Peter Behrens's Blog, page 50

Fun Fiat

 

On I-95 between Boston and Augusta ME,  mega-trucks blast by. Several on every trip. I'm not talking 18-wheelers: those are predictable, and they stay out of the left lane. I'm referring to the testosteroned faux-masculine beefcake pickup trucks, usually 3/4 ton Ram or Chevy 2500s. F-250s. Often the trucks are black. Always jacked up 4x4's on massive tires. White guys at the wheel,  ball caps and beards...okay, maybe I'm racially-profiling. But they seem to radiate a kind of anger, a self-involved fury. Maybe the drivers very much in debt...with all the gewgaws, those trucks  are crazy expensive, and at 80mph they are sucking gas. I'll shut up now. But those monster trucks are why Autoliterate is promoting the concept of the wheelbarrow truck, which is not exactly catching on like wildfire. Trucks these days for a lot of guys seem to be more mission statement than tool, or transportation device. Sports cars and muscle cars--Healys. Camaros-- rocketing by always looked like someone was having fun;  monster trucks doing the same 80 mph hurtle always suggest someone is very pissed-off.  Anyway, as an antidote to such, we happily present the Fiat beach car, photos by Henry Behrens, in Pietrasanta, Tuscany.

1963 Buick LeSabre, Cambridge

  Looks like a grandmother car, pretty much original, and a rare find for the cold-April streets of Cambridge, Mass. We have posted a stunning 1959 LeSabre from GM's wild goose era. And here's 1964 Buick LeSabre from Marfa. And a hefty 1968 LeSabre that would probably handle slightly better than your living room. 

1963 Buick LeSabre, Cambrudge

  Looks like a grandmother car, pretty much original, and a rare find for the cold-April streets of Cambridge, Mass. We have posted a stunning 1959 LeSabre from GM's wild goose era. And here's 1964 Buick LeSabre from Marfa. And a hefty 1968 LeSabre that would probably handle slightly better than your living room. 

Honda Acty pickup (wheelbarrow)

 

From Matthew Sheehey, My son Patrick had a CYO basketball game in McLean, VA last night. Of course, there are lots of classic vehicles up there: Volvos, Mercedes, Land Rovers, etc. But this truck was a pleasant surprise.
It had no exterior badging, but I could see an H on the steering wheel, so I think it's a Honda Acty. Thank you for the great blog posts and happy spring!

More wheelbarrows...

c. 1998 Ford F-150 Wheelbarrow

  Not our favorite F-150 vintage, perhaps,  but it is nice to see a plainjane hardworking pickup in Maine sans behemoth doodads and overmuscular largeness. Wheelbarrows rule.

Behemoth (/bɪˈhiːməθ, ˈbiːə-/; Hebrew: בְּהֵמוֹת, bəhēmōṯ) is a beast from the biblical Book of Job, and is a form of the primeval chaos-monster created by God at the beginning of creation;

Jeep Scrambler Golden Eagle (CJ-8)

  From Reid Cunningham: "What looks to be an original Golden Eagle edition Jeep Scrambler (CJ-8) in Franklin, NH. A Jeep with a small pickup bed. I remember a review at the time describing it as the perfect vehicle to take a telephone booth to the top of a mountain. The giant hood Eagle rivals the screaming chicken of similar vintage Trans Am. This Jeep seems to still have the original gold rims, a nice find. It even has a 5 speed. This was at a repair place, if there had been a 'for sale' sign I would have been buying a lotto ticket and praying.

2009 Chevrolet Colorado (Wheelbarrow)

  From Micheal Moore in the East Bay: 2009 Chevrolet Colorado, doing what it was made for and a beautiful little truck, just right.

AL: we like wheelbarrow trucks 

Cybertruck in the Wild

 

From Jonathan Welsh: Our son, Ben, was exercising his learner's permit today when we made our first sighting of a Cybertruck in the wild. Not my thing, but a striking departure. I cannot call it a surprise in our hometown of Montclair, N.J., where Rivians run rampant . 'Twas a fun chase.

Subaru Brat

  From Reid Cunningham, in Philadelphia. " I think of old Subarus as haunting Colorado or Northern New England, but this one was was at repair garage in the City of Brotherly Love.  It doesn't look too far gone and it wasn't complete buried in back so there is open for a rejuvenation.   I was disappointed that it was missing the jump seats in the bed.  They made the Brat trucklet a bit less useful for hauling but really added to the apparent fun factor. This also continues my theme pf stumbling across interesting vehicles at night. With the recent time change that will hopefully improve."
AL: Here's 1968 Subaru 360. They were first imported to the US in 1965 but very few people noticed.

Dodge Ramcharger, Colorado

 

This from Markus Anstadt in Denver


We posted a Ramcharger from NJ a while back. And another in NH.  Our favorite Dodge of all is this 1973 Power Wagon  which is, weirdly, from Cambridge, which is way more a Tesla-town than a trucktown.