Curbside Classic is an endless treasure hunt. And the greatest found treasures are not necessarily the most glamorous or most “classic”, but the ones that have long been on the wish list, and were anything but expected. Or even given up for good. So here’s my list, as subjective as it inevitably is.
1. Opel Kadett Rallye 1900: It’s pretty modest compared to the 1931 Marmon Sixteen that Jim Cavanaugh found, but I’ve been on a hunt for an Opel Kadett for years, and had almost given up. I was a bit shocked when Tom Kockau found one in Iowa, of all places. Walking home on our regular route from the Y one day, there sits a red Kadett, a Rallye 1900 no less. And it’s even a daily driver, as the owner let me know in a late comment to its CC. Most highly unexpected, to say the least.
2. Australian Ford Falcon XC Ute: After my little white lie about finding an Australian Ford Fairlane, I certainly didn’t expect to be rewarded by finding a genuine Ozzie Ford just a few weeks later. And I almost didn’t stop, having just caught a glimpse of it while zooming down the highway. Stay alert!
3. 1946 Chrysler Town and Country: Some might question ranking the Kadett ahead of the T&C, but classic vintage American cars do get driven around town by their owners, and sooner or later, almost anything is likely to pop up in the street. A funky old Kadett DD? Not nearly as likely.
4. 1977 Datsun 200SX (Silvia): Yes, I have a love for the rapidly disappearing obscure old cars that are falling out of the collective memory. The 200SX fits that perfectly, and was on my long wish list that I had almost given up on.
5. 1963 Clark Cortez: Another one to cross off the wish list. And not just any Cortez, but one of the very first ones built, Serial #29.
6. Union Pacific EMD E-9s: About as good as it gets. If this were Trackside Classic, it might well be at the top of the list. And I even snuck into the cab: oh joy!
7. Chevy Vega In Traffic With Vega Girl: One of those fleeting moments that put a big smile on my face. It’s one thing to find an old beater Vega still being used as a DD, another to elicit such a warm response from its co-pilot. It was as if she knew exactly why I was so thrilled to find her! Rock on, Vega Girl!
8. Peugeot 504: I can show you a picture, but no link to the CC, since I haven’t written it up yet. But it’s coming very soon. I’ve been surprised at how rare they’ve become, since not that long ago they were not uncommon here. In fact, when we moved to Eugene, there was a shop that specialized in just them. Well, that was twenty years ago…
9. 1961 Ford Starliner: What more can I add that I haven’t said about this one already? It wouldn’t ring true, anyway.
10. VW Microbus “Samba”: Not all that rare of a find, but what really made it for me was the fact that this one is used as a DD, and by the same guy who I’d seen for years driving his kids in another one. That inspired me to try and do it justice.
11. VW LT 4×4 Van: We all grow up (sort of), and while the Samba may have been the VW bus of my childhood, I’d take one of these now. More headroom, as well as more room all the way around. Patagonia, here we come.
12. 1955 Plymouth Belvedere Wagon: I can’t exactly say it was on my wish list, but when an original ’55 Plymouth wagon suddenly shows up, it’s a major treat.
13. 1940 “Sharknose” Graham: Another unexpected boon. But then drivers of classic cars do sometimes meet up at restaurants, so it’s not exactly a curbside classic of the very highest order. Where’s the patina?
14. Citroen 2CV: Not all that that rare either, but finding one that’s been someone’s daily driver for years earns it a place on this list.
15: 1964 Lincoln Continental: Another very recent find that I’ll have to get to soon.
16: Datsun 411: Another one in the same category, along with quite a few others. Maybe I better stop so that there will be a few surprises left to come in 2013.
So last year I made a list of the Top Ten CC’s I’d Like To Find In 2012. How many did I find? None; although the Kadett comes closest.
And how about our other CC Contributors? Well, I can’t really speak for them, since ranking one’s finds is a rather subjective affair. But one really stands out:
Jim Cavanugh’s 1931 Marmon Sixteen: There’s little doubt that Jim Cavanaugh passing an ultra-rare Marmon Sixteen on the road, and Mrs. JPC peeling off a superb shot was the cream of the crop of 2012. And here’s the kicker: a year ago, in our post “Top Ten CCs I’d like To Find In 2012, Jim had this to say: A Marmon or a Stutz. It doesn’t matter which. These were both built in Indianapolis, so my chances may not be quite so slim as they would first seem. I’m glad someone got their New Year’s wish; so what’s on your list for 2013, Jim?
An interesting list Paul, one I agree with. All of them would be awesome to find here in NZ too – except the Falcon of course, they’re still a dime a dozen! I loved all the write-ups that we’ve seen so far, and look forward to the write-ups we’ll see in 2013! And it’s 2013 already here in NZ, so Happy New Year CCers! 😀
Where is the “Bathtub Nash in the rain” I found? Did you forget about it or is it being used on a similar list to this for Cohort findings?! Anyways, here’s a link to it:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-sighting-getting-passed-on-the-right-by-a-speeding-bathtub-nash/
It would take me a long time to review all the Cohort finds, so the comments are the place to do it. Yes, the bathtub Nash was my favorite of the year.
Good, you have been sucessfully been brainwashed>:D
HA HA HA HA HA!
Ha — The bathtub Nash immediately came to my mind when I saw this post! That, the 61 Ford Story, VegaGirl, and Ed’s F100 pickup are the favorites that I actually remember at this moment.
I loved the Nash post too. My favorite? It’s hard to pick one, but I really enjoyed Chris Green’s story about his original-condition ’76 Monte Carlo Landau.
Chris’ Monte Carlo and that perfect light blue ’66 Impala hardtop are amongst my favorite vehicles parked here.
I loved that one. I hate that era Monte Carlo and previously had never seen one that I found even remotely interesting. Chris’ delicious all-original factory-loaded-in-a-weird-color Monte I was seriously drooling over. I even saved the pictures on my computer… just goes to show that sometimes everything is in the details.
Thanks to Paul and all the contributors for the great CCs that you’ve found over the last year and the great stories that went with them. Keep up the good work!!
You’re right, Paul. There are some of us who would say the Chrysler T&C gets my vote as top. Although the Marmon is like winning the lottery.
The T&C article and photos brought me much pleasure the day you posted it. One of your finest pieces since I’ve been reading CC.
The E-unit and the T&C stories really stand out, for being especially emotionally vivid. I’d also say that Kevin Martin was a notable find. 🙂
Great list! My personal favorites here are the 200SX and Vega. But really, it’s all about Vega girl!!! That shot really epitomizes the fun of classic cars, and car-spotting.
Thanks, Paul, for a wonderful year of pictures and commentary. I notice something new each time I see these (Vega Girl still has the rally wheels and trim rings!). And I’m still laughing about that Starliner story. Happy New Year!
I think of all these, my favorite is the ’77 Datsun 200SX — just because it’s so dang funky. I’m kind of pleased that Kia is bringing funky back with its current designs.
I really like the 61 Ford. Looks like you could lay rubber for a block with that bad boy.
i love the peugeot504.i drive one every day here in greensboro,north carolina,mine is 1979 diesel(XD2)with manual trans&450k miles&still made it to new york&back without a single beat.planning to keep it for ever.happy new year to every one.
Nice. The one I found is a gasser.
If you ever want to do a write-up on your car, let me know.
Awesome Pierre those were great cars and only just out of production in some countries, Still quite a few left down in NZ
I accidentally rear ended a Peugeot 504 up in Portland a few years ago. The bumper was a hard black rubber, so no damage occurred.
Excellent car!! You should definitely tell it’s story (officially) on here, I’m sure any French car with nearly half a million miles under it’s belt has a lot to tell.
The 504 is one of my all time favorites and I hope to own one someday. Maybe 2013 will also bless us with a 604 curbside appearance, that would be swell.
I have not seen a 504 in France for years. Nor the R5, 205 et al. Sometimes a 2cv but that is usually when I am driving up a mountain 2 lane road.
thanks.yes in kenya,argentina&china(504truck).i have had several 504s since 1975(petrol/diesel/sedan/wagon)&in mypersonal experience they are tough as nail(i have had several benz diesel before that caused me alot of head aches)but here in usa german cars are being over rated&most people think they are the best cars in universe but when it comes to 504s if one knows how to drive&maintain them they can outlive any german built diesels as most 504 diesels are still on the road in africa,mideast&s.america with god knows how many million kms.
I think my best find of the year was the ’58 Packard Hardtop. It also really spurred me on to contribute more to CC. The car is still there, too, though it now has a tarp over it. One of 675 built; what are the odds?
My favorite CC find was the ’54 Kaiser Special, though I cheated a bit as a friend of mine owns it and it was posed curbside. I also got to go for a ride in it, which was a thrill. My finest old-car moment of the year! Second best was finding the ’49 Jeepster at a friend’s retirement party and getting a ride in that one too!
The 58 Packard was indeed an impressive find. Those really rare ones are my favorites.
The ’58 Packard was an awesome find and the write-up on it really turned me on to that brand, of which I had very little interest in or knowledge of previously. I honestly never even knew there was a Studebaker-Packard merger before that, so this was a car that was entirely new to me and I’ve been fascinated by them ever since. It would be cool to see another one of these in 2013 – hopefully in happier condition. Maybe a station wagon (159 produced) or manual-transmission Hawk (28 produced) !!
A very fine year indeed! My favorite? The Opel Kadett Rallye! Happy New Year!
Hey, I liked them all! 😉
Happy New Year everyone!
It was a great year all around. Nobody was more surprised than I was to catch a Marmon.
Otherwise, some of my favorite finds of running, daily driver CCs were the 81 Imperial, the Monza, the Farimont Futura and the 62 Mercury Monterey. The 62 Coupe DeVille was another high point for me.
Among the nice hobby cars were the 48 Pontiac woody wagon and the 56 Packard. Because I have such a soft spot for the really old stuff, the 31 Buick was a great find. Finally, among the car-show finds, the Barcelona Matador Sedan may have been one of my favorites.
For this year? How do you top a Marmon Sixteen? I will just keep looking to see what I can see. And enjoying the finds of eveyone else.
The Galaxie Starliner was probably my absolute favorite for featuring both a sublime, rarely seen car from the years when American design was at it’s peak and an unconventionally hilarious/sentimental accompanying article. The 200SX and Opel Kadett were two cars I’ve always wanted to see up close and personal but never (consciously) have come across – the Opel being especially cool because it’s the top-of-the-line model in a sweet color (with even sweeter patina) wearing some wicked vintage alloys. The Marmon Sixteen was far and away the biggest “holy shit!” of the year and something I never thought I’d see on here in a million years, in addition to being an unbelievably and incredibly interesting piece of automotive history and engineering prowess.
A personal highlight/lowlight for me was the Thunderbird TurboCoupe Richard Bennett wrote up, mentioning that I had been hoping to see one of the later models in another older comment. I was so excited to see it up here and all ready to espouse the virtues of these wonderful and mostly forgotten vehicles. I had owned a pair of them in my younger days and aside from being very fond of them I had some pretty good/filthy memories I was all set to dig out relating to them – and then… I never even got around to posting a comment. I think I ended up working 78 hours that week and the few moments I was home I was in a zombified/catatonic state. So bummed out that I missed my chance. I guess I could still go back and reply to it now, but I don’t post comments on here nearly as much as I’d like to and I’ve gotten in the habit of always being latest to the party when I do. Maybe I’ll get around to it eventually, my bad. Regardless, he (and everyone else) did a great job with it and it was cool to see on here.
I also really enjoyed all of the Trackside/Bus Stop classics as I’m very interested in these modes of transportation as well. I know we had a Piper Vagabond at one point too and I’d love to see more flying contraptions featured. My most far-fetched CC wish for 2013 is that someone takes an Alaskan vacation and photographs all the crazy ass bush planes still flying up there.