Peter Behrens's Blog, page 109

1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, Maine

 

Thanks to Vincent Stanley who caught the carr in Blue Hill, Maine. Nice car, too bad it's turquoise, is that even a color? Very popular shade on restored '55s. This car is being raffled for the benefit of Blue Hill YMCA: 300 tickets, at $100 a ticket. The '55 was an extraordinarily popular car and there are plenty still around, including one for sale a few years back in Sedgwick, Maine. and another '55 in Mossbank, Saskatchewan. We caught a '55 Chevrolet wagon for sale in Cambridge in 2019; and a '55 Townsman wagon was on the block at BaT. Here's a rougher edition of the '55 wagon, in Wiscasset, Maine and an even rougher one in Marfa, Texas. And then a cleaned-up '55 wagon in Searsport, Maine. A '55 Chevrolet convertible was riding low in Santa Fe; and a streetfighter '55 lurked in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. And this '55 wagon was for sale last time we went through San Luis, Colorado.

c. 2010 Ford Ranger Wheelbarrow

There it was, the prototype useful wheelbarrow truck, on a sharp October day on a sun-dappled street in Somerville, Mass.




The Texas truck, below, was also in Somerville. The wheelbarrow truck upgraded, with 4wd and an extended cab and cap. 

Early 1940s Dodge grainer

 

From Alex Emond: "Closest town would be Kincaid, Saskatchewan.  It is up on those blocks because it ain't going anywhere. Handsome truck, though."  Alex caught another Dodge grainer, same era, a while back; and how about this old Dodge, on the Tappan Zee Bridge; and a 1948 Dodge 3/4 ton on Prince Edward Island.

Rolls-Royce Spectre

 

A monstrous flash machine. The Rolls Royce Spectre, their first electric. The name is as creepy as the car. SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion ) were the gang of arch-villain/ Dr Evils in the James Bond universe. The beater Rolls-Royce from Saskatchewan is more our kind of thing. And remember that R-R pickup truck we posted from the Netherlands a while back?  

October light, Somerville, Massachusetts

 

Vikings at Naskeag

Oh come on–the only car with more soul than an old Volvo wagon is a truck. An old Chevy, maybe. From Texas. Perhaps it's because Volvos tend to last, & get passed down, & on the gradual descent from upper-middleclassness, they experience some adventure along the way. And any car looks better out at Naskeag, where the Maine Penny was found in 1957.

 

1973 Mercedes-Benz 220D

 

These little tanks aren't for everyone but (along with the 240D)they were the default European taxi for a long time, and they are sturdy. Maybe our favorite M-B is the gullwing. The car posted here is in Alberta and is on the block today at Hemmings.

Wildsam's Field Guide to Big Bend

 

My Gone to Texas essay about these characters (below) is in Wildsam's Big Bend, just out. 
The Wildsam Field Guides are lucid, pocket-size books that honor the intricacies of place. 
Be sure to read Sterry Butcher's wonderful essay on Marfa, "What You See Is What There Is".And Wildsam's Maine Coast Field Guide also packs in a lot of what Hemingway called the true gen; some of it from Basha Burwell. 
    photo ©2022 J.W. Burleson

'Last Call' for Dodge Performance

We posted these 2 hemi-powered drones a couple weeks back. Now Dodge is offering 'last call' on its performance machines.   And we noticed a 1969 Roadrunner A12 440 on the block at BaT today (photo below).

1964 Volvo PV544 Sport

The turtlebacks were the first Volvos to really take some shelf space in the North American car market. This is a Massachusetts car, and it's on the block this week at Hemmings. Thanks to Alex Emond for the heads-up.