A Half-Year of Curbside and In-Motion Finds From Roads, Parking Lots and Curbs

With 2025 half over, it’s a good time to look back through my collection of single pictures featuring interesting cars I’ve seen over the past six months.  Since most of these pictures are in-motion shots, not all are sharply-focused or from ideal angles, and most of them happen to show the rear of cars.  Still, I figured that all of these cars were interesting enough to use up some pixels.

First up is a 1984 Pontiac Bonneville in well-used daily-driver condition.  General Motors debuted these sedans for 1978, so by the time this car was made, it was essentially a six-year old design that was competing with newer GM models in the same showrooms.  In fact, Pontiac buyers could choose either the front-drive 6000 or the full-size rear-drive Parisienne for about the same price as this Bonneville.  Nonetheless, quite a few buyers chose these cars; about 73,000 Bonnevilles were sold for 1984.

Making a special appearance in the background of this shot is a Volkswagen EuroVan.

From about the same period is this 1985 Lincoln Mark VII – this is a base model rather than the costlier LSC that seems to comprise most Mark VII survivors.

In April, I took one of my cars to a shop for some transmission work, and was greeted by an interesting assortment of vehicles.  If I saw this trio at a car show, I’d linger at each one for a few minutes.  I didn’t linger around the transmission shop, but did get a good photo.

I left my good camera at home on the day I saw this VW Pickup.  Its bed full of stuff looks well within the trucklet’s payload capacity.

Whale Caprices always catch my eye, though not always in the fondest of ways.  This 1992 example – debadged and with fat tires – looks even more cetacean than most.  I always enjoy getting my kids’ impressions about old car designs, and my younger daughter said this car looks “totally wrong.”  Most consumers in the early 1990s probably agreed with her.

This 1968 Ford Torino GT is the kind of car I’d expect to see at a car show or museum – and that may well be where this example was headed.

Unfortunately this is a blurry shot, but it’s worth including because it features a 1986 Ford Thunderbird Elan.  The Elan (Ford marketed is as élan – uncapitalized and with an accent) was the well-equipped Thunderbird for 1983-86, with comfy upholstery and standard power accessories.

This 1988 or ’89 Bright Blue Pontiac Sunbird SE looks to be in too good shape for the junkyard, so I’m hoping it’s headed to the home of a J-car enthusiast.  Or maybe something in between.

1980s Mercedes-Benz S-Classes have become rare enough that it’s noteworthy when I see one in motion.  This 1984 300SD was one of the rarer S-Class offerings in North America, so seeing it cruise down the highway was a treat.  I bet this car has at least 300,000 mi. on the odometer.

Not quite so respected was Lincoln’s Mark LT pickup, whose main purpose in life was to prove that thinly rebadged F-150s don’t necessarily sell at a markup just because they wear Lincoln badges.

I photographed this circa 1990 Ford Bronco on a whim – they’re not entirely rare, but this one looked intriguing to me for some reason.  Despite being a license plate enthusiast, I didn’t notice that the plate was this Bronco’s most intriguing feature.  The plate, with its state seal, “OFFICIAL VEHICLE” label, and MZU prefix, indicates the Bronco belongs to the University of Missouri.  There can’t be many 30+ year-old vehicles left in state vehicle fleets!

Now for a Bronco of a very different trim level.  This 1995 Eddie Bauer edition looked like it just left the showroom.

Back when Porsche 914s were somewhat common, whenever I’d see one, I’d glance to see if it was an unusual 914/6.  With the six-cylinder variant accounting for only about three percent of total 914 production, these were never a common sight.

A full-size convertible cruising down a highway on a warm spring day is a beautiful sight, and the occupants of this 1975 Chevrolet Caprice seemed to be enjoying the moment.  This was the Caprice convertible’s last year, and just over 8,300 were produced.

There’s a first time for everything, and seeing this car marked the first time I saw a fourth-generation Honda Accord and said, “Wow, that’s a rare car!”  The car is a 1991 DX coupe – the entry-level DX wasn’t terribly popular, and neither was the two-door bodystyle.  This DX looks to be in great condition, too… I’d love to have gotten a closer look.

This was a blast from the past: A 1986 Firebird following another car (probably too) closely on a busy highway.  Since the trophy of aggressive drivers has been taken up by other types of vehicles, seeing a 40-year-old F-body driving like it was a youngster was somewhat amusing.

1970s cars in everyday settings have become exceedingly rare, though this 1977 Chevrolet Malibu Classic parked at a Walmart was a welcome exception.

Even rarer are vehicles from the ‘60s – here’s a 1960 Chevrolet pickup parked curbside in a Missouri town.  As I drove up, a man and a young boy who was likely his grandson got into the truck, so, like the Malibu above, it’s still performing everyday errands.

For Ford truck fans, here’s one too: A 1969 F-100 Custom Cab in Lunar Green.  This one also sees an active daily life.

I’ll leave you with a 1977-79 Ford Ranchero GT, painted in what appears to be Light Chamois with brown stripes.  The GT package included upgraded trim, and a “flight bench seat” – it was the middle of three Ranchero models, and was also the best selling during for this generation, accounting for 52% of Ranchero sales.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour of random finds – for the second half of this year, maybe I’ll get some more pictures of the fronts of cars as well!