Peter Behrens's Blog, page 135

Lada Languishes

"Lada cars have been a symbol of Russia’s self-reliance since they began rolling off assembly lines during the depths of the Cold War.
"On Wednesday, Lada’s factory floors ground to a halt as Western sanctions deprived its parent company of the parts and supplies it needs to make cars, according to people familiar with the matter. Thousands of workers have been placed on leave.
"The disruption shows how Russia’s economy is beginning to feel the bite of sanctions the West imposed on Moscow after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine. Russia’s exclusion from the Swift interbank payments system has made it hard for Russian companies to transact with suppliers. "Supply routes, particularly through Ukraine, are shut and the ruble’s devaluation has made paying for parts from outside Russia much more expensive.
"Such a stoppage was once unthinkable. During Soviet times, Lada’s parent company AvtoVAZ erected a giant factory on the banks of the Volga River, capable of nurturing a homegrown supply chain.
Today, however, AvtoVAZ is owned by French car maker Renault SA....."

                                   --from Nick Kostov & Evan Gershkovich's piece in the Wall Street Journal. There's a bunch of Ladae for sale at classic.com

1960 Willys Jeep truck

Michael Moore spotted the truck in Benicia, CA. We've posted on Brooke Stevens who designed the Jeep trucks. And a 1947 Willys -Overland Jeep truck a couple weeks back.
 Simple is good.

Church of the Red Lobsterboat

 

My piece in this month's Maine Boats, Home & Harbors is online here.

1956 Ford F-250, West Texas

 

3 International Harvester Scouts

 

From Alex Emond: "A trio of International Scouts. Maybe it will take all three to restore one. Cool little stubby units, a bit like the original Ford Bronco. I saw these in Lafleche, Saskatchewan , where winter is hanging on. It snowed a foot the day after I took this shot. That country was bone dry last year so the dump was a welcome thing. With the war in the Ukraine, it is hoped that Canada can have bumper crops this coming year. Normally, the Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat for Europe (think pasta and bread ) but perhaps this is not likely this year. The ripple effects of this tragedy are reaching everything you can name."

Advanced Design Hidden 1953 Chevrolet 3100

 

Michael Moore spotted the truck hidden behind a house in Benicia, CA. Try 3100 in our search widget over there on the right and you'll see a bunch more Advanced Design trucks.

Little Canada in Lewiston, Maine

 All Photos by Autoliterate

"In a short period of time after the US Civil War, French-Canadian ethnic enclaves emerged in many of New England’s medium-sized cities, featuring ethnic churches, schools, press, and businesses. The construction of the built environment and its history in these places could offer compelling evidence on the agency French-Canadian migrants displayed as they moved to and within the US. Evidence pertaining to the construction and operation of the built environment could provide not only a record of a cultural resistance, but also of how the infra-politics of Little Canada neighborhoods were negotiated between elite and everyday people. The evidence I have gleaned from the development of the Little Canada neighborhood in Lewiston, Maine appears to support the above assertions..." 

                       From Mike Brennan's NiCHE piece on the built environment Lewiston's Little Canada.

Pilgrim on This Road

     HJ at Sinclair Pass, British Columbia. 

AL's theme song, Pilgrim. Thank you, Steve Earle & the Del McCoury Band. Emmylou Harris singing backup.

Relationship Issues and the '67 Impala

 

Thank to Matt Dallet, Esq. for the heads up on this one. I'm not going to get into the relationship ("Girlfriend Dumps Boyfriend's Car Project") issues here--they mostly had to do with parking, and you can read all about them on Bored Panda.  And there's a happy ending, sort of. But we admire Impalas. We posted a '67 Impala that was one of Langdon Gray's Night Cars of New York.  For outrageousness, this '59 Impala bubbletop was always a hard act to follow. Then there was the 1959 Impala Marfa. And another '67, a coupe we caught in New Mexico.

1949 Chevrolet 3800 Grainer.

 

from Alex Emond: This half-hidden example of "Advanced Design" is up at the end of my street in Ponteix, Saskatchewan. There's a bunch of stuff leaning against the back half, but I am pretty sure that it's all there. Solid. That's not rust, it's make-up. These trucks are getting harder to find, but are still so popular and common that there are all kinds of parts and pieces out there, some new /reproduction and some n.o.s., and original parts too. I better have a talk with owner - or at least uncover it and take some more photos."