May 2021 Auto Spotting Channel

[G. David Felt]

Post your May auto spotting here!

Ran an errand to Costco and saw this classic auto!

[trinacriabob]

Getting groceries this first weekend of May, I decided that the funkiness of this Oldsmobile grille might be suitable for a spotting post. 

Historically known for more elaborate grilles, this grille, with what look like two small semicircular air scoops, was featured on some full-size 88s (the jelly bean greenhouse ones, and this one had alloy wheels, too).  This design vocabulary also found its way onto the grilles of an Olds Bravada or two.

I always notice it because these vehicles aren't too common, and neither are Oldsmobiles that look like this.

[Robert Hall]

27 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Getting groceries this first weekend of May, I decided that the funkiness of this Oldsmobile grille might be suitable for a spotting post. 

Historically known for more elaborate grilles, this grille, with what look like two small semicircular air scoops, was featured on some full-size 88s (the jelly bean greenhouse ones, and this one had alloy wheels, too).  This design vocabulary also found its way onto the grilles of an Olds Bravada or two.

I always notice it because these vehicles aren't too common, and neither are Oldsmobiles that look like this.

There is a silver 88 with this front parked in a driveway down the street...hasn't moved in a while, has a flat tire.

[balthazar]

Saw my first Mach-E in the wild, red as most pictured seem to be. Was waiting to cross the highway at a light so I got a semi-revolving look at it as I motored by. I think it looks... pretty good.

Edited May 4, 2021 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

Saw my first Bronco Sport in the wild, in black. Saw it driving through a parking lot, looked good.  

[G. David Felt]

Saw an oldie in the Safeway parking lot. An Eagle Vision ESI.

[balthazar]

'68 deVille convertible, dark cherry red/cream top, at Midas.

[Robert Hall]

Saw a very sharp gold/bronze '71 Riviera this afternoon, also saw a dark blue previous generation Ram 1500 4x4 pickup---short bed w/ regular cab---didn't realize they made that configuration in recent years...looked stubby.   

[balthazar]

‘80 scirrocco project with Trans Am scoops welded into the fenders. 

[oldshurst442]

^^^   Gotta get that 85 HP engine heat out somehow...

 

 

[oldshurst442]

 

I saw THAT yellow Viper in that same aforementioned hardware store (from the Random Thoughts Thread) a week and a half ago. In April.  Took a pic. Talked to the owner. Young guy. 26 years old. Bought it last fall from the original owner.  Fixed the minor problems (clutch was slipping )and replaced the tires over the winter. 

Yesterday, it was a Mopar Muscle type day for some reason. Yesterday, I saw a red Viper like that yellow one, same generation, an all black, blacked out Challenger Hellcat, at night.  Near the aforementioned hardware store.  In the day, it was a purple 1971 Challenger that I encountered.   

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

• ‘70 Electra coupe, white with some sort of chrome wheel, super clean, motoring hard in the left lane of I-95.
• car carrier with a few modern junks, but also a ‘52 Chevy convert, pale yellow, unrestored and crusty, and a very nice white/blue ‘59 Elky.

[Robert Hall]

Spotted these two Vipers at a gas station this morning, then saw two more on the street as I was leaving..both black, one an ACR with a monster rear wing. 
 

Later at the car wash saw a dark red F150 with the license plate ‘IMDEAD’. 

[trinacriabob]

Saw a few odd ones this last sunny Sunday.

This appears to be a Cadillac STS, which was the alphabet soup replacement for the Seville.  There's nothing weird about the car except that different fenders were different colors, including this one that looked like a grapefruit.

- - - - -

I went to the market.  What the hell is this?  I haven't seen one of these in a long time! 

After shopping, I ran into the chick who owned it.  She told me it was a 1998 Ford Escort coupe with about 130,000 miles ... that she got with about half that mileage and for under $1,000.  And was dependable.

[balthazar]

honda del sol I think. Not sure if the spray foam is factory or an owner ‘repair’ that’s also degrading along with the sheet metal. 

[trinacriabob]

So, I'm at Costco.  For Cafe 1.50, of course - a hot dog and a soft drink.  Nah.  I look at other items and at their new tires. 

They always have new cars out front to promote their buying program. I have had various issues with new ielly bean Elantra, but the list keeps growing.

If I ever need to be reminded not to consider buying one, I can just think of this cheap black plastic "trying too hard" grille.  Blech.

Edited May 20, 2021 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

Took a break and a walk around the block and saw an unbadged RHD M-B Metris postal van.  Didn’t realize the USPS was using them. 

[G. David Felt]

Old car get together at the Taco time this week.

[trinacriabob]

Saw an immaculate last-gen (2006 or 2007) Monte Carlo tonight.  Couldn't take a photo.  

It was an LT, based on the spoiler and the alloy wheels.  Driving it was a septuagenarian, complete with a thick mane of silver hair like the guy in "The Godfather" who ended up with a racehorse's head in his bed.  So he was probably the original owner.

Just like with the Grand Prix of the same period, white is a great color for this car, and it makes the good lines of this coupe stand out.

Edited May 27, 2021 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

Saw a recent black F150 yesterday, what was interesting was that the owner had added a row of LEDs across the top of the black grille, so from a distance it resembled the upcoming F150 Lightning...with the light tube across the front. 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Saw a recent black F150 yesterday, what was interesting was that the owner had added a row of LEDs across the top of the black grille, so from a distance it resembled the upcoming F150 Lightning...with the light tube across the front. 

I have also noticed that 3rd party companies are building LED headlights and taillights that are showing up on older trucks and suv's. Guess everyone wants to reduce electrical usage but also imply their auto is more 21st century new than it really is?  

[balthazar]

Yeah, LED light retro-fits have been around for years and years. I looked at them the better part of 10 years ago for my ‘04, but they all looked too ‘Transformer’ish.

On vintage cars they either are WAY too bright or just look out of place... but some are well done. There’s kits that replace round glass bulbs with plastic lenses you can install an LED headlight bulb in - they look very close to original. But you put tinted ‘angel eye’ headlights in a ‘70 Chevelle and it just looks like you don’t know what you’re doing.

[G. David Felt]

21 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Yeah, LED light retro-fits have been around for years and years. I looked at them the better part of 10 years ago for my ‘04, but they all looked too ‘Transformer’ish.

On vintage cars they either are WAY too bright or just look out of place... but some are well done. There’s kits that replace round glass bulbs with plastic lenses you can install an LED headlight bulb in - they look very close to original. But you put tinted ‘angel eye’ headlights in a ‘70 Chevelle and it just looks like you don’t know what you’re doing.

Last Friday at the latest local hotrod meet I thought this one was well done with modern LED headlights.

[Robert Hall]

Was behind an older Ford Fusion Sport with a curious personalized plate---'CRASH29'...I wonder if it's a reference to the 1929 stock market crash, or the driver had their 29th crash in this vehicle? 

[Robert Hall]

On 5/27/2021 at 10:41 AM, balthazar said:

Yeah, LED light retro-fits have been around for years and years. I looked at them the better part of 10 years ago for my ‘04, but they all looked too ‘Transformer’ish. 

The retrofit ones always seem to look cheap and cheesy...

[trinacriabob]

Spotted on Memorial Day weekend ... yesterday, on a Sunday.  Something "right up my alley."

Here's a Regal Limited coupe parked at a repair garage in the downtown of a small city while I was headed off searching for coffee.

It is an '81 to '83, based on the rear light bar without the dual horizontal division.  I thought it was hoisted up on a "metal platform."  Hell no.  Those were dual exhausts I was looking at!  Wonder if its stock engine was the 3.8 V6, the then-newer 4.1 V6, or the small block V8 produced by Pontiac ... or something else the owner dropped in.  (The differential looked chromy and not OEM.)

I have, on rare occasions, seen this combo of enamel beige with the burgundy interior (and burgundy landau roof).  It's unusual.  The burgundy Limited interior was in fantastic shape.  To the left, you can see that it had crank windows.  It had the full gauge package in the square bezels, but the clock did not work.  Never again will we see automotive interiors like this.

Anyone driving by might have wondered what the hell I was doing.

I would just have to explain to them how much I love the old school GM intermediate coupes!

Edited May 31, 2021 by trinacriabob

[balthazar]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

Never again will we see automotive interiors like this.

? ? ? 

?

Edited May 31, 2021 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

 

   Never again will we see automotive interiors like this.

 

Yeah, it seems 90% of interiors today are drab despair gray plastic....

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Never again will we see automotive interiors like this.

Yes, you are right, we will never see interiors like this again except on these auto's if restored. I personally respect your like / attraction to them.

Personally, I hope we never do as they were terrible for driving especially road trips. No body support, way too cushy as I believe they were actually TOO FOCUS on the LAZY BOY chair. 

To me, this is the kind of luxury comfort those chairs should have been. Leather, solid in supporting your body, but still very cushy comfort. Right now even the 2021 Escalade chairs suck as they are thin slabs, not supportive to your body or comfortable. To me, GM nailed it with these chairs IMHO.

I also think the seatbelt built into the chair is way better than in the B and C pillar which tends to cut into the throat more due to how high they are.

[trinacriabob]

59 minutes ago, David said:

Yes, you are right, we will never see interiors like this again except on these auto's if restored. I personally respect your like / attraction to them.

Personally, I hope we never do as they were terrible for driving especially road trips. No body support, way too cushy as I believe they were actually TOO FOCUS on the LAZY BOY chair. 

To me, this is the kind of luxury comfort those chairs should have been. Leather, solid in supporting your body, but still very cushy comfort. Right now even the 2021 Escalade chairs suck as they are thin slabs, not supportive to your body or comfortable. To me, GM nailed it with these chairs IMHO.

I also think the seatbelt built into the chair is way better than in the B and C pillar which tends to cut into the throat more due to how high they are.

Okay, we can agree to disagree.  This is why I say this.  Those interiors were pleasing to MY eye.  I had a blue one in a Cutlass Brougham coupe and my dad had a gray one in a Regal Limited sedan.  My criteria is this:  how did I feel after a 10 hour jaunt from NorCal to the PNW, or vice-versa?  I felt better (more relaxed, less fatigued) in these than I did in my current and last intermediate GM cars' fairly substantial bucket seats.

Now, I can tell from their appearance and ergonomics, that I would like the seats above based on their boxiness and contours.  I like the placement of the seat belts up front ...  I have always preferred that location. I would want such seating to be in cloth, though.  The very last Monte Carlo coupes I've rented had plumper and squarer bucket seats (much like this), finished in cloth, and they were great for long-haul driving.

[Robert Hall]

I like the seatbelt attached to the seat on the DTS.  That car had very comfortable, stuffed seats.  
 

The types of seatbelts I hate are the motorized ones (some Fords in the early 90s) and the ones attached to the doors (GM in the 90s).  

[balthazar]

Colors and multi-colored interiors = good (tho I still prefer black). Velour makes me nauseous.

Seats need to be supportive WITHOUT squeezing you/ preventing movement. Except for having no headrests, the bucket in my ‘64 are more comfortable than those in my wife’s ‘16 Malibu.

Edited May 31, 2021 by balthazar

[Robert Hall]

Gray interiors are my turn off.  Don’t know why, but I generally hate gray interiors.  Esp the cheap and nasty ones so common over the last 30 years.  
 

I like two tones, esp Black and Tan, black and white, or black and red.  I esp like the baseball glove color leather Audi and others have used over the years.  I like solid red or solid dark blue interiors.  
 

All black interiors tend to be gloomy caves, though with a sunroof they would be tolerable in a luxury car or sports car.  

Edited May 31, 2021 by Robert Hall

[trinacriabob]

8 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Gray interiors are my turn off.  Don’t know why, but I generally hate gray interiors.  Esp the cheap and nasty ones so common over the last 30 years.  
 

I like two tones, esp Black and Tan, black and white, or black and red.  I esp like the baseball glove color leather Audi and others have used over the years.  I like solid red or solid dark blue interiors.  
 

All black interiors tend to be gloomy caves, though with a sunroof they would be tolerable in a luxury car or sports car.  

Gray interiors are a turn off.  For me, gray and tan interiors with black door trim, black consoles, and black dashboards (when you can tell it's to save money and are done cheaply) are also a turn-off.

Black interiors are not my favorite.  Nowadays, you might pick one because it's the lesser of two evils for a particular car.

Thank God that avocado and mint green interiors are gone!  At least, for now.

I am on board with solid dark red and solid dark blue interiors.  Along with some variants of tan interiors, these would be my preferred options to trim out the interior of a car.

 

[G. David Felt]

I love the Mocha brown interiors, warm, inviting and just over all relaxing.

Escalade Mocha with Tan interior is very nice.