April (Fools) Carspotting - cars and/or fools

[trinacriabob]

Happy April Fools Day, folks.

To kick off this thread, I don't have a really interesting sighting.  Just an observation. 

I saw the current Lincoln Continental going down the freeway next to me, ultimately passing me as it was moving along to my left.  The Continental's front grille makes that nice, vertical Lincoln statement.  I once sat in one at the auto show.  The interior is really nicely finished and the one at the show had these blue leather seats - nice ones, not tacky ones.  Then, as the car pulls away from you, the effect sort of sputters.  The rear deck lid tapers and the twin horizontal lamps are sort of wimpy compared to the statement the rest of the car makes.  And this is weird because both the Lincoln MKS and (even) the Ford Taurus have these substantial looking trunks and rear deck lids, making for good rear 3/4 views.  And, while not FoMoCo, the current Cadillac CT6 also looks good as it's pulling away.  Not so with the Continental.  In a way, it makes me think of how weak the old Lincoln Versailles, derived from the old Ford Granada and Mercury Monarch, looked.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a bright red 2019 Blazer today, the first one I've seen on the road.  Though it wasn't on the road exactly--riding on the back of a rollback wrecker, looked like it had had a pretty hard shunt--front end was mangled and the left front wheel ripped off.. 

[trinacriabob]

When it rains it pours.  Saw another Lincoln Continental today.  It was bronze or cream or something like that.  It turned in front of me and I was able to then look at it in my rear view mirror.  What I said about it holds.  

I also read about it for the first time.  The reviews cited a transmission that wasn't as well behaved for the price point, lackluster road manners on mountain roads and/or curves, and other minor complaints.  They acknowledged that it was different and made a statement, but the reviewers were not impressed.

[G. David Felt]

Daughters Durango had to have some work done, so was at the dealership to pick it up for her. Saw this Brand new Mopar 18 Durango 392 AWD. 6.4L V8, talk about a sexy package.

That is HOT HOT HOT

[balthazar]

Nice, but clearly it IS a '392' and not a '6.whatever'! ;)

'51-52 Cadillac 4-dr sedan, white over grey, stock/fully restored, parked at business.
First interesting vehicle I've seen in months.

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

Nice, but clearly it IS a '392' and not a '6.whatever'!
 

The Durango had 392 on the side as you can see in the pictures, should have also taken a pic of the paperwork which stated 6.4L Hemi or 392 cubic inches. Either way, still a bad ass Durango.

[Robert Hall]

That is a sweet Durango...I like that color combo.  I saw a derelict 2nd gen Durango this morning, black with lots of crunchy body rust..the rear hatch was mashed in and had rusty frills at the bottom edge, but the Hemi badge remained.  Those 2nd gen models were so ugly and lumpy. 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Robert Hall

[trinacriabob]

FCA, and specifically Chrysler, has come a long way.  They didn't wake up from their last slumber until the New Millennium.  

They saw some success with the K-car and the minivan, of which they might have been the originators ... not sure.  As for the K-car, I would continue to see some around after older X-cars had gone bye-bye.  I knew a girl who drove hers back and forth from Atlanta to see her parents in Westchester County, N.Y. without any problems, even when it was more than 10 years old.

Prior to that, the only feather in Chrysler's cap was the Cordoba ... interesting on some levels, but overshadowed by GM's similar coupes by leaps and bounds.

[G. David Felt]

Nova Time!

[Robert Hall]

Saw a clean red 67 Impala 2dr at a gas station today.  Had goofy fender skirts but otherwise looked stock.  

[Robert Hall]

Saw a few interesting cars when out and about yesterday...a clean dark blue w dark blue top '84-85ish Olds 88 Royale 4dr w/ a for sale sign,  a bright red '04-06 GTO with random primer gray panels,  a shiny  '11-14 Dodge Charger in black w/ white roof, white doors and black wheels...must be a retired police car..had a temporary plate and a great rumbly exhaust note.   Saw bright red w/ white stripes '13-14 Shelby GT500 convertible rolling top down on I-90 heading back towards the Cleveland area yesterday evening..Spring has sprung.

[G. David Felt]

Power Wagon Time. What year? I have no clue but figure 70's?

[Drew Dowdell]

Five different XC40s just on my commute home. Volvo is going to be reporting some great sales months ahead.

[Robert Hall]

12 hours ago, dfelt said:

Power Wagon Time. What year? I have no clue but figure 70's?

Hmm...gas tank in the cab, '72 I think. '72 was the first year for that generation, and in '73 (or '74) I think they moved the gas tank to under the bed.   Not sure if the Power Wagon trim was available then, the decals may have been added later. 

Edited April 9, 2019 by Robert Hall

[G. David Felt]

Found a Mini Cooper I can possibly fit in!

[Drew Dowdell]

On 4/9/2019 at 9:10 AM, dfelt said:

Found a Mini Cooper I can possibly fit in!

You're such a wiener...

Spotted this a Audi 100 on the way to work today. Classic plates, classic driver.

[Robert Hall]

Interesting that it's badged 100, IIRC the mid 80s ones like that were still badged as 5000 in the US. Haven't seen an Avant in decades probably..

Edit--looks like they switched to 100 badging in the US in 1989.

Edited April 10, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Drew Dowdell]

Spotted this 70s Marquis coupe that looks like someone's daily driver in downtown Pittsburgh while I was out for a walk at lunch.

I wish it would warm up already 

[G. David Felt]

5 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Spotted this 70s Marquis coupe that looks like someone's daily driver in downtown Pittsburgh while I was out for a walk at lunch.

I wish it would warm up already 

I send you our heat as lucky for me, it is dropping temps and we go into a winter storm advisory tonight into the weekend for heavy mountain snow. Fresh POW POW for my legs this weekend. ⛷️

[Robert Hall]

19 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Spotted this 70s Marquis coupe that looks like someone's daily driver in downtown Pittsburgh while I was out for a walk at lunch.

I wish it would warm up already 

Looks like Uncle Buck's ride, but in better shape. 

[G. David Felt]

Old Saab station wagon aka CTS Wagon.

[Drew Dowdell]

10 hours ago, dfelt said:

Old Saab station wagon aka CTS Wagon.

.... er no...

You're thinking the BLS.  The 9-3 was built on the FWD Epsilon chassis. The CTS was build on the RWD Sigma chassis.  

[G. David Felt]

392 badass even sitting still at 24hr fitness.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a gray Chevy Bolt at the grocery yesterday, one of a very few I've seen around here.    This afternoon in a food coma from Easter Brunch, lying on the sofa watching an old movie about WW II in the Philippines saw an unusual truck in the movie...had a squared off cab w/ a C-shaped door opening like a mid 20s Model T, but a late 30s Ford truck front end w/ oval grille.

[G. David Felt]

14 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Saw a gray Chevy Bolt at the grocery yesterday, one of a very few I've seen around here.    This afternoon in a food coma from Easter Brunch, lying on the sofa watching an old movie about WW II in the Philippines saw an unusual truck in the movie...had a squared off cab w/ a C-shaped door opening like a mid 20s Model T, but a late 30s Ford truck front end w/ oval grille.

Ya did not snap a pic with your phone? ? 

Interesting when you search for WWII Philippine trucks the stuff that comes up.

I think the Japanese copied much from America.

[Robert Hall]

I should have taken a pic...couldn't find it on the ICMDB. 

[Robert Hall]

Another spotting of sorts...for Easter Brunch we took Uber, and the driver going downtown was driving a silver Saab 9-5 Sportcombi.   It was in really clean condition for something 10+ years old.  Felt smooth on the freeway and over potholed Cleveland streets from the backseat...driver coming back had a Pacifica w/ the power sliding doors.. nice inside. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Robert Hall

[Robert Hall]

The DoorDash dasher tonight was driving a previous gen Malibu in an iridescent blue-green...never seen that color Malibu before, maybe custom paint. 

[Drew Dowdell]

15 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

The DoorDash dasher tonight was driving a previous gen Malibu in an iridescent blue-green...never seen that color Malibu before, maybe custom paint. 

Probably a vinyl wrap

[Robert Hall]

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Probably a vinyl wrap

The odd thing is only the left side seemed to look iridescent.  The hood, front fascia, roof and rear fascia looked a normal blue-green.  Didn't see the right side. 

[trinacriabob]

I saw a white Pontiac G8 at a Starbucks parking lot yesterday.  I have rarely seen white ones.  It was in perfect condition.  The white made its simple but great styling pop.

[Robert Hall]

8 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

I saw a white Pontiac G8 at a Starbucks parking lot yesterday.  I have rarely seen white ones.  It was in perfect condition.  The white made its simple but great styling pop.

There is a rusted, denty white G8 around here I see once in a while..

[balthazar]

Every G8 or last gen GTO I see is immaculate.

[G. David Felt]

I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw a G8 or GTO, but then cars are not very popular here compared to trucks, SUV and CUVs.

[Robert Hall]

A guy down the street and around the corner has a very sharp red GTO that I see pretty often.   And there is a gray G8 GXP a couple streets over.   

[trinacriabob]

18 hours ago, balthazar said:

Every G8 or last gen GTO I see is immaculate.

Very true.  If I had a Pontiac G8, I'd be babying it.  In fact, I'd probably have another daily driver, though I haven't done that in years.

[Robert Hall]

The first local Cars & Coffee of the season is this morning, thought about going since it's only a few miles from me, but though it's sunny out it's only 45...meh.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Robert Hall

[trinacriabob]

When I was in grad school at a Big 10 school in a not particularly likable location, days with snow on the ground and a bright blue sky and a shining sun were the worst offenders.  You would go outside only to find out it's 18 degrees ... or 8 degrees.

Saw a LaCrosse of my range of M.Y.s.  It had the add-on customized full vinyl top hearkening to the Cadillacs of the '80s.  It looked terrible.  It was an elderly white woman in the burbs.  And someone spent money for that?  She looked like she had extra cash.  Just like those people spend money to have the fake tire and cover put on the back and middle of a Cadillac's bumper ... wth?  People don't get it:  less is more.

22 hours ago, dfelt said:

I honestly cannot remember the last time I saw a G8 or GTO, but then cars are not very popular here compared to trucks, SUV and CUVs.

I know ... I know.

[Robert Hall]

Went to some wineries up along the north coast this afternoon, saw 2 Solstices—one a dark green and one silver, a gray Lamborghini Murcielago pulling out of a driveway in a small beach town then shrieking past, a clean gold w white top 76-77 Regal 2dr, and a sharp Caddy CTS-v coupe.  

One of the more interesting sightings on the freeway was a dark green '70s White-Freightliner COE pulling a matching green flatbed.   Don't see COE tractors on the road very often these days..

Edited April 28, 2019 by Robert Hall

[balthazar]

'74 Century GranSport 2-dr coupe
'69 Special DeLuxe 2-dr sedan
'65 Cutlass 2-dr sedan
'65 GTO 2-dr sedan
'61 Tempest wagon
Couple dozen more of the same at a B-O-P drag event.

[trinacriabob]

On 4/10/2019 at 12:56 PM, Drew Dowdell said:

Spotted this 70s Marquis coupe that looks like someone's daily driver in downtown Pittsburgh while I was out for a walk at lunch.

I wish it would warm up already 

Haha.  It's still running.  Probably a dog in the snow and ice.  Sure would have loved seeing a mid '70s Grand Ville or Bonneville coupe with rectangular quads up front in its place.  I'm going to guess that that's the north side of your downtown as opposed to the south side, mostly because I don't see inclines in the backdrop.

[ocnblu]

On 4/22/2019 at 9:07 AM, dfelt said:

Interesting when you search for WWII Philippine trucks the stuff that comes up.

I think the Japanese copied much from America.

That's a Chevrolet.

Saw a twin pair of 2019 Silverado regular cabs today at a local dealer, in blue... only option being the G80 locker, so as base as it gets, with roll-up windows, etc.  Simply a Chevy pickup, no more no less, it is like the more things change, the more they stay the same.  That 8' + bed is YUGE inside!  Very solid.

[G. David Felt]

Have not seen a base pickup truck in my area in years.