Car spotting in the first month of summer - June 2021

[trinacriabob]

Sure, I have a computer and a phone.  But I also always get a calendar from my GM dealer.  And what a beautiful sight in terms of classic cars on it for the month of June.

Voila:

Come to think of it, for once, the Buick was the best looking of the Malibu-LeMans-Cutlass-Skylark fraternal quadruplets.  The front and rear were clean and interesting enough.  The side profile had nothing garish about it, including when closed up with a hardtop.  And the dash had tasteful square bezels with small rounded corners.

It came with quite a few engines.  There were definitely 350s and 455s, but I learned that the 250 c.i. 6 was also available (read the fine print), possibly in down-line models.  It would have theoretically been cool to have a purist convertible with the 6, no A/C, crank windows, buckets, console, gauges, and the alloy wheels shown ... as a hobby car.

Nice car.  Beautiful photo.  Welcome to summer!

[balthazar]

Aftermarket 'tribute' rims, look like 18".
Agree on the Buick looking very nice, tho if we were to switch it up to a GTO over a LeMans, I'd go that way. But all the '70 GM intermediates were basically spot on.

[Robert Hall]

4 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Sure, I have a computer and a phone.  But I also always get a calendar from my GM dealer.  And what a beautiful sight in terms of classic cars on it for the month of June.

Voila:

Come to think of it, for once, the Buick was the best looking of the Malibu-LeMans-Cutlass-Skylark fraternal quadruplets.  The front and rear were clean and interesting enough.  The side profile had nothing garish about it, including when closed up with a hardtop.  And the dash had tasteful square bezels with small rounded corners.

It came with quite a few engines.  There were definitely 350s and 455s, but I learned that the 250 c.i. 6 was also available (read the fine print), possibly in down-line models.  It would have theoretically been cool to have a purist convertible with the 6, no A/C, crank windows, buckets, console, gauges, and the alloy wheels shown ... as a hobby car.

Nice car.  Beautiful photo.  Welcome to summer!

Sharp Skylark...haven't seen a convertible one in forever.   Always thought the '70-72 Buick A-body 2dr ht roofline was very similar to the Chevelle.  The '70-72 looked better overall IMO than the '68-69 Buicks w/ their sweepspear side crease and low rear wheel well openings.  Though the concave rear was interesting and different. 

[oldshurst442]

Of course Im gonna be the one to disagree about which A-Body is the looker of the four... 

OBVIOUSLY its the Oldsmobile Cutlass!!!  

 

You see, the Cutlass has a rounded pillarless C pillar

And in 1970, had a slight hump over the rear wheels. Something the others did not have.

 

The Pontiac's treatment was a mix of what Chevy and Buick done with their C pillar.

 

While the Chevy and Buick really look like twins

The front ends of the Chevelle, Skylark and Cutlass from 1970  on are really really similar as where Pontiac's front end is unique.  

But in 1969, the Malibu/Chevelle's C Pillar is most unique from all of them.  

 

Anyway, the GM A -Body 1968-1972 is such a beautiful car.  In convertible and coupe form.  Especially the fastback coupes!   

[G. David Felt]

5 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

You see, the Cutlass has a rounded pillarless C pillar

And in 1970, had a slight hump over the rear wheels. Something the others did not have.

This car is Dreamy!!!!  ?

[trinacriabob]

5 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

Of course Im gonna be the one to disagree about which A-Body is the looker of the four... 

OBVIOUSLY its the Oldsmobile Cutlass!!!  

The Pontiac's treatment was a mix of what Chevy and Buick done with their C pillar.

While the Chevy and Buick really look like twins

But in 1969, the Malibu/Chevelle's C Pillar is most unique from all of them.  

Anyway, the GM A -Body 1968-1972 is such a beautiful car.  In convertible and coupe form.  Especially the fastback coupes!   

@oldshurst442  You've covered them all!

I'm going to disagree here.  However, I liked one year of Cutlass during this 1968-1972 period.  And it would have been the more formal coupe of 1970 - nice front end, nice side view, and nicer twin vertical lamps inset into the bumper on each side.

One car my dad had, although a purist 1970Pontiac LeMans, was just like that GTO, but without all the bells and whistles.  It had a 250 c.i. inline 6.  That color, if I recall, was Bimini Blue, which I believe is in or near the Caribbean.  Good call on Pontiac's blending the various C-pillar treatments.

You are right in that the Skylark and Malibu coupe are almost too twinned.  So, I think I still like the Buick coupe the most, closely followed by the Pontiac coupe.

It saddens me that, to get a coupe from GM these days, the main offerings are the Corvette or the Camaro.  It used to be raining coupes!

 

Edited June 2, 2021 by trinacriabob

[Robert Hall]

12 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

But in 1969, the Malibu/Chevelle's C Pillar is most unique from all of them.  

 

Anyway, the GM A -Body 1968-1972 is such a beautiful car.  In convertible and coupe form.  Especially the fastback coupes!   

The '68-69 Buick 2dr roofline is very similar to the '68-69 Chevelle...but the lower body is quite different, and the low rear wheel well cutline gave it a frumpy look.

 

 

 

That formal roofline on the '70-72 Cutlass SX/Supreme was Olds' answer to the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix, IMO (without a longer wheelbase or other body differences). 

 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Robert Hall

[trinacriabob]

6 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Ok, this one I like.  The vinyl top shape is unusual, or maybe I don't remember it, but that's a nice looking Cutlass coupe.

My votes for GM mid-size COUPES based on appearance from from '70 to '07 would go like this:

70-72:  Buick Skylark (1), Pontiac Le Mans (2)

73-77:  Olds Cutlass Supreme (1), Buick Regal (2)

78-80:  Pontiac Grand Prix (1), Buick Regal (2)

81-87:  Olds Cutlass Supreme (1), Pontiac Grand Prix (2)

88-96 (transition to W-chassis): Buick Regal (1), Chevy Lumina (only part of this span of years, see photo below) (2)

(Looking at it, this was a very clean looking car that was fairly timeless for a while)

00-07:  Chevy Monte Carlo (1)

- - - - -

Edit:  I've owned THREE of my (1) choices.  Perhaps I'm biased.  Or perhaps that's why I bought them, or encouraged my parents to buy them.

 

Edited June 2, 2021 by trinacriabob

[balthazar]

Kind of a bad shot of the Skylark - this one looks a lot better : 

[oldshurst442]

13 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

The '68-69 Buick 2dr roofline is very similar to the '68-69 Chevelle...but the lower body is quite different, and the low rear wheel well cutline gave it a frumpy look.

 

 

 

That formal roofline on the '70-72 Cutlass SX/Supreme was Olds' answer to the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix, IMO (without a longer wheelbase or other body differences). 

 

 

I missed, like I literally forgot, that the '68-'69 Skylark also mimicked the Chevy versions of the same years.  From the two, year for year, I do prefer the Buick.   From the 4, the Chevy versions of any year will always be in 4rth place for me. 

 

  

Edited June 3, 2021 by oldshurst442

[balthazar]

I don't think of it as 'mimicking' as much as it's 'variations of the same body substructure sitting on the same frame'.

[oldshurst442]

For lack of a better word, I used mimic. Ironically, I wanted to shorten my response by trying to use one word instead of a whole paragraph. 

Me...of all people...wanting to shorten a response with less words used.  

[trinacriabob]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

For lack of a better word, I used mimic. Ironically, I wanted to shorten my response by trying to use one word instead of a whole paragraph. 

Me...of all people...wanting to shorten a response with less words used.  

Being concise has never been one of my strong points.

^  Look at that ... this very sentence is a step in the right direction!

[oldshurst442]

4 minutes ago, trinacriabob said:

Being concise has never been one of my strong points.

You Italian, Me Greek.  We both have a similarity here.  Being concise and efficient with our words and a lack thereof. 

Both Italians and Greeks speak with their hands.    Coincidence?

I thinks its because Italians and Greeks have soooooo much to say, like ALL the time, with passion of course, that sometimes concise words escape us and with the help of our hands, we get our points across.

 

 

[G. David Felt]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

You Italian, Me Greek.  We both have a similarity here.  Being concise and efficient with our words and a lack thereof. 

Both Italians and Greeks speak with their hands.    Coincidence?

I thinks its because Italians and Greeks have soooooo much to say, like ALL the time, with passion of course, that sometimes concise words escape us and with the help of our hands, we get our points across.

 

 

Very different than us Germans!  

[oldshurst442]

jawohl herr David! 

[trinacriabob]

14 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

You Italian, Me Greek. 

I thinks its because Italians and Greeks have soooooo much to say, like ALL the time, with passion of course

 

Yes.  Definitely.  And the guy in the gif is a graduate of Wazza Matta U.

[G. David Felt]

German Car Watching

[Robert Hall]

Saw a very clean two-tone blue ‘81-85 Impala 4dr, with white walls.  Driven by a little old lady w/ white hair.  

[G. David Felt]

Ran an Errand to Business Costco and saw my first Racing Blue Mach-E go by in the opposite direction. Way better looking than the Tesla BEVs. Liking it more and more. Excited to start seeing the Rivian show up this summer on the roads.

[oldshurst442]

I was out and about today. Had a doctor's appointment in the morning. When I finished with that, I drove.  And drove. And stopped at a Dairy Queen. Had a strawberry sundae (with peanuts). Looked at cars driving by. Looked at people walking by.   

Montreal had a very happy vibe about it today.  

Not the actual cars, but same colour and wheel combo. 

Driven by a mid-twenties hottie.  

Literally 2 minutes later

Driven by a very good lookin' middle-aged woman.  

 

5 minutes later.

Driven by a young punk. He too in his early to mid-20s.  Young punk only because he was a good lookin' guy and he has a nicer car than me when I was in my early to mid 20s I had to get by with a used 1989 red Firebird with a 2.8 liter V6 that I crashed and a new 1994 Grand Am GT also with a V6.  The updated 3.1 liter version. With 4 phoquing doors and that aqua blue/teal colour.  Both engines not even cracking the 200 HP mark while this punk has 450 of them at his disposal!  Phoquer!

 

1984ish El Camino.  This same colour combo. Not the same wheels. It had god awful after markets.  I didnt quite glimpse the front end as this is almost the exact same angle I saw it as I was turning right and he was going straight.   I didnt see who the driver was.     The car was pretty beat up. Had rust wholes in the rear quarter panels.  It sounded horrible...

 

Parked on a street looking pretty

 

[G. David Felt]

At my Bi-yearly dental cleaning and saw this Cherry Saturn Sky!

Lovely day in the PNW.

[trinacriabob]

On 6/9/2021 at 11:00 AM, David said:

At my Bi-yearly dental cleaning and saw this Cherry Saturn Sky!

Lovely day in the PNW.

First, those Saturn Skys really catch my eye because they're rare and they were possibly the nicest of this GM set-up.

Second, ah yes, those stunning days in the PacNW, where it's 82F to 84F everyday as you're driving to and from work during the summer, with a clearly visible Mt. Rainier in the distance, and you are planning to spend Saturday and Sunday outside, on or near the water.  But, then, it reliably tanks to 68F and drizzle for the weekend.  Then it goes back up to 82F to 84F on Monday! I've seen that maddening pattern quite a few times.

Edited June 11, 2021 by trinacriabob

[G. David Felt]

14 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

First, those Saturn Skys really catch my eye because they're rare and they were possibly the nicest of this GM set-up.

Second, ah yes, those stunning days in the PacNW, where it's 82F to 84F everyday as you're driving to and from work during the summer, with a clearly visible Mt. Rainier in the distance, and you are planning to spend Saturday and Sunday outside, on or near the water.  But, then, it reliably tanks to 68F and drizzle for the weekend.  Then it goes back up to 82F to 84F on Monday! I've seen that maddening pattern quite a few times.

I love the rain and drizzle, but then I am more of a winter person with my love for skiing and snow than summer.

I will take all the cool drizzle weekends I can get.

[trinacriabob]

6 minutes ago, David said:

I love the rain and drizzle, but then I am more of a winter person with my love for skiing and snow than summer.

I will take all the cool drizzle weekends I can get.

Don't get me wrong.  I love what I call coffee weather.  Even for a good part of the year. But when summer (like in the PacNW) only lasts 2 or 2.5 months, I don't want it to rain on the weekends!

[balthazar]

• White Mach-E zipping thru lanes like a typical BMW driver. Looks good tho.
• rusted/tired red early '70s Maverick, moldering in the weeds next to a rural back road.
• Early '50s GMC pickup project, very good sheet metal
• repainted 'Petty Blue' '71-72 Charger, covered headlights, cosmetically clean, parked.
• '65 LeMans convertible, some significant patches of body rot, Iris Mist, project 

[oldshurst442]

I needed some cleaning products for my automobiles. Both cars hadnt been cleaned on the inside for quite some time now...  I have 3 consecutive days off starting today so I thought Id do some car cleaning.  I thought I had some left over but nope, so before heading to work yesterday, I bought some cleaning products.     And this is what I saw in the Canadian Tire parking lot.  

My dad's 1979 Impala seemed to have had the same colour...

Say what you will about 1970s cars from GM.  

Diss, bitch and complain and say that GM's troubles began in the 1970s.  I, for one though, LOVE many many GM products from this era.   

This Poncho right here...long, low and sleek.  Beautiful convertible.  Miles better looking and interesting than the shyte cars that you could see in the background...

 

Edited June 12, 2021 by oldshurst442

[Robert Hall]

At the dealer this morning for service on the Jeep, they have two identical gray Ram TRXes on the lot…sticker price $99995…$13k ‘market adjustment’.  Also a red one. 
 

A nice F8 green Charger R/T and purple Challenger R/T scat pack in the showroom.

One curious thing I noticed were 3 used 2020 Kia Tellurides on the lot.   First time I’d looked at them up close, they look smaller in person   .  
 

Edited June 18, 2021 by Robert Hall

[Robert Hall]

Also on the lot were 3 Amazon Promasters in for service, 2 more down the lot…

Also saw this ‘80s LeBaron in brown.  Looked clean and rust free.  Haven’t seen one in ages. 

[G. David Felt]

At Costco picking up steaks for BBQ dinner and I find this Volvo Jewel in the parking lot!

Gotta love 2" thick Ribeeye Regular and Tomahawk steaks.

Volvo jewel

[balthazar]

My cousin (the hoarder) picked up an ‘03 mercedes 2-dr, paid $1000. I again laugh as I got a ride in it; just as much cheap plastics and plood as anything from the era. This one is beat to shit; suspension banging and crashing, radio hammering like a woodpecker, trans slipping, large swathes of hand spray-painting on the body… but the A/C works! ? ?

[G. David Felt]

29 minutes ago, balthazar said:

My cousin (the hoarder) picked up an ‘03 mercedes 2-dr, paid $1000. I again laugh as I got a ride in it; just as much cheap plastics and plood as anything from the era. This one is beat to shit; suspension banging and crashing, radio hammering like a woodpecker, trans slipping, large swathes of hand spray-painting on the body… but the A/C works! ? ?

What is his plans for this Plastic POS?

[balthazar]

Same as all the rest before it; drive it until it breaks irreparably. 

[Robert Hall]

I'm used to seeing Ford Transits and Ram Promasters as Amazon Prime trucks, saw this odd one today...not sure of the make, but it looks like the trucks Fed Ex uses and reminds me of an updated version of the old GM Step Van....

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

I'm used to seeing Ford Transits and Ram Promasters as Amazon Prime trucks, saw this odd one today...not sure of the make, but it looks like the trucks Fed Ex uses and reminds me of an updated version of the old GM Step Van....

Agree it reminds me of the FedEx trucks which I thought were all international brand.

[trinacriabob]

Some slotting of some spotting into its proper out-of-town month.

Seen in SoCal ...

An El Camino in not so great shape but still running, most likely with a 305 c.i. V8 ... and when it was likely that the 5 GM brands were sold at their respective dealerships.  Also, the plate sequence looks very original.

- - - - -

An old school convertible Cadillac

Seen along Imperial Highway (yes, from "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman) at Pershing Drive, the road that bounds the western edge of LAX, slightly inboard from and parallel to the Pacific Ocean

Seen at the signal of Imperial Highway and Vista del Mar, which runs along the beach and which the planes take off over.

 

I can assure you SoCal was a much nicer and more livable place when EITHER of these cars were newly minted.

[trinacriabob]

On 6/12/2021 at 10:05 AM, oldshurst442 said:

Say what you will about 1970s cars from GM.  

Diss, bitch and complain and say that GM's troubles began in the 1970s.  I, for one though, LOVE many many GM products from this era.   

This Poncho right here...long, low and sleek.  Beautiful convertible.  Miles better looking and interesting than the shyte cars that you could see in the background...

It's tough to know when GM's troubles began.  I think that the push to make Americans think that driving an American vehicle was uncool was a big part of it.  Californians began abandoning domestic vehicles decades ago, and at a very quick rate.  Our family still kept buying them, though, and my parents were foreigners.  Yes, foreigners!

However, in terms of quality and reliability, GM did begin to falter toward the end of the '70s and beginning of the '80s.  Early versions of computerized emission control systems such as CCC (Computer Command Control) required repairs and replacements of sensors much more so than current versions, where you don't see "check engine" indicators as often.

As for the "Poncho" up above, the ghetto wheels have to go.  Put the Pontiac ones back on.  Then you've got one stellar vehicle.  They made my favorite convertibles within the GM fold.

[trinacriabob]

Spotted on June 11 - near home

This was at the market.  The girl who owned this car bought it when it was 1 or 2 years old and likes it.  Has the red sport trim.

I got up closer to see this MILF sticker!  I'd never seen a sticker with that on it before.  It said, "Man, I like frogs."  I do, too.  I took 3 years of French in high school.

[Robert Hall]

Jeep drivers tend to park by other Jeep drivers.  Came out of the doctors office to find a newer GC Laredo parked next to my GC Limited…

[oldshurst442]

4 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

Our family still kept buying them, though, and my parents were foreigners.  Yes, foreigners!

Somehow, I totally understand that statement... 

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, trinacriabob said:

I got up closer to see this MILF sticker!  I'd never seen a sticker with that on it before.  It said, "Man, I like frogs."  I do, too.  I took 3 years of French in high school.

 

I love french too.  French girls are AWESOME when one is coming of age (wink wink) 

French MILFS?  Depending, but Ill tell you one thing...french girls between the ages of 15 (when one is also 15...) and 30, are just hot hot hot and a boy gets to learn a helluva lot about the female body and how it works with a french girl, if you know what I mean... 

 

[G. David Felt]

21 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I love french too.  French girls are AWESOME when one is coming of age (wink wink) 

French MILFS?  Depending, but Ill tell you one thing...french girls between the ages of 15 (when one is also 15...) and 30, are just hot hot hot and a boy gets to learn a helluva lot about the female body and how it works with a french girl, if you know what I mean... 

 

Hard pass, way too skinney, need some meat on the bones!  

French = Toothpicks

Pretty much any other girl / woman = curves

Asian = 2x2  Still more meat than French. ? 

[balthazar]

'Curves' almost always = flubber.

Boss level spin doctoring. 

I reject.

[trinacriabob]

5 hours ago, balthazar said:

'Curves' almost always = flubber

Or the potential for that to be an issue later on, giving some credence to the adage that "you can't have your cake and eat it, too."

[G. David Felt]

5 hours ago, balthazar said:

'Curves' almost always = flubber.

Boss level spin doctoring. 

I reject.

I think not, but then I do love my woman such as my ex-coworker Hyo from Korea who choose to leave Dell as a sales rep when her modeling took off and her Pilates gym started going well. Woman Has Curves!

For @A Horse With No Name who can appreciate Asian woman like me!  

[A Horse With No Name]

On 6/11/2021 at 3:28 PM, balthazar said:

• White Mach-E zipping thru lanes like a typical BMW driver. Looks good tho.
• rusted/tired red early '70s Maverick, moldering in the weeds next to a rural back road.
• Early '50s GMC pickup project, very good sheet metal
• repainted 'Petty Blue' '71-72 Charger, covered headlights, cosmetically clean, parked.
• '65 LeMans convertible, some significant patches of body rot, Iris Mist, project 

I also followed a Mach E, would love to own one. 

I also have only ever seen iris mist on a GTO, never on a LeMans.  As a convertible, that would be a neat car. 72 Cahrger is badass also. 

 

[Robert Hall]

...aaannd I realize now it is actually July.  

[trinacriabob]

7 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

...aaannd I realize now it is actually July.  

Right.  I'm slotting things into archival mode.

See on June 20th.

On Malibu Canyon Road, which becomes Las Virgenes Canyon Road as it approaches the Ventura Freeway (the 101) and the San Fernando Valley:

On Topanga Canyon Blvd. at Ventura Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley, and right before the ramps to the Ventura Freeway (the 101):

In Woodland Hills in the SFV, basically exclaiming: 'Axel* Foley, where are you?'

* Akmed to Bronson Pinchot's character, Serge, working in the Beverly Hills art gallery

[oldshurst442]

-Akmed...

        Axel Foley

- Ahhwell...is here to see her. He's an old acquaintance.

-Cover this up. Its like (never have I understood what he says) to scrub for the customer.  Its not sexy. Its animal!

          No. Its not sexy.

- May I offer you something to drink?  Wine, cocktile, esssspressso 

         No thank -you!

- I make it myself with a little lemon twist. Is good you should try it.  

- I see you look at this piece?

          How much does it go for?

- ah hundred thirty thousand dollar.

         GET THE PHOQUE OUTTA HERE!!!

- No I cannot!

-Its a very important piece

           Ever sell one of these?

-Yesterday! 

           GET THE PHOQUE OUTTA HERE!!!!

-Im serious. I sell it myself! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[oldshurst442]

19 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

72 Cahrger is badass also

Would that be a Charger native to Boston?