I wistfully remember the good old days when our daily urban walks would yield numerous CCs to shoot. That’s not quite so much the case anymore; is it me or is it Eugene? I just can’t muster the enthusiasm to shoot cars from the aughts and teens, which now tend to predominate here. And shooting cars I’ve done before isn’t very compelling.
But when I stumbled into this fine threefer, genuine funky curbside classics, I did stop and shoot. Yes, if the time stamp on this photo wouldn’t prove otherwise, it looks like it could be a typical gray Eugene winter day back in 2006, when I first started shooting cars. I feel younger already!
The RX-7 is what got most of my attention, as ratty beaters like this one are not exactly a common sight anymore.
The interior is a real mess. I assume it was driven here, and it was gone not long after, but I make no guarantees. is that a brake cylinder reservoir there?
No, we’re not in Tokyo today.
The Datsun/Nissan 720 is not nearly as uncommon hereabouts, but they’re not as common as old Toyota pickups, which are the ultimate cockroaches, along with their Corolla brethren.
It’s generic, boxy and just about as polar opposite as the rounded and sleek Sable behind it.
Not exactly a classic Eugene-mobile, to say the least. And not exactly destined to be a classic of any kind, other than a curbside classic.
How could anyone design such a sad and pathetic face?
There they are, keeping each other company and reminding themselves that they were all once loved. And reminding me how it used to look like this all over town.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1983 Mazda RX-7 – Zinger
Curbside Classic: 1996-99 Mercury Sable – A Messenger Carrying An Illegible Message
CC Capsule: 1984 Nissan 720 – Who Needs a Big Truck?
I agree! These are all unique and somehow sporting in ways a Tesla or competent BMW or Audi from the mid 2000s will never be… same thing here in Sacramento…although there is a pininfarina designed Peugeot 604 sitting in a driveway a mile away…my X1/9, Fulvia GT and modern Fiat 500 Abarth are a great trio…but I have to drive to San Francisco to see more cars like this! Keep shooting the special ones! Bravo!
The front end of the Sable still isn’t bad as that of the same generation Taurus. It was like someone at Ford decided the goofy front end of the early sixties’ downsized Mopars with their separate high-beams in the grille was a good idea.
OTOH, when they did it on various years of the Mustang, they came out okay.
Wow ! a running (?) Mazda RX7 is a real treat anywhere .
I remember a Datsun 720 pickup with the NAPS-Z engine that used 8 spark plugs, it was a rally nice truck once we got it all cleaned up and sorted out, I prolly should have kept it but was enjoying my 602 pickup at the time .
I recall those Mercs were *very* popular for some years .
-Nate
Oddly enough, I see more 1st generation RX-7s than 2nd generations. Last one I saw was this red ’85 parked at a gas station a few months ago:
Even here in the Great Lakes rust belt, there’s a surprising “survival rate” for that generation of Taurus/Sable (far more of the former), now surely not under original ownership.
I applaud Ford for making the Mercury as visually “different” as it did, though I have no idea what sales were like. I’d drive one today, but I realize that–decades later–the design isn’t to everyone’s taste .
I owned the wagon version of that Sable in the same color. The little Mercury badge in the center of the grille lit up when you turned on the headlights.
I really liked driving my Sable. It was surprisingly quick with the base V6. I loved mashing the pedal on the highway. Too bad it was the single most unreliable vehicle I ever owned.
Paul, thanks for keeping the good old days alive.The herd on the street has thinned but there is hope. Most of the interesting stuff in my area is now seen pushed back next to outbuildings of farms and large overground properties. Recent finds include a Bricklin SV1 and a International box truck with a DT466.
I think you’re just getting jaded, Paul. And perhaps a 30 year old car in 2010 was more interesting than a 30 year old car today. But my recent trip to Oregon was pretty interesting CC-wise, though maybe the grass just seems greener on the other side of the state line. But the small Columbia River towns downriver from Portland are certainly green in more ways than one. On a stretch of Hwy 30 between Rainier and Scapoose I saw three Mazda pickups, two 2nd gen and one 3rd gen. The former are pretty rare here. Plus a 1st gen Westmoreland Rabbit, diesel, of course, and several of the 3rd and 4th gen Taurii. All driving, not just surrounded by (green) grass in fields or yards.
Paul, I share your feeling about Aughts and Teens, but a 2000 year Automobile is now a quarter of a Century old. Cars of this vintage have reached the end of the run with their original owners, and lower mileage, well cared examples are in the hands of their second or third owners.
I think that the RX7 was someones recent yard car purchase, and it was sitting there while the buyer was getting ready to flip it, or park it somewhere and start fixing it. From the looks of that interior, it doesn’t look like it was driven there.
Lincoln Mercury stylists had a bit of practice producing mournful looking front ends. Remember this car?
Wow!
The RX-7 sure does live up to the name beaten to death. Below wasn’t.
The RX7 is one I purchased new in Vancouver BC in 1978. Brought it to Oregon in 1987 when I relocated. Sold it in 1993 when seals went and I was having a second child.
Great car, and because bought in Canada a great deal. In Canada cars are not allowed to be sold for over MSRP while in US, as it was the first year, there were large premiums.
I first noticed the trailer lights fitted into the rear fenders and tailgate of the Datsun. Likely to help avoid getting rear ended again, as that’s probably why the rear bumper is missing to begin with. Then I noticed it’s a diesel, so more uncommon.
The Taurus/Sable was a great runner, and indeed they are still commonly seen running around rural Michigan. I just don’t care for the repair methods, compared to similar era GM. Things like wheel bearings, balljoints, struts that are pressed in instead of bolted in. Also the oval fetish, though it was toned down for the next gen.