It’s becoming my annual tradition, this sharing of the old cars I photograph through my windshield while I wait at stoplights. I’ve done it since 2013, except that I skipped 2015. I don’t know why. But the crop since my 2017 post is so large it makes up for it. It begins with this box Crown Vic, which I photographed within spitting distance of JP Cavanaugh’s house. Depending on where you draw the line, that E150 behind it might make this photo a twofer.
First- and second-gen Chrysler minivans are scarce here in Rustopia now, so I photograph them when I see them. Even when they’re obscured by posts.
This donked ’67 Caprice was on its way somewhere, not under its own power.
A late-80s 560 SL is always a delightful sight. I wouldn’t mind getting a chance to drive one someday.
I followed an ’84 Seville for a few miles on my way to work one morning. It was as pristine as its cloth roof was ridiculous.
An old Jeep with some modifications, used this day as a morning commuter.
I start to weigh a car’s curbside-classic potential when it hits the 20-year mark. The sixth-generation (1998-2002) Honda Accord is just arriving in that club, but the sedans are still everywhere even here in Rustopia. The coupes, however, are starting to become scarce. This one was in very nice condition. Most of the ones I see now are pretty clapped out.
A circa-1990 Mustang LX convertible — the car I wanted when I graduated college. But I saved a few thousand dollars and bought a basic Chevy Beretta instead.
The second- and third-generation Ford Escort has largely disappeared out here now, but when I do see one, it seems like it’s usually a wagon.
These ’80s M-body Mopars are about as common as those Escorts. This one wears Chrysler Fifth Avenue trim.
Of all the finds in this roundup, I’m most excited about this one: an ’87-89 Buick LeSabre T-Type coupe. Goldang, did I ever want one of these when they were new.
And who doesn’t like a big old ’74 Delta 88 Royale convertible?
The purple is strong on this ’68 Torino fastback.
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen an Acura NSX on the road.
While driving home from work one day this early Mustang was parked in someone’s driveway.
Look! Another M-body Fifth Avenue! This is the evil twin of the virtuous white one from earlier.
I still think this generation of Toyota Supra is drop-dead gorgeous. I think it’s a design that has stood the test of time.
It’s not a Spotted While Driving roundup unless I share at least one Volvo 240.
These hardy Geo Prisms were common as pennies even here in the snow belt until about 10 years ago. They’re headed toward extinction now.
I got a new car, a 2013 VW Passat, and its windshield glare is wicked. It obscures the goodness of this 70s-80s Trans Am.
And of this AMC-era Jeep. I’m better off photographing cars on cloudy days.
I was driving my mom’s Nissan Note, today considered to be a pretty tiny car, when I came up behind this itty bitty mid-90s Civic and realized how “small car” has been redefined over the last two decades.
This boulevard-cruiser mid-late-80s Nissan 300ZX parks near my office sometimes. I’ll come upon it curbside one day, photograph it properly, and share with you all here.
I know this isn’t a classic, but how often do you come up behind a Lamborghini while driving to work? The license plate marks the owner as a fellow alumnus of my alma mater, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a tough engineering school here in Indiana. I’ve had a pretty good career, but not commuting-in-the-Lambo good.
We loved the Impala SS out here in the vast Midwest, and they were once very common. Not so much anymore.
This guy is …confused.
It’s hard to tell from this dusky photo but this final-generation El Camino was in fine condition. It’s another car I’ve always wanted to own.
I wonder what this VW Cabrio’s story is, with its EU plate and a historic-automobile Indiana plate affixed below it.
Hey, it’s another Volvo 240! But it’s the last one in this year’s roundup — no hat trick this year.
It’s hard to believe the last Oldsmobile Cutlass is around 20 years old. The identical Chevy Malibu sold here in the bazillions, but the Olds not so much.
The second-generation Chrysler Concorde hasn’t quite reached the 20-year mark yet. But they and their first-gen brother are scarce here. It seems like when Chrysler introduced the boxy 300, these bulbous cab-forward cars started disappearing fast.
Let’s wrap up this installment as we began: with a Panther, one of the late “rounded” era. It was flawless. Wish I could say the same for my water-spotted door glass.
There should be a law protecting older chevy’s from being Donked or made low riders
Seriously?
How do you feel about body lift kits on Jeeps or a continental kit on a bustle back Sevilles? Some folks don’t care for those modifications- Shall we outlaw them as well?
Personally, I’d rather live where you’re free to modify your car within the confines of safety and emissions regulations, than put up with a million ticky-tack regulations designed to address aesthetic concerns.
Yours was a much better answer than mine, which would have been thank goodness we have Chevys to throw at the donkers and low rider fans so that we can protect the good stuff. 🙂
I’m with eddie in spirit (though I view it more through a historic preservationist lense), but have to agree that if something has to be donked–even though I like old Chevs, I’d rather it be the highest production models available; the better to protect the scarcer Oldsmobiles, Mercuries, and Plymouths from the same fate.
Thats exactly what i meant. as i was pointing out that the more these cars become low riders and more especially donked, the less original versions are left. most have to be cut or have enhancements that cut into the chassis or body work. so to make a low rider back to original………..is probably more expensive than a barn find or rusted out hulk. i am for freedom of expression and as far as i’m concerned one can do what they please with their cars and i think low riders are beutifull pieces of art……………….but honestly, i prefer a stock show room looking 64 Impala to a low rider any day. as for the “Donks” i just don’t like the way they look with the huge wheels. also Mr skinner im with you in regards to not having any type of regulations as far as aesthetics as what i want to do with my car i will do.
Old Chevy, nodded but not exactly docked, shot through a side window of another Chevy (Aveo taxi) in Quito, Ecuador this week. IPhones don’t work well for quick CC shooting, at least for me, even when I’m not driving.
Should be “donked” … not “docked”. Darn auto-incorrect.
thats a nice modification on that 78? Caprice Those wheels dont harm the car.
Well now that you are working not too far from me, I guess our old geographic division is kaput. Every man for himself! 🙂
I have been collecting windshield shots for quite awhile but have not gotten around to collecting them to share since the early days of CC. I need to start finding them.
I got a shot of that very Acura NSX earlier this month. Like you, I could not remember the last time I saw one. Your shots also highlight two automotive irritants: On the Seville bustlebutt – you have that awful spare tire on the trunk, you can’t make sure the wheelcover is straight? And the white 5th Avenue with the keyhole cover askew. Gaaaah!
The black Chrysler Fifth Avenue looks like Mike Ehrmentraut’s car in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Perfect pick for a guy like Mike.
I somehow missed this comment earlier, but I was wondering if someone was going to make a Mike Ehrmentraut reference. That was the first thing I thought of when I saw that car as well.
That Supra looks like the car I wanted in high school. Don’t think that would be ideal for a 16 year old to have a turbocharged Supra in hindsight.
Also lol at the “Yaris” Prius
Along the lines of the “YARIS” plate on the Prius, I once saw one that said “[something] SAAB” on a Mercedes. My assumption is that in both cases the owner got the plates for a different car, then replaced that car but kept the plates for the new car even though they didn’t make sense. Or maybe they thought it was funny.
As an aside, I’ve always thought that having a personalized license plate that simply announces what kind of car you have is about the most pointless message to put on a personalized plate. The car already has badges for that. Putting the wrong model on it like the Yaris Prius at least makes people laugh.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a plate reading “TRANS AM” inside a license plate surround that proudly identifies the car as a “1977 Pontiac Trans Am”
On my commute home tonight I was behind a Cadillac CTS with a license plate that read “CTS” and a license plate frame that also read “CTS”, just in case you weren’t quite sure what kind of car it was.
Now that I think about it I did see one a few weeks ago that said “ITSA TR8”. I’m guessing that one was a response to a frequently asked question about the car.
Perhaps they’re trying to be meta, like a car with a license plate that just says “car.” So obvious it’s deeply profound. Or something.
I knew a guy in high school who had an F250 with a license plate that said TRUCK2. Why TRUCK2? Because TRUCK and TRUCK1 were already in use.
Guilty as charged, sir.
Yours at least includes the year, which is one detail that the casual observer can’t discern from the badging.
Technically, they could get within two years, as the script Chevrolet VEGA 2300 badge was only used from 1971-72, succeeded by the VEGA by Chevrolet badge in all later years. But most folks wouldn’t know that!
That’s a nice selection of cars you found on your commutes. The old Chevy with the big wheels actually looks rather tasteful as it doesn’t have the “monster truck” Donk set up. The Caddy with the Continental kit is tacky, and is the Oldsmobile convertible an original or a conversion? It’s also nice to see the Supra and the 300ZX, two cars I liked from the time they were new, and given their rarity, you should always capture a Lambo, Ferrari or Maserati when you spot them “in the wild”.
We actually see a fair number (relatively speaking) of Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston Martins, and the like here around DC, usually stuck fast in traffic like the rest of us schlubs.
The last series of the round-roof big Fords is also the best-looking of any Panther made since 1979, in my opinion. Now if only the wide taillights were combined with the ’92 grille-less nose. I also really like the ’98-’02 Accord coupes – nice, clean, and wedgy.
I like that late-box Panther, it is a light blue, I think. The vinyl roof looks like it’s still in good shape. But it cries out for 3/4 in. whitewalls.
I didn’t think the styling of the 1980-1985 Seville could get even more outre, but the addition of a toilet-seat like continental kit proves that I was wrong. Some great other rear-view classics; I’m somewhat partial to the SL but I’ve also loved the generation of Supra you shot!
Not bad. I gotta learn to carry my camera with me at all times in my car. Would have been useful today. Since I am off Wednesdays I started the day by going to drop off used oil and anti-freeze at the country facility.
As I drive in I see a 1965 or 66 F250 parked in front. After I drop my stuff off I go around to look at the truck. It has a 66 grille and 66 dash with oil and alt. The back is full of dumpster wood you could say. The owner comes out and I asked him about the truck and say you have a 66. He says no it is a 65 on his registration. Got it from PG&E 25 years ago. I point out what I see, then look at a very oily and old 352 in blue and his data plate engine code of Y. Yep, it all screams 1966. Anyway we talk for 45 minutes about our trucks and part ways.
Down the road I hit the hardware store then the post office where the line was longer than I will tolerate so over to Safeway. Bam, there is another Slick and the owner is sitting in it. It is a 1962 F100 Styleside Unibody in beige with a 292 Y block. Basic beige with low camper shell on the back. Talked to that guy for another 45 minutes. So much for my morning and working on the Polara’s ignition.
Have to now pick my son up at 2:00 pm from school. On the drive home I stop at Napa for a CV axle I ordered and then head home. As I wait to make my right turn, bam another 1962 F100 Styleside Unibody in beige again. No camper shell and a slightly younger driver. That makes three 1961-66 Slicks in just five hours.
Almost home going down Monument Blvd. I pass an auto shop and there is a 1969 black Charger up on the rack. Another two blocks down I see a plain jane 1967 blue Camaro. Last a few blocks from my house I pass, as always a 1978 Monte Carlo, a 1966 Mustang, a 1971 Datsun 240Z, a 1961 Caddy under cover, and a now I know a mid-70’s Chevy truck under a cover where the strong winds blew a corner up.
Some very great finds!
Nice photos, though where are the Saturns?
Great compilation. I think of all the cars here, the one I would have followed to get more pictures would have been the Seville with that fake spare tire thingy on the trunk. Those accessories were ridiculous even back in the day. In Philadelphia, where I lived in the Seville era, those fake spare tire thingies were often accompanied by fake luggage straps. Very classy.
I actually saw an NSX in a parking lot this weekend, though it’s one of the few CCs I have very little affection for.
I also saw an Impala SS parked in a driveway this past weekend with a for-sale sign on it. The asking price (which was large enough to read from the road) was $14,500. I was shocked — I’m not sure if that’s wishful thinking or if SS’s really command that kind of value, but it’s much higher than I would have expected.
The Jeep is listing pretty badly to port.
All the “cab forward” Chryslers, from the Neon to the 300 are vanishing into thin air, because they were junky. No other way to put it any nicer than that.
Which is why Bob Eaton sold/merged Chrysler: he could see the writing on the wall. You can only fool people with dramatically-designed Lutz-mobiles for so long, before the word gets out. Chrysler’s market share started dropping the same year they made the deal, which had noting to do with Daimler’s influence on the cars. They were fools gold.
This is a fair assessment, and that’s from a lifelong Chrysler afficionado. I’ve managed to keep a ’99 300M as a primary vehicle for the past 3 years now, but at a mere 85,000 miles the writing is on the wall and it’s soon to be relegated to secondary status. I still love the car, and it has sentimental value to me as a hand-me-down, but despite all of its attributes the fragility of its components betrays it with increasing frequency.
I am guessing that the bustle-back Seville doesn’t get out much. As far as I can tell the license tags expired in 2014. Of course I couldn’t enlarge the picture enough to really tell, especially now that I get to have cataract surgery next month. In any case I don’t think that is a current Indiana plate.
I have seen two Lamborghinis on the road, and both were in and around Palo Alto, California. We were vacationing in the Bay area some thirty years ago and I was showing my wife, who had never been west of St. Louis, some of the sights I remembered from my Air Force days. I used to see a Ferrari 308 here in Evansville every once in awhile. This was in the early and mid-nineties and it was obviously well cared for. I haven’t seen it in years and don’t know if the owner moved away, sold the car or what. The occasional Viper is about as exotic as it gets around here these days.
The European numberplate on VW Cabrio is German with letter M denoting Munich.
In the US during the early 1980s, it was ‘trendy’ to affix the European numberplates to the front bumpers. Some owners even had the state-issued numberplates personalised to match the European numberplates. Eventually, the police crackdown mostly eliminated them.
^ I remember this practice/trend as a small boy, and it was especially the case on the VWs and some Mercedes, especially coupes. I asked my mom what was going on (I fully understood the concept of state-by-state plates and these didn’t fit the bill) and she said “those people are pretending to be Europeans because they have a European car. They want you to think they brought it back on a boat from Germany or something”. (My mom was not anti-European or European-car, she just thought doing that was silly, as did I even at that age).
I didn’t realize there was a police crackdown on the practice, however; but given the lack of actual bumpers these days on cars, it’s likely a lot harder to sport those long, European plates.