Peter Behrens's Blog, page 144

Herd of Squares

 

From Don Culbertson in Marfa, Texas. "A herd of chevys. All four trucks similar year and model and not a one of them runs. "
AL: I think those are all City of Marfa. or School District, or Presidio County trucks. That's where out1986 C10 came from.

1982 Chevrolet C20

 

From Don Culbertson in West Texas: "My father is 94 years old. not only did we take his keys, I took the truck.  1982 ,with a V8. It’s spent it’s entire life on a ranch."

Crown Vic : Martin Gotfrit

Crown Vic

After 75 years at the wheel,
Phil's driving days are almost done, and my finish line is closer too.
A lifetime ago
when I rode up front with him,
I dreamed
we were detectives
roaring to a scene
in a Crown Vic.

They were big cars those ghosts:
but we could spot them
by their antennas and hidden lights. Sometimes though, they were cabs - filled with old smoke and always
a quiet radio murmuring from the dash.
All warm and welcoming in the night, they'd fit six easy as we slid in from the cold.
My friend Chris said "only ever own what you could move in a cab"
but he was talking Crown Vic -
it's a different story these days.

Getting old is realizing
Most folks won't know a Crown Vic And riding shotgun with Phil
now spins different scenes.
My car, with its spaceship display from another century,
isn't rushing to adventure.
I just want it to get me home
so I can dream.

                                                    -Martin Gotfrit
AL: Was dismayed that a search of the AL archive turns up 0 Crown Victorias. Apart from being the last standard-issue, ubiquitous, American-made, rear-wheel-drive NYC taxi, they were the favorite floatmobile for a generation. The  driving experience?  A living room on wheels. Your parents' living room.  The closest we have come to profiling a Crown Vic is this 1977 Ford Custom 500 spotted on the ferry wharf at Tadoussac. If you see any Crown Vics, please do send 'em along, with field notes.Please see also Love Cars, and Father's Son : PB's essays on fathers and cars. 

1967 Chevrolet Corvair in the Rain

 

Michael Moore spotted the car in the Bay Area.  We caught a Fitch-modified Corvair Sprint for sale in Maine, a while ago. Then there's the Corvair in Ralph Nader's Museum of American Tort Law.

1967 Plymouth Barracuda convertible

The photographer Jill Goldman caught the Barracuda in Capitola, Calif. We caught an earlier Barracuda while ago at Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia  

D.C. Transit bus

Saw these a while back at Motorland. in Arundel, Maine

International B-100, Vancouver

 This one is from a while back: a one-owner Saskatchewan truck that was (briefly) for sale in Vancouver.

Beannacht and best wishes!

 

Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Autoliterati and especially to the wonderful gang of contributors who, from all points of the compass, have broadened our scope and opened our eyes to all kinds of old metal over the past year. Long may you roll. 

The lobsterboat?  Brooklin, Maine-built. Arno or June (short for Junior) Day. 

1943 Willys Jeep, New York

 

From Jonathan Welsh: "Something about the ancient Jeep parked among modern machinery on Washington Street in December screamed "Greenwich Village." Just another car, right? Passersby didn't seem to notice."

We posted a '66 Kaiser Willys Jeep from West Texas a while back. And an earlier version of the CJ (maybe 1960) from Colorado Springs.

Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf

Originally marketed in North America as the VW Rabbit, these are unsung cars, but they've been around since 1974--way outlived the Beetle, in its original configuration anyway---and I suspect that's because they are great cars. The naming Rabbit? Golf? has been unfortunate but the original profile remains much the same probably because it was and is so form follows function. The best of German design.