Peter Behrens's Blog, page 107

c. 1955 GMC Marfa, Texas.

Parked outside Jose Gutierrez's shop–he's doing some work on the C10. Have to ask what the story is with this truck. New Mexico plates. Metal does last, in the desert. Not rubber, though.

1956 Porsche Speedster

 

My friend Pat gave me a ride to pick up my C10. Pat's owned this car 50 years. He was the Porsche mechanic/whisperer of Dallas. The top's held down by a broomstick duct-taped to an empty Prestone antifreeze jug. Don't ask me how it works, but it does. The engine is purrfect, though Speedsters snarl more than they purr. What fun on a great wide open West Texas road in an amazing car with a great friend.

G.T.T. (Gone to Texas)

 

1957 Chevrolet Nomad

From Michael Moore, in the East Bay: "A hot rod suvrivor from the late-Seventies which the current [and third] owner had recently picked up in Fallon, Nevada, which he considered the “middle of nowhere”.  I would characterize it as more the “edge of nowhere” but at any rate, after years of not running, it seems to have found a good home."

AL: we posted another '57 Nomad from Saskatchewan. And remember Earl Swift's book about the 1957 Chevrolet wagon, which we posted on, along with Michael Moore's Autobiographies?

1987? Chevrolet Caprice

From Stephen Hendrickson in PA: I thought you might like to see a gleaming, perfect condition Chevrolet Caprice basking in fall sunshine in the - where else?- Walmart parking lot. A sober looking car, well-cared-for, indeed. The seats were grey velvet, also perfect. 1980’s.AL: Bracketing this edition. we've posted a 1966 Caprice and and a 1993 Caprice,  It's Election Day so get out there and vote. Especially in PA!

Fiat 500. Autumn. Cambridge.

 In Firenze, near the bridge, saw 4 carabinieri packed in one of these. This unit is in Cambridge. Also, in Rome, you used to see people lifting the front end into into a tight parking spot.

Scouting Harvard Square

1974 International Scout II. Tuned and tweaked, with more mods on the way. A West Coast unit that has seen no salt, and won't. Wonderful to see. A rare beast in Cambridge, Mass. Last Scout we posted was this II in Blue Hill, Maine. Another 1974 Scout II,  in N.J. According top the WSJ, Volkswagen will be introducing a new Scout to the North American market. Here's a Scout that needs rescue, in Saskatchewan, where it's usually dry a a bone.

Another Volvo 240, Somerville, Mass.

What Saskatchewan is to old trucks, Somerville is to old Volvos–somewhere between a natural habitat and a rest home.






 

Jag With a Flat

 

Blue Hill, Maine. Don't know the year. We posted a 1949 XK 120 a while back. And another XK hardtop. Which would you prefer--the Jag (with a new tire) or this Austin-Healey we caught on Deer Isle?

Vanlife: Overtaking Fred & Ethel in the Winnebago

Thanks to Basha Burwell for the images of photographer Jason Zucco's elegant Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. More Sprinters up here. And here's an off-road-y edition. These started showing up just before the pandemic: here's one in our Cambridge 'hood in January 2020.