The Cars of Mystic
8/1/21
David: Since summer was almost at its end, my family and I decided to take a day trip to Mystic, Connecticut to enjoy the last month of our summer. Mystic is a pretty nice town, with a river that passes through it. We usually go up here at least once a Summer.
Above: Austin Healey Sprite Mk.I Bug Eye
As we were walking down the main street, this caught my eye. It's the iconic "Bug Eye" Austin Healey! This specific one belongs to the shop it was parked out in front of, Mystic Knotworks, which specializes in sailing knots. The shop appears to be keeping it up well, and it looks to be in good shape. These cars just make you smile, those headlights and front grille make it look like the car is smiling back at you, unlike the angry headlights of today.
Classic Land Rover Series II Crossing the Mystic River Bascule Bridge
The Mystic River Bascule Bridge is an infamous land mark in Mystic. This classic Land Rover happened to be crossing over it while we were walking through town. It appears to be an early '60s Land Rover Series II, judging by the body style and headlights in the front grille. The Series II was produced from 1961 to 1971.
Above: 1992 Volvo 240 Estate
This was street parked at a shop. This is another great example of a daily driver 240 that is still running strong in the present day. I had to document this one on an out of state trip. It's also a wagon, so that makes it even better.
Mercedes Benz 300D Sedan (W123)
The Mercedes Benz 300D is another great reliable '80s car. Unlike most cars, it's powered by a diesel engine, which is what the "D" stands for. Later models of this car had the turbocharged diesel engine, badged as "TD," and make a bit more power. Like the Volvo 240, you still see these driving around frequently, as it was another car built to last.
Above: Land Rover Series III
Unlike the previous Land Rover, this is a Series III. They look very similar, but the way to tell them apart is by the headlight placement. The III had the Headlights on the front fenders. It was produced from 1971 to '85, and is probably the most common of the classic Land Rovers. It is also the predecessor to the Land Rover Defender, which come after this model. This Series III appears to have some fancy graphics on it, and it appears to be factory.
Above: Saab 9000 Aero in Hiding
The first 9000 I've really ever seen. This was seen at a barn on the way back, and me being a Saab enthusiast, noticed the rear end and immediately knew what it was. It's a late 90s Saab 9000 Aero in jet black, and, despite it hiding behind a tree, appears to be in great shape for its age. The 9000 was introduced in 1984 were offered along side the 900, as a more upscaled luxury car. The 9000 was also a joint development, along with the Fiat Croma, Lancia Thema, and Alfa Romeo 164. However, the story goes that when the prototype car was presented to the Saab engineers, they thought it wasn't good enough, and modified it to create the Saab 9000, making it completely different from its other three counterparts. The 9000 was updated in 1992 (what you see here) and was kept in production until 1998, when it was succeeded by the Saab 9-5 for the 1999 model year.