1959 Chevrolet Apache Fleetside In The UK — And Other Cohort Finds Around The World

It’s time to catch up with the several finds that our Cohort contributors from around the globe have uploaded in recent days. With old trucks being a popular subject, I’d like to think we can’t go wrong by starting today’s gallery with this 1959 Task-Force Chevrolet Apache 32 Fleetside, uploaded by L. Seddon, and found in the UK.

The Fleetside is a long-bed model, and purportedly, still carries the original “Dawn Blue” it came with from the factory. It was brought to the UK in 2006, and while the color might be original, the drivetrain isn’t; a Chevrolet 327CID V8 with a THM-350 gearbox resides underneath, with the earlier inline six now gone.

Let’s stay within GM for now, moving fast forward into the future and away from workhorses. Here’s a 1991-1996 Buick Roadmaster, caught by J.C., and with lots of aftermarket bling. The movie is from 1988, but I could imagine this being a background car in Jonathan Demme’s Married To The Mob.

Let’s go for retro cute. The looks may be British, but it’s a 1990s Tokio Princess shot by robadr in Vancouver. Another retro job based on a Micra (a second generation), though not a Nissan project. Info on these is hard to track down, but Tatra87 covered one a while back.

If you want your front lawn to serve as a Rallye diorama, you can’t do much better than with an Alfa Romeo GTV, with all the appropriate decals, in perpetual display. Uploaded by Ned Fielden, and found, where else, but in Berkeley?

Far more mundane, though still giving me lots of East Bay memories (a friend from El Sobrante owned one), a 1989-1992 Geo Prizm uploaded by Mike Hayes. These Corolla siblings were ideal everyday cars that served well enough, gained little fame, and have now mostly faded away. True unsung curbside (or parking, in this case) classics.

More memories of the 1990s with this 1993-2002 BMW Z3 caught by Hyperpack in Pennsylvania. Part of the roadster wave that arrived stateside after the Miata’s rise.

Another curiosity, a Toyota Origin in Naha, Japan, uploaded by William McDougal. One more limited edition product from the Japanese retro craze of the late 1990s, early 2000s. The Origin has also been covered at CC.

But enough “modern retro” pretenses; let’s go full retro, now with a 1964 Morris 1100, found in Bristol by Nathan Williams. And with trailer and additional rearview mirrors upfront, a living time capsule from the world as it was before SUVs and CUVs.

A 1980s Ford Escort GT, the American Escort that is. This one was found in Washington by Ralf K.

I would think this gotta be a rare one, a 2008-2009 Saturn Astra captured by canadiancatgreen in Alberta. Yes, it’s a badge-engineered Opel Astra; one of those last ditch efforts to save Saturn. As for numbers, about 18K of these sold in the US between 2008 and 2009, and another 11,605 sold in Canada from 2007-2010.

It’s back to the 1970s, with the austere and dignified elegance of a Mercedes-Benz 250, captured in detailed black and white by Ralf K.

Another American rarity; a 1996-1998 Mercury Villager. Basically a badge-engineered Nissan Quest, and another entry that belongs in our How Hard Can It Be To Make a Minivan? saga.

To me, early Saabs were just endearingly quirky; from the looks to the engineering. This 96 was shot by Corey Behrens in the Netherlands, and those bumpers and thick amber turnlights suggest it’s a seventies model.

We’ll close with a classic, a 1961 Corvair Monza uploaded by Mike Hayes. Rare to see one of these out in the open and not fully looking the “garage-queen” part.

And here, the rear view. “Aircool”, of course, and a pretty cool ride, in my book.