Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Town Car Signature Series

Continuing on my string of classic Lincolns, I present you this beautiful example of a 1980s Town Car. While not as big as the pre-1978 cars, the Town Car continued to represent American luxury at its finest. As with GM' luxury brand Cadillac, Ford's arm continued to build big, soft-riding RWD cruisers that would be more at home at bingo night than on the highway. Not that there's anything wrong with that, though. Like Cadillac, Lincoln, too, offered a V8 powerplant. Gone were the emissions-choked 460, and 351, however. Downsizing in the 1980s meant a modest 5.0, or 302 as its somewhat-commonly called as the only engine.
Dressed in silver with color coded vinyl roof, this classic Lincoln just oozes class- for an '80s car anyway. It's exactly the car you'd picture a banker driving a 1988 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. And I predicted the year right. After consulting my 100 years of Ford book, I have come to the conclusion hat this particular example is a 1989 model, which would have been released in..wait for it.. late 1988.
The paint on this beast is immaculate. Not a scratch or ding anywhere. Even the body trim looks good; hell even the often peeling, often faded vinyl roof looks amazing new. Surprisingly, even the stock "turbine" wheels are pretty clean-- a true testament to the term "I baby my car." This thing is incredible.
Judging by its appearance, and hats in the rear window, I'm gonna take a bet and say this example is owned by an older person. That'd make sense, too, especially knowing the shape its in. I also wonder how many miles this good looking Town Car has on it. For all we know it could have 150k on it; heck, it could have a measly 30k on it. Who knows? All I know, is that this example is truly a stunning example of an oft-forgotten Town Car bodystyle. Here's hoping this generation catches on with collectors and enthusiasts. It'd be nice to see a few more of these in great shape.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Mark V Collector's Edition

Upon my walking home from the Lake and Chicago transit station, I pass by two tow yards, three car dealerships, and a paint/rim/window tint place. I scope each and every lot out for interesting cars. In the dreary cold of winter 2010, my luck paid off big time. I First spotted this Lincoln Mark V in a tow yard near the intersection of Lake and Park. I know the area is rather rough, so I honestly expected to only see it once or twice.Looking forlorn and log-abandoned, I assumed the big guy was headed for the scrapyard; it hadn't moved all all since March of this year, when most of the snow had subsided. Caked in mud and surrounded by beater cars, and broken glass, I knew the end was near. Or was it?









Far from it, actually. Over the next half a year, I've seen this car almost daily. I've even come to know the owner's routine. Call me a bit of a carparazzi, but with this big boat, I can't help but autostalk it. My "stalking" paid off big time this summer. It took me awhile, but I finally found out where it lives. Naturally, I headed over there early in the morning to do a preview and look the car over to make sure it was indeed the very car I'd seen almost half a year earlier. Yup. The plates matched. Time to a worthwhile shoot.
Often seen at either the Lake Street Taco Bell or one of various Holiday gas stations, this is one of the few big coupes I see daily. Each time I see it, I'm taken aback by its presence-- it's got flair and classiness a Mark VIII can only dream. Why, you ask? Well, just look at it. It's big, it's square, it's elegant, it just oozes 1970s pimpness-- even in this condition.
Like the Diamond Jubilee, the Collector's Edition was a limited edition release of Lincoln's big coupe, too. Well duh, the name alone suggests that it's a "collector's item". While that may be true if it's restored, this example serves as someone's daily driver. Sadly, like the Diamond Jubilee I posted, this example has got its three decades of wear and tear on it, and it shows. While the paint is clearly shined up its best, the salty winter have taken their toll on it. Rust sprouts from the wheelarches, and if not taken care of, that rust could envelope the whole car. Not a pretty sight. However, unlike the DJE, the trim on this example seems to be intact; even the Collector's Edition badges are all complete; faded, sure, but imagine trying to find replacement badges. I didn't get any shots of the interior, so I can't vouch for the condition, but it does look like the owner tries to take care of the car to the best of his abilities. At least he loves it enough to drive it around instead of letting it sit there and rot.
While not pristine by any means, I applaud the owner for not letting it become one with the earth-- yet anyway. Who knows, maybe this example of a once-prestigious car will get its glory back. It certainly deserves it. It was already saved from the crusher once.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Lincoln Mark V Diamond Jubilee Edition

Lately I've seen a whole slew of interesting cars; I don't know if it's the unusally warm weather for September (and now October) or what, but they've been coming out in droves, I kid you not. Granted this once-prestigious Lincoln was shot about a few weeks ago, but still. It's highly out of the ordinary to have an amazing week in fall of shooting. Enough rambling about the sun, this isn't a weather blog.
Riding down Lake on the way to a friends house, I was passed by this beast, so rather than get it out of my sight, I pressed on, hoping not to lose the big Mark. As luck would have it, he parked. I waited till the owner went inside, and out came my D5K, and the shots commenced.
I realize this example is a little worse for wear, but in all seriousness, how many huge coupes do you still see today? Quite a scant few, especially up here in the rust belt. All Lincoln Mark coupes are special to me, because..well.. if I have to tell you why they're so cool.. stop reading. Seriously.
What immediately caught my eye is the color combination; all gold. Paint, interior, landau top, and what have you. Now, this baby is no ordinary Mark-- far from it. What you see here, is a much-loved (beat to shit put in nice language) Diamond Jubilee Edition. Made only in 1979, there were only 5199 examples built. To be honest, this is the first DJE I've seen, and I'm quite sad that this example represents the local Mark scene.
Honestly, as much of a beater as this is, it's probably one of the better conditioned big cars I've seen. This state hates big old boats; the gangsters love them to death, and don't even get me started on what our lovely winters do to these big-ass antique tanks. Outside, obviously, the paint is in less-than-perfect condition. On the plus side, though, there is no obvious bondo, so at least it hasn't rusted all the way through--yet. The trim is all intact, if not as beat as the rest of the car. Even the vinyl continental kit cover is intact. It's worn, but imagine trying to find new covering for that piece? Hah. Yeah right.
Inside, this poor Mark clearly has seen better days. The passenger seat is likely worn through, hence the shirt covering it; either that, or it's in amazing shape under the cover. I doubt it though. While the interior was in better shape than the car, I fear for the wood trim. It's faded to hell, and the Lincoln scripts are missing. At least all the important trim is in one piece. So, okay-- maybe it's not in as bad as shape as I thought. Still though, if it's left outside (like it was last winter), the whole car will become one with the Earth. If it isn't donked first.
All in all, I'm grateful to see a near 35 year old still rolling, even if it isn't in pristine shape. I hope this example gets collector plates soon, though. It definitely needs-- and deserves-- to be restored to it's former glory. After all, it was a $22,500 car when it was new. At a time when the average American car cost a hair over $5000. Yes. That's like comparing a fully loaded Chevy Suburban to a base Chevy Aveo price-wise. Yikes.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Impala

As you know from reading my blog, classic cars are relatively rare in Minnesota. Of this group of vehicles, it seems like GMs are the most common; it probably has something to do with the extensive availability of restoration parts, and general abundance of examples being sought after by collectors.
When it comes to the big Chevys, it seems that 1963 and 1964 cars are the most common, with later 1960s and earlier 1960s cars taking up the next two spots on the "most common" list. However, most of the examples I see are either blinged, or in generally poor shape. This particular car fits neither of those categories, thank goodness. From across the street, this Impala looked pristine. Okay, maybe that isn't the right word, since the chromed Rallyes are probably not stock items. Anywhoo, they look pretty good on this deep maroon car. The black interior sets off the paint color rather well, too. Infact, while I like white interiors on cars, I don't think I'd change a thing either.
The one thing that gets me excited about old cars is the details. Surprisingly, while this big ole' Chevy looked pretty trim-free, the emblems are pretty damn neat. I love the "Chevrolet" scripting in grille, as well as out back. In fact, the only place the Impala name appears, is on the front fenders. To be honest, I kinda wonder what a cursive "Impala" script on the rear decklid would look like. As it stands, though, this is a pretty straightforward example of a clean, unmolested Impala. And while this example isn't quite my favorite year, this bodystyle is growing on me-- all because of this particular car.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Dodge Dart

Usually when I see "classic Mopars" on the street, I'm usually referring to Chrysler Fifth Avenues and Dodge Diplomats and the occasional mint-condition K-car or minivan. It's not very often I see a pre-1970 Mopar that isn't a cliched Charger or E-Body, so when this Dart sedan presented itself, I jumped at the chance to photograph it. Upon asking the owner some questions about the car, it's clear he only has the car to be "cool". I asked a simple question "what kind of engine does it have?" and he answered with a quite lame "A Dodge one. It was in the car when I got it." I asked him more technical details such as V8 or slant 6 and he kinda pushed me away. Obviously, a real car guy there.
From afar, this example looked pretty good for its age; it showed no obvious rust or bondo, and the paint, as far as I could tell, looked original. The badging was in great shape, and the trim (what little of it there is, anyway) seemed to be in great shape, too. Even the stock "poverty caps", as we enthusiasts call them, were still on the car. I'm honestly impressed. I thought most people swapped out the caps for some aftermarket Cragars by now. Obviously this vehicle is a daily driver, though, due it the dirt/grime on the lower rockers. and wheel wells. Aside from the road grime, this thing looked perfect. For all I know, it could be a southern car.
I didn't really examine the interior as the owner was hovering over me, hounding me with typical yuppie-ish "why do you like the car?"-esque questions. I got tired of his big mouth, so after I got done shooting, I left. At least he keeps his Dart in good condition. But that's only probably because he doesn't know anything about how to modify it or "customize it" to his needs.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevy Corvette Convertible

To be perfectly fair and honest, I don't shoot a vast majority of Corvettes I see, modified or otherwise. They're all just cookie cutter variations of popular "themes" with Corvettes, nothing special. Normally, I am not a fan of C4 wheels, and I generally don't like the C3 convertibles all that much.But, this one seems to work. Even the mishmash of C3 body parts seem to go well together. The early C3 hood seems to work on the later car, as do the side skirts and slightly rolled fenders. It looks a bit modern, while still holding that 1980s vibe.
Outside, the paint was about as perfect as one could get on a non-show car. Amazingly enough, this example is probably the only street parked "classic" Vette I've seen with a paintjob this immaculate. Even the rolling stock was free of any kind of road debris, suggesting it was hand toweled immediately after being parked. Lastly, unlike most street-parked vehicles, this clean Vette had nary a rock chip or spec of dirt on it. A little OCD with vehicle care perhaps?
Even the interior was remarkably clean. The seats free of wear, the belts all in place, and even the steering wheel seemed amazingly clean, save for the missing center cap. The more cleanliness I see, the more I wonder if this Vette is driven on a daily basis, or brought out in nice weather only. Since this car hails from Cali, I'm betting the only "nasty" weather it's seen is rain.