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Curbside Classics Archives
About Author: Jim Brophy
Posts by Jim Brophy
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Bus Stop Classics: 1928 – 1933 Pickwick Nite Coach – What’s Old is New Again
Posted on September 9, 2023 | 54 Comments(first posted 9/9/2017) Some of you may have seen a recent article of a startup intercity bus company that plans to offer “capsule hotel” type overnight bus service […] -
Bus Stop Classics: Beaver Metropolitan B-35-PT Series Coach – Keystone State Cruiser
Posted on August 26, 2023 | 8 CommentsA few months back we looked at Southern Coach Manufacturing (SCM), a small regional maker of buses in Southern Alabama. Today we’ll look at another one of these modest manufacturers […] -
Bus Stop Classics – QOTD: What is Your Favorite “Old School” Bus Livery?
Posted on August 19, 2023 | 21 CommentsIt seemed that the defacto paint scheme for most urban-transit buses in the 1950s and ‘60’s was a light cream over orange – at least in the Midwest where I […] -
Bus Stop Classics: White Motor Corporation Urban Transit Buses – Better Known for Trucks, They Made Buses Too
Posted on July 8, 2023 | 36 Comments(first posted 7/8/2017) There were several large-vehicle manufacturers in the early to mid-twentieth century that that were well known for their heavy-duty trucks, but less well-known for their […] -
Curbside Outtake: New Car Shopping in Japan – Things Are a Little Different
Posted on July 1, 2023 | 34 CommentsOur son’s 2007 Toyota Ractis is coming up for it’s biennial Japan Compulsory Insurance (JCI or “Shakken”) inspection in August. It still runs well but will need quite a few […] -
Curbside Outtake: 1970 Dodge Charger – Not the Car I’d Take to the Annual Police Ball…
Posted on June 24, 2023 | 33 Comments(first posted 6/24/2017) When we settled down in our suburban Tokyo neighborhood a good ten years ago, one of the things I was most looking forward to was […] -
Bus Stop Classic: 1948-1953 Checker Motor Coach · The Frequently Forgotten Bus from the Country’s Most Famous Taxi Maker
Posted on June 17, 2023 | 23 Commentsfirst posted 17 June 2017 We’ve reviewed quite a few motor coach manufacturers that hoped to cash in on the post-world-war-II sellers’ market with operators rushing to renew their fleets, […] -
Bus Stop Classics: 1947 – 1960 Mack C Series Urban Transit Coach – Built Bulldog Tough
Posted on June 10, 2023 | 45 Comments(first posted 6/10/2017) Several months ago we reviewed the Mack MV-620-D, a large demonstrator intercity coach from the late-1950’s that the company hoped would be selected as a replacement for […] -
Bus Stop Classics: Hino S’Elega • If Lexus Built a Bus
Posted on May 28, 2023 | 20 Comments(first posted 28 May 2017) Think of Toyota and the first thing that’s likely to pop into your mind is a Corolla or a Camry. But the Toyota Group, […] -
COAL Capsule: Seven Toyota Vans – Livin’ LaVida Van-Life
Posted on May 20, 2023 | 18 CommentsSince 1996, we’ve always had some version of a Toyota mini-van in our driveway. Some auto enthusiasts would be too embarrassed to admit that – not me. Count me as […] -
Bus Stop Classics: 1990-94 Motor Coach Industries (MCI) 102 B3 – Casting Aside 50 Years of Intercity Bus Design
Posted on May 13, 2023 | 31 Comments(first posted 5/13/2017) Take a close look at this bus…doesn’t look especially unique, does it. Seems to be fairly representative of any intercity coach in the US and Canada in […] -
CC Outtake: Toyota Premio/Allion – the Crown Vic and Mercury Marquis of JDM-world
Posted on April 29, 2023 | 12 CommentsOne of our neighbors, whom I have not met yet, has owned this car for several years – I frequently see it parked in our community center lot. What I […] -
CC Newsstand: First Quarter 2023 Sales Figures for US, Japan, Europe and China – Big Changes Everywhere, Except Japan
Posted on April 22, 2023 | 58 CommentsYou may have seen the recent Car and Driver article outlining the best selling vehicles in the US for the first quarter of 2023. There weren’t many surprises, except with […] -
Bus Stop Classics: GMC ODC 210 Bus Chassis – The Basis for Brazil’s First Bus
Posted on April 15, 2023 | 4 CommentsBrazil has a long history of both urban and intercity motorcoach transportation. Prior to the 1950’s, all buses were imported models, mostly conventional “bonnet buses” based on a truck chassis, […] -
Bus Stop Classics: MCI MC-6 “Supercrusier” – Six Inches Too Far Ahead of Its Time
Posted on April 8, 2023 | 42 Comments(first posted 4/8/2017) Unless you’re a certified bus fan (and a certified old guy), it’s unlikely you’ll recognize this coach. Motor Coach Industries (MCI) built only 100 of them for […]