fact, GM designed another vehicle to add to their ever-growing Pace Car stable.
Finished in a generic white that is believed to be the most common color, these cars had decals added to them at the factory. Under the graphics, though, the stock Monte Carlo Z34 remains untouched. Leather, floor shifter, 16" wheels, and a 3.4L V6. Okay, so it isn't really all that special mechanically or otherwise, aside from the graphics. What is pretty remarkable that not only is this example is a) still living, especially considering the rust-hell that we call winter every year, and b) rust free. I cannot tell you how many W-bodies (Monte Carlo, Lumina, Regal, Cutlass Supreme, etc) I see slathered in rust and peeling paint. To see one that looks showroom fresh is simply a miracle. The fact that it's a rare piece probably helps a bit, too, ya think?
While the current owner babies it to no end (I see it parked under a carport where it lives sometimes), I worried about what the owners' son will do. He has a Bonneville of similar vintage on 22s or 24s, and unsurprisingly, stock white, peeling paint. I just hope he doesn't acquire this car after his dad passes. I'd love to see this particular W body end up either in a museum, or in the hands of a collector who will appreciate it for what its worth, FWD or not.