This seductive black ’66 Riviera has lived in front of this house for some years, and it was the subject of my tribute to GM’s second VP of Design, calling it “The Ultimate Bill Mitchell-Mobile”. Recently it’s been joined by what pretty much has to be the most polar opposite car available on the market at that time, a white VW Beetle. Opposites attract, they say, and the Riviera now has company at the curb. It must be really tough to decide which of these two to take for a drive on the weekends.
Related reading:
Doesn’t anybody in Eugene trim their shrubs, mow their lawn?
Do they hafta?
I was thinking it looks like one of those goobing detroit case studies where the vegetation takes over after the house is abandoned.
Except the house is in too good condition, that and the cars obviously.
I think John H nailed the answer below. Black Riv on the highway, white VW for local use.
No; We have better things to do. 🙂
It helps to disguise the growth of ‘other plants’.
Nice pair of vehicles and if they could talk oh the conversations they could have. Looks like the XD gets the driveway and I spy an Oldsmobile!
Do not know about Eugene, but in Portland there are a bunch of lawns (or fields) with tall grass and/or bunches of bushy shrubs. Different strokes for different folks. Currently the lawn at my place is a bit over grown in places and short and brown in others. Watering the lawn is silly and the lawn has not been mowed in over a month due to the warm weather.
Well obviously they must be people who like two door cars!
I’d take the Riv in a heartbeat. Of course, I’ve never driven an old Bug (or a new Bug or any Volkswagen at all actually), maybe it’d change my mind.
The shrubbery looks okay to me. Keeping everything trimmed can be overrated, unless they’re right in front of the house and starting to block the windows. Cozy-looking old house, too.
Thing is, I recall families having made similar choices back when these were new. Our next door neighbor was a tax attorney. The Mrs. drove a GTO and the Mr. a VW bug during one stretch of their frequently changing driveway. The bug was such a classless car (maybe even more so than the original Mustang) that it was at home almost everywhere in the mid 60s.
And this picture reminds me of the stellar progress that my two strapping sons have made this summer in ridding my little homestead of honeysuckle (the Indiana equivalent of kudzu.)
Back in the day Dad drove a 67 Continental and Mom drove a 66 Beetle.
VW for the weekday commute in traffic and stretch the Rivieras legs on the weekend would be my answer. I would prefer to keep the Riv in a garage though even if the curbside was poorer by its absence.
The Riviera is a 1967, or at least it has 1967 wheelcovers. I have one just like it.
Edit: i saw the other posts and it’s a 1966. But it has 1967 wheelcovers. I still have two of these from a car I parted out that are currently on my trailer.
Maybe it’s a case of the “Good” and the “Bad” son. The conservative minded son drives the Volkswagen and the flashy escentric son drives the V8 Riviera?
I wonder if anyone caught any flak for trying to pass off a 50 Stude for a 49?
I saw that too, and the tucker was a 48? correct?? But the ad does make a point though.
The rounded thirties styling of the Beetle makes the Riviera look even more sinister, sleek and long, like a shark being followed by a goldfish.
“It must be really tough to decide which of these two to take for a drive on the weekends…”
Surely you jest. I had enough of VWs after my Dad’s broke its crankshaft and we pushed it home. Uphill.
Not much more has to be said about the Riv, but I’ll echo the sentiment that it’s beautiful…I like the first-gen just a little better, but not a ton.
I had enough of VW Bugs after an old fart in a 1949 Plymouth made a last-second left turn in front of me. With no chance even to hit the brake I T-boned the Plymmy in the right rear door and fender. The bug was never the same, nor was my lower lip; the Plymouth drove off with only minor sheet metal damage.
I’d keep the Riv and leave it as-is, but I’d swap the Beetle for an early Z-car.