Last Friday I headed northwards once more, to that regular meeting I was once before and wrote about here. The reason? To capture classics that may have slipped my lens the last time, and also to witness the unveiling of a Mini, along with other Minis that came as support.
As I already reviewed what this meeting was all about (in the link above), I’ll start right off with the photos and the Minis:
They look much less preserved than you might think- these could actually be perfect candidates for Bona-Fide CCs. And note the small Suzuki Splash behind them, how big it is compared to the Minis.
This one was more preserved, maybe because it’s an open top (that makes it probably the only one of its kind in Israel). I’ll return to the Minis later. For now, here’s an orange Ford Anglia Van:
This ‘Vette was unveiled a week before. Another recent import to Israel, it was imported along with this graphic sticker (oh well). And take note of the Audi in the background.
This Daytona Lark was one of my favorites at the meeting. I think it looks gorgeous with a very clean design. Sorry, I have no idea why the yellow headlights.
Once a very familiar sight on the roads of Israel, this Leone Coupe is now one of the rare ones- and well kept as well. Now see what I found:
The last time this car appeared on CC, many of you chose it as your favorite. It seems this Mercury is a regular at this meeting.
The Grand Marquis’ rival could be seen parked further away. I don’t care much for these barges, but I must admit it’s impressive in white.
Remember the Audi above? Here’s its older brother, sporting a fresh paint job and some alloys.
This appeared out of nowhere and than vanished as if it was never here. Yes, I know it’s just a Beetle underneath but it’s good to see some off the wall classics. Here’s another “Beetle”, and some more German cars:
That’s a nice P1800 besides the Merc R107. It was very well kept, as was this Volvo:
Another Mini was fashionably late to join the display, but I’m glad it did. Believe it or not, this is my favorite of the meeting. I love the matte paint and period sports wheels, as well as the intentional missing arches that make the wheels stick out further. And it’s got a Land Rover emblem at the front. Perfect.
The Mini’s Dad, a Morris Minor (well, not really Dad but you know what I mean). See a familiar shape behind it.
More photos of the Cutlass for you- I think the CC community has a soft spot for these mid-Seventies “colonnade” GMs.
This Aspen was also around, a bit of a hit and miss from Chrysler, as PN wrote about here. That brown is so Seventies.
But time now to head back to the Mini area. By now they unveiled the star of the meeting:
The story behind it was interesting. This was a gift from a grandfather to his grandchild, so they were quite emotional. As for the Mini itself, well, it wasn’t in the best of conditions is the best way to describe it. Some less-than-satisfactory repairs were done to its body and those stickers, in my opinion, are not really needed when it comes to a simple 1976 Leyland Mini 1000. Not all Minis should be made to look like Coopers. But it’s not my car, and passing it on in the family is nice.
In the link at the head of this post I wrote that the Five club was hosting its own meeting, refusing to collaborate with this meeting. Since it was only a mile away, I decided to drive there and see what they had to offer:
Not much, as you can see. Yes, the Yellow Ami has its charm, that Humber is the sole Super Snipe in Israel and the T-Bird is gorgeous, but that was really it. The other meeting wins, hands down.
Wow, there really is something for everyone at one of your local shows!
I spied the Studebaker in the background of the picture with the 3 beetles. Yes, wrap that one up and I will take it home.
That black Oldsmobile is a mystery. The front end and taillights are from a 1974 442, which had a unique front facia from the more common Cutlass Supreme. But I don’t think that car came as a 4 door in the States. Maybe someone with deeper Olds knowledge can answer this. A fender-bender repair with a 442 front clip (and taillight lenses)? Or a unique export model?
The Aspen is like someone took the 64-66 Studebaker and shaved all of the sculpting and weirdness out of it. They both rusted in the same places in the front fenders, so maybe there is something to my theory. 🙂
’74 442 didn’t have a unique front end on the slant nosed 1977’s. Was an appearance and suspension package on base Cutlass/Cutlass S coupes. Could still get a 455.
The base model had turn signals in the bumper, while the S had signals between headlight and grille. Also, the 442 didn’t have unique tail lamps, it was stripes, badges and louvers in the hood.
Checked oldcarbrochures.org site to verify.
Thanks, I just looked at a few pictures online and could not find a base Cutlass or Cutlass S. The 442 was the only one I found with that basic front end with the turn signals in the bumpers. On the taillights, those also look like base units. The higher models had some bright trim that appeared to separate them into two lenses per side. I didn’t bother to check the brochure. So it looks like a base or S model 74 Cutlass, I guess.
Every time I see one of your car show posts, it makes me want to move to Israel just for the cool cars!
Keep them coming!
Quite the smorgasbord (maybe there’s a better name for it in Hebrew). Love the littla Anglia panel van, and yes, that’s a terrific Studebaker. And so on…
Thanks for sharing with us.
Change the signs from Hebrew to English and this could be in SoCal, perhaps someplace like Reseda or Yorba Linda.
Also the gender mix seems about the same as our car events here, maybe, uh, 90% male.
Lot of Mini love, they are very uncommon in my neck of the woods, in fact I’ve never actually seen one of the originals live in the flesh that I can recall. Pretty neat that the red one is a family heirloom.
I was thinking the same thing, only for me it was Florida that came to mind instead of California. As always great photos of interesting cars. I haven’t seen an original Mini in the wild for many years either; the last time I saw one it was being driven on I75 in the Atlanta metro area. The driver either had a death wish or was brave beyond reason.
The only missing piece here is a PAYKAN.great cars.great pictures.well Done.
Thank you for sharing these! It’s great seeing such an interesting mix of show vehicles, not just Corvettes and 57 Chevies.
When I saw the pics of the black Cutlass, the front plates looked like the yellow with black numbers we had in Wisconsin when I was growing up… (especially on the little screen on my phone) there were any number of Cutlass 4-doors in my neighborhood, but none dressed up like a 442. It looks nice! Oh, and one of my neighbors had an Aspen in that same shade of brown, they were still driving it well into the 90’s!
The only Humber Super Snipe in Israel. Terrific!
So much variety ! .
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Good photos of nice cars .
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-Nate
As noted in the title, these posts are always intriguing for their eccentric mix of subject matter. I also enjoy them though because these events just look like a laid back good time. They always appear to be near sundown, everyone in the pics always looks relaxed and congenial, and it they just look like the kind of events I’d like to meander through.
It’s amazing how good these cars look, given the potential range of harsh environmental conditions: blazing sun, scouring sand, salt spray. The owners must put in a fearsome number of hours on maintenance. The results are certainly beautiful, though.
Lovely stuff as per usual, Yohai.
I was thinking I’d like the Peugeot 203 (a very early model, to boot!), but that Studebaker almost won me over. And then the Humber! Keep the Minis, I’ll take that.
No Sussitas this time, eh?