CCs In Israel: February 2020 – More Variety Coming Your Way

Welcome to another post in the “CCs In Israel” series. This is what I managed to obtain during February.

As there were only two stationary (rather that dash-cam) captures this month, I shall dispense with them now:

This second-generation Sonoma was very popular in Israel, being sold here just before the arrival of the Toyota Hilux diesel, which swept everything before it.

Once the double-cabin Hilux, with much better interior room (yet with smaller bed) took hold, the GMC got more and more redundant, until finally vanished. Few of these trucks remain, and still serve their owners at work.

Despite leading a hard working life, this one doesn’t look half-bad. Also, you’ll recognize the Renault R15 from this post. Yes, it’s that same alley. And who knows, that Sonoma might also be part of Mr. Shacham’s fleet!

Same GM era, different car: Later down the month I was walking in an alley-way near my house, and saw this, which used to be the Israeli poor man’s Monte-Carlo (for lack of a better definition). Not surprising that in a small country even a Cavalier is considered big enough to fulfill such a requirement. Obviously, you’ve noticed the weird angle in which it is parked- off to the other side then:

The dropped fuel tank needs no description, and I love how this Cavalier is being supported securely by two points, even though one of them is a battery…

Clearly a major fix-up is being performed. March 2nd was (another) election day in Israel and my way to the ballots took me near to this car, which was now on all four wheels with an elderly chap messing about the engine bay. The battery (inside the car this time) was connected to a running old Citroen Berlingo, possibly being charged-up the old fashioned way.

On with the video:

The C3 Corvette is obviously one of the later models, possibly from 1982. I’ve written plenty about this generation of ‘Vettes, both here and also here. I’ll only say that this particular C3 is unknown to me, and probably a late addition to the growing new imports that keep arriving into Israel. Well, now the C4 has taken over, once the thirty year mark has passed (so these cars are old enough to be allowed in the country).

The Skoda Favorit was fairly successful in Israel, certainly if you take into account that it was imported to the country no more than five years, from the early 1990s to the end of production in 1995. Skoda’s first modern hatchback effort was pretty decent for what it was, and in my eye, doesn’t look half bad. Israel saw the Forman (wagon) and the Pickup being imported here also, and here are two examples I uploaded to the Cohort previously:

As you can see, this particular Pickup now serves as a stationary banner, having had weeds grow underneath it. Running examples can be found, but most irregularly. I mean, you saw for yourself the stricken hatchback in the video, being rescued.

The Chrysler PT-Cruiser was inserted here primarily for its rarity, if nothing else (although ever since I captured an earlier one and posted it here, I keep seeing these pop-up more than I’ve imagined). Never sold in high volumes, it remains unique in the country. This PT looks to be one of the late ones to arrive in Israel.

Curious that I should find another classic BMW motorcycle at almost the exact spot where I found the R100RS posted here– same owner, maybe. This one, however, is of course the grandfather of the famous GS lineup, an R80 G/S. These have a large following in Israel, and can be seen in various meetings:

The R80 G/Ss in these photos have a much more subdued paint scheme than that videoed psychedelic orange example. I’m not sure of its authenticity, but at least it fits that other R100RS.

The Volkswagen T3 is yet another example of a vehicle that once roamed the streets of Israel, and has now become almost instinct. I suppose commercial vehicles tend to vanish faster than their private counterparts, due to the hard lives they lead. Still, I have managed to photograph T3s before, either early ones like this 1982 car:

Or late ones like this post 1990 example:

The featured T3 that’s in the video is one of the later ones, and its looks suggest a strong connection to the Israeli Beetle club I wrote of here, which welcomes other air-cooled VWs with open arms, especially Transporters. I love how it relates to modern-day GTIs with the red strip that surrounds the front grille.

Much like the C3 Corvette above, when new the Mercedes-Benz SL (Type R107) was around in Israel very sporadically, even if imported here officially. But once those cars reached over thirty, the flood gates opened and plenty arrived in recent years, particularly from the US, as you can tell by the ugly 5-MPH bumpers that were never part of the originally imported “European” R107s. Here are some more photos:

All of these are imported examples, arriving to the country in recent years, as is the featured white R107 in the video, out for a leisurely weekend drive.

Sadly, the low winter-afternoon light provides less than ample image of the rather colorful UAZ-452. Very hard to place this one’s age, as it has been in production forever. Rear lights suggest this is a post 1979 car, but that still leaves us with some forty years. Obviously these were never imported into Israel officially (or even unofficially), as derived by the relationships between Israel and the Soviet Union. But with the fall of the eastern bloc back in 1989-90, massive numbers of people immigrated to Israel and some would manage to bring their cars with them. This could also have entered the country as a Collectable Vehicle once over thirty, and of course, a new immigrant can still import a new car with him even today. Anyway, your guess is as good as mine.

How ironic is it that the Peugeot 305 is my favorite capture of the video. Back in the 1980s, my teen years, I thought nothing of these, being so common and bland. This was one of the tough Peugeots of old, before the company’s turn into sporty but brittle chassis such the 205, 309, 405, etc. I now look upon these as very effective cars, built for a job and perform it well- plus, very comfortable. I remember them well, especially the end-of-the-line 305 “Select” models from 1988 like the one in the video. You can just see the sticker next to the “305” emblem, plus the wide strip running along the sides of the car. See this:

Looking at this photo, I now remember that they also used the early 405 wheel covers, as seen here. Actually, this could be the same car as in the video, although this was taken back in 2012, so who knows.

From Peugeot to Citroen, and you’ve seen that 2CV before. This time I managed to find it near its home, and also be entertained by the difference in size between it and the current day small-car Honda Jazz, which is quite enormous compared with the 2CV.

I included the Corolla Estate because, well, it’s over twenty years old by now, and at least in Israel- very rare. This one was purchased new back in the late 1990s, when station-wagons were very few (being priced more than their sedan counterparts). In general, SWs never really took on in Israel. This was until the mid-2000s, when importers re-discovered them and started marketing them with much more logical prices. But this was still to come when this Corolla was new. Of course, the sedan version of this generation was highly successful in the country (as with any Corolla), and can still be seen from time to time. But it’s the first time I’ve seen a well preserved wagon such as this. Hence added to this post.

A street away from my home I found this early model (well, early for Israel) GMC Safari, complete with delicious faded, late-1980s brown. As I’ve already addressed the Safari/Astro in this post, I won’t elaborate further, just let you enjoy its superiority. And you can treat the Alfa Romeo Spider, 159 and (during fade-out) 164 as a bonus- yes, it’s the same street upon the Alfa lover posted here lives. And thus ends February.