Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jeep J-10 4 Wheel Drive

In my quest to find odd and interesting vehicles, I sometimes let trucks into the mix too. My opinion on trucks is this; it takes quite a bit to get me to snap them. Usual Fords, Chevrolets, and Dodges don't get me excited unless they're either absolutely immaculate, or they're an interesting bodystyle. On the whole, I prefer Jeeps, Studebakers, Internationals, and other funky, long-dead brands.
Since the start of the brand, Jeeps have always had a certain "toughness" about them. Long-lasting durability, combined with unique styling should've been a hit among truck buyer-- but it wasn't. Jeep's four-wheel-drives outsold their pickup-trucks by huge numbers. So much in fact, that with the demise of the XJ-Cherokee-based Comanche, the Jeep truck business was dead.
In the 1970s, Jeep was still finding its niche, decided whether it wanted to do pickup-trucks or what we would call sport utlities. Choices were wide at your local AMC-Jeep dealer, and the J-Series pickups could be had in a wide variety of optionss and trim packages. This brown longbed is an example of J-10 with the optional "sports wheels" which ironically look fairly cheap. I quite like how this looks, even with that godawful camper shell.








It's not often that a pickup escapes the wear and tear of everyday life, but somehow this J-10 has escaped that fate. Finished in a glossy brown, this truck is the epitome of clean; not a scratch or dent hampers its clean pure-1970s lines, the chrome still glistens, and even the oft-rusty white wheels have escaped the "brown" treatment. Working truck, this is not. It's more superior that that; its a very well preserved piece of history that seems to go forgotten by the masses. This is probably the first clean J-Series I've seen--ever. And it could very well be the last one I see.

New Cars 2012: Chevrolet Volt

I usually review a car after I've had seat time in it; but this is a little different. I heard all the hype about how dangerous these are, supposedly. But, ever since this past winter, these have caught on like wildfire. They're quiet, they move along quiet nicely, and after sitting in one at the auto show, I really have no complaints.
Equipped with a 1.4L gas four cylinder, and a battery-T giving a 350 mile range, the Volt seems fairly practical--and it is. Around town, it runs on the battery alone, hence its quietness. They really are "silent" cars, so to speak. The only noise these emit is the tires and road noise, and since these really aren't built for spirited driving, those levels are kept to a minimum.
GM has had many tries at producing a world-beating fuel-efficient car. Remember the J-Body? Yep, that was a "world car". The 1980s Opel Kadett, too, was a world car. Besides being sold as an Opel and a Vauxhall, it was also sold as a Pontiac Lemans for the US market. Now the Volt gets a crack at GM's famous strategy of rebranding. Sold as the Chevrolet Volt here in the states, it will be sold in Europe as the Opel Ampera, the Vauxhall Ampera, and the Holden Volt for Australia. So will it work?
So far, the Volt is outselling the Nissan Leaf by a huge margin. And unlike the Nissan, homes don't need a $25,000 charger built onto the existing electrical/box of the residence. GM has done its homework, and it shows.

Colin's Toybox: Hot Wheels Demon

I picked this car up at a garage sale when I was about four or so; I cannot believe it's stuck with me, either. In that day and age, I tended to crush cars pretty quickly. I guess I loved this thing too much to kill it.
As I got older, I began to do research on this car, and it turns out that the original name was Demon. It was changed to Prowler sometime in the early 1970s, and has remained so ever since.
One thing that I found in my research, is that like the popular Beatnik Bandit, this, too, was an actual custom car. Built my famed car customizer Daryll Starbird, the "Lil Coffin" was a popular show car that won many awards; since Hot Wheels was still relatively new, the comany began emulating (or would that be directly copying) real show car, and putting them in the hands of millions of children.
This car has helped me become a better automotive fanatic by teaching me about historical custom cars that helped shape the hot rod and custom car scene. I still like the Lil Coffin, and it's one of very few customs from that era that I do like.
Kudos to Hot Wheels for educating someone without even meaning to do so. And for that, I will always treasure the Demon.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Corvair "gasser"

Since the introduction of my blogging career, I have let my reader-base know what my favorite cars are; the obvious British cars, and German cars, but I do like a select few American vehicles as well, particular from the 1950s and 1960s. I've always liked the later Corvairs, but the early ones need some getting used to--for me anyway.
Equipped with a rear-engine,rear-wheel-drive setup coupled with an iffy suspension, handling was compromised at best. So, this owner tried another type of compromised suspension setup--the "gasser" look. Gassers are throwbacks to a era when drag cars relied on straight angles, and ridiculous stance to deal with weight transfer to prevent "squatting" and bad launches. On the street, the idea of driving a gasser is all but pointless. So, rather than making his Corvair handle better, he probably made it handle worse.








Aside from the iffy build quality of the thing, (it has manual steering, no front brakes, and rear drums) it appears to be..well.. not quite hacked together.. but almost. The paint has what little patina a half-assed barn find can have, and the chrome is in fair shape. I'd almost say if it wasn't for the stupendously dumb gasser setup--no, I will say that if not for the way it was set up, I'd like it more.
Inside, it remains mostly stock, with the exception of rather uncomfy looking seats. At least the factory steering wheel and trim was left untouched.
I hate gassers with a fiery passion, and given my new-found interest in Corvairs.. this one just pisses me off. I had to refrain from bitching at the owner. At least he seemed to be a nice guy, and cared enough to park and let me get a full shoot. Sorry, man, a nice owner does not a sweet car make.

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: Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu four door

As I've mentioned before, finding vehicles from the 1970s and 1980s is rather easy around here, even if said vehicles are in rather rough shape; however, finding vehicles from the 1960s is a bit more challenging. Not only is the survival rate fairly low, but most of the surviving vehicles from the era get chopped up and made into either donks, custom cars, or have been mutilated in a demolition derby.
Chevrolets are honestly some of the most common vehicles here, classic or not. I've seen way too many Impalas, and hoards and hoards of two-door Chevelles in various condition. Four door Chevelles from any era are quite uncommon here, and seeing a 1960s-era example? Pretty slim chance, I think. But that's exactly what I found early this summer on one of my first all-day riding sprees. I couldn't believe my eyes, and I probably spent more time staring at it in awe than actually shooting it.











Unlike the last Chevrolet four-door I posted, this Chevelle is pretty nice. No obvious paint mishaps, the chrome seems good, and the trim is intact, and in very good condition. There is some orange peel present, suggesting that this may be an older restoration turned to summer driver status, but that doesn't really bug me. A car is supposed to get driven, even if it is a classic.
The only thing I take issue with, and this is relatively minor given the rest of the car, is the wheel choice. Sure there are other wheel choices that probably would be better, but the owner chose these wires. While I don't out right hate them, I think they'd be better suited for something like an Impala or Biscayne rather than a four-door Chevelle-Malibu.
I like these thing for what it is; a no-frills basic four-door sedan that's had enough care to survive nearly four decades. With the right care, I'm sure it could survive four more. Cheers to the owner for helping save a not-sought-after version of one of Chevrolet's most sought-after nameplates.

Minneapolis Street Sighting: Chevrolet Monte Carlo

In the hustle-and-bustle of the big city, donks are quickly becoming the transportation of choice for young folks who have the desire to look "cool", and as a result, stock and almost-stock examples of Chevrolet's personal luxury coupe are getting harder and harder to find. Poking around in the numerous sidestreets revealed that not all of them are rusted or blinged; instead, there are still some quite nice examples, even of base models, still around.
The 1970s examples are big and bold, and laden with enough chrome to make even the "hardest" blingster jealous; the 1980s versions are stark contrast. Not much chrome except for the wire-wheelcovers, the two-tone paintschemes were on the way out, and the car itself was much smaller. Did it still deserved to be a called a "luxury coupe"? You bet. Vinyl ruffled seats, optional landau top (which this example was lacking), and a choice of engines meant that buyers could option out their Carlo from either simple, to pure 1980s luxury kitsch. Solid colors, though, without the vinyl roofs look the best, and too many people overdo it when it comes to either customizing or restoring their Carlo.. Plain and simple is just how I like these.









It's not often that 1980s "in-cars" escape whatever fad is running rampant in car culture; for years, Monte Carlos have been prime fodder for lowriders, and demolition derbies. Now, there's a new enemy--donkriding. Donking is when someone takes a car, and jacks it up on obscenely huge wheels, and does little to no performance mods to offset the added unsprung weight. Thankfully, this example is as pristine as can be. No modifications, good or bad, adorn this almost-classic luxury coupe.
It's never easy to shock me, when carspotting; somehow this maroon Monte Carlo took me by surprise. I guess I wasn't ready to see a rather nice example or a car so commonly ruined in mass numbers; the paint is fantastic, especially considering the fact that it lives in rust-hell. The trim, too, has withstood the test of time quite well, only showing minimal fading.
Seeing how this Monte is equipped with one mirror, I'm guessing it's a base model. No bad thing, really, it just means its likely motivated by either a diesel 305, or the more common 3.8 V6. I'd rather have the V6 than the diesel for obvious reasons, and given the upkeep, I bet the V6 actually gets better mileage than the diesel.
It's not often one of theses is preserved or at least left stock, and this owner seems to take great pride in his or her near-classic coupe. One only hopes that this nice example can survive for many more years to come.