About a year ago, I first reported about the “Red Door Meet”, a weekly automotive get together held every Sunday night in Portland Oregon. I’ve returned many times since my original visit. Each time I am always impressed at the variety of interesting cars and enthusiasts Portland has. The photos you see here are from two recent Sunday nights.
As usual, there is no particular theme to the RDM. People bring anything and everything to this event. I had no sooner parked my car, and walked around the corner, when I saw these two Nissan GTRs. I’m guessing the robin’s egg blue is a wrap, but it looks fantastic.
Ever since I moved to Portland over 20 years ago, I’ve always been impressed with the number of VW Beetles still on the road here. You still see them every day in traffic. With a little TLC,they seem to live forever. Not all of them are this nice, as you might have recently seen.
I’m pretty sure this car is the same one I featured in my last RDM report. That one drew some heated comments about ruining a classic car. I did a little research, and found out that this car is kind of famous. The owner runs LooseNuts, a company that makes safari window kits for old VW’s. This car is known as the “Dirty Pickle” and was recently on the cover of a popular magazine.
Portland might have a reputation as a crazy, pot smoking, bicycle riding, vegan, left wing city, and I’m cool with all that, but we are still Americans, and we still love Mustangs.
In a town full of where every third car seems to be a Toyota Prius, high performance Mustangs still freely roam the city, guilt free.
This is the original Mini Clubman. It’s kind of like the modern one, with those split rear doors,and extended cargo area, but this one is actually “mini”. I’m pretty sure the guys in this photo aren’t professional basketball players, the car is just really that small.
The turbocharged 4 cylinder engine while obviously not stock was spotless. This looks like a very well done restoration.
Another of the many old Minis in Portland.
I can go months without seeing a Lotus drive by. On this Sunday evening I saw two of them.
You can always expect to see some interesting Volvos at a RDM.
The old 280 Z might look a little rough, but it’s svelte compared to its modern versions. The newer ones are better in almost every way, but the older one sure looks like it would be fun to drive.
Here is something you don’t see every day. This is a Mazda RX3 rotary, set up for drag racing. It’s finding unique cars like this that keep me coming back to the RDM.
This is the beauty of the RDM. Here we see a Lamborghini Gallardo struggle to steal the spotlight from a pristine purple Ford Probe. Even an unfortunate tree branch had to get a closer look.
This new Cicic Type R got me thinking about some of the honda motors I saw that day.
Is this just me being a grumpy old fart, but is it possible for Honda to make modern engines that are more powerful and efficient, and yet still look as cool as these older VTEC ones?
All of the sudden, 125”s aren’t terrible. I had been reading about the Honda Grom, and it’s competitor from Kawasaki the “Z125”and knew they were getting some attention. These guys can ride with the sport bike guys because this kind of bike is “officially cool”.
Who wouldn’t like to spend your Sunday night hanging out with a bunch of fellow car people and driving any generation of the Corvette?
This highly modified Audi TT wears Portland appropriate graphics.
Does it Donk? You folks tell me. Is this blasphemy or way cool. I’m not really a donk guy, but I like both of these. The Buick was raising it’s top as it drove by.
This 1970’s Chevy isn’t the kind of car I lust after, but you have to respect the amount of work this guy put into his car. If you can draw a crowd with your car in this company, you are doing something right.
Though not as popular as the imports, you will always see some nice old muscle cars at the RDM. This orange Trans AM looked great.
You really can drive pretty much anything to a RDM. What do you do when your turbo doesn’t quite fit under the hood of your Miata? Sawzall of course. I will never be board on a Sunday evening in Portland as long as there is a weekly Red Door Meet, and I will never run out of interesting cars to photograph. That’s why I keep coming back.
I’m trying to figure out if I can get up to Portland before the streamlined car exhibit ends … this is one more incentive!!
Looks like a neat, diverse show! I enjoyed the coverage from last year, too.
Regarding the Groms and 125s, those things are a blast!
Honda is bringing the Z50 Monkey and an iteration of the Passport back to the US market this year with the 125 engine. I suspect those will become car show staples soon enough, too.
How do I keep missing this stuff? I live about 14 miles from Pioneer Square, as the crow flies, but could just as well be on a different planet as far as PDX is concerned.
Now THAT looks like fun…
Quite a range of different cars, slightly lowered Beetles work ok but super slammed with the floorpans lifted is just stupid and the fake rat look has been over done to death in my opinion I’m fine with original patina but not the painted on variety
Minis yep real ones except that Clubman doesnt quite look like a factory edition that either a dewooded traveller or a windowed panelvan with an S dash fitted nice mashup to be sure and they are really small hence the name, BMWs version began as a Peugeot 206 which is much bigger to begin with then they bloated it severely.
The turbo on that MX5 would come under the dangerous ornaments and fittings clause during a WOF inspection here, you have to get mods like that certified for use on public roads and that wouldnt get thru just for the lack of a front bumper if nothing else, it fascinating to see just what you can get away with in other countries.
I think that’s just the normal clubbie estate shape.
Notice that the LE Mini is from NZ?
Hmm, kind of like that Datsun pickup. It’s a bit over my preferred amount for patina, but it looks like it came by it honestly.
Interesting variety of cars
There are a few things about the US cars scene I just don’t understand from an asthetic or functional point of view though each to his or her own
Donks – completely bypasses me, plain ugly
Patina , I am guessing it is so much easier and cheaper than removing dents and giving it a nice paint job, a little on a pickup or work vehicle can look authentic but most cars just look like dirty rust buckets to me
Those cars with air lifts that bounce up and down without going anywhere, I appreciate the technology involved but why do that
Like the early hot rod scene though